I ❤️ wood
Hello dear reader,
🗞️ Today’s stories:
🎬 Modern movies
💡 Michael Phelps and Alexander the Great
🪵 My love of wood
🤣 Another aphorism from a comedian
If you enjoy today’s article, please like it or share it with a friend.
You’ll really make my day 🙏🙏
🍿Film: Today’s movies suck
A few weeks ago, my wife and I observed that neither of us had watched a movie in ages.
I used to love watching movies.
I grew up in the 90s when movie stars were actual stars - Bruce Willis, John Travolta, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Cruise, Sharon Stone, and Julia Roberts. These people weren’t internet famous. They were like gods.
And fairly so, because the movies of this era were epic. Here are the top box office hits of thirty years ago:
And if you think this may have been a stand-out year, here is 1994. Even better:
Most of these movies have stood the test of time and are as enjoyable today as they were thirty years ago. Note the diversity of genres and all originals, no sequels.
Now compare this to this year’s top 10:
We’ve nosedived from the heights of Schindler’s List, Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump to moustached TV game characters and spandex.
Some stats on 2023’s movies:
5/10 Are superhero movies
8/10 Are sequels (We are on the 10th!! Fast and the Furious and the 7th!! Transformers movies. Please make it stop)
0/10 The number of these movies I’m remotely interested in watching
0/10 The number of these movies we’ll be watching 30 years from now
I have two young kids. I wonder if they’ll ever experience movies as I once did?
*This article was inspired by a recent The Lindy Newsletter. It’s one of the better newsletters I receive each week.
💡 Idea of the Week: What do Michael Phelps and Alexander the Great have in common?
“You work so hard for four years to get to that point, and then it’s like you’re…at the top of the mountain, you’re like what the hell am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to go? Who am I?”
This is Michael Phelps after winning six gold and two bronze medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Even the most decorated Olympian of all time struggled with depression and anxiety.
Similarly, after conquering the known world by age 30, Alexander the Great wept at the realisation that there were no more worlds to conquer.
The "arrival fallacy" is a psychological trap, assuming happiness lies in achieving certain goals. However, once we "arrive," the expected satisfaction often evades us.
Moral of the story: The journey is the destination.
🪵 Useful skill: Know your wood
Before moving from Europe back to South Africa, I created many mental pros and cons lists to rationalise the decision. High on my pros list was the ability to braai 365 days a year. Like a squirrel to a nut, I yearned to cook on a wood fire.
Archaeologists discovered burnt animal bones and ash in Swartkrans and Wonderwerk Caves, indicating that South Africans have been cooking on fire for over a million years. It seems then, and Darwin would agree:
We were born to braai.
Gazing into the flickering flames. The smoky smell. The crackle of the cooking meat. It’s spiritual. It’s therapy.
So, it’s no surprise that I’ve been on a braai binge since moving back. On weekends (if I’m not braaiing), you’ll find me hypnotised, watching braaiing TV shows and fantasising about sizzling sirloins.
“…braai your steak over hot coals for 7 – 10 minutes. When you reach the end of your braai, melt the butter and garlic together in a pot or pan and use your thyme brush to brush the steaks with garlic butter” - JanBraai
Lines like this leave me slobbering and incapacitated. My vibe resembles this South Park episode where Randy calls the Food Network Hotline.
As I’m progressively upskilling on all things braai, it’s critical that I’m well versed on the cornerstone of any successful braai:
Wood.
Man, I love good wood.
My research into the world of wood revealed intriguing info about some inferior “B-listers”: Rooikrans, Black Wattle, and Blue Gum. All three are invasive species, native to Australia and were brought here during the 1800s for various purposes:
Rooikrans: The coastal development in areas like Cape Town destabilised local sand dune ecosystems. The shifting sands posed problems for infrastructure, so Rooikrans was used like ecological duct tape to hold the dunes in place. However, it adapted so well to the local climate and soils that it spread and caused an environmental problem. It’s tough to eradicate, and the dense thickets it forms outcompete native fynbos vegetation for resources.
Black Wattle: As demand for leather goods grew, Black Wattle was introduced because its bark is rich in tannin, a substance used in the leather industry. The tree was also valued for its fast growth and use as fuelwood and timber. Its ability to thrive in poor soil conditions made it an attractive choice for plantation forestry.
Blue Gum (Eucalyptus): Introduced to South Africa primarily for its strong, durable timber used for construction, railway sleepers, and mine supports. Its fast growth also made Blue Gum popular for fuelwood and pulp production.
Although not the best braai wood, you will do the environment a favour using these invasive species.
But my studies conclude that the A-listers, the rockstars, the Rolls Royces of the braai wood scene are both indigenous:
🏆 Kameeldoring AND Sekelbos
They burn hot. They burn long. They burn beautifully.
Happy braaiing.
🤣 Quote of the Week
"Mondays are fine. It’s your life that sucks”
- Ricky Gervais
Great read and content. Thanks, made my morning! And yes movies are rubbish these days!