Friday, April 28, 2017

HliAT #21: "Swing by" the House on the Way Somewhere Else

How Long It Actually Takes To...

Swing by my house when I'm already driving past it on the way to the library for an afternoon's work from a workout; the salient components of this "swing by" are (1) the amount out of my way I have to drive; (2) throwing some workout clothes on outdoor furniture to air-dry; (3) pouring coffee, sugar, milk, almond milk, and ice cubes in a thermos for iced coffee @ the library; (4) grabbing a few delicious bars for snacks at the library: 13:58.45

Oooh ooh ooh fam fam fam: this is a good one. Because all the things are true!

"All the things" meaning, in this case, two conflicting things. The first is: look, it doesn't take that long just do it if you need to.

But the second is: yeah, I mean, that's fifteen minutes. You knew it didn't take "like five minutes", unless we're destroying the meaning of "like" here (which I guess we pretty much have, but let's leave that for another day). If you've got a four-hour work session...that's 1/16th! That's time!

For the record, the 0.6 miles (cumulative, that's coming + going) of extra driving equates, per Google Maps, to an additional 2 minutes. So ~86% of this time is the faffing around at my house. But how is that possible!? These things, each of them takes less than a minute! RIGHT? Each takes no time! AND YET...

HliAT, fam. Hli-fucking-A-T.

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

HliAT #20: Reading The Economist Espresso

How Long It Actually Takes To...

read The Economist Espresso6:55.18

So the point of this HliAT is to explode something I do, which maybe you do, too. It won't succeed in "exploding" it, but it's a push.

I often set up my workday in units of time (common freelancer thing, I imagine). And, depending on how much I value a given unit--how much I want to protect every minute of it (Erra's Throne)--I may tell myself that I don't have time to do certain things that cut into that work session.

In some cases this makes sense: there are days where the quiet early morning hours are valuable for real writing, so even if it would be nice to spend 30 minutes making and eating some pancakes (I don't need to HliAT this: there's a clock in the kitchen -- I'm always amazed by how long pancakes always take), it makes more sense to grab a delicious bar out of the fridge, make some coffee, get going.

Buuuuuut there are things that I deny myself sometimes in those moments that I know aren't that time-consuming. And this--reading the six or whatever little blurbs that comprise The Economist Espresso every day--is the canon example. Especially because I think it takes "too long"; the reason I think it takes "too long" is that it is in some small way balancing, distracting, transporting -- it's an extremely well put together little applet that is like a teaser for the day, and provides a few small hooks into the world. Now, there may be a valid argument sometimes to not "hook into the world"; there are in particular times when I don't want to be pulled out of non-real worlds. But usually not: usually it's nice to sit and center a little, and then "slip into it", which is the kind of language I use about going into real writing.

So ALL OF THIS IS TO SAY: the little balancing things often don't take so long. I should probably do them. Verified; quantified -- data 4 bettr living. xo ;)

Saturday, April 22, 2017

AlphaSmart 3000 Entries #1, #2, and #3: getting 2 no u




#1: ??? (sometime 2015)
hello i'm testing my funny new device
the keyboard sure is... mechanical.

#2: ??? (Fall 2015? Summer 2016? rly idk)
okay this is no longer a test. i have a to-do that i've had for eight months. to "journal" my holiday trip home from 2014. And, I had a bad day today because i didn't write well.

Jesus, the keyboard on this thing isn't so great. Given that it IS a keyboard, that's not good.

"this thing" is the alphasmart 3000, and my hands are going to get either strong or RSI if i decide to use it much.

here's the todoist note that i put on this to-do:

well, no wait. it won't let me look at the comment on my phone or tablet because i no longer have (lulz) todoist premium.

turns out i'm too tired to write much right now. i'm going to read or watch something, and go to bed.

#3: Last Night
okay experiment we'll see how this goes

i bought this thing awhile ago
that link is the only link these entries will have

it might suprirse you to learn that this keyboard is crappy

given that the whole POINT of this thing is keyboard, that is weird right?

it's mechanichal in a bad way, although i do woner if it won't get less sticky with use i mean i have let this thing sit on the shelf for awhile. a year, almost? i can mark it: i had recently started HEY YOU KNOW WHAT?

okay this thing is brilliant. it's doing exactly what i hoped it would do.

first of all YES it has a shift key and all that; t's a pretty ordinary keyboard. so this whole less-punctuation uncapitalized 'i's thing is  a total indulgence and affectation on my part and you should cal lme on it.

JAYSUS these keys are sticky. like: my hands are gonna get stronger if i keep this up.

i think i will.

the whole POINT  of a device such as this is its purity --- there is nothing but you and the text. and not even the WHOLE text: the little display is four lines tall so i _could_ go back and revise but c'mn. also: minimal formatting.

so here's what we'll do. a few times a week i'll pick htis thing up before bed, as i have just now. it's 1:42am Saturday morning; I've just fotten bac kfrom La MErida where I saw an old friend play officer Krupke in a rather good productin of _West Side Story_. I'm sorry i'm not going back for these spelling errors but these KEYS. anyway:

i will pick this thing up and write wht i feel like unti i'm too tired. not my fingers, i guses i mean: my brain. but wow heyese kesy.s but that that's what i'll do; this is the first enetry.

i'd say tings are off to an auspciiosu start.

o there's  button called "spell check." and a button "applets" (?). and a button "clear file"; hope that las tone at lteast gives a yes/no warning.

i'm gonna google "sticky keybard" and stuff like that .

oky i'm done i am fallng asleep.