MNTS #15
MNTS #15
[Week 34/ Year 2023] Augustine of Hippo, Murphy, Burgis, Perell, Simmons, Snider, Ginsburg, Death Cab, God & Famous
Mainly, Notes To Self - my weekly attempt to compress everything noteworthy I read, watched, listened to, and discovered during the past week.
No new posts again this week, but I have a few drafts in the works and will be working on tidying those up shortly. Onward!
Reading
Straw Dogs is on hold while I read the first half (Books 1-12) of The City of God by Augustine of Hippo (interesting juxtaposition) for the next Other Life discussion. To quote the back cover of the book, “Written as an eloquent defence of the faith at a time when the Roman Empire was on the brink of collapse, it examines the ancient pagan religions of Rome, the arguments of the Greek philosophers and the revelations of the Bible.” I’m currently midway through book three and have to say I’m enjoying the reading much more than I thought I would. The translation is modern, and the rhetoric is broken into short passages. I have a somewhat sorted past with Christianity, and this is a fascinating historical perspective, regardless of your affiliation.
If You Can Articulate, You’re All Set: Russell, Yeats, Gaddis by Justin Murphy - The quote below captures the essence of what I’m attempting to do here beautifully.
"The things I want are not in any country, nor in any job. As yet I am not quite sure where they are, but am coming nearer to the conclusions that they are latent in myself, and that through reading the thoughts, the impressions, and the creations of responsible minds I shall come nearer to discovering them. And then if I can articulate I shall be set. No hurry about that—my only thought now is to make progress as a human being."
—William Gaddis to Francis Henderson in 1946, Letters of William Gaddis
The Three-City Problem of Modern Life by Luke Burgis - This essay is so good! Life is full of Three-body problems, and Burgis’s framing of the Three City Problem is a brilliant observation. Must read.
“John Locke—whose philosophy influenced the American founding fathers more than any other—wrote about human nature as if it were an “unknowable x.” He knew that disagreements over religion (Jerusalem) and over reason (Athens) were dangerous, so he declared the question of human nature an unfathomable idea that people would no longer have to debate or even care about.”
From David Perell’s Friday Finds, Clickbait is Unreasonable Effective - “The positive version of clickbait is "Legitbait." Yes, it's still bait, but it's not deceptive or sensationalized. If your title is legit, that means you deliver on its promise.”
Speaking of clickbait and legit bait. Michael Simmons has been assaulting my inbox with his Blockbuster Blueprint Substack for the last few weeks, and I have ZERO knowledge of who this guy is or how I got on his mailing list. Still, his writing is good, and I’m digging how he’s packaging up his subject matter. He hasn’t converted me to a paid subscriber yet, but I’m not mad he found me. Legitbate / targeted advertising done well can be/could be pretty awesome.
A Simple Format for Mexican-Style Salsas by Miles Snider - Cooking down your raw salsa is brilliant!
I often prefer cooked salsas for their additional notes. One trick I’ll often do is make a raw salsa in a blender, and then add that to a saucepan over medium heat with a bit of oil and cook it down until it’s slightly reduced. That way you get the flavor and complexity of a cooked salsa without having to individually cook each component.
Top 10 Best Point and Shoot Film Cameras 2023 by Gabe Ginsburg - I absolutely despise taking pictures with my phone, so I’m always on the hunt for alternatives. The Contax T2 is my top pick, but any of these options would be a unique alternative way to capture life’s fleeting moments with a bit more soul.
Listening
Random
These are in the running for the best sticker pack of all time. I picked these up from the irreverent cycling company God & Famous but found them to be equally apropos vibes for twin parenting, or any parenting for that matter. Which is your favorite?
Until next week.
Stay spirited, stay resilient.
Andrew