Excursions

Nope.

These articles keep getting churned out every few months — and the frequency might even be on the rise. I always wonder why don’t we ask this question - “have we hit peak blogging”? Why can’t podcasting be made more mainstream?

“It definitely won’t be taped at a library where janitors are walking around, yelling in the background of each episode.”

Absolutely bullshit. Weren’t we convincing more people to write what they want? Encouraging them to open their mind, blog more - not think about readers? What’s so different about podcasting?

What if there existed a social network designed for decency? The only intelligence it would have is sentiment analysis that would identify - and subsequently hide or delete - the posts with rants or vile responses. Wouldn’t it make the timeline bearable for many?

There was a time when I used to diligently write a short story every week. I wanted to attempt writing a fictional story of every genre. I was even considering completing a book in the genre I eventually enjoy the most. I always wished I could write humor better. I feel mystery comes naturally. But, detective? Ah. I came across this short story that I wrote more than a year back and boy I remember I struggled a lot writing this.

I want to start writing short stories again. I need to start going back to my writing prompts. I enjoyed that weekly habit of mine — it was a nice getaway from the grinds of daily routine. I miss that.

The consumption of days of content does not lend the satisfaction that an hour of creation can.

I picked up this book just as a filler — something I read in between when am in no mental state of anything serious. Or something that will make me think. Or will make me sad. So I had very little expectations going in. And the book met my expectations to the T. It wasn’t terrible. But I don’t think I will remember any part of it after even a month.

I have now given up on many “memoirs” which are nothing more than essays on varied topic. I have realized that they simply don’t interest me. Especially humor ones. Fact that I could sit through and complete this book is in itself a surprise for me.

One thing that might have worked in favor somewhat is that I listened to this book rather than reading it. I think the experience must have been a tad better. Because ..uhmm.. Ellen. But the content just was too patchy overall. Some essays were brilliantly written. They talked about some nice little ideas. And with Ellen’s easy-on-ears style of narrating, they made me laugh. Some even made me think. Her journal entries while on beach or her thoughts on having (not?) kids, to note a couple, are damn funny.

Others, however, - and there many to be frank - were terrible. Her haikus or bucket lists were just horrible. I don’t even know why were there in the book. They weren’t funny. They had no reason. They were just .. there. Wish if the chapters that weren’t funny at least made me learn something about Ellen’s life. Nope. Didn’t do even that. Few had just 4-5 words. Not something I enjoy - sorry. Even when I have very low expectations.

All in all, this is a terrible memoir, okiesh essay collection, a breezy audiobook. You can listen through it completely over a long drive. You won’t miss a thing while you place and collect your order at a drive through. Don’t pause. Don’t replay. Just let it play on through your drive.

Content gets 2 stars. Ellen gets another star. However, I don’t think I will pick up another of her earlier books any time soon though. Or any of the essay/memoirs. I am done with this genre.

Clouds can spread gloom - but the rain that follows brings out all the colourful umbrellas. The time’s always cheerful.

Every now and then, I spend some time selecting that one good wallpaper for my lock and home screen. And it never is easy. Recently came across this wonderful app - Vellum which has some great selection of wallpapers. I know this is a personal preference, but a nice little app.

Apple also wants to serve exclusive podcasts now. This recent craze of everyone coming up with their own exclusive content - movies, shows and podcasts now - is really nonsensical to me. Netflix and Amazon started it with their original content and, although arguable, achieved some moderate success.

However, we are already seeing trends - if Netflix’s recent quarter’s earnings are any indication - of people losing interest. One reason I believe (and suffer from) is the sheer quantity of the content available to be consumed. After all, there is only so much time a person can spend glued to their screens- in addition to the time he already spends scrolling through the unlimited stream of bite sized posts.

As I had argued earlier, podcast is not a light medium for consumption. It is not music. It is not audiobooks. It is a medium known for culturing the relationship with the listeners over years. Listeners choose whom they form that relationship with by subscribing to a podcast.

And they are already weighed down by the choices they have to make.

Do people use cases or covers for their smartphones? I am always split — keep the perfect weight and feel of the device or keep it safe (or at least convince oneself that it is). And then there is that decision of military grade or thin or ultra thin cases even if if want one. I can never make my mind what exactly what I want.

My old SE could bear the military grade protection. The larger devices just can’t — they become too bulky. Super ironic.

We had a nice little family dinner at a cozy, laid-back barbeque restaurant. It was evening full of delectable food, soothing music and lots of laughter & chatter. Plus some learning 😬

So I finally jumped the ship - upgraded to iPhone XR from SE. As much as I liked the smallwe form factor, it was always tempting to use and find comfort with the larger screens of all the available screens around. And just a couple of hours in, I see why these are preferred 🧐