Blogging
- Wrote about how I don’t do resolutions anymore.
Coding
Everytime a bell rings, scores of web developers decide to redesign their website…or something like that.
This month I decided to make my latest site redesign public—warts and all. Pardon the mess, this is me migrating from Eleventy to Astro (a breeze), and using Tailwind on a personal project for the first time (jury’s still out).
Snow Days
We don’t get very many snow days down this way. I’m a bit grumpy about it happening anymore, but I love how happy it makes the kiddos.
This month it snowed twice, about two weeks apart. The six year old had been waiting for it to happen for a long time. The last time it snowed this much (2 inches), he was only two.
This also marked the first experience of snow our two year old (who was awestruck), as well as our 1.5 year-old dog, who completely flipped with excitement.
Despite losing power the night after the first snowfall (our house = Elsa’s castle), it was a nice change. And despite my grumpiness, I got through it.
Work
I’ve always been very careful how I showcase the band through its marketing. When you have an audience of 750,000+ on social media alone, you’ve got to take care.
One result of this is that I’ve always stayed away from memes. I never thought that sort of thing fit the band’s vibe.
It would be one thing if it were coming from an individual member; then it would reflect a part of their personality and sense of humor, which is a fun and quirky way to engage with the audience.
In representing the band as a whole (and trying to keep the focus on the music), I didn’t see how memes could fit.
But after deciding to just go for it, I posted some “trial balloons” last fall. And who-da thunk it, they worked. To a tremendous degree. Not only could memes be a part of our online conversation and marketing efforts, but they could be incredibly effective at upping engagement and increasing our follower counts.
My aversion sounds silly in retrospect. But that’s me. First I dip my toe in, then take copious notes, etc.
So I make memes now. Some work incredibly well, and others not so much. But we received a lot of positive feedback, and I’m happy to continue on doing it if the fans get a kick out of it.
Books
- Karla’s Choice by Nick Haraway LeCarre’s son steps up with a continuation of Smiley’s story. I had to return this to the library before I could finish. But I can’t wait to get it back when it becomes available again.
- Touch by Elmore Leonard A “blessed” recovering Franciscan tries to find his place in the world and spread a little empathy along the way.
- A Man Names Doll by Jonathan Ames After listening to Ames on the Jordan Jesse Go Podcast a couple weeks ago, I decided to give it a go. Overall I really liked this noirish private detective story, the first in a continuing series.
Movies
- Petite Maman (2021)
- The Truffle Hunters (2020)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Music
- Sun Ra Lanquidity
- Katy Kirby Blue Raspberry