Intro / Preface / Extra Words
As we approach Christmas and the general holiday season we want to share the four active drivers of happiness from Yale's Research on Happiness:
- Spending time with friends and family.
- Practicing gratitude.
- Practicing optimism.
- Physical activity.
We will take this as an assignment particularly well suited for this time of year. We're thankful for so many things and somewhere in that lengthy list we appreciate you for spending some portion of your valuable time reading through what we share. Thank you and Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year.
A quick note about the last issue: apparently the web archive thingy doesn't do UTMs, so none of the links in the last section worked. We fixed it, but you need to view the web version of that newsletter to click through. So anyone that was ready to dive into all that, start here.
Heavy Rotation
for KING & COUNTRY - Little Drummer Boy
When you need to get PUMPED up for the holiday season! Also... like what mother who just gave birth wants a drummer boy anywhere near either them or their newborn? What a weird Christmas traditional concept that really doesn't make sense when you think about it. Like what if we went and cut down a tree and put it inside the house? A tree? Inside the house? Why not it is Christmas! -B
Food
Bros., Lecce: We Eat at The Worst Michelin Starred Restaurant, Ever
Hysterical. Tasting menu as art at the expense of nutrition and enjoyment is a bold strategy for a restaurant. I'd still try it though. After you've read the blog post (and stopped laughing uncontrollably) you've got to check out the chef's response, which is extremely pretentious but sort of makes sense. Three Page Letter - scroll down on this link till you see drawings of horses -B
Text me your reaction when you get to the part about...well you'll know when you get to the part you're supposed to text me about. -C
TravelMASity
Mongolian Wrestlers Eating SHORLOG Meat on Frozen Steppe
So I'm traumatized by the smacking and eating noises but also this is amazing and I want to participate. -B
I know at least a handful of our readers truly appreciate the warning about the mouth noises.
This looks very good, but bruh that was like a whole bottle of oyster sauce which is...a lot of oyster sauce. I was reminded of how satisfying it is to successfully cook anything outdoors when it's cold. And also that cooking outside is generally fun, but it is messy and not precise and if you don't do it very often it's pretty touch-and-go.
Anyway if you're cooking your family's meal outdoors during the holidays, best of luck to you! -C
_______ is not real life
Caitlin Flanagan on Turning 60
An extremely thoughtful and touching reflection on life, meaning and mortality. I'd guess that is something we all do a little during the holiday season. -B
Further Reading
Charlie Brown Christmas Special: An Inside Job
The story of the classic. The music is so timeless and was included in the show from the jazz world, not written directly for it. I'm really appreciating it just on its own. Throw your fate to the wind -B
Yes we did have back-to-back Caitlin Flanagan articles wanna fight about it
I needed to read something like this. The past few Christmas seasons have been a little tough for our family; there are people not with us that we'd desperately like to have with us. That can lead to Christmas unhappiness for sure, but we always seem to be provided at least one Linus in our lives that's ready and able to point us in a different, better direction. -C
All Geek To Me
Female octopuses throw things at males that are harassing them
An analysis of footage of octopuses off Australia throwing silt and shells suggests that they deliberately target others, and that females do most of throwing, often at males
Same at my house. -B
When I read articles about octopi I feel strange about eating them. They seem too intelligent to eat, but also they are delicious. Quite a quandary. - C
Rear View Mirror
How To Properly Execute the Irish Goodbye
Extremely relevant skill you need to have during this time of holiday social gatherings. You know you are a pro at this when you do it at your own house when you're the host. -B
I was there, and suddenly you weren’t.
What is the opposite of this called? The kind of goodbye where you realize that you have either overstayed your welcome or drank the host under the table? The latter feels vaguely Irish but I’m unsure about the former. Either way, I do both and often and have at times been asked to change my ways. - C
Outro
OK so if you're the kind of person that appreciates direct application, our intro today could very easily be applied to any casual round of disc golf.
- Spend time with friends and family by taking them to the closest disc golf course.
- Practice gratitude when you realize you are outside having fun.
- Practice optimism by thinking "surely I won't hit another tree".
- Physical activity: playing a full round of disc golf will get you those steps on your step tracker. But also bending over to pick up the disc from the ground is an increasingly strenuous activity depending on your age so there's that.
That's it. We'll see you next year. We wish you peace and goodwill now and in the year to come.