PicoBlog

I’ve heard it said that swordfish is “the pork of the sea,” thanks to its relative heft and luscious white meat. I can’t argue with the characterization, since it is noticeably similar to a deftly-cooked pork chop. However, I would add one caveat: while they are alike in some ways, swordfish is vastly superior to pork. It’s lighter and healthier for one thing, and even an overfished fish is more ethically sourced than industrially-produced pork.

Friends, If Donald Trump takes power this November, he’ll owe his victory in no small part to one of the richest Americans alive — in 1920. I’m talking about the Pittsburgh banker and industrialist Andrew Mellon, who as treasury secretary for Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover, changed the U.S. tax code in ways that allowed — more than a century later — part of his personal fortune to bankroll Donald Trump’s reelection campaign.

As another year comes to a close and a new one is set to begin, so many of us are taking time to reflect and imagine what may be in store for us in the year ahead. In that spirit, I wanted to revisit one of my favorite newsletters from the earliest days of Kanahoma. It’s the story of how Kanahoma came to be thanks to a single, simple question. How I upended my life and set this whole wild journey in motion.

Want to listen to this week’s edition of Ultra Successful? Click here or scroll to the bottom of the post to tune in. A trait I see in people who reach the top .01%? Audacity.  “There is no reason I should even be sitting here. The life I have is ridiculous,” one client told me. “But what I’ve been able to do for myself and my family is just because I dared to try.

Welcome to the weekend edition Creative Fuel! These weekend missives are for creative inspiration, sometimes through prompts, sometimes through other means. Paid subscribers have full access to the archive of weekend prompts + inspiration. Last weekend I got to spend a lot of time with my friend Sara McMahon, who works as an applied improv facilitator. In other words, she uses improv techniques to teach essential skills like playfulness, empathy, connectedness, and overcoming fear of failure.

Erling Haaland steps up to take a penalty in a crucial Champions League tie for Borussia Dortmund. His opponent, Sevilla goalkeeper Bono, exclaims just before Haaland strikes; he dives to his left and makes the save. Before he has time to celebrate, VAR spots an encroachment and the penalty is retaken. This time, Haaland scores. After scoring, Haaland runs up to Bono and shouts in his face. What does he shout?

If you want to subscribe to LOL Sober, hit the purple button below. I’m mostly publishing free pieces right now, but paid subscribers do have access to monthly premium pieces—such as THIS comedy special about my 10 favorite addiction/sobriety jokes! A quick programming note: I am writing and recording this entry on Nov. 9, which means you’re probably reading it on Nov. 10. Nov. 10 is my sober anniversary. Hopefully, as you read this, I will have gone another 24 hours without a drink or a drug.

Hello readers! When I was a kid high off of X-Men episodes, I’d play this game with myself all the time: What superpower would I choose, if I could choose? Flying seemed neat. But duh telekenesis was the smarter choice (it is a superset of flying, after all!) And don’t even get me started on how utterly impressive flinging supercharged playing cards are. But what I ultimately concluded was that the absolute most desirable power was the ability to read minds.

My book Brothers and Sisters: The Allman Brothers Band And The Album That Defined The 70s does a deep dive into the relationship between the Allman Brothers and the Grateful Dead. I believe that it is the most extensive exploration of this ever done. Their collaborations peaked in 1973, with two summer shows at Washington DC’s RFK Stadium and, of course, the Watkins Glen Summer Jam. The excerpt below, however, focuses on their first official double bill, February 11-14, 1970 at New York’s Fillmore East, a match made by promoter Bill Graham, who deeply loved both bands.