John Chandler

Do I have any idea how I would put a Raspberry Pi 5 to use? Nope. Did I pre-order one? Yep.

So, in summary, Sonoma is a collection of the most beautiful wallpaper images Apple has ever offered, with the option to put new kinds of widgety clutter on top of it.

Had a dream my Apple Pencil wouldn’t hold a charge anymore, and the Genius Bar told me it would be an 18 month turnaround to have it replaced.

Consortio Dei #28 - Matt Erickson

A pleasure to have this conversation about spiritual formation with my new friend and fellow micro.blog’er @mwerickson

This latest GoodNotes update is really nice, and reminds me of my ever present inkling to be more ‘analog’ … or at least handwrite things more. But other than notes while meeting with directees, I’ve never consistently found something that seems more useful to capture with handwriting.

I have another Practicing Examen cohort starting in a few weeks, and I’d love to have you be part of it. This is a practical and simple prayer that helps you be more aware of what God is up to in your heart and in your daily activities. Details here.

Finished reading: The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green 📚

One of those rare books that offers an equal blend of chuckles, new learnings, and ideas to mull over.

(I’ve fallen so so far behind in dropping book updates here, but working to catch up on a few standouts.)

Reaching for the orange coffee mug always feels like a solid choice, but today it was a poor one as I anticipate USWNT vs the Netherlands this evening. ⚽️

Consortio Dei #26 - Jared Boyd

I’ve appreciated Jared’s work and voice from afar for some time. He is a helpful voice for imagining what ancient forms of spiritual formation might look like in modern times.

Trellis: O Wisdom, Wisdom, Wherefore Are Thou Wisdom?

Wisdom is not often mentioned these days, and even less is it pursued. But it is needed as much as it ever was.

Finished reading: In This World of Wonders by Nicholas Wolterstorff 📚

I haven’t read anything else by Wolterstorff, but a memoir from a life long learner is always time well spent.

Finished reading: Open Mind, Open Heart 20th Anniversary Edition by Thomas Keating 📚

I’ve read a few books on Centering Prayer…this one serves as the best intro to the practice.

Tonto Natural Bridge with my son today. Struggling to imagine any place in Arizona that could be better than this.

Have all sorts of sentimental feelings pushing me to start loading notes in to Bear 2. I suppose if it would have released 2 years ago I would have given it a hard look, but I’m (happily) in too deep with Obsidian to consider it at this point.

Consortio Dei #25 - Cindy Lee

Thankful to have this conversation with her after reading her book, Our Unforming. It is one of the most helpful books on spiritual formation that I’ve ready in the past several years. 

The Aeropress recipe below appeared on my old blog in 2014. It’s since been archived, but still comes up from time to time in conversation and search traffic. So… here it is again, slightly adapted for these more more modern and complex times.

• Start heating just over a cup of water to boiling.
• While the water heats, measure 15 grams of whole beans. I’m mostly stuck in a rut of whatever the latest roast of natural process beans I can find locally from Peixoto. It’s a good rut to be in.
• While the water heats, the beans are ground right below the middle setting on my burr grinder — in my case, it’s a little finer than drip coffee setting.
• The freshly ground beans are dumped in an inverted aeropress on the scale, which should then be zero’d out. If you’re not familiar, this means the plunger is in the aeropress but pulled out as far as it will. The aeropress is, you know, inverted so that the plunger is on the bottom and receptacle faces up so that the filter can be attached on top.
• Put a paper filter in the top and wet it with that water that is surely boiling by now. And be quick about it because those already ground beans are losing flavor by the microsecond.
• Set a timer for 1:15 and start it. Pour 250 grams of water into the aeropress taking care to wet all the beans.
• Attach the filtered cap and turn the whole thing over on top of a cup. No need to stir. The pour, plus the act of turning the aeropress over gives the beans the right amount of agitation. (Many would slight me here for not preheating the cup, but I think I prefer the coffee to start cooling the second it hits the ceramic.)
• When the timer goes off, press it all out. I don’t time my press, but I give it gentle force, taking about 20 or seconds to press it out. And stop pressing when is starts to pfffft.
• Well done, you! Enjoy your lovely beverage. If applicable, brag to your children about it and soak in their admiration of your expert coffee brewing skills.

‘Follow worthy’ is the new ‘sponge worthy’

First play of Trailblazer. 🎲 Pairs well with Lord Huron. 🎵

More TV shows like The Bear please. 📺

Stopped reading: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke 📚

I don’t often quit on books in the middle but I did with this one. The prose is great, and it seems like mixing historical fiction and magical realism would interest me, but I just couldn’t stay engaged.