The Breads Roundup No. 100!!!
Ten Lessons I've Learned Plus a Lot of other stuff
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Hello Shrek Cosplayers,
We’re here. A completely arbitrary number that is only significant because of our reliance on base 10 systems of measurement. Damn it feels good!
I thought it would be fun and also heartwarmingly cliche to provide some lessons I’ve learned in my time curating and writing this email every week (just about) for the past two years. And just to be extra predictable with it, we’ll make it a scrumptious 10 takeaways. Usual linkies will be below this. All right here we go.
Never, ever, ever take yourself too seriously. Take pride in what you are doing. Try and do things to the best of your ability. Always look for ways to improve. But, don’t ever treat failure or things not going exactly as planned as the end of the world. Treat them as learning experiences but don’t let them ruin your day.
It’s ok to take a break sometimes. We don’t have to be producing all the time. We don’t have to be “on” all the time. We don’t have to be perfect. Some of you hustle culture fan boys out there will tell me that is a defeatist attitude and I’ll never succeed like that and to that I say, fuck a duck, have fun running your drop shipping business out of your mother’s basement while you post on IG about how hard you’re grinding.
It’s ok not to have an opinion on everything. You don’t need to put out a PSA with your opinion on every last thing in the news. Sometimes it’s ok to just shut the fuck up and read about it and listen to experts in order to inform yourself before you open your mouth or get those fingers firing.
To that note, admit when you don’t know something. You’ll be amazed how much you learn. When you’re having a conversation with someone and they throw out an author, or a place or an philosophical theory or a contestant from Ru Paul’s Drag Race to add context to what they’re saying, don’t just nod your head like a blithering idiot if you don’t know who/what it is they are talking about. I’m guilty of it too, all the time. We mostly don’t stop them to ask because we’re afraid the person we’re talking to will think we’re dumb. And if someone wants to think you’re dumb for being honest and wanting to learn more things well then you probably don’t want to keep talking to them. It’s brave to do. Try it more, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results.
You’re gonna burn out eventually. Try to get ahead of it if you can and preemptively chill.
Find diverse sources. Don’t just read things from people who look like you or think like you. You don’t have to agree with them, but you should at least hear some different opinions so you don’t get caught in the same echo chamber all the time.
Support your friends even when they don’t ask for it. I’ve been so appreciative of my friends who plug the newsletter or even just message me to say they liked a particular passage of my writing. It means a lot given how much work I put in to it. I’ve tried to internalize that and support my friends in similar ways but I can still do more. So holler at your people and tell them nice things even when they don’t solicit feedback.
Say some weird shit from time to time.
Go out of your way to meet new people. I’ve tried to personally email every new sign up to the newsletter to say hi and introduce myself. I’ve met some cool people this way. Make connections whenever you can even if you don’t stand to gain anything from it. People appreciate it and you never know when you’ll be glad you did.
Proofread your shit. I do it, but not nearly enough. I’m sure every newsletter has a few typos but it would have a lot more if I didn’t do a pass over before I sent this thing out. Cue everyone responding to this email pointing out my typos.
Bonus entry! Put yourself out there more. Even though I’m nervous to sound dumb or annoying or lame whenever I write this thing, more good has come from starting this newsletter than bad. So that thing you’ve been wanting to do, just do it. Give it a try. Worst comes to worst you flop and the internet forgets about you in a day.
Ok time for the usual linkies. Enjoy.
Gimme 20! How Just 20 Minutes A Day To Yourself Could Transform Your Life
Just Give Me A Synopsis:
This article is a compilation of practical advice on how to take time to yourself to help clear the old noggin. This isn't about meditating or being more productive. It's about finding some time to yourself to do whatever you want because it will help you in every aspect of your life.
And A Quote From The Article Please:
The key for me was not aiming too high. I started setting aside 20 minutes each morning. (Why? I’m better in the morning and it seemed like an achievable length of time.) We may not even need to get up earlier – it could be a case of negotiating with ourselves, partners, housemates or children (hey, there are always audiobooks and cartoons) that we retreat for 20 minutes at an agreed daily time.
And Tell Me Why I should Care:
We've gotten ourselves into this shitty little conundrum where we feel like we need to fully maximize all of our waking hours and be as productive as possible. But that's a) bullshit and b) unhealthy. No one can be "on" all the time and the more you try to be "on" all the time without making space for your brain to wander, the more you'll edge towards burning out. It's ok to just chill for a bit, in fact it's encouraged! (see my bullet points in the intro). You should all find some time in your day, even if it's just 20 minutes as this article says, to do some shit that you want to do. To not think about the trials and tribulations of the day. I personally like to go on walks with my camera. Sometimes I take photos, sometimes I don't. But if you need to do something different like garden or draw or just stare at some paint drying, you should find some time to do it because it will be beneficial for your brain in the long run.
Twitter And Tone Collapse In A Time Of War
Just Give Me A Synopsis:
Some good musings on what it means to be a very online society during the occurrence of worldwide disasters. This writer breaks down the different phases and sects of online (mostly Twitter in this case) personas and gives some advice on how we can all be better.
And A Quote From The Article Please:
Where the rest of us fall into the discourse is where this live news experience gets messier and more dispiriting: Let’s call this group the Bystanders. Confounded with the upsetting (often graphic) evidence of each respective disaster or atrocity, we have been empowered through the means of tech to now weigh in on the Event ourselves—or perhaps, depending on how dystopian your view is—just plain old tricked into believing we should post too. And so Twitter atomizes into varying genres of noninformative content, to the point where you can almost pinpoint each camp, Mean Girls–style.
And Tell Me Why I should Care:
Unless you're in the very small minority, you're probably online in some capacity. You should think about what your online presence is like. There is no right answer to how you should behave but you should at least be thinking about it before you post all willy nilly.
The Great American Antler Boom
Just Give Me A Synopsis:
The latest in super niche things that are interesting to learn about: people who hunt for elk antlers after they've been shed. Antlers are a seasonal thing much like tulips or peaches or cuffing. Every year they fall off the head of the owner and regenerate the following year, unlike horns which are permanent. Just like everything else in nature, people have found a way to give value to them and now people really like to hunt them and sell them and buy them.
And A Quote From The Article Please:
The confluence of the dog-chew phenomenon and social media has created a uniquely American boom. If the international antler business is built on faith in ancient remedies and the promise of futuristic ones, then the domestic antler business is centered on an illusion of economic freedom derived from the land, and a reality in which performative masculinity caters to the whims of a flourishing pet-wellness industry. Lori Rael, who operates a New Mexico hunting lodge, told me that the sport “used to be way more preserved.” She added, “I’m not a guy, but you know how guys are. They want to be, like, ‘Oh, mine’s bigger.’ ”
And Tell Me Why I should Care:
I mean in the grand scheme of articles I opine over in this section this isn’t really all that important. But it's a good article and an interesting piece to talk about with all your friends who love nature or who have a dog that chews on an antler. But more than that it gets into how small, niche interests you would normally never hear of are able to find extended lives thanks to the internet and social media, and how it can drive cottage industries.
Inflation, Explained By Eggs
Just Give Me A Synopsis:
Eggs are more expensive than they have been in a while and it is due to a wide variety of things. People want chickens treated better which costs more money. Shipping is more expensive. Feeding chickens is more expensive. And also people are down to pay more for eggs because they think that's just what the price is and companies realized they can charge more. But mostly nobody actually knows how inflation works no matter how much they claim to know how inflation works.
And A Quote From The Article Please:
When I asked people in the egg space whether and when they expect prices to come down, the general response was a bit of a shrug — nobody really knows. To a certain extent, that’s what’s going on with inflation across the board right now. Most economists and policymakers expect it to cool down eventually, but there’s no clear consensus as to when. There’s not a strong consensus about what’s causing the current level of inflation in the US, either.
And Tell Me Why I should Care:
I like this article because it takes a very specific example, in this case 'what the hell is going on with the price of eggs??' and extrapolates it to explain a much larger idea. In this case, how inflation works, which it turns out is due to a huge amount of constantly changing factors that nobody really knows exactly how to quantify.
The Navy SEAL–ification Of Nerf
Just Give Me A Synopsis:
Nerf is big business now, close to half a billion dollars a year because people like to envision themselves shooting the hell of people because... America. The industry has evolved to making guns look as big and bad and realistic as possible. As first person shooters and second amendment lovers do their thing the market continues to grow.
And A Quote From The Article Please:
In 1987, Burbank became the first city in America to ban the sale of realistic-looking toy guns after an armed man burst onto the set of a live news broadcast and forced a reporter to read a rambling statement about clones, aliens, and the CIA. (His weapon turned out to be a pellet gun.) It was the beginning of a national crackdown on look-alikes, which were often used to commit real crimes and sometimes resulted in high-profile incidents of cops shooting children to death. Communities held toy buybacks, and the largest toy retailers stopped selling fake firearms. In 1992, the federal government issued guidance for how such toys should look: They had to have orange tips, or be entirely white, bright red, orange, yellow, green, blue, pink, or purple.
And Tell Me Why I should Care:
In a vacuum this trend is fine I guess. But what it says about America in a larger context is just kind of sad and scary. We want the biggest and most devastating guns whether it's shooting a live round or a foam tipped dart that can now take out an eye thanks to the intense modifications people are running on their blasters. It’s things like this that turn good hearted LARPing activities into devastating issues.
Other Interesting Things You May Or May Not Care About
The High Cost Of Ikea Furniture
The subtitle of this article is "Since 2007, Romania has lost between half and two-thirds of its virgin forest. The environmentalists and activists trying to protect it keep getting killed." It's a transcript of a podcast interview that is incredibly interesting and also kind of scary. Romanian loggers gotta be up there on the list of the most rugged outdoorsmen who will also definitely murder you if you try and tell them it isn't the right season to be logging.The Medieval Influencer Who Convinced The World To Drink Tea—Not Eat It
Yes back in the days of ancient China they used to go ham on eating bowls of tea. Except they mixed it with all sorts of things into some sort of gloop, and this guy wouldn't stand for it, so he started brewing the finest teas up to sip out of a cup and now that's how everyone does it.The One-Legged Snowboarder Who Built An Ingenious Prosthetic For Himself—And His Opponents
He lost his leg in a horrific snowmobiling accident and then instead of sulking, he built himself a new leg that could stand up to the rigors of action sports. Now he is winning Paralympic medals. Good profile right here.Man Sentenced To 3 Years In Federal Prison Over Pokémon Card
Don't be like this dude. If you're gonna buy a Pokemon card with all your small business pandemic loans at least get something less mainstream than a holographic Charizard. Give me Dark Zapdos!How Deceased, Disgraced Financial Institutions Have Become, Somehow, Stylish
The gist of this article is that people who work in finance now are generally seen as lame, boring rich people, whereas the people who worked in finance 20+ years ago were rich people living the crazy life of rockstars, and that's what current finance folk wish their life was like. We also, as a society, just love things that are no longer in existence for fashion because they have an air of scarcity and nostalgia blended together.
Let’s Just Looks At Art Because Reading Sucks
Ci Demi Takes Photographs Like A Tourist In His Own City Of Istanbul
Phantom Clouds Descend From The Sky In Vorja Sánchez’s Illustrated Photos
Dive Into The Syrian Stamp Archive For Some Bite-Sized Insights Into Syria’s Design History
Lists Are What The Internet Was Made For!
Travel Like An Art Connoisseur At 13 Of The World’s Best Luxury Art Hotels
5 Languages On The Brink Of Extinction That You Can Learn Online
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