On holidays, Berghain, and favorite book (so far) this summer

Hi there!

I'm back home in Lisbon after a vacation that covered a campervan, a festival in Germany, a multi-day hike in Austria, and some quality time with friends in Sweden. It was amazing, but also slightly exhausting.

When I was single, vacation was something I did when I didn't have much work, or if there was a specific activity I wanted to do. Like the cruise conference, or a Vipassana. Which, I realize, is more about an end goal than what I would describe as a recharging time. Honestly, I'm not great at taking time off. But being in a relationship, combined with getting older (and somewhat wiser?), taking time off to disconnect, recharge and experience something new has higher priority.

And as ever the optimizer, each spring I think about what the ideal holiday set-up looks like. Here's what I learned so far!

1. The more I have my phone in airplane mode, the better. Leaving it behind sounds cool, but my phone is where I take notes and pictures, and as long as I'm engaged in something fulfilling, I find myself having a healthier relationship to my phone overall.
2. An ideal vacation has three components (and should be done in this order):
   1. Type 2 fun activity. Get out in nature, climb a mountain, feel what it's like to be alive far away from screens.
   2. Quality social time. Spend time with friends, hang out, go for walks, party, whatever - just be present with them.
   3. Real decompression relaxing time. I crave a week of doing nothing except reading by a lake and sip aperol spritz all afternoon. I want to get bored out of my mind, so I come back to normal life with excitement to get shit done.
3. Two weeks is too short, minimum three is needed.
4. Also, if you haven't travelled around Europe in an RV, you're missing out.

Hope you're taking notes, this is clearly some critical insights I'm sharing here. In my defense, it's been about 33 degrees every day since I came home and I think it might be making me dumber. 🙃

Anyway, take vacation kids, it's good for you!

Housekeeping: From Friday Notes to Nuggets

I initially called this newsletter Friday Notes, but having to send it out on Fridays made it more strict than I enjoyed, and I've decided that this newsletter needs to be enjoyable for me, hence, new structure! Calling it Nuggets, because that's what it is, a bunch of random nuggets, and I'll send it out when I've gathered a few things to share.

On to the links.

🕺 Why didn’t Chris and Dan get into Berghain? (Part 1) (and part 2 here)
This might be my favorite podcast episode this year. Just like Chris and Dan, I too have attempted the line at Berghain and gotten the instant "not tonight", so this hits close to home. The story takes you places you might not have expected and you'll learn some interesting details about how Berlin's clubscene was shaped.

Like, if you've been to a techno club here you probably gotten asked by the bouncer if you know who's playing, and I would not have guessed this relates to taxes.

📚 Evenings and weekends, Oisín McKenna
I was obsessed with this book from the first page. For a weekend we follow a set of connected characters where the navigate some big decisions during a heatwave in London. The author has a background in spoken word poetry, and that shines through – the language is hypnotic. Every character feels real, I understand why they do what they do. I laughed, I cried, and I will buy this in physical form to reread.

"She thinks of Joan Seymour sometimes, who is, without a shadow of a doubt, alive. Joan is big. She moves through the world as if the world is meant for her. She sits on her armchair out on the pavement as if the only important thing is satisfying her own pleasures. Rosaleen makes herself smaller and smaller to the point of barely existing at all."

"Ed is an atheist, out of convenience more than anything, but recently he’s become open to the guidance of spiritual leaders, and celebrity chefs, and people who make videos about cryptocurrency on YouTube."

Ok, moving on from the Oisín McKenna hype train, even though I have about 173 highlights I could share.

🎞️ I Regret What's In My Camera Roll
This piece poses some interesting questions on how our camera roll reflects our values. I'm also guilty of having infinite photos of empty spaces; instead of taking a picture of a friend I haven't seen in 8 months, I take a picture of the tarte flambee I'm eating, the sparkling wine in front of me.

My reasoning for this is to that I don't want to make everything into a photo-op and rather be present, a quick snap of the table requires nobody's approval and it still is something to remember the occasion. I've done photography work in the past, and when I start trying to capture details, my work-brain sets in and I'm no longer present, just focusing on getting the perfect shot. Great if I'm hired as a photographer, not ideal if I want to enjoy time with friends.

At the same time, I can miss having photos that captures people and the spirit of an event, so I guess that's a balancing act to work on.

⛓ Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Five Principles of Personal Freedom
I have a weakness for what my partner refers to as "the Russian masters" (stumbled upon a short story collection by Nikolai Gogol as a teenager and have not been the same since), so when I read an article that allows me to compare myself to one, you bet I'll share it. The comparison is more related to existential anxiety than being a creative genius, but I'll take what I get.

"Dostoyevsky would argue that facing the anguish of being fully alive out in the real world is much better than languishing, tranquilized, in the palace of crystal."

Team Dostoyevsky here.

🧏🏻‍♀️ Charlie Hoehn — Launching Bestselling Nonfiction; Why Play is Key For Happiness & Marketing For Writers
I started listening to this with low expectations, which were quickly exceeded. Good reminder to prioritize play, and Charlie also shares some good advice on both marketing and job hunting. Worth a listen for anyone with an entrepreneurial streak, even if writing is not really your thing.

🎶 Kotoe & Monolink - Set at Fusion 2024
Let's end with some party tunes. As mentioned, I went to Fusion Festival in Germany for the first time this summer. If you love electronic music, trust me, you want to go. I hope to be back next year. Until then, this is my favorite set from the three days.

That's it for now, hope you have working AC's, wherever you are!