> ## Content Index
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# This Week - Dec 19, 2014
- URL: https://www.drewshannon.net/this-week-2014-12-19/
- Published: 2014-12-19T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T03:10:07.000Z
- Author: Drew Shannon
- Tags: link, bdcwire, cord jefferson, dave grohl, keith axline, mathias meyer, medium, paperplanes, podcasts, robert summerlin, slate, this week, whitney matheson, #import-blog-backlog-2026-09-13

> When people are uncertain about how many days it’s okay to take off, you’ll see curious things happen. People will hesitate to take a vacation as they don’t want to seem like that person who’s taking the most vacation days. It’s a race to the bottom instead of a race towards a well rested and happy team.  
>  
> — [From Open (Unlimited) to Minimum Vacation Policy (Mathias Meyer for paperplanes)](http://www.paperplanes.de/2014/12/10/from-open-to-minimum-vacation-policy.html?ref=drewshannon.net)

> Comedians, in particular, are drawn to and thrive on this medium and topic; a podcast is one of the few places where, if a comedian doesn’t feel like being funny, she doesn’t have to be. Celebrities can appear on podcasts without projects to promote or fear of being reduced to sound bites. This comfort can lead to exchanges that are deeper, sadder, smarter, funnier, or weirder than what usually lands on traditional media.  
>  
> — [How Podcasts Give Listeners New Ways to Talk About Depression and Mental Health (Whitney Matheson for Slate)](http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/ten%5Fyears%5Fin%5Fyour%5Fears/2014/12/podcasting%5Fand%5Fdepression%5Fhow%5Fmarc%5Fmaron%5Fdave%5Fholmes%5Fand%5Fother%5Fpodcasters.html?ref=drewshannon.net)

> My whole life I’ve felt like a tourist. Like when you step off the bus in a foreign country and everyone is speaking a language you don’t understand, engaged in what seems like a practiced and coordinated ballet that doesn’t involve you. Except that’s what it’s like for me in most everyday situations. The perpetual sense that I missed the memo.  
>  
> — [This Is Me (Keith Axline for Medium)](https://medium.com/inside/this-is-me-1dceb3ec8694?ref=drewshannon.net)

> To lose so much and still hold onto yourself is perhaps the most complicated task human beings are asked to perform, which is why seeing it done with aplomb is as thrilling as looking at dinosaur bones or seeing a herd of elephants. It’s an honor to exist on Earth with these things.  
>  
> — [On Kindness (Cord Jefferson for Medium)](https://medium.com/matter/on-kindness-819ce388f976?ref=drewshannon.net)

> The reason why people love Dave Grohl is because he should be an asshole rock star, but he isn’t. Is that reason enough to respect him as a musician? Enough of a reason to continue to give him a free pass on everything? How much goodwill has he accrued simply by being goofy and omnipresent?  
>  
> — [The Pretender: Why ‘I Can’t Stand Dave Grohl’ (Robert Summerlin for BDCWire](http://www.bdcwire.com/the-pretender-why-i-cant-stand-dave-grohl/?ref=drewshannon.net)