Sit Rep: Current Projects

It’s the busiest time of the year for me in my day job, but despite this (or maybe because of it) I’m deep into a few projects here and headquarters.

  • I’m midpoint on resoling some shoes- I’ve removed the old soles and am nearly done prepping the welt. I’ve source a new sole, and all I need to do is track down some of the right adhesive, glue things up, and trim everything flush. It’s been an adventure thus far- and I’ve only bled once. So far.
  • Our house has several project that need attention- and they’re all starting this week. Busy busy busy. But exciting.
  • I’ve swapped the layout of the site here- finally. I’m not 100% on it yet- there are some changes still to make and some detail work to do, but it’s at least up and running.
  • Analog film for photography is still a thing- and something I enjoy a lot these days. Digital is great- don’t get me wrong- but having to think about each and every shot is a totally different mindset. I’ll go out and only shoot a frame or three in an hour, whereas with a DSLR I’ll shoot 40-100 frames in that time. Either way, I think it’s good for my brain to have to take a trip into that creative space during each day. I think it helps me in the other areas of my life, too.
  • I backed another Kickstarter. I know, I know. I couldn’t help it, though. It’s CHIP, and it’a s tiny computer. A bit like a Raspberry Pi, but it’s $7. Actually, I’m in for one with a VGA breakout board, so mine was a bit more, but still. It runs Linux, and comes pre-loaded with a full suite of apps. I’m not entirely sure what I’ll use it for, but the idea of being able to use it to run a monitor with a live feed of something is very, very appealing.
  • I’m trying to get back to making videos again. It’s hard, with all the other stuff I’ve got going at the same time, but just like the photography is good for me, making videos is a great blend of creativity and attention-to-detail in execution. As you know if you subscribe to my newsletter (and you do, right? RIGHT? Upper right corner of this page, if you haven’t…) I’m a fan of Casey Neistat. He’s been on a roll lately- making a vlog video every single day (he’s up to #52 as of this post). It’ been inspiring to watch, because I know he’s at least a busy as I am. I put a very short (and questionable-quality) video up a bit ago, and while I’m not in love with it’s production value, it’s the sort of thing I’d like to keep doing. It’s a story- a short, tiny, little story. But a story. And telling stories is what a lot of what I do boils down to, so practice at it is good.
  • And my newsletter. I’ve been doing it now, once a week, for 16 weeks. That’s essentially four months, and I’ve watched the subscriber count rise that entire time. It might be (and this pains me to say) my most successful educational project. It doesn’t take a ton of my time, but it’s work- and it’s nice to see it paying (not literally, of course. I’ve not monetized it) off.