August newsletter: let yourself go
July? What July?
July had been lost, in a good way. I didn't even send a newsletter in July, nor did I do anything important. No podcasts, no articles, no progress on my new project. It was deliberate and it was nice.
I got myself an inflatable kayak in a desperate attempt to "find that cool thing people do", and yeah, it's pretty cool. I also did some biking, look how serious it was:
But mostly I've been doing fuck all.
Being deliberate is very important, but hard. I struggle with it. General life satisfaction undoubtedly grows with the general deliberateness of actions, even unimportant ones. Being a lazy slob deliberately makes you feel better. Being a lazy slob indeliberately makes you feel like a lazy slob.
August
August was a slightly less relaxed version of July. I made two podcasts and some progress on Codexpanse together with Natasha. And we went for a trip down south. For us, all of mainland Europe is "south".
Every time I leave the Nordics and go to other European countries, I am being reminded of these:
Cash! Goddamn paper money and coins everywhere. In Finland, I can't even remember the last time I've used cash.
Employees! Employees everywhere! Gas stations rarely have card terminals, you have to go to the cashier (who sometimes don't accept cards!). Italian gas stations are my nightmare: there's a special guy who fills your tank. I don't what what "job automation" we're talking about while thousands of people still fill other people's gas tanks in a western country.
Honestly, I just drove away, waving my hand apologetically, and decided I have enough gas to get to Austria :D
Food prices! Oh, man, Finland is expensive. One bottle of wine in Finland = full basket of dinner food + WINE in Germany, Austria and especially Italy.
Lack of space. Finland feels a lot like Canada felt: vast, open spaces, lots of air. Not many people. The nature is vast and accessible. Thanks to Everyman's rights, I feel incredible freedom while exploring the country. In Austria and Italy you can't even camp in most national parks, not to mention just random outdoor areas.
These are just observations, not complaints. I enjoy trips to other countries, but I also love Finland very much, so these trips provide an incredible feeling of getting back home.
Plans
Overall, I am pleased with these relaxed periods. September is going to be a transition into a more productive and less distracted period.
I shall:
- Launch Codexpanse and a few associated projects, finally.
- Launch a new podcast.
- Publish a few of MM podcast episodes.
Let's go!