Reading Henrik KarlssonĀ° got me thinking about the importance of high quality ‘inputs’.
Every day, we wade through dozens of blog posts, when our reading list is full. We browse book reviews, despite having shelves of unread greatness. We scan Rotten Tomatoes, while our watchlist already contains more masterpieces than we could watch in years.
Consuming excellence isn’t a search problem. It’s a focus problem. I know which blogs have a low ‘hit’ rate. I know early on when a book isn’t good. I know I rarely gain anything from visiting a news site.
So don’t be sentimental. Be ruthless. And be aware of how short your day/week/year/life is. How many books will you read in a lifetime? Less than you think. Stop reading that average book your friend recommended and loved. Stop following that blog that isnāt interesting, just because theyāre a sweet person. Abandon that dull TV show at episode three, not episode ten.
But cutting out the mediocre isn’t enough. You not only have to consume great content, you have to engage it. Wrestle with the ideas. Connect them to your experience. Talk and write about them. Only then can they be digested and become part of your thinking.
I catch myself failing at this constantly. Loosely reading ten mediocre but easy articles instead of engaging with the exceptional one. Despite knowing that one hour deeply processing a great article yields more value than ten hours of shallow reading.
So letās not forget: excellence isn’t hidden. The challenge isn’t finding it ā it’s choosing to engage with it.
With the smell of smoke still softly rising from last nights fires, me and my best friend Sam took a walk.
The ground was endlessly dew-covered and we were the only humans awake.
Amid the dank trees there was a beacon glowing. A vending machine.
I chose a curiously named drink I’d heard of but never tasted: Dr Pepper.
Looking out over the campsite, I took a sip. It was magic. It tasted unlike anything I’d ever had.
And standing there with Sam, watching mist hover above the grass and curl around the trees, the moment was perfect.
It was a ‘high’ I’ve tried to chase ever since. But every time I camped or had a Dr Pepper it was so… ordinary. It wasn’t the same as that day when I was a boy.
And when I took a sip I was transported back to that morning. This was it. This was what I’d tasted.
I don’t even know if I actually had the cherry flavoured one that fateful morning. But either way, the cherry one of 2025 tastes the same as that Dr Pepper did all those years ago. And I’m going to buy a million of them.
It’s usually foolish trying to chase nostalgia. But just sometimes, it pays off.
Hi all š Hope you had a good week. Here’s what Iāve been thinking, learning, writing and photographing.
š” Life Update
The theme of the week is that me and my girlfriend have had an offer on a house accepted. But sheās now seen another one that she likes more. I prefer the first one, she prefers the second. So we need to work out what we’re going to do. My plan: let the gods decide. If we put an offer on house two and itās accepted, then weāll go for it.
š Short Thoughts and Notes
If a video starts with a dude wearing a backwards baseball cap, nothing interesting or good is about to happen. I immediately scroll.
Weird hearing someone say āWSJā out loud instead of āWall Street Journalā ā it takes longer to say! Like that Alan Partridge bit about āVWā vs āVolkswagenā.
I wish I had the strength to get up and walk away when presented with a QR menu in a restaurant.
Talking of QR codes. Iām amazed by how ubiquitous they are now. I remember when they first appeared. They were a bit of a flop. Youād rarely see them. And non-techies didnāt know what they were or how to interact with them. But now theyāre on anything and everything, and even my Dad knows how to scan them.
š§ Things I Learnt
I lost the momentum of my reading habit when I was sick a few weeks back. And I’m yet to properly pick it up again. So I haven’t learnt too much this week.
But I did learn a new word: pogonophile ā a person who likes beards.
Raising a glass of Wild Turkey to Hunter S. Thompson, who died 20 years ago today. The father of Gonzo journalism, he was a rebel, trailblazer, and master of chaos. (1937-2005) š¦
The towers are gone now, reduced to bloody rubble, along with all hopes for Peace in Our Time, in the United States or any other country. Make no mistake about it: We are At War now ā with somebody ā and we will stay At War with that mysterious Enemy for the rest of our lives.
It will be a Religious War, a sort of Christian Jihad, fueled by religious hatred and led by merciless fanatics on both sides. It will be guerilla warfare on a global scale, with no front lines and no identifiable enemy.
[…] We are going to punish somebody for this attack, but just who or what will be blown to smithereens for it is hard to say. Maybe Afghanistan, maybe Pakistan or Iraq, or possibly all three at once.
Creative control of the James Bond film franchise is to become an all-American affair after long-time rights holders Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson announced they were stepping down and handing the reins to Amazon MGM Studios.
I think this is bad news, despite them remaining āco-ownersā of the franchise.
It always seemed that āBondā as a franchise and all it represents was largely held together by the dedication of Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson ā they were more than mere rights holders. They understood Bond, and Iām sure stopped many attempts to āmoderniseā it.
Iām unsure how Amazonian MGM is. But after the dull Rings of Power, I donāt trust Amazon Studios to make the next Bond instalment(s) any good. I hope Iām wrong.
[Broccoli] was said to be relaxed about casting a person of colour or a gay actor, but less comfortable with a female or non-British Bond.
I wouldnāt say thereās loads of pressure for the next Bond to be non-white, American, gay or a woman1 ā mostly it just seems to be the media writing about it because they know it stirs the pot. But I trusted Broccoli and co. to not cave into any pressure if it wasn’t right for Bond. Whereas Amazon MGM might want to mix things up a bit too much with a strange choice for Bond or by changing the feel of the films.
I’m not silly enough to think that just because Amazon makes the punch-y Reacher and geopolitically charged Jack Ryan that their Bond will be an awful mix of the two ā I’m sure they’re not that clueless. But whatever their Bond’s ‘feel’ is, I expect it to be mediocre.
Though you never know, maybe they’ll improve it.2 I loved the Daniel Craig films and heās my favourite Bond. But I would like a bit more fun and suavity injected back into it. Maybe Prime will deliver.
Security officials in the United Kingdom have demanded that Apple create a back door allowing them to retrieve all the content any Apple user worldwide has uploaded to the cloudā¦
The British governmentās undisclosed order, issued last month, requires blanket capability to view fully encrypted material, not merely assistance in cracking a specific account, and has no known precedent in major democracies.
One of the things I hate most about Britain and its governments3 is its weird anti-privacy obsession.
Itās currently 01:32 and I was due to be asleep quite a few hours ago.
Itās fine. Once or twice a week I struggle to sleep. Itās a pain ā especially when Iām working in-office the next day. But Iām used to it.4
On these sleepless evenings I worry about the lack of sleep Iām going to get. But another thing I think about is how much I like the nighttime.
I donāt do fun stuff like gaming whilst up late, like I did in my teenage years. I donāt do much at all really ā just read, watch, and fiddle with my phone. Thatās not why I like it.
I like it because the hours between 22:00ā03:00 are when my brain and body work their best ā Iām creative and energetic. And it makes me miss those years when I had a sleep pattern of 04:00ā12:00.
Waking up early5 doesnāt bother me too much. Iāve even learnt to enjoy it.6 But on those days when I stay up late I get a glimpse of those midnight, witching hours that my internal clock is built for.
š¬ Films
Shrek 2 (2004)
When I saw a band dedicated to music from the Shrek films (The Ogretones (I even bought the t-shirt) they asked the crowd which was their favourite one. To my surprise Shrek 2 got by far the most cheers.
Iāve always thought of Shrek as the superior film, with the second one being decent and fun, but not quite in the same league.
So on this rewatching I tried to watch it through the lens of being better.
I still think #1 is the better film, technically. But #2 is just so much bloody fun. Thereās so much humour, joy, and energy.
I ate at IKEA because my girlfriend had never eaten there before. It took a couple of visits to convince her to try it (it didn’t look appetising to her at all).
Letās be honest, the food isnāt special. Itās just exceptionally cheap. Except itās not so cheap anymore. We paid Ā£20.40 for 2 x meals, 2 x desserts and 2 x drinks. Cheaper than a restaurant thatās for sure. But itās school cafeteria food at the end of the day. Still, I enjoyed the novelty factor.
Maryland Cookies
Maryland Cookies have been around for many years, and in the UK they’re the ‘default’ mass-produced cookie.7
I remember having them a few years ago and being shocked by their small size and lack of chocolate chips.
But they’re actually very good now. They’re still small, but they always have plenty of chocolate chips and taste perfectly pleasant considering you can get a pack for 90p.
Squashies Drumchick
I first ate these after eating some super sour sweats, and they tasted like nothing.
So when I came back a few days later to finish the pack I was shocked when I loved them. Their flavour is mild, but pleasant and addictive. And the little bird sweets are very cute.
Jelly Tots Tangy
Cook a cat, these are delicious. The tanginess and bitterness arrives the moment they hit your tongue. They do taste a bit artificial. But aside from that, these are tremendous.
š¤³ Photos
These cleaning gloves at IKEA look like they want to check my prostate.
For my part, I think Bond canāt be a woman. But he can be non-white, or played by a non-British, non-heterosexual actor. ↩︎
For all my concerns about the quality of future Bond films, there’s been plenty of clangers down the years. The films are beloved, but not always good. ↩︎
And it is governments. Several governments, across both political parties, have tried their best to add encryption back doors. ↩︎
And often itās self-inflicted. It is tonight. I ate some chocolate bars after dinner, so the caffeine in it is keeping me up. ↩︎
I tend to wake up at 06:30 in the winter months, and 06:00 in the summer months. ↩︎
Morning walks and reading are very pleasurable. ↩︎
For my US readers, they’re the UK equivalent of Chips Ahoy. ↩︎
Creative control of the James Bond film franchise is to become an all-American affair after long-time rights holders Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson announced they were stepping down and handing the reins to Amazon MGM Studios.
I think this is bad news, despite them remaining āco-ownersā of the franchise.
It always seemed that āBondā as a franchise and all it represents was largely held together by the dedication of Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson ā they were more than mere rights holders. They understood Bond, and Iām sure stopped many attempts to āmoderniseā it.
Iām unsure how Amazonian MGM is. But after the dull Rings of Power, I donāt trust Amazon Studios to make the next Bond instalment(s) any good. I hope Iām wrong.
[Broccoli] was said to be relaxed about casting a person of colour or a gay actor, but less comfortable with a female or non-British Bond.
I wouldnāt say thereās loads of pressure for the next Bond to be non-white, American, gay or a woman1 ā mostly it just seems to be the media writing about it because they know it stirs the pot. But I trusted Broccoli and co. to not cave into any pressure if it wasn’t right for Bond. Whereas Amazon MGM might want to mix things up a bit too much with a strange choice for Bond or by changing the feel of the films.
I’m not silly enough to think that just because Amazon makes the punch-y Reacher and geopolitically charged Jack Ryan that their Bond will be an awful mix of the two ā I’m sure they’re not that clueless. But whatever their Bond’s ‘feel’ is, I expect it to be mediocre.
Though you never know, maybe they’ll improve it.2 I loved the Daniel Craig films and heās my favourite Bond. But I would like a bit more fun and suavity injected back into it. Maybe Prime will deliver.
For my part, I think Bond canāt be a woman. But he can be non-white, or played by a non-British, non-heterosexual actor. ↩︎
For all my concerns about the quality of future Bond films, there’s been plenty of clangers down the years. The films are beloved, but not always good. ↩︎
Raising a glass of Wild Turkey to Hunter S. Thompson, who died 20 years ago today. The father of Gonzo journalism, he was a rebel, trailblazer, and master of chaos. (1937-2005) š¦
The towers are gone now, reduced to bloody rubble, along with all hopes for Peace in Our Time, in the United States or any other country. Make no mistake about it: We are At War now ā with somebody ā and we will stay At War with that mysterious Enemy for the rest of our lives.
It will be a Religious War, a sort of Christian Jihad, fueled by religious hatred and led by merciless fanatics on both sides. It will be guerilla warfare on a global scale, with no front lines and no identifiable enemy.
[…] We are going to punish somebody for this attack, but just who or what will be blown to smithereens for it is hard to say. Maybe Afghanistan, maybe Pakistan or Iraq, or possibly all three at once.
Hi all š Hope you had a good week. Here’s what I’ve been up to.
š General notes
I had a cold
I picked up a cold two weeks ago and it took me 10 days just to feel vaguely normal. It really did beat me up.
It also made me oddly sad/depressed, which I haven’t experienced before via a cold. Very odd.
One thing I hate about being unwell is how my brain doesn’t work and I can’t read. It’s a shame, because I was throrougly enjoying “The Posthumous Papers of the Manuscripts Club” by Christopher de Hamel.
I did that typical thing of being unwell and thinking about life before being unwell and how wonderful it was and how when I felt better I was going to not take it for granted and look after myself better. And then I also did that thing of just carrying on as normal.
Step bet
In 2025 I have a wager going with me and two of my friends. Whoever does the least average steps per day has to pay for a feast of food and drink at a restaurant in London at Christmas.
And sadly being ill has put me out of the habit of hitting my daily step goal. I’m aiming for 7,800 per day, as I once watched a video that said the benefits of steps start to plateau at around that point. And 7,800 per day should be enough to beat my friends.
Buying a property
The biggest news of my week (and probably year) is that me and my girlfriend are buying a property! (It’s still all to be finalised, but barring a disaster, it’s happening). It has plenty of nice features. But the one I love above all else: its garden backs onto a huge field.
I’ve always dreamed of living right by woods and greenery, but I didn’t think for a second that it would be possible with my first property. I was hoping to just live within a short drive of one. So having easy access to one is fantastic. And it’s big too, not just a small park for dog walkers. I’m yet to walk around it to confirm, but it’s probably a 60 minute walk to loop all around it.
And of course a side benefit of this is that my step count will go up massively. Fingers crossed the purchase doesn’t all fall through.
Flannel
My body runs cold these days. A t-shirt and jacket doesn’t cut it anymore. So I’ve started wearing a flannel shirt over my t-shirt. I like it.
It keeps me warmer both outside and at home.
It’s smarter than a t-shirt.
There’s breast pockets for my Field Notes and pen.
I don’t have to wash the shirt often as my t-shirt takes the brunt of my sweat.
I have a few flannel shirts ā by Uniqlo and Abercrombie & Fitch. But I’m currently fatter than normal, so most don’t fit me with a t-shirt underneath. So I used that as a good excuse to try and find a high-quality one to add to my Christmas list.
I considered L.L.Bean. But I remembered the character of Joel in The Last of Us TV show (absolutely fantastic show by the way) wore a gorgeous green one. So I looked it up, and you can buy it. It’s the FjƤllglim shirt in laurel green by Fjallraven and I’m now the proud owner of one.
š Other notes
Most of my weekend has been spent microdosing liquorice.
Itās sad that if I see someone in the street jumping for joy, dancing or singing I assume that theyāre either mentally ill or on drugs. Loudly and openly expressed joy is taboo (Especially in Britain. We look down on that sort of thing).
š¬ Film
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
I like the previous Tom Hardy / Charlize Theron one a lot ā itās a lot of fun. And Iāve rewatched it many times. But I didnāt have too much interest in a sequel. So itās taken me a while to watch this.
It takes a little while for the film to āwarm upā, with the first 40 minutes or so not grabbing much of my attention. But once it finds its feet this becomes a nice addition to the world of Mad Max. And there’s a war rig sequence in the middle that is especially good.
Like the previous one this is a visual feast ā though the stylised and juddery CGI takes some getting used to.
Chris Hemsworth is fun. But the problem is that heās too silly to be an evil villain, and he’s one of the weaker parts of the film.
The sound design is incredible. Volume wise it’s perfect, becoming loud only when it needs to (I didn’t have to constantly have the remote in my hand).
Itās not quite as good as the first one. Especially plot/story wise. But as a spectacle itās still great fun.
Though every year I think maybe Iāll skip the annual rewatch and give it a break (I’m always scared of watching something I love too often and getting sick of it). But most years I simply canāt resist it. And the same is true in 2025.
I did miss a few episodes this time, as I fell asleep most nights with it on in the background. And I never watch the final few episodes after they ‘return’.
There’s plenty of TV shows I feel nostalgic towards. But Only Fools is in a whole other league. I think because I first watched it young, and because it looks so old now. It feels from a whole other era. And I love it.
I wouldn’t recommend most people to watch it though. Non-English shouldn’t watch it, because the jokes are quite UK-specific. And younger people shouldn’t watch it because it does feel quite dated. Don’t get me wrong though, if you like the look of it, give it a go!
One thing you learn about me is that I like routines and traditions. And for quite a few years my routine when I would get drunk was to fall asleep whilst watching Iām Alan Partridge.
I don’t drink much these days (between the ages of 22-29 I would get drunk probably once a week. For the past several years I only get drunk 3-4 times a year), and when I do I don’t watch this show anymore. So it’s been a long time since I’ve seen it. Too long, considering it’s one of my favourite shows ever.
If you don’t know, Alan Partridge is a comedy character created by Steve Coogan and Armando Iannucci. He’s a failed TV presenter turned local radio DJ in Norwich, characterised by his social awkwardness, inflated sense of self-importance, and constant failed attempts to revive his TV career. He represents a particular type of desperate, middle-aged British media personality who can’t accept that his best days are behind him. And he makes hilarious viewing.
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My instinct is to ramble when I write. And whilst my final ruthlessly edited drafts are fairly compact, could I go further, into minimalist territory?
As a blogger, what style and length should your writing be? Short and punchy? Or longer and more in-depth, with plenty of details and examples?
I have a “Essays & Long-form” folder in my RSS reader, full of great writers. Yet most days I don’t even look in there. Itās rare for me to have the motivation to read 2000 words on medieval side hustles, for example. And when I do look in there and see a long post I like I’ll save it in my āread laterā app. Where the article will likely remain, unread.
I never have that problem with concise writers. Derek Sivers’ writing is compact in the extreme.1 I’ll always read it right away.
And yet, when I look at some of my favourite ever articles they’re nearly always detailed, long-form and verbose. My life has never been changed by a 250 word article. In fact, I often forget I ever read them.
Take Shortform, a service that summarises books so you donāt have to bother reading the book. It’s a nice idea. I was subscribed for a month or two. But I can’t remember much about the books I ‘read’ on there.
Concepts themselves are often easy enough to understand. It’s the nuances, the multiple examples, the drawn-out explanations that actually make them stick. And itās tough for a reader to emotionally connect with a summary.
As a blogger, you should default to succinctness. People often read in āin betweenā moments and thereās always fierce competition for a blog readers attention. But it’s vital to find a balance between making your writing concise enough to respect readers’ time, but long enough to let your ideas breathe.
The ultimate aim is to make it short enough to finish, long enough to matter.
It’s time I face facts: these traits aren’t vanishing. They’re part of me.
Iām learning that ADHD is about balance. Accepting some things, fighting others. Setting realistic expectations.
Frozen meals five nights a week? That’s okay. It beats fast food and sweets when I’m knackered and hungry. I’ll focus on adding fruit and veg instead.
Forget minute-by-minute routines. They’re a recipe for failure. I’ll nail the essentials: teeth, shower, tidy up. Make reading, walks and meditation optional. No more ‘ruined’ days when I skip them.
At work, I’ll be upfront: “I process information better in writing. Mind if I share my screen to take notes? You can correct any mistakes.”
Living with ADHD means working with my brain, not against it. It’s about finding strategies that actually work, not expecting myself to fit into the neurotypical mould.
