How Y’all, Youse and You Guys Talk. The NYT put this U.S. dialect quiz out years ago, but I only stumbled onto it recently. It asks twenty-five questions about the words you use and how you pronounce them. Do you say y’all or you guys? Crawfish or crawdad? Is it a garage sale, tag sale, or yard sale? Then it draws a heat map of where people talk the most like you do. It pegged me as being from Oklahoma City and Tulsa, which is exactly right. The only two places I’ve ever lived. When I shared the quiz on Substack Notes, a bunch of folks said it nailed them, too. But it wasn’t accurate for all; it may be less so for people who’ve lived for substantial parts of their lives in different parts of the country. See if it pegs you right: the quiz takes just a few minutes and it’s a lot of fun.
Woolaroc. This week our family drove an hour north from Tulsa to Woolaroc. It’s a ranch built by oilman Frank Phillips (of Phillips 66 fame) in the Osage Hills back in 1925. It’s a real hidden gem. Will Rogers once called it “the most unique place in this country.” We try to get up there at least once a year. You drive in through a 3,700-acre wildlife preserve with buffalo, deer, elk, and longhorn cattle. There’s a museum with one of the best Western art collections anywhere, the most complete collection of Colt firearms in the world, and, a few shrunken heads to boot. During the summer, they have a mountain man camp staffed by re-enactors who give you history lessons on 19th-century hunting and trapping. Gus got to fire a replica of an 1820s flintlock rifle. If you’re ever in OK, definitely pay a visit to Woolaroc — I dare say it’s our state’s most Oklahoma-y destination.
Daylight Computer Tablet. I’ve owned this for over a year now, and it’s become one of my favorite work tools. It’s an e-ink tablet, and I use it for reading Kindle books and PDFs. When I make notes on it, it feels like writing on paper. With no blue light, it’s easy on the eyes, and you can use it outdoors.
The Art of Thinking by Ernest Dimnet. I’m not sure how I stumbled onto this old book, but I’m glad I did. Dimnet, a French priest, wrote it in 1928, and it was a big hit back in the day. It sat on the bestseller lists right next to Dale Carnegie before sliding into obscurity. It’s jammed full of practical advice on thinking better. He’s got chapters on how to read and write for better thinking, how to deal with distractions, and how becoming who you are requires a “stiffening of attention.” Highly recommend. Kindle version is only $.99!
On our Dying Breed newsletter, we published Sunday Firesides: You Are Not the Exception and The Paradox of Skill.
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