Rox’s Picks 42: Jared, Ivanka, museums, buffets, & vacations

Hi friends!

This week is a decompression period before I start my new job in September.

I read and wrote. I went hiking with my sisters. I went on a picnic with friends.

Most importantly, I cleaned out my closet this week. Thanks to my obsession with systems design, I couldn’t resist rebuilding my closet organization system from the ground up. I’m a nerd through and through. 😂

Last week’s newsletter had a 44% open rate. The top link you clicked on was my article on "CrossFit for Writing: The Magical Way to Get Writing Without an Idea”.

Here’s what I worked on this week:

Reading Tao of Seneca: Volume 1. During this decompression period, I’m reading and learning more about the broad world of liberal arts. Along with Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations, Seneca is one of the most recommended starting points to learn more about stoicism. While I don’t consider myself a stoic, I’ve found stoicism to be a reliable, worldly-wise, and battle-hardened companion to my Christian faith.

You can download the 3-volume PDF set for free from Tim Ferriss’s website.

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Here’s what I learned, shared, and paid attention to this week:

1. What I read —

“Inside Ivanka’s Dreamworld” and “The Good Son” from The Atlantic

The aggregation of our choices determines our trajectory in life. Somewhere along the way, life hands us an opportunity that we had been unconsciously training all our lives to do.

These articles on Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner are apt, contrasting specimens of this.

The first article notes how a 22-year-old Ivanka Trump said, “There are very few things we can control in life, but how we project ourselves is one of them.” Early on, the current First Daughter chose to build up her personal brand on politeness and poise. Thanks to her carefully curated image, she gained the adoration of her father, distanced herself from the dirt associated with his name, and ingratiated herself to social elite.

Ivanka’s extraordinary ascent is best contrasted with her husband’s story in the second article. Jared Kushner achieved remarkable success, despite his mediocrity and general lack of talent. To get to where he is, Jared Kushner curried the favour of influential father figures — often at the expense of his own principles and dignity. As the article observes, “At the very center of his identity, Kushner is a Good Son. He’s run the country in a spirit of filial devotion to an implacable father. It’s a role that he thrives at playing, because he’s spent his whole life rehearsing for it.”

Both articles are well worth the read, if only to get thoughtful insight into two of the most intriguing and polarizing public figures we have today.

2. Why you should approach museum visits like an all-you-can-eat buffet —

“Get the Most Out of a Visit to the Museum” from The New York Times

Museums are like all-you-can-eat (a.k.a. AYCE, pronounced “ace”) buffets. They both entice you with more options than you can possibly consume at once. And visits end with you feeling overwhelmed and overstuffed.

If you’d rather leave with a smile on your face, though, this article will help. It’s an interview with Nick Gray, founder of tour company Museum Hack, and provides a handful of good tips for enjoying museums.

Here are a couple:

Tip #1: Walk the floor first

Before you even grab a plate at a buffet, take an overview of your options first. Note where the priciest dishes are (usually the steak and salmon sashimi), and which ones you’d want to try, double up on, and leave belly room for.

Similarly for museums, Nick advises, “Walk the space, understand where things are, what you might be interested to come back and see, and then, go to the cafe.” This way you see the exhibits you actually want, not just the most popular or accessible ones.

Tip #2: Avoid peak hours

Especially for popular AYCE establishments in Toronto, avoid dinners and weekends. Instead, go when there’s a late night or a weekday lunch special. You’d still get 80% of the premium selection, but at half the regular prices.

For museums, Nick avoids Sunday afternoons anf rainy days. He recommends visiting during late-night openings, often on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday.

(If you’re in Toronto when the pandemic blows over, check out the Royal Ontario Museum’s Friday Night Live and the Art Gallery of Ontario’s First Thursdays. On those nights, these two bastions of world history transform into technicolour stages for the emerging characters of Toronto’s musical, artistic, and cultural scene.)

3. Tweet I shared —

That's it for this week!

Stay strong, stay kind, stay human.

Till next week,

Roxine

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Photo courtesy of @viewfrommyinstax