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Weird Is Good, Mondays Too
Finding joy in the quirks that make us human.
Corey Lightner
September 29, 2025 • Estimated Read Time: 5 minutes
“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”
Hey you. I’m working on showing up more consistently, which means you’ll be hearing from me every Monday (or as close as I can get). I’ll miss deadlines. I’ll make typos. But I’ll keep showing up — and hopefully these notes become one of the better parts of your Monday.
Now here’s what I really want to know: what’s the biggest thing you’re struggling with right now? I’m curious, not just to see where I might be of service, but also to notice if there are any common threads across this community.
No pressure to respond immediately. Read, sip your Monday goodness, and if something comes to mind, hit reply or drop a comment. I’d love to hear from you.
WEIRD IS GOOD!Growing up, I thought I hated reading. Turns out, I just hated what I was reading. Once I found books that actually interested me, everything changed. Now I aim for about 10 books a year. One I recently finished: Own Your Weird: An Oddly Effective Way for Finding Happiness in Work, Life, and Love by Jason Zook. It’s all about treating your quirks like superpowers instead of weaknesses. Zook shows how leaning into your “weird” is often the very thing that opens doors. A few gems I underlined:
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98&GR8 - New Balance Spec, Coming Soon
If you’ve been following along on socials, you may have caught the little teaser we just dropped for our New Balance spec project. If not, no worries, you’re in the right place. This is just the first look at what we’ve been cooking up, and the full release is coming soon. Stay tuned, it’s going to feel like lacing up a brand-new pair.
COREY’S CORNER
Welcome to Corey’s Corner — a weekly drop of the music, TV, films, and little life hacks I’ve been into.
Favorite Tune To Tune Into: Here’s a quick test: when you hear a new song, do you catch the lyrics first or feel the beat? For me, it’s always the beat — lyrics come second. If you’re wired the same way, “Hey Mami” by ADE will be right up your alley. The drums, the hi-hats, the smooth groove — it’s an easy one to sink into. Give it a spin and see if it moves you too.
Stream-Worthy Selection: Back in June 2023, I went to my very first film festival — the American Black Film Festival in Miami. My friend Andres and I dove headfirst into the scene, figuring out how to navigate festival grounds and catching 30+ films and shows in under a week (yes, our eyes needed recovery).
Out of everything we saw, one film rose straight to the top for me: Jerome by director Gianfranco Fernandez Ruiz. The director himself was humble and kind, but more than that, the film he made was deeply touching. It lingered with me long after the credits rolled — easily one of my top 3 of the entire festival.
If you’re looking for something heartfelt, human, and unforgettable, check out Jerome. I think you’ll see why it stuck with me.
Something Stimulating, Shocking, or Silly: Here’s a productivity hack to play with: we often tell ourselves, “After work I’ll finally have the energy to tackle that one thing.” But when the day ends, that energy is gone—mentally and physically. The trick? Plan transitional activities between work and your “one thing.” A walk, a stretch, or even 10 minutes of music can reset your system. Instead of asking your tired self to sprint, you’re handing them a baton in a relay. If you’re work is more physically demanding, try something more mentally stimulating to recharge; reading a book or listening to music.
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