Total Productivity Distrupion
Total Productivity Disruption
Nothing disrupts a routine like moving, even just moving within one’s own city. Two weeks ago instead of sitting down on a quaint April Saturday morning with an americano in hand to write a newsletter I was busy getting ready for the movers to come. That whole day and the two weeks leading up to it were a wild ride that sidetracked all creative endeavors, my mind was completely incapable of even manifesting the simplest of sentences outside of a text message. Needless to say, I had other things to focus on other than writing stories and newsletter.
However, that doesn’t mean I have nothing to say. Moving is a great way to recontextualize your life, and anybody who has been through one knows that. You pack up your stuff, shed things you don’t need, and reconfigure them into a new living space. The same can be applied to your habits and routines. Within a new space you’re free to start fresh and design different cues to help you fulfill your goals. The new space also provides a new context to celebrate your keystone habits and really pay attention to your less desirable ones. With a new space you can design it to amplify your healthy routines & mitigate the less healthy ones. I recently did this by reconfiguring my office to be more friendly to not just work related activities but side projects as well.
The past month might have momentarily destroyed my routines but its also given me a new framework in which to build new and stronger ones out of the rubble. Which is just a dramatic way of saying that I’m back with more motivation!
Flash Fiction & Short Stories
As you’d expect, my writing output has been minuscule this month. According to my writing tracker I’ve only written 4,125 words this month (not including this newsletter), most of which went to just some short writing exercises to maintain the habit. For context last month I wrote 25,526 words. That’s an 80% reduction in writing! After this newsletter I assume the total to be around 5,500 words. All this is to say that I didn’t write that much, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t written anything. Despite the business & writer’s block I managed to squeeze out two stories to two different writing prompts. I can’t say that they’re my best work, but hey at least I wrote something. Happy reading!
Probable Crimes
Every year we have to sit in waiting rooms within the silence of death. Each and every one of us must be scanned by the Oracle and then evaluated by a judge to see what antisocial acts one might commit. From children to adults we are all judged.
At the Foot of the Slide
Anthony hates water slide. Anthony wants to impress Sophia. Sophia likes water slides. I bet you can see where this is going. In a moment of bravery Anthony gets over his phobia and hurls him down the slide. However, he doesn’t end up quite where he expected to be.
Recommendations
What I’ve Read
The Good Karma Telephone Booth by Dr. Vitello
Let’s rewind time a bit, back to mid-March. The weather is great and South by Southwest is happening here in Austin. I’m walking around downtown when I see this guy on the side 5th & Congress sitting at a card table with a pile of books on it. Besides the stack of books sits a diorama with faux green grass and another book, the same as the one found in the stacks, just lying upon it. Of course I had to talk to him about his book, and being a supporter of follow indie authors I quickly pull out my Venmo and send him payment for the book.
The Good Karma Telephone Booth is a big book with perhaps one of the biggest ensemble casts I’ve ever read in a book. The book is also 100% totally my style: it’s weird, it’s psychedelic, and it’s highly experimental. The closest book I’ve read that I could compare it to is Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. The story follows a cast of characters and their interconnected stories that intersect in ways you might not even expect. From a chef who’s accused of attacking the mayor, to an aspiring young reporter with a drug addiction, to carpet guru who hasn’t gotten out from under a rug in over 40 years, to a desert tribe turned into cacti. The Good Karma Telephone Booth is a wild adventure and I’m so happy that I decided to walk around SXSW that day and just so happen to run into Dr. Vitello selling his debut novel off of a card table. My only regret is not asking him to sign my copy because I seriously think that this book could be a cult hit.
What I’ve Listened To
synthwave radio 🌌 - beats to chill/game to from Lofi Girl
In our household we always have Lofi Girl on in the background. The music from that channel is just great for providing a great laid back ambiance around the house. However, earlier this month the folks over at Lofi Girl introduce a new station staring her male counterpart, “sythwave boy” (or Synthwave Dave as I like to call him). I’m a big fan of artist like Tycho for their relaxing instrumentals over driving beats and this new synthwave station captures the feel of Tycho and many others to provide an energizing-yet-still-relaxing soundtrack. Hell I’m even listening to it as I’m writing this newsletter!
What I’ve Watched
6 Pieces of Lost Media You Should Know About (from Reddit) by kylie
Lost media has become my latest obsession. There’s just something about there being pieces of media that seem to have disappeared even within our digital age. From warehouse fires burning down archives of old films in Hollywood to nostalgic commercials or even websites that have completely wiped everything either intentionally or not, there are pieces of media out there that have completely disappeared from us. Which goes to say, I’ve been on a YouTube binge of videos talking about these missing media. YouTube kylie is by far my favorite of those covering this topic. If lost media fascinates you I recommend checking out her videos and by heading on over to /r/LostMedia for more cases of media that has seemingly vanished.
That’s it!
Thank you for reading this edition of Dispatches from Quadrant Nine. See you in two weeks for another edition! For more, you can follow me on Substack, Instagram, Twitter, and Reddit. I also have a small subreddit dedicated to discussing all my writing over at /r/QuadrantNine that you can subscribe to. There’s also my writing website where I post writing updates and short stories, and my personal blog where I share my own musings occasionally.
See you in the next edition!