## The True Price of Free ## We moved to our condo in [Cathedral Hill](https://www.visitsaintpaul.com/discover-saint-paul/neighborhoods/selby-cathedral-hill/) almost exactly three years ago and one indoor parking spot was part of the deal. My wife had the newer vehicle when we moved in so she got the spot and I ended up parking my car on the street. Our neighborhood is one of the largest intact Victorian neighborhoods in the nation so it tends to attract a crowd. There’s also a huge concentration of bars, shops, and restaurants in the area. ![](https://i.imgur.com/AOHKW3c.jpg) *The view from our balcony.* The area is undoubtedly beautiful and has a lot of perks but has its drawbacks. Because of the constant influx of people coming and going, parking can be scarce. Many of these visitors are from the burbs and aren’t used to parallel parking. Quite a few of them have been “whooping it up”, doing vodka flights at the Russian restaurant across the street or swilling too many $10 local double IPAs at the hipster burger joint around the corner. As a result, my car’s been through the gauntlet in the past three years. It’s been hit least eight times and dented with rocks propelled from a snowblower as landscapers were clearing snow from a driveway near where I parked. I recently was able to snag another spot in our parking garage so I figured it was time to bite the bullet and get the Prius into a body shop for a much needed makeover. The photo below shows the damage to my wallet. It totals out to almost $100 for every month I parked on the street. The damage was so severe to the front they had to replace the high density foam under the bumper cover. It’s true, nothing in life is free. ![](https://i.imgur.com/UaV66JR.jpg) ## Ephemera Contest Announcement ## ![](https://media.giphy.com/media/mCghKeLLkjgttG9lK9/giphy.gif) I have a lot to catch you up on. As promised, you’re hearing it here on Hive first. My brand new book, Ephemera, is off to the designer and the contest is a go! Without giving too much away, I’ve funded a wallet with .0084 Bitcoin ($500 worth at the time of wallet funding) and have embedded the private key into the Ephemera manuscript in, shall we say, a creative way. I know it’s not a lot but could be worth much more if the winner has the wisdom and foresight to hodl it. I will warn you, the key is not going to be easy to find but it’s right there in the pages in plain sight for the person with enough diligence to discover it. The first person to find the wallet credentials can sweep that private key into a wallet and claim the prize. I’m thrilled with how this book has turned out and running this contest will be the icing on the cake. I’m looking forward to seeing how long it will take for someone to find. Wrapping my head around how to do this has given me a much better understanding of and appreciation for how Bitcoin works. It’s truly amazing. I really hope this contest helps to introduce more people to cryptocurrency and encourages other creative people to use similar methods to promote their own work. Good luck to everyone! I’ll be dropping a link to purchase the book here on Hive before I post it on any other of my social media outlets or website. ## Doge-Mania And The (Temporary) Rebirth of SNL ## ![](https://media.giphy.com/media/9VySccYEX4Mh4pviHa/giphy.gif) In the hours counting down to Elon Musk’s appearance on [Saturday Night Live](https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live) tonight all I can say is things are going to get interesting. No one can predict with 100% accuracy which way it will go but I think, chances are, a whole lot of noobs are going to get their first lesson in feeling the sting of getting rekt. Most of us have been there several times before, it’s good for the character, right? Lol. The amount of people I see on social media jumping on the Doge bandwagon who have absolutely no clue about how cryptocurrency works is truly alarming. I hope this stunt doesn’t turn too many people away from the true benefits of crypto. I suppose this kind of thing is the price of mass adoption. SNL feels relevant for the first time in years tonight and they can thank Elon and cryptocurrency for that. ## Photos Of The Week ## ![](https://i.imgur.com/XQ3atY2.jpg) It’s not officially spring here in Minnesota until the lilacs bloom. These won’t peak for another week or so but they’re already filling the air with their intoxicating fragrance. ![](https://i.imgur.com/Vi1DQl7.jpg) This is Amstel caught in the act of begging for popcorn, a skill which he's honed perfectly throughout his thirteen years of dedicated practice. -- ![](https://media.giphy.com/media/3o7qDJKK4LCK7qRb56/giphy.gif) ## In closing, I'd like to wish *A Very Happy Mother’s Day* to my own Mom, my wife, and to all of you other incredible ladies out there! Thanks for everything you've done and continue to do! Without you none of us would exist. You truly have the most important job in the world. ## All for now. With Gratitude, Eric Vance Walton (Gifs sourced from Giphy.com, photos are original.) --- --- [![alt text](https://i.imgur.com/b5U8dqm.jpg?1)](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08PJPWK2W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) Most of us have experienced a moment of perfect peace at least once in our lives. In these moments we lose ourselves and feel connected to everything. I call these mindful moments. Words can’t describe how complete they make us feel. These moments are usually fragile, evaporating in seconds. What if there was a way to train your mind to experience more of them? It’s deceptively easy and requires nothing more than a subtle shift in mindset. My new book, [Mindful Moments](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08PJPWK2W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1), will teach you to be much more content despite the chaos and imperfect circumstances continuing to unfold around you. Upgrade your life experience today for only $15.99 on Amazon.com. --- --- # Let’s Keep In Touch # ![](https://i.imgur.com/TjeTnuH.jpg) [www.ericvancewalton.net](http://www.ericvancewalton.net) ![](https://i.imgur.com/aieouS5.png)