Friday Inspiration 512

making up the movie ending while shooting it, kimchi brussels sprouts recipe, small talk is actually great

NOTE: Like I said last week, I’m not doing a Black Friday email—this is a regular Friday Inspiration email! But if you scroll down to the bottom, you’ll see a bunch of images and links to stuff in my DFTBA shop, some of which may be appropriate for someone on your holiday shopping list. There was something funky about the links I put in last week’s email, and that has been fixed this week (sorry about that!).

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If you haven’t seen One Battle After Another yet, this has a spoiler near the end (with a very clear warning beforehand), but what is not a spoiler is the explanation that no one involved in this film knew what the ending was going to be before they started shooting the ending (!!!)(video)

This article about the people who are still studying to be black cab drivers in London in the age of Uber is inspiring in the fact that passing the exam called “the Knowledge” is ridiculously hard, but it also gave me this strange sort of hopeful feeling, that maybe not everything we do as human beings is going to be replaced by tech that we think is great but ends up becoming, as Cory Doctorow termed it, enshittified. Like yeah, you could just use an app, but instead you’re taking on this nearly superhuman feat to memorize 25,000 streets in London and imprint the city map on your brain. Incredible. I’m rooting for this guy Besart to pass the test when he takes it. [GIFT LINK]

Toe Socks! Newsletter sponsor Injinji is having a Black Friday sale through December 1 and a bunch of their socks are up to 50% off. I poked around a little bit yesterday afternoon and a couple of my favorites were still available (and marked down). The discounts vary per size and color, so it’s worth doing a little bit of clicking. Here’s the link to shop the sale.

I have only had one person ever tell me that they “didn’t do small talk,” and I don’t remember where our conversation went after that, but I definitely remember wondering about it afterward. Like where’s the line between small talk and big talk? Do you just launch right into the deep stuff with everyone? Baristas, cab drivers, the person next to you on a flight? I mean, I’m not like trying to push talking about the weather on anyone, but I definitely found myself nodding at a lot of the lines in this short piece, ‘It’s incredibly useful’: why small talk is actually great

I should have shared this last week (although I’m pretty sure I shared it last year or the year before?) but this recipe is one of my favorite fall/winter/cold weather/oh who am I kidding, anytime recipes, created by James Beard award-winning chef and ultrarunner Gregory Gourdet. Also, it’s super-easy: Brussels Sprouts Roasted with Kimchi and Scallions

Delete This Later is one of my favorite Substack newsletters, because of humor, not because it has anything to do with outdoor adventure or exercise. BUT! This week’s post is about getting into a kayak for the first time ever, and it reminded me that yes, kayaking is in fact difficult if you’ve never done it before. And can also be funny.

We interviewed writer, professor, and runner Lindsey Freeman for The Trailhead podcast that published this week, and one of my favorite observations of hers that we talked about was how running is one of the few really socially acceptable things you can try hard at in public (because it’s inherently hard compared to, say, drinking coffee).
Apple Podcasts | Spotify

For no real reason, back in 2021 and 2022, I talked Hilary into watching every film in the Fast and the Furious franchise with me. I think I just thought it would be worth studying a movie series that was at that time going on 11 movies. Plus, I told her, Roxane Gay is a huge fan of the franchise (yes, that Roxane Gay). I found out yesterday through reading this excerpt that a new book about the series, Welcome to the Family: The Explosive Story Behind Fast & Furious, the Blockbusters that Supercharged the World, came out this week, and I immediately thought a) I’m going to buy that book and b) I wonder if Roxane Gay is going to read and review that book on Goodreads? [Here’s a link to Roxane Gay talking about how much she loves the series, back in 2015]

And now, Stuff In My DFTBA Shop That May Be Appropriate For Someone On Your Holiday Shopping List:

The 2026 Semi-Rad Running Calendar (only 34 left as of Thursday morning!)

What Does Your Urine Say About You Nalgene Bottle (only 21 left as of Thursday morning!)

This Fucking Sucks... Mug

Please Do Not Question My Creative Process Coffee Mug

Hope, According to My Dog Mug

Practice Maximum Enthusiasm Hoodie

Ask Me About Free High Fives Shirt

The Zen of Training Shirt (Put In The Miles So You Can Put In The Miles)

And of course there are more mug designs, t-shirts, posters, and signed books—​to see the whole collection, click here​.