It’s been a few months, so it’s time for another post about some of my favorite things I’ve watched, listened to, and read recently.
If you’re not interested in checking out my fantastic content recommendations but are yearning for something strictly finance-related, here’s a link to the main blog page where you can read past articles.
NOTE: The content is linked in the green titles.
The Art and Science of Spending Money by Morgan Housel
If you haven’t caught on by now, you should read everything that Morgan Housel comes out with. All of his stuff is good, but I thought this article was particularly insightful. He maps out 13 ideas on why people spend money the way they do. It’s a longer piece, but well worth your time. Here’s one of my favorite excerpts:
“I think what many people really want from money is the ability to stop thinking about money. To have enough money that they can stop thinking about it and focus on other stuff.
But that ultimate goal can break down when your relationship with money becomes an ingrained part of your personality. You struggle to break away from focusing on money because the focus itself is a big part of who you are.
If you develop an early system of savings and living well below your means – congratulations, you’ve won. But if you can never break away from that system, and insist on a heavy savings regimen well into your retirement years … what is that? Is it still winning?
Watching money compound gives them more pleasure than they would get spending it. But those whose ultimate goal is to stop thinking about money are stuck. Refusing to recognize that you’ve met your goal can be as bad as never meeting the goal to begin with.”
It’s been a personal mission of mine for the past three or so months to get as many of my friends to watch Andor as possible. This was one of my favorite, if not my favorite, TV shows of 2022. Set in the Star Wars universe, the story is about the birth of The Rebellion whose goal is to overthrow The Empire.
If you’re not a big fan of Star Wars or are reluctant to check it because it is a Star Wars show, don’t be. There are no references to the force, or lightsabers, or the Jedi, or even any mention of Darth Vader. If it wasn’t for the title card and a few stormtroopers walking around you wouldn’t even know it’s a Star Wars show. It truly stands on its own. I can’t recommend it enough.
In a “What I’m Into” post from 2021 I wrote about how much I liked the first season of White Lotus. Well, I liked the second season more than the first. Mike White, the showrunner, just knows how to write interesting, real-life characters that we can each recognize parts of ourselves in as we’re watching. I’m also convinced that half of my enjoyment of the show is the many lingering landscape shots of Sicily which are gorgeous.
I think one of the highest praises I can give the show is every Sunday night when my wife and I would sit down to watch the new episode, I never had the urge to pick up my phone throughout the entire hour.
And since I can tell you’re just dying to know, here’s my personal top 10 list of the best TV shows of 2022:
Andor
White Lotus S2
This is a documentary on Netflix about Robert Downey Jr.’s father, Robert Downey Senior, who was a filmmaker in his own right. The movie follows Robert Downey Jr. as he wants to get to know more about his dad as he battles Parkinson’s Disease.
You get the sense that there are certain things Jr. and Sr. wouldn’t be able to say to each other if they weren’t filming this project. Which I found to be really moving and made it a unique viewing experience. Give it a watch if you want to feel something.
And last but definitely not least, 2001: A Space Odyssey. I feel a little embarrassed that I hadn’t watched this movie until recently. Of course, I had heard people talk about Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 sci-fi masterpiece as one of the best films of all time, but I pushed it off waiting for a night when the stars aligned. My first thought after it ended was, “Yep, I’m pretty sure that’s one of the best movies I’ve ever seen.”
I can’t believe how good the movie looked considering it was made over 50 years ago. I was blown away by the visuals and the music. I don’t know what else to say. Go watch it if you haven’t already. Good stuff.
If you have any other content recommendations, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email. I’d love to hear them!
Thanks for reading!