Recommended reading

7 comments on Recommended reading
2 minutes

The entire Internet awaits Saturday with bated breath, for it is the day I bring forth with the finest bloggery from the week just concluding.

My friend Christopher Newgent told me this post was coming when we met for drinks a couple weeks ago. That he finally had the words to answer Question Twelve of his 36 Questions. It’s the one where he finally begins to learn that his needs are legitimate and he doesn’t need to apologize for them. He tells the story of why he lost that ability as a boy, thanks to an alcoholic stepdad and a codependent mother. Read Question 12: If you could wake up tomorrow having gained one quality or ability, what would it be?

Our life is an arc, with a beginning and an end. That’s a beautiful thing, says David Heinemeier Hansson, writing for Signal v. Noise. It gives us all we need to both make good use of it and be content in it. Read You are going to die, isn’t it wonderful?

Stewart Pittman is a television news photographer, and he’ll never forget the pain and suffering he’s seen, even when his video didn’t end up getting seen at 6 or 11. Read Specter’s Regret

I hate my 15-mile commute and wish I could figure out how to bike to work, get here at a reasonable time, and not be a sweaty mess. Mr. Money Mustache tells a story of a fellow in Houston — Hotston — who makes a 5+ mile commute on his bicycle every day. Read Houston Attorney Thrives On Doing The Impossible — Daily

Used to be, just a handful of us were reviewing old film cameras on the Internet. Google searches for various cameras turned up the same four or five reviewers all the time. Now lots of people are. Here are the reviews and experience reports I found just this week.


Comments

7 responses to “Recommended reading”

  1. conspicari Avatar

    Always enjoy your “recommended reading”. Thank you for the link.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Happy to share your camera review!

  2. Heide Avatar
    Heide

    Christopher Newgent’s story is HEARTBREAKING. How much I admire his strength for protecting himself, even if all he could do was run for the woods. Also loved Hansson’s piece for Signal and Noise. Two things struck me about that piece: First, how unhealthy it is that our culture avoids talking about death, or labels such talk “morbid.” Acknowledging that we will die can be a powerful reminder to live while we’re still alive. Second, I loved his observations about living with purpose – vs striving to be super-productive. I struggle with the temptation in my own life to squeeze the most out of every minute, but after a back injury forced me to slow down I observed that my days actually seem richer when I do less, but with more focus. Thanks for another great, thought-provoking lineup!

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      I sort of know the part of Indiana Christopher is from, and so I even have a picture in my mind of what those woods were like.

      I, too, try to squeeze too much in. Margaret does too. I wonder if she will have the same response you did – she is currently recovering from a back injury.

      1. Heide Avatar
        Heide

        I’m so sorry to hear that Margaret is also recovering from a back injury, Jim. I hope she will soon be back to 100% …

  3. jon Avatar
    jon

    Hi Jim, I commute 15 miles by bike year ’round here in Connecticut. I hate driving in the car and vastly prefer the bike ride, which is often the best part of my day. I think the amount of sweat and stink is a not the big deal you would think. One learns to dress for the weather. A more serious issue for many folks like you might be the time commitment. I am single and don’t do half the things you do. I wish Margaret a speedy recovery.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      I would love to be a bicycle commuter if I could make the time. My new company even has a shower room, so on hot days I could clean up before work. I do, however, really dislike riding in the cold. Below about 50 degrees and there’s just no joy in riding for me. But the real killer is that central Indiana has a long way to go yet in being bike friendly. Where I live now it’s not that bad — if I can ride the 1.5 miles over to Michigan Road, I could get on a trail there and ride it up to 71st St., where there are bike lanes; from there bike lanes exist more or less all the way to the Monon Trail, which I could ride up to 116th St. My office is a few miles away off 116th. But after I move to Zionsville later this year, there are no bike lanes anywhere along the routes to work.

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