I really value writing, and I also love it when I can share things that I get excited about. I’m attempting to reinvest in my blog as a creative outlet and a way to connect with friends 🙂

PRODUCTION

Drawing

I took my youngest on a daddy-daughter date for froyo, then we went home to draw together. We looked up some tutorials, drawing froyo and a unicorn on a skateboard.

Writing

I’ve been working on two different articles—one on closing my business, and the second on the air assault mission and its lessons learned during annual training. It’s been great to get back into the writing process again.

Website

I’m not sure what the future of my site looks like, but I’m having fun giving it more attention.

Build

• Home Automation—I’ve been getting some things around the house automated. I swapped out the light switch in my laundry room (the transition between the house and the garage) with a Lutron Maestro motion sensor light, and I put some lamps on Kasa Smart Plugs to control with Apple Home Kit. Now to get a HomePod to actually automate it all vs. just controlling through my phone. I’ve got a few more plugs on the way with new ideas like automating my kids’ nightlights so they don’t sleep in a bright room, as well as the UV lamp for my plants.
• Raspberry Pi + Arduino—I haven’t made anything yet, but I watched some tutorials on how to get the Raspberry Pi Pico doing things with the Thonny IDE. I’ve even had my daughter help on the breadboard or read aloud the lines of code from a tutorial. Hoping for a shared interest with my eldest.

CONSUMPTION

Read

• The island that banned hives: can honeybees actually harm nature? by Phoebe Weston—As an environmentalist, I was surprised to learn about how invasive honeybees (vs. other pollinators) are

• Poison Ivy (2022-) Vol. 1: The Virtuous Cycle—I really enjoyed this take on one of my favorite villains, Poison Ivy. The art is different, her style is edgy yet relatable, and it isn’t like anything I’ve read before.

Watch

• Pop an ollie and innovate! | Rodney Mullen | TED | TED—I’ve been getting into skateboarding in my 30s after never being able to afford it in my teens. I bruised my ribs at a skatepark, so I’ve delved into the digital side and have watched a ton of videos related to the art of skating. I never knew the godfather of street skating, Rodney Mullen, until now. He’s a lovable, humble master of his craft.

• Sandro Dias RedBull world record, the highest drop in on a skateboard ever | GypoTravels—The three things that scare me most in life: wasting my potential, alligators/crocodiles, and the speed wobbles. I can’t imagine going down anything remotely like this.

Listen

• Song: “Downstairs” by Twenty One Pilots (Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube)
• Song: “Robot Voices” by Twenty One Pilots (Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube)
  • A relevant quote from a SuperStore episode I recently watched:
    “Attention shoppers, Cloud Nine is not offering breast exams as part of our wellness fair. We have not hired someone to do that, and if we had it would not be a teenage boy in a Twenty One Pilots t-shirt.”
• Album: purity ring by Purity Ring (Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube)
• Podcast: Pablos Holman — One of the Scariest Hackers I’ve Ever Met (#827) | The Tim Ferriss Show (Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube)

Learn

Concept: Python with boot.dev

I have long wanted to learn Python. It’s supposedly user-friendly, and while I don’t see myself coding every day, I want to be programming-literate so that I can be an effective engineer and manager. Selfishly, I think it’d be fulfilling to build some small automations, too. The only thing I don’t love about this gamification approach is that it focuses on how to build a video game, not the applications I’m interested in (although the tools are the same).

Ponder

Idea: I really want to make the swap from Spotify to Apple Music, but I’m struggling with the UI. I’m not sure if Apple’s is just worse or if it’s just growing pains associated with switching from something familiar. I already pay for Apple’s iCloud+, so Apple Music is free. It’d save me ~$16/month to drop Spotify’s family plan, but I don’t know if I can stomach taking the plunge and starting over with playlists. I’ve also, surprisingly, enjoyed Spotify’s AI DJ lately, which is very unlike me.

Idea: Building mental fortitude. I just completed a Tough Mudder over the weekend, and I’m already interested in doing another. Even cooler would be travelling to complete one like going to Nashville with some friends to do theirs!

Quote: “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

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As I am slowly refining this newsletter, I’d love feedback on the format and content. Reach out in the comments or via Twitter (@JonnyMHenderson).