Reading is Fundamental

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Maybe I’ll go Viral

I drew the Nine of Hearts today so my activity is to write a blog post. I didn’t expect all of these blog posts to be about the video creation side of this last 52 day project, but I do think about it a lot. And it is Friday so a Top Ten post seemed like the way to go.

Also, this post turned out way longer than I thought it would be and not my usual pithy top ten list. I have been creating at least one video a day for the last 28 days and I’ve learned a lot.

On Becoming a Creator

I am now a YouTube content creator. The bar of entry is low. Anyone can create a channel and upload a video, but like running a marathon the hardest part is just starting. As of this writing I am a quarter of the way through my deck of many habits. I have posted a short youtube video each day since I started^* and one long video when I drew a six. I’m not going to get famous doing this and I don’t know if I will continue making videos after this weird habit challenge is over, but it is definitely fun and interesting to learn how it all works. The amount of data I have on just these few videos is astounding.

Thoughts from the Wild Edge

“In the mountains of San Gabriel, overlooking the lowland vines and fruit groves, Mother Nature is most ruggedly, thornily savage. Not have I ever made the acquaintance of mountains more rigidly inaccessible. The slopes are exceptionally steep and insecure to the foot of the explorer, and thorny chaparral constitutes its chief defense.”

John Muir, Steep Trails

Random Acts of Habit

I am four days into a new deck of habits¹ and today I drew the nine of diamonds.

Fifty-Two Review

Writing is harder than cycling and running.

That is my take away from this third deck of habits. I struggled most nights to come up with something to write about – at least when I wasn’t stealing from my past self’s Alaska fishing trip journal. I think part of it is that writing doesn’t have the same start and end point as a 5k run or a 30 mile bike ride. When I set an exercise goal I get a sense of accomplishment when I complete it. Sometimes I might run or ride slowly, but I still finished what I set out to do. With writing it is harder to know if I hit the mark.

One Summer in Alaska : Epilogue

Easter Sunday March 23, 2008.

“The fishing trawler Alaska Ranger began taking on water in Alaska’s Bering Sea. By 4:30 a.m. all 47 people on board had abandoned ship. More than half failed to make it into a life raft. Bobbing in the darkness, many of the fishermen watched as the 184-foot steel-hulled boat plunged down into the sea, and disappeared beneath the icy waves.”

Heading Up for a Pint

I had big plans today to hike up to Jones Peak (a 6 mile trail starting in Sierra Madre), but something unusual happened this morning in southern California. It rained.

Luckily things cleared up by early afternoon so we could take a short hike up to our favorite brewery.

Caturday

I spent good portion of my day Christmas shopping at the mall. And I am using that as an excuse to do a picture blog. And what better way to use the internet than to share pictures of our cat Ebony.

California Egress

I’m getting pretty good at the “Top Ten things I will Miss About <place where we live>” list. I pivoted a little for today’s list. We’ve managed to do a fair amount of touristing while here in LA, but we’ve also been more stay-at-home than during non pandemic times and there are some things I want to do before we head back to the midwest.

Top 10 Things I Want to do Before Leaving La La Land