#213 Dee’s Tree
01 August 2021 // San Diego, California
There’s a style of making mezcal in particular that uses a lot of bamboo tubing called Filipino Style. As it turns out this style was used and developed by a lot of enslaved Filipinos who often worked in these early distilleries.
There’s two different arguments around the initial distilling of agave spirits, everyone would have worked out how to make booze. But the widely seen style of terra cotta pots and bamboo tubing is found in the Philippines. A lot of slaves were brought over with the Spanish and there’s evidence of these things being used in the production of Filipino spirits.
I’ve got to admit that was not a discovery I was expecting… of course that comes from an awful part of history… but there’s also something about me being on a mezcal tasting adventure, and having this drink as a luxury that’s kind of like reclaiming space.
I haven’t put all these pieces together yet and I’m not sure I’m going to anytime soon but it’s something.
#214 Bluey Viewing
02 August 2021 // San Diego, California
The best meals I’ve ever eaten all involve a few things: Being welcomed in by a family or a community, being given a meal that the family may have grown themselves and worked hard on, and an evening, morning, or afternoon full of conversation.
True and genuine hospitality elevates everything it touches.
#215 Fig Starter
03 August 2021 // San Diego, California
One of the mysteries I’m trying to solve right now is my grocery bill.
When I was a bachelor right out of college, I got my grocery bill to about $30 a week. And I ate pretty well, I think. Trader Joe’s was helpful on that front.
You’d think that when I got married it would’ve bumped up to $60 a week, and maybe now $80 with a baby to feed. But nope.
We’re at $150.
Did the cost of food go up? That’s probably part of it.
Are we trying to eat healthier? That too.
But mostly, I think sharing a life with someone makes you a lot more self conscious about putting a piece of prosciutto on some bread and calling it lunch.
#216 Counter Nibbles
04 August 2021 // San Diego, California
The mouse I’ve been trying to get out of the house for a few days found and loved the beer flavored CBD treats meant for a 70lb dog.
Mouse Trap didn’t have this alternate ending.
#217 Climate Reading
05 August 2021 // San Diego, California
You know that saying that you either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain?
I feel like this works in reverse when it comes to your taste in music.
Songs that I used to hate from a period of time in my life that I’ve loved usually end up making me happier in the long run. It’s like they took on a fermentation process or something.
#218 Banyon Touring
06 August 2021 // San Diego, California
It’s official. We found a place to live this fall and in the first half of next year.
To be honest, I’m going to miss our current place. In spite of all its flaws, it’s the first place we bought together, and the place where we took home Rhys.
I also don’t feel fully amped about some things about our next spot. The fact that it’s five minutes from my high school kind of makes it feels like a really long journey to not that far. But so much of that is just in my head. It’s what we need for this next moment in our lives, and we’ll be back on the hunt, eyeing a bigger move in about a year.
#219 Kimberly’s Picnic
07 August 2021 // San Diego, California
Without question this was the most fun weekend to be a Phillies fan in a decade.
Wheeler threw a gem reminiscent of a Halladay start.
Swept the Mets to take a firmer lead on the division.
8 straight.
Somehow did this with a third of the starting lineup injured.
Frustrating times will return at some point, but I’ll enjoy it while it’s here.
#220 Lake Biker
08 August 2021 // San Diego, California
It’s been a very full week in the world of climate news- and in people’s direct experiences of dealing with its effects. The latest IPCC report detailed how human activities contribute to climate change, how every region of the world will be affected, and how we’re likely on track to pass the 1.5°C threshold of irreversible changes- but that there’s still time to stave off the worst of it.
Reports like this are important but can sometimes have the side effect of helplessness that causes people to feel like giving up instead of getting busy. I figured I’d share some of my favorite climate reads this week, because each of them shows the choices we must make and imagines a world where we’ve made them.
First, I cannot say enough good things about @ayanaeliza and @drkwilkinson’s book @allwecansave - perhaps my favorite book I’ve read all year. The collection features art, poetry, and essays from dozens of women, from scientists to civic leaders to student organizers. Some unpack the tactics that led to shutting down 3/5ths of the country’s coal plants in the past decade, others reflect on why suburbs aren’t a part of Wakanda. It’s the right blend of science, strategy, and vision and I highly and widely recommend it.
The Future We Choose by @cfigueres and @tomcarnac outline two future scenarios, three mindset shifts, and ten actions a climate crisis calls for. The mindset shifts in particular really resonated with me as stuff I’m trying to work on!
Speaking of examples of critically applied imagination, @erholthaus’ The Future Earth is a perfect example. He envisions three decades worth of change that own up to the effects that we’ve already caused but also the possibility for us to set forth a different path.
Ever read any of these? Got your own favorite climate reads?
#221 Bedroom Office
09 August 2021 // San Diego, California
The IPCC report is a report to be taken seriously. God has given us the necessary scientific understanding to be good stewards of our shared home. While we can take the time to lament our broken relationship with creation, we must not give in to the spirit of helplessness. Grief is appropriate, giving up is harmful, and action is necessary. This moment isn’t a call for despair, but towards action. In such a moment, we are proud to stand with everyone working to restore creation across the globe, from the dry zones of California to the hills of Haiti and the church forests in Ethiopia. We do not face this crisis alone.
#222 Grape Street Hangs
10 August 2021 // San Diego, California
One of the most eye catching facts from this whole COVID era has been this- almost all of the misinformation and harmful talking points can be traced back to twelve points of origin.
That’s it. Twelve.
In some ways, that’s maddening. How could so many people take these messages and run with them all to the profit of twelve other people while getting nothing? While this misinformation also harms them in the long run. Twelve people found a way to match misinformation with people’s need to find belonging, assert identity, and cling to some semblance of certainty and run with it.
That said…
Can you imagine the power of twelve people who figured out how to apply strategy to the right message? A message the world really needs to hear?
#223 Cahh!
11 August 2021 // San Diego, California
What videos to make next?
I’ve been on some adventures. Not just recently but over the years. A while back I started to think back over some of the things I’m lucky enough to have experienced. I wouldn’t change a think, but I do kind of wish I had the tools, skills, and means to capture some of those adventures on video back then. To share. To relive. To remind us all, especially myself, of all the good out there.
But there’s no going back I decided to start.
I also love well done explainer videos, so I sketched out some plans for a part-travel-blog, part-explainer-channel that lined up with all my travel plans. And then? They all got cancelled. I’d ironically be hitting record for one of the most stationary stretches of my life.
But it turned out to be the right creative pressure cooker. How do you channel your love for cultures and travel and adventure while not being able to travel? I made a video about that! And one about the best places I’ve ever been. And about the journeys taken by Thai food, our recycled plastic, and Raya and the Last Dragon.
Made some more about the waters we were navigating: childcare, ethical investing, storytelling… and we even managed to get in a couple actual trips!
I made a video about not being able to travel. And one about ethical storytelling. And some investigating things in life I had to navigate like ethical investing or childcare.
My love for the international couldn’t be held back either, and surfaced in topics like Thai Food, Recycling, and Raya and the Last Dragon.
Taking the time to celebrate the first half of my first year making these. Still loads of things I need to get better at, but I’ve had a good time scripting, filming, and editing. I started the year knowing absolutely nothing about motion graphics. Closing in on 100 subscribers too, which isn’t much, but I always wanted this to be about the process first.
If you’ve been watching these, thanks! Hope they’ve been as fun and curiosity indulging for you as they’ve been for me.
#224 Rhys’ Alien
12 August 2021 // San Diego, California
I’ve discovered so little new music this year.
Of 2021 albums I’ve truly loved, I think I’ve got Jon Batiste’s and that’s it.
I think so much of it is that podcasts have taken over my listening time.
Sometimes I also wonder if I’m just at an age where I’m past my music discovery peak.
But… Jelani Aryeh’s album is incredible and I can’t stop listening to some of the earworms like Marigold.
I’d almost forgotten how good it feels to fall in love with newly discovered music.
#225 Work at Communal
13 August 2021 // San Diego, California
Our lives have these little chapter breaks scattered throughout where something major changes or we take on a new role. Moments like going off to college, or becoming a new parent. These changes throw most of us off our groove, but I’ve always looked at this as something special.
It’s during these moments when you’re also most likely to have a big shift in your mindset, priorities, values, or beliefs.
I think it’s no surprise that there’s a correlation between being closed off to new ways of thinking and having done the same thing year after year with little variance.
Lately, I’ve been trying to pay close attention to how things are evolving within me. Hopefully in the direction of empathy, hopefulness, and aliveness.
Less than two years ago, right around the time I snapped this picture at Mormon Row, life was almost entirely different. Then, in seemingly the smallest window, I became a dad, entered my thirties, then learned about two more kids on their way. Oh, and a whole pandemic basically upended the world I was used to.
I think that decades from now, Inshallah, should I get the gift of looking back at the present moment, I’ll be seeing it with a whole lot of wonder. What a wild couple of years. How’d we even do that?
For the time being, I think I’m too close to the moment to have a deep understanding of how everything is changing, just an awareness that it is. But I can note that this chapter has made me feel all the more thankful for the little bits of good that make my life what it is.
#226 New Ban Lao
14 August 2021 // San Diego, California
I’m officially in the Christmas spirit now thanks to Ted Lasso.
I love that they not only released a Christmas episode knowing that it would air in August, I love that they fully committed to the bit.
We got a claymation intro, a Love Actually nod, and an unapologetically jolly soundtrack.
The calendar mismatch made it seem even more welcome and refreshing, probably less saccharine than if it landed in December.
#227 Zoo Entry
15 August 2021 // San Diego, California
I befriended a couple of students from Afghanistan while in grad school. We had several good conversations about their home and I could tell how much they loved it. They shared so many details about winters in the mountains and snow, I hoped to see it in person some day. There was so much more to the place than what I usually heard about.
I always appreciated the fact that our studies made my friendship with those Afghan women possible. It wouldn’t have been very likely given the lives we were born into.
I really hope my friends are somewhere safe today, though it’s hard to say what that place could be. Their lives will presumably become much more difficult.
When I make my drawings, especially when they’re about topics like these, I kind of think of them as little prayers. Getting to pray with a pen going back and forth is a great alternative when words don’t seem to carry the weight that’s in your heart.
I kept getting frustrated with this one, though. I was hoping to draw a girl around five years old and kept coming up with faces that looked like full grown women. And then I landed on this face which looks like a different age each time I look at it. But perhaps there’s something there. So many kids are having their childhoods upended, forced into a bitterness made by generations past.
I am heartbroken for the people of Afghanistan. There are so many takes, so many layers and complexities. And the nuances and context really matters. But pay no attention to those who call attention to Afghanistan only for the purposes of assigning blame or perpetuating past vendettas. Take the time to own up to what we’ve collectively done to get here. Stand with the vulnerable, reach out for refugees.
And most of all just listen to the Afghan people.
#228 Bedroom Recording
16 August 2021 // San Diego, California
Today I stopped to think about everything I have going on. Work and work and work. One kid going on three. All the chaos of moving houses. Not to mention the entire creative endeavor I have outside of work.
Most days this doesn’t register with me. I’ll try and jump into each activity one at a time, make the most of it, enjoy it to the fullest, and keep my head down.
But, yeah, it’s a whole lot! I don’t know exactly what to make of it all- honestly, perhaps being a little bit impressed with myself for pulling it off but still absolutely loving it. My life is very, very full, but its full of what I love.
#229 Rhys gETS sTAIRS
17 August 2021 // San Diego, California
Michael Harriot posted a question to Twitter that has now become one of my new favorite thought challenges. Here it is:
You enter a contest where you choose 5 songs for a party. Whoever gets the most people to dance wins $10 billion (why do people only offer $1 million in imaginary contests?)
Here’s the catch:
You don’t know anything about the partygoers (race, age, etc.)
What are your 5 songs?
There is so much to think through in terms of strategy. You only need to get people to dance once- even for a little bit, so aiming for some demographic variety might work best, especially along age and culture.
My attempt:
Uptown Funk (Bruno Mars)
Got To Give It Up (Marvin Gaye)
Gasolina (Daddy Yankee)
Call Me Maybe (Carly Rae Jepsen)
Some random Baby Shark remix I find on YouTube for the kiddos
On second thought though, I think K-Pop might be too valuable to leave off, so perhaps replacing Carly Rae with something by BTS might stretch me out a bit further.
I could spend forever justifying my strategy of each pick but I wish we could see this contest actually played out.
#230 Living Room Projector
18 August 2021 // San Diego, California
The impulse to shut off compassion when it comes to assisting refugees or people in crisis in favor of turning their story into a blame-game isn’t a strength, or even a display of intelligence. What it shows is a part of someone’s humanity that’s gone dull, that’s been eroded over time.
There’s a time and a place for eager pragmatism, but I don’t trust solutions coming from those who haven’t mourned with those who mourn.
#231 CT&C Bar
19 August 2021 // San Diego, California
It’s not much of a secret that one of my very favorite things to do in life is to experience cultures and traditions through the firsthand stories of of people who live it.
My time in Oaxaca was full of that. Community visits and hospitality. From edible corn fungus, to the seven types of mole, to the postage stamp museum.
So grateful for people like Alier, Esperanza, and Teborino for their welcoming spirit.
#232 City Heights Welcomes You
20 August 2021 // San Diego, California
Mezcal is a storyteller’s drink. There is so much to be said about one single pour.
#233 Welcome Kit Shopping
21 August 2021 // San Diego, California
One thing that’s become more and more clear to me about the experience of trauma is that it really messes with your ability to dream and imagine a better future or a different path forward. You can see it individually, but also, spend time in a school that’s been underinvested in or a neighborhood that’s been systemically and historically excluded.
That said, I think that makes the storyteller’s role all the more important. Of course it takes therapy and systemic change and everything to transform, but anyone who can apply creativity to reactivate those parts of the spirit is doing irreplaceable work.
#234 City Heights Mural
22 August 2021 // San Diego, California
It seems like roughly once a day, I see somebody post on social media about what it was that got them to overcome their resistance towards getting vaccinated- and in a stick-to-your-guns sort of world, I find the vulnerability refreshing.
Sometimes it’s constant conversations with a friend that triggers the shift. Sometimes it’s reframing the discussion around how our choices affect others rather than a personal decision.
But there’s always a certain kind of reply that this invites…
“That won’t convince anybody new. People have their minds made up and will reject anything that doesn’t fit!”
or
“Yeah, my co-worker will just assume you’re a paid actor.”
Two things are happening in these comment sections:
1) People are so hungry for a sign that people can be still be moved that any anecdote that shows this is extremely inspiring.
2) People are so exhausted from trying to convince the stubbornly resistant, that they’ve learned to pessimistically pre-empt their most common canned response.
But every day for the past week, around a half million people got their first dose of the vaccine.
That’s not a small number.
Relative to the whole population, a whole bunch of people are being moved every single day.
When you’re resigned to preemptive pessimism, you won’t ask an important question: why?
In each of these batches of 500,000, there are a variety of reasons- not one single answer. Sometimes it’s a mandate, sometimes it’s the story of a very sick loved one, but there are patterns and trends.
But we have data, and when you have data, you can figure out what works. You can do more of it. You can enhance it.
Will there always be someone with an uncle who manages to deny the existence of bread while speaking with a mouth full of sourdough? Probably.
But leverage what you learn, and there will be less of them over time. And soon the issue is no longer a hot topic, but lukewarm and tepid. And people’s decisions won’t be identity statements, just something that gets done.
#235 Toddler Bed Time
23 August 2021 // San Diego, California
I’m absolutely loving an article that was featured in Patagonia’s email newsletter this week.
All on raising kids to be brave and kind go-getters. My favorite bit from the article:
“I’m hoping my children will begin to understand the interconnectedness of all things and that they will see that what we do in our backyard and on our local water has an impact on rivers, forests and oceans the world over.”
#236 Stuffed Friends
24 August 2021 // San Diego, California
If you’re committed to making meaningful change, you’ve gotta have thick skin and a soft heart. I’ve always felt that.
These things almost feel like they’re in conflict. How do you thicken your skin up against those who love power and push vitriol while being able to pivot to tenderness when around the vulnerable? How do you stomach all the stories of suffering without either being totally calloused or sunk by compassion fatigue?
I’ll let you know when I find that simple answer. For now, I’ll just say that I’ve found the stories and snapshots coming from Afghanistan this week totally crushing. I absolutely cannot imagine passing a two year old over a fence not knowing what comes next, not knowing when you see her again, or if.
I remember feeling and sharing similar things about Syria quite a while ago. I remember hearing from somebody that a lot of good happens in that part of the world, and not to be sunk by the one-sided stories told by the media. I’m pretty sure that person hasn’t seen much of that part of the world, but that aside…
Factually, that isn’t wrong. Headlines tend to favor the ugliest events, and there is so much good around the parts of our world we over-associate with terror and violence. My approach to storytelling loves to push against one-sided narratives to tell the fuller story. The Afghan robotics team, the skateboarding girls of Kabul, and so on. And yet, focusing ONLY on the good isn’t helpful either. Especially during a crisis.
Have I found the perfect integration of the heavy and light? Have I gotten the hang of this thick skin, soft heart business? Not even close.
But I know you’ve got to hear people’s stories. When you take the time to really listen, you’ll find the hard and the beautiful are both fully present.
You’ve got to resist easy answers, to know how to check your own optimistic or pessimistic tendencies, and to go beyond headlines.
And let yourself feel the whole thing. The stories of resilience, overcoming, and restoration are real- but you won’t see their full glory without also taking in the brutal and devastating.
#237 Daniel’s Care Package
25 August 2021 // San Diego, California
“In the face of climate change, we must act so that we can feel hopeful—not the other way around”
This was the title/headline of an article Katharine Hayhoe wrote for TIME.
The headline alone captures one of my biggest beliefs about hope.
But the whole article is a must read, so don’t stop there.
In Nepal, folks so strongly understand the link between the heart and mind that there’s one word that packages both. Heartmind, essentially. I feel like we need a similar framework for understanding how hope can’t be detached from action.
#238 Last Day at Caterpillar Room
26 August 2021 // San Diego, California
Moving day was intense, but I’m really happy to have the “big move” taken care of and in the rearview. I’m also overall happy with the new place. All this extra space is much appreciated right off the bat.
I think I underestimated how much I would appreciate this new place and new area- least of all being how many places there are to grab a bite that I just can’t wait to get to.
In the long run, I suppose I’m still eager to look towards wherever we end up next. But for the time being, I’m thankful for this early win. From the looks of things, we’ll be here for one year. One year to enjoy all the good.
#239 Wood Deck Angels
27 August 2021 // San Diego, California
Naomi Osaka shared a whole post with several parts that resonated- including how self-deprecation often gets mistaken for humility, or not burdening yourself with the expectations of others.
One more part that stuck: “Seeing everything going on in the world I feel like if I wake up in the morning that’s a win.”
Isn’t that just true. Start your day with acknowledging that it’s a win and anything that rolls ahead from there is what it is.
#240 Morning Play Table
28 August 2021 // San Diego, California
Some of the biggest changes Rhys has put up with this week:
+ Moving into our new house from the only place he’s ever lived
+ Switching from a crib to a toddler bed
+ Moving up from the Caterpillar Room to the Monkey Room at school
So far the only one he’s had a little trouble with has been the latter- but he largely seems unfazed by how much we’ve thrown at him. I’m impressed.
#241 Lil’ Swimmer
29 August 2021 // San Diego, California
Javy Baez, Kevin Pillar, and Francisco Lindor were some of the most universally beloved ballplayers and fan favorites on their teams prior to joining the Mets.
How does this team keep pulling this off?
#242 Closet Colors
30 August 2021 // San Diego, California
We need to do better than simply praising the resilience of the people who suffer from every natural disaster, from Haiti to Turkey to Louisiana and Mississippi. Yes, these people are resilient, but they’ve been told that a thousand times.
In my book, talking about resilience is maybe a bit better than the blatantly dehumanizing victim images, but both do more harm than help.
In both narratives, we’re washing our hands of our ability, and responsibility, to curb as much suffering as possible.
Yes, people are resilient. But their resilience shouldn’t be called upon again and again. Let’s talk about solutions. Let’s talk systemic failures and changes that need to happen. Let’s talk historical context behind these vulnerabilities.
#243 Studio Light Test
31 August 2021 // San Diego, California
I talk about climate for a living and it’s been such a relentless month when it comes to that. And I’ve been at a distance from those living through the hurricane in Louisiana and Mississippi, the wildfires in Turkey, the unbreathable air in the northern states, or the climate induced famine in Madagascar.
When the IPCC Report was released the other week, declaring a Code Red for humanity, it was sobering- but not all that surprising to those who’ve been working on climate solutions up close for a little while. Working in a solutions-oriented space can be frustrating sometimes, when it feels like people put up so much resistance to change, when it seems like it takes moving mountains to get people to simply enact readily available solutions.
But, climate anxiety and a belief and passion for climate solutions co-exist. In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen someone truly engaged in solutions who doesn’t feel both pretty strongly. But when you choose to actually engage the solutions rather than giving into fatalism, you get to be around those people. You get to weather days with hurricanes and scientific reports together, and you also get to be wowed and inspired by their brilliance and grit.
I suppose all this is a long winded way of saying the real treasure is the friends you make along the way, but… y’know.
We’re all living through this crisis, and there’s no way I’d rather face it than leaning into solutions alongside other passionate and engaged people.