I'm just back for a COMPLETELY NECESSARY trip to a supermarket.
And... something dramatic happened.
So, okay, looks like we're going to have a little bit of a THREAD.
Buckle up for an unbelievable anecdote that gets to the heart of London life in this nightmarish pandemic.
So. Yes. I was walking down the dairy aisle...
For the record: I know lots of northerners, I respect many of them, some are even friends.
Right, so, where was I?
I saw a northerner in the dairy aisle of a supermarket.
I recognised the accent. Manchester, or maybe Newcastle. Possibly even Geordie.
A bit of context.
Since the start of the pandemic the population of London has declined.
Yes, you've read that right. The rats have been leaving the sinking ship.
And it has really hit landlords such as myself.
Do we really want to go back to the bad old days where the city is hollowed out?
Do we really want to return to the 'expecting something for nothing' city of Ken Livingstone's unelectable hard left GLC?
Because that is what you'll get unless drastic action is taken.
I honestly believe the government must send in the army to force the covid-deserters back into the city.
How else was I supposed to react?
I lost control of myself. I glared at him at first, trembling with rage. I kept hissing to myself, "Let him finish the phone call first, Sarah."
"Let him finish the phone call first, Sarah."
"Let him finish the phone call first, Sarah."
THAT'S how polite I am, in case anyone is thinking of claiming what I did next was in some way unexpected or out of order.
I waited.
"How DARE you." He pretended to not hear.
"HOW DARE YOU!" I screamed. He turned round, feigning confusion.
By this point I was already sobbing uncontrollably. I tried to say "Have you seen the reports in the Financial Times?" but...
I gestured round at the sparsely peopled supermarket, usually so busy on a Saturday morning, and said in as composed a manner as I could: "You did this. You and your people."
Again he just - infuriatingly - looked at me blankly.
Now, I'm not sure if you've ever been in this sort of 'public altercation' situation,
So I continued screaming in his face. "YOU RAT", "YOU RODENT", "YOU'RE STEALING FOOD OUT MY MOUTH" etc.
It's an incredible wave of energy that you never realised you had.
Caught him unaware, flat-footed, he fell back, his head smashed a shelf full of of single cream and double cream, their cheap plastic packaging snapping and spilling.
He was panicking. His accent became stronger with each desperate yelp - which only drove me on. I felt like the star of a David Attenborough nature documentary.
For an incredible moment I realised with one flick of my finger I could send his eyeball shooting out across the supermarket aisle.
But at that exact point the adrenalin ran out...
I didn't want to go to prison (I'd miraculously avoided it after the kidnapping).
I picked myself up. A small crowd of gawping onlookers had gathered.
"HAPPY NOW YOU IDIOTS?!?!"
More from Life
How to get smarter very fast:
Interact with smart people here on Twitter who have different world-views than you do.
And let them change your mind on something.
Here are the 30 people you should follow (along with my favorite tweet from each)👇👇
Twitter can be terrible if you follow negative people.
It can also be more valuable than a college degree if you follow (and network with) the right people.
You get to look right into their brain and read a daily narrative of HOW they think.
Ok lets go:
#1: @ShaanVP
You know he's all about venture capital based entrepreneurship. I'm about small (non-sexy) business. We disagree on a lot of stuff.
But he's done it and he's won. Bonus follow: @theSamParr (@myfirstmilpod podcast
#2: @fortworthchris
He is where I want to be in 15 years. Has built a massive real estate private equity firm from the ground up. Super grounded with what the way he does business and his podcast @theFORTpodcast is top
#3: @Julian
I'm a scattered thinker and procrastinator.
Julian is a master of clear thinking and simple but effective writing. A world class example of content marketing and
Interact with smart people here on Twitter who have different world-views than you do.
And let them change your mind on something.
Here are the 30 people you should follow (along with my favorite tweet from each)👇👇
Twitter can be terrible if you follow negative people.
It can also be more valuable than a college degree if you follow (and network with) the right people.
You get to look right into their brain and read a daily narrative of HOW they think.
Ok lets go:
#1: @ShaanVP
You know he's all about venture capital based entrepreneurship. I'm about small (non-sexy) business. We disagree on a lot of stuff.
But he's done it and he's won. Bonus follow: @theSamParr (@myfirstmilpod podcast
10 years ago, Netflix spent $0 on original content.
— Shaan Puri (@ShaanVP) January 14, 2021
This year:
Netflix: $11B
Apple: $6B
Disney: $1B
+ amazon, hulu HBO etc.
=
$20B+
Here's a crazy startup idea to take a swing at this $20B+ content pi\xf1ata. \U0001f447 Here's a quick business plan \U0001f914
#2: @fortworthchris
He is where I want to be in 15 years. Has built a massive real estate private equity firm from the ground up. Super grounded with what the way he does business and his podcast @theFORTpodcast is top
When buying a deal, every day that goes by, the potential for tunnel vision grows.
— Chris Powers (@fortworthchris) January 7, 2021
Obsessing over executing detailed Due Diligence early and efficiently is paramount to limiting this.
#3: @Julian
I'm a scattered thinker and procrastinator.
Julian is a master of clear thinking and simple but effective writing. A world class example of content marketing and
THREAD: 10 significant lies you're told about the world.
— Julian Shapiro (@Julian) January 9, 2021
On startups, writing, and your career:
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"I really want to break into Product Management"
make products.
"If only someone would tell me how I can get a startup to notice me."
Make Products.
"I guess it's impossible and I'll never break into the industry."
MAKE PRODUCTS.
Courtesy of @edbrisson's wonderful thread on breaking into comics – https://t.co/TgNblNSCBj – here is why the same applies to Product Management, too.
There is no better way of learning the craft of product, or proving your potential to employers, than just doing it.
You do not need anybody's permission. We don't have diplomas, nor doctorates. We can barely agree on a single standard of what a Product Manager is supposed to do.
But – there is at least one blindingly obvious industry consensus – a Product Manager makes Products.
And they don't need to be kept at the exact right temperature, given endless resource, or carefully protected in order to do this.
They find their own way.
make products.
"If only someone would tell me how I can get a startup to notice me."
Make Products.
"I guess it's impossible and I'll never break into the industry."
MAKE PRODUCTS.
Courtesy of @edbrisson's wonderful thread on breaking into comics – https://t.co/TgNblNSCBj – here is why the same applies to Product Management, too.
"I really want to break into comics"
— Ed Brisson (@edbrisson) December 4, 2018
make comics.
"If only someone would tell me how I can get an editor to notice me."
Make Comics.
"I guess it's impossible and I'll never break into the industry."
MAKE COMICS.
There is no better way of learning the craft of product, or proving your potential to employers, than just doing it.
You do not need anybody's permission. We don't have diplomas, nor doctorates. We can barely agree on a single standard of what a Product Manager is supposed to do.
But – there is at least one blindingly obvious industry consensus – a Product Manager makes Products.
And they don't need to be kept at the exact right temperature, given endless resource, or carefully protected in order to do this.
They find their own way.
