It was a rather taxing week for good old @lessismore and I am finally able to take it easy and unwind for a spell. What are some of Hubski's favorite way to unwind? For me, it is a scalding hot cup of green tea, a dark room, and a playlist consisting of Bond, 12 Girls Band, Vanessa Mae, and Keiko Matsui. Hmm.. all women.. not sure what that means...
I can't say that I do it for the purpose of relaxation, but I find carpentry relaxing. Yesterday I spent the afternoon working on a spiral staircase for my daughter. Our house came with a massive play structure that was in disrepair. When she was born, it became my goal to build the structure that I wish I had when I was a kid. Cutting wood and drinking beer in the sun is relaxing.
Gah-woah. We also inherited a moldering play structure. For three years, I've harbored fantasies of sanding, re-staining and then actually insulating and sealing it for serious all-weather playtime. But a) we're renting, and I'm just not willing to invest that much in somebody else's property, and more importantly b) reason (a) is just a flimsy excuse- I destroy every piece of wood I set out to improve. A man can dream, though.
I've always wanted to be skilled in carpentry. How did you start/learn?
To be honest, I have taught myself what I know, and I don't know a lot. Youtube is a great resource, and I was just using it to figure out how I am going to build a curved railing for these stairs. These are my first spiral stairs, and I have learned a lot from the process. The toughest part is that they turn around a rectangular post, rather than a pole. Figuring out how to support them without unnecessary posts and braces was also an interesting challenge. It turns 270° total, and bracing the outer run at four points: 0°, 90°, 180° and 270°, meant I only needed to add support at 90° and 180°. The 90° is a railing post that extends up to a bridge above (which can be seen), and the 180° is a post into the ground (which you can see below). I think my first word-working project was a birdhouse. That's a fun place to start.
Ah woah, this is cool. I was hoping you'd say you learned it on your own, may not be the most efficient but I think its the most gratifying. I best get started on a birdhouse!
I drive around with my best friend. We'll drive around and kiss; it's the most relaxing thing in the world. I love no kind of relaxation more. She'll usually drop me off at my place late at night, and I have absolutely no trouble sleeping. She fills my heart to a level of content not matched by anything else.
I have a similar method for relaxation though I think I get more satisfaction when Scotch/drink is preceded by tennis. Currently feel like I'm getting sick. Any recommendations for immuno-boosting remedies?
Immuno-boosting remedies? Probably not scotch. What kind of sick? I just spent the last three weeks digging myself out of the all-time worst sinus/upper respiratory infection. Hard to avoid with babies around. I suspect sleep is the magic remedy you're looking for. Hard to achieve with babies around. Good luck. But lessismore's method of relaxation would probably hit the mark, too- green tea's got a little bit of vitamin C, buttloads of antioxidants, and encourages hydration. Good for the soul, too.
Thanks, sleep would be nice but it's not in the immediate cards. As for the scotch, the first one I ever really loved was Laphroaig 15. Damn good stuff. I'll see if we have some vitamin C to ward off what I think is a mild stomach bug. Why are you replying to me when you should be making music? :-)
I think the peat is particularly potent in the 10 and probably has partially petered-out however the proximate propinquity of them pales in comparison to other scotches. Pretty sure that made no sense. P.S. Ppppppppfffpp edit: But yeah, it's less peaty.
You should try the 18. It blew my mind. In so many ways. Did you bait me into responding so you could call me out on not working on music? You're devious. Okay, I'm loading it into PT right now. You know, I had all sorts of downtime two days ago, but somebody didn't get back to me on the BPM in time...
You know, I had all sorts of downtime two days ago, but somebody didn't get back to me on the BPM in time...
This is where normally I would cite a lack of time due to having small children.... but I can't really play that card with you...
I usually get a beer at the bar near the courts with the guys I'm playing with, then head home for whiskey.
I either listen to music (what is playing in the background as I write this), read (working on Moby Dick right now), or bake... Fair warning, they're super rich and addicting. 1 cup of peanut butter 1 cup of butter 1 pound of powdered sugar 1 2/3 cups of graham crackers. I used a pack of 6 or 7. However many were in the single package. You have to powder these. Completely. Take out all your rage on these sons of bitches. They are your bitch, and you are crushing them into oblivion. (I like this part...) Mix all of that together in a bowl by hand. Make sure everything is combined. You can't over mix this. Next, layer it in a greased 9x13 inch pan and spread the peanut butter stuff evenly across the bottom and put it in the refrigerator. Lastly, melt 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, then pour it on top of the peanut butter stuff from above. Spread it out. It won't completely cover the peanut butter stuff, there will be a little bit of room around the edge. If you want to cover it completely, then make a little extra. Slap that stuff into the refrigerator and let it cool. Then cut into it and eat it all in one guilty, delicous, relaxing, stress reducing sitting.
How do you crush the graham crackers that fine? Do you use a mortar and pestle?
No, I put them in a bag then beat them with a wooden hammer.
Oh fuck yeah. Funny thing is I keep telling my wife we oughtta get a mold to press 'em into 'cuz they hold their shape really well and with the imprecise way in which we make them, they either look like turds or Miracle Max's Miracle Pill, depending on your state of mind: Here's last easter's harvest. Note that the recipe calls for cutting the chocolate with paraffin 'cuz this isn't exactly a "tempering" recipe so we just keep 'em in the fridge. If we had a mold, I probably would bother with tempering because, you know, quality.
I'm spoiled. I live a mile from the ocean on the third floor facing out over the sunset. I've got a 10x10 deck. There's a hammock. It's supadope. It's also close enough to the LAX north runway that I could hit it with a potato gun. When I really want to chill out I'll cue up the West Tower, pour a couple fingers of scotch and lie back in the hammock. Then I'll listen to the saga of thousands of people bound off on adventures somewhere and watch as giant transatlantic jetliners turn into fireflies.
My preference is to drink a hot cup of tea (any kind except earl grey, I can't stand that stuff) and write stories or hack whichever idea I'm currently thinking about into code. Actually, the best way for me to be relaxed is to prevent stress, which means no looming deadlines. Good thing I procrastinate constantly...
I like to play video games, go for a walk or do some gardening. Drinking a few beers maybe and maybe a toke while cooking to some good music is also nice. My three year old gets into it, helping make dinner (in the limited way a three year old can, but hell it's nice to have someone else peel the garlic) and we do some dancing.
I don't think I relax anymore. Is that a shame? Maybe. I'm driven at work. In my free time I pursue artwork with a passion. Even when I sit back with a beer and my guitar I'm doing my damnedest to get better at a song or write a new one. I've got probably quite literally 100 projects I'm working on and I love each and every one of them. Every minute is filled with trying to achieve something. My recent near-death experiences have had something to do with this, and the reality that I'm living on borrowed time spurs me onwards. I haven't thought it's a bad thing at all. I love what I do! But I was not this way a few years ago. A few years ago I used to relax by sitting in my hot tub for 1-2 hours every night after the kids had gone to bed, just drinking and dreaming of mathematics. Thanks for the prompt, lessismore. I think I'm gonna fill up my bathtub right now and see if I can remember how to relax.
Did you remember how to relax? It is certainly good to be motivated and to achieve, but our body and mind do need a timeout every now and then, even if it is for a very short spell.
Melbourne is replete with excellent cafes. On days that I'm not working, I sit in them for hours with a decent book.