Dr. Michael Eades requires no introduction here, since the various goods and bads of my friendship with him goes back 12 years now when he was introducing his Sous Vide Supreme and there're many posts on this blog over those years.

I'm an avid reader of his new endeavor, The Arrow. It's a weekly newsletter by email he started close to six months ago—which is easy to know, since he just put out #24 last Thursday. I think it clocks in at close to 10k +/- words each time. Not for the faint of heart and if you run down the link rabbit holes, well, you're in for a beating. It's such a value I have taken to saving each issue myself.

What I truly adore about Mike is that he's a lover of writing and the craft that goes into making it look easy. The hardest part about making it look easy is storytelling. So what sets Mike's gig apart is that he's always telling stories, making apt references, dropping names modestly—as I'm doing here—and engaging his readers. Even if you're just dropping hard data and analysis, you can at least do it in a narrative prose that keeps some level of heightened curious engagement since it's not Dragnet.

Not just the facts, ma'am.

In issue #22 a couple of weeks ago, Mike kicks off a golf story about one of his Sunday outings. I immediately had the urge to tap out a little story of my own to convey how I am the exact opposite when it comes to the links.

I don't know how many of you play golf. But one of the arguments raging among golfers is what's called pace of play. Many people want to get out, play quickly, finish and go home. Or to the bar. Or whatever. Others want to play slowly and unhurriedly and just enjoy themselves outside for a few hours. I'm a member of the former group. I like to play fast. And nothing bothers me more than standing around waiting for the group ahead of me to get off the fairway or green, so I can take my shot.

Back in 1989, I had just left 7th Fleet embarked on USS Blue Ridge in Yokosuka, Japan. In total, 4 1/2 years there, counting my first junior officer tour on USS Reeves beginning in '84.