Thank you! That's always helpful to hear especially when some things feel like clunkers and then the whole outside writing thing is sloooooooow. It was fun to write this. Glad you liked it.
It's EVERYWHERE. In fact, there's a place here on Substack that does them all the time. A friend of mine asked the same question and plastered his phone with screen shots of headlines. Ha. So, yeah, give it a Google and be shocked. Or, don't, and feel better about not having done it. OR, and hear me out here, write a letter to your younger self about....ugh, wait. No.
I don't understand the Oxford comma thing (despite being British), but that Vampire Weekend video has strong Wes Anderson vibes. Great single-take tracking shot. Also as Colin Boggs says, what's done is done. It happened, can't be changed. Give advice to your kids, wish them luck and happiness and give help when you can.
For 6th grade school photos…my mom was in the hospital so my dad had me get ready for school. I wore a tank top under a blazer ala Don Johnson in Miami Vice. I thought i was cool as shit but other kids didn’t. I’m glad i did it. There was nobody at the moment to say don’t wear that. I wouldn’t want to change that.
You can never go wrong with some Crockett and Tubbs! Also, hell yeah to your sartorial independence. I love that it's an accident of no one really sticking to the rules -- hah, Dads -- and you busting it out. Way ahead of your time. Everyone through HS just wants to look the same and not stand out and be embarrassed. It's really only in college that going against the tide becomes style instead of fashion. But you were on top of it. Well done.
I would never write a letter to my younger self, what’s done is done. As to Apple stock, many years ago, we were having a beer after a basketball game and one of the players made these 2 statements. Apple stock is not going anywhere and Barry Bonds isn’t that good and his career will be over soon . A friend who was a computer major bought all the Apple stock he could at that time of Mike’s announcement. It paid for a house , a cabin and a lot of toys.
Love all of this. I was once playing golf at the Presidio in SF as a single and got paired up with another single, a woman maybe 10 years or less older than me, and we were talking about the course and she said, "I just live right there," pointing to one of those amazing houses that ring the entrance to the Presidio and I said, oh, nice, what do you do. And she said, "Do you have an Apple computer?" Me: "Yep." You know that little trash can and the face on your screen? I did those."
That little trash can was such a great idea. Any person in the world will immediately know its utility and use it correctly. Simple, genius and something I never truly thought about until these comments. Intuitively I knew that’s why my first computer was a Mac Classic
The accidental diarist. Well, despite the protestations, this is that letter! In Frank Capra terms, journalism turned out to be your Clarence. Imagine that. Now go listen to a favorite album that a savvy tech investor could never relate to. That’ll put a smirk on your inner teenager’s face.
I never thought to write an essay to my younger self, probably because I know that self wouldn't pay attention, anyway. I do think the Internet gives us plenty of chances to write essays to our current selves, though ... blogs, which go into and out of fashion, are effectively diaries made public, and as you write them (I've had a blog since 2002) you know no one is reading but you unless Google sends them your way (I get a lot of anti-Pauline Kael comments, and I've had a few famous people drop by, one of whom, Jimmy Iovine, tore me another asshole because I hated on Karen Carpenter). The result is the reverse of the To My Younger Self essay ... you can look back and see what you wrote in 2002 and remember what it was like to be that person. I figure this holds for critics ... if Tim doesn't remember something he wrote 20 years ago, someone on the Internet remembers, and they'll remind him.
I love the Iovine story. Music is definitely personal in a way that a lot of other arts are not, but still, you'd think he'd let it slide. Up late one night, searching around...ha.
And I find looking back an odd mixture of (oh, wow, did I write that? -- a lot from the early days....oy) and also hey, wow, I wrote that and it holds up.
And yes someone always digs something up from yesteryear. It's kind of hilarious. Like, OK man, let it go.
Once in a while I've gotten a nice response. Michael Tolkin thanked me for writing passionately about his movie The Rapture. And the late David Mills was very kind to me and many others online.
I say that all the time to my daughter, I don't care what you do, or what you want to be, as long as you're happy. To me being happy should be the goal in life.
BTW I was waiting for some meanderings about the Oxford comma!!! I always enjoyed using it, basically it was a better safe than sorry. LOL
Being happy is everything, otherwise what's the point? It's everything. Because it can replace so much that's otherwise missing.
And even though I know that technically there's no Oxford comma issue in that headline, most people would have put Hey, Essay. But I hated that. It kind of defeated the purpose of why I paired the words together (IYKYK; born and partly raised in deep SoCal).
But I wasn't just flippant enough to do it -- actually hit a few of my reference books to see if it would fly and a few allowed it.
Dear Tim,
Brilliant writing. Moving. You are indeed highly talented and you know it so feel the responsibility to write. And it helps us. Thanks.
Thank you! That's always helpful to hear especially when some things feel like clunkers and then the whole outside writing thing is sloooooooow. It was fun to write this. Glad you liked it.
I THOUGHT that spelling was off (or were you just being a clever boy)...
https://www.dictionary.com/e/translations/ese/
I said it all the time growing up, so yeah, it's on purpose and me being clever. Or "clever." But I liked it and mulled it for a while and kept it.
People are writing letters to their younger selves? Is that a thing? And I'm guessing they are posting these letters online or something
It's EVERYWHERE. In fact, there's a place here on Substack that does them all the time. A friend of mine asked the same question and plastered his phone with screen shots of headlines. Ha. So, yeah, give it a Google and be shocked. Or, don't, and feel better about not having done it. OR, and hear me out here, write a letter to your younger self about....ugh, wait. No.
Why would I write a letter to my younger self? It seems strangely selfish, egotistical and arrogant.
Well your younger self would definitely say that and be right.
I don't understand the Oxford comma thing (despite being British), but that Vampire Weekend video has strong Wes Anderson vibes. Great single-take tracking shot. Also as Colin Boggs says, what's done is done. It happened, can't be changed. Give advice to your kids, wish them luck and happiness and give help when you can.
Very, very strong Wes Anderson vibes. Great timing all around, too. All solid advice from Boggs.
And the Oxford comma can be explained in two sentences, the first with the Oxford comma and the second without:
Let's eat, Grandma.
Let's eat Grandma.
The panda eats shoots and leaves.
The criminal panda (with a pistol) eats, shoots, and leaves. (Loosely taken from the marvelous grammarian Lynn Truss)
I have that book!
Thanks for the explanation, Tim. Now I get it, I think.
Grandma's kinda stringy — so bring toothpicks!
"Well you know that Happiness is a warm, yes it is...
"...gun..."
Bang Bang Shoot Shoot.
It is a great song, and I wonder if they were essentially creating a toss off and stumbled on a classic.
All I know is that she's not a girl who misses much...
For 6th grade school photos…my mom was in the hospital so my dad had me get ready for school. I wore a tank top under a blazer ala Don Johnson in Miami Vice. I thought i was cool as shit but other kids didn’t. I’m glad i did it. There was nobody at the moment to say don’t wear that. I wouldn’t want to change that.
You can never go wrong with some Crockett and Tubbs! Also, hell yeah to your sartorial independence. I love that it's an accident of no one really sticking to the rules -- hah, Dads -- and you busting it out. Way ahead of your time. Everyone through HS just wants to look the same and not stand out and be embarrassed. It's really only in college that going against the tide becomes style instead of fashion. But you were on top of it. Well done.
You CAN never go wrong with Crockett and Tubbs. Unless, of course, you're Colin Farrell, 'cos he ain't no Sonny Crocket.
I would never write a letter to my younger self, what’s done is done. As to Apple stock, many years ago, we were having a beer after a basketball game and one of the players made these 2 statements. Apple stock is not going anywhere and Barry Bonds isn’t that good and his career will be over soon . A friend who was a computer major bought all the Apple stock he could at that time of Mike’s announcement. It paid for a house , a cabin and a lot of toys.
Love all of this. I was once playing golf at the Presidio in SF as a single and got paired up with another single, a woman maybe 10 years or less older than me, and we were talking about the course and she said, "I just live right there," pointing to one of those amazing houses that ring the entrance to the Presidio and I said, oh, nice, what do you do. And she said, "Do you have an Apple computer?" Me: "Yep." You know that little trash can and the face on your screen? I did those."
I think she was one of the first 10 employees.
If I'm remembering correctly, Susan Kare was her name. She did all the original Mac (and Lisa) icons...
Not one of the first 10 Apple Employees but absolutely one of the first people hired for the Lisa and then Mac teams.
I think you're right! That definitely sounds like her name. Pretty sweet house...
That little trash can was such a great idea. Any person in the world will immediately know its utility and use it correctly. Simple, genius and something I never truly thought about until these comments. Intuitively I knew that’s why my first computer was a Mac Classic
...and then Microsoft, with great fanfare, introduced their totally original concept that would change the world...
...the Recycle Bin.
Sorry Tim, I prefer NOT to eat Grandma.
Microsoft out there stealing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrwjiO1MCVs
The accidental diarist. Well, despite the protestations, this is that letter! In Frank Capra terms, journalism turned out to be your Clarence. Imagine that. Now go listen to a favorite album that a savvy tech investor could never relate to. That’ll put a smirk on your inner teenager’s face.
Ha. OK, going to put on Mark Eitzel's "60 Watt Silver Lining."
You've still got it.
Hi! And thanks! I still have the picture you took up in my office, btw.
!
I never thought to write an essay to my younger self, probably because I know that self wouldn't pay attention, anyway. I do think the Internet gives us plenty of chances to write essays to our current selves, though ... blogs, which go into and out of fashion, are effectively diaries made public, and as you write them (I've had a blog since 2002) you know no one is reading but you unless Google sends them your way (I get a lot of anti-Pauline Kael comments, and I've had a few famous people drop by, one of whom, Jimmy Iovine, tore me another asshole because I hated on Karen Carpenter). The result is the reverse of the To My Younger Self essay ... you can look back and see what you wrote in 2002 and remember what it was like to be that person. I figure this holds for critics ... if Tim doesn't remember something he wrote 20 years ago, someone on the Internet remembers, and they'll remind him.
I love the Iovine story. Music is definitely personal in a way that a lot of other arts are not, but still, you'd think he'd let it slide. Up late one night, searching around...ha.
And I find looking back an odd mixture of (oh, wow, did I write that? -- a lot from the early days....oy) and also hey, wow, I wrote that and it holds up.
And yes someone always digs something up from yesteryear. It's kind of hilarious. Like, OK man, let it go.
Once in a while I've gotten a nice response. Michael Tolkin thanked me for writing passionately about his movie The Rapture. And the late David Mills was very kind to me and many others online.
David Mills was a gem.
I say that all the time to my daughter, I don't care what you do, or what you want to be, as long as you're happy. To me being happy should be the goal in life.
BTW I was waiting for some meanderings about the Oxford comma!!! I always enjoyed using it, basically it was a better safe than sorry. LOL
Being happy is everything, otherwise what's the point? It's everything. Because it can replace so much that's otherwise missing.
And even though I know that technically there's no Oxford comma issue in that headline, most people would have put Hey, Essay. But I hated that. It kind of defeated the purpose of why I paired the words together (IYKYK; born and partly raised in deep SoCal).
But I wasn't just flippant enough to do it -- actually hit a few of my reference books to see if it would fly and a few allowed it.