jenellen:

Took a trip to Montreal with Jesse for my birthday - here are some photos from the trip.

I went to Montreal with this beautiful girl. It was a blast.

An Apple for a new generation.

I’m proud to be an Apple employee because of this ethos. Apple is a company centered on a philosophy that the work it does needs to be important, and impactful. A philosophy that believes hard work and beauty are their own end. I am proud of the work that I do because it is the work that I do.

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Lucille Bluth’s prisoner number is ‘07734’. If read upside down as letters, it reads, ‘hello.’ Which in Korean is ‘Annyong’, the name (kind of) of her adopted son.

Give Will Arnett an Emmy

ANN:	So, how did you like your egg?
GOB:	I said you were fine.
ANN:	So, was there something you wanted to talk about when you came in through my window?
ANN:	Gob? What is it?
GOB:	What - what - is it? I- It's the the the the the the the questions … you have so many of these - of these - of these - these - these questions that that that that that YOU keep asking … the - th- from ME … that for for for for for … should shou - shou - should I? Should I? Should I? … Sh- sh- should the - should the - should the guy? Should the guy? Should the guy in the fiftee- should the guy in the - in the 32 do- in the 32 dollar pink pa - pa - pa - pa - pa - pa - bath … should - should - should - should - should - should the girl in the 6000 dollar tuxedo … should the guy
NARRATOR:	Gob was uncomfortable with the question.
GOB:	should the guy - sh - shou - in the 32 do- in the 3400 dollar … should the guy - come on. Come on. COME ON! CO - COME ON! COME ON!
ANN:	GOB! Calm down. Listen. We had a great night together. I understand if you need your freedom.
GOB:	Oh, marry me!
ANN:	Yes. Yes I'LL MARRY YOU GOB!

"What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? For all his days are full of sorrow and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.
There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?"

Ecclesiastes 2:22-25

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I took this photo. It’s a daffodil plucked from my yard held in front of the afternoon sun.

Walking staffs are a great tool to have on a hike. I made one for myself a couple years ago and it has survived a lot. I really enjoy it.

I also really enjoy the process of making them. Hunting for the perfect sapling, cutting it to size, finishing the wood, etc.

These are two staffs I made for Jen. I started with four saplings, discarded two and then finished both of these. I like them both too much. I’m really proud of the leather wrapped handle on the first. The bark on the second is its own beautiful grip. She’ll get to decide which one to keep, and I’ll have to find something to do with the second.

MaxFun Drive! →

I really enjoy listening to tons of the podcasts that are produced by Maximum Fun. They are the primary source of my entertainment and the people who make them are really important to me. They’ve come to feel like my friends.

The proprietor of Maximum Fun, Jesse Thorn, wrote on his blog about why he decided to make his podcast network listener supported. Here’s some choice bits.

Jesse Thorn:

First of all, I think that our talent and producers deserve to be paid for their efforts. All of our folks are professionals, doing very high-level work. It’s work that frankly couldn’t be produced if it was just a hobby for them. I think they should get paid for it. Plain and simple.

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I don’t think we’re “begging” or running a charity. I think that we’re offering something valuable to people, and they’re paying for it. They happen to do so voluntarily, which I think is wonderful. 

These are two very important points. These are very simple and honest concepts that are valuable to me. I take great pleasure in knowing that my joyful giving gets to support the livelihood of people I really love doing work that I greatly enjoy.

Shannon Dapper, on her blog, wrote about why Maximum Fun is important to her:

I discovered The Sound of Young America in the absolute darkest part of my life.

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I hated myself and my life so violently back then, and Jordan and Jesse’s voices were my lifeboat.

…

See, that’s the thing about media. Some podcast or book or album is quietly saving someone’s life out there in the littlest, biggest way. The artist will probably never know, is wheeling and dealing to make their own life run, never quite sure if the thing they’re pouring their soul into is good enough. This is a chance to vote, to make it possible for someone to have the time and the money to create something amazing that will change someone else’s life.

That last bit is super duper important. I’m sure everyone has a story about some work of art that has radically changed your life for the better. For me, it’s the works of Tolkien. For you, maybe it’s Joss Whedon’s television, or the music of Sigur Ros. These works of art that made your life better are made by people. And the way of the world is that people need money to make the things that make your life better. Paying for their stuff is how they get to do that! So, do like Shannon says: go vote for something you truly love so that the world can have more of it.

That is why I’m donating to Maximum Fun. And I think you should too.