• linked out

    neon

    Photo unrelated.

    I am trying to avoid injecting too much negativity on this blog. It’s been a meditative experience mostly and I want to put good energy into this space but I just so happened to be on LinkedIn a few minutes ago. (This was my first mistake.) I have it out of necessity but the truth is I genuinely dislike my feed on there. While it has done it’s job filtering in posts about design most of them are there to generate views. Posts about very basic design concepts are very common and rarely are the discussions worthwhile. To turn a negative into a positive, this sort of algorithm adjusted posting is something I’m happy to be free of posting *here*. Posts on that site also promote this wildly unhealthy “work is life” attitude. I very much enjoy my job but I can’t live in that space all the time.

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  • Here we go!

    neon

    Well, I found something to share, or discuss at the very least. Nintendo’s been buzzing thanks to the full reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2. It’s certainly impressive and there’s a whole mess of games I’m excited about. (Especially yours, Professor Layton.)

    However, there’s been a lot of negative feedback lately, with $80 games, possible issues due to tariffs, and least of all, a $10 price tag for a tutorial “game.”

    I’m getting away from the point. Nintendo is also adding a built in chat to its new console, but after an initial trial you’ll need Nintendo Online to use it. Having an online pass for online play is nothing new. If I want the full Elden Ring experience on my PS5, I need Sony’s Playstation Plus. On the other hand, I can join XBox party chats when I’m hunting for Monsters. (Does anyone else hate the Rathalos? No?)

    Nintendo has been weirdly archaic with a lot of things. Reggie Fils-Aimé fought to include Wii Sports with the console, which ended up being a massive selling point for the more casual gamer. (Seriously, my mom even tried Wii bowling!)

    It doesn’t look like they’re backing down from their price tags and I certainly don’t think they’re going to be offering more affordable options for playing with friends. They took long enough to catch up with Sony and Microsoft in terms of hardware – maybe we’ll see a better online component for Nintendo in the future, but I don’t think it’ll be any time soon.

  • Of fleeting interest

    neon

    Just yesterday I heard a song in an instagram reel that I ended up really enjoying. I added it to a couple of my playlists and went on with my day. After revisiting it today, I still very much enjoyed it but gave the artist’s other works a listen and I did not vibe with it at all. It’s a frustrating feeling – the artist doesn’t owe the listener anything of course, but I was surprised at how much I liked this one song vs. anything else they’ve done. Was it the producer? Was it a song they sampled? Who knows. Whether it’s books or music I’ve stuck by the idea of not forcing yourself to try and enjoy something you’re not vibing with. There’s just not enough time. The song is still an earworm to me and I am sure I will listen to it for a long long time. Also, to be clear, it’s not to suggest the artist isn’t good – I’m obsessed with the track, I just didn’t click with their other material.

    Photo from our 2018 honeymoon – feeling nostalgic for Tokyo again.

    A lot of my posts lately have been very personal and this has been a good outlet for sharing thoughts, and I suppose, escapism. However, I do want to return to sharing interesting media and stories I read. From an authenticity perspective though, I don’t want to just post something so I can say I did. That’s not the point of this. I’ll keep searching for something that matters, even if it’s ridiculous.

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  • Patience. Again.

    neon

    A few weeks ago I mentioned that I was attempting to propagate the house plant gifted to us by friends. It’s been a learning experience, both in the actual process and in practicing patience.

    I’ve never been great at that. Maybe it’s rooted in ADHD, maybe not – but I have a tendency to rush ahead for better or worse. With this, however, there’s not much of a choice other than to “wait and see.”

    The leaves in the planter look healthy still, but I’m also trying to propagate in water with a few clippings. With a heartleaf philodendron plant it can take something like 4-5 weeks, maybe more, for roots to start showing. I’ve seen people recommend waiting for those roots to grow more roots before moving it to a planter.

    There’s a part of me that wants to call it another failed project or to childishly blame it on my own lack of skill but I’m trying my best to just let it be.

    We’ll see how it goes.

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  • Hello

    neon

    Ever since I made this a blog, and not just a place to dump my photos from Tokyo 2023, I’ve had random likes. I’ve since learned that those tend to be likes from bots, but occasionally a live human wanders by the Shrine. If you’re out there reading this and decide to give a like, say hey too. It’s reassuring to know it’s not all bots out there.

    I’ll say this, I’ve only corresponded (indirectly) with another blogger as a result of comments but it felt like such a different connection when separated from the cesspool of social media. (I say this, but I’m still stuck on Instagram.)

    It’s a much more welcome connection.

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  • neon

    Been a few days since I posted. I hadn’t intended to post daily, and certainly haven’t been trying to. Yet, I feel like I’ve slacked off if it’s been a few days. I suppose it stems from a deep down fear that this is just another fleeting hyperfixation. I think it’s real enough because of all the other little things I’ve dropped along the way. For what it’s worth, it feels like meditation and I’m still here.

    Right, the video up top. I finally watched an episode of “Common Side Effects” and it’s brilliant and quite timely. Two former class mates meet again, one having secretly discovered a cure-all-mushroom, the other working for a huge Pharma company. Very excited to check out more of it. The characters, the set up, the animation style, the way it will lull you into a false sense of security with absurd humor before something real bad happens – yeah, it’s good. First episode is free (as seen above), so check it out!

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  • Routine

    neon

    The latest Sad Boyz (embedded above) is fantastic. While they humorously review Ashton Hall’s insane morning routine, they also get into a deeper conversation about masculinity and it’s a good one! (Plus Ify Nwadiwe guests and he generates a lot of great discussion around the topic.)

    Routines can be important and even vital to one’s health, and I’ve been trying to be better about this. I feel like I say that about everything. Maybe that’s not a bad thing – approaching 39 (in 22 days or so) I’ve tried reflecting a bit on how to make my life better from a physical and mental health perspective. I am still going to seek treatment for ADHD when my financials are in order and I’ve made better use of my bullet journal this year, so that’s a start.

    I want to follow through and establish more regular (and healthy) routines, not so much… face ice baths every day or consuming an insane amount of Saratoga water. Thanks to ADHD and other roadblocks I often find myself not taking the time to read a book or practice drawing or design; or just doing any number of other things I’d like to do in a given day. I think I’m almost there, I just need that extra step.

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  • nostalgia

    neon
    A photo I took in Shin-Ōkubo on our honeymoon in 2018.

    Spring is approaching so that means weather is an odd mix of warm with chilly wind. Typical for March but when I stepped out this morning it oddly reminded me of Autumn in Tokyo, specifically when we were there on our honeymoon.

    At minimum it brought back memories two of the happiest weeks of my life. It gave me a much needed boost this morning.

    Hope your day is filled with warm nostalgia and a sense of peace.

  • neon

    Saw this quote from Geddy Lee today that really stuck with me”

    “The more influences one has that are then filtered through one’s own personality, the more one ends up with a style and a sound that one can legitimately call one’s own. If you have three bands influencing you, you’re derivative; if you have a hundred, you’re original!”

    I used to worry a lot about having so many different styles of music when it came to neon shudder. Now I feel like it’s where I’m supposed to be.

  • rain

    neon

    It is not apparent from this photo but it is raining quite a bit today. I’ve been eagerly anticipating the spring but I’ve always loved rainy days. I grew a bit tired of them the 13 plus years I worked in the city between train delays and needing to trek from the office to the station, but working from home? It’s very relaxing. (As long as there isn’t horrible wind along with the rainy skies.)

    I finished the song I was working on. I won’t rehash the whole thing but the album it originated from had some lukewarm reviews. I should be grateful anyone listened at the time but when it got some less than stellar feedback I didn’t handle it well. I do believe one in particular was maybe more aggressive amd mean spirited in tone than it needed to be, however more than one did suggest it sounded amateur due to some synths sounding like they were presets and default.

    I still hold very strong opinions about the idea of using default settings – that shouldn’t dictate your enjoyment of a song but years later I can understand why they’d mention it. I mostly think it’s silly now but I can draw a direct line from the weak points of that album to my own struggles with ADHD and anxiety.

    And maybe that’s why I wanted this new version to feel complete. Whether it is or isn’t is up to each listener but ultimately I’m happy with it and that’s the base line “most I could ask for”

    The rest is just a bonus. Listen for yourself by clicking here: