Note #53: Mistakes and secrets

Going on instead of starting over…

What’s up?

I mentioned seeing Black Widow last week. Well I saw it again with another set of friends on Sunday (the night England lost to Italy in the Euros) and it was even more fun! It was obvious from the first time that found family was a key theme, but it took the second to appreciate how much it spotlights abuse—and especially of women—through Dreykov and his Red Room. Given how killer Ray Winston is as the abusive Dreykov (some weird accents aside), it’s a shame you don’t really get to see him until the third act).

But it’s Florence Pugh that’s the highlight, in both humour and heart. She steals every scene she’s in and I was an hour in before I realised every time I’d laughed was to her saying or doing something: her combo of deadpan delivery and emotional reaction are utterly delightful. I already love her in everything I’ve seen her in (Fighting With My Family, Midsommar and Little Women) and I’m excited to see more of her in the MCU.

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Making mistakes (essay)

My essay this week was about

Here’s an excerpt:

"Don't stop when you make a mistake."

That's the advice my instructor used to give me when I was a kid learning to play the keyboard. Like anyone learning a new skill, I would make the inevitable mistake and instinctively start the piece over. I felt like it had been ruined, so there was no point continuing with it. The only thing to do was to begin again. But my instructor disagreed, and would repeatedly drum into my head that I should not stop, but keep going.

I’ve never forgotten that advice, because as it turned out, it applies to more than just keyboards.

You can read the rest of the essay here: When you make a mistake…

Oh and slightly related to the essay, I tweeted something today that I thought I’d share: if there’s anything you’re trying to achieve, the best way to do it is whatever way helps you actually, you know, do it.

Dọ́kítà Ayọ̀mídé @DocAyomide

The best way to write is any way that gets you actually writing. It sounds obvious, except so many of us get stuck on how we think we SHOULD write (or whatever else) that we don’t realise we’re not ACTUALLY writing.

Don’t get caught up in what you think is the “right” way if it leaves you doing nothing.

Windows and doors (quote)

This week’s quote is from Isaac Asimov’s Second Foundation (which Apple is making a show about due late 2021).

What do you think? How do you keep stuff secret?

Rain (Yoruba proverb)

One mustn’t say today’s rain isn’t as heavy as yesterday’s when the rain hasn’t stopped yet.

Pretty straightforward, right?

Talk soon,

Doc Ayomide

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