This is the finale of highly recommended, a series where I make a compelling argument for why you should like something that I like.

Dear Reader,

Well, it happened – I totally forgot (i.e. didn’t really feel like it) to update this blog for a very long period of time. It truly was the only way that this (misguided) project was going to come to an end. There’s no ceremony. There’s no definitive oral history digging into the heady years when highly recommended appeared on the internet at a semi-regular clip. There’s just this final post, an anticlimactic, unapologetic diatribe appearing more than a year and a half after the last one.

But hey, at least I did something.

This is highly recommended, a series where I provide a compelling argument for why you should like something that I like.

Dear Reader,

For better or worse, vanity is one of my strong suits. I’ve been known to check my appearance when passing almost any reflective surface. Whether I’m stretching at the gym, going to work or grabbing a bagel, I’m very concerned with what I look like. (Even when I decide to wear the same thing for all three of those occasions.) I’ve even been late for very important things that I shouldn’t have been late for because I couldn’t figure out the right thing to wear. (Maybe this particular aspect of me falls more on the “worse” side of the “better or worse” spectrum.)

This is highly recommended, a series where I provide a compelling argument for why you should like something that I like. 

Dear Reader, 

Here’s a mystery that I’ve never been able to solve: why did every teenage boy insist on drowning themselves in Axe body spray from 2004 to 2010? It had a smell, but it didn’t smell good. It was positioned as an alternative to traditional deodorant, which it most definitely was not. (I’ve never smelled anything quite like the cocktail of hormone driven body odor and bitterly chemical “freshness”.) It was the de-facto stench of middle school hallways all across America. And I helped make it that way – I distinctly remember lobbying my mother to buy me a can in the middle of the personal care aisle at the grocery store. (And I got one, much to her chagrin.) 

This is highly recommended, a series where I provide a compelling argument for why you should like something that I like. 

Dear Reader, 

As evident by everything else that I’ve ever posted on highly recommended, I’m a very mature adult. And as a very mature adult, I’m not afraid to admit that I’m wrong. 

In fact, I have been very wrong on this very blog. 

This is highly recommended, a series where I provide a compelling argument for why you should like something that I like. 

Dear Reader, 

I hope you had something good for dinner last night. As much as I enjoy the first meal of the day, there’s something much more satisfying about ending your day with something delicious.

But satisfaction, especially in the form of food, can be very subjective. What’s satisfying to you is probably not satisfying to me. (My culinary desires are unconventional.) What’s “good” is often up for debate. What’s “nice” is not very clearly defined. But we can all agree that what’s “nice” is definitely “good”. Right?

This is highly recommended, a series where I provide a compelling argument for why you should like something that I like. 

Dear Reader, 

If you’re like me, you might be reading this at work. If you are me, you’re probably writing this at work. But all I know for sure is that your general desk situation at work is a million times better than mine. 

The advertising agency where I work, [REDACTED, but honestly not that hard to find if you just look at a different page on my website – I would appreciate the page views!], offers Activity Based Workstations. On one hand, ABW gives you the flexibility to work in the environment where you’re most productive, whether it’s a standing desk, huddle room or couch. On the other hand, ABW absolutely sucks.

This is highly recommended, a series where I provide a compelling argument for why you should like something that I like. 

Dear Reader, 

Getting dressed can be tricky. But not because of the process of putting on clothes – the rules are very clear on how to do that. Getting dressed can be tricky because it’s not always clear what you’re supposed to put on. Your fit can be informed by many things: the weather (gross, freezing, windy (has more of an impact than you think) etc.), the occasion (hitting the gym, first date, walking aimlessly around your neighborhood while half-listening to podcasts) or even how you’re feeling (you can tell I’m not in the mood to do anything productive when I haven’t bothered to put any effort into my physical appearance). 

This is highly recommended, a series where I provide a compelling argument for why you should like something that I like. 

Dear Reader, 

Like many children, I used to hate doing my chores. (Sorry Mom. I’m pretty sure you know this already, but I still feel compelled to apologize.) My normally even-keel demeanor would be replaced with an aggressively anti-work personality. I would do anything to get out of doing the one thing I really didn’t want to do, and not even because I really wanted to do something else. It was because I didn’t want to do anything. 

This is highly recommended, a series where I provide a compelling argument for why you should like something that I like. 

Dear Reader, 

I know what you’re thinking – I’m a late adopter on this trend. And that’s true! By many accounts, we’ve already reached Peak Podcast™. But just because other people have already done something and done it well doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try my hand at it, right? (Don’t answer that.) Podcasts have become so easy to start that it would almost be criminal for a serial bit-haver like me not to start one. At least that’s the argument I used to convince myself. 

This is highly recommended, a series where I provide a compelling argument for why you should like something that I like. 

Dear Reader, 

It gives me no pleasure to reveal this to my readers, but I need to tell you the truth – I’m an absolute goddamn sweat monster. There’s rarely a day that goes by where I’m not sweating through at least one article of clothing, even in the colder months. (Have I bothered to seek medical attention for this affliction? Why the hell would I ever do that?) I wish I could say that I’m used to being covered in a thin layer of salt mucus, but I’ve never found it comfortable. 

This is highly recommended, a series where I provide a compelling argument for why you should like something that I like. 

Dear Reader, 

If there’s one thing I truly miss, it’s living alone. I love my roommates (shoutout Al and Andrew), so it’s not about having to share space with people I hate. It’s about being the only person responsible for my space. 

If people visited a space that I’m responsible for, they’d have questions: Is the apartment furnished with meticulously designed antiques? Well I’m a man with exceptional taste. Have the floors not been vacuumed in over a month? Well I’m a very busy man with exceptional taste. No matter what’s going on, there’s no one to celebrate or blame but myself. But right now, I’m stuck in the world of shared spaces, except for one – my bedroom. 

This is highly recommended, a series where I provide a compelling argument for why you should like something that I like. 

Dear Reader, 

[extremely Jerry Seinfeld voice] 

What’s the deal with “nice” shorts? I’m talking about those shorts that are basically chinos cut off and hemmed right above the knee. The kind of shorts that dudes pair with a J. Crew short-sleeve button down a pair of generic white low-top sneakers for a night out with their girlfriend at a restaurant that’s just a little nice. If the establishment you’re visiting is too nice to wear the only shorts worth wearing, why are you wearing shorts at all? 

This is highly recommended, a series where I provide a compelling argument for why you should like something that I like. 

Dear Reader, 

Ever since I was little, I wanted to be the boss. (I promise this whole post isn’t going to be about the 2017 animated classic Boss Baby, even though I could drop at least 1,500 words on that movie in my sleep. So goddamn good.) I understood very early on that being the boss was the only way to be. You get to do whatever you want. (When you’re the boss, you can just watch Boss Baby all day.) And because doing whatever you want is incredible, I tried to become the boss of everything I could.

This is highly recommended, a series where I provide a compelling argument for why you should like something that I like. 

Dear Reader, 

Even though I’m a seasoned writer, I don’t usually talk writing on highly recommended. That’s because I would never recommend writing – it takes too long, it’s boring and it’s yet to bring any real joy to my life. (It has only brought a steady paycheck and a wish that I was born with the natural ability to do something that brings much larger steady paychecks.) 

This is highly recommended, a series where I provide a compelling argument for why you should like something that I like. 

Dear Reader, 

I was thinking about starting this highly recommended with some sort of vague rhetorical question, much like the beginning of the popular educational lecture series, Ted Talks. But I didn’t, for two reasons. One:  I feel like I’ve used this style of opening before, multiple times. (I strive for variety in my writing because I know that you, my loyal reader, craves variety.) Two: I fucking hate Ted Talks.

This is highly recommended, a series where I provide a compelling argument for why you should like something that I like.

Dear Reader,

Anytime I notice some abnormality in my physical condition, the first thing I do is wait two weeks. It’s not because I’m particularly adept at ignoring pain or discomfort. It’s because going to the doctor is one of the worst possible ways to spend your time.

This is highly recommended, a series where I provide a compelling argument for why you should like something that I like.

Dear Reader,

I know this isn’t exactly a controversial take, but I should probably take a break from controversial takes. They wear me out. The constant back and forth with all of my haters on the internet. (Of which there are many. You know who you are.) What do I gain from taking a stand? The respect of the people? We all know that’s not as good as an army of hate readers.

This is highly recommended, a series where I provide a compelling argument for why you should like something that I like.

Dear Reader,

As of this post, highly recommended is just over a year old. That’s insane. I can’t believe I’ve been doing this shit for a year. I’ve barely done anything for longer than a year. And if I did, I was getting something more rewarding than a few clicks a week out of it.

This is highly recommended, a series where I provide a compelling argument for why you should like something that I like.

Dear Reader,

Yeah, I know – I write a lot about snacks. But isn’t recommending snacks better than recommending something horrible? What if I was recommending pollution? Or talking during movies? Would you still read this blog if I started recommending not wearing a helmet while riding a bike? (I would stop reading this blog if I started recommending not wearing a helmet while riding a bike.) Have you stopped reading this blog already?

This is highly recommended, a series where I provide a compelling argument for why you should like something that I like.

Dear Reader,

I’ve never been shy about giving sartorial advice. Sometimes, that makes me a valuable and trusted advisor to people seeking guidance about what they’re wearing. Sometimes, that makes me a big fucking jerk. (I have ruined many a first impression by loudly expressing my distaste for Allbirds. I have no regrets. Allbirds will never be recommended in any way, shape or form.) But name one good blogger that isn’t a big fucking jerk! It’s this profession; this arduous path I have chosen to walk that makes me the person I am. It’s not because I’m actually a jerk.