email newsletter #7
staph, lyrical dissection, matchmaker exchange
staph
I got staph this week. This marks my first official skin issue since starting jiujitsu five and half years ago. I guess it was time - couldn't dodge that bullet forever. ð Caught it early though, so it's sizzling away under some topical antibiotics as we speak.
the online game
Not Boring (a newsletter) by Packy McCormick put out a post about the "online game", basically a strategic how-to on approaching the internet creator life. It's been something I'm consistently interested in but haven't discovered a niche that has captivated me.
lyrical dissection
Settle by Two Door Cinema Club
"The city will pull you in
Romantic and drenched in sin, love Â
But you only have an amount of time Â
Until this place Â
Will swallow you whole"
I was never really good at listening closely to lyrics, but when I actually pay attention, they're quite profound.
I listened to Two Door Cinema Club back in 2014 during the first summer of my graduate program, cycling back and forth around my hometown, commuting to and fro to some pointless internship. I'm always surprised at how much music can "bring you back" to a certain period of time (just listen to any of your high school tracks, you'll know what I mean).
The lyrics feel more relevant to me than ever. In whatever it is that you do, there's most likely a dark side to it. There's an allure, a way to completely overdo it. You want to stay long enough to get the benefit, but you don't want to lose yourself and become a monster.
The hard part is determining how far you can slink into the mud pit without drowning, because there is a point where you truly lose yourself and can't find your way out.
matchmaker exchange
I came across Matchmaker Exchange whilst reading an article about someone who basically researched their own rare genetic disorder, and by observation, found someone else (an Olympic athlete) who had the opposite phenotypic expression but was genotypically similar. Matchmaker helps those with rare diseases find others who have the same disease so that better information sharing and research can happen. Pretty cool.
quote of the week
"Don't always bet on the little guy, but do always bet against headquarters. Because headquarters politics will invariably and inevitably 'bland up' and kill any worthwhile project." - Tom Peters
I published past versions of the newsletter on my website, so there's some history. Check out the email newsletter archive.