Espresso Shots 1-17-25

Here's my weekly update with a few interesting random findings that I came across the last week or two. I am going to try to make sure they're here in time for you to enjoy with your morning coffee (or beverage of choice) every Saturday or Sunday, and include some of my thoughts around them.

Remembering David Lynch

I was incredibly saddened to hear of the passing of filmmaker David Lynch yesterday. A handful of creatives have inspired me to think differently, to look at the world through a different lens. Sometimes, I had no idea what message he was even trying to convey (watch "What would Jack do?"). For others, it was surreal and mesmerizing (see Gotta Light?).

But it was always something unexpected and wonderful.

Brian Tallerico writes, "As a teenager growing up in suburban America in the '80s, 'Blue Velvet' and 'Twin Peaks' hit like a bolt of lightning. Not only did they capture something about the sinister, surreal underbelly of life under the picket fences, but they said something directly to anyone who thought they could be an artist: You don't have to do what everyone else is doing."

Two quotes from him I revisit often:

' We think we understand the rules when we become adults but what we really experience is a narrowing of the imagination'

And

'Everything I learned in my life, I learned because I decided to try something new.'

Wise words. His vision and insight will be missed.

The Latest Drippings ☕️

• Why Humans Were Born to Ruck. For the last half of 2024, I've been trying to ruck at least three times a week. I've found it a simple way to work on core and build endurance, and it forced me to get outside without pounding my joints like triathlon used to. The best part? It's easy to do—walk and put on a backpack with some weight.
• I Live My Life a Quarter Century at a Time. This one was making the tech rounds a few weeks back, but what a remarkable story around the history of the Apple "Dock".
• A Funeral For The Blue Man Group: Chicago Says Farewell To Iconic Performance Troupe Bummer. I remember seeing Blue Man Group in concert at some point, and I can't forget their legendary Intel commercials. RIP.
• I Share Private Journal Entries. I enjoyed getting a peek at Ted Gioia's journal entries. It's all random but interesting! Speaking of journals, I made a -significant- change to my journalling workflow by switching apps (after about 8 years!) from Day One to now using Everlog.
• How to Be Healthier Without Really Trying. Just breathe. But, 'here's the thing: most of us have been breathing wrong. Seriously. Breathing's one of those things you assume you're doing correctly because you're not dead yet. But just because something is natural, doesn't mean you can't screw it up'.
• DDoS'ing Yourself with To-dos and Reminders. What a great way to describe the constant bombardment of the daily task list.
• A New Home Screen Thought Technology. I also did this in December - I went with ONE app page, and the rest goes into the App Library. Once you get used to it, it's life-changing. :)
• One phrase that can help you through anything. Ha! I loved this one.
• Anticipation, experience, satisfaction. I've recently discovered Annie Muller's fantastic blog, and this post, particularly around 'wanting something is not the same as enjoying it,' was incredibly insightful.
• The Control Paradox. A look at how control affects anxiety and performance, particularly in high-stress environments, with some sound advice on how to reframe those situations.
• Endurance: Shackleton's lost ship is found in Antarctica. 2025 has started me down the path of a mental shift from '[piracy]' (https://makoism.com/hoist-the-colours/) to an 'explorer' mindset (more on that in a future post). That has me reading more about famous expeditions, and the story of Shackleton's crew's tale of survival from Antarctica is one of the legends.
• Joanna Holman on Resolutions I've mentioned before that I'm not a 'resolutions' fan, but this post has me rethinking the idea: make FUN ones. 'when they ask me (about resolutions), I tell them about pasta quest (i am eating as many different pasta shapes as possible in the space of a year) or when I did fruit adventures (every time I saw a fruit I had never eaten before id get one and eat it and read the Wikipedia article about it) - they're like hang on I forgot you can make fun ones and I want a fun one.'

Amor Fati ✌🏻