Tetris, Tofino, JFK, and Excellence

Hello friends and welcome back to Life Reimagined, a free weekly elixir designed to make you feel good and live better.

In case you missed it, I wrote an essay exploring how to answer one of life’s most important questions: What Do You Want?

🍿 I. Movie Worth Watching

I remember playing Tetris for hours on long summer days as a kid. I don’t know when or why I stopped playing, but it’s been years since I thought about this surprisingly fun and addictive puzzle game.

My mental hiatus from Tetris ended this week when I watched Tetris, a film about the INSANE race to license and patent Tetris from Russia during the 1980s. This film did more than entertain me. It shed light on an interesting historical period and the crazy story of bringing Tetris outside of Russia.

I recommend watching the film if you’ve ever played Tetris or enjoy wild stories.

🎧 II. Audiobook I Enjoyed

If you want to immerse yourself in a fascinating tale involving time travel, the JFK presidency, and philosophical questions about the long-term consequences of actions, check out Stephen King’s 11/22/63 audiobook.

When I first listened to the book in 2020, I finished the 30+ hours of content in 3 days. I could not stop listening to this wonderful piece of historical fiction.

🏞️ III. Place to Add to your Bucket List

Last November, I bought 50 Places to Surf Before You Die, a coffee table book that features surf breaks from around the world. I decided to orient my future travels around going to as many of these surf breaks as possible.

That decision led me to France earlier this summer, where I enjoyed the world-class surf and delicious food and wine of Biarritz and Hossegor.

This week, that decision led me to Tofino, a surf town on Canada’s Vancouver Island. I’ve never been to the west coast of Canada, and it’s beautiful. The surf scene features a charming mix of cold-water beach breaks with a visually stunning backdrop of expansive beaches, thick green forests, and mountains.

Tofino and the rest of Vancouver Island are worth visiting even if you don’t enjoy surfing. There’s great hiking and other nature-based activities, fresh seafood, and a relaxed ambiance that will re-energize a weary soul.

🗒️ IV. The Cost of Excellence

In the latest episode of The Sh*t You Don’t Learn in School Podcast, Steph and I discuss the edges of human achievement, covering everything from intellectual horsepower to athletic prowess to the limits of everyday ambition.

You can listen to the latest episode here.

🧠 V. Something I’m Thinking About

That's all for now. See you next Sunday.

— Cal

🌎️ Three other things you might enjoy

1. Doing Time Right: Everyone wants to get more done in less time. This course will show you exactly how to do that with the eliminate, automate, delegate, and iterate framework.

2. Foundations. Looking for good books to read? Check out Foundations, a growing digital notebook with notes & lessons from 100+ timeless books.

3. Listen to the Podcast: Feel like school didn't prepare you for adulthood? The Sh*t You Don't Learn in School podcast exists to help make up for this societal failure.