Media diet, busy-ness, relationships, life, learning and you

The last few months have been some of the busiest of my career (Thanks, President Trump!*).

The level of busy is positive for income and also for how it’s teaching me about my craft. While I make mistakes all the time on sets, I’ve learned how to deal with them better.

Another way to look at it is that I turn failures into opportunities. And that generally feels good.

Tina and I haven’t had a day off in what seems like forever. There wouldn’t be any real way to count. It would be exaggeration to claim no day off in months. There’s not a day that goes by when we don’t do something work related.

When we’re busy, my social life, media diet and reading life turns to shit. It kills me when I feel like I can’t keep up with my friends, or even maintain my personal media diet of books, exercise and mediation. Through the thick of it, I try my damnedest when and where I can.

Last Saturday night, Tina took some time to spend with her cousin Kelly and other girlfriends. I hunkered down and worked the night away on some interiors photography that had a hard deadline. It’s work that I’m really proud of, but can’t share because it has to publish first in a magazine. After that, I can share it.

Most of the night, I listened to one of my favorite radio stations: Nova Radio France. They play a mix of House, Jazz, some disco, etc. I heard a version of a Radiohead song once that I can’t find and it’s killing me. A lot of the music on Nova is bass-driven, and I think that’s why I like it so much. I used to play bass (try to anyway). Plus I get a little taste of French between songs, or in French songs, or in interviews they do with DJs.

Lately, they’ve turned me on to a pair of beautiful twin artist who go by Ibeyi. They’re super thought provoking and talented. Plus, I have a weakness for female vocalists.

I don’t fucking care if this is some kind of advert for Burger King …

This viral video advocating standing up against bullies and for the bullied from Burger King is Gee to the R to the 8.

From Burger King:

Scrawny. Short. Ugly. Fat. Weird. 30% of school kids worldwide are bullied each year and bullying is the #1 act of violence against young people in America today (Source: nobully.org). The BURGER KING® brand is known for putting the crown on everyone’s head and allowing people to have it their way. Bullying is the exact opposite of that. So the BURGER KING® brand is speaking up against bullying during National Bullying Prevention Month.

In the BURGER KING® brand Bullying Jr. experiment, more people stood up for a bullied WHOPPER JR.® than a bullied high school Jr. Visit NoBully.org to learn how you can take a stand against bullying.

The cult of bubbly water beverages

I LOVE bubble water.

Like some people drink a hundred Diet Cokes a day, you have to rip cans of La Croix style drinks from my hands. Although, I’m not so bougie that I need to drink La Croix. I’m good with a generic brand I buy at Jewel Osco called Soleil.

The only problem I have with it is the guilt I feel about making waste (empty cans) every time I crack one open.

When Tina read this New Yorker blip titled, “Don’t Even Think About Talking to Me Until I’ve Had My Second La Croix,” she knew she had to forward it to me for my reading enjoyment.

Some fun parts:

It’s impossible for me to live my best life until I’ve housed some fruit-infused sparkling water. So I just can’t even with you right now, O.K.? It’s Monday, I’m tired, and if I don’t get another can of Pamplemousse in me soon I’m liable to bite someone’s head off.

You must think I’ve got a problem. Well, you’re right—I totes do have a problem. I’m literally dying over here, and my thirsty ass will swipe left on anyone who tries to stop me from feeding the dragon twelve ounces of that sweet, sweet peach-pear bubble water.

Why am I so triggered, you ask? Because La Croix is the goat (Greatest of All Thegoddamseltzers). Don’t even think about trying to cuck me with that Polar bullshit. My body is a temple, and I only baptize my palate in the cool, refreshing waters of La Croix.

Read it in full via the above link.

Grandiose intentions sometimes are just grandiose intentions

Swinging back into a blogging routine has been more difficult than I imagined. Our work schedule has been unrelenting since May.

I’m hoping that by attempting to journal a bit this year and even blog a bit more will help me — at least in hindsight — identify the best way(s) to move into 2018.

Being a freelancer is both a fun and a challenging way to live a life. Achieving a circadian rhythm is something so many people seem to benefit from, and I can’t seem to ever get into any kind of consistent rhythm.

One thing I wanted to share quickly was this sheet of bullet points sitting in front of me since August. It’s kind of the prosperity gospel in secular form.

It describes the habits/thoughts of an abundance thinker versus a scarcity thinker.

 

• Believe there is always more where that came from.
• Share their knowledge, contacts, and compassion with others.
• Default to trust and build rapport easily.
• Welcome competition, believing it makes the pie bigger and them better.
• Ask themselves, How can I give more than is expected?
• Are optimistic about the future, believing the best is yet to come.
• Think big, embracing risk.
• Are thankful and confident.

In reverse, scarcity thinkers:

• Believe there will never be enough.
• Are stingy with their knowledge, contacts, and compassion.
• Default to suspicion and find it difficult to build rapport.
• Resent competition, believing it makes the pie smaller and them weaker.
• Ask themselves, How can I get by with less than is expected?
• Are pessimistic about the future, believing that tough times are ahead.
• Think small, avoiding risk.
• Are entitled and fearful.

And while I agree that the positivity of the first group is a good way to move through life, I didn’t get to where I am because I believed there will be more where that came from. If I did, I wouldn’t have made it through the 2007/2008 financial crash.

Being adaptive and realistic is what got me through.

Although, when I read the scarcity ideas, there is nothing worse than the thought: “How can I get by with less than is expected.” As an artist, I would almost give all my talents away. Charging money for what I do is so so hard. I am in love with what I do. So doing something and just getting by might seep into my mind if I’m way too busy … But even then, I wear myself out trying to do more than is expected.

In reverse, I expect that from others. But I’m constantly let down that so many people I associate with or know are okay with doing far less than expected.

Which in turn makes me pessimistic about others.

But sometimes I have to remember other people’s abilities don’t match my expectations.

There’s always that.

I have been doing more to be more optimistic. And to share my knowledge is really on top of my radar. I think that’s what my goal is when I think of trying to get back into the vLog game. I want to share with others our trials and tribulations. Whatever they may be. But I’ve gotten out of a routine. And routines are super easy to break and extremely tough to resume.

If you want to read the rest of the article about abundance thinking, go here.

Hopefully you’ll want to stick around and get more info out of the guy behind this blog. I’m getting there. I swear.

 

NRA disease is real … and it’s infecting your town, and yours … and YOURS

 

From Vox:

When the rest of the world looks at America’s gun problem, it’s often with bafflement.

Sunday with Lubach, which is sort of like the Dutch version of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, looked at guns — specifically, the US’s love of firearms. And it’s very telling.

For one, the satirical Dutch video describes America’s love of guns as so bad that it is an illness: Nonsensical Rifle Addiction, or NRA — a reference to the biggest gun lobby group in the country.

More below the jump.

Friends are friends, even on rainy days

A photo of a man holding his dog on his lap in the rain. 

Seen over at TYWKIWDBI

With the horror of last night’s Las Vegas shooting comes a flood of responses

I don’t have time to properly respond with a personal reaction to the horrible terror shooting last night in Las Vegas.

I can say that: I hate violence. This stuff weighs on me. Hard. It makes me angry. It makes me emotional. It makes me sick. I’m sure I’m not alone.

The variety of responses though is sometimes awful on its own.

David Duke blames the Jews.

Alex Jones is claiming a liberal conspiracy by the Democrats and their Islamic allies.

Pat Robertson is blaming disrespect for president, flag and God.

President Trump sent his warmest condolences to those affected.

I spent about a minute reading the conspiracy nut blow jobs over at Breitbart on their thread about the shooting.

If the above five resources are any indication of the future, man, we’re fucked.

On the flip, I’m particularly drawn to bright minds like Jason Kottke, who wrote this morning:

America is a stuck in a Groundhog Day loop of gun violence. We’ll keep waking up, stuck in the same reality of oppression, carnage, and ruined lives until we can figure out how to effect meaningful change. I’ve collected some articles here about America’s dysfunctional relationship with guns, most of which I’ve shared before. Change is possible — there are good reasons to control the ownership of guns and control has a high likelihood of success — but how will our country find the political will to make it happen?

The whole post is worth a look. Link above.

If you read/saw some worthy responses to the shooting, please share them in the comments. If you read some particularly disgusting ones, hell, post ’em too.

Thanks.