5-Bullet Friday

Hi All!

Here is your weekly dose of 5-Bullet Friday, a list of what I’m pondering and exploring.

What I’m using for recovery —
Marc Pro | Recovery Tool for Sore Muscles & Pain Relief. I recently injured my shoulder snowboarding, and nothing seemed to stem the pain and inflammation, even after a week of recovery. Kelly Starrett (@thereadystate) of The Ready State recommended the Marc Pro, and it reduced the swelling more than 50% after two two-hour sessions. The transformation was incredible. Of course, your mileage will vary, but I plan on traveling with one such device from now on. Since I can’t help but constantly break myself, I am also watching How to Fix a Pelvic Fault or Tweak for skiing-induced lower-back and SI pain. Maybe I should just grow up, but that sounds incredibly boring. My most recent interview with Kelly can be found here.

What I’m listening to —
“Una Rosa Blanca” (YouTube, Spotify) by Ibrahim Maalouf (@ibrahimmaaloufofficial). Ibrahim is widely regarded as one of the most gifted trumpeters of his generation. He is also a pioneer in fusing pop, soul, electro, hip-hop, and French chansons with the music of his Lebanese roots.

What I’m reading —
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by Gwynedd M. Hudson. First Hodder and Stoughton limited edition 1982 reissue of 1922 first edition. Leather lettered and pictorially stamped in gilt. Marbled endpapers and twelve tipped-in plates. Here are some pics, which also feature Molly Puppins.

Gwynedd Hudson was a British artist and designer who created exceptional illustrations for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Peter Pan.

Inspired by Michael Schur, I decided to buy a beautiful, old book with illustrations, just for the joy of traipsing through a tactile and visual feast. I decided on this 1982 reissue of the 1922 first Hudson-illustrated edition of Alice in Wonderland. It cost me $175 (here it is for $290), but there are many vintage editions available for far less. There are also some beasts for $52,000+! Browse here using different filters to see the range.

What I’m watching —
“Fractals: Hunting the Hidden Dimension” and “Einstein’s Quantum Riddle.” I watch and read a lot more than I include in 5-Bullet Friday. These two PBS docs make the cut. They also pair together well. I suggest watching them in this order. For any fractal experts out there, what might you update as any corrections or breakthroughs since the first doc was released in 2008? Thanks for letting me know on Twitter @tferriss!

Poem I’m pondering —
“Antidotes to Fear of Death”

Sometimes as an antidote
To fear of death,
I eat the stars.

Those nights, lying on my back,
I suck them from the quenching dark
Til they are all, all inside me,
Pepper hot and sharp.

Sometimes, instead, I stir myself
Into a universe still young,
Still warm as blood:

No outer space, just space,
The light of all the not yet stars
Drifting like a bright mist,
And all of us, and everything
Already there
But unconstrained by form.

And sometime it’s enough
To lie down here on earth
Beside our long ancestral bones:

To walk across the cobble fields
Of our discarded skulls,
Each like a treasure, like a chrysalis,
Thinking: whatever left these husks
Flew off on bright wings.

— Rebecca Elson
(Many thanks to Sr. Pollo y Piña for the amazing recommendation.)

And, as always, please give me feedback on Twitter. Which bullet above is your favorite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know. Just send a tweet to @tferriss and put #5BulletFriday at the end so I can find it.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. My heart goes out to all in pain, all at risk, and all who are experiencing fear. We’re all in this together. It’s easy but fatal to forget that for too long.

Much love to you and yours,

Tim

P.S. Deal of the Week — Pique. I first learned about Pique through my friends Dr. Peter Attia and Kevin Rose, who gave me some as a gift years ago. I’ve been hooked ever since. Their fermented pu’er tea has become an essential part of my daily routine. I drink both their black and green pu’er nearly every morning, and I take packets with me when I travel. This rare type of naturally fermented tea is more concentrated in polyphenol antioxidants than any other tea—it supports focus and mental clarity, healthy digestion, metabolism, and a healthy immune system.

Pique’s fermented pu’er tea crystals are cold extracted using wild-harvested leaves from 250-year-old tea trees. Critically, they also triple toxin screen their teas to ensure one of the highest levels of purity. This is important to minimize pesticides, heavy metals, mycotoxins, etc. common in the tea world. On the other hand, their cutting-edge extraction technology maximally preserves antioxidants, so you reap the health benefits with zero prep, brewing, or waiting required. The fermented pu’er black tea is rich and earthy, and the fermented pu’er green tea has a slightly tangier kick. I often combine the two in a large, insulated mug and sip the cocktail on long walks. Combining both allows me to get the full spectrum of tea antioxidants and active ingredients in one easy and enjoyable drink. For a limited time, save between 10% and 20% (+ receive free U.S. shipping where eligible) on my favorite fermented pu’er teas. To sweeten this deal even more, Pique is offering a free sampler pack (containing 6 of their best-selling teas) when you purchase one of their pu’er bundles. I recommend you try some of their other polyphenol-rich teas, too. This is the biggest discount Pique has ever offered, and you won’t find it anywhere else. The discount is automatically applied when you use this special link: PiqueLife.com/TimFerriss.

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