Hey <<First name>>,

Welcome to the latest edition of the *irregular newsletter.

Spring is trying to, well, spring forth here in Toronto. The snowbanks are getting smaller and dirtier and the sidewalks are mostly clear.

Why is that important?

Because I'm a fair-weather runner, so having clear sidewalks is important since I don't want to be slipping all over the place as I run.

But I can't start running yet as I'm dealing with an old running injury that flared up. Le sigh. Part of the reason it's come back again is that I've been wearing boots around to deal with the year's worth of snow we got in a 6-week period. And boots, apparently, pull my gait ever-so-slightly out of alignment and aggravate this injury.

My boots were able to have such an impact on me because I'd stopped doing my physio exercises that keep everything in tip/top shape so things like boots don't bother me.

And that's the message behind this email: you've got to put in the work to see the positive results. Things don't automagically happen just because you try something once. You've got to put in the work. Every day. Every week. Whatever it takes, whatever amount of repetition you need, you've got to remember to do it.

My injured leg reminded me that I need to put in the work, every day, every week. So here we are, the latest edition of the *irregular newsletter. 🆗

Content from the Interwebs

I've been trying to do more reading this year, so here's what's caught my attention lately.

Brian Clark's latest Further newsletter: Brian's stuff is always great, but I liked this one in particular because Brian's been on a "get healthy" journey and he talked a lot about taking the "long view" on fitness.
We Don’t Want to Fit In. We Want to Belong by Chris Brogan: Chris' content has really been landing with me lately too, and this article's a good one. His point that "we don't want to fit in, we want to belong" is so true. We become part of communities to be part of something greater than ourselves.
Rather Be the Devil by Ian Rankin: One of the latest books in Rankin's Rebus series, I happily consumed this book on the dark & stormy days last month. I find I need to read some non-work stuff to keep my creative juices flowing and Rankin's Rebus always works. I love his descriptions of Edinborough and life in Scotland. I've never been, but I always want to buy a plane ticket there after finishing off one of his books.
Chilly Gonzales on the House of Strombo: Chilly Gonzales is an amazing Canadian musician with an interesting perspective on music. I've always been a big fan of his, so I was excited to watch his latest appearance on the House of Strombo. Listen to the whole interview, and pay close attention around the 23-minute mark where he talks about the "shape of music", how it can be moulded for any emotion and any music type, and how to use music in storytelling.

Content from Julia

Not only have I been reading a lot, but I've been trying to write more regularly too. I'm hoping to get this newsletter out to you more regularly so I can change the name from *irregular to something more fun. 😀

In case you're interested in reading some of my other writing, check these out:

Chilly Gonzales - White Keys from SOLO PIANO II

Thanks!
Jb