Worth noting (and I’ll soon try): there is no shaking or stirring necessary to a martini should your glass and gin be stored in a freezer.

Kevin Smith gives his advice on living a successful life.

The secret to a successful life is hardly a secret; it requires you to be self-centered as all fuck, is all. So long as it’s not at the expense of others, make yourself the center of your universe. You only get to do this ONCE, so try to take as much stress out of the process as you can. Why stress out in some office wearing clothes you hate, when the REAL stress lies ahead, as we face an inescapable grave. Doubt I’m gonna go quietly into that good night, so I’ll save the stress for then.

I realize I’ve gotten at least as much pleasure from working together to create these meals as I have from eating them. Sometimes producing things is more gratifying—and more conducive to building community—than consuming them, I decide. … there’s something special about the camaraderie of the kitchen crew.

Michael Pollan reflecting on his 36-hour food adventure.

There’s a new “creative class” in town. Or, more accurately, out of town. Increasingly, young entrepreneurs, activists, and small-business owners are trying to make lives that blend the wildness of the city with the wellness of the country.

I’ve been away from a city for a couple of years now and I don’t miss it like I thought I would. I love to travel and when I travel I go to cities. I need a balance of both urban and rural. I get that now and wouldn’t change a thing.

When I am looking to purchase something one of the first questions I ask myself is, “Could I take this with me on a trip”? I have found it’s a great way to help edit what I buy. If I can’t use it when traveling it’s a quick sign that I probably don’t need or will use the product. Mr. Wong seems to be in agreement, however I think we may be coming from different ends of the thought.

traveling teaches one to be more concise in what they wear & to minimise the fluff that we see in media

All I can do is be me. Whoever that is.

—Bob Dylan

Zach Galifianakis has expressed an interest in playing A Confederacy of Dunces main character Ignatius Reilly. There may not be an actor more tailor-made for a part. Dunces is one of my favorite books and Galifianakis is one of my favorite comedians. *fingers crossed*

From the designers of the Ace Hotel in New York comes this blurb about design.

A hotel shouldn’t be about marketing. It’s the collection of a particular way of thinking, of curating, of comfort and escape. To create that, we try to find objects and ideas which are familiar yet idiosyncratic. It always come down to what’s personal.

I was intrigued by Chris Ivory when I heard an announcer say he went to Tiffin University, which is in a town near where I grew up, played golf and went to basketball camps at. Ivory’s story is pretty neat and as much as it pains me to say so, I think the Saints have a great scouting department/system.

Attention to detail, like most facets of truly good design, can’t be (and never is) added later. It’s an entire development philosophy, methodology, and culture.

—Marco Arment