Author: Carl Setzer

Easter Saturday In Edmonds

Carl Setzer

We managed to squeeze a walk in my favorite seaside town yesterday: Edmonds. Though our day was full with prep for Easter, an evening get-togethere with dear friends, and getting the weekend’s errands done as we sacrifice Sunday’s productivity for fun and family. Sure, we squeezed some productivity into the walk, stopping for a few necessities along the way.

I love walking, both as a means of exercise and as transportation. I’ll be writing more about this.

After church, playing some brass church music, I’ll be heading to Bellingham to spend time with family.

What ate you doing this Easter Sunday?

Productivity In My Home Office

Carl Setzer

Today, as my son had a medical appointment, I opted to work from home. My office is quite well set up for such. Much better than many of the other places I’ve lived.

I’m rather fond of this space. It’s MY space. Decorated to my sensibilities, and with my momentos and such.

Yet I faced disappointment.

I’m often ambitious regarding what I want to do during a day. And when I’m home, free of distraction (relatively, at least), I think I can get monumental amounts of work done. It never works out that way. Now, I often get way more done that I would’ve in my office, at least in diving into projects deeply, and reviewing certain minutia. But my task lists tend to be ridiculous, which I think is facilitated by electronic to-do tools like Todoist. All I need to do is move the stuff I didn’t get done into another day. I am trying to be more thoughtful about what I’m attempting to accomplish on a given day. Giving thought to priority, to my goals, my objectives. So much of my career has been spent chasing after whatever goals have been dropped into my lap on a given day. I have needed to spend time focusing, which, though challenging, has been really fun, too.

And, someday, I’ll get a realistic idea of what I can actually do in a day. Someday….

So, a friend of my son told me his father is dying…

Carl Setzer

One of my son’s friends hit with a curve ball earlier this week. He dropped that his dad in in the hospital dying. Pretty heavy stuff from an 8th grader. But it gets more brutal. He’s struggling with whether to go see him. You see, the father in question is the proverbial absentee parent. As the boy put it, “why should I care? He wasn’t there for me when I needed him.” Which makes sense to me, and breaks my heart. Though my father and I don’t have a perfect relationship, he’s been there when I needed him. I can’t begin to relate to this situation.

Makes me think of my relationship with my son. I’ve been very deliberate in being present. Showing up at school events, choir concerts, we do taekwondo together…I didn’t want to be like a friend of mine who, as his kids were nearing high-school graduation realized he didn’t know them. With that, years ago, when doing some Franklin-Covey exercises, one that stuck was the question “what do you want people to say about you at your funeral?” I want them to say “he was there”, and that I cared. All else is secondary.

So, the boy’s father and I have very different world-views. Or, at least, I made certain that my actions aligned with my values. Hard to really say anything about this father, since I don’t know any other details about him. But my response gives insight into me, my values and aspirations. And imperfect though my relationships are, I’m good with things, with my life, my community. I feel blessed.

The Edmonds Top Pot Opens! Well, Sorta

Carl Setzer

Ah, the Edmonds Top Pot donuts finally opened! It’ll be a lovely addition to the changing dynamic along the ferry lane.

I expect the good folks at Waterfront coffee, nor the proprietors of the little coffee shop and hot dog stand adjacent to the ferry holding lane will be fine.

Anyway, the shop isn’t quite finished. The upstairs seating area isn’t accessible, nor are all the pieces of the kitchen done (donuts were being unloaded from a van, so I don’t think the kitchen is operational yet). The soft serve ice cream machine isn’t finished yet, and the stairway doesn’t have handrails. But what’s there is nice. Well lit, with the books in the loft a northwest genteel touch. I’m looking forward to having the place done.

The sign on the door said it was open today and tomorrow until 2:00. Not sure about the week. But we have a little action after the years of waiting!

Welcome to the neighborhood Top Pot!

The train’s horn carries

Carl Setzer

The train’s horn carries

Upon the suburban calm

Miles from the shore

I often hear the train’s whistle miles away from the Edmonds shore. A few miles, up the hill, from Puget Sound. It actually delights me. Well, at times the intense quiet unnerves me. At my core, I’m an urbanite. 

Moleskine vs Leuchtturm: Thoughts From A Long Time Moleskine User

Carl Setzer

The quintessential pen and ink journalers conundrum: Moleskine vs Leuchtturm. I’ve been a devoted Moleskine user for many years, but am intrigued by the Leuchtturm. Things like pre-numbered pages and the built-in table of contents really interest me.

I intend to explore the 1917 in the near future, as my current notebook is about out of space.

Which one do you use? Have you used both? If so, why did you choose one over the other? Or do you use both?

I’m really interested in your thoughts.

 

 

Oh No! I missed Emerald City Comicon!!

Carl Setzer

Fret not my geeky friends, for Seattle, and the Pacific Northwest are laden with comicon delights.

In Seattle alone, you have:

And there are events in Portland, Everett, Bellevue, Spokane, Ellensburg, Boise…

There are plenty of opportunities, check them out! Here’s my list.

Things are changing all the time. If you come across something that’s not here, let me know and I’ll add.

An afternoon walk

Carl Setzer

Briefly I went out
Enjoying this moment’s sun
As it fades to dust

Earlier this week, the dreary effects of winter faded for an afternoon. I went down the few blocks to the trailhead and walked. Got some good exercise and vitamin D.

A few thoughts on cycling this Saturday morning 

Carl Setzer

Was just reading through a bunch of articles about cycling, all centered in the Pacific NorthWest. Urban cycling, bicycle touring, city planning, healthy living and how cycling fits into a sustainable culture; filling my brain with ideas. A big thing: I need to get out and ride more. Of course, it’s been been quite chilly here around Puget Sound. And such things challenge my desire to ride. 

I’ve become much more of a fair weathered cyclist. At one point, the notion of being such horrified me. I was committed to riding, bike commuting, cycling as urban transport. A few accidents with cars (with broken bones and other fun) and myriad close calls, my tolerance for urban riding waned. Plus, moving back home to Seattle’s suburbs threw me deep into car culture. Riding became a weekend hobby. I hate this. 

The desire to return to deep immersion into bike culture hits me regularly. It rebounds off of the suburban car culture, but bounces back. The overcommitted life, which is only manageable with a car, my 20 mile commute, the geographic spread of suburban life all factor in. 

I’m also weary of the challenge of getting exercise. I need to block time to get to the gym, versus just walking/riding all the time. There’s a community around cycling that’s pretty amazing. So many benefits to the cycle-centric life, and I miss them.