I updated my Now page. 💫

Journal Helper - Free software tools to use with physical journals.

Letter Club - “Private group newsletters where the readers are the writers too.” Found via Warren Ellis.

I was away on vacation for two weeks, so I’ve been quiet online. But now I’m back! And mostly back to routine!

I had a few personal projects in progress before I left, so I’m getting back to those. I will have zine stuff to share soon. 😃

Shrimp Zine is a browser-based tool for making zines on your phone. You choose your paper size and number of pages. Add images. Add text. And then you can export the file as a PDF. Very intuitive interface.

📚 Finished reading Essentialism by Greg McKeown

I read Essentialism 5 years ago, and I just finished reading it again. It has super helpful advice for how to prioritize things at work and in your personal life. 5/5 ⭐️

Here’s one of my favorite quotes from the book:

But in fact we can easily do two things at the same time: wash the dishes and listen to the radio, eat and talk, clear the clutter on our desk while thinking about where to go for lunch, text message while watching television, and so on.

What we can’t do is concentrate on two things at the same time.

Color swatches for brush pens I got from a local art supply store. ☺️

A sketchbook page displays swatches and names of various colored brush pen inks, in rainbow order. Brush pens are arranged on the table, above the sketchbook.

I officially cancelled my Spotify subscription and closed my account. Now I’m streaming music on Qobuz. I’m planning to write a blog post about migrating from Spotify to Qobuz. If you have any questions about that, let me know.

Marketing jeans

American Eagle is not on my radar. I would not have known about the Sydney Sweeney ads if I didn’t see social media posts about them.

Some people are criticizing American Eagle. Other people are saying the ads really don’t have deeper meaning. As if this is the debate—does American Eagle know what they’re saying with these ads?

Yeah, they know.

Consider that American Eagle knows exactly what it’s doing for marketing and advertising. The controversy around the Sydney Sweeney ads is the point.

Advertising does not happen by accident. American Eagle’s messaging is intentional. And including racist undertones so that people post reactions to the ads is part of the plan.

Is the approach problematic?

Yes.

Does it work to amplify their advertising?

Also yes. 😕

Sunglasses up

For two summers during college, I worked at an amusement park.

I was a photographer. You know the ones who ask if you want your photo taken as soon as you enter the park? That was me. 😉

The photography company was a vendor, so technically photographers were not park employees. But everyone had the same rules when it came to guest interactions.

One of those rules was, “Sunglasses up.”

We worked outside in the summer, so of course a lot of employees wore sunglasses. The rule was that whenever a guest approached you, you had to take your sunglasses off or put them up on your head. Taking your sunglasses off was a sign of politeness, so you could make eye contact with guests.

It didn’t matter if you were talking to a little kid, a teenager, or an adult. Sunglasses up.

It’s been over a decade since I had that job, but I still follow that rule. I take off my sunglasses whenever I’m talking to someone outside. I even do it for something quick, like going through a drive-through.

Is there a habit that you picked up at a job, and it stuck with you?

🍿 Superman (2025)

The new Superman movie is so refreshing for showing Superman as bright and hopeful. I got so tired of the dark and gritty style of the last few Superman movies, because that style doesn’t match Superman’s personality or optimism.

Does anyone use e-ink tablets like reMarkable or Supernote but ALSO love pens and paper notebooks?

Because I see the use case for, get an e-ink tablet and you don’t need a bunch of paper notebooks and pens anymore. But I love my notebooks and pens and do not want to give them up. 😂

So if you have opinions on e-ink tablets, I’d love to hear them.

Mildliner Reference from Rob Knight - A guide to all the colors and sets of Mildliner highlighters.

What’s your favorite music streaming app? I’m looking for recommendations outside of Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.

url.town - A directory of all kinds of websites. Curated by humans, not algorithms.

🍿 I saw Ballerina this weekend. If you liked the other John Wick movies, you’ll like this one, too. I’m glad they gave Eve (the main character) an actual backstory and a distinct personality. She isn’t just a female version of John.

One must imagine Sisyphus satisfied.

Why is a bot in the chess.com app trash talking? 😭

A screenshot of a digital chess game in progress. Above the chess board there’s a speech bubble next to a cartoon woman that says, Another perfect move. Bet you wish you could do that.

I read Essentialism by Greg McKeown for the first time in 2020. It feels like a good time for a refresher, so I’m re-reading it. 📚

🍿 Ladyhawke (1985)

Ladyhawke has been on my list of movies to watch for a while, and I have no idea why I added it. It’s a ridiculous movie, but I kind of liked it.

My favorite bits: