I don’t see Mastodon as a whole going mainstream. I could see a scenario where a specific instance does, but even that seems far fetched (cost, moderation, etc). It’s just too spread out and complicated for the average user.

Notes About Taking Notes

Thanks to a short post (and a long thread of comments), I decided to re-think how I capture daily notes. I’m hardly a heavy note-taker, but I do have times when they’re needed.

  • Weekly Executive Staff Meeting
  • Monthly All-Hands Staff Meeting
  • Desktop Scratchpad
  • Everyday Notes
  • Digital Notes
  • Bonus: Writing (Pens)

Let’s take each one of those individually. But first a heads-up…you’ll notice one product line keeps popping up.

Weekly Executive Staff Meeting

This is an informal touching base type of meeting. There’s almost always something for me to write down, but rarely more than a few lines. In the past, I’ve used a variety of Rhodia notebooks, but I was looking for something nicer and more consistent.

Result: Studio Neat Standard Totebook

Happiness: 8/10

Monthly All-Hands Staff Meeting

This meeting is much more involved and frequently requires more notes. Fortunately, it’s something that the same notebook can easily handle.

Result: Studio Neat Standard Totebook

Happiness: 8/10

Desktop Scratchpad

While I’m working, I jot down things throughout the day. It could be reminders, a checklist, an idea, a quick sketch, etc. No limits. I’m not making any changes here, as I’ve been using the same thing for a couple years. It’s the product that first turned me on to Studio Neat. A relationship was born!

Result: Studio Neat Panobook

Happiness: 10/10

Everyday Notes

This will be the biggest change for me going forward. Over the years, I’ve tried out a lot of products. While I do like Field Notes, they just wear down quickly for me. Maybe I’m rougher than others? Maybe it’s the hot/humid climate where I live?

In any case, I’ve decided to test a few products going forward:

I’m confident one of those will work.

Digital Notes

There’s no avoiding digital notes for me. I have a large quantity of shared notes with family and co-workers. Beyond that, there are times when having a digital note just makes the most sense (for ease of access or longterm storage).

I’ve tried almost every note taking app ever imagined. Obsidian? Not for me. Same for Notion and Workflowy and Minimal and Bear, etc. The list is endless. So where have I landed?

Result: Apple Notes

Happiness: 6/10

Writing

There’s one other critical element to note taking. You have to have a writing tool! While I enjoy a nice fountain pen, I’m not the type to care and clean for them well enough to stick with the high end ones. These are the pens I use the most.

Happiness: 9/10

Wrap Up

I’m pretty happy with where I’ve landed so far. I’m sure there are improvements that can be made. It may surprise you to know I’m interested in trying out the Studio Neat Mark Three Pencil.

One product I would love to have that I’ve been unable to find is a proper note taking index-style card. My desires would be 3”x5” (or 4”x6”), subtle dot grid, medium weight paper, double sided. Maybe I can get Studio Neat to make it?

Cloud Cuckoo Land is a gem of a novel. Hidden within a seemingly random conversation between two characters, I discovered my new mantra.

How are people using both micro.blog and Mastodon? Cross posting? Using individually? Some other creative way?

Tried out Arc Browser for a while, but it just has too many limitations for my use. The lack of a mobile version (thus no syncing) and no iCloud password access are the dealbreakers for me.

First fire of the year. Not many opportunities here.

I have learned way more than I ever thought I’d need to know about trademarks, BIMI, DMARC, etc over the last couple weeks.

I made a very simple landing page of sorts for the domain my wife and I use for email. There are always a few people who visit the domain to verify our email authenticity (particularly when using PayPal, etc). Maybe it’ll serve as enough verification for them.

Finished reading Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr today. It’s a fantastic and unique story that I would recommend to almost anyone.

Took the day off to go ice skating with my son for his 6th birthday. We had the entire rink to ourselves.

I’ve been a recent convert to the Kindle + Libby setup for reading. Disappointed I didn’t dive into that ages ago. The Kindle Oasis (got it for a steal) makes all the difference for me.

I’ve still got a few things left to tweak (dark mode for example), but I’m happy with my new micro.blog theme. Clean and simple.

GoRuck GR2 26L

I’ve always been a believer in having a nice bag when possible. Often times, people put thousands of dollars of equipment (laptop, phone, iPad, Kindle, chargers, adapters, batteries, cameras, books, etc) in a $40 bargain basement bag. It just doesn’t make sense!

There are many solid options in a variety of price ranges. Today, I’m going to take a quick look at the GoRuck GR2 26L.

My Uses

These bags are almost indestructible. They’re frequently used by ruckers (hence the name), soldiers, and the like. I am none of those things. In fact, my primary use cases for the bag revolves around daily office use and light travel.

You can find countless reviews on the durability and functions of such a bag, so I’m gonna skip past all that. I’ll simply try to answer the question: Does it work for me?

The Good Things

It’s built to last a lifetime. I won’t get into the material specifics, but you can rest assured that it’ll handle whatever you throw at it. It has a lay-flat opening for the main compartments that I love. This is especially great for travel. Accessing what’s on the bottom of the bag is as easy as getting what’s on the top.

The laptop compartment is well built, close to your back, and out of the way of other things. The straps are perfect once they’ve broken in (they’re a little stiff initially). Unlike other GoRuck Bags, this one offers a good bit of organization.

Lastly, it looks and fits well on a variety of people. Here’s how it looks on me (6'3"):

GoRuck GR2 on Matt

Here’s how it looks on my wife (5'4"):

GoRuck GR2 on Kalena

The Lesser Things

Honestly, there are no true negatives. It can be a little rough on some shirts if you wear it all day, but that’s the nature of these types of bags. Accessing the laptop can be annoying if it’s something you do multiple times per day.

The biggest drawback to these bags is the price. At almost $400 for a new one, you might think twice. However, this is a case of “you get what you pay for.” It really can be the last bag you buy.

Get one here.

I’m still struggling to find the ideal read-it-later/consumption service. Instapaper hasn’t evolved, Pocket isn’t my thing. Matter is OK. Readwise’s Reader (beta) is strong but is trying to do too much (like Feedbin, Inoreader). Any suggestions?

Having quite the productive day. Knocked out a good bit of day job stuff, redesigned my blog, and booked a small Christmas family getaway.

I’m currently reading Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr and loving it. His Pulitzer winning book, All the Light We Cannot See, is one of my favorites from the past 10 years. So far it seems CCL may be better. 📚

A Day in the Life. Around 10am in Lafayette, Louisiana.

I took the plunge and invested in a new AppleWatch Ultra. I’m a big guy, so I appreciate the extra size. Having said that, it looks just fine on almost anyone (my more petite wife included). I’m a big fan of the default (Ultra-exclusive) watch face as well. I went with both the Ocean band and Alpine Loop, but the Ocean one has been my favorite so far.

How to Ship

Ben Brooks at Brooks Review (link is behind a paywall) recently posted some tips for shipping items. I do a lot of the same things he does but with a few slight differences.

My process is the best cheap/easy combination I’ve been able to find.

PayPal has a solid built-in integration with Shipstation, but you have to jump through a few hoops from time to time to make it work (particularly if you don't use Goods & Service or Purchase Protection). I think what I use is better, PayPal or not.

The most important part of the process is using Pirate Ship. You create a free account and don’t have to worry about any extra fees. The only money they make is through their partnerships with USPS and UPS. Because of that, they have the cheapest shipping rates you’ll find..

Pirate Ship also has the easiest and most straightforward process for getting from I’ve packed the box to the label is on and it’s ready to drop off.

Here are the products to have on hand:

I ship a lot of things, so I bought one of these roller carts from Target (IKEA has a similar one) to use as a mobile shipping station.

Lastly, if you live in an area that doesn’t have restrictions on the types of mailboxes you can have, I suggest grabbing one of these monsters. It’ll help you save countless trips to the post office, and your mailman will love you too.

Affiliate Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links for products I use and recommend.

My lil guy loves some baseball.