Clear and simple →

Published September 1, 2023  ·  All posts on Sep 1  ·  , ,

For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.

~ H. L. Mencken

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7 — Walk →

Published August 31, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 31

This entry is part 40 of 46 in the series Level 52 countdown

Amazing weather today. Still walking. The part I most dislike about doing these many-day activity challenges is taking a photo. Here’s a photo of the sheets I use to track activity and goals.

Holidays →

Published August 31, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 31  ·  ,

One of the most reliable signs that you need a holiday is the conviction that you cannot possibly spare the time to take one.

~ Bryan Magee

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8 — Stiiiill walking →

Published August 30, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 30

This entry is part 39 of 46 in the series Level 52 countdown

Frankly, if I just walked every day it’d probably be a win. :) Tomorrow: should probably include some actual running though.

All is constant change →

Published August 30, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 30  ·  ,

It seems obvious that finding a right someone for a healthy relationship is all of subtle, difficult and random; it involves some amount of activity and passivity. Things are made more difficult by my not knowing who I am, and who would be “good” for me.

The best thing for your nervous system is another person. Unfortunately, the worst thing for your nervous system is also another person. An unhealthy relationship can screw up your body budget and, with it, your health and your life. So what makes for a healthy or unhealthy relationship, and how do you maintain one?

~ Lisa Feldman Barrett from, Does Buddhist detachment allow for a healthier togetherness? | Aeon Essays

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In the beginning of a relationship, everything is immediate. There’s a seemingly endless stream of, “what shall we do tomorrow?” and “do this because I like it, and stop that because I dislike it.” In surprisingly little time it becomes clear that the two (or more!) people in a relationship are changing. If I’ve found the perfect someone for the me today, who will they be in a decade? …who will I be then? 20, 30, 40 years later? It’s all the complexity of two people, where both people are continuously changing. It strikes me this is much more like surfing than trying to reach the pinnacle of a mountain.

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Connection →

Published August 30, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 30  ·  ,

Effort isn’t the point, impact is. If you solve the problem in three seconds but have the guts to share it with me, it’s still art. And if you move ten thousand pounds of granite but the result doesn’t connect with me, I’m sorry for your calluses, but you haven’t made art, at least not art for me.

~ Seth Godin

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09 — Walking →

Published August 29, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 29

This entry is part 38 of 46 in the series Level 52 countdown

Still nursing my achilles from sprints. Really didn’t feel like I was running that hard… must have not warmed up sufficiently.

Imagination →

Published August 29, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 29  ·  ,

We think we understand the rules when we become adults, but what we really experience is a narrowing of the imagination.

~ David Lynch

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10 — Yard work →

Published August 28, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 28

This entry is part 37 of 46 in the series Level 52 countdown

Solid couple of hours at my favorite local gym, Le Yard. I don’t “love” yard work, but I very much prefer this free gym membership to any other sort of “go and exercise.” Tomorrow: walking (still recovering achilles from sprints)

This is intimate →

Published August 28, 2023  ·  All posts on Aug 28  ·  

At least, it feels intimate to me.

Reading is letting someone else model the world for you. This is an act of intimacy. When the author is morose, you become morose. When he is mirthful, eventually you may share it. And after finishing a very good book one is driven a little mad, forced to return from a world that no one nearby has witnessed.

~ Simon Sarris

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A couple weeks ago I returned from a wonderful but all too brief trip. I returned with some new perspectives having had a bunch of great conversations about what it is I’m trying to do (on my blog, in the emails I send, in my projects… heck, with my life at large.) I ended up doing a bunch of work trying to make things clearer (saying things more clearly, better storytelling) and overhauling a lot of back-end functionality. A few things you may find interesting…

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