Isle of Man and postage stamps • Easiest way to save $600 a year • Thinking beyond language • How to not fall off a mountain • Something in the Way She Moves

Nicely designed stamps for the Isle of Man. Manx Folk Traditions, by Jay Cover, of Nous Vous. As a native from Isle of Man, the artist brings attention to the local phrase — Traa dy Liooar. Literally: time enough. Conceptually: a lifestyle credo, unique to Isle of Man, that promotes patience and acceptance. Further, a satisfaction with life, especially when things are hard.

We don’t have a phrase like that in America.

Sadly, postage stamps are a dying art form. Maybe these are the last beautiful stamps to ever be made. 

Here’s an easy way to save $600 a year. Cut your own hair. It’s not that hard. I’ve been doing it since the quarantine. Pick up a hair trimmer, good scissors, thinning shears, a handheld mirror. Most hair is more forgiving than you may think. Most people pay less attention than you care to admit. 

An accurate depiction of thinking in pictures. Temple Grandin experienced the world through visual thinking. As someone who can relate, I think this trailer successfully captures the quickfire, hardcut, flipboard nature of visual thinking. 

Something. In the way she moves. The overlap in lyrics between the James Taylor song, "Something in the way she moves," and the George Harrison penned Beatles song, "Something," has a backstory. First, this is one of my favorite Beatles melodies. The key changes, the guitar bridge, the bittersweet lyrics. Classic Harrison. Apparently he was inspired by the James Taylor lyrics in the similarly named song, couldn't find a better line, and borrowed it for his own. Something in the way she moves. It’s not a love song exactly, it’s about presence. How the mere presence of one’s love provides comfort. How language dissolves; how form dissolves; how some types of love are better in abstraction. 

Not afraid of heights. Good video title. Watch the world’s greatest runner navigate a sheer crest as if water. 

Cowboy art is selling. Apparently, the fine art most likely to be found in a Wyoming thrift store is spiking in value on the art market, at least regionally. Maynard Dixon is one such artist and his work is worth seeing. Landscapes elongated in unexpected ways, humans in minimalist forms, it’s a strange and visionary combination of Edward Hopper and El Greco.

Country Madonna. A very good cover by the multitalented Lola Kirke. Here’s the spotify link. I think it’s worth bookmarking for your next playlist. 

—Michael Neault • written sitting at my standing desk • at dawn • before anyone else awakens