Hi there friends,
It’s November, and I’m stuck in bed! I have a femoral neck stress fracture (basically a small crack in my hip bone), which means that I can’t drive or put weight on my hip for several weeks (Eeeeek). And yes, unfortunately, that means no running. The bright side of this injury is that I’ve had more time to read, watch, review, create designs, and think about my race strategy and how I can improve for next season.
I promise to tell you what happened when I tried on a Puka Shell Necklace for the first time in 15 years. But first, here are a few things that I thought were worth sharing this month:
Films and Shows:
Raising Dion: my brother recommended that I watch this Netflix Show, and since he has a degree in film editing, I take his suggestions seriously. This Marvel-meets-Matilda series is centered around the life of Dion (a boy with supernatural powers) and his mother. The show takes a little buy in, but once you are in, you are in.
The Game Changers: Two friends independently recommended that I watch this Netflix documentary, so I knew I had to give it a go (thank you Lee and Nina). The documentary is directed by Louie Psihoyos, who also produced The Cove and Racing Extinction. It follows special forces-trainer and Ultimate Fighter, James Wilks, as he recovers from an injury. Wilks meets with athletes around the world and discovers that many of the best and strongest athletes are vegan (and that even the ancient Roman gladiators followed mainly vegan diets). This is what I’ve been saying all along people!
Fire on the Mountain: Definitely give this trailer a watch. Set to a Grateful Dead soundtrack, this epic blend features freestyle skiers, snowboarders, and surfers letting loose and exploring their sports with psychedelic beats and visuals. According to Teton Gravity Research “similar to a Grateful Dead show, [each of the athletes] start and end in the same place but each of their respective experiences is a journey of its own.” Woah. Mind Trip. The full video comes out December 13th, 2019.
Big World: This Duct Tape then Beer Production follows Himalayan guide and high altitude photographer, David Morton, on his father-son stand-up paddle boarding trip in Nepal. Jeremy Jensen linked to it in his weekly email update (which you all should subscribe to), and I can’t stop thinking about the video and the importance of taking calculated risks and adventures. This is definitely how I want to adventure with my kids one day (if I can). It also shows another side of Nepal on the river (which I don’t often encounter when I design programs at work) Check out the video here.
Banff Film Festival 2019 Winners: They just posted the 2019 winners. I’m stoked to watch some of these and report back.
Easy Watching: As you can tell, I have had a lot of time to watch TV these past two weeks. Two shows that I highly recommend for easy, calm 8pm watching with your folks are Somebody Feed Phil (I enjoyed the Lisbon episode) and the World’s Most Extraordinary Homes (I enjoyed the Norway episode).
My new Skier design is trending this month on Spoonflower!
Books:
The Subtle Art of not Giving a F*ck: I first heard about this book on The Chasing Excellence podcast. My favorite piece of advice from the book is: “We don’t always have control of what happens to us. But we always control how we interpret what happens to us as well as how we respond.” This quote is carrying me through my hip injury and can be applied to everything in life. As Manson, eloquently puts it, “we are the architects of our own beliefs.” I also love his ideology on failure and being wrong: “Instead of looking to be right all the time, we should be looking for how we are wrong all the time. Because we are.” The author is also a traveler, so if you are of that mindset, you will especially enjoy his writing and his terrifying yet brilliantly honest portrayal of life. Go give Mark Manson some love, bathe in some mindbombs, and buy the book (the audio book is also supposed to be killer).
The Word For Woman is Wilderness: Dan got this book for me last week, and I’m a little over 30 pages in. It’s a novel about a young woman who traverses Iceland, Greenland, Canada, and Alaska to seek adventure and ponder how wilderness narratives would be different if they weren’t defined by the archetype of mountain men. It’s a modern, feminist interpretation of how Into the Wild would have gone differently if the narrative was written by a woman and it’s already making me want to go back to Iceland.
My doodle of a hygge winter day.
Podcasts:
Design Matters w/ Cartoonist Lynda Barry: Lynda Barry is a MacArthur fellow and is best known for her weekly comic strip Ernie Pook's Comeek. On this podcast, she discusses the damaging affects of liking or not liking your own drawings, why 4 year olds are the ultimate artists, and why adults need to worry less about whether what they create is objectively beautiful and just create.
The Adventurepreneur Playbook w/ Noah Howell: I enjoyed listening to this episode. On the pod, Noah Howell, a ski mountaineer and filmmaker, discusses the importance of passion projects, admitting when you don’t know the answer, group dynamics in the backcountry, and more. Give it a listen here.
Ideas and News:
Nike Athletes: I’m devastated to hear that talented runners including Mary Cain, Kara Goucher, and Cam Levin were abused under the training program at Nike. If you haven’t kept up with this story, I highly encourage you to watch this brave video posted by Mary Cain. I admire these women for sharing their stories. I also really appreciated this op-ed piece in Business Insider, written by a recreational athlete, who adds that these issues carry over from the elite world into the recreational running world. At BOTH the elite level and the recreational level (especially with high school and college students) coaches and mentors need to address how our young athletes are supported. This begins by hiring more female coaches, and incorporating nutritional and psychological support as part of standard offerings at high school programs, running clubs, and fitness gyms.
Photographer Waits Patiently at Museums: This isn’t a new article, but I stumbled across it last week and have thought about it a few times since. The article showcases the work of a photographer who waited patiently at a museum for passerbyers to match the paintings they were looking at. The result is pretty cool.
Squidward is getting his own Netflix Show: This is the best news I’ve heard all week (keep in mind I’ve been stuck in bed) but I am totally stoked. Apparently Netflix and Nickelodeon have confirmed a $200 million dollar deal (in an effort to beat out Disney) and this Squidward spinoff is on the front lines. Bring on the reef blowers, sea bears, and Squilliams. Here is the scoop.
Llamas for Therapy: Did you know that Llamas laugh when they get nervous (SAME). Sorry, I got sidetracked by the AWESOME fact. This week the New York Times posted an article about the new role llamas are playing in therapy. Some hotels are even jumping on board. Would you be into llama a therapy?
Trendy Shops in Copenhagen: From a cactus concept shop to a hip ceramics studio, these dreamy spacious Copenhagen shops soothe my soul.
Midwest vs. Everybody Twitter: I adore this twitter account. It’s dedicated to everything Midwest, and I’d say 92% of their posts make me smile.
What happened when I tried on the Puka Shell Necklace: The 90s are back, right? Not so fast. This week, I found an old puka shell necklace in my junk drawer and decided to try it on. I actually thought I looked kind of cool for a few minutes before my 18-year-old sister chuckled and said “that’s a basic VSCO girl if I’ve ever seen one.” I waited until she left the room, and then quickly googled “what is a Basic VSCO girl?” Oh man. Okay, you guys I learned a lot. In case you aren’t up-to-date on your VSCO girl trends: metal straws, puka shell necklaces, Fjallraven backpacks, scrunchies, Hydroflasks (I’m never giving up my Hydroflask even if it is basic), and even just a laid back beach vibe are all considered basic. I quickly proclaimed the puka shell necklace “ded to me” and called my sister back in to the room. My friend Caroline has a theory that we always need one link to the youth…to keep us fresh, so I asked my sister to provide a list of things that ARE cool right now and that would prevent me from being basic. The list she provided was as follows: 1) Bucket Hats — these are super cool rn 2) Bandanas - these are also super cool and 3) the opportunity to distinguish yourself by your socks (which should be high cut rather than ankle cut in case your were already reaching for your ankle cuts FOOL). This list of cool things remind me of 90s dads on the beach but I know nothing. Then again, these teens would probably bite into a walkman like it was a whole wheat bagel. (I read that line somewhere this month and adored it). It’s up to the youths to keep us cool.
Some of my textile designs lying in wait to become tea towels.
Food:
Thai Peanut Coconut Curry: I made this coconut curry, and it was amazing! I went a little rouge and used some curry paste from Trader Joes which the man at TJs boasted about for several minutes. It did the trick.
Music:
The Iceland Airwaves Line Up: Doused in less than seven hours of daylight, Iceland is celebrating the Season of Creativity with a series of music festivals, design talks and food events. Check out Penelope Isles, Sea Bear, and Niklas Paschburg who will all be performing at the festival this winter. And for something a bit edgier and weirder check out Kubus’s track “Compulsive Trash Emtying Disorder.”
That is all I have for you this month. If you liked it, please pass it on or share it with a friend. If you hated it, go buy a puka shell necklace (they’re cool as HELL, I swear).