Well: that’s all she wrote for 2020.

What a strange year…still early to tell if it was a good year or a terrible year. It was something…odd.

The usual weddings and funerals were sandwiched between lockdowns and sports going on hiatus. The commute to work was replaced by a daily constitutional. (Does that phrase mean pooping?)

We ran outta things to talk about because we didn’t do much: nobody travelled (well all that much…) or went to the movies (I did manage to see Tenet: so confusing…) or have celebrity encounters (what is gonna happen to fame in 2021?!).

Lotta times this year was like being at a party where you don’t know anybody and all the talk is small.

Still as almighty American Elvis says: TCB in 2021.

Taking Care of Business…may your schemes and dreams take flight; get others into the limelight and duck should you find yourself in a gun fight.

On To The Next One!

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Confession: I like to read. Thankfully my subway is often delayed so I’m never on time for anything but I am well read when I finally get there.

Since 2011 I’ve been using a google spreadsheet to Fitbit my reading. (It’s one of those weird things where somebody’ll ask for a book recommendation and my brain goes I dunno. Real helpful…as such I started to write it all down.)

Starting in 2011 I’ve used my birth date (September 28) as Day 1 and I read for the year up to the day before (September 27).

I tend to knock out about 80 books in a year (plus a buttload of comics…about 400 or so single monthly issues and roughly 100 trades/graphic novels for the year).

This year I’m under slightly: at 76 books. (September 27 is Friday…I won’t start a new book; rest up instead since I just concluded 2 books today).

Which means since September 28, 2011 I’ve read a grand total of 518 books.

(Sports biographies, Stephen King novels, start-up memoirs, poetry collections and lots more.)

I don’t say this to be impressive; you know me well enough we’re way past trailers and first date manners. I’m cool with who I am; hopefully you are as well.

I share it because I often see people express the desire to read more. And what I’ve learned is that like everything else in life when I paid attention to something it improved.

If you wanna lose weight you hafta keep getting on the scale. I was startled that something as simple as pay attention would dramatically increase the amount of books I’d read. It worked so…I pass that on to those who long to read more.

Figure out what works for you…GoodReads, google spreadsheet, note thingie app on your phone…and go nuts: write it all down; track it like a focused hunter and in no time you’ll be devouring books whole like a python.

There’s so many incredible and astonishing books out there impatiently waiting to make your life better…to inject wonder into your imagination and to startle your set theories while refreshing your outdated facts.

It is a fantastic time to be an avid reader: especially if you pay attention.

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So I watched the second half of the Super Bowl. Tom Brady is 6 for 9 in the Super Bowl.

I’m not an NFL guy at all but that’s incredible…6 for 9! Criticisms of any kind are utterly irrelevant, haters are worthless…critics don’t count. 6 for 9!

I watched because Jordan taught me this goes by so quickly. 

As much as it resets the standards of excellence this doesn’t last. We tolerate so much mediocrity from corporations and politicians and our managers at work…hell LeBron is considered great and he has 3 rings. 3?!!

Stop wasting my time with LeBron…he’s a Vegas slot machine no matter how much investment he gets he ain’t never gonna be money.

I went to see Jordan and Kobe live as much as I could and I fought myself from taking them for granted…I pushed myself like a Nike commercial to accept that one day they will be gone. I’m grateful for their relentless determination and their sacrifice not just of themselves but of the others who they denied glory.

6 for 9! Just keep going. There’s no reason to stop. Make it an even 10. 6 for 9! Wow.

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So this is 2019 so far…it’s comforting we don’t have jet packs because they’d burn out butts on the way to work!

Shout out to those at last night’s Jaaaaaaaaaaaam who upon recognizing that the DJ had dropped Follow The Leader opted to…not follow the leader.

You are the rebels, the beautiful nonconformists…the ones who live on the fringe on the Dance Floor Of Life generously adding spice to our life lives and to our work. Thank You!

Eh…maybe you didn’t want to participate in a conga line or just needed to take a break from dancing.

May there be more dancing in 2019.

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