May. 23, 2024

What I'm up to — May 2024

Now

Updated from my home in Chicago.

A growing family

This past winter my wife and I welcomed our second child into the world. James was born with a full head of wild and beautiful hair. We weren't expecting the mane, as our first was extremely bald at the start. :-]

Everyone is happy and healthy. Sleep is a distant memory.

A special gig

In February I joined Broadway star Phillipa Soo in concert. The event was to benefit a fine arts organization in the North Shore.[1] She and I were high school classmates, and the audience was filled with hometown friends and mentors. It was a blast.

A new hobby

Last month I bought an Irish flute!

For the past few years I've gotten very into Irish traditional music, thanks in large part to the vibrant scene for it in Chicago.[2] I've primarily participated as an accompanying guitarist in local sessions. I'm now excited to learn more about the melodies and ornaments in the music, which I think I will discover through this new flute practice. Currently I'm focusing on tone production and embouchure.

I've been listening to…

Country music artist Tyler Childers. He came on my radar last year and I've been working through his discography. I really dig his Appalachian spin on the genre — there's something earthy and honest about it. My wife and I are looking forward to seeing him in concert this summer.

I've been reading…

• Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool — Emily Oster
• The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York — Robert Caro

In the wild

A question I submitted to a podcast was recently featured "on-air." The show is Deep Questions with Cal Newport.[3]

Cal is an author and computer science professor at Georgetown who writes about the effect of technology in the cultivation of a "deep life." I admit it can be a bit self-helpy, but I enjoy his perspective!

Sometimes callers to his show ask his advice on whether or not to switch jobs, or for his take on a prospective business venture. He often encourages the person to first find out if the new project they're interested in is actually of value to people. Quoting CD Baby founder, Derek Sivers, he says to use money as a neutral indicator of value.

Money is nothing more than a neutral exchange of value. If people give you money, it’s proof that you’re giving them something valuable in return.[4]

My question to Cal asked what he might say to someone interested in pursuing a project where money can't be a neutral indicator of value: recording a music album. My question got edited down for length — I'm sure I rambled about the economics of recorded music — but I still appreciated Cal's input and feature!

References:

• [1]Benefit concert for the Adler Arts Center featuring Phillipa Soo.
• [2]List of active Irish music sessions in Chicago.
• [3]Deep Questions podcast.
• [4]Derek Siver's writing on using money as a neutral indicator of value.