Something to Keep
“We don’t know where we get our ideas from. What we do know is that we do not get them from our laptops.”
John Cleese
A Second Look
I’ve forgotten how much fun engaging with analog hobbies can be. I mean, I read and write all the time, but sometimes playing card games with friends is also a blast. Now I get why my grandmother enjoyed using her sewing machine so much. There’s something almost meditative about engaging with analog tools for hours.
I know how this sounds. The modern world isn’t kind to analog hobbies. I mean, who would start a scrapbook if you can post everything on social media faster? Who would knit if Netflix is right there? The fact that you could do something faster doesn’t mean it’s better. In my experience, engaging with analog tools demands time and effort at first, but once you’re into them, they won’t let go, and you can have fun for hours.
There’s something else about analog tools: the more you use them, the more ideas you have. It’s incredible how mentally restoring using analog tools can be. Look, I’m not saying we should suddenly stop using technology to be happier. What I’m saying is that we should spend time away from it, so when we go back to our phones or our laptops, we have a clear idea of what we want to do there.
Something I Liked
Lately, I’ve been reading Slash’s autobiography. I was really into Guns N’ Roses when I was a teenager, and I would have loved to read something like this back then. The book is really good if you’re into the band or rock music in general, though some people have claimed that there are some inconsistencies in terms of dates and places mentioned.
Other than that, it’s the typical musician biography where there are countless stories of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Despite the seemingly one-dimensional nature of the book, it tells some fascinating stories about the making of Appetite for Destruction and the inevitable downfall of the band.
I don’t know why it took me this long to read this book. I’ve read Duff McKagan’s It’s So Easy (a memoir) and How to Be a Man (a collection of essays) before, and I loved them.