Checking out Ovenbird Bakery after eating their cookies at good neighbor for years.

Alon is dead on about the impact actions like Hochul has on civil service. One reason I was confident about leaving my job at the Rhode Island Department of Education was watching a change in governor lead to a disinterested, uninvolved Board of Education whose goal was “halt”.

My unpopular opinion that I think a lot of people like me hold is that Biden has been a remarkably effective president who would have been better served by not running and letting a younger, more energetic, break-from-the-current-shit, candidate run on extolling his presidency.

I definitely did not intend to buy this amp today.

So, uh, now that I have an amp with an effects loop for the first time in like, 18 years, what are your favorite modulation and time-based effects? Also, what’s your favorite Klon clone?

I think my experience on Micro.blog is very different than other people because of how few accounts I follow. I click on people’s profiles and see hundreds and even thousands of people they’re following that I am not. I follow about 100 accounts, probably 70 of them are dead from the early days.

Writing music again feels so good.

I’m not normally one for full media blackouts, but for the love off god I’m an adult can you give me one day to watch new Star Wars before filling every timeline and news article with your takes?!

You know you’re old when you go “Whoa that was a great neck crack,” followed immediately by, “I hope I didn’t just fuck my spine.”

Hot take: Apple News is good.

Hochul is a coward for holding up congestion pricing.

When I wrote about how it’s sometimes hard to be undecided or hold a complex view on the internet, I also noted:

Shame is a powerful social and cultural tool to shape behavior. Norms are powerful. I think it’s great that most people can’t and won’t talk about members of the LGBTQ community the way we used to because you’ll be immediately shamed and dragged. I am perfectly happy at times to directly confront someone and ask if they’ve really thought about the consequences of what they’re saying or expressing.

I felt like I had to say that for two reasons.

1. Many bad actors who complain about “cancel culture” are actually just trying to avoid accountability for their own actions.
2. I thought it was important to note that there are times when I draw the line for myself on accountability.
3. I think one of the most challenging parts of being confronted with people outside of your community is that communities define where those lines are. Online, we’re all largely shoved into each other’s communities. Our bubbles are constantly overlapping and bouncing into each other.

The last time I confronted someone in this way on the internet was about LGBTQ issues, so it was easy to pull out that example. I directly told someone:

I have to tell you, this level of dedication to this view point presents a lack of compassion and empathy that is almost breathtaking.

When they didn’t respond well, I wrote a bit more. But the part I wanted to focus on was the last sentence in that ultimate reply:

I hope you consider this with fresh eyes and a more open heart in the future.

I do feel that way. I think part of why the idea of “cancellation” has become so popular is we have a standard operating procedure for excluding someone. Heck, in this case, I’m actually transitioning a service related to this conversation.

But, it’s a lot harder to know what forgiveness looks like. What does acceptance later look like? I don’t really know. Most of the people who complain about getting cancelled actually face no consequences, so this is a moot point. The worst that happens is a very small, specific set of people never forget, and don’t ever really forgive. There’s an entire category of meme post which is the bad apology (always an Apple Notes screenshot), followed by the outrage at that apology, and typically followed by at least one or two more rounds of bad apologies trying to correct. If we knew how to do this, it wouldn’t be so awkward.

I have done things or said things that have probably irreparably damaged by my reptutation and relationship with those that were around for it. My life has moved on, there are many people who have met a better person than I was because I felt that shame, embraced it, and learned from it. I think in a lot of those cases, if I ran into those folks today, I’d like to believe I would not fall into past patterns. I’d like to believe I’d show myself for who I am today, and that this person is better than I was then. And I hope I’d be, if not forgiven, then offered a little more acceptance.

To even have a shot at all this, it’s important to acknowledge, stop, listen, learn, grow, and often, make amends.

I think that works “in real life”, but I’m not sure it works nearly as well online. And that’s tough.

I still owe a post about my stats from 10 years of tracking flights, but I’ve just been too lazy to do it this work week.

I haven’t used the pedals from any of these builders, and I’m showing up with money burning a hole in my pocket. What should I check out?

I understand why people prefer Spotify, but I’m glad I swapped when Apple One became a thing and Spotify no longer made financial sense. The current price increase just makes that more true.

I have slept more than 7 hours only 10 of the last 40 nights.

Woof.

Hrm. Every ProCat Rat in one pedal…

Vacation is over. I’m back with a lot on my mind. I’m glad I am fortunate enough to have another vacation planned in less than than two months.

Some of my favorite tracks are deep album cuts of 90s and early 2000s pop rock no one is supposed to hear. I feel like those tracks don’t really exist anymore.

I started this habit at ten years old when I bought Third Eye Blind’s self-titled album and used to jump to track 9.

I think there is a perception that companies are just adding AI features for no reason at all. Putting aside that there is a way to build features with solid utility, our customers are asking us practically every time what our plan is. It’s an expectation.

I just can’t stop thinking about buying a Vox AC10 or AC15 and Marshall SV20C. I need neither. I want both. And some pedals. And a Tele. And an LP.

Thinking about McCain saying, “No, ma’am,” when a Fox-pilled supporter called Obama an “Arab” (quoted because she meant it as an insult and not merely a fact).

In that moment, we witnessed the future of the GOP.

Imagine if I was talking about McCain.

Tomorrow I’m planning on writing a blog post about 10 years of tracking my flights. Sneak peek, top line number: 474 flights.

What do you want to know?

I haven’t looked at my work email, Slack, or anything for 7 days for the first time in more than 10 years.

Any time I visit a US city, all I see is the ruinous impact of car culture.