For once, I’m ahead of the game and am writing this Saturday Musings post on Friday night. It’s already Saturday in a large part of the world so I guess it’s still technically kosher.
You Don’t Get If You Don’t Ask
This is one of my favorite YouTuber’s (Simon Wilson) most repeated sayings and lately I’m finding it to be true.
Over the past few weeks I’ve been spending some time on an awesome app that allows you to connect with others in your neighborhood called NextDoor. I’ve been using it to post ideas about how to improve the neighborhood and a few of my suggestions have caught on.
This entire spring and summer we’ve been having an increased problem with litter from patrons of a little bodega/tobacco shop across the street from our building. People were hanging out in their parking lot all hours of the day and night, dealing drugs, and using our neighborhood as a trash can. I called the police but they did nothing so I posted on NextDoor soliciting possible solutions.
Feedback ranged from pick up after them to call the cops to call the owner of the store.
Since I tried the second suggestion already with no luck and I wasn’t about to enable bad behavior by picking up after adults who should know not to litter, I called the store owner and had a conversation with him. He was very understanding and accepting of the feedback. The next day his staff was picking up the litter and the area has remained litter free for about a month. All it took was a simple and direct conversation. It was empowering.
Last night I posted on NextDoor about installing a roundabout at an intersection beside our condo building. There’s currently a 4-way stop there but hardly anyone stops and it’s very unsafe for both cars and pedestrians. The post got tons of comments from other neighbors. In less than 24hrs after I posted the idea, a co-chair of a committee here in St. Paul is going to try to get the idea approved through the proper channels. Two for two. I know in comparison to the work that needs to be done to repair our broken society this is small but it was empowering nonetheless and could become addictive. If you hear me saying I want to run for local government at any point in the future please talk me out of it immediately.
Seriously, someone should build something similar to NextDoor on this blockchain. An easy way for people in the same geographical area to organize and connect. It could be used to raise funds for neighborhood projects, local charities, disaster relief….whatever. It would be a way for citizens to circumnavigate corrupt, aloof, or just plain lazy local government officials.
“Opportunity does not knock, it presents itself when you beat down the door." ~ Kyle Chandler
This Week In Crypto
It was a very exciting week for Bitcoin. Ria Bhutoria, Head of Research at Fidelity Digital Assets gave it a favorable mention this past week, a good sign that the granddaddy of all cryptos is inching ever more into the mainstream. Fidelity Investments happens to have $7 Trillion dollars of assets under management.
As we all know the dollars that are funneled into Bitcoin usually find their way into alt coins eventually. This is good news for all of us. A lot of the crypto influencers and analysts I follow are predicting continued growth in the coming months. We will see if Bitcoin can approach previous ATH's. Mass adoption is happening right before our eyes.
F*ckery Forecast
This week’s f*ckery forecast is brought to you by the full moon. The full moon is scheduled for this coming Monday and when we were out running errands today we sure could tell it was beginning to have an effect on people--- people driving the wrong way on one way streets, stopping in the middle of the road for no reason, pulling in front of moving traffic, etc.
Have you ever noticed in the day’s leading up to a full moon (and a few days after) that peoples’ behavior is a bit more erratic than normal?
My wife and I definitely notice an uptick in absentmindedness and questionable behavior during the days before and after. We saw some of the most unbelievable things in traffic today. As you’re out and about this weekend watch your back and be extra careful.
Mindful Moments: Perfecting The Pause - Book Update
I’m not going to sugar coat it, this week has been tough. The final draft of the manuscript isn’t progressing as quickly as I hoped and I’m feeling the residual guilt associated with that. The good news is the first chapter is done and I’m extremely happy with it. I’ll be posting that chapter here on Hive sometime next week and asking for feedback from my virtual beta readers (you). I had high hopes to get through at least one more chapter today but one thing led to another and before I knew it the entire day had evaporated.
At this stage of writing a book it feels like the entire world is vying for your attention and working against you enter the final stretch of the process. It’s been the same way with every book I’ve ever worked on. It takes real resolve to set a strict schedule and stick to it. I work best in the morning so my writing goal for the day has to come before I do anything else.
Next week I’ll be getting up extra early and dedicating at least half of each day to the book. At the end of next week I hope to have cranked out the final drafts of chapters 2-6 and then I’ll be more than half done and ahead of schedule. Next, I need to find someone to write a book blurb for the cover. I'm hoping for either Gary Vaynerchuk or Neil Strauss. Aim high, right? If you don't ask you don't get.
Pandemic Woes
We haven’t started to see our new infection rate numbers going down here in Minnesota after last week’s mask mandate by Governor Walz, quite the opposite. Our new infection rate is actually climbing. If this continues I don’t see how local schools will be able to have in-class instruction this fall. Also, a number of local restaurants are being shut down for a few weeks due to their staff contracting COVID-19.
We were hoping to be able to travel a bit early next year but it looks like we may be stuck here (in the Siberia of the U.S.) until well into spring of 2021. Maybe I'll take up cross country skiing or dogsledding.
Like almost all other outdoor events the Minnesota State Fair was cancelled this year. In an effort to make money and provide a shred of normalcy they decided to open a few of the food stalls, sell tickets, and allow cars to drive through and buy their favorite fair foods. My wife was online for over an hour today trying to buy us a ticket. The website kept crashing but after eleven tries she was successful. Our son will get his beloved Martha's Cookies. This is his favorite fair food. I'm partial to smoked turkey legs and roasted corn myself, I don't have much of a sweet tooth.
That’s all for now. I hope you all enjoy your weekends!
With Gratitude,
Eric Vance Walton
(Gifs sourced from Giphy.com)
*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.
Alarm Clock Dawn, one of the first full length novels published on the blockchain, and the book that started it all for me can be found HERE. Or Click Here to read it for free on the Steemit blockchain
My book on meditation, The Perfect Pause, is priced at $12.99 (paperback) and $4.99 (eBook). Buy the paperback and receive the eBook for free!
