Patrick Rhone's Blog, page 24

A Passion For The Work

Subtitle: Lose The Freelancing Illusion

I get at least one email in my inbox a week from someone who wants my advice on freelancing. They read my writing or listen to my podcast or follow me on a social network and think that I have a pretty sweet, fulfilling, life that I’m generally satisfied with. That I love working the freelance life as both a consultant and writer. That my wife, who is also a freelance consultant and my business partner, does too. And, this is true. We have a pretty great life. But I think the truth of why we love it is far different than the reason others think we do.

The fact is, both my wife and I work our asses off. Heck, here it is past midnight and I’m still working. My wife is in a chair a few feet away working. I’m rarely not working. Neither is she. Even the “fun stuff” is often work related for at least one of us. As are our “vacations”. But, we do it because we love it. We love the work. It fulfills us in ways that nothing else can. And this is what I mean when I say it is not for everyone and that satisfaction others sense is not coming from a life of leisure it is coming from a love of the work.

We are both passionate people. We are passionate about every aspect of our life. We did not set out to freelance so that we could work less. We freelance so that we can work more and own every piece of it. The fact is that there really is no line for us between family, work, and play. It is all just life. A life that we build and work for and love. We work hard at every aspect of it because we love the work.

Not everyone is cut out for it. It takes not only a passion for the work but plenty of sacrifice. It means there will be no paid vacations or retirement fund matching or group healthcare plan. It means years of saving and planning and struggling and scrapping. But you will know, in those tough years, if it is for you. Because those struggles will not deter you — they will fuel you. Because, that is all part of the work too.

The farmer lays her head down at night and can’t wait to go out at daybreak and get deep into the muck and dung of her work, because she loves the land. It is what makes her a farmer.

When you love the work, the work shows you who you really are.

I’m a full-time independent writer who works hard and loves it. If my work has improved your day, please consider a free will donation of any amount.

Another Dinner Idea

As I stated earlier, even though I do a lot of the cooking for our family dinner, when it comes to searching for new things to try my wife Bethany is the queen. One of her favorite sources is a cookbook called Dinner: A Love Story by Jenny Rosenstrach. While it is full of wonderful family-friendly recipes and ideas, it is also a wonderful read. That’s right, read. It is not only a cookbook but a memoir as well. One in which the food is a central theme that the narrative is woven through.

It has saved our mealtime conundrums many times. Most of the recipes are simple, quick, and largely designed for a busy family like the author’s. For instance, we recently had a whole meals worth of spaghetti noodles left over (because I can never figure out how to make “just enough”) just sitting in the fridge a few days old. There was also some flat leaf parsley in the crisper waiting for use. Bethany remembered that the book had just the perfect use for these — a Spaghetti Omelet. I had some doubts after having tried another similar idea in the past but I was game to give it another go. Sure enough, it turned out perfectly. So delish!

Another one from the book that we keep coming back to in various forms is the Chicken Milanese. It is not only perfectly great following the recipe but also highly adaptable to improvisation. With a few slight changes or additions this can easily become Chicken Parmesan or even some healthy and flavorful Chicken Fingers for the kids.

And, as one would imagine from such a source, the Dinner: A Love Story blog is an equally entertaining mix of the same cookbook/memoir mashup that makes the book so great.

All of this to say that Dinner: A Love Story is another great book for the busy cook. The biggest dilemma you may face is wether it belongs on your nightstand or in the kitchen. I recommend following Bethany’s path — first the nightstand, then the kitchen.

French Lunch

I’ve tweeted it, I’ve spoken about it on my podcast, and others have given their own riffs on the idea, but I have never written it down here on my own site.

I’m talking about my favorite thing to eat for lunch. I call it French Lunch because it is always what I imagine is in the lunchbox of every hard laborer in France (I have no idea if that is, in fact, the case).

It’s pretty easy actually. Here’s what I do:

Grab a good fresh crusty baguette. Good bread is the foundation so spare no expense here and aim for fresh as possible. Made today? Good. Made less than an hour ago? Better!

Get a creamy-style cheese like Brie or Délice de Bourgogne (or, occasionally, I’ll go for something a bit more firm and nutty like Manchego depending on my mood).

Then a bunch of good red grapes. Sometimes I do a ripe pear if grapes are not in season or otherwise hard to find. But fruity and juicy and sweet is the goal here.

It’s very simple, requires nothing but a knife (and even that is optional if you want to go all “beast mode” about it), and zero prep. Just take it out, plate it and eat it.

I’m a full-time independent writer who works hard to bring you quality reading, ideas, and the occasional recipe here daily. If you enjoy what you read here, please consider a free will donation of any amount.

A Dinner Idea

I’m generally the cook of the house. That means that, most nights, I’m the one that plans and prepares dinner. I have no problem with this. I love to cook and am pretty proud of my skills in the kitchen. Especially as I was raised in the care of two women, my mom and grandmother, who did not cook really at all (we ate out a lot). Plus, it makes me feel like I’m taking care of my family.

That said, coming up with new things that everyone will eat is often quite hard. Bethany does not eat red meat and is mostly vegetarian in general. Beatrix is as picky as five year olds often are and when she does eat she eats like a bird. My Mom, who is living with us right now, is on a special diet seemingly on a meal by meal whim. And I have been trying to monitor my intake of carbs and overall balance of protein, fruits, and vegetables. Yet, somehow, we manage.

Sometimes, we end up trying something new because I invent it based on ingredients we have on hand. Other times, I see a new recipe and am inspired. But other times, even though I’m generally the cook, it is often due to Bethany suggesting a recipe that we end up breaking the routine.

Well, Bethany has a friend who has a great family cookbook called Parents Need To Eat Too as well as a blog of the same name. It is perfect for situations like ours where you have many tastes to please and only about a half hour at the end of a long and busy day to do so.

Tonight we tried this one from the blog and it was amazing:

Roasted Butternut Gnocchi in Blood Orange Brown Butter | Parents Need to Eat Too

Near gourmet in concept but simple to pull off in actual execution. Rich and full of flavor. Seriously, it was fantastic. It just so happened that we had a similar circumstance as the author — a squash and a blood orange that were on the edge of use so it worked out perfectly. Bethany had by chance roasted our squash the night before hoping to find something to do with it.

I served it with a side salad of baby kale, chard, spinach, carrots, and tomatoes. It served four nicely with some leftovers.

So, if you are the cook like me and were wondering what to do for dinner tonight, I can’t think of a better suggestion.

Responsive

Sometime in the past, I put a wish out into the world. I can’t even remember when. It was out there, somewhere on the Internet, where a friendly soul might happen by it and respond. The wish was that this site be mobile friendly. I did not have the knowledge on how to go about it and trying to learn by researching online only led me to articles that made my head hurt. So, I put it on my list of future needs and there it stayed.

A couple of days ago, my friend Chris Bowler mentioned he had seen my wish some time ago and had, simply out of good will and wanting to do a kind deed, done some mock ups of some possible mobile friendly modifications that could be made to the site. They were all stunning, yet still, I did not have the skill to make heads or tails of how to use them. So, he offered to do it for me. No strings attached.

To say I’m grateful would be an understatement for sure. Gobsmacked my be more appropriate. Such kindness is so increasingly rare in this world. Yet, if you are reading this in a mobile browser you can see it in evidence.

So, thank you Chris Bowler for going above and beyond an act of kindness with your responsiveness. It means so much to me.

And, if you do read this on a mobile browser, Chris has an excellent site that is worth supporting and you should thank him for it by becoming a member.

Simplicity, Ingenuity, & Gumption

One of the things I love, mostly due to my other regular online writing job is that I often get sent previews of apps that are not yet released to the public. Sometimes, these are offers to get in on the beta test, sometimes it is a link to download the app to check it out and give my feedback, sometimes, it is just a pitch for an idea for an app.

It is the last of these that I especially love because a great app begins with a great idea. And, while I see a lot of good ideas showing up on my digital doorstep, on very, very rare occasions a great one shows up. Ones that, once seen, I literally burst out laughing with glee and excitement. Though almost always sworn to secrecy, which I always keep, it is these apps that test such resolve the most.

I’ve started to notice a trend with the apps that garner my personal praise. Some traits that they almost always share. These would be:

Simplicity — They are almost always dead simple apps. They usually only do one or two things, really. Yet, the thing they do is almost always a very useful thing. The interesting thing is that it is often the case that there are many other apps already that do those same one or two things. Which brings me to…

Ingenuity — What sets these apps apart is that what they do they do not only well but in a way that no one has yet thought of. Then, once you see the way these apps do that thing you know instantly that it is the right way to do it and you wonder why no one else has done it that way before. Because, it is obvious that it is the way it should be done. Then, it occurs to you that the reason no one else has done it is that no one else has had…

Gumption — The gumption to not only think of the best way — the now obvious way —but the willingness to do the hard work to get it done. Because the right way sometimes takes courage, or time, or is just a plain straight-up hack. But, gumption is what it takes to get the job done.

And when these three traits come together… Ooh boy! You might have a great thing on your hands. And the world needs more great things.

I’m a full-time independent writer who works hard to bring you quality reading and ideas here daily. If you enjoy what you read here, please consider a free will donation of any amount.

Kind

Noun: A group of people or things having similar characteristics: “all kinds of music”.
Adjective: Having or showing a friendly, generous, and considerate nature: “a kind woman”.

Kind is a word I use a lot. If you have ever sent me a complementary email or have done something nice for me online, I usually will thank you for your kindness. If you say something overly great about me, I may modestly say you are being too kind.

There is a reason I choose this word, specifically. It is because of it’s duality of purpose as both noun and adjective and to encompass both meanings at once.

When a deed is done that is kind, I hope to make such kindness a part of my being as well — to be a person as the same kind of the doer. Its meaning here embodies the word as noun. I also, in the same action, embody the word as an adjective and use it in reply thusly.

Furthermore, from a faith practice perspective, the idea and act of loving-kindness is one that is central to my beliefs.

All of this is to say that I tend to choose the words I use, especially in writing, carefully. If you see me use a word or phrase often, it is likely chosen for its specific meaning.

Your kind donation of any amount helps to support a full-time independent writer. Thanks for reading!

Beyond The Looking Glass

“A respected Swiss scientist, Conrad Gessner, might have been the first to raise the alarm about the effects of information overload. In a landmark book, he described how the modern world overwhelmed people with data and that this overabundance was both “confusing and harmful” to the mind. The media now echo his concerns with reports on the unprecedented risks of living in an “always on” digital environment. It’s worth noting that Gessner, for his part, never once used e-mail and was completely ignorant about computers. That’s not because he was a technophobe but because he died in 1565. His warnings referred to the seemingly unmanageable flood of information unleashed by the printing press.” — A history of media technology scares, from the printing press to Facebook. – Slate Magazine

As I read more and more of the discussion around Google Glass (especially: The Google Glass feature no one is talking about — Creative Good ), the more I’m reminded of the anecdote quoted above. Similar discussions were had around the advent of the first telephone, and radio, and television.

As we venture down some of the paths that things like Google Glass may lead, the social nuances and implications that come with this technology will be an oft debated subject.

Yet, is that any different from what we have now? I think not. There is much ongoing discussion of the social implications of the smartphone. We continue to discuss the etiquette of those who never seem to be able to look up from the screen to have a conversation or eat a single meal without snapping a picture of it. Some have even taken it upon themselves to create games designed to enforce appropriate social behavior in their usage.

The only difference we face going forward, if there really is one, is the increasing oneness we will continue to have with technology.

Amanda Palmer: The Art Of Asking

After seeing this in my feed several times and having many others point me to it, I finally took the time to watch it.

Wow. Just wow. Amazing.

And this comes, as is far too often the case, at a time I was writing something similar as part of a future post. I will get around to my take on this but, for now, do yourself a great favor — watch this and be inspired to make art and ask others to take part in it.

I’m a writer. Writing is how I ask. If you wish to take part, please let me know by contributing here.

Simple Meditation

Here’s the thing about meditation, at least by my definition/interpretation. It does not always mean one must sit in lotus position, in front of some incense laden altar to The Buddha, close one’s eyes, and seek the meaning of existence. You can meditate at just about any time or any place. All it takes is the desire to remain silent and try to be fully aware of, and one with, the present moment.

For instance, when was the last time you just sat in a room for five minutes and simply tried to observe it by checking in with all of your senses? For me it was just five minutes ago as I write this.

I laid in bed having just tucked my daughter in to her’s for the night. My wife had gone downstairs to finish cleaning up the kitchen. So, I pulled up my favorite meditation timer on the iPhone, set it for five minutes, put it down on the nightstand, and started. I just laid there. Eyes open. Watching the light and the walls and the wardrobes. Listening to the sounds I heard in the house. Listening to the sounds I could hear outside. I tried to notice each place my body touched the bed and my hands felt my heartbeat as they lay across my chest. I then began to see how many of these things my working brain could realize all at once and not as individual parts as I brought focus on them. Knowing that my subconscious brain did, in fact, process the senses and so much more all at once.

My point being that this was meditation. One could do this in a checkout line or in an office at work. One could decide to take that time and simply be present as opposed to reaching for the closest distraction. The more complicated you believe (or let people tell you) meditation is, the less likely you are to do it. Yet, it is something that can bring true and lasting comfort to your day. Therefore, make it simple.

I’m a writer. Writing is how I make this world better, friendlier, stronger place. If these words improved your day, please let me know by contributing here.