Time for another music log because it is Friday. I deem this the Oh, Weatherly edition. This is a new band that I have recently discovered in Spotify. They seem to be fairly new, the band was formed back in 2015. Their bio on Spotify lists them as an alternative/rock band, but IMO their songs have a hint of emo in them, at least the ones in this log.
First up is the song “Without my Ring (I Think I Want You)”. I do not know what they call this in the music industry, but this was a clever remake of their own original “I think I Want You” song. What I love about this song is the story; this song is about a guy trying to resist the temptation of another woman, because he is already married. From the lyrics it sounds like they obviously had a past, but they didn't end up together. I don't think a lot of songs cover this kind of narrative where someone is trying to stay faithful to their partner.
Finished reading this book last night and I thought I'd share my thoughts on it.
Why did I pick up this book?
Months ago, I was at the bookstore looking for An Echo of Things to Come and King of Thorns, but I couldn't find either of those two books. So I started looking for another one to buy. I've read Tom Clancy's The Hunt for Red October and really liked it, so I thought I'd get another one of his books. I'm also a fan of military themed novels so this was right up my alley.
What did I like about this book?
Tom Clancy can describe scenes so well with his writing. The firefight at the start of the story for instance, was very descriptive. I could picture Jack Ryan going through the motions, as if I was watching a TV show or movie.
The investigative work of law enforcement personnel was also an interesting read. Years before I saw ballistics being used in CSI, Tom Clancy has already described the process in his book that was published in 1987.
Why do I keep a work journal at the office?
I was looking up “journals” and found a blog post from a software developer who kept a work journal. I thought it was interesting and decided to give it a try. A few weeks after, I read Cal Newport's books and found out that he too kept a journal at work. So that was even more incentive to keep one.
What do I use as a work journal?
I have a medium sized, ruled, Moleskine 007 Limited Edition notebook. It has rounded corners, an elastic band to keep it closed and comes with a bookmark ribbon. I bought it at Barnes and Noble. Other stores carry Moleskine notebooks, but only Barnes and Noble seem to offer the limited edition ones.
I was trying to write something more substantial to post today, but I ran out of time on my lunch break, so I'll settle for a music log today. I usually share 3 songs, on my last log I only had 1, but today I have 4.
Let's start off with “Keep You With Me” by Hot Chelle Rae. This is a pop-rock song that is more pop than rock, but it has a very catchy melody and is a good one. If you are in a long distance relationship, this is the song for you.
This week has been headlined by shortness of breathe due to nasal allergies triggered by something in my car, most likely something wrong with my car's air conditioner. The car is at the shop now getting the AC checked. Anyway it is Friday, so time for another music log.
I only have 1 song lined up for today, but it is a really good one. This one you can sing to your significant other. It is “You 'N Me” by Jason Lancaster.
Cause it's just you and me
And you smile so only I can see
And every second's better than before
And I can't wait to see the ones in store
Cause when you sing I sing
And if the sun goes down on me
Then I will know that I was loved at least
The puzzle that was once my heart you've pieced
Into a beautiful display of how specifically I needed you
And even when it's darkest you have me
What a beautiful song! I dedicate this song to my wife while I listen to it at work.
If you don't know who Jason Lancaster is, he used to sing for Mayday Parade back when they were just starting out, back when emo music was still popular. He left Mayday Parade and formed another band, Go Radio, and wrote some really good songs with that band as well. He then left Go Radio and released a solo album, which is where this song comes from. No matter what band he was in, or if he's singing solo, Jason sings with a lot of heart and writes really good lyrics. I am a fan and am hoping he comes up with another album in the future.
There are a few fronts on which our attention is being assaulted. First off, there’s just a massive surplus of stuff to pay attention to. And the more crap there is to pay attention to, the more difficult it is to choose what to focus on—not to mention stay focused on it!
So, the first and most important goal of an attention diet should be to consciously limit the number of distractions we’re exposed to. Just as the first step of a nutritional diet is to consume less food, the first step of an attention diet is to consume less information.
– Mark Manson
Digital Minimalism is making it's way around the web and I like Mark Manson's take on it. I think calling it The Attention Diet is also a clever idea. If you have not read Cal Newport's Digital Minimalism book, this post can serve as some kind of head start to cutting out digital distractions and taking back your attention.
Geez. As if I need more reasons to feel bad about not getting enough sleep. I know I need to work at altering my schedule to get more sleep, but I thought that getting at least 6 hours of sleep was an improvement. Apparently it is not.
And since I'm already talking about sleep and how I'm not getting enough of it, here's another scary article from Wired:
The book mentioned in the Wired story is already on my list of books to read. Regardless, I don't think reading that book will automatically make me sleep 8 hours a night. The fact of the matter is, my Fitbit says I am only averaging 5-6 hours of sleep per week. I need to find a way to get 2-3 more hours of sleep a night.
It's Friday so let's do another music log before the weekdays slip by. Half of this day has been spent fixing SQL scripts and doing code reviews. It is a blessing to be able to listen to good music in between. I would deem this music log a “pop-punk/emo-pop” edition, but the last song is a little too heavy to be considered pop-punk :)
To start it up, we have “Into Your Arms” by The Maine. Love this song, takes me back to my college years.
For a week or two before I started my digital de-clutter phase, I was trying to figure out which pocket notebooks to get. The idea being that they will take the place of my smartphone if I needed to take notes. The idea on top of that was to reduce my smartphone usage even more; by not using it to take notes. And by not using my smartphone to take notes, I won't even need to pull it out of my pocket or drawer or wherever it is at, thereby lessening the chance it will distract me during the day. When I finally tried it out in the real world, the results surprised me.
I thought I would challenge myself to read more books this year. I decided to set the bar low and aim for completing just 5 books. I consider 5 books a low bar because from what I’ve seen online, other people can finish 5 books in just a few months. I on the other hand, probably have read maybe 2 books, most likely just 1 book per year, for the past decade.
