Lunar New Year lantern viewing at Lan Su Chinese Garden. We enjoyed the tea tasting in the newly reopened teahouse.
Artsy photo of Criminy. I don’t post enough photos of our adorable cats!
Another Micro.blog Analog Tools meetup in the books (pun intended)! 🖋️📓🗂️ Thanks to the attendees who participated in our lively, meandering chat about analog tools, journaling, language, first drafts, and Journalception.
The reminder for the next Micro.blog Analog Tools Meetup has been emailed. 🖋️📓🗂️ If you’re not on this list and would like to join us, let me know!
😞 I wasn't able to donate platelets today due to a vein issue. I'm so disappointed, and doing my best to release the feeling that I did something wrong. I'll go back to whole blood donation for now.
Self-censorship and avoiding growth
Recently I have read several posts to the effect of “why I won’t be writing publicly about horrible things happening in the world.”
I am in full support of people not writing publicly about every single horrible thing that is happening in the world, because of the following:
- It is impossible for us each to be well-informed before presenting a reasoned opinion on every topic of import. And if we aren’t at least attempting to be well-informed when wading into the conversation, what are we doing? (I make a distinction between “well-informed” and “emotionally lathered up” because it takes no time at all to be the latter. And that’s what my journals are for.)
- Whenever we post anything, we should ask ourselves: Who is this for, and why? Is this for me, proving to myself and others that I care about this issue? Is this to educate someone else about what I know about this issue? Is this because I consider myself an expert on the topic and want to engage with other experts?
- Writing about an issue and effecting change on the issue are not always the same thing. In fact, sometimes we can fool ourselves into having done the most meaningful action we can take about the issue because we’ve opined on it.
But the topic that I see underneath the surface of “why I won’t be writing about this publicly” is how opting out of uncomfortable conversations limits our growth as individuals and as members of a community and society.
Everyone gets to have opinions, well-reasoned or not, popular or not, interesting or not, and we get to have them in public. (Unless we live in a totalitarian state.)
Similarly, other people get to engage with those opinions in ways that they choose, ways we might not enjoy. Not every response is a +1 or 👏🏻, nor should it be. I would argue that one of the bases of a strong community is our ability to civilly disagree with one another.
Drawing the external line of “I can’t share this publicly, and I feel censored” is one way of addressing our anxiety of existing in spaces that do not expect civil disagreement (and have community guidelines that enforce it).
Another way is to draw an internal line, such as, “I will share this opinion, and if others disagree, I’ll do my best to listen and make my own decision about whether I’ll change my position.” And then work on our self-regulation skills.
Because when we share what we think and feel in public, but refuse to engage with any different thoughts or views, we are not engaging in a community or in society. We’re engaging in an echo chamber. We’re giving ourselves permission not to hear or consider other people because their views might not coincide with ours.
And when we avoid possible confrontation because it’s messy or uncomfortable, we also avoid the opportunity for growth, to hear someone else, really consider what they’re saying, and maybe change our minds.
Why participate in a community, if not to expand our experiences of what we know and can do together?
Getting a bit nervous about my first-ever platelet donation tomorrow. 😬 My friend Toby has donated 400 units!
Currently reading: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin 📚 I’m finally caught up with Mick Herron’s Slough House series, and switching tracks. Already I’m in love with this book! I can see why people are raving about it.
🔗 Disability Rights Oregon sues Washington County alleging it fails people in mental health crises (CW: descriptions of suicide and violence):
Washington County routinely fails to meet the health needs of people in mental health emergencies by dispatching armed police officers instead of trained behavioral health teams to help people in crises, Disability Rights Oregon said in a lawsuit filed on Monday.
Safe parking programs offer a way for people who are currently living in their vehicles to park securely overnight, access restrooms and running water, and get connected with resources so they can get housing. Here’s an example. Does your city have one?
😪 Back to work after a week off. My brain is squished.
Normalize not checking work email, voicemail, or any other work-related messages while on paid time off. Rest is productive.
🎥 Watched Librarians in Oregon share concerns about dangers at work: I’ll make an exception during my week off work to repost this. Worth the 4-minute watch if you care about public libraries.
Creamy, Spicy Rotini and Red Lentils with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese. 🥘 Easy and tasty! I used penne instead of rotini.
On the 40th anniversary of the Mac, I am celebrating the people in my life who, when I was but a cygnet, recognized and cultivated my aptitude and passion for personal computing. Without them, I would not have a career in information science today.
🤬 Irritated by my doctor's last-minute appointment rescheduling. I'll be in this particular pain for another week, and I'm not happy about it.
Good Grief, 2023 - ★★★
So much talking for a movie about feeling. I liked it, but was left yearning for more connection and less composure.
My seasonal focus for Winter
I haven’t yet done a wrap-up post for my seasonal focus for Autumn, but while it’s still Winter I’d like to get going on my seasonal focus, which is rebooting my writing routine.
Metric 1: Hours in Focused Writing Time
This is the cornerstone of rebooting my routine: I will aside time to write, and keeping to that schedule. Since my current working pattern consists of 10- to 12-hour days, it’s not feasible for me to write during the week. I’m setting a goal for three hours of focused writing time each weekend.
Metric 2: Words Written
This metric isn’t as important to me as focused writing time, but I’m curious enough to track it. This will be a combination statistic of estimated words written in my notebook (~250 words per page) and whatever WordCounter says I’ve typed on my computer.
Metric 3: Stories Submitted
Ugh, this is the one that means the most to me and is the hardest to achieve. Currently I’m very blocked on this step. So I’m going to expand the definition of “submitted” to include sending completed drafts to beta readers. Honestly, I’ll be thrilled if I do this once.
Summary
As before, I’ll be updating my “Now” page with my progress, and maybe even my week notes if I ever get back to doing those. Ideas? Questions? Let me know.
Photo by Adam Chang on Unsplash.
How I Pocket Notebook
Many different creativity systems1 stress the importance of the “capture” or “inbox” step — whatever you call it, it’s a place where you gather your ideas. It should be frictionless and ubiquitous.
Though we exist in an age where technology has wrested the “frictionless and ubiquitous” narrative away from analog tools, I maintain that the old ways can be the best ones in this case. Enter the pocket notebook.
Much has been written by smarter minds about the pocket notebook and its myriad uses. For this post, I’ll be focusing on my particular setup and sharing how I use it in the hopes you might also find it useful.
First, the pocket notebook itself. My rules are minimal: The paper has to take fountain pen ink well, and the notebook can’t be something too fancy to use for any old thing. Currently I’m using a Lochby Pocket Notebook refill for the dot-grid Tomoe River paper, which is more fountain pen ink friendly than others I’ve tried.
And this would be enough for my frictionless and ubiquitous capture notebook, except I am very rough on notebooks and wanted a cover to keep it somewhat intact. My local stationery store, Oblation Papers and Press, sold me a beautiful leather cover by Goby Design that fits pocket-sized refills like the Lochby one I use as well as pocket notebooks from Field Notes, Goulet Pens, and Moleskine. The leather is sturdy and has worn beautifully.
OK, notebook in a cover.2 That’s enough, right? Well ... not quite. As I started to use this combination, I realized that I needed something to keep it closed when I wasn’t using it, and open while I was. There are fancy brass clips that Traveler’s Notebook aficionados have shared, but I’m lower-fuss than that. I had a couple large-size magnetic OliClips lying around, so I tried affixing one to the front cover and another to the back. Et voila! A makeshift magnetic closure plus bookmark plus notebook-holder-opener (whatever that’s properly called).
Now we have a notebook in a cover with a magnetic closure and bookmark. We’re done, right? But but but ... what if it had a pen loop? I tried sliding on a spare pen loop, but it bulked everything up awkwardly. I stared at this a long time until I simply slipped the clip on my Kaweco Sport onto the edge of the OliClip on the back cover. And it stayed! I haven’t tested the pen-clippiness with something larger than a pocket pen, so exercise caution here.
OK, now I’m done. 😂