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

Dear Reader,

I can’t remember how I got to where I am today. I mean, I know the basic story (which I’ll save for the memoir I ABSOLUTELY refuse to write). I just can’t really remember any of the specifics. When did I start having good taste? When did I decide that I was going to pronounce pillow like pell-o? Why did I think that was ok? I can’t even remember when I decided I was going to start writing this blog. (But it’s a decision that I regret every week!)

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

Dear Reader,

(Before we get started, I should give credit to the Twitter user that inspired me to explore this topic in the first place: @gracespelman.)

Where does confidence come from? Are we born with it, blessed with the ability to think we can do anything from birth? Or do we earn it, using what we’ve learned from life’s moments to stand resolute in the face of what’s ahead? When I think about confidence, one thing always comes to mind: where did I get the confidence to keep write a horrible blog that no one reads?

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 know, it’s that all of you are loyal readers. And as loyal readers of highly recommended, I know that you’ve noticed a significant lack of weekly blog posts over the past two weeks. (I guess that means I know two things. I wouldn’t consider that much of a lie, but more of a misunderstanding. Using this kind of logic has gotten me in trouble before, but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop. I’ve never claimed to know about being smart.)

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

Dear Reader,

I like having a plan. And I don’t need it to be one of those expertly thought out, 15 step plans that require a substantial amount of planning. A good plan can be a simple plan. (A good band can be Simple Plan.) And that’s not just because the most simple plans are the easiest ones to execute.

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

Dear Reader,

I don’t know what’s happening to me. As recently as two years ago, I was able to consume 12 toasted ravioli, a basket of fries, a few slices of pizza and two and a half pitchers of beer in one sitting. (While living in the midwest, this was an incredibly affordable dinner.) Not only was I able to consume this in one sitting, I would go bowling (and drink more cheap beer) immediately afterwards.

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

Dear Reader,

It’s cancelation season. And rightfully so – people are out here doing things so egregiously and universally bad that there is no other option. They must be deleted from the public conscious, never to be heard from again.

It’s because of this cultural climate that I’m hesitant to make one of my boldest and most controversial statements yet. But it’s something that’s been eating me alive for the past few months. I can’t keep it inside any longer. I’m ready to accept the consequences, whatever they may be. The people need to know.

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

Dear Reader,

How do you get to where you need to go?

(I promise this isn’t going to be some philosophical bullshit. There is nothing I recommend less than dabbling in philosophical bullshit. Not only is it a giant waste of time, it’s a giant circle jerk. (In theory, circle jerks don’t really sound like a waste of time. But in practice, they are.)

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

Dear Reader,

I remember that afternoon more clearly than I remember most afternoons. It was grey. But not just because of the clouds – it was one of those days where everything seemed to be covered in a thin layer of bleh. It was around 2:30 and I was walking across the (so-called) iconic quad at the University of Missouri-Columbia with Austin.

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 been called many things. But we’re not going to get into all of them here. (Not because they would take too long to list, but because I don’t really feel like getting into all of the reasons that I’ve been labeled one way or another. And yeah, I know what you’re thinking – a lot of the things I’ve been called are bad things. But I can handle it. I’m a big boy (t-shirt size L or sometimes XL)) But there’s one thing I’ve never been called: limber.

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

Dear Reader,

I alone know the future of media consumption. This is not because I’m an expert in the future of media consumption. It’s because I like to make wildly outrageous claims without having any evidence to back them up. (That’s more fun (and much easier) than becoming an expert on something.)

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

Dear Reader,

Let’s do something I never do with the introductions of highly recommended posts: get to the fucking point.

It’s Outerwear Season, baby! And Outerwear Season is the best season.

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

Dear Reader,

Listen, I’m not the kind of guy that’s going to tell you what you need to do. I would never do that. Will I tell you what I think you should do based on the experience I’ve gathered from the things that I’ve done? Maybe. But not all the time. I’m not the kind of guy who pretends that he does everything the right way. Now, do I think that my way of doing things is the right way? Sometimes. But I try to be flexible. (Not in a literal sense. My dad makes fun of me for not being able to touch my toes, something that he can do even though he’s three decades my senior. He can be a little bit of a jerk sometimes.)

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

Dear Reader,

Most days, I ride the subway to an office building where I get paid to think about things. And most days, I think about something other than what I’m getting paid to think about. (To any colleagues who are reading (I know there are a few thousand), this really shouldn’t come as a surprise.) I don’t do this because I want to be a bad employee. I do this because there are just so many great things to let eat away at your mental energy until you’re too burnt out to even have a conversation. (A few examples: Why are birds so suspicious? Why is there both hand sanitizer and hand soap next to that sink? How do I turn these lights off?)

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

Dear Reader,

I see my family almost every holiday season. But when I say family, I mean my father, my mother and my sister. We have more than that, but we hardly ever seen them. This holiday, however, was a special occasion: we happened to be in Florida, which is where my uncle and his wife and two kids reside. That means we had to see them for the first time in what seemed like a decade. (It was probably less than a decade, but I have no real concept or time nor a decent memory, so who the fuck knows.)

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

Dear Reader,

I wouldn’t call myself the King of Self Care. I don’t practice acupuncture. I don’t regularly attend a massage parlor. And as much as I would like to, the number of recent mani-pedis I’ve had can be counted on one disgusting hand. My version of self care involves using enough substances to shut my brain off for an extended period of time and then spending all of the next day complaining about how horrible I feel.

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

Dear Reader,

I’m constantly taking risks. But not because I’m a risk taker. (Remember when we were all younger and used to do shit like climbing trees? I’ve never climbed a tree. Too terrified of both heights and doing something I’m not supposed to be doing.) Most of my risks involve me doing something selfish, something stupid or something both selfish and stupid.

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

Dear Reader,

There’s nothing wrong with having a strong opinion. In fact, one could say that I make my living off of having a strong opinion. (In this case, one would be wrong. Although highly recommended might seem like an incredibly successful venture that makes more than enough money to pay my bills, that is unfortunately not the case.) One could even say that life wouldn’t be worth living if we didn’t have strong opinions. (I would say that. Consider this a promise for a future highly recommended post about having strong opinions.) (I really shouldn’t be out here making any promises, but I can’t help myself.)

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

Dear Reader,

Have you ever been at that place in your life where you desperately need to do something? And I’m not talking about the going on a run or cutting your hair or buying a new fit kind of doing something. I’m talking about the soul-fulfilling or brain-extending or anxiety-reducing kind of doing something. The kind of doing something that makes you feel ok for all of the not doing anything you’ve been doing the past few months. The kind of doing something that makes you feel like you’re actively contributing beyond existing.

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

Dear Reader,

I have body image issues. But not like, serious body image issues. Just the kind of issues where I’m constantly worried that I don’t look like the ideal male body or what peak performance looks like.

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

Dear Reader,

Don’t read my blog today. Go vote instead. I’ll forgive you, for one time and one time only.