Happy Sunday from Cavall Mountain. Consistency has been difficult over the summer, as my work on Russian economics has taken up most of my best reading and writing time. Since finishing, I have been writing less because I overworked my writing muscles, but I’m slowly getting back into the habit of writing more. I plan to be a bit more consistent over the next few months, at least until Christmas comes around. The last month has also been very busy as I left my job at NextPort to start a new adventure at Brutal Systems.
For now, a favourites of Q3 newsletter:
Reading
Russian history and economics have been my main areas of reading for the whole summer, and I have had trouble getting into other books as I was at some points reading over 200 pages a day of dense material that sometimes took me down dead ends.
From the Russian history books, I recommend Madariaga’s Catherine The Great: A Short Story, which is a great introduction to Imperial Russia at the peak of its rule. Giving a short introduction to one of the most interesting rulers in modern history. At some point, I want to put together a reading list for Russian history with my own recommendations, but if you are interested, reach out or check out the r/askHistorians recommended list on Reddit. It covers all periods and countries, not just Russia, and it is a great curated list of some of the best books on each topic. Some of the book choices on the list are a bit biased, but the aggregate is a great product.
Project Hail Mary was the book that broke the reading slump. I read it in a couple of long sittings during August afternoons out on the porch or by the pool. The book is a story of alien contact written by the author of The Martian, which is one of the best science fiction books written this century. The book takes the alien contact story concept and shakes it up to tell an original and engaging story like anything I have read before. I’m sure that for years to come, new science fiction authors will try to emulate the Weir style.
I also read the first book of the Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin. It is also a very enjoyable read, set in China during various periods over the last century, which makes the setting different from anything that I have read before. It is part of a trilogy that Netflix has turned into a TV series about which I have heard good things. The book unravels a mystery of global conspiracy that the main character, by pulling on a thread, starts to unravel. The concepts are interesting, but at points, the execution is a bit disappointing. The book is a pageturner, and I will probably read the next book in the series over the coming months.
If I had to choose one or the other, I would read Project Hail Mary before the Third Body Problem.
I have also read Dylan’s autobiography, “Chronicles,” which provided a great insight into the poet’s mind. It was written with the wit and language that only a young Bob Dylan could conjure. I have discovered many new pieces of music and literature through the book, which describes his influences. At some point, I would also like to reflect on my influences and what guides my writing and thinking.
Cavall Updates
The Cavall kitchen has finally been finished, with the exception of painting the ceiling; I now have a safer kitchen and increased storage. I’m very happy with the result, even though the process has been long and tedious over the summer. I have also changed some of the windows in the house to increase insulation, which will be great in the coming winter.
Summer has been productive, and I have had a good yield of figs and pomegranates, but a small grape yield. I still have some pomegranates; if anyone is interested, message me, and I will bring them over. Over the next few months, I plan to paint some of the walls that have been affected by the kitchen remodel, and I intend to plant around half a dozen trees in the garden near the gate to increase privacy.
TV & Movies
I have really enjoyed Yellowstone, which is about a ranch owner in the Montana National Park. The scenery is great, and the drama feels like Succession but with cowboys. The show paints a picture of a part of the US that I don’t know much about and that I don’t think is very well known in Europe. It has been great learning about the politics of modern cowboys and the livestock and landowning businesses.
Over the last year, I have gotten back into old Casey Neistat videos, and I have been following Van Neistat closely. I love the storytelling, cinematography, and emphasis on DIY, which comes from the influence of Tom Sachs. I knew they had a show on HBO called Neistat Brothers before they started making videos on YouTube, but it never interested me. It recently resurfaced on YouTube, and I watched it over a few days. It is great to see the beginnings of a product that has been developing for over 15 years, and I have loved seeing that the essence was there at the beginning. Watching their videos always pushes me to create more and to find creativity in everyday stuff. It reminds me of how fun it is to build and break stuff. The series is 8 chapters that are legacy reality TV with two guys chainsmoking and shooting low-budget films. If you are a fan of any of the Neistats, go watch this for a laugh.
Swingers is the first movie John Favreau wrote and starred in back in the ’90s. It is also a low-budget production about a group of struggling actors who go on a party trip to Vegas. The movie started the careers of many of these unknown actors, friends of Favreau. The movie still feels very fresh and only feels 30 years old, it is fun to see some of these established actors young and in most cases playing themselves.
Links
Some interesting links from the last months:
https://www.deepsouthventures.com/i-sell-onions-on-the-internet/https://ian.sh/tsa
End Note
Thanks for reading. I leave you with this Mary Oliver poem.
I will be back soon with new writing.
Have a great Week.
Ricard