01: Working with your hands, Dog Walking

2022-14-11 – Monday

• Really slow start to the week! I’m finding it hard to concentrate as I had an awful night’s sleep! I didn’t nod off until 01.30 and up at my usual 06.30!
  
• I’ve also got to anti-foul the boat before the bad weather sets in this week, although Fri and Saturday are good. So can hold off until then if necessary.
  
• Work: I need to stop getting involved in the nitty-gritty of projects. I have to try to ensure that I can support the POs to take control of their projects, but I can’t help but worry things are being missed. I just need to trust the process, but it’s hard when you can’t see the workings out. The answer, I suppose, is to make sure the working outs are visible.
  
• Had a chat with Mark on the dog walk, and we lamented the knowledge workers lot! Nothing to show for the hours of toil. I suppose at least ‘we’ build digital assets, but it’s not physical.
  
• I really do believe in Matthew Crawford’s thesis in the Case for working with your hands Building something, physically manipulating real materials to create, something new is as close to nirvana as a human being can get. There’s something about getting your hands dirty that I’m not sure will ever be exercised from the human soul. I suppose the secret is to find work that is meaningful and that most other people ignore, don’t want to do, are too scared or don’t have enough time to do themselves but are skilled enough to require a reasonable day rate.
  
• I sometimes think I could make things with the 3D printer or laser cutter to earn a living. (3D printer pre-fab shop? ‘We’ll print your widgets for you’ style hardware store! Which is partly why I’ve finally bought one. Can I be creative? Create my ‘art’, as Seth Godin says. 
  
• My wife’s been waiting for the Ninja Air fryer since June. Ours finally arrived two weeks ago, and we’ve used it daily. I thought they were a gimmick, but we’re getting good use out of it so far. (fryer is a stupid name, though). 
  
• Except I still have no idea how to adjust to cooking times for the air fryer. Jacket potato: 5mins microwave, 20mins 200° air fryer = raw. Fish fillet: 18mins 200° = burnt!
  
• I’ll try fish at 10mins next time!
  
• Wordle: 4/6 have a family wordle group now: Tam, Dad, Kate and William. Some suspicious scores today!