Welcome to March!
We’re continuing our broad range of recommendations this month and won’t discuss St. Patrick’s Day, mostly because nobody associated with ourae is Irish in any way (except for an occasional red beard).
(The voices behind "We’re Baaaaack")
Product Rec:
Karst Stone Paper - STONE paper. WTF?! This product is about pleasure, not utility.
Made from sustainably recycled stone, and without any bleaches or acids, it’s both good for the environment and a pleasure-filled writing experience.
The glide of a ballpoint pen on this paper is outmatched by only 1-2 other human experiences that shall remain unnamed.
I reckon it’s worth the $20-30 investment.
Letter to Shareholders Rec:
Jeff Bezos's 2020 final letter to shareholders before stepping down as the Amazon CEO. This content is a masterclass.
Bezos finishes with the passage below…
“You have to pay a price for your distinctiveness, and it’s worth it. The fairy tale version of “be yourself” is that all the pain stops as soon as you allow your distinctiveness to shine. That version is misleading. Being yourself is worth it, but don’t expect it to be easy or free. You’ll have to put energy into it continuously.
The world will always try to make Amazon more typical – to bring us into equilibrium with our environment. It will take continuous effort, but we can and must be better than that.”
This letter highlights the difficulties humans face to maintain our uniqueness. As the world pushes typical on us continuously, we must work to feed the soul of who we are.
This link shares a digestible portion of the letter. I recommend taking 5 minutes to read and synthesize.
Song Rec
Mariella - Khruangbin & Leon Bridges
Mariella is a melodic tune that’s a soothing way to start or end the day. If you enjoy unwinding, queue this one up.
YouTube Rec:
Post Malone performing ‘I’m Gonna Miss Her’, and ‘You Can Have The Crown’ on We’re Texas hosted by Mr. Texas, Matthew McConaughey.
This video was made way back in 2021 as a part of a fundraising effort for the Austin community after an unexpected winter storm. It came BEFORE Malone’s latest country album and was an introduction to his range as a musician.
These songs are my favorite music Malone has ever created. He’s got the voice to make an old-school country album in the future. The best line in this video comes in between songs when Malone asks his fellow performers, “Do you guys have a bedtime?", and proceeds to rock out to Sturgill Simpson.
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Quote to consider:
"You can’t do everything, but you can do one thing, and then another and another. In terms of energy, it’s better to make a wrong choice than none at all." - George Leonard