books

I started reading Prisoners of Geography a few weeks back, per Jared Jushner. Good read.

The book explores country by country, or area by area, how geography impacts everything from politics to economics to culture to conflicts.

Some examples:

• Russia's vast territory is equal parts asset and liability
• China's Tibetan Plateau acts as a natural barrier against threats to the South
• Borders in the Middle East’s mean more on paper than on the ground, since they were drawn by colonial powers
• The United States won the geographical lottery many times over
• Africa’s rivers are less navigable than those of other continents due to waterfalls and rapids, limiting trade and connectivity.

And on and on. If you like to understand how the world all fits together, it's worth a read.

Reading Rich Roll's Finding Ultra.

It's insane and inspiring. Worth a read if you're at, you know, that stage of life.

Reading Roald Dahl's Boy

Boy were things different in the early 1900s. Well worth a read.

Reading The Man Who Quit Money after many recommendations over the years. It has an interesting arc. So much of the main character's motivation comes down to having a particularly hard time rejecting his ultra-conservative religious upbringing, but the book doesn't start here. The book starts on a philosophical footing and works its way back.

Sad to see religion at the root here, though worth reading for some interesting takeaways. It's also very well written. Surprising that this was Sundeen's biggest (and only?) breakaway book.

How to fix a bad mood:

— Visit a bookstore.

How to fix low motivation:

— Visit a bookstore.

How to fix a creative drought:

— Visit a bookstore.

How to fix feeling low:

— Visit a bookstore.

How to get immediate creative inspiration:

— Visit a bookstore.

Etc. Go visit a bookstore.

I'm reading Michael Pollan's How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence and it's great so far.

I've been curious about the uses and purported benefits of psychedelics for a couple of years now. It looks like the path to legalization for medical use has started here in Canada, but who knows how long before it's widely available as a therapy.

Would I go through a treatment / experience if I could? I used to give that a 50/50 odds. I wondered about the risks, wondered about the "no going back" aspect of peeling back the curtains like this. But now, after a year or two of reading, I'm pretty firmly in the "would try" camp. The idea of peeling back one's self—one's ego—and being able to see yourself and your mind as an audience member instead of as the primary actor is extremely compelling.

Reading Wayside School Is Falling Down with the girl right now. Pretty sure Louis Sachar is all of our favourite author.

Reading The Tale of Despereaux with the boy right now. Fantastic book.