I became quite nervous when I read this. I've listened to a lot of audio books, and firmly believe their quality relies very heavily on the narrator. A great book can be ruined by the wrong voice, and a mediocre book can be made...less mediocre by a great narrator. So as excited as I was by the news of your sister podcast, I was really nervous about how the narrator would be...especially since it is one of your's spouses. And then I listed to Big Two-Hearted River...and it was beautiful! Absolutely lovely narration, at least to my ear. Wonderful.
Francis Bacon once said, “Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment sparkling like a star in our hand, melting like a snowflake”.
It is truly wonderful to see the Substack community that I have been so privileged to become a part of several years ago take firm roots in other areas of learning, understanding, growing and sharing. Thank you and best wishes.
Sir Doomberg thank you for the Jay Legere story of challenge, opportunity and his Bold Man decisions to trust in himself and go it alone (while also choosing to believe in his thoughtful subscribers). On your new team venture cheers! The love of Reading seems to be going away like cursive hand writing, almost extinct. What a great idea for the Classics. Thank you for the background color on Lady Doomberg! Wishing you and Team Doomberg the very best.
Interesting idea, I will maybe give it a try although I have not been a fan of audiobooks.
As a companion thing, I have been enjoying Taibbi and Kirn on America the Week, they finish each show with a book discussion. Originally they did a favored short story, recently they moved onto full length books giving them multi-week discussions.
Great fun listening to these very literary people delve in depth and at length on various classics.
Walter Kirn is also behind a great print-only newspaper, County Highway. You may enjoy it...lots of human interest stories and long-form, quirky journalism.
Great advice! I went to uni… got an accounting degree worked for a chartered firm. But accounting for others wasn’t for me. I needed to account for myself, not so much the money but my ‘time.’ I’ve started and run multiple businesses from restaurants, fruit & vegetable wholesaling, radiology clinics (CAJ.ax) and finally I made a feature film which was shown in cinemas, ‘Promised’ 2019 (89% Rotten Tomatoes).
One down side … time flies. I’m 65 but I still think I’m 25 and making plans for my next project.
Doomy, thanks for this essay. I faced the same type of decision as Jay Legere did.
Ten years out of college I was working in the IT department of a major oil company as the IT Coordinator for all subsidiaries in Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, and West Africa. It was a position for which many of my coworkers would sell their soul.
I had been sent to all the company's executive level training programs and had an office on the IT executive row. Things looked bright, but there was one problem - I didn't enjoy the work. My love was in technical software work and so I resigned and went to work as a software consultant. The general consensus of my former colleagues was that I had lost my mind.
In retrospect, after 42 years in harness, it was the best decision I ever made (and the hardest). I never regretted that decision of trading executive status for doing the thing I loved most and gave me a nice living.
Anyway, good luck on your new project. Unfortunately, I don't expect to be a subscriber because my primary method of input is reading itself. Next to that it would be video and audio, not just audio. I'm afraid when I listen to audio podcasts only I tend to fall asleep (except when I'm driving, of course 😧 ). I know you guys will be a big success.
Bedtime stories for our three daughters were read aloud out of James Thurber’s books, especially “My Life and Hard Times.” Always nice to fall asleep having laughed to tears.
Good idea, maybe the project can become a renew to seeking WISDOM. We know the classics offer more insight and wisdom than ANY educational institution offered in the past 40 years.
People after my own heart . Glad you chose Hemming way to start his powers of description are phenomenal . It's like you are sitting with those Mexican fellows getting drunk on wine and sharing a drink with them . just inherited the Harvard Classics and my only problem is where to start . Bon Chance Mon Amie
What a wonderful project Doomberg, I’ve subscribed.
I reacquainted myself with my own form of get-to recently when my wife signed me up for a day swimming with Blue Sharks off Pembrokeshire in the UK. Photography, diving and sharks used to be my passions before careers, kids and life squeezed out the time necessary to do them properly.
I can’t quite describe how good I felt driving home from the harbour-side, or editing my photos over the following days. I realised how much I missed being connected to the ocean and my camera. The shots weren’t bad, especially considering it was a 15 year old rig I hadn’t used in over 10 years, but I knew I could do better.
So I set myself a challenge. Take, edit and post on Instagram one half-decent photo every day for a year. I’d read it was a great way to hone skills through the constrains of time and shooting what you see with what you have to hand, usually an iPhone. It also takes me out of the day-to-day and into my get-to every day, and I’m loving it. And as soon as the winter storms have passed and the boats are running out to the Celtic Deep again I’ll be on one of them.
Best of luck to the new Ruby exercise! You couldn't have chosen a first piece to read any better than "Big Two-Hearted River". Nick is smiling from ear to ear!
I became quite nervous when I read this. I've listened to a lot of audio books, and firmly believe their quality relies very heavily on the narrator. A great book can be ruined by the wrong voice, and a mediocre book can be made...less mediocre by a great narrator. So as excited as I was by the news of your sister podcast, I was really nervous about how the narrator would be...especially since it is one of your's spouses. And then I listed to Big Two-Hearted River...and it was beautiful! Absolutely lovely narration, at least to my ear. Wonderful.
Nervous about this new venture…you and me both! ;)
Thank you for listening and for the kind note.
I’m going to pin this comment. Not one of our spouses, one of the Doomberg co-founders. Thanks for the kind words.
Francis Bacon once said, “Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment sparkling like a star in our hand, melting like a snowflake”.
I bet the quest for career independence is more common in the doom crowd than in general pop.
I've always said that the word entrepreneur is French for "can't take orders."
Ha agree completely
Dreams are achieved by action. Take the leap and go for it
100%
Inspiration. Sweet Inspiration.
🙏🏻
It is truly wonderful to see the Substack community that I have been so privileged to become a part of several years ago take firm roots in other areas of learning, understanding, growing and sharing. Thank you and best wishes.
Thank you!
Sir Doomberg thank you for the Jay Legere story of challenge, opportunity and his Bold Man decisions to trust in himself and go it alone (while also choosing to believe in his thoughtful subscribers). On your new team venture cheers! The love of Reading seems to be going away like cursive hand writing, almost extinct. What a great idea for the Classics. Thank you for the background color on Lady Doomberg! Wishing you and Team Doomberg the very best.
Thank you for the well wishes!
Thank you so much! Very kind of you to say.
Interesting idea, I will maybe give it a try although I have not been a fan of audiobooks.
As a companion thing, I have been enjoying Taibbi and Kirn on America the Week, they finish each show with a book discussion. Originally they did a favored short story, recently they moved onto full length books giving them multi-week discussions.
Great fun listening to these very literary people delve in depth and at length on various classics.
Walter Kirn is also behind a great print-only newspaper, County Highway. You may enjoy it...lots of human interest stories and long-form, quirky journalism.
Yes, but it is paper only, i don't think its possible to get here in canada
Yup similar concept
Great advice! I went to uni… got an accounting degree worked for a chartered firm. But accounting for others wasn’t for me. I needed to account for myself, not so much the money but my ‘time.’ I’ve started and run multiple businesses from restaurants, fruit & vegetable wholesaling, radiology clinics (CAJ.ax) and finally I made a feature film which was shown in cinemas, ‘Promised’ 2019 (89% Rotten Tomatoes).
One down side … time flies. I’m 65 but I still think I’m 25 and making plans for my next project.
Go for it… and download my film 😎
Awesome stuff! Drop a direct link to your film!
https://www.amazon.com/Promised-Tina-Arena/dp/B08D61XRXL/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3DLEUF63W9F70&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.re6MQV-DfpOm7MlZhUZvQPTH1flUnfNLXYhHrjX5ELKw5kVMSmdGkD51SXMMgTTi_4PCStTpLR8MIDg1Ve7_EXQQoNnhyhFdR_w09V6nLTY44yTKWeuNwOe1NV-DmCYv-KiLBnTcnGTjhOYvsLMlD9pXSA-fPfLv-f7_YwY3E4h-RDVQSaenyEGCMBr-OG2XmwOFAP6ojDCCLYfLwELdVotF72rwqoSXNIiNkNugnHM.YwsISqMQ9F1CMbWiBFTYWkz_su1iG4qXu3TLtCDvSck&dib_tag=se&keywords=promised&qid=1757885848&sprefix=pro%2Caps%2C464&sr=8-2
Here’s a clean one:
https://www.amazon.com/Promised-Tina-Arena/dp/B08D61XRXL/
That’s why I enjoy your content so much… you make the complex so simple to understand.
… it would give me so much pleasure to know you watched the film. It’s family friendly 100%
I’ll purchase it for sure. FYI Amazon has the WORST tracking tags lol. I systematically remove every one I see on principle.
Love it. Wife and I avid readers I listen and love to The Rest Is History podcast and now I get to add classic literature as well? All good.
Awesome hope you enjoy!
Doomy, thanks for this essay. I faced the same type of decision as Jay Legere did.
Ten years out of college I was working in the IT department of a major oil company as the IT Coordinator for all subsidiaries in Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, and West Africa. It was a position for which many of my coworkers would sell their soul.
I had been sent to all the company's executive level training programs and had an office on the IT executive row. Things looked bright, but there was one problem - I didn't enjoy the work. My love was in technical software work and so I resigned and went to work as a software consultant. The general consensus of my former colleagues was that I had lost my mind.
In retrospect, after 42 years in harness, it was the best decision I ever made (and the hardest). I never regretted that decision of trading executive status for doing the thing I loved most and gave me a nice living.
Anyway, good luck on your new project. Unfortunately, I don't expect to be a subscriber because my primary method of input is reading itself. Next to that it would be video and audio, not just audio. I'm afraid when I listen to audio podcasts only I tend to fall asleep (except when I'm driving, of course 😧 ). I know you guys will be a big success.
Awesome stuff thanks for sharing!
Bedtime stories for our three daughters were read aloud out of James Thurber’s books, especially “My Life and Hard Times.” Always nice to fall asleep having laughed to tears.
Great stuff
Good idea, maybe the project can become a renew to seeking WISDOM. We know the classics offer more insight and wisdom than ANY educational institution offered in the past 40 years.
Good luck,
RALPH W.
Thanks and agreed!
People after my own heart . Glad you chose Hemming way to start his powers of description are phenomenal . It's like you are sitting with those Mexican fellows getting drunk on wine and sharing a drink with them . just inherited the Harvard Classics and my only problem is where to start . Bon Chance Mon Amie
Thank you! One never goes wrong with Hemingway.
Merci!
What a wonderful project Doomberg, I’ve subscribed.
I reacquainted myself with my own form of get-to recently when my wife signed me up for a day swimming with Blue Sharks off Pembrokeshire in the UK. Photography, diving and sharks used to be my passions before careers, kids and life squeezed out the time necessary to do them properly.
I can’t quite describe how good I felt driving home from the harbour-side, or editing my photos over the following days. I realised how much I missed being connected to the ocean and my camera. The shots weren’t bad, especially considering it was a 15 year old rig I hadn’t used in over 10 years, but I knew I could do better.
So I set myself a challenge. Take, edit and post on Instagram one half-decent photo every day for a year. I’d read it was a great way to hone skills through the constrains of time and shooting what you see with what you have to hand, usually an iPhone. It also takes me out of the day-to-day and into my get-to every day, and I’m loving it. And as soon as the winter storms have passed and the boats are running out to the Celtic Deep again I’ll be on one of them.
I hope you enjoy yours as much as I am mine.
How wonderful! Post a link!
Hopefully this works…
https://www.instagram.com/jo.hn3278?igsh=MWx0OGl6cDJsenE1Yw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
Got it!
Very much a work in progress, but hope you like some of them.
It’s great
Best of luck to the new Ruby exercise! You couldn't have chosen a first piece to read any better than "Big Two-Hearted River". Nick is smiling from ear to ear!
Thanks! There’s a few more posted and hundreds to come!