Five things from this week...

29 December 2023

I’m taking a little break from my typical newsletters. Lately, I’ve been busier than usual and haven’t had the time to write anything new. In the meantime, I hope you’re enjoying these ‘five things’ posts. It’s a fun way to give a little insight into things I like away from the golf course.

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1. On Christmas Eve, while doing some wrapping, I stumbled upon the documentary The Last Rider. The film looked at cyclist Greg LeMond and his life up to and through his 1989 Tour de France victory. I was a big fan of LeMond and was utterly captivated by the 1989 Tour and his dramatic win. I highly recommend the film.

2. My wife is a great gift-giver. She always finds cool, fun, unconventional things to give as gifts. One of the gifts she got me this year was a Boxbollen. It’s an excellent concentration and hand-eye coordination tool, and I’ve also found it to be a perfect warmup for my workouts. Last night, I had 480 consecutive hits.     

3. As kids, we got a book every year for Christmas. My wife and I have continued the tradition with our kids. This year, I got four books as gifts.

   1. I’ve always loved the color blue. My grandparents told a story of taking me to the zoo, and while we stood at the bear exhibit, I couldn’t stop staring at a blue trash can. I’ve always found great comfort and joy in the color blue. This book tells the story of the color and how rare it once was.

      

   2. If you’ve followed me over the years, you’ll know I love F1. This book tells the story of each decade of F1 in beautiful photos and words.

      

   3. The Hot Hand by Ben Cohen—This book combines two of my favorite subjects: sports and statistics. I’ve just started reading, so you can look forward to a full review in time.

      

   4. Hidden Potential by Adam Grant is a new book by one of my favorites. I can’t wait to read it and review it here.

      

4. Lacorsa is another great gift from my wife. This quick-moving board game is based on Grand Prix/F1 racing and is slightly like cribbage.

5. For almost ten years, my siblings and I have compiled our favorite songs from the previous year, playing them together during the holidays. The three of us are pretty eclectic in our listening tastes, and the genres include everything from hip-hop, soul, country, and pop. I hope you listen and enjoy it; maybe a few of your favorites made our lists.