Macbeth. Ever since my podcast with Eliot Cohen on what Shakespeare can teach us about power and leadership, I’ve had a hankering to read more of the Bard. But I read somewhere that to really get the full effect of Shakespeare’s plays, it helps to hear the plays performed instead of merely reading them. So I downloaded a performance of Macbeth done by the Folgers Theatre on my Audible app and listened to it during my morning walks. It was great! So many good lessons on the dangers of unchecked ambition. I’ve already downloaded King Richard III, and it will be my next morning walk companion. If you’ve wanted to get more Shakespeare in your life, try listening to him instead of reading him.
Flint and Tinder Waxed Canvas Trucker Jacket. The summer heat broke here in Oklahoma this week, and we’re starting to get a faint whiff of fall. Which means I’ll soon be busting out my favorite piece of autumnal clothing: the Flint and Tinder Waxed Canvas Jacket. I’ve had mine since 2016, and it’s only gotten more handsome with time. The F&T Trucker Jacket is pricey, but it will give you years of use. I’ll probably still be wearing mine in another eight years. Read my full review of the Flint and Tinder Waxed Canvas Trucker Jacket here.
EA Sports NCAA College Football 25. Overall, I haven’t been a big fan of the changes that NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) has brought to college sports. But one bright spot is that it ushered in the return of one of my favorite video games from high school: EA Sports NCAA College Football. (The game had been on a decade-long hiatus because of legal disputes over the use of players’ likenesses in the game). Gus and I have been playing it together the past few weeks, and we both really enjoy it. It’s fun to see all the little traditions from each college that the designers have put into the game. The playbook is a lot of fun, too. Back in high school, our football team ran the triple option that Air Force runs, so I’ve been playing as the Falcons to digitally relive my Friday night lights glory days. It’s just been cool playing a video game that I enjoyed as a young man with my son who is now a young man.
The Natural. This Robert Redford baseball classic was my latest zone 2 cardio watch. I haven’t enjoyed a movie this much in a long time. First, the golden-hued cinematography bathes everything in a warm glow of nostalgia. It feels good just seeing the moving images on the screen. Second, the story is top-notch. It’s a baseball flick, but the movie makes obvious allusions to Greek epic poetry, particularly the Odyssey. Third, the acting is stellar: Robert Redford, Glenn Close, Wilford Brimley, Kim Basinger, Robert Duvall…such an all-star cast. I first watched this movie as a kid; it hit different watching it as a middle-aged man. Highly recommend.
Quote of the Week
Nothing can lift the heart of man
Like manhood in a fellow-man.
The thought of heaven’s great King afar
But humbles us—too weak to scan
But manly greatness men can span,
And feel the bonds that draw.—Herman Melville
