Writing and Not Writing

Why have there suddenly been posts here in last week or so, when there hadn’t been for months? What’s been happening recently that’s different?

Quite simply, I’m writing more because I’m reading, watching, and listening more. I write when I feel I have an idea worth sharing. Those ideas largely come from somewhere outside my head, from a book, an article, a video, or conversation. They then bounce around inside my head, collide with each other, and turn into something new. For the first four months of this year, though, I wasn’t exposing myself to those idea sources nearly enough.

And that has changed.

Where Have I Been?

I’ve been trying to pay attention to this advice.

More (hopefully) to come.

Friday Roundup for 4 January 2013

Body and Mind

Yoga continues to be excellent for me; I’m glad I started, and I’m committed to making it part of my routine. The other development of the week was that we restarted SCA Fighter Practice after nearly a month off, due to the holidays. It’s good to spend a few hours a week having to pay close attention to my body and getting very immediate feedback when I do something incorrectly.

Friends and Family

Gwen’s folks were unfortunately unable to make it out for New Year’s, so we ended up going down to see the Rose Parade with our friends Emma and Matt instead. They, like me, grew up in the Midwest, so the notion of wanting to sit outside to watch a parade on January First was exciting. (We also learned that Emma has strong opinions regarding marching bands, specifically: More Sousa and less gold lamé.) It did mean we called it a night early on New Year’s Eve, but I was fine with that.

Create

Kind of a slow week in this category. I’ve decided that I want to generalize my knitting-related activities into “making”: doing something that produces some tangible output, be that knitting, weaving, cooking, or — what I’m doing right now — coloring in a coloring book.

Absorb

Currently Reading: Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error

Things I’ve Read:

• OK Cupid: An Exploration Into Just How Low Some Guys Will Go
• Anchor Brewing Christmas Ale Labels
• To Stand or To Sit at Work: An Auto-Analytics Experiment
• The Future of You
• The Process Myth
• the majority of images
• Seven habits and routines that will help you become a more effective unclutterer
• Seven routines and guidelines to live as an unclutterer — no super powers necessary
• Best Nature Photos of 2012
• Facilities Management behind the Olympics
• The End of Economists’ Imperialism

This Week’s Soundtrack: Theatre Is Evil, Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra

Professional

Sort of spinning my wheels here, trying to figure out what I want to do next.

The Weekend

An improv show tonight, a party down in LA tomorrow, and starting some armorcrafting on Sunday.

You?

Friday Roundup for 28 December 2012

Three weeks in a row for the roundup? I’m seriously tempting Fate for next Friday, aren’t I?

Body & Mind

I got a slow start on it, but I finished strong on the 30 Days of Yoga (For People Who Are Too Busy To Do Yoga) program. I’d noticed in November that a lot of my running problems were related to a lack of lower-body flexibility, my massage therapist had commented on the amount of tension I was carrying in my right hamstring and calf (which was certainly contributing to my turf toe), and my friend Judd had forwarded me this article about yoga poses for runners, so I thought it might be good to try a few things. I can feel how much it’s helped my legs and back, so one of my challenges for January is to keep up the routine until it becomes a real habit.

Friends & Family

My parents were with us for Christmas, and we visited some of our friends and their family down in Newbury Park yesterday. Unfortunately, events have conspired against Gwen’s folks, so they won’t be able to make it out here for New Year’s. We’ve got backup plans, however, which we are putting into action.

Create

This week has primarily been about tying up loose ends on current projects and thinking about possible future ones, rather than doing any heavy lifting creatively. My parents did enjoy the scarf I’d spent the last two months on and the hat that I’d knitted on my trip to and from Wisconsin, so that was good. With Gwen’s help I should have some pictures up soon.

Absorb

I mentioned I had a backlog, right?

Things I’ve Read:

• The Gävle goat
• Twelve Letters That Didn’t Make The Alphabet
• The Year in Music
• …wherein Peter posts his notes from the mask workshop
• Try Meditation to Strengthen Your Resilience
• The Humpty Dance (1920’s Jazz Cover)
  
• A knuckleball has minimal spin, causing unpredictable motion
• Letters to Santa Written By Shakespeare Characters
• Miss Denmark, she is dressed as a mermaid because we couldn’t secure the rights from LEGO
• Man Walks All Day to Create Massive Snow Patterns (Part 2)
• How I Instagram
• Web Discussions: Flat by Design
• A World of Schoolgirls
• Big Beer, A Moral Market, and Innovation
• The Most Efficient Die Early
• Finding the Job of Your Life
• The Top Five Career Regrets
• Why You’re Talking Past Each Other, and How to Stop
• The One Thing Your Team Wants You to Stop Doing
• Never Lie About Who You Really Are
• Consider Not Setting Goals in 2013
• Rocks, Pebbles, Sand
• Steinbeck’s advice on getting started
  
• Quote of the month: Steinbeck on writing

This Week’s Soundtrack: Best of Bootie 2012, Various Artists

Professional

I’m within spitting distance of finishing Agile Testing. I also started to take a look at classes and conferences I might like to attend in 2013. Other than that, I’ve been trying not to think about work.

The Weekend

Two shows at the VIC, a big effort at putting the house back in order, and maybe even a run on Sunday.

You?

Friday Roundup for 14 December 2012

What have I been up to recently?

Body and Mind

I’ve had a recurring case of extensor tendinitis, which is not my favorite thing in the world, but given all of the other health problems I don’t have, I’ll take it. I’ve not been able to run, so I’ve made up for it by making sure my Fitbit ticks over to 10000 steps every day. That’s given me a lot of time to think, which I’ve been trying to make good use of.

Friends and Family

This is the time of year when everyone throws a party, so we’re making the rounds. We’re also gearing up for two back-to-back parental holiday visits.

Create

I’m within spitting distance of finishing a big knitting project. Watching the tape of our Instant Karma show from last Saturday made me realize that I’ve leveled up as an improviser. And if I’m good, I’ll have a new episode of The Paulcast out tomorrow about an adventure we took on Wednesday. Not bad for a week that started out with me harboring doubts about my creative identity.

Absorb

Things I’ve read:

• The Good Old Hockey Game
• Welcome to Belinda’s Private Equity Immersion Daycare
• Casablanca, or, The Clichés Are Having a Ball
• The Eccentric Principles
• How to run (or design) a game of Dark Sun
• The Neuroanatomy of Freestyle Rap
• Embrace the Remix
• John Cleese on Creativity
• Testing Has No Value
  
• What’s Your Fault Feedback Ratio
• The Guru’s Guide to Creating Thought Leadership
• To Have The Most Impact, Ask The Right Questions
• Build Your Reputation The Rachael Ray Way
• Be An Information DJ
• A Simple Way To Increase Your Joy
• Stables and Volatiles
• Politics and the English Language

This Week’s Soundtrack: Ok Computer, Radiohead

Professional

We finished our book club discussion of Agile Testing at work this week; now I need to finish taking notes on it.

The Weekend

Cleaning the house in preparation for the aforementioned visitors, then flying to Wisconsin for a few days for work.

You?