Well, I think I made it. Both Focus and Focused are working properly and I now have a computer that can’t run Safari or any other browser, can’t connect to any webpage and can only run one app. One that opens a blank page with a single blinking cursor and is ready for me to write. (I stopped Focus and opened Mars Edit to micropost this).
I’m happy because these days are being pretty productive for me. I planned to go on vacation to Cadaqués from next Tuesday to Friday, so I needed to finish ahead some commitments and due dates. Thursday the 28th, Friday the 29th and Monday April 1st are holidays here in the Basque Country, so I’ve had plenty of time to work, free from emails and phone calls. I’ve worked every morning and afternoon and I have been able to advance a lot in all the projects I planned for these days.
I am writing this in an app called Focused, available on Setapp. It says that it’s a tool that helps you write without distractions and unnecesary features. But distractions are inherent to a machine like this, a MacBook that connects to the internet through a thousand different apps. I want to set up the MacBook so it only works like a typewriter (yes, @chrisaldrich, this is your fault), no internet connection and only one app for writing. I should be able to combine Focused with another one that has a very similar name and is also available on Setapp, Focus, but it’s not working the way I want. It does prevent any and all access to websites. But I also want it to block every app except Focused and that’s not working properly. I got an error message saying there’s an issue with the installation of Focus Helper, which is apparently needed for Focus to work properly, so I’ve contacted the app developers to see if that’s the problem and how I can fix it. Meanwhile, I’ll search other ways to make my MacBook one-app-only.
Side Note: Focused’s share sheet connects directly to Mars Edit’s micropost feature, so I’m sending this directly to my blog. I think this is going to give a lot of joy.
In my free time I… I don’t have free time. I need to make some. Here’s a wish for a geenie. I want to be able to fill in the blank of «In my free time I…». #thoughts
My town is small and it’s only got one movie theater, with one single movie every week. So there’s not much to choose from. I’m heading to watch Madame Web and the only thing I know is that it’s supposed to be bad. I’ll report back.
I think there’s two more things I need to do to really own my use of the internet:
- Get rid of FOMO for good.
- Quit watching YouTube shorts for an easy distraction.
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When I have an off week, which happens from time to time, there is a feeling like I have climbed a mountain and there is another ahead. With me as I climb up the mountain is a dragon I need to fight, there with me all the time, sowing discord by firing questions that make me feel less important. Arguably the scariest part is I never know when those times will end. When I will reach a stable point at which I can stop and admire the beautiful views around me.
Which reminds me.
The sun is getting closer to the edge of the hills. The sky is becoming warmer. It is golden hour.
I see the plateau of the mountain, and the dragon is starting to fly away. I am starting to see the glimpses of beauty in the world again. The sunset is nigh, and I am in a place to see it.
Now, I need some rest.
Thank you for this, James. I can relate. I hope you did have that rest. #thoughts
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But, today I reminded myself of a lesson lost to my past: I don't need headphones in to have a great walk. Indeed, the most relaxing of journeys are those where there is nothing in particular to do. In this moment, I can be.
I need to go back to walking. #thoughts
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Summary
- For key repeat:
defaults write -g ApplePressAndHoldEnabled -bool false
- For diacritics:
defaults write -g ApplePressAndHoldEnabled -bool true- TinkerTool for either.
I’m grateful to Mark for reminding me of this setting.
And I’m grateful to Howard for bringing it back so I can take note of it. #geekery
I had to fix the shortcode in my last post featuring Liza Minnelli, Emma Stone and Amy Lennox interpreting Cabaret, so here’s the link again, should you want to take 10 minutes to enjoy these wonderful performances: estebantxo.micro.blog/2024/03/3…
Cabaret
I did not expect to wake up to Cabaret this morning, but my YouTube feed just brought me a spectacular beginning for this brand new day.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Sally Bowles.
Here’s the canonical Liza Minnelli.
Then Emma Stone plays a remarcable Sally.
And, finally, Amy Lennox breaks the bank.
Second podcast in a row where I hear about former lawyers. That’s exactly what I want to be: a former lawyer. #thoughts
Yesterday I went to a Mall. First time in a very long time. My daughter wanted her mom to help her buy some clothes and I was the chauffeur.
Walking distances are huge in Malls. I felt tiny and surrounded by thousands of other ants running up and down big long corridors. I had my car washed and took an appointment to get a haircut, but I was called back to pick up my car so I told the hairdresser I'll be back in five minutes, please keep my spot. And it wasn't five, it took me over twenty minutes to walk back from the car wash.
While I was waiting for my haircut, a guy was sitting close to me. He was talking out loud to his own reflection in the mirror. The topic was actually interesting and he was having quite the conversation. Will I end up talking to myself out loud?
I survived the Mall, nevertheless. And here I am, typing on a phone like I'm talking to myself out loud. #thoughts
I love it when I see that posts in the micro.blog timeline update automatically after editing a title or a post in the blog. I had a terrible typo in the title of my last post (Sierra for Serra), saw it and fixed it in Mars Edit, and the timeline updated itself. 😊👏
We just lost Richard Serra
From a young age, he was encouraged to draw by his mother. The young Serra would carry a small notebook for his sketches and his mother would introduce her son as “Richard the artist.” His father worked as a pipe fitter for a shipyard near San Francisco. Serra recounts a memory of a visit to the shipyard to see a boat launch when he was four years old. He watched as the ship transformed from an enormous weight to a buoyant, floating structure and notes that: “All the raw material that I needed is contained in the reserve of this memory.
Richard Sierra died March 26, 2024, at the age of 85. I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy his work at the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum.
Vita brevis, ars longa.
My son asked me what I was watching. I paused the video and showed him a still picture of Rick Grimes, in the third episode of the long awaited TWD The Ones Who Live. He did not recognize him. He’s watched Breaking Bad three times and I really thought he would recognize Rick in a whim. I am thinking about my will now, I need to find a Notary. There’s no other way to deal with this. #thoughts
Best sauce ever
I just found out that two full spoons of mayonnaise with a pinch Harissa make the best spicy sauce for a sandwich. And I’m so happy having dinner.
