The world is grim. The news mostly leaves you wishing you were Superman only so you could fly AWAY from this cesspool. And the papers read more like a telephone Directory of Scams and Horrors.
So today I am going to just wade in and tell you have 10 recent things I heartily endorse because I liked them and you will too if you tried them. They range from movies to hardware to random experiences. All come with the hash tag #You.Sir.MUST.try.this!
1. Movie : Blue Valentine : Saw it yesterday. Wow. What a brilliant painful movie to watch. It’s the fantastic excellent exposition of a relationship gone sour and the way it juxtaposes that with how it started. And it makes this movie very very good but also guy wrenching to watch. But do. And it has Ryan Gosling ladies.
2. Buying and assembling an IKEA Furniture : Do it to enjoy ‘the Ikea Effect’ : “The name for this psychological phenomenon derives from the love millions display toward their self-assembled furniture (or, dare we say it, their badly self-assembled furniture) from the do-it-yourself store with the Scandinavian name”. I recently assembled my chair, work desk and drawer and I admit I have a fondness for these inanimate things that rivals fondness for a lot on animate ones.
3. TEDx/TED talks : If scored smartly and early, you too can, for a very reasonable price, experience the thrill of listening LIVE to some very smart and very perceptive people (and some rare tone-deaf fools too) who will open your mind to the possibilities of the human imagination and intelligence. TED talks happen all over the world and if you are smart with Google you can find one near you fast/
4. Movie : Searching For Sugarman : Brilliant documentary about a the search for a ghost singer that just warms your cold cynical dead heart. One of the those movies that deserved the Oscar in every sense. It did. Watch with friends who are that extra into music or good documentaries. Preferably in an open air show in a public garden so you can make a picnic out of it.
5. Rainmeter : Google it. This one is for my nerdy friends and readers. Rainmeter displays customizable skins, like memory and battery power, RSS feeds and weather forecasts, right on your desktop. And you can customize it to your heart’s content. After which your desktop looks mega-ultra cool.
6. Hoegaarden White Beer : Belgian Beer. Spiced with coriander and orange peel, unfiltered with a cloudy appearance and hints of citrus and apple by the rich warmth of wheat and spice. After a hard day at the office or sleeping in the park under the sun, this is what the doctor would order for you. Ask for a years prescription.
7. Dual Monitor Setup : Stop squinting your tired eyes at the shit laptop screen and go big. Spurge on a 27″+ monitor and jack it to you laptop and enjoy videos and word docs on the glorious large screen. Your eyes will thank you and so will your productivity.
8. Group exercise classes : For some of us who slack off when working alone, nothing beats the kick for a group exercise class. You can rest when you are working alone but in a group exercise class the shame of being the only guy standing still does wonders for your motivation to continue with the horribly painful moves and keep from giving into the ‘I-want-to-curl-up-and-nap’ cop out feeling.
9. Amazon Prime : This endorsement is, for now, aimed at folks in US and UK; Look we all know Amazon rocks. And we shop there ALL the time. Why not pony up the £49/year and have most of our shipping free and fast. And also accrue a ton of other benefits like Kindle + Prime membership = Borrow lots of Kindle books for FREE.
10. DIY Classes : Hiring help is overrated. Buy a 18v cordless drill, see some YouTube videos on how to do some basic DIY chores and get cracking. If you can afford the time on the weekend, enroll in a DIY starter class. You’ll get to practice on a random wall before you get working on yours. Worth it.
There you go. 10 things I heartily think most of you will surely enjoy if you tried it. No refunds will be asked, guaranteed.
Third Eye Observations 