so yeah about that time I passed judgement on reMarkable-as-journal way back in Sunday's newsletter

A conversation with my closest friend brought me round to reconsidering it and I can report that, in spite of a few hiccups, the reMarkable is not only my journal again, but something different, something I had in the back of my head that I wanted to do but never knew how to do until now: a combination of my journal with my planner/timeblocking and – and here's the big change, thanks to the advantages of continuous scroll digital notes – my rough drafts / thinking vomits of the day's work: this is, i think, the best representation of my day and my brain – one that cannot be replicated on paper and one that takes advantage of the remarkable's unique abilities.

Taking it one step further: I've since combined all of this with Obsidian's Daily Notes feature, making a PDF of the previous day's scroll and embedding it on the sheet made for the day, along with that day's Attendance Card and accompanying alt text. I then add tags (or copy them from the ones I give in reMarkable, as, unfortunately tags aren't imported on a PDF conversion).

Result being a happy think place that combines the best of analog (oh, that Lamy EMR pen) and digital (continuous scroll FTW) to create something i didn't know i wanted or needed until now I can't imagine working without it.

Insert obligatory newsletter link.

but what i really want to do is…

Recognizing, as I toil away at this Main Thing, that, were I able to draw (I gave up on finding collaborators after two decades of false starts and other innumerable failures) at a level at which I could realize what I'm writing in panel and figure and form (a level, that is, beyond (though not much beyond) my beloved Attendance Cards) as I see it when I'm writing the words, there's no question that 97% of I'm doing now would be comics. Part of the struggle in the writing process of MT is, I think, that I'm trying to capture in words and in rhythm what I'm seeing in silence and failing, to my standards, rather miserably. Solutions, TBD.

flowermove/20230717

Second backyard project of the summer has commenced with the (long-time-coming) moving and downsizing of the biggest flowerbed in the backyard (part of which is visible on the left of the first photo) – weeding it has become more trouble than it's worth: shifting half to the pond's edge to make a full round of daylilies, with K's pergola outdoor-room and pond at the center, while the other half will remain and be shaped as the very large and immovable plants dictate.

Managed to get the first soil / topsoil coat / churn and rocks transplanted to form the edge today. Remainder of topsoil + another churn next. And then the transplanting…

good mail day

note to self / 20230717

If I'm lucky, perhaps this summer will be the summer that I learn my lesson: that it's ok to take time away, to work less, because eventually, I will want to work more again. It – whatever it is – needs space to become what it wants to become. Case in point: after reducing my worktime to one workblock per day, the vast majority of the last half hour being spent in the pangs of diabetically-mandated hunger, I've come back 'round to wanting to work twice a morning, two 90-minute blocks, my preferred schedule. Not sure what caused it, other than I was ready to get back to work – and I'm all but certain that I needed the time away to recognize that.

digital zettel-brain, currently

SYMPHONY NO. 107 – THE BARD (MEV, 2023)

Recorded in 2012, this is an utterly compelling improvisatory cacophony rife with nuance and inspiration: it demands attention and rewards with a sonic impressionism. Will be on repeat for awhile – certain I'll find new treasures with every listen.