Jacob All Trades #305
Sickness, Nantucket, Hermit Crabs, In Defense Of Beans, Snapchat Ads + More
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The last two weeks have been some of the hardest parenting weeks since the start of the pandemic. Wilder and Heather have both been sick. Between MLK day weekend and the week after – there was a stretch where we had no childcare for 7 out of 9 days.
This is all happening while Heather approaches full term in her pregnancy. It started feeling like nothing was ever going to be easy or restful again… and then that would roll right into having this second baby.
I noticed that when I get really anxious, my self-care starts to follow a pattern. Copious Frasier reruns – and boxes. I do crossword puzzles, nonograms, and read mystery novels. All areas where I have total control over a situation and everything fits into neat little boxes.
What do you do for stress relief? Let me know in the comments. I’m looking for tips.
Jacob
A GOOD LONG READ
Cape Cod is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to. I wish I could spend more time there. On the other hand, it sometimes feels like the WASPiest place on earth. And, Nantucket feels like the part of the Cape* where that’s most potent.
In her beautifully written essay — Nantucket Doesn’t Belong To The Preppies — Tiya Miles tells the forgotten erased history of Black and Indigenous life on Nantucket. It’s part of The Atlantic’s Inheritance Series, which looks very compelling.
“Picture Nantucket, and you probably imagine whales and hydrangeas, white people swimming in white-capped waves. But that’s only part of the story. Although the Black community of New Guinea has passed into history, its mark on the landscape remains, a reminder that Nantucket was once a place of working-class ingenuity and Black daring.”
*Anyone from Cape Cod will tell you that Nantucket isn’t part of the cape - it’s a different place. But… I grew up in Southern California, so it’s all kinda the same to me 🤷♂️
LOOKING TO NATURE
When a hermit crab tries on a new shell and discovers it doesn’t fit… they don’t leave it. They wait for another crab to try on the shell. Chances are, when a new crab fits the shell, their hand-me-down shell will then be available for the first crab. If it doesn’t, they wait too – and eventually, there’s a line of hermit crabs. Once all sizes are present, they swap shells.
We could learn a lot from the hermit crab’s share economy. It seems like a great way to make sure everyone has a home that meets their needs.
WHAT I’M READING
I subscribe to (and would highly recommend) Lauren Dubinsky’s newsletter Floricult. It’s an in-depth look at growing your own food at home and it’s full of great tips, history, and recipes. Here’s a taste:
FROM THE VAULT
I was looking through some hard drives and found these old spots I directed for Pot Noodle. These were some of the first video ads to ever run on Snapchat and their team was actively developing (and changing) their specs while we were in production. BUT the creative was really fun: micro pep talks from inside your phone.
Alrighty, that’s it for this week. Feel free to leave a comment or share the newsletter using the links below.
Party on,
Jacob
If you want stress-relief, get a shredder. HOO BOY, it's fun