I busted out the iPad and Procreate and decided to finally make some “branding” for my Bandcamp Roulette videos (you can see the evolution of those in this YouTube Playlist). I’m super happy with how it turned out, and stoked to be getting back to creating and producing more.
Since I dig through Bandcamp quite a bit, some gems don’t make it into these videos, so here’s some goodies from the past week.
This is from a video game soundtrack from back in 2018 apparently. While I’m not much of a gamer these days, I’ve always appreciated the soundtracks to the games, even the ones I’ve never heard of.
I’m always a fan of heavy, dark, and pissed off music, and this fantastically works.
Sometimes I’m in the mood for something loose and free, and this 2018 release fits the bill. The menacing bass tones and vibe kill me every step of the way.
Twenty hours a week for a year and you can know something that puts you in a new category. Access to knowledge isn’t nearly as difficult as the desire to learn.
I can look on my iPhone right now and see how many hours I spend on social media. But if I spent that time writing? Working on a podcast? Refining my business? Damn, I could be miles ahead of where I’m at now in a year.
Mind you, I try not to flog myself too bad with this, since I do commit many hours per week devoted to fitness, in the form of biking at cycling (this week I should hit 20 miles running and 40 miles biking), but still, doom scrolling through Twitter when I wake up, and when I go to bed… neither times are very helpful.
Spending time on writing on a blog seems almost pointless. I could tap away a few things on Twitter (where I’ve had an account since 2006, and was one of the first 3000 people to sign up), and get a few likes. Maybe a reply or two.
But it’s there for a second, and then it’s gone.
The web is here, and is sticking around. You can read this post the second it’s published, or three years from now. Good luck finding one of my three week old Tweets.
I’ve been thinking about books, after hearing an interview with Ainissa Ramierz who just release ‘The Alchemy of Us.’
A book. In 2020.
But my habits aren’t everyone’s habits. From idea, to writing, to publishing, to releasing, to marketing… a book takes time.
A Tweet comes and goes. Even if it goes viral, another takes its place in 3.4 seconds.
Thought of this scene while running on a brutally hot day recently, how I wanted to check out, think of other things, keep my mind off the hurt and the heat.
“Stay with the pain, don’t shut this out.”
When I let my mind wander, I think about work, money, taxes, and all sorts of stressful stuff. Since I’m thinking of that nonsense, my pace can quicken, which just leads to more pain. Or maybe I forget to drink.
“This is your pain. This is your burning hand.”
Lately I count, which I learned from the Headspace app. Check in. Bring the focus back to the breath. Count one when I breathe in, two when I exhale. To ten. Then repeat.
“It’s the greatest moment in your life, man, and you’re off somewhere missing it.”
Tonight I set off on a bike ride. I didn’t make it 10 feet before I realized I had a flat.
It was already raining. I was already reeling from some work stuff. I had to burn this stress off, so I changed into my running shoes and set off.
There’s a storm rolling up the east coast, and we’re getting lots of rain here in PA. The sort of rain that keeps you indoors, where it’s safe. Today got nasty.
I was getting pelted. I was three miles from home, on a stretch of road with corn fields on either side of me. The only exit strategy was keep running. No phone call, no one was picking me up. I was soaked, sweaty, and teetering on burning out. I felt the weight of my heavy clothes, it was cooler so I could run a faster pace. The rain was dumping on me, the wind was kicking up.
I thought about the junk food I ate coming home from the grocery store. Or how maybe that salad for lunch didn’t provide enough carbs.
Could I keep up this pace? Was I gonna fizzle?
One, two. Three, four.
One foot in front of the other. Make it to that tree. Then that one. Slow down until that sign. “I’m not walking home,” I thought.
Five, six. Seven, eight.
The rain let up.
I literally thought the of the most David Goggins-esque quote:
“The rain will stop, but I don’t.”
For a lot of people who know me, they don’t that’s not a Seth-like quote, but that’s where I was tonight.
Drenched, making sure I didn’t get run over, managing my energy, staying present.
The miles on the roads, on your feet, can reveal a lot. Tonight was spiritual. I went to church tonight.
Four years ago today I ran a mile in 13 minutes and had problems walking down stairs for a week. That run tore up my thighs, and it was hot, and horrible, but somehow I stuck with it.
Back in 2016 I didn’t have much control of things in life, notably employment. Money. And then we all know how lack of moneys leads into other problems, like loss of autonomy, self worth, self esteem. Yeah, that was a dark time.
So every other day I set off, using a Couch to 5K app on my iPhone. One minute, then two, then four, then eight. Rest, repeat, do it again two days later. Before long I could run for 20 minutes, then 30, then 40. Since then I’ve ran 10 mile races, a half marathon. My longest run so far has been 18 miles.
The biggest take away – it still hurts. Not like, PAIN, but watching Star Wars is a heck of a lot easier. There’s definitely easier hobbies, I guess. But I leaned into this to lose weight, accomplish something, and become a runner. I wanted to go places and do things with just a pair of running shoes.
Since then, I’ve ran 3,111 miles. Onward to many more.
Found this fundraiser via Cory Wharton-Malcolm’s Instagram stories (@bitbeefy). Daryl Murphy ran a 5K every day in June to raise $5000 for The Action PAC, and with two days to go it’s at $4,355. Help Daryl reach that goal – donate here!
Running in the heat is tough. So is biking. The sun just saps my power. Throw in some humidity, and them my heart rate is through the roof.
I used to get mad at this. I’d stop running, reluctantly, and utter some stupid boyish “dammit” or “fuck” which never helped.
Now I just laugh. I’m a privileged white male who can run anywhere, even here in farm country, and I never have to worry about being shot or threatened.
It’s a fucking joke that the worst part of my day is being unable to maintain a faster pace running, or a more powerful ascent up a hill on my bike. I’m covered in sweat, my eyes are stinging, and my chest is heaving… so?
I laugh at this shit now.
It used to be “why aren’t I more fit?” Or wondering if I really “have it,” like I’m some 20 something semi-pro runner. But I’m a dude who works on a computer all day and tries to run 25 miles a week, and spend two hours on the bike.
This is something I stress to my friends that are in their late 30s and 40s who are just starting to run – it’s gonna be years until you’re finishing in the top 50 at your local 5K, or whatever. Just enjoy running with people who are 20 years older than you. Have a laugh, make jokes, encourage others around you. It’s a lot of fun, I promise.
No, seriously. The fact that even big bands don’t have landing pages feeding a general info mailing list is BONKERS.
Facebook and Twitter aren’t in the business of sending you traffic and clicks for free. And you can’t export those connections (hello, MySpace) when they go belly up.
Build. That. Email. List.
And Instagram is OWNED by Facebook. More algorithms. More noise. They’re 1000% gonna fuck it all up. But an email from a fan, someone who bought your album on Bandcamp? That is gold.
Your email doesn’t have to be ALL BUSINESS either. Remember – some people have left Facebook and Twttr. You can use the stuff you write on social media, repackage it, and send it to your list!
Hell, this post is just from a handful of Tweets, and can be found three years from now from a Google search, or linked to from another website.
Have you stuff somewhere, and not just sitting on social media sites.
I sort of struggle with my weight. When I got my first office job back in 1998, I packed on 50lbs real quick, and I’ve had problems getting it off ever since.
Starting running in 2016 helped a lot, and then working with a nutrionest a bit in 2019 helped, but then I hit a wall. Then the pandemic hit, which has led to all sorts of stress:
when cortisol levels stay high, this is why stress can impact our sleep, energy levels, metabolism, and libido, and lead to declining productivity levels, fatigue, weight gain, constipation, poor concentration, and even depression.
My productivity has fallen off, but my weight gain has been an “issue.” I use quotes because I’m going easy on myself – we’re in the middle of an unprecedented world event, and it ain’t getting any better here in the United States. And really, I’m not eating fast food multiple times a week, or even eating horrible foods – I just love to snack.
Putting this out there because I just don’t see many men talking about this sort of thing. It’s either HOW TO GET RIPPED or RUN FAST or FASTING and shit, and I just don’t want any part of that noise, in part because of working with Grayson Murphy for nutrition and run coaching.
This week I’m trying to eat hearty salads for lunch, rather than my go-to burritos, which are pan-fried in oil with LOTS of stuff (zucchini, onions, broccoli, beans, fake-meat, etc.), so hoping less oil, fake meat, and tortillas will help.
Trump Tweets, money is raised for Black-led political organizers in swing states. I love this, and signed up to donate a penny each time this idiot Tweets.
Movement Voter PAC (MVP) has vetted a group of Black-led organizations that work in nine key swing states, engaging in local elections including for district attorney, sheriff, and judges. By focusing on organizations doing work on these issues in key states, we can expand the base of black voters and black political power and have the greatest impact on the outcome of November’s presidential election and the makeup of the US Senate. MVP has vetted participating organizations for their track record on moving the needle on criminal justice reform as well as their financial need and growth potential.
