Ha. Nearly forgot to post this. Little bit of quadrupedal work and a relaxed walk. Tomorrow will be a trail run.
36 — QM and walk →
Change →
You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.
~ Buckminster Fuller
Elsewhere, this is 4a1228. — slipbox
Make the time →
Nine years ago (journaling for the win!) I went from zero to rock-climbing in just a few weeks in preparation for a spontaneous, multi-week trip to Colorado. I was staring at my calendar leading up to the trip, and trying to imagine how I’d empty the weeks; how would I stop doing all these things that I do every day to make room for being away.
So I started chopping. This was the turning point where I started getting clear about what I was allowing into my life. First I figured out how to work ahead, or push off work—that’s the usual thing to do in preparation for going away. But then I unsubscribed from countless emails to avoid them piling up, then I unsubscribed from notifications from various services, then I entirely dropped services, and then I started getting intentional about what I was gathering to engage with.
How can I get more cultured / interested in things? I constantly feel I am missing out on conversations as I just don’t have any drive towards joining in. Everything looks meh.
~ Gavin Leech from, get hype
Elsewhere, this is 4ugehy1. — slipbox
All of my efforts to “make time” over the last nine years have made me realize that I clearly do not have the problem Leech is discussing. I have the other problem. I seem to already be naturally doing all the things he suggests. And I’ve no idea how to stop doing any of that stuff.
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37 — Running →
Running happened, slightly longer route; me still slow. Tomorrow we’re going to do some quadrupedal work at the ‘ol tennis courts, followed by a walk.
Honesty →
Honesty always gets my attention. Not particularly someone who is honest to me, but someone who is honest with themselves.
~ Heath Ledger
Elsewhere, this is 4a1227. — slipbox
38 — Body-weight circuits →
Concrete, plus handy piece of pipe? Pushups, squats and hanging leg-raises circuits for 15 minutes. Tomorrow? Something different: more running. /s
Intelligence →
Why ever stop? →
Every day, the Little Box of Quotes podcast publishes a super-short recording of a quotation. For over 3 years—1,247 times and counting—I’ve said, “Hello, Craig here! Today from my little box of quotes…”
Why do all this work? It’s fun! I love sharing quotes (and in podcast form is just one way.) The total listens is north of 60,000 and some have been heard many hundreds of times. I like to imagine all the people who smiled, or went “hunh“. Each episode is only downloaded a dozen–or–so times when published. But then each episode slowly gets heard, as people randomly stumble upon them (I know not how.)
Which episodes are popular? Here are the top 10…
- Habit ~ Jim Rohn
- Ignorance ~ Vincent Thibault
- Fear ~ Cus D’Amato
- Motivation ~ (unknown)
- Freedom ~ Michael Diamond
- Struggle ~ James Terry White
- Revenge ~ Marcus Aurelius
- Positive ~ (unknown)
- Stand ~ Marcus Aurelius
- Torment ~ Seneca
What do I think of that top-10 list? Listening to them—especially the number-1 “Habit” quote—makes me squirm. I can hear so much about them that I’d do differently now. Maybe that’s a good thing? And they all seem so silly… it’s just… Craig reading quotes. But there’s definitely something to this, about the resistance and making art.
How do I record them? They’re pretty raw. I say the entirety of what you hear in one pass. If I make a horrible mistake, I just do it over. There’s no editing—I simply have some basic export settings to set the overall level. The point of the entire thing (when I started) was to practice doing the thing. Talk to the mic. Don’t clean it up in post-production… rather, figure out how to not make mouth-noises, how to breath more quietly, how to sound comfortable, etc.
Where do I still struggle? Saying people’s names! (Pronunciation is difficult too, but that’s not what I mean.) The specifics of how I say the name carries a tremendous amount of information. The tiniest change has a huge affect. Do I sound incredulous that that person ever said something that clever? Do I sound overly reverential? Dismissive? And how long do I pause before saying their name? Faced with endless options, I just do my best and then ship it.
What’s my favorite part? (I have a rapid process: record, replay, save/export, schedule podcast episode. I can do one episode in a few minutes.) Sometimes, maybe 1 in 10, when I play it I get chills. Sometimes, the quote itself, combined with countless other details, makes something I just love.
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Clarity with Ron Decter →
What are the challenges and opportunities of creating a meaningful podcast that effectively communicates its intended vision and resonates with an audience?
Craig Constantine and Ron Decter discuss the importance of moving towards dialogue rather than a typical Q&A format, making podcasts more engaging.
Ron’s podcast, Simplest State, invites you to explore the mysteries of higher consciousness and the potential of the human mind. They also discuss the struggle of describing one’s show in a few words, highlighting the importance of clarity and coherence in conveying its essence to potential listeners.
(more…)Simplest State is for anyone who’s ever felt that there’s something more to life than the mundane, that there’s something beyond the daily routine of life or someone who’s ever felt that the power of the mind is something much more than we have harnessed so far.
~ Ron Decter (10:48)
39 — More running →
An out-and-back that we frequent. Tomorrow I need some no-impact activity; will be doing squats, hanging leg-raises and pushups.