so-many-hills

[so-many-hills]

“If it is important to you, you’ll find a way.

If it isn’t, you’ll find an excuse.” | Anonymous, seen on the walls of a Jiujitsu gym.

It resonated.

– A Learning A Day

[so-many-hills]

when … a critical thought pipes up to cut me short—I pause．And then I wonder：Why now？What is it about this … that has excited my internal doubters？… what am I afraid of？… I’ve come to realize how much of my doubt is actually fear—of being judged，of being shamed.

– Adam Haslett on the Uses of Doubt

[so-many-hills]

Snow ⛄️ Day! No work no school! Think it’s time to knock my home office into shape once I finish my coffee ☕️

[so-many-hills]

For those participating in Dry January: note that not everyone experiences the same benefits from abstaining. I’ve been dry for a year; while I lost weight and cut back spending, most other benefits folks claim escaped me. Ultimately I’m still me, boozy or dry. Remember: your mileage may vary

[so-many-hills]

Currently reading: The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe 📚💙 Finished The Shadow of the Torturer (I have the old-school paperback) & starting The Claw of the Conciliator. It takes a while to look up all the baroque words Wolfe used in his story, but it is worth it.

[so-many-hills]

Happy blogoversary to Examined Worlds. My friend Ethan writes on SciFi and fantasy, philosophy, and whatever else moves him. I like the way he runs his site and look forward to another ten years!

[so-many-hills]

Currently reading: The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe 📚💙 I forgot how intricately dense Wolfe’s writing is, in a good way. I started on this several years ago and set it down. The book requires attention, which I lacked at the time. Def glad I picked it up again but it is slow going

[so-many-hills]

Finished reading: Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks 📚💙 Adventure story that takes place in space. Strong action. Light romance. Just enough world building. Hard for me to put this down 4/5 ⭐️

[so-many-hills]

Finished reading: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami 📚💙 Not as fantastical as his later works. It’s a love story. Great reminiscences of life in Tokyo, even in 1969-70. Would recommend

[so-many-hills]

This break from work＆school feels like Christmas in Japan．I don’t celebrate（my SO does；I tag along）but it’s pretty．I’m glad for others to enjoy it．It leaves a nice quiet respite where I can do the things I want to do：read，DYI，mess w／tech，write＆reflect，sleep＆be w／her，all w/o the usual cacophony

[so-many-hills]

💙📚How to Live，or，The Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer，Sarah Bakewell，2010．Engaging work on the life ＆times of Montaigne w／a keen focus on his Essays ＆more approachable．Dovetails nicely with Meditations for Mortals ＆Slow Productivity yet unexpected ★★★★☆

[so-many-hills]

💙📚 Slow Productivity，Cal Newport，2024．It was … fine．The book takes a simple premise & expands on it，mostly through anecdote．The “Do Fewer Things” chapter provides concrete actions．Pull-based work flow of tasks from a holding tank to active work (p. 100-110) resonated ★★☆☆☆

[so-many-hills]

💙📚 Meditations for Mortals, Oliver Burkeman, 2024

Good quick-ish read (169 p) Didn’t generate as many notes as 4,000 Weeks did．Maybe that’s ok．The practical approaches resonated best．I’ll probably reference it as I look to incorporate more intentional slow productivity ★★★☆☆

[so-many-hills]

Complaints

The best way to complain is to make things better．Complaining can be a form of intimacy．It’s a useful way to explain our behavior．And best of all, it gives us a way to communicate as we work to create community action … complaint requires generosity and courage … Whining is empty commentary where no action is possible, about something we already understand

– Seth Godin

[so-many-hills]

"Most of the trouble in the world is caused by people wanting to be important."

– T. S. Eliot

[so-many-hills]

Beware professional FOMO social media connections:

The problem isn’t with (social) networking itself. It’s that we’ve let it devolve into an empty numbers game．Instead of connecting on purpose, we’ve traded sincerity for click-based validation, mistaking quantity for value．True networking is an intentional act, one where relationships are built with care, strategy, and a hefty dose of authenticity．Without that foundation, you’re just screaming into a void filled with meaningless badges and forgotten follow-ups.

– Joan Westenberg＆TBF there's value in void screaming for the screaming's sake

[so-many-hills]

build your identity around what you love and value rather than what you oppose … This isn’t self-help advice．It’s a fundamental truth about human psychology and the nature of identity．We become what we consistently think about and focus on．The choice, as so often, is ours

– Joan Westenberg