That time back in December 2020 when I designed my own crown molding on paper with a compass. A project that never happened, but I was prepared. Also, I do sorely miss my old workshop.

Grateful Log for Fri, 29 Dec 2023

1. Full day with Mozzie yesterday
2. Future focus providing present clarity
3. Time scheduled today for my annual planning meeting (with myself)

Grateful Log for Thu, 28 Dec 2023

1. Catching up on sleep
2. Lots of family time this week
3. Finishing one book and starting another

🧘 Entering that annual headspace of reflecting and planning, thinking and writing. Will settle in for a few days.

🧘 Entering that annual headspace of reflecting and planning, thinking and writing. Will settle in for a few days.

Grateful Log for Wed, 27 Dec 2023

1. The help of family with the massive influx of leather Christmas orders.
2. A good Christmas celebrated over the past few days.
3. 2023 coming to a close, looking forward to the start of a new year.

😶‍🌫️ Slowly exiting the fog of the last two weeks.

😶‍🌫️ Slowly exiting the fog of the last two weeks.

My last customer order of 2023. “Off” until January 2nd. Christmas stuff the next few days then writing/thinking/planning for 2024 the rest of the week.

The Christmas order rush is over. Will slowly begin to come back “online”. Insane updates to provide eventually once the dust has settled a bit.

Likely going radio silent for the next week or so. Intense tunnel vision and focus has been enabled.

Grateful Log for Sun, 10 Dec 2023

1. Continuing to chip through the list
2. Good sleep
3. Coffee

🛀 Soaked in a hot bath last night, felt nice. The next 9 days are going to be crazy.

🛀 Soaked in a hot bath last night, felt nice. The next 9 days are going to be crazy.

One product I offer as part of my leather goods business is hand cut cigar matches (to go with the leather cigar cases). They are quite popular, which I never expected. Each one is whittled individually by hand.

✋ My hands are physically tired from all of the leather Christmas orders I've been working on. Such a great feeling, actually...but I am looking forward to having shipped the last one and taking a short break :-)

✋ My hands are physically tired from all of the leather Christmas orders I've been working on. Such a great feeling, actually...but I am looking forward to having shipped the last one and taking a short break :-)

Grateful Log for Fri, 08 Dec 2023

1. Restful sleep
2. In bed before midnight
3. Made a ginger bread house last night with Mozzie

🍵 Tea with a bit of desk work.

🍵 Tea with a bit of desk work.

🚿 Today shall be improved from yesterday by the simple act of taking a shower. That and eating breakfast.

🚿 Today shall be improved from yesterday by the simple act of taking a shower. That and eating breakfast.

Grateful Log for Thu, 07 Dec 2023

1. Chipping away at the list
2. Hitting goals
3. A good time with Mozzie last night

Grateful Log for yesterday (written but forgot to publish it) Wed, 06 Dec 2023

1. Not being stressed, trusting the process.
2. 8 hours of sleep
3. Massage yesterday

😴 Time to sleep.

😴 Time to sleep.

🧘‍♂️ Not stressing... :-)

🧘‍♂️ Not stressing... :-)

Grateful Log for Tue, 05 Dec 2023

1. Catching up with life-long friends over dinner last night
2. Optimistic state of mind
3. Another chance to do better today

Woke up after only a few hours of sleep, too much to do and too much on my mind to fall back to sleep. Another hour or two would be ideal, so haven’t crawled out of bed yet…

🌿 Overdosing on zinc, vitamins c and d, honey, water, celery juice, and of course coffee. body can just get rid of what it doesn't need, otherwise want to make sure it has more than usual for the next few weeks.

🌿 Overdosing on zinc, vitamins c and d, honey, water, celery juice, and of course coffee. body can just get rid of what it doesn't need, otherwise want to make sure it has more than usual for the next few weeks.

One thing I am quite consistent with each day and week is tracking my time. Each Monday I load in entires I know will happen (i.e. are scheduled), which includes family time. I look for family time to be between 35 and 40 hours each week.

✏️ Planning the day and week ahead.

✏️ Planning the day and week ahead.

Grateful Log for Mon, 04 Dec 2023

1. Another 8 hours of sleep
2. A day to rest yesterday
3. A new week

🍪 Choosing to not work through orders today, need to rest as I'm already feeling a bit run down from the current pace of work. Will be back at it tomorrow. Baking instead, some knitting, football, paperwork, etc.

🍪 Choosing to not work through orders today, need to rest as I'm already feeling a bit run down from the current pace of work. Will be back at it tomorrow. Baking instead, some knitting, football, paperwork, etc.

Grateful Log for Sun, 03 Dec 2023

1. Chipping through the Christmas order list
2. 8 hours of sleep (been a while…)
3. A clean apartment

Grateful Log for Fri, 01 Dec 2023

1. New set of tires on my car
2. Doing my best to plan and work ahead
3. Mozzie Face Timed me last night, he was digging through my flight bag.

Grateful Log for Thu, 30 Nov 2023

1. Played more hangman last night with Mozzie and Lindsay
2. Drove out to see one of the more “crazy” Christmas houses in the area
3. A day ahead to be focused

Grateful Log for Wed, 29 Nov 2023

1. Christmas lights on the upper portion of my workbench
2. Good time hanging out with Mozzie last night, taught him how to play hangman
3. More good sleep

Grateful Log for Tue, 28 Nov 2023

1. A strong sales day yesterday
2. Restful sleep
3. Good coffee

Grateful Log for Mon, 27 Nov 2023

1. Good weekend with Mozzie
2. Early start to the day and week ahead
3. Managing pain

☕ No time like the present.

☕ No time like the present.

Tough time staying asleep. Too much on my mind. Will hopefully sleep better later tonight.

Tough time staying asleep. Too much on my mind. Will hopefully sleep better later tonight.

Grateful Log for Sat, 25 Nov 2023

1. The work day yesterday: made and shipped 11 orders.
2. Saturday: will be working, but it is a different feeling, a slower pace.
3. The passing of time.
4. How refreshing colder temps can be (my younger self never would have thought such a thing).

Took Star for a walk today 🐶

I don’t usually “market” my leather goods here, but if you are interested in receiving an email that is intended as marketing 🙂 you may sign up here. I’ll be sending an email out later today (which may only be my second or third this year).

For my dad’s 63rd birthday (cow brand is ‘63’ - which is just perfect).

🥱 Tired but have goals to hit before taking Thursday off for Thanksgiving.

🥱 Tired but have goals to hit before taking Thursday off for Thanksgiving.

Today’s workbench.

More leather oven mitts

☕️ Lots of coffee today

Grateful Log for Mon, 20 and Tue, 21 Nov 2023

1. Excellent day with Mozzie on Sunday
2. Slowly coming out of last week’s funk
3. Decorating for Christmas
4. Cold outside today
5. Massage yesterday
6. Being a bit more aware of my “wellbeing” than I have been in the past

Audio file is included and it is also on youtube.

😔 Have been in an absolutely terrible state of mind since Wednesday night. Hoping putting up the small amount of Christmas decorations I have, baking chocolate chip cookies, and watching a Christmas movie will help.

😔 Have been in an absolutely terrible state of mind since Wednesday night. Hoping putting up the small amount of Christmas decorations I have, baking chocolate chip cookies, and watching a Christmas movie will help.

🍞 Baked

☕ Going to be a heavy coffee day.

☕ Going to be a heavy coffee day.

😶‍🌫️ Hiding today.

😶‍🌫️ Hiding today.

A few better shots of the custom leather cigar case I finished and shipped last week.

Grateful Log for Wed, 15 Nov 2023

1. No meetings this morning to interrupt things
2. Finished another Christmas scarf
3. Time with Mozzie last night

Audio file is included, non-youtube video is in the full post, and it is also on youtube.

Grateful Log for Tue, 14 Nov 2023

1. On schedule (though it will be short lived 🙂)
2. Making quick ideas
3. Waking up feeling rested

Audio file is included, non-youtube video is in the full post, and it is also on youtube.

Quick idea I had while out for my walk this morning.

Here’s the video, me talking over a time lapse of making a leather oven mitt from start to finish. This links to the product page, video is at the top of the description. Enjoy!

Just put together a video talking through my process for making the leather oven mitts. Will share here shortly.

Grateful Log for Mon, 13 Nov 2023

1. Great family and football weekend
2. A new week!
3. Baking with Mozzie yesterday before Church

Audio file is included, non-youtube video is in the full post, and it is also on youtube.

💤 Weekend was very good but very full...may need a power nap to push through the afternoon.

💤 Weekend was very good but very full...may need a power nap to push through the afternoon.

The soft pretzels Mozzie and I made this morning. They were an absolute hit at the family/football gathering! A recipe that will be repeated.

🥞 Making pancakes this morning and then soft pretzels for the Packers/Steelers game later today.

🥞 Making pancakes this morning and then soft pretzels for the Packers/Steelers game later today.

Grateful Log for Sat, 11 Nov 2023

1. Finished all of the extras for a large order, shipping today!
2. Challah was a success
3. Doing things right

Audio file is included, non-youtube video is in the full post, and it is also on youtube.

Will get better photos tomorrow in natural light, but man! I am jealous of my customer receiving these in the mail shortly!

And finished! Will taste one tonight! Braids were not quite tight enough but am happy with how these have turned out so far.

Time to bake!

🍞 First up for the day: making challah (will be my first time).

🍞 First up for the day: making challah (will be my first time).

Grateful Log for Fri, 10 Nov 2023

1. Knowing what to do and when to do it
2. Morning walks this week, becoming routine
3. Sharing the loaf of bread I made yesterday

Audio file is included, non-youtube video is in the full post, and it is also on youtube.

📽️ Another late work night, which is ok. Home Alone playing in the background.

📽️ Another late work night, which is ok. Home Alone playing in the background.

Each of my leather oven mitts are dual-lined. In addition to the leather, which certainly offers some heat resistance, is a layer of bamboo batting and insulated thermal lining. I’ve used them up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit without feeling a thing.

Success

Long shot: By chance, anyone here on m.b who can assist with getting in touch with Athens Airport import custom duty dept…? Trying to get a package released for delivery to a customerer in Athens…

Grateful Log for Thu, 09 Nov 2023

1. Finished assembly of a custom leather project
2. Focused work
3. So many ideas

Additional thoughts regarding work and leisure in the audio/video at the 5:43 mark.

Audio file is included, non-youtube video is in the full post, and it is also on youtube.

🕳️ Now page updated - https://aaronaiken.omg.lol/now

🕳️ Now page updated - https://aaronaiken.omg.lol/now

☺️ Feeling pleased with the unpredictable nature of life.

☺️ Feeling pleased with the unpredictable nature of life.

Just had the city inspectors in my apartment, turned into them inspecting all of my leather tools, equipment, and projects 😂 They said I need to put my stuff on TikTok and Instagram…I know, I know, but I just can’t. I don’t want my brand or work to be a part of that ugly machine.

Hoping to bake another loaf of bread today. Also need to make sure I have on hand what is needed for making the Challah tomorrow.

Late night but worth it. Finished asssembling a custom leather cigar case…I am always surprised at how amazing things like this turn out.

Grateful Log for Wed, 08 Nov 2023

1. Getting my time back
2. Watching “The Grinch” with Mozzie
3. Constantly learning

Audio file is included, non-YouTube version of the video is in the full-post, and it is also on YouTube if you prefer that…options :-)

Grateful Log for Tue, 07 Nov 2023

1. Successfully up and out early
2. Finished another scarf (Christmas gift)
3. Faith

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/68pDJ-FCb…

Grateful Log for Mon, 06 Nov 2023

1. Great weekend with Mozzie
2. Brewing beer
3. Path is becoming clear

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/yYqcoYfjX…

Grateful Log for Sun, 05 Nov 2023

1. Canoeing yesterday
2. Sounds like my dad got a teaching position at a local college/seminary, something he has been working towards for a very long time
3. Making another loaf of bread

Grateful Log for Fri, 03 Nov 2023

It seems that I can’t help but make things complicated 😂 Oh well. Most importantly, I enjoy doing this. It is fun. And it is good to just have fun sometimes.

1. Restful sleep
2. Massage yesterday
3. Remembering that I am a human

Video here if you’d like: youtu.be/0iR9yauPk…

Grateful Log for Thu, 02 Nov 2023

1. Good time at church last night, Boy’s Brigade
2. Up 2 hours before my alarm and feel mostly rested
3. Moving to part-time is just around the corner!

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/LSM4jsswv…

Thrilled with how this leather cigar case turned out with the custom stamp…absolutely thrilled!

Made two of these for Christmas gifts 🧣🧶

Grateful Log for Wed, 01 Nov 2023

1. Trick or treating went well last night
2. The day with Mozzie was a success yesterday
3. It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown 🎃

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/DwtAHGdws…

Grateful Log

1. A good dinner last night
2. Mozzie: Being at the apartment
3. Becoming better at accepting realistic expectations
4. Mozzie: Getting better at Madden
5. The last week of pretend part-time
6. Mozzie: Soda

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/6lQRUH4C8…

Grateful Log

1. Having too much to do
2. Crazy ideas
3. Hanging out with Mozzie yesterday

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/haaX_h0Jm…

Second loaf 🍞

Grateful Log

1. 10 minute walk this morning
2. Airport pickup yesterday, and then the rest of the day, went well
3. Sunday and the Sunday Mindset

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/rRlJ1UBJR…

Grateful Log

1. Dinner with my parents last night
2. Progress
3. Up when I needed to be this morning

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/275BPcfD2…

Yesterday’s Grateful Log (it was a day! Wrote the below in the morning and never published it.)

1. Trusting the process
2. End of the week
3. Have everything I need for making this year’s Christmas gifts

Appreciate this :-) spotted while at the office.

Big box of yarn for this year’s Christmas gifts!

Grateful Log

1. A very productive day yesterday
2. A place and time for everything
3. Finding what I was looking for

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/sDT1x_SnV…

I’ve been doing pretty good lately, maybe just this week 😂, with not working too late. Lots of leather to dye and then finished for the day.

I’m doing it again, accidentally fasting. Stopping now for a late meal to break my unintended fast.

Grateful Log

1. Progress on a large custom leather order
2. Not just remembering what I wanted to do but why I wanted to do it
3. Getting out for morning walks (thanks to having Lucy with me for the week 🐶)

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/_bE1WQnjr…

Grateful Log

1. Reading 📖
2. That loaf of bread that I made…still pleasantly surprised 🍞
3. Christmas music 🎶 🎄

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/Fk0PGqwVI…

Transcript

This color is going to be fun 🤩 “Fall Leaves” 🍂 🧶

Will be reading soon.

Grateful Log

1. Made my first loaf of bread yesterday and the thing turned out
2. Realizing, remembering, that it is never too late
3. Things seeming to align, in my thought processes and in reality

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/SgRxU0ykk…

Transcript

Been non-stop since 6:30 this morning. Haven’t had a chance to write my morning pages yet which has my head in a fog. That is easily the most importantrant part of my day, hoping to slow down here in a moment.

Now I need to make a bread box 🤣

Turned out good for my first! Simple recipe, tastes good 🍞

Trying my hand at baking bread.

Grateful Log

1. Caught up on leather orders yesterday
2. Finished another scarf
3. Made a leather pouch with more letters inside and shipped it down to Mozzie

Starting to read again: A Handmade Life by William S. Coperthwaite 📚

🐶 sleeping all day to recoverer from the fire alarms last night.

Grateful Log

1. Slept great despite the fire alarms last night
2. Delivery of the leather order went well yesterday
3. Mozzie and Lindsay had a safe flight to Florida

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/EOLCkWOMB…

Transcript

Starting the next scarf. Lucy is with me for the week 🐶

Mozzie is on his way down to Florida for a week, he’ll have a great time but I will miss him. He’ll use the leather notepad as a journal and has a few letters to read each day. Will be mailing him more plus another leather pouch for Monday :-)

Quick view into the day.

Tweaks to make but this is the basic idea. Will have the final version in a few weeks.

Grateful Log

1. Great day yesterday with Mozzie
2. Wrapping up a larger order today
3. Today is Friday

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/Fj6B2DsZt…

Prototype in progress for another family item to be replicated.

Grateful Log

1. McDonald’s dinner with Mozzie
2. (Mozzie: Going to bed at 11:30)
3. A forced break before my haircut appointment
4. (Mozzie: Sleeping over)
5. Passing football with Mozzie last night
6. (Mozzie: Soda)

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/h4lZTA191…

Transcript

Grateful Log

1. Massage yesterday
2. Turning off Teams notifications
3. Preparing

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/jycxpfEjq…

Transcript

Starting the next scarf 🧣 Will be making a bunch of these in various colors as Christmas gifts 🧶 🎄

Grateful Log

1. 8 hours of sleep
2. A new week, Monday’s are the best day of the week
3. A fun different day with Mozzie yesterday

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/U1oFjHWmG…

Transcript

Shipping this leather order out today. Will be a fun one to open :-)

• 2 leather fountain pen pouches
• 2 hand-dyed mahogany leather cigar tube cases (with 4 tubes)
• 2 hand-dyed dark brown leather oven mitts
• 150 3.25” hand-cut cigar matches

Grateful Log

A stack of cherry wood parts to eventually become a tool tote (photo from 2020).

1. Making things
2. Finishing large/complex orders
3. Clarity of the future

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/a-Z0fjnap…

Transcript

Grateful Log

1. Late night productivity
2. Good coffee
3. The move from full-time salary to part-time hourly is making progress

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/aJN2I91C_…

Transcript

Tweaking some things.

Grateful Log

1. Finished knitting another scarf, first one since January 2021
2. Time with Mozzie yesterday
3. Positive conversations with Lindsay

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: https://youtu.be/eZbfmVZJM8I

Transcript

Grateful Log

1. Being able to remind myself of my goals, what I am working towards
2. Good evening with Mozzie
3. Morning pages to plan the day

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: https://youtu.be/-DvX7C4XxHQ

Transcript

Grateful Log

1. Getting an early start
2. Having a backup shower head
3. Today is not yesterday

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/E2O2SY828…

Time for more coffee ☕️

Transcript

🌪️ Insane morning so far.

🌪️ Insane morning so far.

Starting a new scarf 🧶

Grateful Log

1. Had a good football weekend with Mozzie
2. Actually had some downtime yesterday
3. Idea for a new leather product

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/FLZih6uul…

Transcript

How and where a lot of my leather ideas start out, after a few days of percolating in my head. Once I get this one to a good spot will likely look for a few folks to beta test.

Outside.

Grateful Log

1. Church
2. The way I’m feeling about things right now
3. Time and space to just be

The custom stamp on this leather cigar case 😍

Grateful Log

1. Massively productive day yesterday
2. Rainy weather today
3. The weekend

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/fdtvGYObV…

Transcript

iPhone 15 Pro Max delivered earlier today and just now setting it up. Starting from scratch this time around.

Long but successful Friday.

Wine and John Wick Chapter 4 now.

Focused day. Catching up on @HemisphericViews as-well :-)

Grateful Log

1. Rediscovering past interests
2. Morning pages
3. Planning, even if late

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/GbVRmj2jM…

Transcript

Grateful Log

1. Excellent sleep last night
2. Having a flexible schedule
3. Striving to keep things simple

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/k4TkMBa_g…

Transcript

Grateful Log

1. Getting closer to having some sense of what the future will look like
2. Bike ride with Mozzie last night
3. Jabbering with him and Lindsay around the kitchen table last night, way past his bed time

Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/9jSIqINdm…

Grateful Log

• Submitting my resignation went well
• Out early to write at the diner before breakfast with my brother
• Honest conversations

(Have begun to roll these into a daily vlog/podcast of sorts, I think :-) Audio file is included, also video here if you’d like: youtu.be/2iMArs4p-…)

Transcript

A few more photos of the leather wallet replica project. First up is one of yours truly measuring and sketching out the original into my notebook earlier this year. Then a few showing the original and replica side-by-side.

☺️ A great day...the resignation part of my day went very well...pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

☺️ A great day...the resignation part of my day went very well...pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

Today is the day I submit my resignation. I’ve been with this company for 10 years but the time has for me to move on. It was never intended to be a 10-year-job and I don’t regret it, but taking my leather business full-time is what I need to do next 🙂

Grateful Log

• Watching football outside with Mozzie and friends yesterday
• Passing football with Mozzie
• Doing stuff with ideas

Like I need another thing to do, but this one will be worthwhile, a podcast of me just jabbering away. Maybe 5-10 minutes max, daily or so. Will also likely throw stuff up on the YouTube for kicks, I’ll have the video so should just use it. Feels good to get back into this “mode”.

Grateful Log

• Ideas I had while trying to fall asleep (I’m also not grateful for this though)
• Passing football with Mozzie up at the Riverfront Park yesterday
• The awesome weather for this weekend
• Happy October 🎃🍂

For those interested, here’s the leather wallet I finished making recently. Includes a longer video discussing the making process.

Initial leather wallets were a hit. Three more have sold locally 🙂

Ready for assembly.

Grateful Log

• Eventually falling asleep
• A day to focus
• More rain

Grateful Log

• More football with Mozzie last night
• And a quick bike ride after dinner!
• Making progress towards taming the chaos in my apartment

Grateful Log

• Coffee
• Phenomenal sleep
• Passing football with Mozzie

Grateful Log

• Getting organized, such a great feeling
• Rainy and colder weather
• Coffee

Grateful Log

• Successful IKEA trip over the weekend
• Final improvements to the apartment to last until I move out in May
• A new week

Grateful Log

• Finding flow
• Knowing what to do next
• Coffee in the morning

Long but good day coming to an end. Sleep is going to be to be a nice break! Have some news to share, probably in a week or so.

It’s that time of year when I rotate through Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movies on in the background while I work.

Grateful Log

• Evening at Church yesterday with Mozzie
• Healthy sleep routine
• The cooler mornings (but still in the sun…I do so miss my Summer mornings outside but appreciate the change in seasons as-well).

I understand the sentiment, but I actually believe to “take back your mind” one needs to simply get out of apps, get off of devices, and simply be.

Grateful Log

• Fresh haircut
• Compliments from a stranger
• Traveling alone

Grateful Log

• Got out for a ride yesterday
• Good sleep
• Being calm

Grateful Log

• Passing football with Mozzie
• Rain
• Getting organized

Before settling into football, going to make a leather case for my study Bible. Been on my mind for a while to do so.

Grateful Log

• Incredible clarity on the immediate future.
• Nice simple bike ride along the river with Mozzie yesterday.
• Breakfast with the “Aiken Men” of the family (a monthly gathering with my dad, uncle, brother, nephew, and Mozzie and I).

And…the wallet! This is the final prototype and I’m very happy with how it turned out. Just a few minor things to tweak. Features hand-waxed thread, completely hand stitched. Dyed by hand, etc etc etc 🙂

Grateful Log

• Friday evenings
• Slowing down on the weekends
• The change in seasons

Thinking wine and Chinese for dinner tonight.

Absolutely thrilled with how this laptop sleeve turned out! Shown with my 13” MacBook Air, also shown with a notebook inside.

Grateful Log

• Great cigar event at the Hill Society last night, awesome time being with friends and making new ones.
• The feeling of having discovered what I’ve been looking for: that thing that aligns passion, skill, and is viable in the market.
• The wallet project…a success :-)

Grateful Log

• Bike ride with Mozzie yesterday.
• His interest in technology.
• The opportunity (coming up) to relate some of my leather processes to something he is learning in school (special guest, homeschool edition).

Chiseled, dyed, and oiled the wallet parts today. Tomorrow is balm and assembly!

Grateful Log

• Time with Mozzie last night.
• Breakfast with my brother yesterday.
• Recovery sleep.

Grateful Log

• Monday was a success!
• Idea in the brain to tangible thing in my hand.
• Writing session at the diner this morning.

In the works.

Grateful Log

• Fun time watching football again yesterday, even though the Steelers (Mozzie’s NFL team) did absolutely terrible. The Packers won though (my NFL team), so I’m happy about that :-)
• MONDAY!!!!!
• A good weekend with Mozzie.

Grateful Log

• Strong sale day yesterday
• Good progress on the wallet project, eager to see how it turns out. (Trying to think of a name for it, for when I offer it as an item in my shop…)
• My college football team (Penn State) and Mozzie’s (Michigan) both won yesterday.

Next steps: map each piece on the leather (calfskin for this project) and cut it out. Then shape and mark everything.

First step is telling the story (the size and location of each part) on a “Story Strap”.

I am so excited to get started on this project. Replicating a wallet from c. 1928 that was carried by my customer’s grandfather. He has the original and wants one for himself and his uncle.

Grateful Log

• Prototype of a custom project sent off to a customer to end the week yesterday.
• Starting the next custom project this morning.
• Cloudy mornings.

Grateful Log

• ☕️ Coffee
• ☀️ Friday
• 🏈 Football

Football on. Using the “downtime” to bulk-prep the paper items included with each leather order.

Grateful Log

• Clouds
• Light
• Breath

Grateful Log

• More monopoly last night
• Fresh haircut
• So many ideas

Grateful Log

• Bonus day with Mozzie yesterday
• Passing football with him
• Approaching change

Grateful Log

• More good family time yesterday
• Shabatt
• Babbling on about things I am excited about and being heard

Grateful Log

• Intentional rest
• Creative rest
• Physical rest

A reminder to be kind to yourself. Forgive yourself. Show yourself some grace. Being flawed, making mistakes, is part of being human. Learn from them, do better next time. Be thankful for your present and hopeful for your future.

Grateful Log

• Great end to the work week yesterday
• Having the time and space to completely focus
• Saturday morning coffee

Grateful Log

• One step at a time
• Informed decisions
• That massage yesterday, everything is back where it should be. Good to go for another three weeks.

Grateful Log

• The colors in the sky this morning with the sunrise
• Using time well (thankful for when I do!)
• Massage later today

New custom project in motion. Prototype time.

Grateful Log

• Random but good evening with Mozzie yesterday
• Diving back into the world of SEO and keywords
• Good days

Grateful Log

• Restful sleep
• Productive day yesterday
• Fear

Grateful Log

• A great birthday party for Mozzie on Saturday with his friends and family.
• A great family day yesterday for his actual birthday.
• He’s 10 and we’ve managed to keep him alive so far and, I think, he’s turning into a pretty good human being.

Grateful Log

• A phenomenal end to the work week yesterday
• Nice dinner out with Mozzie
• Thumb war and arm wrestling

Grateful Log

• My early to bed routine and early to rise routine is working. This is how I used to be and it is good to be back!
• Planning today yesterday.
• Two 1.5 mile walks and one 7.75 mile bike ride get me 600 points in my apple fitness competition with Mozzie. I will win this round!

Grateful Log

• Another early morning
• A good amount of physical activity yesterday
• Reading

Grateful Log

• Early to bed early to rise
• Finding a certain flow in the day
• Encouragement

Grateful Log

• Good evening at the house yesterday, lots of laughs.
• Amazon Seller account was approved (finally!) so now I can apply to their Handmade marketplace.
• Making my apartment a bit more like a “home” for the time we have left with it.

Grateful Log

• A healthy weekend of no work
• A new week ahead
• Remembering who I am

Grateful Log

• Recovery sleep
• Helicopter ride yesterday with Mozzie
• Watched the Steelers pre-season game yesterday

Grateful Log

• A very clear process of the output of one activity being the input for another activity.
• An evening of good music, good drinks, good cigars, and great friends.
• Direction.

Grateful Log

• Clarity on a few projects I have going, specifically beginning to see how they will fold into the “bigger picture”.
• Plain text files.
• The right tool - it just makes things go so much better!

Grateful Log

• Great day yesterday with Mozzie and Lindsay
• Went to bed again when I was tired, what a concept!
• Comfortable shoes

Grateful Log

• Family day today, heading to Knoebels.
• Being Decisive.
• Sitting in full sun.

Grateful Log

• Forward focus
• Shedding old skin
• Being kind to myself

Grateful Log

• Great day with Mozzie yesterday exploring parts of Millersburg, PA.
• Incredibly restful sleep last night.
• Monday - a new week!

Grateful Log

• Crazy ideas
• Finding rhythm
• Breakthroughs

Just had a crazy idea.

Grateful Log

• Great sleep
• Making time to do things right
• Finished making a Jekyll test site and theme that I’ll be using for a few projects

Grateful Log

• Full sun out on the balcony this morning
• A day to mostly focus on a few key items
• Mozzie will be here soon :-)

Grateful Log

• Went to bed last night when I was tired.
• Which means I was able to get up and moving a bit earlier than usual.
• My day yesterday…I worked on stuff I had been putting off, stuff that moves the needle on a goal I hope to accomplish in the next few months.

Grateful Log Pt. 2

• I get to start each day writing. During the Summer months this is usually in full-sun. I wear flip-flops, swim shorts, and a partially unbuttoned linen shirt 🤙
• “No” has come back into my vocabulary.
• I’m caring less and less what others may or may not think about me.

Grateful Log

• Time to focus
• Time to think
• Time to act

My knowledge management solution has gone through many iterations over the past 10+ years. I’ve gone from Evernote back in the day to various notes apps and DevonThink. I’m not keen on repeating what I’ve used in the past as they never felt exactly right. Any recommendations?

Grateful Log

• Between a routine with the non-medicine medicine we picked up yesterday and herbal tea, I think we have Mozzie’s cough managed and on the way out.
• Two walks yesterday
• A new week!

Grateful Log

• coffee with a plain donut
• Two longer walks yesterday (in lieu of a bike ride since Mozzie is fighting off a cough)
• Always learning

Grateful Log

• Hit my shipping goal for the week yesterday so don’t feel the need to play catchup on orders this weekend!
• Outide temp seems a bit warmer this morning
• Tinkering

After three years of feeling rather lost and confused about my past and uncertain about my future, I have lately had the feeling of returning…like I was gone for a while, even longer than the last three years. It is a strange feeling, but one that I am happy about.

Grateful Log

• Warm weather (which seems to be a long lost memory so far this month…strange August weather we are having)
• Coding my own stuff
• Possibly restarting the Harrisburg Cigar Club

Grateful Log

• The amazingly productive day yesterday with building out a few product-specific landing pages to help get ready for the approaching Christmas retail season.
• A good exercise day yesterday with a quick 10 mile ride after lunch and 1.5 mile walk after dinner.
• Sleeping good.

Holy bananas! I slept so good last night! Feeling good!

Grateful Log

• A nice evening ride with mozzie last night
• A good day with him yesterday, with a nice balance of going between work and spending time with him.
• A very focused effort

Grateful Log

• Two bike rides yesterday: One with Mozzie, 13 miles, stopped for a pizza lunch. Second with my brother and his family and friends of theirs, 8 miles and plenty of stops for the little ones to stretch their legs.
• One week closer
• Watching Iron Man with Mozzie last night, I’m glad that so far he seems to be enjoying the Marvel characters and universe as much as I do.

We watched Captain Marvel last night. I had already seen it but watching it with Mozzie made it even more fun. Phenomenal movie. But I really loved the references to things I have fond memories of:

• Blockbuster
• RadioShack
• Pay phones
• Pagers
• AltaVista
• A computer tower connected to a bulky monitor
• The opening and closing of a CD/DVD tray in said computer tower

Grateful Log

• Having ideas and the abilities required to try them
• Being tenacious
• The cousins having time to play together at the birthday party yesterday

Grateful Log

• A very successful day yesterday
• Sitting in full sun again this morning
• Sending a surprise care package of sorts to a friend (grateful for the idea, one of those shower ideas that come out of nowhere)

Grateful Log

• AC in the building seems to have been fixed overnight
• Chinese takeout for dinner last night
• Time today to focus

AC has been out all day and no signs of a quick fix. Handling some work outside and might as well enjoy myself a bit 🍻

I’ve got this angst in my heart the past two days that I can’t seem to shake.

A very nice and simple leather pencil/pen pouch.

Grateful Log

• Eventually fell into a restful sleep
• Afternoon cigar at the shop yesterday
• Coffee

Grateful Log

• Full sun while writing this morning
• Another family game night last night with Mario Monopoly
• Encouragement from others

Grateful Log

• The epic thunderstorm last night
• Making strides toward effective pain management
• Played Mario Monopoly as a family last night

Grateful Log

• Monday morning
• A new week
• Cloudy today

From our ride earlier today.

Grateful Log

• Designing new things
• Prototyping new designs
• A beautiful sunny day

Grateful Log

• Opportunity and time to write in a different place than I normally do. A quiet park close to where I used to live.
• The space in the air to hear birds talking.
• The breeze moving gracefully through my linen shirt. A beachy breeze.

My writing spot this morning.

The finished leather bin before shipping. Size is 18” x 12” x 12”.

Difficult to accurately photograph, but I am obsessed with how this green turned out! This piece will be the inside bottom of a large bin I’m assembling today.

Another simple leather pen case I stumbled into while working on a client project, I personally prefer this over the previous design.

I rarely do this, but I have it for sale on my website here.

Grateful Log

• Simple design
• A new day
• The thunderstorm last night

Grateful Log

• Good night of sleep
• A longer bike ride yesterday
• The mental clarity that exercise provides

Outline.

Grateful Log

• Cloudy today
• Coffee tastes especially good this morning
• Schedule should open up shortly to work on some aging ideas

Grateful Log

• Out for a ride already this morning
• Massage later today (longest 3 weeks of my life 😂)
• That feeling of being on the right track

Grateful Log

• Shipped out a large order of leather cigar cases for a wedding party
• Squeezed in another bike ride with Mozzie after the work day and before the evening kicked off
• Having some time to write now before the day is over

Grateful Log

• Great sleep last night
• Made it to church this morning
• Break in the rain today, enough time to get the bikes out for a short ride.

Grateful Log

• My micro-vacation yesterday afternoon by the pool. That time to switch off was very needed.
• Coffee this morning while writing outside
• Nothing but the weekend ahead :-)

My afternoon spot and couldn’t be happier. Well, I guess I could but this is pretty awesome! Cigar, jack and coke, pool suite fm, sweating. Heaven for me :-)

Grateful Log

• Squeezing in a 30 minute bike ride last night between late night work sessions. Feels so good to move.
• Mad Men - probably my 5th or 6th time “watching” it (on in the background while I work). I relate to so much of that show.
• Continued clarity on next steps.

My morning writing sessions are so awesome. Before I do anything else I sit down and write. I never know what I’m going to write but once I start it is hard to stop. This is purely journaling for me, 750 words, morning pages, etc. But it always turns into a time of capturing ideas, expanding on ideas, determining which way to go. The time I set aside for this is easily the most productive and valuable part of my day.

Grateful Log

• Happy with the productivity/output of the week so far
• Great time at the hotel lounge last night, celebrating a friend’s birthday
• Fun dreams

Grateful Log

• Fun evening with Mozzie: bike ride and a board game
• Fresh haircut
• Being able to see an objective from 30,000 feet

Grateful Log

• Sunny forecast for the next two days
• Teaching Mozzie how to edit video and audio files
• The big questions he has been asking lately

Grateful Log

• Great rainy afternoon yesterday of watching the Jumanji movies
• Squeezed in an evening walk after the thunderstorms
• Successfully unplugged from all work for the entire weekend! Feeling refreshed!

🍿 Watching Jumanji (1995)

🍿 Watching Jumanji (1995)

Grateful Log

• Great day yesterday
• Rediscovered the wide-mouth Nalgene I used back in the early 2000’s. Got a new one for myself and one for Mozzie.
• Morning bike ride in before afternoon thunderstorms.

Grateful Log

• Bike ride with Mozzie first thing this morning
• Cigars & brews by the pool this afternoon!
• Bought a whiteboard yesterday, using it to keep several short-term goals front and center for the next 6 months or so.

I only use one “social network”, which is really just my blog posts publishing to a shared timeline viewed by others where replies and such may occur. Each post I publish contributes to my website, not a corporate machine. Micro.blog is the way.

Grateful Log

• Breathing new life into an old idea
• Focus for the second half of the year
• Coffee :-)

I’m working on a relaunch of a project I originally started back in 2018 or so…it has been nagging at me for a while and so I’m just going to give it another go. Starting with a simple landing page, take a look if you are interested: Don’t Touch My Cigars.

Grateful Log

• Today is Thursday
• Future goals are really coming into focus, and will help to direct daily goals etc.
• Coffee
• Excellent time catching up with a lifelong friend last night (we’ve known each other for 32 years)

The unpredictable nature of Siri combined with Apple Music actually acts as its own phenomenal and surprising new music discovery process 😂

Grateful Log

• Great day yesterday
• Back into the swing of things today
• Short bike ride yesterday, a simple slow one.

51th - embrace the mistakes :-)

Grateful Log

• Looks like a great weather forecast for Independence Day festivities!
• Teaching mozzie how to edit video
• Cigars with friends after a busy day yesterday

Small leather pouch that is part of a larger collection of leather goods I’m working on. Using this one to hold a few of my fountain pens.

Not intentional, which I like, but have been using my iPad Air a lot recently. I think part of it may be from the “lifestyle” pattern I’ve landed on, which is moving every 3 years or so. More to write on this, but I think my subconscious is now in a mode of: keep things light.

Grateful Log

• Awesome time in Gettysburg with Mozzie yesterday
• A new week
• Shipping an aging leather order out this week…finally :-)

Mozzie and I just returned from a full day at the 160th Battle of Gettysburg Anniversary Event in Gettysburg PA. This was our first Civil War reenactment event and enjoyed every minute of it!

Time now for a cigar :-)

Grateful Log

• Mozzie was nominated for and voted camper of the year in the closing ceremony of theater camp :-)
• A Saturday to focus on a few things
• Hello July!

Grateful Log

• Ideas
• Coffee
• Time

Grateful Log

• Mozzie has an active role this year in the theater camp production
• Bike ride with him around the neighborhood last night
• Clarity

Grateful Log

• Time to write this morning, week so far is a blur.
• Ideas
• Coffee

Quick leather iPad sleeve.

Grateful Log

• The sun is shining!!!
• Skipping church - opting instead for a different morning consisting of writing, a slow breakfast, and a bike ride before heading off to a birthday party.
• Made a quick leather pouch for my iPad yesterday.
• Watching Mozzie mix leather paint to get to the shade of blue he had in mind for his new leather bracelet.

Had a great ride this morning, decided to venture off of the pavement :-)

Grateful Log

• Break in the rain this morning, will sneak out for a bike ride.
• Went out to eat last night, which has been rare as of late, and sat inside (instead of doing the new normal of takeout). The change of scenery was very nice.
• That weekend feeling.

Shipping two of these out to Cali. Chocolate dye turned out great.

Grateful Log

• Very productive morning so far: market run, grocery store for stragglers, tanning, bit of a clean up in the kitchen, writing now.
• Fun time with Mozzie last night at the church nerf battle.
• A day to be mostly focused.

Grateful Log

• Coffee
• Slept great
• Another cloudy and rainy day

Grateful Log

• Didn’t test drive (yet) but did sit in the new Hyundai Ioniq 6. Swanky!
• Bacon and eggs for breakfast
• New day of opportunities

📺 Silo 👍

📺 Silo 👍

Grateful Log

• Bike ride around the neighborhood with Mozzie after dinner yesterday
• Overcast weather today, rain likely, which will make the next sunny day even better
• Coffee tastes extra good this morning

Grateful Log

• Phenomenal sleep last night
• Mozzie dropped off to his first day of theater camp (his third year!)
• Goals and such for the next few years coming into focus…have been slightly blurry for a while so the clarity is a relief

Great Father’s Day ride with Mozzie this afternoon.

Grateful Log

• Great sleep
• Made it to first service on time
• Beautiful day ahead, perfect weather for a longer bike ride

Quick little leather box.

Grateful Log

• Productive week getting Father’s Day leather leather orders made, shipped, and delivered on time.
• Clarity about bringing back a brand/project I abandoned prematurely a few years ago.
• Time to write outside in the sun this morning with a nice hot cup of coffee.

Next up

Testing my code in dev before promoting to prod.

Grateful Log

• cloudy and rainy day, makes one thankful for sunny days
• coffee
• get to see mozzie for a very small amount of time this morning, better than not at all.

Just watched Cloverfield. Outside of what I usually watch but I appreciated the creative “found footage” approach.

Very happy with how this pair turned out.

Leather oven mitt order in progress.

🚴🏼‍♂️ From my ride yesterday evening, sunset over the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg PA.

Back from an extremely enjoyable 20 mile ride with Mozzie, our first ride together on our new bikes. Had a phenomenal time together!

Having showered I am now sitting outside enjoying a cigar, relishing in the good feeling I have at the moment :-)

🚲 My bike 😊. Jamis Renegade S3. Purchased from local bike shop on Tuesday and loving it.

✨ I am feeling oddly good about things/life at the moment...which is a strange way to feel...I kinda like it :-)

✨ I am feeling oddly good about things/life at the moment...which is a strange way to feel...I kinda like it :-)

🏕️ Wasn't able to take the bikes home yesterday, but we picked them out from a local bike shop yesterday. I'll go back on Monday and finalize and take them home! We are both eager to ride together...maybe even dipping our toes into bikepacking!

🏕️ Wasn't able to take the bikes home yesterday, but we picked them out from a local bike shop yesterday. I'll go back on Monday and finalize and take them home! We are both eager to ride together...maybe even dipping our toes into bikepacking!

📝 I love a "productive" journaling session where I start with a problem at the beginning of writing and by the end have it figured out. Too much fun.

📝 I love a "productive" journaling session where I start with a problem at the beginning of writing and by the end have it figured out. Too much fun.

Our trip to the Aquarium also coincided with his last day of 3rd grade :-)

🐠 Had a great evening yesterday in Baltimore, MD at the Aquarium's member night - a simple trip that doesn't seem to get old.

🐠 Had a great evening yesterday in Baltimore, MD at the Aquarium's member night - a simple trip that doesn't seem to get old.

🚲 Hoping to get a bike this weekend and excited for the Summer ahead and the rides that I'll be able to do with my 9/10 year-old!

🚲 Hoping to get a bike this weekend and excited for the Summer ahead and the rides that I'll be able to do with my 9/10 year-old!

⌛ Back to tracking my time (personal, work, etc) with Toggl and I'm thankful for it. I've missed the insights gained by such a task.

⌛ Back to tracking my time (personal, work, etc) with Toggl and I'm thankful for it. I've missed the insights gained by such a task.

📺 Starting to watch Silo.

📺 Starting to watch Silo.

My bit of sunshine lately.

🥡 thinking Chinese for dinner tonight.

On the verge of something, unsure if it’s going to be a good or bad thing. Maybe falling over a cliff or landing softly on a nice beach somewhere. But, coffee in the meantime. Coffee until things become a bit less foggy.

I dig it.

Quick prototype of an idea I had: a key pack to wear around your neck. Keys stay secure in the main zipper pocket, and there’s a smaller exterior pocket for a fob or air tag sized device. Just added the exterior pocket for the fob, otherwise have been using this for a week and find it useful.

🎧 Poolsuite FM in the headphones. Bulk prepping and working on some new products 😊

Death and Taxes.

Leather dye samples drying for what may become a relationship with an interior design firm…

☀️ Happy for the sun shining today!

☀️ Happy for the sun shining today!

Remember “speed dial”? Those were good times.

My take on the classic Field Notes “Pony Express” leather pouch. Easily holds 3 notebooks and even one of the field notes pens. Large nickel snap, edges left alone (not burnished smooth). Oiled and a coat of leather balm. Thick leather. This small pouch is substantial. Will age beautifully.

☁️ Cloudy but focused (trying to be).

☁️ Cloudy but focused (trying to be).

☕ First sip. Never gets old.

☕ First sip. Never gets old.

📺 Have been enjoying Perry Mason on HBO lately.

📺 Have been enjoying Perry Mason on HBO lately.

Slowly shifting away from the m.b feed and to using RSS entirely. Also slowing shifting to posting to my site only with MarsEdit on my Mac. Feel like I’m getting closer to the golden age of 2007 :-)

Made a mini leather briefcase.

Pony Express…

Back in my woodworking days I used story sticks to record various notes and markings for projects I hoped to repeat over and over, making small holes with my dividers to save time in the future. I now do the same thing with my leather work, except instead of story sticks I call them Story Straps.

Latest custom leather project shipped out to my customer in the UK 🇬🇧 - a pipe case, complete with a satin lined pipe tobacco pouch and hand-carved matches in their own fancy pouch. Very happy with how everything turned out.

Pro-tip: stop reading/watching the “news” for two-weeks. At the end, if the world is still spinning, go for another few weeks, and another, and another :-)

Just found out I mixed two leather orders, one should have had the buckle the other should have had the strap loop. Will do whatever is necessary to resolve based on what each customer prefers, so no concerns from a customer service perspective, but I loath messing up like this.

Feeling clear about things at the moment, which is nice :-)

Planned to have a workday today but am too tired from the week…rest day it is.

Learned about keyboard haptics in iOS on the latest episode of Cortex. Enabled and I kinda like it…

⚔️ Time to conquer the list.

⚔️ Time to conquer the list.

😑 Way in my head lately. Eager to get through this personal chapter of life.

😑 Way in my head lately. Eager to get through this personal chapter of life.

Ritual ☕️

Together.

Hit a good stride with making these leather oven mitts. Can now make the pair for my client, and get them listed for made-to-order requests.

Throwback to when Mozzie and I would walk more often, usually local nature preserves, state parks, etc. also back when I had a beard (early 2020).

☕️ Whole bean in the hopper.

Leather oven mitt - a first of its kind from my workshop. A few items to address on the next one but otherwise happy with how this initial test turned out!

A train engineer doing his engineering.

Taken while at East Broad Top Railroad last Summer.

Leather cut and laid in a way to resemble tile.

✨ Some nights I have to stay up later...a feeling I just kinda follow to see where it goes.

✨ Some nights I have to stay up later...a feeling I just kinda follow to see where it goes.

🧠 Have been formulating a lot of things in my mind lately, working out details, thinking ahead. Lots of custom leather projects in motion, but believe I may have also hit a semi-good stride with a writing project that I've been putting off for too long.

Zip.

In the past I used to a actively seek solitude. Now it is my life, and so I actively seek the company of others. But, I tend to get lost in my work too easily, losing track of time. Avoiding solitude is something I never thought I’d have to be so intentional about :-)

Summer weather, and the storms that come with it, will be here soon - or so I keep telling myself :-)

Photo taken 9/11/2019

Secure.

💻 Mostly admin type work today. Necessary evil.

💻 Mostly admin type work today. Necessary evil.

🧘‍♂️ Eventually, maybe in a few months, I think I’ll be at a good flow with managing everything (fingers crossed). But then I’ll probably be moving (hopefully buying again, will call it my second first house) a year or so after. A few years ahead of when I had planned but needed.

🧘‍♂️ Eventually, maybe in a few months, I think I'll be at a good flow with managing everything (fingers crossed). But then I'll probably be moving (hopefully buying again, will call it my second first house) a year or so after. A few years ahead of when I had planned but needed.

Catching up on several things: making more business cards, sending out more New Year cards (better late than never, I think), and belated birthday wishes. You can get on my snail mail list here for a late new year and belated birthday card for yourself 😂

Unplanned, but have been up and productive since 5am. Kinda how I used to be. I’m sure I’ll crash later, but have enjoyed the early start to the day.

In my ears this morning.

Monday!

💡 So many thoughts and ideas running through my head at the moment, moving so fast I can't grab any of them. Sleep now and hopefully the important ones present themselves to me in the morning.

💡 So many thoughts and ideas running through my head at the moment, moving so fast I can't grab any of them. Sleep now and hopefully the important ones present themselves to me in the morning.

But first…

🪚 eager to put this Pax panel saw to use!

Making dowels.

🌪️ It is very loud in the quiet of my mind. Calm is in the future, something I am striving towards, but is still mostly out of reach.

🌪️ It is very loud in the quiet of my mind. Calm is in the future, something I am striving towards, but is still mostly out of reach.

Routine.

🪵 looking forward to tomorrow, later this morning, when I will embark on my first woodworking project since early 2021. Nothing fancy, but is going to be a therapeutic exercise which leads to a very functional and long lasting addition to how I organize my work.

🪵 looking forward to tomorrow, later this morning, when I will embark on my first woodworking project since early 2021. Nothing fancy, but is going to be a therapeutic exercise which leads to a very functional and long lasting addition to how I organize my work.

For a project I hope to start and finish tomorrow :-)

A post I posted earlier does not seem to have hit the timeline, a problem I seem to have lately with posts containing an image (FYI @help), so for those of you not subscribed via RSS, here’s said post :-) Also, any fans of Peaky Blinders out there?

The texture of handcrafted. Folded edges of a better-late-than-never New Year card I made, printed, and folded. Will go out to current and past customers, and folks who are otherwise on my snail-mail list. Next up: addressing each one :-)

My nine-year-old is traveling to Florida for 14 days. I made him a notecard for each day, with a handwritten note inside and and Star Wars quote on the back of each. And, of course, a leather pouch to keep them in.

😔 Sometimes, when I am least expecting it, I feel a deep sadness and there is nothing I can do but just feel it. Never quite sure what I am supposed to do with it.

😔 Sometimes, when I am least expecting it, I feel a deep sadness and there is nothing I can do but just feel it. Never quite sure what I am supposed to do with it.

💭 One day soon, maybe this weekend, I envision myself making my usual French press and then sitting down at my computer to publish a few things and tinker on my various websites.

💭 One day soon, maybe this weekend, I envision myself making my usual French press and then sitting down at my computer to publish a few things and tinker on my various websites.

🗓️ Next two days planned. This week is my last big push to get caught up on most of my work, making room to focus on some process improvements and learn a few new skills.

🗓️ Next two days planned. This week is my last big push to get caught up on most of my work, making room to focus on some process improvements and learn a few new skills.

🏈 Enjoyed doing nothing for a few hours today and watched the Chiefs v. Jaguars. Will do a bit more of the same tomorrow afternoon. Still in a mode/mood of recovering from 2022, which I expect to last through this month.

🏈 Enjoyed doing nothing for a few hours today and watched the Chiefs v. Jaguars. Will do a bit more of the same tomorrow afternoon. Still in a mode/mood of recovering from 2022, which I expect to last through this month.

Clicker press on my workbench! Dad came over to assist with lifting it (150lbs).

🍵 Some quiet time before a busy day tomorrow. Lots of positive updates to share eventually, mostly related to my leather work. Oh, and I picked up my new Ray-Ban titanium glasses today and wowza are they comfortable!

🍵 Some quiet time before a busy day tomorrow. Lots of positive updates to share eventually, mostly related to my leather work. Oh, and I picked up my new Ray-Ban titanium glasses today and wowza are they comfortable!

Woke up after sleeping for two hours. Not in a good rhythm at the moment. Making a list of things in my head that need to be written about.

Impatiently waiting for my Goulet Pens order to be delivered today 😁

Made the notecards I’ve always wanted but could never find. Will be fun to use :-)

Deciding.

Finished S2 of White Lotus yesterday and Slow Horses today. Thoroughly enjoyed both!

I ❤️ print.

🗓 This week is back to the grind. Spending today prepping for the week and quarter ahead. Eager for the year, both personally and professionally!

🗓 This week is back to the grind. Spending today prepping for the week and quarter ahead. Eager for the year, both personally and professionally!

Can’t sleep. Continuing White Lotus S2.