Testing, testing, 1 2 3

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Jun 15, 2020

⏱ 0) A very brief history

So while I was eating a very late dinner of TJ’s orange chicken leftovers, I got distracted by looking through the risograph hashtag on instagram (more about that in a later newsletter). And while I was scrolling, I somehow got the idea to start this. And then at 10:26PM on Sunday, June 14, this newsletter was born. (Or at least when I got the “Welcome to Substack” email.) And after a very very late night walk around Central Park, here I am.

I find that when I start something late at night, it usually ends up being in a manic phase and when I wake up after sleeping on it, I wonder what I was thinking last night. I don’t drink, but that’s what imagine waking up with a bad hangover and re-evaluating the previous night’s festivities is like. Work in progress, things may change, the usual caveats, blah blah blah.

👍🏼 1) What’s getting me through WFH

Once before Paige and I went for a walk on a chillier than usual day, she said, “Wow, you look good!” Turns out, it was the first time I had put on jeans for at least a couple weeks. Reason is, when you’re only on video calls, it doesn’t matter what bottoms you’re wearing. (Insert joke about not wearing pants here.)

Basically I’ve just been rotating through three (I think?) of the same pairs of shorts. They’re the prAna Mojo short. I had gotten them for climbing back when I was bouldering a lot. They’re a nice weight (light, but not flimsy), super flexible, and of course, supremely comfortable. Just one of those things where once you realize how good they are, you just go out and buy a ton. And because I had to check, I apparently have 4 pairs; there was a green pair that got buried in my workout clothes drawer. I also vaguely remember having a blue pair too, so maybe that’s floating in the summer clothes bag…

📸 2) A photo of something I saw on a recent walk

Sunday, June 14 – 11:12 PM

Central Park, path near the Great Lawn

Cowboy boots in a canvas tote
Bottle of Fiji water
A newspaper (the WSJ! I didn’t think to check which paper it was when I was taking the photo, but looking at the photo zoomed in, I recognize the “inside” box teasing to the Mansion section.)

🖼 3) Big fan

(aka, here’s one artist I love. check them out.)

Mike Mitchell

👨🏻‍✈️ 4) Thank you Captain Obvious

(aka, a recommendation for something you probably already knew about)

I recently started using Evernote again. I don’t really know why, and I can’t remember when I stopped using it regularly. But I realized I was just making my lists in all sorts of places (stickies, Gmail, the Mac TextEdit app), and figured it might be a better idea to just to consolidate them. I mainly use it on my computer, but it is nice to be able to take a quick look at things on my phone. Such as this morning, I mean, afternoon when I was able to check off “eat breakfast” at 3pm.

😴 5) More thoughts than you probably wanted

In an attempt to close my rings every day in the month of June, I’ve resorted to taking some late night walks to get those last few active calories burnt or a couple more minutes of activity. And being the creature of habit that I am, I basically take the same loop around the Great Lawn. Sometimes I do need to meander a little before and after the lap around the lawn to get in some extra time, but it’s essentially the same route.

I’ve come to find something comforting in the mundanity of just doing the same thing on a regular basis. There are the obvious physical benefits, but there’s just something mind clearing about it for me. Especially the late night walks. I just pop in the headphones, and get to hang out with my “podcast friends” for a bit.

During the work-week, I try to take a 30 minute-ish walk before my day starts, but it feels like there’s something special about the late night walks. Maybe it’s the chill air or the emptier walking paths. (And maybe the fact that I can safely walk without a mask for most of it b/c I usually see fewer than 5 people.)

There’s also the joy of seeing both the same thing over and over, but also small variations of new things. Like I’ve noticed the same guy who’s out playing fetch with his dog while jamming out on his large headphones. Or the guy who’s practicing his basketball moves in the middle of the park loop at the same spot near the reservoir. But also the various wildlife out and about: the raccoons perched on the trash cans and the rats scurrying about. But tonight, I kid you not, I think I saw a coyote too.

I think with just so much turmoil in the world and so much uncertainty, it’s walks like these which serve as a reminder that the simple things in life are really what you have to come back to. It’s the time that’s not really structured, where you can let your mind and your feet wander, to get you back on track. I’m sure there’s some sort of name for these rituals, but I’m hoping that you’re also able to find the small and simple routines that bring you joy and set aside time to keep doing them.