Chris

Returned

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I just returned three e-books back to the library because they didn’t live up to the hype.

”The Plot”, whereas a creative writing professor steals a student’s submitted novel and takes the best-selling credit.

“Less” Won the Pulitzer Prize but was told by a narrator: ”Imagine if you will, dear reader…” No thanks.

”Ghost Fleet” A novel about the next world war, I didn’t make it past the lead up to the upcoming war.

A reminder that just because you start a book, you don’t have to finish it if there is no perceived value to you.

Use What You Got

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Poor grammar in the title aside, I have some nice things. I’m fortunate and have more things than I could ever want. But somehow I’ve acquired more stuff this past year. I tinker and play with my toys and I like to try new things whether it be hardware, software, cameras, film, and other assorted thingamajigs. I like to see what is different or even better that what I have and use. I enjoy shiny things.

I need this on a sticky note or a pop up anytime I start looking for more things

After years of finding workarounds with inexpensive, cheaply made incompatible hardware or software, I’ve been fortunate enough to have everything I want and need. I have systems that talk to each other and give me joy. I have more cameras that I need and rarely use. I’m good on upgrading now because I made sure my things were the best I could afford and future-proofed them intentionally.

Now when I start looking for something new to allegedly assist me do something, I will remind myself, “Use what you got!” Only the essentials or something I do not have already. This includes cameras, computers, or insert new shiny thing here.

I have these things already and they work.

Amateur Pleasure

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“What is more pure than an amateur love? What is better than listening to a friend with a newly found hobby? It is not about buying and selling. It is not about prestige, or mastery, or status. Being an amateur is about pleasure.”

– Someone

Yeah, that title is misleading from the quote, but maybe this post will get more hits from someone’s misguided search engine query lol

Beginner’s Mind

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“It often happens that two students can solve difficulties in their work for one another better than the master can. The fellow-pupil can help because he knows less. The difficulty we want him to explain is one he has recently met. The expert met it so long ago he has forgotten.”

C.S. Lewis

When I was supervising a team of engineers, I would often train new hires but also bring in a recent “graduate” from a previous training session to sit in with these new hires. The concepts were still fresh in their minds, while I may have taken for granted what should be common knowledge because it was “basic.”

While learning how to sketch and paint here recently, I grabbed a couple of books such as “Beginning Watercoloring” or “Learn to Draw” that was absolutely worthless. I am drawing stick figures but the examples shown in the book were full on portraits in pencil that would take years to master.

If I were to ask an artist right now how do you do this or that, they may not be able to convey properly what I need to learn. No, I need someone who is at the same level to learn with and challenge each other to become better. I am ignorant and sometimes don’t know what to ask, so how can I effectively learn from a “master?”

This is a great time to document what you are doing and learning right now because eventually you can look back on it and see your progress. As opposed to making something crap, then posting for everyone to see and offer fake kudos or “likes.” This doesn’t help. The expert takes for granted all of the fundamental concepts needed because they’ve moved on. They’ve built their knowledge and their foundation and have put their own flair on it.

This applies to utility engineering, to drawing, to photography or everything else. Innate talent will only take you so far. Embrace your beginner status and learn to have fun. Document your progress and appreciate the journey.

Health App

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For some reason this morning I wondered if Apple Health app could track weight as opposed to me using the invasive MyFitnessPal app and eureka! It felt great to not only add my new weight, (down from previous) but to also delete the MFPal app from my device forever. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?

I Did It Again

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Here’s something about me: I’ll tweak and twerk on something until it’s molded into something I’m happy with. And just when I’ve got it down to what I want, I switch to something entirely different.

Example- I’ve been working with a fantastic site setup here in the past so much that it got to the point where all I had to do is…write. So I’ll write for a time and then I would tweak the web site again instead.

I can’t help it, because it’s fun. The tinkering allows me to think and do it just for the hell of it. Imagine a chef creating something from a recipe but in reverse order or adding/subtracting ingredients as needed. That’s where I am at.

These past few months I think I have finally settled on a solution I am proud of here. It’s functional, it looks great and everything makes sense. For the first time in a long time, I am content.

However, I do reserve the right to tweak and enhance the current set up.

Just for the hell of it.

I Want This

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There are many things in my life that I don’t need. I don’t need half the technology I have, nor most of online services that I pay for. This includes the hosting for my website. I don’t need it, but it does serve a purpose deeper than the amount it costs me each year and gives me value.

My website(s) have been up for more than two decades (learning from a file error mistake, the earliest post I still have is from 2013) and it has been through various iterations. The most recent of which was going back to a personal web server host. The benefits and hours devoted to the setup and install outweigh the costs.

This website has been many things over the years such as, attempted portfolios, business ventures (photography) and a lot of design coding, but still provides an outlet for me. In reality, this website provides very little to me, it doesn’t receive accolades or followers as much as it used to, my life would remain unchanged if I didn’t have this outlet, but I still want one.

This is a journal, a hobby for sure, but writing gives me something that nothing else provides. I love networking with people and I enjoy journaling. Long form and short form both help me document my life as it is currently. Sometimes other people join me here and that is fantastic. Just because I receive nothing in return (on the surface), it doesn’t mean that this doesn’t have value. I believe everyone needs to have their own space on the world wide web.

No one or their website, should focus on follower count, advertising, tracking or page views. You won’t recoup your costs, let’s be honest. This is a personal website and are beholden to no one. You publish what you want, when you want and how you need to.

I don’t need this but I want this.