Fresh Leftovers

Hey Friends,

Every year, at this time, during Thanksgiving week, I wonder whether I will meet my regular Friday deadline or not. It's a nail-biting moment. An appetizer before the Thanksgiving meal, if you will.

Then, miraculously, inspiration hits like a pile of mashed potatoes, and the next thing you know, I've written a thousand words to make your Friday morning everything you hoped it would be, except for the task of needing to clear your inbox.

But what would you be doing anyway? Reading about the Racketeering case against Trump in Georgia being dropped?

I doubt it, because you've probably already moved on from that, knowing that there is a two-tiered justice system, where Presidents can do whatever they want with impunity, including occasionally try to overturn elections, and the rest of us get ticketed $163 for parking in Los Angeles on the wrong street during rush hour, twice for the same offense.

To be fair, if you contest the tickets with enough evidence, that second citation will probably be dropped, but the first one is still gonna cost you – hypothetically, of course.

So, since you have nothing better to do but to join me here, and I don't want to write about the news of the day, or anything else important for that matter, I decided I would share a behind-the-scenes look at some of my writing.

As prolific as I am, I am essentially writing or planning to write at all hours of the day. Because of that, the Notes app on my phone is filled with what I hope are gems, which someday may be part of a longer piece that has yet to be written. I have some I need to purge, so I'll share them here, as bits without full article context. I've warmed these up for you, so enjoy, and I'll leave you to eat your leftovers.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Concert People.

There’s a difference between regular people who happened to go to a concert and concert people. Concert people are sweaty, literally all the time. They slither like snakes when they dance, or scream with beers raised, making sure to spill a little as they walk. They wear too much cheap jewelry and have glossy hair gel, even though everyone knows the matte finish has been the leading texture for years. I love music and concerts, but I will never be a concert person.

Foodie Culture

People worry about the country being destroyed when politics swing against them. But I assure you, it's a cycle that usually swings back. A country is made up of the people who make it theirs. No president, good or bad, can single-handedly change that. A country is like a good restaurant — you need there to be enough people that you want to be there, but not so many that you can’t get a table. It's hard to get it perfect without making people wait to be seated – including the regulars. That's why immigration and jobs will always lead the public conversation.

Brain and Evolution

My wife once shared an article that breaks down the brain's eras across life. First, from zero to nine, you have a soft sponge for a brain, prepared to sop up everything it is wiped across. From then until 32, you have what scientists call the adolescent brain. It's a brain that looks for gooey holes to be squished into, and any stimulant it can find. If you escape that phase alive, between 32 and 66 is when your brain performance is at its peak. You don't become wise until you reach this stage.

This is why we can't expect parenting to be a perfect process. Evolution has favored being obsessed with getting laid before you’re smart enough not to. So your either ready to make babies or youre ready to raise them, but rarely is anybody both. 

Pretty and Plump

Lately, cosmetic surgery is not an effort to look young, but a way to separate the elite from the average. But I object to this approach, because too many twenty-somethings, while plenty young and supple, have pumped their lips to a level that resembles balloon animals more than human facial features. But image has always been a part of high life, including for those who are merely wannabes. Plastic surgery designed to be seen is simply a Louis Vuiton bag installed directly into the face. 

I'll leave you with my latest episode of Truthache.

This week, we talked about how to create the dorkiest kids in America – Homeschooling.

I am one of the exceptions to this rule.

Home School and Home Births - Michelle Ervin | Truthache

The best way to ensure your kids are smart and have no clue what the world is really like is to keep them at home. If you want nerdy kids that are good at math and know how to load a dishwasher, homeschooling might be for you. We talk with Michelle Ervin, a barber to the stars (specifically, most of the hosts of Truthache), who has made personal sacrifices with her husband to raise the family she wants, the way she wants, without ceding control to someone who may not know what’s best for her family. This means balancing work so she can school her kids at home, not long after birthing them right there in the same home. Daniel didn’t get his trigger warning on this, but listeners will know he came from a family that did all of the above, but he gives it less positive reviews. No, he did not graduate high school per se, and yes, he did eventually learn to swim as an adult. We talk about that and more. We also eat several freshly baked cookies and discuss vaccine skepticism (oops! just slipped that one in unannounced) here in this latest episode of Truthache. About The Guest: Michelle Ervin cuts most of our hair at https://www.commissaryindy.com/ About The Hosts: Daniel Herndon is a brand strategist at HRNDN Brand Agency and author of The Lorem Ipsum. Aaron Douglas is an AI readiness consultant and owner of AIRAA. Michael Salemi owns Colored Threads, a company that produces branded apparel and swag.

PodbeanPodBean Development

That's it for this week.

Remember: The Lorem Ipsum can be reheated, but don't put a lid on it. Share a serving with friends.

Have a great weekend!