Never half-ass two things. Whole ass one thing.
Category: Thoughts
Farewell, Old Friend and Enemy
They’re about to tear this down.
I only cut through the medical district yesterday on a whim, and while I knew this day was coming, I was shocked to see that the room in which my life — and the lives of my family members — changed forever was about to get demolished.
Part of me wanted to chain myself to the equipment, and another part of me wanted to tear what was left of the building to the ground for them.
‘I Hesitated’
From a great post by Elizabeth Cawein, editor of my student newspaper my junior year of high school:
And then, very abruptly, I’d written: “Someone asked me today if I was passionate about journalism. I hesitated.”
I went on to push at all the big questions: is this really what I want to be doing? Is what I’ve always planned for my life and my career the right thing for me? Do I love this or not? Does that matter?
Reflections on Macworld
This year was my first Macworld, and to be honest, I really thought I knew what to expect. I figured there would be a big expo floor, lined with booths hawking iPhone cases that I have no interest in. I assumed I’d get to meet fellow writers, some developers and Internet heroes.
What I didn’t plan on was having an absolute blast while doing it.
The Expo
I’ve went to several sessions. I saw Merlin Mann speak with David Sparks and Brett Terpstra. I met Fletcher Penney, Mike Vardy and more. I got to hang out with developers of some of my favorite apps, and talk about what they have in the pipeline for this year.
‘Discerning Good From Great’
They say good is the enemy of great, and I agree. Some ideas, as good as they are, should be left alone so that when a great idea comes along there is a place for it. Discerning the difference between a good idea and a great one takes practice and the support of trusted friends and advisors.
Eleven
I’ve written my “end of the year” post a couple of times now, but was unhappy with it each time.
That frustration has been a thread through my year. Don’t get me wrong, the year actually went pretty well, but I just have a hard time with a lot of things these days.
In March, I was diagnosed with clinical depression. I’m making progress in my life, and taking care of myself for the first time since Josiah was diagnosed with cancer in 2009, but I’m learning this battle is very often a few steps forward, then a few steps back.
Reading Outside Your Bubble
If we are only reading things that interest us, we’ll never find anything new. We’ll never try something a little bit outside of our comfort zone, and we’ll never grow as humans.
I think he’s right.
The Best Christmas Present
This afternoon, between Christmas events, we put Josiah down for a nap. As we weren’t home, he had problems falling asleep, so I went to lay down next to him for a bit.
Resting there, I realized today was Josiah’s fourth Christmas. When he was first diagnosed with brain cancer in May 2009, we didn’t know if he’d make it that Christmas, let alone one three and a half years later.
More
This video changed my life when I first saw it in high school.
Up and Down and Up
Boredom Involves a Choice
If you want to sit down and play Angry Birds (or Trainyard – seriously, you should play Trainyard) then sit down and play Angry Birds. But don’t use Angry Birds or whatever else you can think of to occupy your mind when it might otherwise be accomplishing something.
Bingo.
More on Boredom
Merlin Mann, in his 2008 essay “Better”:
What makes you feel less bored soon makes you into an addict.