I read “The Alchemist” last year and took a note that reads:War is a balance of power. War is rarely a fight between good and evil. Both sides believe they’re “good”. Instead, war is power’s way to balance itself in the world.In many ways - life is a war. It’s a relentless push and pull on a system seeking to optimize for its equilibrium. You fight wars every day. Some of these wars are truly moral in nature, and some aren’t. The challenge is realizing what’s what and proceeding forward. Happy Monday.

Musicians I grew up looked for a good meal after a late night gig. Taco Bell is a reliable stop. It’s almost always open late, cheap food, and (for some) the taste is so bad that the disgust will keep you awake for long drives back to your home. There are musicians I know that read this blog. For those of you who stop at Taco Bell at 1am along some interstate, ask yourself if you could be getting the same meal at a cheaper price further down the interstate?Apparently, the price dispersion of a meal at Taco Bell is quite large across the United States.HT Tyler Cowen/Marginal Revolution for the link

I am learning this about myself — what fears I have may be more about me and less about how the outside world interacts with me. Sometimes I wonder if my fear prevents me from optimizing for maximum effectiveness.

There are many kinds of memory. Some things are remembered in the body, other in time, other in smells, the list goes on.

I see my dad — he doesn’t remember the past or has a hard time visualizing the future; however, he has knowledge of things — he can recall some things given the proper context and environment.

Context matters… especially when it comes to visualizing time.

“I have a good memory. I simply can’t visualize the past or the future. However, I see the present very clearly.” — Dad

It resonated.

Today is your day. It’s always your day.You get to decide what to do with your day.Don’t interpret the ability to decide as “every day is fun in the sun.”What makes each day awesome is that you got to decide.

Stanley Kubrick said (edited for clarity):I had one thing I think that perhaps helped me get over being a school misfit. I became interested in photography. I started out by getting a camera and learning how to take pictures, and learning how to print pictures, and so on and so on, and finally learning how to sell pictures and would it be possible to be a professional photographer. And it was a case of over a period of say from the age 13 to 17 of going through step by step without anybody really helping me the problem solving of becoming a photographer. This particular thing about problem solving is something that school’s generally don’t teach you. If you can develop a generalized approach to problem solving it’s surprising how it helps you in anything. I think that photography might have been more valuable than doing the proper things in school.

Made in 1908, Émile Cohl, created one of, perhaps “the”, first animation. Watch it. I love how the animation is like a stream of consciousness. “First I was here, then I did this, and then whoah this happened to me, and then… and then!” I have a bias for wanting the endings ruined — I want to go right to the end. However, there are times when I can suspend the mind and appreciate the absurd and surreal — that animation made my day. I enjoy Monty Python for similar reasons.Do you take enough time to enjoy the nonsensical?

If you’re a bear in Yellowstone park, your summer might suck. Finding food. If you’re a mother bear, preventing your cubs from being killed by a male bear. Hoping wolves won’t steel your skills. Bears have it hard.It’s said that most animals born in Yellowstone never live past a year. Death by mauling, starvation, abandonment, or something else.I can’t complain about a mosquito bite or annoying people. I’m in my 40s . Compared to a young animal in Yellowstone, I’ve got it made.

Dorothy got caught in a tornado and transported to Oz. In Oz she met a bunch of people, some animals that shouldn’t be talking, a tin man, she saw a yellow brick road, got high, met a witch, committed murder (first degree?), committed larceny, clicked some on fleek shoes, suffered from amnesia, and vaguely recalled the truth. Sounds like a net loss for Dorothy. And she barely remembered it. Don’t get caught up in your life’s tornado. Don’t be like Dorothy. There’s no place like home.