PHYSICAL

• I’ve had my retainer since high school (it’s glow in the dark and has polka dots) and my dentist says it’s in great shape. So, I feel like I can share a thing or two about upkeep. My secret weapon is my ultrasonic cleaner! Great for my night guard, retainer, and rings. It works for glasses too. I used to clean my night guard and retainer by brushing them, but then I learned that my dentist uses a professional ultrasonic cleaner in the office, I looked into seeing how much it would cost for home use. Consumer ultrasonic cleaners are not very expensive, have so many use cases, and don’t require you to buy tablets (I just add water).

• Bug bite thing. It’s summer. It’s humid, and there are so many mosquitoes out that want to eat me. I stepped out the door yesterday for a walk around the block and returned with 10 bites. After much research, I kept seeing the bug bite thing pop up but I didn’t think this thing would work. It seems too simple to work! But then I decided to just try it and it really helps. It sucks out the mosquito saliva to make it less itchy. I still have the bites but they aren’t miserable to live with. Highly suggest trying. Note: You do need to use it while the bites are fairly fresh for it to work

• My CSA share. Great way to support a local farm and to eat well. I also volunteer with the CSA to help with making sure my neighborhood distribution happens. It’s been a fun way to learn about food and to get to know others in the neighborhood. I’ve given my share to friends when we’re traveling, and they all agree that it’s some of the best produce they’ve ever had! Also, the Blomgrens, who run the farm, are incredibly kind and knowledgeable, and they power their organic farm with electricity. It’s so cool to get my groceries from a farm I’ve actually visited and where the farmers know my name. Highly suggest finding a local CSA to join.

DIGITAL

• Wordle. I’m late to the trend but my husband and I have been playing it together for the last few months. It’s been so fun to have this time boxed game activity we do together. We alternate who gets to pick the first word. It’s the little things in life!

• Perfectly Imperfect is such a fun website. It feels like MySpace! Ever miss the old internet? Also, I love a good recommendation (and I assume you do too, if you’re here).

INVISIBLE

Sonnet IV from Rilke's Sonnets to Orpheus

Don't be afraid to suffer; return
that heaviness to the earth's own weight;
heavy are the mountains, heavy the seas.

Even the small trees you planted as children
have long since become too heavy; you could not
carry them now. But the winds...But the spaces....

PHYSICAL

• OXO Good Grips Handheld Mandoline Slicer - probably the most lethal cooking implement in my kitchen. You HAVE to treat these with respect otherwise they will eat your fingertips. Ask me how I know.

• MyHalos 100% Blackout Sleep Mask - I finally bought one of these when my sleep kept being interrupted by cars going past my house at night. The difference is day and night. Sorry. I’ll get my coat.

• SWEETFULL Small USB Desk Fan - a small, cheap, USB powered fan. It plugs into my Anker USB hub and gives a pretty impressive performance for such a small device.

DIGITAL

• I'm in the UK but subscribe to the New York Times digitally. Their cookery pages are outstanding. Obviously, the whole "cups" and "Fahrenheit" thing is a bit daft but the recipes are great. I bought a set of cups to help the conversion process.

• This one is a bit UK-centric but it's very useful for us. Petrol and diesel prices are through the roof at the moment and any way to save a few quid is welcome. This website tracks prices at the pump so you can find cheaper fuel.

INVISIBLE

A song which I recently found has a great lyric which resonates well with me. It's called "A River Runs" by Oysterband.

you are my mate, my long-lost friend
you are my hope, my resonance
you are the edge, my hidden blade
you carry all the plans we made

you are the path, my hidden trail
you are the end, my holy grail
you are my mood, my sudden rage
you are my wit, my final page

there are no certainties
we could fall, we could break apart
you pick me up, you smile
then the whole world starts

a river runs through you and me
never reaches the ocean, never reaches the sea

a river runs through you and me
never reaches the ocean, never reaches the sea

PHYSICAL

• All About Vibe Custom Pillows: We’re in the thick of high school graduation season, with so many friends/kids getting ready to head off to college this fall. I absolutely love these custom pillows, which I’ve been personalizing with photos of family pets and giving as graduation gifts. They’re a fun, thoughtful reminder of home that students can take with them when they leave, and they feel so much more personal than a card with money or a gift card, though those are always appreciated too!

• Topsail Steamer Seafood Boil Buckets: We love hosting al fresco summer dinners, and Topsail Steamer makes it incredibly easy to serve an impressive seafood boil without spending the whole evening in the kitchen. Their buckets include everything you need for a proper feast, and they’re always a crowd-pleaser. We just add a nice bottle of white, my Uncle Allen’s perfectly-worn crab hammers (now a family heirloom), and a key lime pie. Now if they’d just offer a loyalty program (wink, wink)!

• Hidden Gems: My husband and I love these cards. We tuck them into work bags, coat pockets, and unexpected little places so the other person finds a surprise love note later in the day. We mostly use them for fun, but I recently reached for one after a small tiff, and it was exactly what we needed to soften the aftermath. It offered a gentle reminder that beneath all the noise, there is still compassion, kindness, and love.

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DIGITAL

• Mystery Show Podcast: I recently revisited Mystery Show, and it remains my number-one answer whenever someone asks about my favorite podcasts. Starlee Kine blends wit, warmth, suspense, and, of course, mystery into an utterly charming little gem of a show. Only six episodes were ever released, which somehow makes me treasure it even more.

• Call it divine intervention, fate, or kismet, but Sister Mary Jo’s uplifting, scripture-rooted messages always seem to find me just when I need them most. You don’t have to be Catholic, Christian, or connected to any organized faith to appreciate her warmth, no-nonsense encouragement, and heartfelt reminders to lead with kindness, compassion, and purpose. Her messages bring welcome depth and humanity to a world that often feels short on both. And honestly, who can resist a habit, cat-eye-glasses-wearing nun who ends each message with a wink and a tongue click?

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INVISIBLE

“Healthy Birds Leave the Nest”

Our son and only child is leaving for college in August and spending his very first semester overseas in Rome. We are filled with excitement for him, while our hearts ache at the thought of his absence from our daily lives.

My motherly instinct is to keep him close and safe forever, but I keep reminding myself: healthy birds leave the nest. He is meant to go out into the world, discover who he is and who he wants to become, grow through new experiences and challenges, and begin finding his own way.

We are endlessly proud of the kind, thoughtful young man he has become, and we will always be here, cheering him on from home.

He’s got this. And, eventually, so will we.

My latest book The Beautiful Death of Ozzy Osbourne: How Metal Teaches Us To Live was published by Harper North in June 2026. More info on the book and my work can be found at kahn-harris.org.

PHYSICAL

• Wobkey Rainy 75 Mechanical keyboard (with Gateron Oil Kings switches): It’s no exaggeration to say that my discovery of mechanical keyboard culture over the last year has made my life much sweeter. It has also helped me as a writer. I never knew that typing could be a gorgeous, synaesthetic experience; a feat for the ears and the hands. Since I replaced the stock switches with Gateron Oil Kings, the Rainy 75 has felt almost scandalously good to type on.

• Tom’s Studio Wren pen: I have always been a stationery aficionado so, when my wife sung the praises of this pen, I didn’t need much persuasion to get one for myself. As a fountain pen lover, the Wren has really surprised me - not only is it refillable, it has a smooth feel that I wouldn’t normally associate with a fibre tip pen like this. Using the Wren with my MD Studio A6 notepaper is pure loveliness.

• Plain yoghurt: I am on the weight loss drug Mounjaro/Tirzepatide right now. I’ve not only lost a lot of weight, the drug has also improved my general health and raised my energy levels. The side effect is some stomach bloating and discomfort. Plain yoghurt soothes and comforts. Some days it constitutes the bulk of my diet.

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DIGITAL

• Fedora Atomic Cosmic Linux: I installed this distribution on a spare laptop a few months ago and I have been really enjoying it. It’s zippy, reliable and comes with auto-tiling, which makes organising the desktop a cinch. I still have to use my clunky windows 11 laptop for work but, every chance I get I switch over to an operating system that is a joy to use.

• I switched over from Evernote to Obsidian a few months ago. I use it for note-taking, web clipping and as a personal knowledge base. The learning curve was a bit steep and the endless customisation options can be overwhelming. But it has allowed me to build a system that reflects my needs and working style. Plus everything is stored locally as markdown, rather than in a proprietary format as with Evernote.

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INVISIBLE

Early mornings: One of the unexpected benefits of Mounjaro/Tirzepatide has been that I sleep well and wake early. I am often at my desk at 7am, rested and ready for the day. This has had a revolutionary impact on my life. Instead of waking late after a broken night’s sleep, I start the day before many other people are even awake. The world is quieter then and there is space to think and to create.

PHYSICAL

• Walking Pad: MERACH W50. I tried using a walking pad while working. It was fine during calls, but deep work while walking did not work for me. Then I made a rule: I can watch Netflix only while walking on the pad. That worked much better. I now easily reach 10,000 to 12,000 steps a day, and quite often more than 15,000.

• Battery-Free Luggage Scale. We usually check one or two bags on family trips. I am also the person who really does not want to pay an overweight baggage fee.
  A luggage scale helps us check the weight before leaving and see whether there is still room for souvenirs. The problem with my old scale was the battery. Once, it died right before we left for the airport. This one has a tiny hand-powered generator inside. You push the button a few times, and it creates enough power to weigh the bag. No batteries and nothing to charge.

• Tapo Smart Plugs. I do not like using the ceiling light in my home office. Instead, I have several lamps around the room. The light feels warmer and makes the office much nicer to work in. The annoying part was walking around and turning every lamp on and off. I connected them to Tapo smart plugs and grouped them together. Now I can control all the lamps with one tap in Apple Home or by saying, “Alexa (or Siri - I have both), turn on the office lights”.

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DIGITAL

• Spark Email. I have several email accounts for different purposes. Connecting all of them again every time I get a new device is annoying. I use Spark on two MacBooks, an iPhone, and an iPad. I connect my accounts once, and Spark syncs them across my devices. When I replace or upgrade a device, I do not have to set everything up again.

• The Curious Procrastinator Newsletter. This is a weekly read about behavior, some of the psychology behind it, and useful technology. It mixes interesting ideas with personal stories and dry, self-sarcastic humor.

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INVISIBLE

Answers are hidden in action, not thinking.

Many times, I do not know what to do. Sometimes I am not even sure what I am doing. But I have learned that I usually do not find the answer by searching or thinking longer. I find it by starting. Works every time.

Cultural Reads Newsletter

The best music, book & movie recommendations worldwide

By Culturalreads

PHYSICAL

• Imarhan Signed Vinyl - I’ve been a huge fan of Desert Blues, a type of music from the Sahara Desert often performed by the Tuareg, a Berber people who live across the desert. The genre first became widely known through the band Tinariwen, who started making music to support the Tuareg cause during the conflicts in Mali and Niger. Some of the band members even received military training by Gaddafi’s government. Today, there’s a new wave of bands that often sing about similar themes, including the nomadic way of life, political struggles, and cultural memory. Despite not understanding the lyrics, the music really strikes a chord with me. Imarhan is my absolute favorite and ended up in my Spotify Top 5 two years in a row, so I was thrilled to get a signed vinyl at their last concert.

• The Sorrow of War by Bảo Ninh - Whenever I travel to a new country, I buy 1-2 books by local authors to gain better insight into the culture. During our family trip to Vietnam, I found The Sorrow of War, which is the fictional account of a Vietnamese soldier who was 1/10 survivors out of a brigade of 500. It’s been one of my favorite books ever since, not only because it provides a very refreshing counter-perspective to the many American books and films out there, but also because it’s wonderfully written from the perspective of an ex-soldier with PTSD who constantly gets catapulted back into the war and gradually tells the reader the full story through these fragments.

• Pedemeia (Colorful) Socks - I love colorful and high-quality socks. One summer in Portugal, I ran into this small store that only sells socks, often at great summer discounts. Ever since, whenever I visit Portugal, I buy a few pairs, but the last time I was glad to hear that they now ship internationally.

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DIGITAL

• GOWOD Stretch App - When I was younger, I played a lot of basketball and never worried much about my health. Now, in my mid-thirties, after years behind a desk, I’ve spent almost 10 years struggling with neck pain. Several months ago, I discovered the stretching app GOWOD, and it’s the first thing that has genuinely helped. The app first measures your flexibility through a series of exercises, then creates a personalized stretching routine. Every month you can retake the test and track your progress, which I’ve found surprisingly motivating.

• Radiooooo - I’m always on the lookout for new music and, despite the many streaming platforms, often struggle to discover new artists I really like. That’s why I love Radiooooo. The five O’s stand for the five continents, and the platform lets you explore music by country and decade. The songs are uploaded by users and curated by a group of French DJs, making it a great place to discover lesser-known music in a world full of algorithms.

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INVISIBLE

When you don’t know what to read/watch/do next, instead of trying to fill that empty space, just wait and give life a chance to respond.

To help Esperanto beginners find resources (and to share some lessons I learned from experience), I have a blog post that I frequently update: “If you want to learn Esperanto”.

PHYSICAL

• Nordic walking poles — NOT trekking poles. Trekking poles are held in front with bent arms to aid with balance and assist particularly in hiking on steep inclines; Nordic walking poles are held at the side and behind with straight arms and aid with propulsion, useful on relatively level terrain. The point is, Nordic walking poles make walking more enjoyable (and burn 20% more calories with no perceptible increase in effort — indeed, they seem to make walking easier — and also make walking a full-body exercise). The poles I use are the Exel Pro Curve one-piece poles, but those I had order from the UK. I do like them a lot, as I explain.

• Seed and nut grinder with removable cup. I got this initially to grind flaxseed, but now I use it constantly to grind spices (dried chipotles, cumin seed, fennel seed, etc.), chia seeds, turmeric root, etc. Reliable, easy to use, easy to clean. Whole spices stay fresh longer, so it works well to grind them just before use.

• MacBook Air with 15” screen. I had not realized what an enormous difference the slightly larger screen would make, especially given that the computer when closed and carried doesn’t seem much bigger than the 13” Air. But in use the 15” feels SO much larger.

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DIGITAL

• I have been following from the outset the war that began when Russia invaded Ukraine, and Jake Broe has been a reliable chronicler of the war, with three reports a week plus additional things like interviews, questions of the month, and the like. Caolan Robertson has been exceptionally good lately (e.g., with his exposé of Ireland’s support for a Russian factory there that provides tons of aluminum for Russia’s war machine), but for day-in, day-out reliability, Jake Broe is hard to beat.

• My invisible item is an essay, and in connection with that essay, I offer this basic introduction to Esperanto, which can accommodate learners from a wide range of native languages (English is what I used, but the user can choose from Arabic, German, Vietnamese, Tagalog, etc.) — you select your language from the initial screen.

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INVISIBLE

I wanted to experience what it is like to be fluent in another language: see my brief essay, “Learning to Learn a Language”. Partly to minimize effort, I chose Esperanto, the learning of which involves patience more than effort.

What’s in your NOW?

We want to know what’s in your now — a list of 6 things that are significant to you now — 3 physical, 2 digital and 1 invisible.

If you’re interested in contributing an issue, use this form to submit: https://forms.gle/Pf9BMuombeg1gCid9

If we run your submission in our newsletter and blog, we’ll paypal you $25.

PHYSICAL

• White board Magnetic Sticky Notes: I bought four of these little white boards to organize three months at a time, with a bonus holding board. I write all of the tasks I do every month on a color-coded sticky note — each newsletter I write, the podcast, the guided reflective journaling recordings — and whatever extras I have coming up like a Keynote presentation I need to build or a course I need to finish. At the start of the month the little whiteboard is full and as I finish each task it either moves to the next month or gets erased and set aside on the bonus board, (which holds blanks and future tasks that aren’t happening in the next three months). I’m a visual person and I need to organize tasks away from my monitor so that I can glance up and see exactly what’s still on my to-do-list. These magnetic sticky notes help me not just get organized but feel organized, which is half the battle.

• Icebug Boda Women’s BUGrip: These cleated, waterproof boots have been a lifesaver for continuing my long walks in winter weather. This year we had a lot of ice and they did not fail. The metal cleats keep me stable even on unexpected black ice but are lightweight enough that they’re fine to walk over uncleared asphalt, too, which means stomping around my neighborhood is easy whether or not the plows have made it my way. They say you can walk over wet walks without slipping in them but I haven’t had the guts to try that yet.

• iSi Gourmet Whip: I got this because my husband’s one indulgence is whipped cream on his coffee throughout the day and I got tired of buying (and tossing) the store brand whipped cream containers. I found this for Father’s Day (along with a box of the nitrous chargers) and he’s in love. It’s fun to make whipped cream and play with flavors and it means a lot less waste. We got an open box version on eBay and so far, so good!

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DIGITAL

• Endel Lifetime Subscription: I work best with a soundtrack but if the soundtrack is too good then I start paying attention to the music instead of my job. Endel links up with my Apple Watch to send me soundscapes that are ostensibly personalized to my circadian rhythm, the weather at my locality, what my watch senses I’m doing. I can let it autoplay or choose Focus or Relaxation and the tunes are unobtrusive enough that I let it play in the background on my bluetooth speaker when I’m seeing my therapy clients, too. I also use it on walks, where it changes the rhythm to go with my stride (although I don’t like it while running when I really want some thumping club music to keep me going). My husband swears his sleep is so much better when we play it at night, which is what inspired me to upgrade to the lifetime subscription.

• ScreenZen: I installed this donation-supported app after the election when I found myself coming to my clinical sessions agitated and distracted after reading the news and/or social media on my lunch hour. ScreenZen blocks distracting apps and websites but lots of apps do that — including Apple’s own system. But what I like about ScreenZen is that if you need to, you can open that app or that site but it makes you pause. It might ask you to ask yourself, “Why am I checking?” Or it might ask you to breathe first. I recommend it to clients because it allows us to be more mindful when we do want to push through the block. It not only broke me off my Threads rabbit holes but also made me notice why and when I was reaching for my phone.

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INVISIBLE

There is a song by Jane Siberry on her album, About a Boy, called “The Gospel According to Darkness”. It’s a beautiful song on a beautiful album but there is a particular bit that moves me like no other. My mom had rough beginnings (understatement) and due to the way these challenges shaped her and our relationship, we haven’t spoken in years. I still love my mom and grieve the loss of her in my life and this image of her brand new, full of hope, with a chance for things to be different just wrecks me but in a good way. The lyrics to that part are:

“Oh, my sweet sweet darlin’ (Wait)

You know when you open up your eyes?

(Oh, I’m afraid there won’t be anyone)

I’m beaming you all this light (Something’s happening)

Who is it? (It’s a. I’m holding my sweet mama in my arms)

Is she dying? (No, I think she’s just been born)

Mmm hmm (And she looks, she look so... sweet)

I know there’s a place

(And she looks so... hopeful)

That you call your own

(And she looks so... trusting)

Safe and warm

(She doesn’t know, she doesn’t know how hard)

And you feel like you’re home”

On YouTube:

What’s in your NOW?

We want to know what’s in your now — a list of 6 things that are significant to you now — 3 physical, 2 digital and 1 invisible.

If you’re interested in contributing an issue, use this form to submit: https://forms.gle/Pf9BMuombeg1gCid9

If we run your submission in our newsletter and blog, we’ll paypal you $25.

We Are Accepting Submissions

We want to know what’s in your now—a list of 6 things that are significant to you now—3 physical, 2 digital and 1 invisible.

If you’re interested in contributing an issue, use this form to submit.

If we run your submission in our newsletter and blog, we’ll paypal you $25.

Hi! I’m Claudia Dawson, Editor of What’s in my NOW?, co‑writer of Recomendo, and writer of Many‑Worlds Vision, a newsletter of shamanic dreams, visions, and channelings.

I also write poetry, play with altered states, facilitate psychedelic and dream integration, and practice energy healing with sound and light touch.

Claudia’s Many-Worlds Vision

Many-Worlds Vision is a newsletter of shamanic dreams, visions, and channelings. I believe the natural self is psychic, our hearts telepathic, our souls multidimensional, and that the foundation of quantum consciousness is love.

By Claudia Dawson

PHYSICAL

• Full Body Red Light Therapy Mat: This may be my most expensive “tool,” but it is definitely the most magical item I own. Just 10–15 minutes on this full-body mat reliably induces euphoria and a deep sense of calm in my system. I often pair it with meditation or Meditative Mind music to deepen the experience. There are no strict prescription instructions—you can use it any time of day for mood enhancement, to help balance circadian rhythms, and to support muscle recovery after working out.

• Solfeggio Body Tuner Set for Chakras & Meridians: These are weighted tuning forks designed to be placed on acupressure points so you feel the vibrations moving through your body. They’re color‑coded to correspond with the chakras and tuned to Solfeggio frequencies associated with energy balancing and deep relaxation. Like the full body red light therapy mat, using these tools affects me on what feels like a cellular level. The visible, felt effect is that I’m deeply relaxed and in a more energetically coherent state after using them. I also use them on loved ones when I do Reiki, placing the forks on specific points so the vibration can support release and alignment.

• Portable Massage Table: Sound healing and light touch are not a business for me, but I love creating healing, soothing spaces for the people I care about, and having this portable massage table makes it easy to do that. It’s affordable, low‑commitment, and sturdy enough to hold about 200 pounds. I also really love that it’s pink.

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DIGITAL

• AudioPen: I was an early adopter of this app, and I believe it’s still run by one indie developer named Louis, who has always been so responsive and helpful. I use it frequently to transcribe my dreams, gnosis channelings, and newsletter drafts, especially when I’m thinking out loud and don’t want to type. You can create folders to organize your transcriptions and choose different writing styles to clean up your ramblings—Academic, Technical, Descriptive, Casual, or whatever tone you want. I even created a custom writing style based on my own writing samples, so it sounds like me, just clearer. There are other features, too many to list here, but it’s seriously my most used phone app, right up there with iPhone Notes.

• ACER Integration Online Community: ACER Integration is an online community and yearlong program that moves through twelve tree archetypes using guided imagery, music meditations, online sharing circles, and other practices rooted in nature connection. Over the course of a year you get to know the trees and their medicine while deepening your relationship with yourself, the natural world, and other humans from all over the world. It’s not a substitute for therapy, but there is an application and selection process, along with clear protocols that keep the container safe, which makes it a very safe place to integrate transcendent and altered experiences alongside the very real stuff of life. I participated as a community member during the first year of its launch and have been a Sharing Circle and Dream Circle facilitator with ACER now for almost three years. It’s a very sacred space for me, and my favorite place that exists only online.

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INVISIBLE

Ubuntu Philosophy: “I am because we are”

Ubuntu is an African philosophy of relational personhood and shared humanity, often expressed as “I am because we are” or “a person is a person through other persons.” Ubuntu reminds me that my becoming is not a solo project—it happens in the space between myself and others. When I feel challenged in relation to someone, I remind myself of this, telling myself some variation like, “I become a person through other people.” This helps me remember that growth in this lifetime often means participating in uncomfortable relational dynamics, even when I’d rather detach or dissociate.

I don’t think I’ve ever been a fully embodied person, having spent most of my time in etheric realms and dreams. But now, in my forty-second year of life, I realize that spiritual growth doesn’t happen only in the higher realms or with the angels—it happens here, in the 3D, in the mundane, in the uncomfortable, in the relational.

I’ve learned to love sitting with people in shame, guilt, and fear, in the mud and in the hard stuff, because life is hard and it takes effort just to remain a hopeful, happy, loving person. If I can stay in that state while deepening my capacity to sit with sorrow, misunderstandings, and these human injury games we play, then I’m also deepening my capacity to love.

PHYSICAL

• Free Run dog harness/leash. Built with components of climbing-gear quality, this makes my country dog so happy. Leash when I need it, free when I don’t. Never leave home without it.

• 4-in-1 braided multi-charging cable. This saves me from travel spaghetti and is working great so far. I want one that is lightning, rather than USB, but next time.

• Altra Lone Peak shoes. Zero drop, wide toe box. On my 4th pair. Walked the Norte route of the Camino in these and leaving today for the first half of the Via Francigena. Perfect paired with Aonijie toe socks inside Darn Tough crews. No blisters, cool feet.

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DIGITAL

• Marco Polo app. So much fun to share good morning videos with my granddaughter far away. No intrusive ads, no bs, feels secure—I don’t believe in putting kids’ images out in the inter-world.

• Ladder app. I re-committed to strength training in January and Ladder provided just what I was looking for. Love Team Crews Control—functional training for all ages, with an emphasis on maintaining flexibility. Plenty of fun. This is worth the money, IMHO.

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INVISIBLE

“Never cut what you can untie.”

Having grandchildren brings this home over and over. My kids’ dad, their bonus mom, their other brother—everyone together for dinner. So glad we all love each other, and also glad we have our individual lives.

What’s in your NOW?

We want to know what’s in your now — a list of 6 things that are significant to you now — 3 physical, 2 digital and 1 invisible.

If you’re interested in contributing an issue, use this form to submit: https://forms.gle/Pf9BMuombeg1gCid9

If we run your submission in our newsletter and blog, we’ll paypal you $25.

Todd Henion is a recently retired airline pilot now trying to fix the world one toaster at a time.

PHYSICAL

• Finite and Infinite Games - James Carse: This book has changed all the measures and time markers in my life. Understanding and identifying an infinite game radically adjusts my goals and roles. Simon Sinek has recently reworked and broadened this dichotomy into organizational psychology in his book The Infinite Game. Both categories of game are worth playing, but the rules and outcomes are dramatically different.

• JetStream Pens: There is no better smooth ballpoint pen. Pretty cheap and very reliable. Everyday ballpoint writer with stunningly gentle flow.

• 11-in-1 Klein Screwdriver: Among the highlights of my month are our local Repair Cafes. Neighbors bring in broken and damaged appliances, clothes, and all sorts of stuff. We volunteers try to repair them in collaboration with the owner. This simple multi-bit screwdriver that I carry most days, allows access to the insides of so many household items—despite different screw types—allowing me to work to understand how the machine works and how to put it right. The puzzle-solving, in partnership with the owner, is really joyful. A screwdriver can be a magic key.

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DIGITAL

• Libby App: Having 10-20 good books in my pocket at all times to divert my scrolling brain into a story or concept is the fruition of childhood fantasy. And add that it is all free and very pleasant to use.

• Instapaper (Read it Later app for news and websites): “One should always have something sensational to read on the train” —Wilde

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INVISIBLE

“I don’t mind what happens.” — J. Krishnamurti*

I discovered this quote many years ago and just recently (two or three years ago) started to interrogate what he might have meant and what it means to me. I find it represents both a “Yes, and…” acceptance of our very limited ability for control. And subtracts the unhealthy attachment to outcomes that we automatically generate.

“I don’t mind what happens. That is the essence of inner freedom. It is a timeless spiritual truth: release attachment to outcomes, deep inside yourself, you’ll feel good no matter what.” — Jiddu Krishnamurti

City Builder, Investor, 3X Founder, Negotiator, Mentor & Author who helps solve problems before they happen — and pilots planes in between.

Links:
linkedin.com/in/alladamartin
facebook.com/alladamartin
allaadam.com

Project I’m working on: How Hobbies Change Lives [For over 20 years, I've been fascinated by people who do wonderfully unexpected things in their free time. The deeper I go, the more convinced I become that hobbies, taken seriously, are one of the most underrated forces shaping our lives. And, hey, if you have one (the weirder, the better), I'd love to hear about it!]

PHYSICAL

• Piper Warrior plane canvas created from a photo I took: Aviation has a strange way of simplifying life. Up there, excuses disappear, priorities become obvious, and physics remains wonderfully indifferent to your feelings. This canvas, which graces my office wall, reminds me daily that perspective changes everything. Sometimes the solution is not to work harder on a problem, but to gain a little altitude.

• Mini Pelican Pin: multicolor and very cheerful, the best companion for any blazer. It was love at first sight. Bold, slightly ridiculous, and impossible to take too seriously, this pin has it all. The wiser I become, the more convinced I become that professionalism and playfulness go hand in hand. Some days a mini pelican on a blazer does more for my motivation than an entire productivity system.

• Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés: This is one of those books people recommend for years before you finally pick it up and wonder why you waited so long. Thankfully, it found me in my twenties. It is part mythology, part psychology, and part permission slip to trust your instincts more and more and more. And hey, despite the first word in the title, it works remarkably well for all genders.

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DIGITAL

• TED talk "How Cities Come to Life": It has always amazed me how many people think cities happen by accident. They never do. Every city is a constellation of decisions made by people, for people, or, well, against people. I’ll be honest: I did not want to give this talk. But I eventually realized I couldn’t not give it, especially considering how the pain of poorly designed cities entered my own life. So I went all in and explored why cities shape far more than skylines, what becomes possible when we design them intentionally, and how they can teach us to live better. It still amazes me that I actually did it, so yes, it’s very much in my NOW.

• Dear Derek’s new website: I love Derek Sivers’ ability to make complex ideas feel simple. His new website is a reminder that the internet doesn’t have to be noisy, addictive, or poisonous. It can still be thoughtful, personal, and useful. Way back when, he inspired me to make my own website as simple as they make them. Maybe he’ll inspire you, too.

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INVISIBLE

Genius is the opposite of expectation.

I wrote this one down at least twelve years ago and haven’t stopped thinking about it since. We tend to associate genius with intelligence, talent, credentials, or achievement. Increasingly, I suspect genius is the ability to see what everyone else overlooks because they are busy looking where they were told to look. It hit me when I realized that some of the most interesting people I know are also the least constrained by expectation.

PHYSICAL

• LEZER Trigger Massage Point
  This item has been a life saver for me when I have an ache on my back or soreness near my groin area where I just needed something to target it right at the spot with some tough love. This was exactly what I was looking for and it does the job beautifully every time I needed it. I carry this with me when I travel since it’s light and small.

• Axiom S2 VX Pack
  I recently just switched to this backpack after having my only one-bag as the Tom Bihn Synapse 25 for over 12 years (which I love too). This bag has great design in terms of laying out various compartments including a place for your water bottle on the side for easy access and easy laptop access on the opposite side. There is only one easy-access pocket on the top near the handle too. I find this bag’s size to be fair for my one-bag travel if I don’t bring an extra pair of shoes.

• Luna Sandals - Mono Winged Edition
  Before these sandals, I was wearing Earth Runners running sandals. The straps on the Earth Runner aren’t that durable and usually breaks around two years. I’ve had these Luna sandals for over 3 years and they’re still going strong. They’re very durable and I walk, hike, and run in these during my travels as well as every day wear.

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DIGITAL

• Claude Code

  I first started coding with Claude back in February and now over 20 projects later still making new ones as well as updating existing ones. I feel like it’s the best coding agent out there albeit other people dig Codex more. I feel like you really need to get the right skills and plugins in order to truly unlock the full power of these agents. I’d recommend superpowers and compound-engineering as some plugins to install. You can just use Claude as a harness without paying for Anthropic’s plan by using DeepSeek API. Another great harness is Open Code.

• Pilgrim - Mindful Walking
  This app is great for me to take daily walks with. Sometimes when some ideas or inspirations hit, I’d hit record and note down those thoughts which then gets transcribed on-device for me to use along with some of the context on my walk like where did the inspiration hit as well as the weather and moon cycles. And when I travel and just wander about, it gives me a great summary on exactly where I had walked on a map as well as the ability to create a small web page and postcard-like image for me to share with my friends.

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INVISIBLE

energy begets more energy

What’s in your NOW?

We want to know what’s in your now — a list of 6 things that are significant to you now — 3 physical, 2 digital and 1 invisible.

If you’re interested in contributing an issue, use this form to submit: https://forms.gle/Pf9BMuombeg1gCid9

If we run your submission in our newsletter and blog, we’ll paypal you $25.

PHYSICAL

• Dr. Pepper Zero: With the emerging evidence that artificial sweeteners aren't all that bad for you, I can now engage in diet soda without restraint. Coke Zero, Crush Zero, A&W Zero...they're all incredible, but there's nothing more refreshing than the spicy cherry goodness of Dr. Pepper.

• Patagonia Black Hole 40L: This is the perfect duffel bag (so good I own two). It's carry-on compliant for most planes, has ergonomic shoulder straps, and is extremely durable. I keep one fully loaded with climbing gear for bouldering days in Squamish, and another "clean" bag that I use for travel. The 40L bag has more than enough space for international travel. It's stylish and comes in a range of colours (although I prefer the black with rainbow print).

• Matfer Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel Pan 11.75": This pan inspires me to be a better cook. It's my daily driver and is seasoned enough where I can make an omelette without any sticking. The Matfer pan has a welded handle without rivets, allowing for a completely smooth cooking surface. It's lighter (and heats faster) than a cast-iron, is oven safe (at reasonable temperatures), and avoids the potential health impact of nonstick pans.

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DIGITAL

• Instapaper: I have a tough time reading news articles (mostly movie reviews if I'm being honest) on my laptop. Instapaper lets me save articles without ads within the app, which I can then access on my Kobo. I can read without distraction on my handheld reader while I'm on the go or using a cardio machine at the gym.

• The New York Times Cooking app: This has been essential in my cooking journey. I love that I can save recipes that I enjoy or want to cook in my recipe box. Additionally, the search function lets me choose dishes based on time investment or ingredients that I'm keen on playing around with. Learning how to cook with the NYT app has been low-stress, easy and a ton of fun.

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INVISIBLE

I’ve always had a predisposition towards delayed gratification and type II fun. As a result, I haven’t felt much type I fun or joy in my life. I recently had an experience of pure pleasure drinking the best coffee of my life in a Parisian cafe (shout out to Joachim at Substance), which led to a lightbulb moment. I can still strive and work hard, but experiencing bliss, awe and wonder is also important. That was a bit of a ramble, but the TL;DR of my invisible now is chasing moments of simple joy just for the sake of it

What’s in your NOW?

We want to know what’s in your now — a list of 6 things that are significant to you now — 3 physical, 2 digital and 1 invisible.

If you’re interested in contributing an issue, use this form to submit: https://forms.gle/Pf9BMuombeg1gCid9

If we run your submission in our newsletter and blog, we’ll paypal you $25.

LINKS:

• instagram.com/xternal

• linkedin.com/in/pavelguzhikov

• facebook.com/pavel.guzhikov

• guzhikov.substack.com

NEWSLETTER:

Journey of a quiet changemaker

Stories about pain, gain and lessons learned from entrepreneurship, tech, social work and living with eyes open.

By Pavel Guzhikov

PHYSICAL

• Crocs Geometric Clog — I always thought Crocs are lame and uncomfortable, until my friend some day told me he is sexy enough to wear crocs all the time. Then I randomly bought this geometric one and fell in love. I go to gym, shop, sometimes office and basically anywhere where something more is not expected by circumstances. Really comfy and versatile.

• Black Diamond Astro — bought a couple of years ago in Tashkent, Uzbekistan for mountain hiking and camping, but had a new like at my home and daily life in London, UK. I use it in so many situations – to keep my hair up, to read books, to cook in the kitchen, to play with kids, to run. It is a thing which makes me see everything more clearly in all possible ways.

• Ion8 Primo 720ml water bottle — I am very British-local-manufacturing-patriotic which I try to write about in Substack by the way. I used Camelbak bottles a lot, but switching to ion8 made me feel the difference. Everything is perfect here up to the nozzle. It is beautiful, useful, comfortable and makes me drink more and more with more pleasure.

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DIGITAL

• Endel — even in years when creating music is a click away I still love and feel Endel is doing a great job for me and my brain. It relaxes me, soothes, focuses, energises... and so on. It is like ML but without feedback loops. Don’t know, it just works amazing for me.

• Knowledge Project — if I have to consume only one source of information, this would be it. Shane does a great job for years asking great questions to interesting and not always obvious people. Signal in the world of noise. Ideas to think about. Thought provoking.

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INVISIBLE

"Just keep livin’" — mentioned by Matthew McConaughey in his first book is an internal engine that was always in me to keep doing things often even without thinking why, what for or how. For me it is an idea for both “stand up and play again” and that even “empty” days are fine to be out there.

Gordon Tebo is a singer/songwriter living outside of Chicago. He recently released his new album, “Exotic Fears”, which served as a sort of exorcism of anxiety and grief.

PHYSICAL

• An acoustic piano. Not a digital piano. Nothing you have to switch on: it’s always on—that’s the feature! It doesn’t even have to be a piano. A guitar works great, too. Even if you don’t know how to play an instrument, it doesn’t matter. The presence of the instrument in your apartment, house, life, is enough. A friend comes over, sits down and plays a song. Kids come by and noodle mindlessly. It’s a piece of furniture, and it’s not going anywhere. It’s not a liability: it’s a major organ in the living organism you call home. Get one, used. Play it first before you buy it. Get the one that feels right. It will change your life.

• The Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L. Good backpack design is like conceptual origami. How did they seemingly include every conceivable useful feature, spanning functionality, security, and accessibility, into a package that looks sleek and feels great? It’s masterful. I just went to Philly on a 3 night trip and it was overkill. I could travel for a week in this thing comfortably. I want to travel even more than I already do because it makes travel fun and freeing. Thoughtfulness, resourcefulness, and thoroughness: it’s what makes things great.

• My beater 2014 Toyota Highlander. I had been contemplating buying a newer car on the grounds that this car is now over 100k miles, has taken some hits, doesn’t have the best gas mileage, the tech is ancient, the turning radius is terrible, and the back hatch takes forever to actually open on its automatic mode. But then I got thinking: I drove my family across the country on a move. I took my aging and sick dog on its final car ride. I drove my second newborn home from the hospital in it. I can bang it up and it doesn’t care. I don’t stress about this car. No one probably wants to steal it. No one even notices it. In fact, someone drove into it at full speed because they didn’t see it (they were on their phone). I thought it was totaled but it came back to life and I swear it drives better now, and maybe even loves me back at times.

DIGITAL

• Bear (notes app). Here’s where I do all of my writing. Lyrics, random thoughts, poems, beliefs, dreams, recipes, drafts, everything. It’s nothing special, but it works. It works because it’s not trying to be anything more than a good notes app. It’s minimal yet not lacking features. It’s sleek yet it’s not trendy. Everything I’ve done that took a little bit of planning and turned out great in the past 5 years started right here in Bear.

• Infinite Loops podcast. Like all podcasts, you kind of have to forgive the host. They don’t know who’s listening, or how many times they’ve listened to one of their episodes. They often repeat the same things every episode, tell the same stories, and you know what they’re about to say before they start talking. But that’s not what makes a podcast. The guests make it or break it, and Infinite Loops has great guests that span all sorts of disciplines and offer all manner of thoughtful opinions and measured ideas. Their heads are screwed on tight but they still provoke deep and useful thought. And the host is pretty good, too.

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INVISIBLE

A sense of humor.

“Humor and self-righteousness are mutually exclusive” … a classic Alan Watts observation.

This quote is a useful tool for being alive right now. I can get mad that things aren’t going my way or the world is spinning out of control more than yesterday, and my feelings are valid, of course. But one has to balance out those feelings with awareness. And the funniest thing a person can say is what they firmly believe to be true. That’s the funniest damn thing! Try it sometime with someone you trust and love. Once you out it, you pop the bubble in your mind that was holding it all together and you realize you don’t actually know anything other than how you feel inside right now. And that always makes me feel better. Laughing feels great too.

PHYSICAL

• Feel Good Bench: I use a cushion when I meditate at home, but when I travel, I pack a Feel Good Bench. You can spend way too much time comparing different benches online. This one is sturdy, comfortable, slides into a backpack, and is solidly constructed with wires and magnets.

• Clock Parts: I love clocks. I have a classic Simplex schoolhouse clock in my kitchen that was on the wall of every one of my classrooms growing up. But for a long time it was powered by a long, ugly cord hanging down the wall. So I fixed it with parts from Clockparts.com. They have the parts to turn any old clock into a battery powered clock. My Simplex clock now runs a sweep hand on one D battery that I replace every two and half years. My antique Ingraham mantel clock runs great, and you’d never know it is battery powered.

• RO Bucket: I have a hobby sugarbush and tap twelve trees on my city lot in Saint Paul, MN. But boiling all that sap while teaching and raising kids is a challenge. The RO Bucket helps me manage it by removing around 60% of the water. It saves me crazy amounts of time and money and allows me to stay on top of big sap runs. It’s easy to use and maintain and Carl, the owner, is always available to troubleshoot problems.

DIGITAL

• Omnioutliner Pro: I bought my first PowerBook in 2001, and OmniOutliner came preinstalled. I’ve never looked back. I think, read, and write structurally, and so my tendency is to outline. This tool helps me organize all my writing and speaking projects. Most often, I use it to plan out my courses. I’ve built a template to organize each course by weeks and days. It’s easy to update after class with what worked and what didn’t. The Essentials version gives you a feel for things, but the Pro version is where the magic really happens.

• YNAB: This is probably over-recommended, but YNAB is easily the one digital tool I can’t live without. My wife and I have been using it since 2010 to manage finances. It’s allowed us to budget for moving, buying a house, changing jobs multiple times, having one then two then — surprise — three kids, prioritizing travel, and saving for retirement. The transparency allows us to have super easy money conversations. It’s the first app I open every morning.

INVISIBLE

N-1

Call it Buddhist, Stoic, existentialist, or whatever, this is my shorthand for capturing the idea that we will do everything in our lives a finite number of times and that eventually we will do everything a final time. I tattooed it on my arm. It helps me more deeply appreciate the good moments, recognize that even the challenging things will end, and reminds me that there will eventually be a final time. And, sadly, we often don’t know when that is. Is it now? Sam Harris’s Last Time meditation from his excellent Waking Up app conveys this better than I can.

What’s in your NOW?

We want to know what’s in your now — a list of 6 things that are significant to you now — 3 physical, 2 digital and 1 invisible.

If you’re interested in contributing an issue, use this form to submit: https://forms.gle/Pf9BMuombeg1gCid9

If we run your submission in our newsletter and blog, we’ll paypal you $25.

If you’re interested in contributing an issue, use this form to submit: https://forms.gle/Pf9BMuombeg1gCid9

If we run your submission in our newsletter and blog, we’ll paypal you $25.

Also, please free to forward this to a friend you would like to see featured in WIMN. The full archive of the past 253 issues is available here: https://whatsinmynow.substack.com/archive

PHYSICAL

• Mac mini travel case: Once upon a time, EE nerds walked the Earth with geek boxes containing wires, transistors and stuff. Now you can LARP that lifestyle with a Mac Mini travel case. Need to add a custom shoulder strap for the full effect but the ability to take my powerful mini anywhere two legs can walk is worth every strange look.

• Comma 4/sunnypilot: Upgrade your car with an advanced, open source driver assistance system. Comma 4 is hardware that easily plugs into over 300+ cars while sunnypilot is a community project upgrade that offers more features than the base software. You may need to grab a tech friend but the ability to put in a destination and have the car drive there (with vigilance) is more widely available than most people think.

• Sony WH-1000XM4 headset. I loved these when I first got them. After 2 years of nearly constant use, I upgraded to the XM5. After another two years of heavy use, the XM6 came out. After testing those I ‘downgraded’ back to the XM4, and have no regrets. You won’t either. The noise cancelling is strong and it switches to ambient on a guess, a problem with the XM5.

DIGITAL

• Caveman (Claude Code skill). Yes, it writes output like a caveman. Yes, that’s funny. But guess what? Caveman save tokens (~65% avg). Three levels: lite, full grunt, ultra (almost alien-speak). Not just for code, either. After having Caveman rewrite Mark Antony’s speech in Julius Caesar, I was convinced of its potential in other domains, and I’m trying to port it to Claude Desktop with the intent of writing all emails in full grunt mode. The world would be a better place if you joined me on that mission.

• Repoprompt. This is a context management tool for AI. Ignore the advertised token windows, the rot starts hard after 128-256K, if that. Repoprompt has AI scan the codebase, codeslice files to fit set token budgets and improves prompts. Oh, it also enables AI pair programming between models, with review gates, plan checks, the works. Only for MacOS at the moment but Windows is on the roadmap (for a year now…). Also on the roadmap: PDF text splicing. The result? Stronger output responses, less energy burn, earlier bedtimes.

INVISIBLE

“In the cellars of the night, when the mind starts moving around old trunks of bad times, the pain of this and the shame of that, the memory of a small boldness is a hand to hold.” — John Leonard.

I don’t need this quote at the moment, but maybe someone does. It’s been helpful in the past. Record your bold, authentic acts. Collect more. Revisit them.

What’s in your NOW?

We want to know what’s in your now — a list of 6 things that are significant to you now — 3 physical, 2 digital and 1 invisible.

If you’re interested in contributing an issue, use this form to submit: https://forms.gle/Pf9BMuombeg1gCid9

If we run your submission in our newsletter and blog, we’ll paypal you $25.

PHYSICAL

• Spyderco Dragonfly 2 penknife Non-locking, featherlight, legal to carry in most European countries, and the steel takes an edge beautifully. At tavernas in Greece, my friends always turn to me the moment something needs cutting: come on, where’s the knife? The rare object that manages to be both entirely practical and quietly perfect.

• Collings OM2H-T guitar I own twenty-three guitars, so nominating one is not a trivial act. Julian Lage was among the first high-profile players associated with this model — which is how I heard of it — and when I found this particular example in London, even the staff said there was something unusually good about it. There still is.

• Chuang Tzu: Inner Chapters (trans. Gia-fu Feng & Jane English) I’ve read the Inner Chapters almost every week since I was seventeen — I’m now in my mid-sixties. I own six or seven translations; this one earns its place through Jane English’s photographs, which capture the spirit of the Tao in a way I’ve never found elsewhere.

DIGITAL

• Claude Code (via Visual Studio Code) I’m a retired English lawyer on a mountainside in Greece, writing a historical novel set in 1445 Samarkand. Through Claude Code I run an AI-powered publishing operation: a chief of staff called Archie coordinates specialists covering research, editing, marketing, and law. None of them exist in the conventional sense. All of them are indispensable. Full story on my Substack.

• Lost and Savage An Italian rides a Kawasaki W650 across Central Asia — the W650 was my first serious motorcycle, and the Silk Roads are my obsession. Quieter, stranger, and considerably more interesting than the usual motorcycle travel content.

INVISIBLE

The chief element of happiness is this: to want to be what you are. — Erasmus

You could attribute this to Marcus Aurelius or Chuang Tzu and nobody would blink. Its universality is the point — not a cultural artefact but a simple, portable truth.

What’s in your NOW?

We want to know what’s in your now — a list of 6 things that are significant to you now — 3 physical, 2 digital and 1 invisible.

If you’re interested in contributing an issue, use this form to submit: https://forms.gle/Pf9BMuombeg1gCid9

If we run your submission in our newsletter and blog, we’ll paypal you $25.