four things #3
music about a moonbase hotel/casino, the war of art, TRX, Evernote as a second brain
Hey pals,
Hope everyone is doing well. My readership is steadily growing and this is because of you all. ‘preeeciate the shares.
I’ve recently been active on Twitter, exploring the platform without trying to get sucked into the blackhole of information. It’s helpful to set a timer (and follow it) to make sure I’m not wasting my life.
And here’s a button that’ll take you to a link to buy me a coffee. Thanks!
Here are this week’s four things.
music:
Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino by Arctic Monkeys. On a recent trip to see my family, I arrived in Malaga, Spain around midnight. I settled in the rental car and began a 2.5 hour trip in complete darkness across Andalucía. It was at this point I knew I had an important decision to make: What kind of sonic entertainment will accompany me on my journey? But while driving out of Malaga I was reminded of the first time I listened to this album. It was on this same road, returning home from dropping off my wife at the same airport. Thus my decision was pre-determined.
Here’s the concept of the album: In the future, humans have begun migrating to the moon. And in this colony there is a hotel/casino where a band has been playing for years. The sound of the album has a 1970’s classic lounge-rock vibe, sci-fi sounds and references in the lyrics, lots of reverb and space echoes glittered about. This is a much different sound from their previous work. Watching a band mature as we mature is a beautiful thing. It’s like watching a person grow and change. They are a band who doesn’t stick to what they know. They challenge themselves to explore different sounds and arrangements. This album was one of their most risky moves, but I’m glad they made that move.
Back to the midnight road trip, I listened to the album back to back to BACK. That’s right, three times in a row. Does that make me sound crazy? Maybe. But it’s that good.
Question: what was the last album or song you listened to back to back (to back.. to back.. to back..)?
book:
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. This is one of the books I have gifted most. If you think of yourself as an artist of any kind, or an entrepreneur, a creator, a writer, musician, whatever, you should read this book. You NEED to read this book.
It’s small, just about a hundred pages, maybe a little more. This book is potent. Just a little dab’l do ya. I’m surprised a cult hasn’t been created based on this book. It introduces the idea of Resistance, which is an invisible and diabolical force that prevents you from doing your work. Pressfield explains how to beat it. But it’s not easy. This book will motivate you to get off your ass and do your work. It compels you to do it. It’s inspiring. It challenges you. It’s thoughtful and beautifully written.
It was written for you, and it was written and for me.
physical activity:
TRX. If you only had the money to buy a few tools for personal fitness, this would be the first one to buy. It’s first one I recommend to people who ask for advice on what to buy for a small but effective home gym. Created by a retired Navy SEAL, it’s a suspension trainer that can be used everywhere. It’s small and light enough to be placed in a carry-on.
You can attach it to a tree, fence, or pull-up bar. You can attach it to a bumper of a Jeep or truck and do pull drills. It even comes with a door jammer, where you can attached the unit to a solid, steady door and complete your workout indoors. I once brought it on a lengthy road trip, and everytime we stopped for a bathroom break I used it to stretch and get a short workout. Excuses gone. You’re welcome.
This is also an effective tool for those nursing injuries and those who haven’t worked out in quite a long time. It assists the user in being able to safely move deep into different natural movements such as squats or a suspended row, without injury.
This is an invaluable tool for the most advanced athlete to novice.
useful app:
Evernote. Whenever I get a new phone this is the very first app I download. I have been using Evernote for about 12 years. It’s a note-taking app used for saving everything, kind of like a second brain. All of my writing comes from little notes that I have kept and made over the years. I store them in here, and sometimes reach in when I need an idea. There are thousands of notes.
And within the app you can create different notebooks where you can organize your thoughts. Example: Say you like to cook. Make a notebook for “recipes” and you can save them all in one place. You’ll never have to think about where the receipe is again, because it’s always there.
There’s a Chrome add-on for Evernote so you can send clips from your browser. You can save audio, pictures, and video. Create lists, Google Cal integration, tasks. I use the free version but there is also a few paid version tiers. The free version only lets you download the app on two devices, so I use my phone and computer. Super useful for keeping all of this data in one place.
Until next time.
Take care of yourselves and others.
Much love,
Tyler
You gifted me The War of Art awhile ago and I’ve become obsessed with it. It’s never out of sight, just seeing the cover reminds me of what’s inside and pushes me to create or learn!