I watched this video by Mark Manson about quitting alcohol 500 days ago and talking about the less obvious benefits of not drinking. How he likes doing less, not feeling the need to be busy and enjoying being bored. And, while I don’t really drink a lot anyway and so have no plans to quit alcohol completely it did make me think.

It made me think about something I’ve thought about a lot. About the roles I have and the things that I consider important to me and the choices I will have to make as a result. That I want to be a good father and husband, I want to be there for my family. I want to be a good teacher, though this one is difficult because in some ways it’s a time and energy swallowing black hole. I want to get enough exercise for my physical and emotional well-being. I want to get enough sleep and to eat relatively healthily. I want to try and find time for myself sometimes since I’m with young children almost 24-7, 3-60-5. There’s things I think I should be doing too - mostly socialising. And, obviously, the problem is that you can’t and that’s hard sometimes.

Or at least, it was more so. After watching the video, I’ve been trying to embrace myself and not feeling like I need to apologise - not out loud of course! - for that. I’ve been trying to enjoy being with the kids and with Lyra, and I always do but sometimes you feel like it’s a burden. Of trying to step away from my devices more or at least to use them more purposefully, I started writing a story and we’ve been recording something for our ‘Podcast’ every day for a week or so, it’s on Spotify at the moment, I know, I know but it’s a start!

but it seems ludicrous to even consider carrying a dedicated device just for audio, and with music streaming, people expect their portable audio player to have always-available networking.

He’s not wrong, my dedicated audio device, a Sony NW-A55 is a little ludicrous. Carrying another device that has a propriety adapter, uses USB A that I need an adapter for and that does nothing my iPhone can’t do. It can do Bluetooth for connecting to my speaker, which is cool, but it can’t stream and can’t access the internet like a lot of the newer audio players.

But the lack of features is why I did buy it. Those lack of features are the features I was looking for. That’s why I like it. I want to pick up my phone less and I struggle to. Take out my phone to choose a song and end up clicking elsewhere. I am, forever, the weakest link.

The bonus is that it forces me to be much more mindful of what I listen to. I am forced to listen to full albums more - I can’t workout how to make playlists - and I am grateful for that!

I think for those of us of a certain age who remember when these dance tracks came out, the orchestral element is perfect. This show from Auckland is awesome.

SYNTHONY - World Premiere - Full Length Show - YouTube

‘Seagull Boy’, nine, wins European screeching competition

It’s a really good impression!

Advice for Teachers, Policymakers, and Donors | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

I only read the advice for teachers but I liked the three suggestions. Even if I struggle with the speaking out part.

“It’s possible to have strong, lasting regrets about a life choice while ferociously loving — and caring for — the fruit of that decision.”

https://time.com/6966914/parental-regret-children-ro-kwon-essay/

Being patient with your own kids immediately before and immediately after work, which is also kids, is really hard.

A version of this appeared in a message to a friend. The message has been edited for “clarity”.

What Are You Actually Teaching Them? - The Daily Dad

And of course, you didn’t mean to. But that doesn’t really matter. It’s what they hear that matters. It’s what they see that matters. How easily we end up sending the exact opposite message that we intend!

All 29 road tunnels in New Zealand ranked from worst to best

I’ve always ranked the car parks of the shopping malls we go to. Recently, I started stating what my favourite tunnels here too. So maybe this will be the motivation to write a post about it… SO MANY MORE than 29 here though.

Pub Choir sings ‘Creep’ (Radiohead) - YouTube

What is a pub choir, you ask? Here’s the (very Aussie) description from the official website: “Everybody can sing. Like, not well, but literally. Why should being average at something stop you from doing it!? It hasn’t yet… Singing is good for you, it’s EASY, and Pub Choir is here to show you how.

Via: Dense Discovery

My Comments Are in the Google Doc Linked in the Dropbox I Sent in the Slack - McSweeney’s

• Discover people whom you love doing “nothing” with, and do nothing with them on a regular basis. The longer you can maintain those relationships, the longer you will live.

Love this list. A long (101) list but full of small details.

Not using a phone taught me what a phone is really for. It’s not for communicating with other people, getting directions, reading articles, looking at pictures, shopping for products, or playing games. A phone is a device for muting the anxieties proper to being alive. This is what all its functions and features ultimately achieve: cameras deliver you from time, GPS abstracts you out of space, and an all-consuming screen that keeps you a constant safe distance from yourself. If there’s something you’re worried or upset about, you can simply hide behind your phone and it will all go away. One third of adults say they’re on their phones almost constantly. Their entire waking lives are spent filling time, plastering over the gaps, burning up one day after another, waiting for something to happen, and it never does.

From here but via here.

I have that bold text and ‘screening out consciousness’ stuck in my head.

A newsletter about the books, shows, games, etc. that spark kids’ imagination, stoke their creativity, and liberate their minds. Think “Bluey,” but stuff that isn’t “Bluey.”

https://writsmall.substack.com/p/today-by-julie-morstad

Seems right up my street that.

In related Bluey news. We watched the extended Bluey episode The Sign this week. My two loved it a lot. It also featured the Zen Farmer story and we’ve been coming back to that a lot since we watched it. Made me think of one of my favourite books - Zen Shorts by Jon J Muth - which also includes the story. Interesting to see the episode pop up on the Stoicism subreddit too.

10000 steps by 10am. Getting up at 5am to ruck 6km with 20kg is one of the highlights of my week. Really takes me out of my own head.

DeVotchKa - How It Ends (Live on KEXP)

They aren’t even real and it’s still me looking after them

Day 12: Magic. I searched magic and the wood is there in the picture but also, it’s two of my favourite ladies.

Day 11: Sky

Day 10: Train in Yangshuo, Guilin. I do like the Chinese train system. Completely different to the UK, more like taking a plane. You wait upstairs until shortly before departure and then head downstairs to your platform.

Day 9: Crisp fat. It’s not British bacon but it’ll have to do.

Day 8: Prevention. Moved this guy away from a place many students walk today, to somewhere that was hopefully safer!

I had an idea to record something about each of the words of the days, but I’m not brave enough. I was going to write instead. That well-being, for me at least, is tied into the things that are important to me. Though, in a sense, the things that are important to me I don’t have any choice about. These things come first. Inevitably, my mind goes to this poem by Kennith Koch that Austin Kleon posted. You want it all? You can’t have it all. Don’t try!

Day 7 well being is eating delicious food.

Finished reading: How Children Fail by John Holt 📚
So many thoughts about this. He’s very critical of schooling as a whole and I’m part of that. Yet, I feel like I agree with lots of what he says. And I don’t know where that leaves me.