💪Finkel's Fast Five 136 - September 4, 2020

Welcome to Finkel's Fast Five #136. Thanks for reading and subscribing!

***Be sure to check the bottom for an awesome, special course offer***

ONE
FITNESS - Most gyms have been closed for about six months and home gyms, which I'm a huge fan of, are on the rise. But what about home lap pools? Nope. Not so much. Those are a little tougher and more expensive to install.

But for those of us who were used to swimming 3-4 times a week, the pandemic, which closed most pools, has stolen one of our favorite activities. However, if you do have a pool, even a small one, or have access to one, I found an $11 solution that actually, incredibly works. It's a swim belt with a bungee cord that you can attach to any solid object around the pool, even the filter. I know it sounds goofy, but I've been using this in our small backyard pool a few mornings a week. It's not nearly a perfect replacement for a great lap pool - but it'll do. And it's actually harder, because you're constantly being tugged backwards. Check out the device here.

TWO

DOGS - If you have dogs (especially big ones) and you're anything like us, you probably have at least two or more dog beds around your house. Then, when the dog's outside with you, they likely just lounge on the grass or patio or driveway or wherever. In the summer, they're constantly looking for a cool place that's off the ground.

Lucky for you, I found the perfect, cheap, easy-to-assemble outdoor bed for your dog. Actually, I found it for my dog, but your dog will love it. It's kind of like a cross between a dog hammock and a dog lounge chair and our dog loves the thing. The second we are outside she grabs something to chew on and chills out on it. If you're looking for something like this, I highly recommend it.

THREE

NUTS - I've been putting in some late writing nights lately and my snack of choice has become almonds, mesquite smoked, to be exact.

I used to just grab a bag of Blue Diamond Smokehouse almonds at the store, and those were decent, but you'd get the salt and grease and whatever else they put on them all over your hands. As I'm wont to do, I went in search of some truly exceptional almonds and I found them. These almonds from Jake's Nut Roasters are, without question, the best almonds I've ever had. And I've only tried the mesquite flavor. If you love nuts, you'll love Jake's (that's what she said). Check'em out here.

FOUR

IDOLS - This past week has been a rough one for pop culture and sports. We've tragically lost Chadwick Boseman, Cliff Robinson and just yesterday, Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver.

Few people get the chance in life to meet their childhood idols, let alone work with them, but writer/reporter T.J. Quinn got to the opportunity to do just that with Seaver. You don't have to be a huge baseball fan to appreciate this twitter thread about their relationship, but there's a joke in there where baseball knowledge is required. Either way, enjoy it.

FIVE

A great quote about parents dealing with virtual grade school*:

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

*Okay it's not about virtual school but it's a good quote and for all my fellow parents out there maybe it is a little bit about virtual school... hahahah...

---> SPECIAL ONE-TIME 'FREELANCE FORTUNE' & 'THE BEST WAY TO SAY IT' OFFER:

I've added a bunch of new stuff to the old Journalism Jewels course and renamed it 'Freelance Fortune' (better branding, frankly). I've also partnered with Joshua Lisec, a TEDx speaker, author of books with Scott Adams and Ed Latimore, and the man behind the course The Best Way to Say It: How to Write Anything From Tweets to Books with Epic Persuasion.

We're teaming up for the holiday weekend to offer a BUY-ONE-GET-ONE-FREE deal. You buy one course, you get the other free. One teaches you how to get paid as a freelance writer, the other teaches you how to be a more persuasive writer (also, his course has about a million dollar track record, so that's nice). Here's the link. The offer ends Monday night (11/7/20) at 12AM Pacific Sharp, so if you've been thinking of getting my course or this now sounds interesting, jump on it quick. Buy it from the above link and you'll automatically get a code to download Freelance Fortune. If you're looking for hundreds of testimonials, check out Lisec on Twitter here.

PS - LAST WEEK i shared Ernest Hemingway's personal hamburger recipe with you all and I made them Sunday night. I have to say. And my wife agrees. They were probably one of the top three burgers either of us have ever tried. Absolutely delicious. Here's how they looked.

SUPER, SUPER IMPORTANT NOTE: To make sure you keep getting the FF5, please add jon@jonfinkel.com to your address book or whitelist us.

AND DON'T FORGET TO FORWARD TO A FRIEND: FORWARD TO A FRIEND HERE.

WAS THIS E-MAIL FORWARDED TO YOU? SIGN-UP HERE

Share the FF5 and get TREMENDOUS STUFF:

1 SHARE = Enters you into a raffle to win a free copy of one of the books I mention here in the FF5. I'll do a drawing every 10 issues, but you have to forward the FF5 to a friend to enter.

3 SHARES = 1 Abe Lincoln as Tyler Durden Fight Club Sticker - perfect for your laptop, office, fridge or on your squat rack like Tommy John

10 SHARES = 1 Official Finkel's Fast Five Coffee Mug like this one that my man Marlin won last year

25 SHARES = If you share Finkel's Fast Five with 25 friends who you think would like it, I will take you to the movies... (well, not literally) ...but I will Venmo you money for a ticket to your next movie, on me. We'll cap this at 4 people for now.

FORWARD TO A FRIEND RIGHT HERE

DID SOMEONE FORWARD YOU THIS E-MAIL?
GET MY FREE STARTER LIBRARY HERE

FYI: The sharing of the FF5 is cumulative... You don't have to share this e-mail 10 times if you don't want to. It can be 10 issues over 10 weeks or 10 months, whatever... The point is, please share it. We've grown from less than a hundred to a few hundred to a few thousand readers in under two years... Let's see how fast we can get to 10,000! - Jon