[MT.173] Once upon a time in Mexico

Matt Tillotson

Dec 12, 2022

Welcome to Matt’s Mix Tape: Steady beats for better fitness and work at midlife.

Once upon a time in Mexico …

The (nearly) entire Write of Passage team met for a retreat in Mexico this past week. It was spectacular—except for those missing due to Covid (ugh).

The team is nearly all remote, which has its challenges. But when we congregate in-person, the time is both more intense and more intentional. It’s so different from seeing someone every morning at the office after another commute across a gridlocked hellscape.

Remote team retreats create a dynamic full-time office work cannot replicate.

We had plenty of space to spread out. But everyone wanted to work right here:

charlottegrysolle @chargrysolle

@david_perell Haha it was a coveted spot indeed! @matttillotson I guess that’s what happens when you put a bunch of writers together 😅

And we did work. But we played more. Here’s Michael Sklar kitesurfing the high seas at dawn:

Trust me: career transitions at midlife are not for the faint-of-heart. But if you’re going through one, keep going.

Because I can also tell you the destination is worth it.

The tides of testosterone.

I’m skeptical of Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT). Because testosterone production fluctuates throughout the day, it’s hard to establish what your “normal” should be.

As it turns out, seasonal fluctuation is also normal:

RAW EGG NATIONALIST @Babygravy9

Testosterone levels fluctuate over the course of a day. They also fluctuate over the course of longer cycles, as this Korean study shows. T levels in the Korean men surveyed followed a clear course over the duration of a year, reaching their lowest in May and their highest in...

So what is the right “baseline?” Fluctuations are natural. Maybe even protective.

If you’ve had great results with TRT, I’d love to hear more.

But I think I’d rather focus on actions in my immediate control: diet, exercise, and sleep habits. Then let the T-chips can fall where they may.

A sleeper Christmas tune from the 80s.

Most of us who enjoy 80s music and Christmas tunes are familiar with Bryan Adams’ 1983 song “Christmas Time.”

But the B-side of his holiday single was better. And it’s enjoyed a renaissance after being re-released as part of an EP in 2019.

The song is called “Reggae Christmas.” Back when TVs were heavy and square the song received a Billy Squire-style live MTV video. For reasons that remain unclear, Pee Wee Herman was involved.

Thank you for reading.

Whatever you’re working on or working through: keep the steady beats going.

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