by Owen | Jan 19, 2020 | 2019-2020, Weekend Reflections
What I’m Reading: The Big Short by Michael Lewis
Stop 2 on my exploration of Lewis’ work is The Big Short. When I first saw the film version, I was absolutely struck by the characters. Now that I’m reading the source material, it’s clear to see how Lewis’ depiction became the anchor the movie was built on. For those unfamiliar, The Big Short focuses on the observant and daring few who discovered and profited from the housing market crash of 2008. Through the lens of these characters, Lewis can string a narrative that terrifies and informs readers, meanwhile damming the ignorance and greed of the financial institutions that lead us, blindly, into the crisis. If the complexity of the real estate market seems like a tough entry point, don’t worry. Lewis does well in keeping the reader on track, giving them all the information they need to keep up in the story of these characters. I highly recommend this book if you have even a passing interest in the movie or learning more about the 2008 crisis.
What I Accomplished: Putting Up This Website, Unfinished
I was nervous about making this website live. It’s far from done, and there’s still a lot I’d like to figure out. In the end, however, I found myself spending more and more of my free time working on the website and than drafting the pieces for the site (hopefully to be up soon). Some call this “Insecurity work,” the work before the real work. The work that never ends. It’s a dangerous trap of creativity. With this in mind, I decided the website was ready enough and decided to get back to the work I really enjoy. The rest will come with time.
What I’m Struggling With: Giving It a Fair Shot
This week I’m back for my final semester of college, and as with every other student coming back from their holidays, I’m getting a bit tired of it. Though perhaps its a little more justified this time around. For me, I figured out how the system worked a long time ago, and since then, I’ve more or less coasted on it, focusing on what I deemed essential and checking the boxes on the rest. The downside, however, is that once you understand how to game it all, you stop paying attention. Now, however, at the end of my formal education, I realize that maybe it deserves a fair shot. I’m not claiming that formal education is the best it could be, or that I’ve destroyed my education, I have plenty of issues with the system. But I also haven’t done myself any favors in closing myself off from it. Taking my education into my own hands with reading and personal study has made me realize that the best lessons are found in the most unexpected places. Sometimes entirely unintended. By closing myself off from classes, assuming I didn’t need them, or worse thinking I was above them, ignored this fact. So, for the first time in a long time, I’m attempting to give my classes a fair shot, swallow my pride, and see if anything’s there. Maybe I will have been right all along, and I will just have proven it to myself. Or perhaps I’ll find something new to share. I guess I’ll have to open up and see.
A Quote I’m Thinking About:
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” – Shakespeare Hamlet II.ii
I’ve been involved with Hamlet more ways and times than I can count. Until now, this line had never been more than a point of analysis in class. But now, after a deep dive into philosophy, I can’t seem to get it out of my head. More and more, this encompasses what I want to see from myself, what I am working towards. This idea of equanimity is perhaps the loftiest goal we can all strive for.
Gut-wrenching and beautiful with just the right amount of humor. Gerald has an incredible way of connecting you with his story, stringing you into his life of beliefs as if you had always had them yourself. The sentiment, though rooted in loss and darkness, has stayed with me. I think Gerald, in his idea od humble doubt, has found the words to say something that I have struggled to put together for a long time.
by Owen | Jan 17, 2020 | 2019-2020, Weekend Reflections
What I’m Reading: Flash Boys by Michael Lewis
As I continue to hone my writing craft, it only makes sense to study the greats. I first found Michael Lewis, like most, through the film version of The Big Short a few years ago. Then, a few weeks ago, I discovered his podcast, Against the Rules. What I love about Lewis is his ability to tell great and complicated stories all through the power of his characters. The connection he creates allows him to make a thriller of the most esoteric, yet entirely important, stories he finds. Flash Boys, through the characters of Brad Katsuyama, Ryan Ronan, and others, takes a look at the loopholes, flaws, and inefficiencies in the US Stock Exchanges that led to the rise of predatory high-frequency traders undercutting the everyday investor. It’s a phenomenal book to begin my studies on Lewis.
What I’m Listening to: Broken Record From Pushkin Industries
It was only a matter of time before I found another Malcolm Gladwell work to make a part of my life. This one, however, was a reluctant partner. As the title suggests, the podcast is all about music, specifically interviews and discussions on major artists and producers. Now, don’t get me wrong I love music, I doubled minored in it, after all, but the deep convictions most people have for their tastes slipped away from me sometime in the last few years. I was wary of how interested I could be in these interviews, but, of course, Gladwell drew me in again. The stories and discoveries to be found in this podcast are amazing. It’s also nice to be listening to something just out of pleasure and the love of a good story.
The Commitment I’m Making: Daily Creative Time
Until recently, my writing has happened in bursts of inspiration or boredom, often one inducing the other. While this has been an excellent forum for myself, if I want to develop as a writer, I need to do just that, write. Therefore, I have decided to institute daily creative time. For now, 2 hours every morning, set aside for the singular purpose of writing and creation. While this doesn’t necessarily generate inspiration, it’s time I start to create a habit of my writing sessions. So far, I’ve enjoyed putting myself out there. The only way I can continue this, and continue to get better at it, is to show up every day and write.
A Quote I’m Thinking About:
“Empathy means challenging your preconceived ideas and setting aside your sense of what your think is true in order to learn what actually is true” – Tom and David Kelley
by Owen | Jan 5, 2020 | 2019-2020, Weekend Reflections
What I’m Reading: Rant by Chuck Palahniuk
This book has been a considerable influence on me since I first read it almost five years ago. The book tells the story of the fictional Buster “Rant” Casey, patient zero for a rabies outbreak of the near future. The real catch, though, is in the structure. A series of excerpts from friends, family, and enemies, each with their perspective and style, construct the story through oral biography. You can count on it that it’s filled with contradictions, wild theories, and dark suggestions. This book has taught me an incredible amount in the way of storytelling and structure.
What I Accomplished: 200 Days of Morning Pages
I wrote about the practice of Morning Pages in a previous roundup. You can learn more about it from its creator here. I can quickly point to it as one of the foundations of my day. I highly recommend it for those looking to develop positive morning habits, especially for creators.
What I’m Committing To: A Week Away From Excercise
I’ve been going to the gym or doing some physical exertion an average of five days a week for almost eight months now. It’s been a fantastic turn around after nearly a year of no exercise at all. But my ambition is catching up with me. As much as I hate to admit it, I could give myself a break. Like most people who make exercise a considerable habit, it’s a tough one to stop forcibly. But it’s important to know when it’s time and to give yourself a break. And it’s a good practice to live on the other side for a while.
A Quote I’m Thinking About:
“If someone took traffic signals personally we would judge them insane. Yet this is exactly what life is doing to us. It tells us to come to a stop here.” – Ryan Holiday
by Owen | Dec 29, 2019 | 2019-2020, Weekend Reflections
What I’m Reading: On Writing Well by William Zinsser
I approached this book with a lot of fear. I, an untrained hobby writer, have so much to learn about the craft that any entry point seemed intimidating. Especially in approaching a book focused exclusively on writing nonfiction. That had to be a slog. But I was utterly wrong on every account. This book is a godsend for my craft, and I can’t get enough of it. Zinsser has the incredible ability to both teach and live his lessons all at the same time. The book feels as if we are in the classroom with him. Even in the throes of discussing proper usage and punctuation, Zinsser’s wit comes up to strike you as if out of nowhere. I’ve already filled the book with notes, and I will be returning to it time and time again.
What I’m Listening To: Against the Rules with Michael Lewis
I’ve finally found a podcast to fill the hole that Revisionist History left behind. Perhaps unsurprisingly, that podcast also comes from Pushkin Industries. Michael Lewis, the author of books, like Moneyball and The Big Short, uses his new podcasting platform to take a closer look at the decline and state of the “referees” in American life, from government organizations, sports, legislation, mediation and more. I’ll be sad to finish this one in the coming days. I’m counting down until future seasons from Pushkin.
What I’ve Accomplished: The Resolution Series
One of the big goals I set for myself this month was to put out an article every week. It took shape as a series of posts or articles I wrote about my approach to habit development and concept. It’s a topic I have a lot of thoughts on and with new years resolutions looming, I thought it a good a place as any to start. While I’m not entirely happy with how everything turned out, the project did what I intended. It forced me to write. More importantly, it allowed me to experiment with longer-form writing and find a sense of style and structure in each of those posts. I was sure I wouldn’t be able to get anything written each week, but eventually, it would come to fruition. They aren’t perfect, or even well-done, but I got something down, and that’s what matters. At least for now. I’m excited to see what other pieces I will write in the coming weeks.
by Owen | Dec 22, 2019 | 2019-2020, Weekend Reflections
What I’m Reading: Creative Calling by Chase Jarvis
I’ve never seen a book play the line of inspiration and application so well. This book is Jarvis’ call to action for creators. He provides insight on his approach to living and designing a creative life, how he gains traction with his audience, examines the life of fellow creatives, and even gets down to his daily habits like cold therapy. More important; however, Jarvis shows us that all we truly need to be creative is to take the first step, take the risk we’ve been wondering about, and repeat every day.
What I’m Considering: When Plan Meets Feeling
Sometimes we can spend weeks or months fantasizing about the future and our plans. The world has trained us to think of this as a sure-fire strategy. It seems the most successful always plan their lives well in advance of their achievements. So we should as well, right? But what happens when we get there and suddenly we want something else? Do we abandon the plans we’ve laid to risk it all on something else? My gut says yes, but my head says no. Perhaps there is something worthwhile in between. A small risk, a slight change in the plan, could be all we need to show us the best possible future.
This essay only serves to solidify Kreider as my newfound favorite writer and storyteller. I’ll let the piece speak for itself.
by Owen | Dec 15, 2019 | 2019-2020, Weekend Reflections
What I’m Reading: Range by David Epstein
I will be recommending this book to absolutely everyone. It is one of the most exciting, applicable, and thought-provoking books I’ve read thus far. Epstein deconstructs the popular ideas of our pro-specialization culture, such as tiger-parenting, the 10,000 hours theory, and much more. In opposition, Epstein offers support and validation for the notion that generalists, those with a wide range of experience and knowledge, are far more valuable and necessary than we tend to believe. I would strongly recommend this book to teachers and educators, those currently facing career struggle, or those who are confronting an unknown future such as high-school and college students.
What I’m Discovering for Myself: Stoicism
My journey with personal philosophy has been slow and wavering. I have been drawn to various philosophical ideas over the years, most strongly associating myself with existentialist thought. However, over the last few years, I’ve found myself more and more attracted to the ideas of Stoicism. It first started when I read Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. I found many of the ideas and questions inherent to his journaling were things I was considering and facing in my own daily life. It wasn’t until recently, however, that I began to dive more into the practical ideas of Stoicism in other texts. Perhaps it is its practicality that I find so engaging. The more I explore its tenets and beliefs, the more I find they are readily applicable and hinged on the action and practice. I’m unsure of where this will take me, but I am enjoying discovering a new way of thinking and interacting with the world.
A Quote I’m Thinking About: “You can’t eat your brothers and have them too.” – Budd Schulberg
From Schulberg’s book What Makes Sammy Run?. I have never found such an exciting way of considering egotism as it relates to the communities we have. It is impossible to maintain friendship and collaboration if we seek to abuse those for individual gain.
