One year of marriage has sped by. We unintentionally packed it full of travel, hosting visitors, and yet another road trip back to Minnesota. We spent time with friends, watched plenty of movies, found good restaurants, and made excellent meals. Throughout it all was a comfort, security, and joint responsibility of finally being married and working through what that means to us.
Continue reading “First Anniversary”A PSA On Staying Hydrated
I fainted for the first time last week from dehydration. I have the scabs on my left knuckle and forehead to show for it, and the memory of losing a hold on my balance and waking up to the impact of concrete.
Continue reading “A PSA On Staying Hydrated”A Little Rain Never Hurt Anyone – Joel Haver
I wrote about Joel Haver some time ago. He has a second channel, Joel Talks About Movies, which is focused on his ideas about movies and life rather than actual short films he produces for his main channel.
His most recent video on that second channel, a little rain never hurt anybody, was a lovely take on an idea I’ve tried to embody as I grow older. The thesis—which operates as both a direct idea and a metaphor—is to stop worrying about getting wet from the rain. If you get caught in some rain, the worst thing that happens is you get wet and you’ll be dry sometime later.
Why not have the same outlook on taking chances in life?
Joel has a particular style of rambling that I find engaging and endearing, so I recommend watching the video and seeing if it resonates. He exudes a calm demeanor and is always working towards enjoying life, whatever that life is. It’s fantastic.
Starting on Guitar Maintenance
An uncle on my dad’s side has been a guitarist on the side for years. We don’t talk about it too often, but now that he’s getting older and preferring instruments with better ergonomics, he offered me a Stratocaster that he really enjoyed but wasn’t playing anymore. I happily took him up on the offer.
It plays beautifully, with a well-maintained neck that feels comfortable and fast. However, some of the metal hardware has begun rusting.1I don’t know how long he had this guitar, but it was definitely purchased used. My guess is that dealing with this aging hardware simply wasn’t a high priority. My plan is to use this as a first step in understanding how to maintain my guitars. Until now, I’ve changed the strings and left further setup to professionals. They do an exceptional job, but you pay for it. Considering this guitar was free, it seems appropriate to determine what I can learn to do for free.
Maintaining your own tools both helps you use them better, and provides a better sense of ownership over them. The first experience with this I can remember is oiling up my baseball gloves each year. It’s a small task, but a necessary one to extend the lifespan of the leather. More recently, it was working with computers and operating systems, gaining comfort with technology and understanding how far I’m willing to go to get the result I want. I plan to develop a sense of those boundaries with guitars as well, particularly electrics because they’re sturdier and simpler than acoustics.
I’ll write up something once I complete the process, with some before and after pictures. I figure the worst that could happen is I mess it up slightly and end up bringing it in to a shop, but if I can at least manage cleaning it, the cost of anything else is reduced.
- 1I don’t know how long he had this guitar, but it was definitely purchased used. My guess is that dealing with this aging hardware simply wasn’t a high priority.
Five Years of Comical Start
Last week I released Episode 257 of Comical Start, Pockets of Conversation. Its publish date is just a few days after the 5th year anniversary of our first episode, Multiverse. Grant was unable to record with me, so here is a lightly-edited transcript1I used the slick program MacWhisper to get this done. of the 25 minute monologue that I did off the dome.
Continue reading “Five Years of Comical Start”- 1I used the slick program MacWhisper to get this done.
Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast
This is a refrain in disc golf describing the approach to properly development throwing form. It’s typically attributed to Philo Brathwaite, a particularly smooth player out of northern California. It feels self-evident in the world of disc golf mechanics1Taken to the extreme, you get Eagle McMahon and Albert Tamm, two of the farthest throwers, neither of whom ever seem to “run up” for their throw like most high-level players. as you watch different players, but its applicability beyond this origin knows no bounds.
Continue reading “Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast”- 1Taken to the extreme, you get Eagle McMahon and Albert Tamm, two of the farthest throwers, neither of whom ever seem to “run up” for their throw like most high-level players.
Mastodon
Bad Handwriting and Journaling
I was recently in San Diego and decided not to fly with a fountain pen.1My cohost Grant enlightened me when I had my first fountain pen leak that unless your pen is completely full (or completely empty), the change in air pressure will cause a mess. So when I sat down to journal I was back with my original roller-ball Retro 51 Tornado, and my handwriting was awful. It helped me realize how intentional I still am while using a fountain pen, and how that encourages better journaling sessions.
Going back to a traditional pen kicked my brain into a rapid jotting gear that spewed rough characters and jagged sentences all over the page. These entries were initially shorter and had reduced impact. Once I realized what was happening, I took additional care to write slowly and focus on my handwriting. This had a knock-on effect of making me think intentionally about my day and allowing the journaling sessions to improve.
That slow, methodical version of journaling happens naturally with a fountain pen partially because I’m still not totally used to using one, and because the ritual of opening up my journal and uncapping the fountain pen puts me in a mindset that encourages a distraction-free space that declutters my mind. Realizing that, I want to find other proxies for this effect when I’m traveling so I can make the most of that fifteen minutes in the evening. I’m not yet sure what that will be, but it’s good to have a clear sense of a problem I want to solve.
- 1My cohost Grant enlightened me when I had my first fountain pen leak that unless your pen is completely full (or completely empty), the change in air pressure will cause a mess.