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Cliff Notes #3: Into the Wind

What limited faith in authority that remains breaks away and drifts into the wind. And yet we carry on.

The Boy in the Bubble opens with new poignancy given the past three months. Move over Lana Del Rey, Emma Ruth Rundle and Chelsea Wolfe are the sirens for our time. It was an effort not to include more by both – expect soon. Palaye Royale is a (careful curation required) punkish rival to Twenty One Pilots and I can’t wait for some epic music video Streets of Rage turf war amidst the further breakdown of non-cyber-punk-America. (bonus points: add muppets!) King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard could play the soundtrack to a Jack Vance novel named the same–I keep waiting for a guy named Cugel to run for office (or has he already?). Orbital’s foldable cities I toss in for times-appropriate brain-expanding overstructured chaos. And if that creates a little lump in your throat, just go with it and see if you can match Altyn Tuu’s tonally phantasma-allegorical throat singing. Just added this entire genre to my Wardruna-heavy playlists. I need to try this as my finishing move whenever a job interview goes south. Who knows what could happen (probably not job offers)! And my pick of the week – AWOLNATION + Weezer is the once flaming now perfectly toasted harmonizing marshmallow chocolate graham cracker we all need. I cannot stop listening.

In closing, why do the recent episodes of Rick and Morty feel more thoughtful, sane, and forward-looking than the leaders of the free world?

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A Catskill eagle

Give not thyself up, then, to fire, lest it invert thee, deaden thee; as for the time it did me. There is a wisdom that is woe; but there is a woe that is madness. And there is a Catskill eagle in some souls that can alike dive down into the blackest gorges, and soar out of them again and become invisible in the sunny spaces. And even if he for ever flies within the gorge, that gorge is in the mountains; so that even in his lowest swoop the mountain eagle is still higher than other birds upon the plain, even though they soar.

Herman Melville, Moby Dick

Many whom quote this passage omit the first line. While this broadens the quote, it trims away Melville’s ambivalence. Trim ambivalence at your peril. Ishmael has spent the night staring into the flames and lost all sense for a time. He muses this as he at last comes out of it. That we, too, wish to forget the suffering and sacrifice that accompanies his eagle–and perhaps the hint of over-earnest rationalization–when sharing this passage should tell us much.

Before this quote, Ishmael has just broken free from his mad spell and warns us:

Look not too long in the face of the fire, O man! Never dream with thy hand on the helm! Turn not thy back to the compass; accept the first hint of the hitching tiller; believe not the artificial fire, when its redness makes all things look ghastly. To-morrow, in the natural sun, the skies will be bright; those who glared like devils in the forking flames, the morn will show in far other, at least gentler, relief; the glorious, golden, glad sun, the only true lamp- all others but liars!

Ibid.

To soar out from the blackest gorges. Or perhaps from a particular flame lit cave?

The entire chapter–The Try-Works–is worth a read. And, well, I’d hardly stop there.

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If Not Now, When?

A few things I’m trying to learn. All links are things I’ve tried myself.

TaskDifficultyQuick WinsLevel UpTipPitfalls
Baking: SourdoughEasyPop-oversBagelsUse scale to measureRushing your starter
Gardening: vegetables from seedEasyJalapenos (indoors), broccoliTBDUse greenhouse boxesHumidity too high
Making cheese (w/ rennet)A bit trickyRicottaMozzarellaIt doesn’t have to look perfect to be delicious!Overstirring

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Stocks to Watch: April 2020

Oil seems to have gone non-Euclidean for the moment. But negative commodity futures = opportunity for level heads. The world needs energy. Oil doesn’t rot and is a long-term counter-inflationary play. Watch USO, DBO, XOM, RDS-B.

F – longer term, but watch the big 3 automakers. Or I should say pick-up truck makers. While debt and even medium-term demand is a major concern, Ford is a strong candidate for a bailout. If you agree, then ask this: after what we’ve seen with this pandemic, post-lock-down behavior with oil at historic lows is going to increase or decrease the sentiment that having a vehicle that off-roads, tows, and handles its own deliveries is the rational choice? I drive a mainstream SUV and have a small garage and it has me reconsidering my next vehicle. Update: pick-ups overtake sedans for first-time ever.

DBA – agriculture continues its multi-year lows. But now instead of world riding high on glitzy efficiency, we have grocery stores out of all flour (except the gluten-free stuff – so funny that), limiting meat purchases, livestock producers slaughtering chickens due to worker shortages, and countries cutting their exports. Enter any hint of real inflation and tell me that food doesn’t become front and center again.

SLVP – Silver miners. Gold too, but it’s still elevated from 2008. Silver looks like a value play comparatively. SLVP avoids worries about running out of physical metal or transfers since the miners are literally digging metal out of the ground. There are other ETFs, but this SLVP also grants some exposure to gold as well and still looks like a bargain….for now. Silver also servers as a double hedge: if the economy rebounds, industrial silver usage should increase. If the economy crashes enough for major financial shocks, silver protects against inflation.

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Cliff Notes #1: Nothing for Granted

That things can always get worse makes me appreciate the here and now. Each meal. Each laugh. Each beautiful day together.

Taking nothing for granted has deepened my trust and faith and forgiveness in those around me. That’s where my focus will be and stay.