Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, #becauseMonday, inspiration, Thoughts on March 24, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Mondays, man. I don’t even have the energy to write an interesting intro, so it’s time for some…
/checks roster of funny items set aside to use on days when the vroom vroom fails me
Because they send an adorable and also hopeful message: if we try hard, we can fix what’s broken.
* * *
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, inspiration, Thoughts on March 12, 2025| 2 Comments »
A great warhorse comes upon a tiny sparrow lying on its back with its feet in the air, eyes squinched tightly shut. The horse asks what it’s doing.
“I’m trying to help hold back the darkness,” replied the sparrow.
The horse roars with laughter. “That’s pathetic. What do you weigh, about an ounce?”
And the sparrow replies, “Well, one does what one can.”
— fable, recounted by Anne Lamott
* * *
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, goals, inspiration, Thoughts, values on March 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”
— Michelangelo
* * *
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, inspiration, living, Thoughts on March 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“The whole point is to live life and be—to use all the colors in the crayon box.”
— RuPaul
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, ideas, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on March 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Have convictions. Be friendly. Stick to your beliefs as they stick to theirs. Work as hard as they do.
— Eleanor Roosevelt
* * *
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, art, creativity, current events, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on February 23, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Storytelling is good for so many things: entertainment, shared cultural touchstones, lessons from elders, or other instruction manuals for living. Even so, speculative fiction has always been burdened by accusations that it is less able to comment on reality than, say, literary fiction.
I disagree.
In fiction or nonfiction, no matter the genre or approach, storytelling is always, always, grounded in the cultural currents from which it springs. It’s how we pass on what’s important, even if it isn’t always “real.” Whether it shows us futures to avoid, goals to achieve, values of importance or daily ways to survive, the work’s foundation always reflects its context.
On a related note, here’s a short document on surviving difficult times, written in the form of an RPG-style guide. It wouldn’t surprise me to see an actual game follow soon.
Because life and art are two facets of the same die. And we’re all just players, trying to level up.
“The idea that any of us can do everything is instant failure. We all have our own skill sets and our own passions and we will accomplish the most if each of us works within those arenas to do what we’re already good at, what we already care about. You don’t have to do it all. Just a little.”
— Bree Bridges
* * *
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, good people doing good work, inspiration, kindness, taxes, Thoughts on February 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »
I recently had a bit of tax-related drama. I believe I’ve mentioned that I pay taxes in two countries, and that doing said taxes can be a bit of a pain. That’s particularly true when one receives unexpected mail from a tax agency requesting a complicated document within a given time frame.
All fine and good, except when the request gets stuck in the mail during a postal strike and that deadline is now looming.
I reached out to my accountant in a bit of a panic and heard back from her right away. Not only was she familiar with the form that needed to be filled out, but she could do it that day.
The whole process took about an hour in an otherwise unremarkable afternoon, but it brought home the value of people who are able and willing.
I wrote a note thanking her for being an absolute treasure.
Accounting is her profession, of course, and maybe this wasn’t a big deal for her. That said, her timely and thoughtful help was a big deal for me.
In a world that is often dark, it’s worth trying to bring a little light.
The nice part? This isn’t about heroism or constant perfection. It’s about doing what you can, where you can.
If we can do that, we can all be treasures too.
* * *
Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, innovation, inspiration, quantum, science, Thoughts on February 16, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Some days you realize that yes, we really are living in the future. Point in case:
Oxford Scientists Say They’ve Achieved Quantum Teleportation
Researchers at the University of Oxford say they’ve achieved quantum teleportation — stitching together separate quantum computers to run an algorithm collaboratively, across a distance, in a “breakthrough” they say could lead to powerful quantum supercomputers.
Still lots to do on the road to practicality, of course, but how cool is that?
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, artists, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on February 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“If l’d waited to know who I was or what I was about before I started ‘being creative,’ well, I’d still be sitting around trying to figure myself out instead of making things. In my experience, it’s in the act of making things and doing our work that we figure out who we are. You’re ready. Start making stuff.”
* * *
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, family, home, inspiration, music on February 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »
This one’s for my father, who introduced us to Saturday Night Live and to music.
Questlove’s Fantastic Video Mix of 50 Years of SNL Music
Oh this is just delightful: for the opening of his documentary film on the history of music on SNL he co-directed with Oz Rodriguez, Questlove produced what the NY Times calls “a high-speed, six-minute DJ mix of SNL music highlights”. So. Good.
There’s a link to the video in the article. It’s mostly blurred but the audio is still playable (you can watch the full video on Peacock if you have it; I don’t but the audio was still fun).
* * *
J.R. Johnson 
You must be logged in to post a comment.