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September 9, 2023

September 2023: The False Fall Newsletter

Greetings, programs!

Welcome to my new newsletter home, Buttondown. Not that Substack deserves it, but you can read my last edition there to understand why I moved to here.

So, let's begin anew!

What's On My Mind

List of Texas seasons. Instead of 4, there are 12, including "Fool's Spring", "Third Winter", and "The Pollening"
"Hell's Front Porch" has been easier to share in delicate social circles vs. "Hotter Than Satan's Asshole"

It's been a brutal Texas summer. I moved to Texas in 1981, just barely missing the summer of 1980 and its legendary string of 100 degree days. I lived thru the pain of 2011, which nearly rivaled 1980 in its relentless temperatures. But it turns out that this summer beats out 2011 in terms of pure heat — and it's not yet over!

It's on my mind because the heat has trapped me inside, during a time when I really need to get outside more. I've lost my conditioning & fitness, put on weight, and both have negatively affected my energy.

Next week's forecast shows that not only will temperatures dip below 90ºF, but that we're also due a good solid day of rain! Texas summers were always going to be hot, so I don't pretend to fool myself. However, now that I've been once bitten, I won't go into future summers without being better-prepared physically. Let's all get outside as much as possible next week and beyond.

Some Interesting Links

  1. I recently read an essay by Mandy Brown which resonated with me. She posits that "energy makes time", in the sense that the non-essential activities we make room for have an energizing effect that boosts all of our must-dos. I'm often deprioritizing hobbies in favor of work, but perhaps I need to flip the equation from time-to-time.

  2. Joe the Plumber passed away. A couple thoughts: 1) He wasn't even 50 and died from cancer — in other words, fuck cancer; and 2) holy shit, his main character moment was 15 years ago!

  3. Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario, is a-stepping down after a-quarter of a a-century! He's transitioning into a new role as Mario Ambassador.

  4. Sherlock's in Addison is closing down after two decades of hosting many a late-night escapade. Sooooo many games of 42 & pitchers with my Aggie friends...!

Recommended Reading

I maintain a record of everything I watch & read, to encourage me to do more of both. You can follow along with my current progress on my Media Diet website. I'll occasionally recommend a specific title here.

The last time I published my media diet was 2021. As you can imagine, I've read a bunch since then!

Ahead of the summer of Barbenheimer, I was able to knock out the audiobook version of American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer. A colossal work that took nearly three decades to write, it was a spellbinding journey thru the life of a man and a nation, as both evolved into a world at cold war. If you have 27 spare hours, I highly-recommend reading this before you walk into Oppenheimer, as it will help you keep up with the movie's break-neck pace.

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That's all for this edition. I hope you enjoyed, and be sure to let me know if you've stumbled upon anything interesting on the web.

Adios,

MMc...

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