I've been thinking a lot about infrastructure recently (especially as it applies to the deployment of renewable energy, and how many barriers are currently in place as a result of well-meaning regulators).
I've also been thinking about how we communicate with each other (and avoid falling into tribalistic pit-traps that derail conversations before they can start, and which often bias everything said after that initial "this person is not in my group, they are the enemy!" warning ping in our brains).
I'm also possibly taking a quick, couple-day jaunt out to Las Vegas with my girlfriend (she's never been!) later this week, for some people-watching and to celebrate her having finished up her first semester teaching art at a nearby university.
Hello deep-minded thinkers. My name is Frankie. Recently I have been reading (and using) much about Stoicism. What a philosophy it is!
I love music (I mean, I REALLY love music), the great outdoors and road cycling.
I live about 30 miles outside NYC.
I am heading to Copenhagen and Stockholm in 5 weeks! I have never been to Scandanavia, and I am really looking forward to immersing myself in such a fascinating culture...
I hope you have safe and smooth travels! Copenhagen is one of my favorite places in the world. I did a Danish exchange program in high school, and Danes tend to be some of the kindest and most genuine people I've experienced. The Danish Design Museum is amazing, and highlights the countries contributions to the world of design. Make sure to also take a proper coffee break at one of their many sleek cafes!
Ooh, thats hard to answer. There are so many artists that I love.... Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Weather Report, Chick Corea, Tord Gustavsen, Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau, Alison Krauss, Jimi Hendrix, The Police, Steely Dan, JS Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Steve Reich... I can go on and on and on and on!!! Yes, I play guitar, acoustic finger style. Quiet and relaxing. Im excited for Scandanavia and the 'Land Down Under' is on my list too. I hope to make it to New Zealand soon. Maybe I should see Sydney as well???
100% come to Aus one day, but go to NZ first: it's way prettier!
Tasmania is the closest thing we have to NZ for nature. If you do Sydney, the Manly ferry is cheap and my favourite way to see the city. If you have a bit more money, the harbour bridge climb is absolutely worth it! But as I said in a post to Cri, go between late Spring-early Autumn because you're basically climbing in your underwear covered by a thin suit! Quite the experience! If you do Melbourne, look out for street poetry pasted to the walls, especially the streets around bookshops!
PhD is travelling well. I have my confrimation of candidature coming up shortly which has taken up a lot of my time. It's like passing your PhD probation with a report and a presentation. I'm keen to get past that so I can get back to my ever-growing stack of things to read and learn.
I'm Chloé. I live about an hour from Sydney, Australia and I don't think I've ever said 'How ya' goin', mate?' in my life.
I'm a PhD candidate studying novels set on university campuses (think 'The Secret History' and the like). I chose the topic because I love reading and I had quite a few campus novels on my to-read list, so I thought I'd combine my two loves.
In my spare time (what even is spare time?!), I do Parkrun, read, try and think of interesting story ideas to break out of my fiction writer's block, cook, and tend to my very experimental balcony garden.
Recently, I had a falafel wrap from a local lebanese takeaway and it was amazing! Crispy and flavoursome falafel, tabouli, hummus, purple and green pickles, and it had hot chips on it too! I know that isn't traditional leb food, but my goodness was it delicious.
Keen to chat about thoughtful things and learn more about life outside Australia.
That is just such an interesting PhD topic—how did you land on that? Any (relatively) quick insights from your research that are shareable in this context?
(I love falafel and have been trying to work up the courage to attempt making it at home.)
Haha. Honestly? I went through my Goodreads 'Want to read' list and found a whole bunch of campus novels there, so I decided to make a PhD topic out of it so I have an excuse to read them for "work".
100%. In the last few months, I've narrowed my rserach down to Australian campus novels which, until this year, I hardly new existed. The most popular Australian campus novel is Diana Reid's 'Love & Virtue' (2021) which is based in a fictional Sydney University and the consent debates going on in residential colleges when Reid was a student there. So far, I've noticed that Reid describes the campus as both a history museum (a site of nostalgia and anachronisms) and a playground (a site of self-discovery and experimentation for the protagonist). I'm tracing these categorisations and a few others across the novels I'll read after my Confirmation of Candidature.
If you do make falafel at home, please share the recipe!! :)
I'm imagining you running up to random people in the park and jumping up on the benches, stomping through puddles and kicking trees shouting "park-or!" now ;P
If you haven't yet had a chance to stumble upon happycow.com it's got an amazing selection of restaurants, not all vegan, some are vegetarian and others just have some options.
I've found it to have some very satisfying food options many of which are from other cultures and most of which are delicious.
Yep, definitely guelling - hence I'm way behind on messaging! Lol. I've been preparing for my confirmation of candidature presentation for the last few months. It's basically like passing probation, but with a report and a presentation involved. I'm keen to get it over with so I can get back to reseraching on my own timetable.
I make sure to invest in activities that make me turn off the overthinking part of my brain. For instance, running/walking while listening to audiobooks helps me to switch off because I can't possibly follow the story and think about my to-do list at the same time.
Parkrun is a global running event that happens every Saturday morning: https://www.parkrun.com/countries/ Every course is 5km and you can run/jog/walk it. It's timed, so you cna race yourself or your friends, but you can also just go and have fun. I'm coming back from a foot injury at the moment so I haven't beat my PB in a while.
But damn! Parkour would be so fun! Shame I have the coordination of a Panda! Haha. I might just start jumping in puddles and yelling though. That sounds fun!
What do you do for sport/exercise?
Happy Cow is fantastic!! I used it when travelling to Europe and it was so handy!
Hello Everyone, I'm Kris. I've been creating a garden from a dirt lot here in Albuquerque, so I am learning all about that.🤪 Also trying to expand my creative endeavors by using some of the art supplies I seem to accumulate.
Love to read interesting fiction when I can find it.
Would like to connect with folks interested in any of those or most other topics as well, since I enjoy learning new things.
What will you be planting? Flowers? Trees? Veggies?
What's your fave artistic medium? I love painting myself, but paint-by-numbers is the most I can manage at the moment since I'm pouring much of my creativity into PhD life at the moment. Still, my place is full of some pretty cool artwork so that's satisfying.
What's your fave fiction book you've read this year?
I planted climbing roses and some herbs last year, and this year I am planting some fruit trees, and will see what else I can get in this year, maybe a couple tomatoes or something to eat.🤔
Right now my favorite medium is ink on paper or a little water color for fill. I want to sketch and draw still life, but zentangles, doodles, or neurographics are much more relaxing.
I haven't found an author I'm loving this year, so I'm reading some DH Lawrence in the mean time. Lol
Do you get a chance to read much fiction?
Phd life sounds hard, but rewarding. That's dissertation prep right?
My current, go-to recommendation novel is "This Is How You Lose the Time War" by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (if you're looking for a possible new favorite author for 2023). Just a beautiful and unusual story that's a pleasure to read.
After a bit more tea, and reading the sample I realized I have read that book and yes it was lovely! It looks like Max has a few other books as well so I will look into those as well.
I spent the last couple of months in a small beach town on the Mexican Caribbean coast. It's an hour off the highway so it's isolated. There is a great community of expats - mostly Canadians and Americans (I'm Canadian). We developed deep and quick connections and I miss my friends even more than the 30 degree and sunny weather.
The really interesting thing is that we had divergent views on many things and it was clear that, given everyday life, we probably wouldn't have spent time together. We learned to avoid certain topics. "Look at those clouds/mosquitos/trees" was code for changing the subject. It was an eye-opening experience and one I will carry forward as I continue to travel.
What are you doing so far from Canada? Are you in Mexico for work or travel?
Haha. It's funny how different cultures have various ways of ending a conversation or changing topic. In Australia, like the Brits, we often revert to the weather. I try to be a bit more intentional with my conversations, but I often find myself slipping into the ol' 'Gosh, it's hot today!' habit.
Hi Chloe, I've decided to travel until I don't want to. I started in Mexico because I had friends there willing to show me the ropes. This was my second 6 month trip.
I'm a digital nomad mostly, although this summer, I'm traveling across Canada and doing in person Meetups. So the answer to your question is sort of both plus living. This is my life. It makes for interesting expectations about how to spend my time.
I slow-travel, meaning I stay in a place for a month or more, and fast travel for me is to take an overnight bus to land somewhere for a week, before taking the next transport to the next place until I get where I want to stay for a month or more.
There are many things I love about Mexico: the beach, the food, the people. I've loved my whole time there. Next trip, after my cross-Canada odyssey, is the Mediterranean.
That sounds amazing! Do you have a home that you rent out between trips? Or do you carry most of your posessions and rent somewhere when you return to home base?
You're a digital noamad - does that mean you work online most of the time while you're travelling? What do you do to pay the bills?
You probably get asked this all the time, but have you done any travel writing?
I don't keep a home. I got back from Mexico last spring and stayed with family while sourcing a van. I spent the summer traveling across Canada and back through the States #vanlife! It wasn't until I was on the way back that I thought it might be nice to have a place to land.
I work online most days for a couple of hours. It's taken years to get to this point.
I do write about my travels and I may even write a book about it. I'm writing a proposal now and I'll see what response I get for it.
I've always wanted to visit Australia. Being from Australia I presume that you've had an opportunity to explore your own country?
If so, what would recommend for an outside to come and see the "non-touristic" sites if someone were to come and slow travel for 6-8 months through your country?
When I travel I enjoy buying a one way ticket to a country with an exit ticket to another, spending several months there and getting familiar with what life is like for locals.
In my opinion that's the only way I can travel and enjoy it. Rushing from tourist spot to tourist spot doesn't feel like I'm giving the local culture the time it deserves...
I went to Europe a few years ago and all the people I met said "You're from Australia? Wow!" and I couldn't understand why they thought Australia was so cool. So when I returned, I set my mind to exploring as much as I could.
My favourites so far:
1. Harbour Bridge Climb is definitely worth doing at least once in your life! (Pricey but nothing beats a beautiful sunrise!) Also, beneath the very thin suit they give you, you're only in your underwear so I'd go late Spring-early Autumn. It is pretty funny feeling like you're climbing one of the highest outdoor points in the city in your underwear though!
2. Do the Manly Ferry in Sydney. It's cheap and my favourite thing to do.
3. In Melbourne, look around for street poetry pasted to the walls!
If you have time on your hands, and you're feeling extroverted, head to a bar and get chatting to locals. Tell them you're in town for a bit and ask them what their favourite thing to do is. You'll get better tips from a conversation than a guidebook.
Haha, those sorts of codes are great! And as Chloé mentioned in another comment, they differ from place to place, but it's been a pretty consistent norm everywhere I've been, folks having a way to step things back from a conversational cliff-edge.
What town in Mexico was it, if you don't mind sharing? I haven't spent as much time in the country as I'd like, and am adding spots to visit to my mental list.
The Town is Mahahual. Turn left before reaching Bacalar and drive for an hour.
Another similar Town was Puerto Escondido. The focus is the beach, surfing, hiking and enjoying life.
I found managing those conversations more difficult in San Cristobal de las Casas. People there seemed to have less other things to talk about, so the choice was engage in the conversation or not.
Sometimes I do try to engage in these conversations, because I don't want to be in a bubble, but you reach a point where nothing more can be said, and neither mind has been changed, so the only thing to do is move on.
Hi Chloé, Thanks for asking. Copenhagen was terrific! I really loved it. The bike culture is so impressive. There was plenty to see, and the people were so friendly. I would definitely go back.
I just came back from hiking the Alps. It was such an epic experience. I hiked for 8 days around Mont Blanc, moving through France, Italy and Switzerland.
Now, I have a sense of trial withdrawl! I need to figure out another adventure.
How did you confirmation of candidature work out. I hope you passed!
I recently took a short course about writing online. I've often heard that the way to get started is to start a blog, but the facilitators made a very good point that you have to build the audience for a blog from the ground up. They advocate for an alternative: using your socials (Twitter/X, Medium, Quora, LinkedIn etc) to publish content since the audience is already there. (Once you've build your audience, if you still want to crate a blog, you can direct your audience to your blog from there.)
My question is: Which platform should I start with?
Until last year, I never had any social media except LinkedIn. I chose to stay off Facebook, Insta, and Twitter so I couldn't be tempted to consume more than I create. I got a job managing social media for a small company and had to get Facebook.
SInce doing this course, I'm convinced that I can use social media to publish - but I'm scared to admit that. The thought of joining social media feels like abandoning my principles to create more than (mindlessly) consume, but of course if I was publishing, I would be living this.
Problem is, I don't know which platform to start with.
I guess that depends, somewhat, on what I write and who my audience is. I'm a PhD candidate, so networking with academics is a priority because I want to be a lecturer and researcher. I also write short stories and poetry which I'd like to share as a way of motivating myself to create more than consume and in so doing, refine my storytelling skills. Maybe Twitter/X? But I have no idea where to start... I feel so behind on this already.
One of Substack's key investments in the past year or so has been fleshing out its "social"-like components—there's a lot of opportunity to show up on other peoples' radars, even if they don't already follow you.
Maybe setting up a free blog/newsletter here, then sharing it to other social platforms (which reduces the amount of time you have to spend/consume on those other platforms)?
I remember a while back you tried Mastadon and a few other new social sites. I think you said they were set up in reaction to/with a more pro-social aim compared to FB/Insta/Twitter. How have you found these as channels for sharing your work. Do you get much engagement from these alternative social platforms?
Mastodon and Bluesky (the main pseudo-twitters at this point) are both fine—neither has the same social graph (number of people and connections) as twitter, which makes them less useful, but I follow some active folks in different industries on both, which makes returning to them worthwhile (though engagement for my own stuff is quite low on them at this point). A lot of people still use Substack Notes (a kinda sorta twitter-like network built into Substack) for that purpose, and folks are still using Threads somewhat, though a lot less than before (and engagement has plummeted as a consequence of that).
Hey fellow readers, I’m Zac! I live in the United States, currently based in Maryland.
I aspire to be a life-long learner, so I try to keep myself open to learning lots of things. However, I most enjoy learning about places and the culture that comes from them.
While traveling last week I had a nice bahn mi from a cafe I used to frequent. That was tasty, and it was interesting to be in a familiar place, yet in a different chapter of life.
What are people looking forward to this coming week?
Thanks Colin. Knowing that your are truly the epitome of a world traveler (or a world citizen at this point), you have me excited to see these 2 cities....
Hi Everyone. Some interesting replies so far! I live in Jacksonville FL (orig. from Boston/NY area) and spend a lot of time recording original music. Lately recording with Ex-Peter Gabriel & King Crimson members Jerry Marotta, Peter &Tony Levin. Have a free stream and/or video here: https://linktr.ee/AndyToomey
Hi Colin, Cri, Chloe, Kris, Frances, Frank! Pleased to make your acquaintance!
Moved here about 6 months ago and finding myself adapting to a slower, less hectic lifestyle is challenging to say the least.
Things move slower here than in the big city, relationships, trust, and of course business.
I can't say that I dislike it though.
I do dream of the day when we can take a "mini retirement" and spend a few months overseas traveling slowly, only checking in on our business 1-2x a week remote.
I've traveled in Europe and Asia before I started my company, and life was simpler back then it seems...
Now I have daily responsibilities and I find myself also sitting around waiting sometimes...
access to this clients website, response from the housing director, etc...
My wife gets mad at me because I tell her that I took a nap in the middle of the day and then I go out to do networking at 5 pm right after she gets off work.
I think she thinks i'm just goofing around even though I am making valuable business contacts.
My sleep pattern has shifted to a very different one.
Go to bed at 8 pm.
Wake up at 4 or 5 am.
Work out for 1 or 2 hours.
Do work and network.
Take a nap in the middle of the day for 1 or 2 hours.
Sleep at 8pm, wake up and work at 12 am for 2-4 hours.
Go back to the gym.
It's a weird routine but my body seems to work on it.
The days are never the same, which can be good and bad. Hard to develop a routine but effective to get the job done when work needs to be completed.
I have a goal to stop working in the business and completely elevate myself to working only on the business. It's difficult though when you're in the day to day and trying to build the ship as you're sailing.
I'm looking forward to a lifestyle of traveling for 6 months of the year each year after we've built our portfolio and income to a comfortable level we can maintain and grow each year.
Happy to connect with anyone, you can find me on social media @cri.childs
That's a pretty packed schedule. The life of the entrepreneur is rarely (if ever) a 9-5. Understandably pretty hard for the family to get used to too. The good news is that family your rhythms will adapt and change with seasons of life and seasons of the business.
Hi Chloe, thanks for replying. I started two businesses, pursuing one actively and the other I'm just letting it run.
The main focus right now is furnished housing for medical travelers/workers, military individuals and families, and business travelers who are coming to central texas. We find and furnish homes, setup their utilities, and provide all the amenities of a finer hotel in a private setting along with local recommendations.
Many people relate this to staying in an airbnb; however, we get folks coming back because of poor experiences with folks who are unprofessional operators on airbnb. For that reason we don't cater to vacations but rather essential workers and housing.
I'm currently working on building some systems out to help get things off my plate so that my team can run things smoothly without me.
First place to travel is going to be thailand and bali to bring my wife. She's from mexico and has never been so I'm excited to take her there and show her around thailand. I've never been to bali.
Here's a comment to get things started!
I've been thinking a lot about infrastructure recently (especially as it applies to the deployment of renewable energy, and how many barriers are currently in place as a result of well-meaning regulators).
I've also been thinking about how we communicate with each other (and avoid falling into tribalistic pit-traps that derail conversations before they can start, and which often bias everything said after that initial "this person is not in my group, they are the enemy!" warning ping in our brains).
I'm also possibly taking a quick, couple-day jaunt out to Las Vegas with my girlfriend (she's never been!) later this week, for some people-watching and to celebrate her having finished up her first semester teaching art at a nearby university.
Hello deep-minded thinkers. My name is Frankie. Recently I have been reading (and using) much about Stoicism. What a philosophy it is!
I love music (I mean, I REALLY love music), the great outdoors and road cycling.
I live about 30 miles outside NYC.
I am heading to Copenhagen and Stockholm in 5 weeks! I have never been to Scandanavia, and I am really looking forward to immersing myself in such a fascinating culture...
You're going to have a blast—two truly wonderful (and eminently explorable) cities :)
I hope you have safe and smooth travels! Copenhagen is one of my favorite places in the world. I did a Danish exchange program in high school, and Danes tend to be some of the kindest and most genuine people I've experienced. The Danish Design Museum is amazing, and highlights the countries contributions to the world of design. Make sure to also take a proper coffee break at one of their many sleek cafes!
Enjoy!
Thanks for the input Zac! I am really looking forward to it. The coffee and food seem to be terrific! I have a full itinerary list!
Best
Frankie
Great ideas, Zac. I'm writing them down. I haven't made it to Denmark yet, but it's on my list!
Hi Frank,
What genres of music do you like? Who are your favourite artists? Do you play an instrument?
Daammnnn! I'm so jealous of your trip! Be sure to send us some stories!
Chloe :)
Thanks for reaching out Chloe,
Ooh, thats hard to answer. There are so many artists that I love.... Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Weather Report, Chick Corea, Tord Gustavsen, Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau, Alison Krauss, Jimi Hendrix, The Police, Steely Dan, JS Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Steve Reich... I can go on and on and on and on!!! Yes, I play guitar, acoustic finger style. Quiet and relaxing. Im excited for Scandanavia and the 'Land Down Under' is on my list too. I hope to make it to New Zealand soon. Maybe I should see Sydney as well???
What are you going for with your PHD??
Best.
Frankie
Wow! What a variety!
Have you packed the guitar on your travels?
100% come to Aus one day, but go to NZ first: it's way prettier!
Tasmania is the closest thing we have to NZ for nature. If you do Sydney, the Manly ferry is cheap and my favourite way to see the city. If you have a bit more money, the harbour bridge climb is absolutely worth it! But as I said in a post to Cri, go between late Spring-early Autumn because you're basically climbing in your underwear covered by a thin suit! Quite the experience! If you do Melbourne, look out for street poetry pasted to the walls, especially the streets around bookshops!
PhD is travelling well. I have my confrimation of candidature coming up shortly which has taken up a lot of my time. It's like passing your PhD probation with a report and a presentation. I'm keen to get past that so I can get back to my ever-growing stack of things to read and learn.
How was Copenhagen??
Hey there!
I'm Chloé. I live about an hour from Sydney, Australia and I don't think I've ever said 'How ya' goin', mate?' in my life.
I'm a PhD candidate studying novels set on university campuses (think 'The Secret History' and the like). I chose the topic because I love reading and I had quite a few campus novels on my to-read list, so I thought I'd combine my two loves.
In my spare time (what even is spare time?!), I do Parkrun, read, try and think of interesting story ideas to break out of my fiction writer's block, cook, and tend to my very experimental balcony garden.
Recently, I had a falafel wrap from a local lebanese takeaway and it was amazing! Crispy and flavoursome falafel, tabouli, hummus, purple and green pickles, and it had hot chips on it too! I know that isn't traditional leb food, but my goodness was it delicious.
Keen to chat about thoughtful things and learn more about life outside Australia.
Chloe :)
That is just such an interesting PhD topic—how did you land on that? Any (relatively) quick insights from your research that are shareable in this context?
(I love falafel and have been trying to work up the courage to attempt making it at home.)
Haha. Honestly? I went through my Goodreads 'Want to read' list and found a whole bunch of campus novels there, so I decided to make a PhD topic out of it so I have an excuse to read them for "work".
100%. In the last few months, I've narrowed my rserach down to Australian campus novels which, until this year, I hardly new existed. The most popular Australian campus novel is Diana Reid's 'Love & Virtue' (2021) which is based in a fictional Sydney University and the consent debates going on in residential colleges when Reid was a student there. So far, I've noticed that Reid describes the campus as both a history museum (a site of nostalgia and anachronisms) and a playground (a site of self-discovery and experimentation for the protagonist). I'm tracing these categorisations and a few others across the novels I'll read after my Confirmation of Candidature.
If you do make falafel at home, please share the recipe!! :)
PhD candidacy sounds grueling. Mentally stimulating I can imagine. But it must, at times, be mentally taxing on you.
What do you do to recharge your batteries?
I read "parkrun" is that the same thing as "Parkour!" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUxOCo42TCY
I'm imagining you running up to random people in the park and jumping up on the benches, stomping through puddles and kicking trees shouting "park-or!" now ;P
If you haven't yet had a chance to stumble upon happycow.com it's got an amazing selection of restaurants, not all vegan, some are vegetarian and others just have some options.
I've found it to have some very satisfying food options many of which are from other cultures and most of which are delicious.
Hey Cri,
Yep, definitely guelling - hence I'm way behind on messaging! Lol. I've been preparing for my confirmation of candidature presentation for the last few months. It's basically like passing probation, but with a report and a presentation involved. I'm keen to get it over with so I can get back to reseraching on my own timetable.
I make sure to invest in activities that make me turn off the overthinking part of my brain. For instance, running/walking while listening to audiobooks helps me to switch off because I can't possibly follow the story and think about my to-do list at the same time.
Parkrun is a global running event that happens every Saturday morning: https://www.parkrun.com/countries/ Every course is 5km and you can run/jog/walk it. It's timed, so you cna race yourself or your friends, but you can also just go and have fun. I'm coming back from a foot injury at the moment so I haven't beat my PB in a while.
But damn! Parkour would be so fun! Shame I have the coordination of a Panda! Haha. I might just start jumping in puddles and yelling though. That sounds fun!
What do you do for sport/exercise?
Happy Cow is fantastic!! I used it when travelling to Europe and it was so handy!
Hello Everyone, I'm Kris. I've been creating a garden from a dirt lot here in Albuquerque, so I am learning all about that.🤪 Also trying to expand my creative endeavors by using some of the art supplies I seem to accumulate.
Love to read interesting fiction when I can find it.
Would like to connect with folks interested in any of those or most other topics as well, since I enjoy learning new things.
Am at krisbecause@gmail.com
Hey Kris!
What will you be planting? Flowers? Trees? Veggies?
What's your fave artistic medium? I love painting myself, but paint-by-numbers is the most I can manage at the moment since I'm pouring much of my creativity into PhD life at the moment. Still, my place is full of some pretty cool artwork so that's satisfying.
What's your fave fiction book you've read this year?
Chloe :)
Hi Chloé,
I planted climbing roses and some herbs last year, and this year I am planting some fruit trees, and will see what else I can get in this year, maybe a couple tomatoes or something to eat.🤔
Right now my favorite medium is ink on paper or a little water color for fill. I want to sketch and draw still life, but zentangles, doodles, or neurographics are much more relaxing.
I haven't found an author I'm loving this year, so I'm reading some DH Lawrence in the mean time. Lol
Do you get a chance to read much fiction?
Phd life sounds hard, but rewarding. That's dissertation prep right?
Care to share more via email? Am at krisbecause@gmail.com
Thx
Kris
My current, go-to recommendation novel is "This Is How You Lose the Time War" by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (if you're looking for a possible new favorite author for 2023). Just a beautiful and unusual story that's a pleasure to read.
After a bit more tea, and reading the sample I realized I have read that book and yes it was lovely! It looks like Max has a few other books as well so I will look into those as well.
Thank you again!
Thx, I'll check it out.
I spent the last couple of months in a small beach town on the Mexican Caribbean coast. It's an hour off the highway so it's isolated. There is a great community of expats - mostly Canadians and Americans (I'm Canadian). We developed deep and quick connections and I miss my friends even more than the 30 degree and sunny weather.
The really interesting thing is that we had divergent views on many things and it was clear that, given everyday life, we probably wouldn't have spent time together. We learned to avoid certain topics. "Look at those clouds/mosquitos/trees" was code for changing the subject. It was an eye-opening experience and one I will carry forward as I continue to travel.
Hey Frances!
What are you doing so far from Canada? Are you in Mexico for work or travel?
Haha. It's funny how different cultures have various ways of ending a conversation or changing topic. In Australia, like the Brits, we often revert to the weather. I try to be a bit more intentional with my conversations, but I often find myself slipping into the ol' 'Gosh, it's hot today!' habit.
What's your fave thing about Mexico?
Chloe :)
Hi Chloe, I've decided to travel until I don't want to. I started in Mexico because I had friends there willing to show me the ropes. This was my second 6 month trip.
I'm a digital nomad mostly, although this summer, I'm traveling across Canada and doing in person Meetups. So the answer to your question is sort of both plus living. This is my life. It makes for interesting expectations about how to spend my time.
I slow-travel, meaning I stay in a place for a month or more, and fast travel for me is to take an overnight bus to land somewhere for a week, before taking the next transport to the next place until I get where I want to stay for a month or more.
There are many things I love about Mexico: the beach, the food, the people. I've loved my whole time there. Next trip, after my cross-Canada odyssey, is the Mediterranean.
That sounds amazing! Do you have a home that you rent out between trips? Or do you carry most of your posessions and rent somewhere when you return to home base?
You're a digital noamad - does that mean you work online most of the time while you're travelling? What do you do to pay the bills?
You probably get asked this all the time, but have you done any travel writing?
I don't keep a home. I got back from Mexico last spring and stayed with family while sourcing a van. I spent the summer traveling across Canada and back through the States #vanlife! It wasn't until I was on the way back that I thought it might be nice to have a place to land.
I work online most days for a couple of hours. It's taken years to get to this point.
I do write about my travels and I may even write a book about it. I'm writing a proposal now and I'll see what response I get for it.
I've always wanted to visit Australia. Being from Australia I presume that you've had an opportunity to explore your own country?
If so, what would recommend for an outside to come and see the "non-touristic" sites if someone were to come and slow travel for 6-8 months through your country?
When I travel I enjoy buying a one way ticket to a country with an exit ticket to another, spending several months there and getting familiar with what life is like for locals.
In my opinion that's the only way I can travel and enjoy it. Rushing from tourist spot to tourist spot doesn't feel like I'm giving the local culture the time it deserves...
Curious your thoughts?
I went to Europe a few years ago and all the people I met said "You're from Australia? Wow!" and I couldn't understand why they thought Australia was so cool. So when I returned, I set my mind to exploring as much as I could.
My favourites so far:
1. Harbour Bridge Climb is definitely worth doing at least once in your life! (Pricey but nothing beats a beautiful sunrise!) Also, beneath the very thin suit they give you, you're only in your underwear so I'd go late Spring-early Autumn. It is pretty funny feeling like you're climbing one of the highest outdoor points in the city in your underwear though!
2. Do the Manly Ferry in Sydney. It's cheap and my favourite thing to do.
3. In Melbourne, look around for street poetry pasted to the walls!
If you have time on your hands, and you're feeling extroverted, head to a bar and get chatting to locals. Tell them you're in town for a bit and ask them what their favourite thing to do is. You'll get better tips from a conversation than a guidebook.
Haha, those sorts of codes are great! And as Chloé mentioned in another comment, they differ from place to place, but it's been a pretty consistent norm everywhere I've been, folks having a way to step things back from a conversational cliff-edge.
What town in Mexico was it, if you don't mind sharing? I haven't spent as much time in the country as I'd like, and am adding spots to visit to my mental list.
The Town is Mahahual. Turn left before reaching Bacalar and drive for an hour.
Another similar Town was Puerto Escondido. The focus is the beach, surfing, hiking and enjoying life.
I found managing those conversations more difficult in San Cristobal de las Casas. People there seemed to have less other things to talk about, so the choice was engage in the conversation or not.
Sometimes I do try to engage in these conversations, because I don't want to be in a bubble, but you reach a point where nothing more can be said, and neither mind has been changed, so the only thing to do is move on.
Hi Chloé, Thanks for asking. Copenhagen was terrific! I really loved it. The bike culture is so impressive. There was plenty to see, and the people were so friendly. I would definitely go back.
I just came back from hiking the Alps. It was such an epic experience. I hiked for 8 days around Mont Blanc, moving through France, Italy and Switzerland.
Now, I have a sense of trial withdrawl! I need to figure out another adventure.
How did you confirmation of candidature work out. I hope you passed!
Warmly,
Frankie
Hey team, I'd love to get your thoughts:
I recently took a short course about writing online. I've often heard that the way to get started is to start a blog, but the facilitators made a very good point that you have to build the audience for a blog from the ground up. They advocate for an alternative: using your socials (Twitter/X, Medium, Quora, LinkedIn etc) to publish content since the audience is already there. (Once you've build your audience, if you still want to crate a blog, you can direct your audience to your blog from there.)
My question is: Which platform should I start with?
Until last year, I never had any social media except LinkedIn. I chose to stay off Facebook, Insta, and Twitter so I couldn't be tempted to consume more than I create. I got a job managing social media for a small company and had to get Facebook.
SInce doing this course, I'm convinced that I can use social media to publish - but I'm scared to admit that. The thought of joining social media feels like abandoning my principles to create more than (mindlessly) consume, but of course if I was publishing, I would be living this.
Problem is, I don't know which platform to start with.
I guess that depends, somewhat, on what I write and who my audience is. I'm a PhD candidate, so networking with academics is a priority because I want to be a lecturer and researcher. I also write short stories and poetry which I'd like to share as a way of motivating myself to create more than consume and in so doing, refine my storytelling skills. Maybe Twitter/X? But I have no idea where to start... I feel so behind on this already.
Anyway, I'd appreciate your thoughts and ideas.
Chloé
One of Substack's key investments in the past year or so has been fleshing out its "social"-like components—there's a lot of opportunity to show up on other peoples' radars, even if they don't already follow you.
Maybe setting up a free blog/newsletter here, then sharing it to other social platforms (which reduces the amount of time you have to spend/consume on those other platforms)?
Good idea, Colin! I hadn't considered that. I'll give that a go.
Do you still use Twitter/X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook etc to share your work? Or do you stick to Substack and Youtube?
I still use those networks, but mostly for broadcasting—sharing stuff, rather than spending too much time consuming.
That sounds like a good way of working them.
I remember a while back you tried Mastadon and a few other new social sites. I think you said they were set up in reaction to/with a more pro-social aim compared to FB/Insta/Twitter. How have you found these as channels for sharing your work. Do you get much engagement from these alternative social platforms?
Mastodon and Bluesky (the main pseudo-twitters at this point) are both fine—neither has the same social graph (number of people and connections) as twitter, which makes them less useful, but I follow some active folks in different industries on both, which makes returning to them worthwhile (though engagement for my own stuff is quite low on them at this point). A lot of people still use Substack Notes (a kinda sorta twitter-like network built into Substack) for that purpose, and folks are still using Threads somewhat, though a lot less than before (and engagement has plummeted as a consequence of that).
Hey fellow readers, I’m Zac! I live in the United States, currently based in Maryland.
I aspire to be a life-long learner, so I try to keep myself open to learning lots of things. However, I most enjoy learning about places and the culture that comes from them.
While traveling last week I had a nice bahn mi from a cafe I used to frequent. That was tasty, and it was interesting to be in a familiar place, yet in a different chapter of life.
What are people looking forward to this coming week?
Thanks Colin. Knowing that your are truly the epitome of a world traveler (or a world citizen at this point), you have me excited to see these 2 cities....
Hi Everyone. Some interesting replies so far! I live in Jacksonville FL (orig. from Boston/NY area) and spend a lot of time recording original music. Lately recording with Ex-Peter Gabriel & King Crimson members Jerry Marotta, Peter &Tony Levin. Have a free stream and/or video here: https://linktr.ee/AndyToomey
Hi Colin, Cri, Chloe, Kris, Frances, Frank! Pleased to make your acquaintance!
andytoomey@gmail.com
Currently residing in central texas.
Moved here about 6 months ago and finding myself adapting to a slower, less hectic lifestyle is challenging to say the least.
Things move slower here than in the big city, relationships, trust, and of course business.
I can't say that I dislike it though.
I do dream of the day when we can take a "mini retirement" and spend a few months overseas traveling slowly, only checking in on our business 1-2x a week remote.
I've traveled in Europe and Asia before I started my company, and life was simpler back then it seems...
Now I have daily responsibilities and I find myself also sitting around waiting sometimes...
access to this clients website, response from the housing director, etc...
My wife gets mad at me because I tell her that I took a nap in the middle of the day and then I go out to do networking at 5 pm right after she gets off work.
I think she thinks i'm just goofing around even though I am making valuable business contacts.
My sleep pattern has shifted to a very different one.
Go to bed at 8 pm.
Wake up at 4 or 5 am.
Work out for 1 or 2 hours.
Do work and network.
Take a nap in the middle of the day for 1 or 2 hours.
Sleep at 8pm, wake up and work at 12 am for 2-4 hours.
Go back to the gym.
It's a weird routine but my body seems to work on it.
The days are never the same, which can be good and bad. Hard to develop a routine but effective to get the job done when work needs to be completed.
I have a goal to stop working in the business and completely elevate myself to working only on the business. It's difficult though when you're in the day to day and trying to build the ship as you're sailing.
I'm looking forward to a lifestyle of traveling for 6 months of the year each year after we've built our portfolio and income to a comfortable level we can maintain and grow each year.
Happy to connect with anyone, you can find me on social media @cri.childs
Howdy Cri!
What kind of business do you run?
That's a pretty packed schedule. The life of the entrepreneur is rarely (if ever) a 9-5. Understandably pretty hard for the family to get used to too. The good news is that family your rhythms will adapt and change with seasons of life and seasons of the business.
Where will be your first travel destination?
Chloe :)
Hi Chloe, thanks for replying. I started two businesses, pursuing one actively and the other I'm just letting it run.
The main focus right now is furnished housing for medical travelers/workers, military individuals and families, and business travelers who are coming to central texas. We find and furnish homes, setup their utilities, and provide all the amenities of a finer hotel in a private setting along with local recommendations.
Many people relate this to staying in an airbnb; however, we get folks coming back because of poor experiences with folks who are unprofessional operators on airbnb. For that reason we don't cater to vacations but rather essential workers and housing.
I'm currently working on building some systems out to help get things off my plate so that my team can run things smoothly without me.
First place to travel is going to be thailand and bali to bring my wife. She's from mexico and has never been so I'm excited to take her there and show her around thailand. I've never been to bali.