Generally speaking, it won’t be hard to make this a better year than the last one. But one never knows what is in store for us mortals. It’s always good to have some aspirations and comforts to enjoy this limited time we have in this strange, beautiful and challenging world. This year's suggestions are, again, a compilation of inspirations, enjoyments and hacks from the whole motley Dojo4 crew - advice to ourselves as much as anyone else. In no particular order:

• Floss.

• Get up sometimes to see the sun rise.

• Take an eBike tour of all the amazing murals in Boulder with JD’s Joyrides https://jdsjoyrides.com

• Gather around an outdoor fire with friends and loved ones.

• Get up high and look out at the big view.

• Avail yourself of Jason Weiner PC’s excellent COVID-19 Resources (be sure to see the links at the bottom of the page and for updates, sign up for the newsletter)

• Share your flare: https://queerdo-shop.myshopify.com/

• Engage your understanding of how to approach the complex challenges (like climate change) that you want to help solve - take a course with Complexity University

• Be so kind to yourself, sweetpea.

• Get involved: https://www.blacklivesmatter5280.com/

• Share your wealth: http://www.blackbailout.org/

• Decolonize your bookshelf courtesy of the community work of Rachel Cargle

• Read some of over 900 books written by POC

• If you crave an understanding of the beauty and complexity of our bodies, check out what Sonya Renee Taylor is laying down

• Snack on the best: https://jaimix.com/

• Take a deep breath.

• Join in a breadshare (or bake your own) e.g. https://www.breadshare.co/

• Consider the other-than-human persons living on earth: https://ancestralmedicine.org/

• Check your fatphobia with https://www.virgietovar.com/

• Bring some color to your stock images with https://nappy.co/

• Reconsider capitalism- and look forward to reading Mariana Mazzucato’s new book, Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism

• Read Jenny Odell’s How to Do Nothing

• Read or listen to Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror

• Keep track of your reading and give your self a reading challenge or three - https://app.thestorygraph.com/

• Make use of a collection of beautiful round butt illustrations - if you don’t see a useful butt, please request one

• Keep up to date on your technical skills and news

  • https://rubyweekly.com/
  • https://postgresweekly.com/
  • https://dbweekly.com/
  • https://weekly.statuscode.com/

• Avail yourself of a daily summary of the politics in a historical context at https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/

• Float down the Dojo4 streamlet

• Listen to new music - here’s an eclectic jackpot of some albums that came out of 2020 that we’ve been enjoying:

  • Black Nile ::: The Further Side
  • Blake Mills ::: Mutable Set
  • David Nance ::: Staunch Honey
  • dumama + kechou ::: buffering juju
  • Emily King ::: Sides
  • Fort Knox Five ::: DC’s Finest Vols. 1-4
  • Heliocentrics ::: Infinity of Now
  • Isayahh Wuddha ::: Urban Brew
  • Jon McKiel ::: Bobby Joe Hope
  • Kid Cudi ::: Man On the Moon III: The Chosen
  • Kvelertak ::: Splid
  • Lous and the Yakuza ::: Gore
  • Moto & Bandit Voyage ::: Les chansons des autres
  • Mounika. ::: I Need Space
  • Numa Gama ::: Me Redesenho
  • Phoebe Bridgers ::: Punisher
  • Pretty Boy Freud ::: Collateral Damage
  • Roos Jonker & Dean Tippet ::: Roos Jonker & Dean Tippet
  • Sault ::: Untitled (Rise)
  • Schroothoop ::: Klein Gevaarlijk Afval
  • Svalbard ::: When I Die, Will I Get Better?
  • Sven Wunder ::: Eastern Flowers
  • The Weeknd ::: After Hours
  • Thundercat ::: It Is What It Is
  • Wajatta, John Tejada & Reggie Watts ::: Don’t Let Get You Down
  • Waxahatchee ::: Saint Cloud
  • Various ::: The Uncanny Times

• Use this service to easily share permalinks to your favorite songs and albums: https://odesli.co/

• Forest bathe your ears in the most recent annual Dojo4 Songbook - the 2020 edition was compiled by the Vibrarian, per yoozh, based on his solicitation from the rest of the Dojo4 group about the tracks that had gotten us through this hardcore year. All previous year's songbooks are also available.

• Walk outside every day, for improved brain function and decreased depression & anxiety

• Commune with nature

• Shop at this version of a black-owned Etsy: http://www.miiriya.com/

• The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension - before reading the long awaited book sequel to the movie, watch the original

• Entertain yourself

  • with pointless tasks - Taskmaster
  • with quite interesting things - QI
  • with science - Steve Mould
  • with math - Matt Parker

• Learn from Sandi Toksvig - Vox Tox

• Learn something about food / cooking

  • Babish Culinary Universe
  • Chinese Cooking Demystified
  • J. Kenji Lopez-Alt
  • Elaine Luo
  • Tasting History with Max Miller

• Try something you've never tried before.

• Whatever it is, don’t take it personally.

• Buy all black socks.

• Laugh.

May we rise up and do better (this year)!

photo credit: Complexity University

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