We here!!!
Welcome to the very first edition of Transparent Tuesdays
, where I’ll be sharing my latest blog post and favorites of the past two weeks. When I say favorites, I mean things that I mentally consumed and had to pause and say, “Wow, I need to share this with the world.”
In the spirit of full transparency, I would like to say that I am thrilled and honored to have 12 people reading this kick-off edition. I’ve met all of you through the online writing course, Write of Passage (except of course for my husband, Sam - love you, babe!) and feel so grateful to have your support.
David Perell’s Write of Passage course has lit a fire inside of me. I hoped that I would learn about distribution and form a community of support, but I had no idea how much my actual writing and thinking would improve. I’ve never been this inspired and motivated in my writing career. For the first time, the path forward looks clear. I might still need a solid pair of hiking boots and a walking stick, but my water bottle is full and I’ve packed plenty of snacks!
So without further ado, please enjoy. And just as in Write of Passage, feedback is always welcome. The more candid and honest, the better! Email me anytime.
Baby Shower Dread
I get so fired up about my dislike of baby showers, that I decided to write a blog post about it. I thought it would be a vent session. Instead, I was able to address why I have such an aversion to them and then question the bigger theme of why we gather in the first place. What I discovered was a new perspective.
Favorite interview
I’m sure I’m in the minority when I say that I’ve never heard of Casey Neistat, who has 12 million followers on YouTube.
In this interview on How I Built This with Guy Raz, Neistat takes us through most of his life and I was riveted from start to finish. Besides being an incredible entrepreneur, Neistat is an exceptional storyteller.
If you’re not familiar with Neistat, check out this recent YouTube video where he experiences the most insanely luxurious plane ride. I didn’t even know planes like this existed.
“Who takes a 10-minute long shower??”
Writing advice
Doesn’t it suck when you write something that is complete garbage? Such a waste of time.
Or is it?? According to Tyler Cowen in his interview on The Tim Ferriss Show, nothing written is ever wasted:
“I have many hundreds of pages of unpublished stuff and it’s gonna stay that way, in varying phases of completeness, but it was necessary to get to other things.”
Let’s talk about sex
Among other things, porn has skewed a male’s perception of what “good sex” really means. Dax Shepherd talks about it in a recent episode of Armchair Expert and let me just say, for the love of God, guys, No. 2 is the winning option:
“[If] a rumor surrounding [a guy is]:
you have a humongous dick and you last forever
you have a moderate-size penis and you cum pretty quickly, but you gave the girl 12 orgasms and you’re great at oral
….No one’s picking the second option.”
Seriously, gentleman, this is a no-brainer.
Let’s get real
I went through a drug phase from age 30-32 that was incredibly fun and incredibly stupid.
In this Esquire article, Macauley Caulkin so eloquently articulates how I feel about the experience in hindsight:
“A lot of times, when you’re having fun you’re rolling on MDMA.” He laughs a little at this. “It doesn’t mean you’re happy. It just means you’re altered.
“I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I hadn’t had drugs in my life at some point or another. I had some illuminating experiences—but also it’s fuckin’ stupid, too, you know? … I do love them. They’re like old friends. But sometimes you outgrow your friends.”
Bachelor Nation
In part I of The Bachelor finale, Peter has narrowed it down to two women (that’s a stretch - these are 23-year-old girls).
It’s obvious that he’s in love with Madison. Unfortunately, his family is in love with Hannah and Peter’s mom, Barb, makes it very clear that he should pick Hannah.
I’ve seen parents give their opinion in this show but never have I seen a mom so forcefully tell her son that one girl is the wrong choice and one girl is the right choice.
Barb actually says to the camera, “A mother’s intuition is never wrong.”
As an expectant mother, it’s difficult relate to this comment because my son hasn’t been born yet, but my question is, does it even matter?? Isn’t part of being a parent letting our kids make their own mistakes and find their way? Peter is a grown man (okay, that’s debatable). At some point, you have to trust him to make his own decisions.
Michelle Obama said it best when talking about her daughters in an interview on Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations:
“Sometimes you just need to get out there and live your life and have your mistakes where I can’t see them because I’m tired of watching you walk into a wall... that I told you was there.”
Inspirational send off
My sister, Alexis, asked me for a word that describes me. (She would later give me a bridesmaid gift: a necklace with the word on it. Having to ask me for a word that describes me perhaps shows how close we aren’t.)
She rejected my first suggestion, “Christmas,” so after thinking about it some more I landed on, “Curious.”
I haven't always been this curious, but more than ever I have been paying attention to and embracing the things that intrigue me.
Brene Brown recently talked about this in an interview with Tim Ferriss:
“Curiosity is really the superpower for the second half of our lives, because it keeps us learning, it keeps us asking questions, and it increases our self-awareness.”
Stay curious, computer people!
Until next time,
Charlie