2020 has been one heck of a year, hasn’t it?
When I last published in January, the world was still a sensible place, and nothing indicated or could have prepared us for the utter, unpredictable madness that followed.
Ergo, I mean it when I say I am glad you’re here. Congratulations on surviving 2020 thus far.
Thank you for visiting and reading. I hope you enjoy this newsletter as much as I enjoyed putting it together.
Let’s begin.
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https://iselemagazine.com/2020/07/31/the-year-of-the-sun-esther-ifesinachi-okonkwo/
I begin with the best writing I’ve read in a while.
Excellent story, even better writing.
It felt like an Achebe story (and if you know me, you know an Achebe story is one of my favorite things to read).
It’s so good I struggle for words to describe it.
I hope this writer gets all the recognition her talent deserves. She’s stupendous.
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https://medium.com/@Barry.Davret/how-a-man-becomes-a-gentleman-f1e8ea40e292
How a man becomes a gentleman.
Sorely-needed guidance, particularly in these uncertain times.
Chivalry does not need to go the way of concerts or work from work – we can keep it in style.
Here’s how.
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https://www.thecut.com/article/job-interview-tips-how-to-survive-10-awkward-situations.html
Job Interview Tips: How to Survive 10 Awkward Situations
Many people will be/are job-hunting as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, and these tips might help you to get a better offer or job.
I certainly hope they do so for you.
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https://resumeworded.com/interviews/questions-to-ask-interviewer
The best questions to ask your interviewer.
You know, just so you avoid that unfixable awkwardness at the end of the interview when they ask you for feedback and questions but you don’t have any.
You’re welcome.
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https://byrslf.co/this-is-us-this-is-our-30s-8d243e26d489
This is Us. This is our 30’s.
An honest account of how life in the 4th decade is, and why it is so similar and yet so different to anything you have experienced before or will experience thence.
It’s not all back pain and early nights, you know?
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https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/29/fashion/modern-love-tech-relationship-trial.html
Putting love to the stress test.
A candid telling of how, despite all attempts to break it, this love survived and bloomed.
(Or, as I tell it, how the things we often think are the most important ingredients in a relationship are not always)
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https://medium.com/better-marketing/burger-king-hired-an-absolute-genius-and-it-paid-off-8cbe181668f
Burger King Hired an Absolute Genius — and It Paid Off
I’m a fan of people and companies who think outside the box. This is the best example of ambush marketing I’ve seen for a bit now.
It worked so well you wonder how they pulled it off without anyone catching on. Whoever thought this up deserves a raise and his/her own talk show.
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https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/07/23/the-cheaters-guide-to-love
The Cheater’s Guide to Love
Long read, but you’ll be loathe to see it end. Moving, visceral writing.
A lot happens with lost and thrown-away love, and this captures it beautifully
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https://t.co/bQyxa4e1aH
A review of Pulp Fiction from 1994.
I hope this writer now realizes just how silly he was writing this article, seeing as Pulp Fiction is one of the best movies ever made.
I hope you, dear reader, realize that sometimes, genius needs to percolate to be enjoyed, and the first reaction to a thing is not always the correct one, no matter how valid that feeling is at that point in time.
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https://relevantmagazine.com/life5/malcolm-gladwell-how-i-rediscovered-faith
Malcolm Gladwell: How I Rediscovered Faith
We often think of this faith as something that enables us to do stupendous, unbelievable, otherwise impossible acts.
However, the 2 stories Malcolm Gladwell shared here have (re-)opened my eyes. Faith (ought to be something that) gives backbone, spine, the ability to not be shaken.There’s much to process.
As someone who has himself had and survived a severe crisis of faith, I recognize and feel everything in this essay.
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https://story.californiasunday.com/out-of-work
Out of Work: The coronavirus shutdown through the eyes of the recently unemployed
This story is extremely personal for me.
This virus and the associated has upended lives in unpredictable and unthinkable ways, and everyone is just trying to survive.
These are some of their stories.
One can only admire the imagination and grit they have employed (no pun intended) in this quest for survival.
I wish them (and everyone else) luck, and I hope that we all land on our feet.
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That’s all for now. Hopefully, I’m back soon with another edition of this newsletter.
Till then, wash your hands, maintain physical and social distancing, use your face masks, and remain safe.
Bonne chance!
Ranchosblog 