Immortal Power: Plug It In!

I attend MaxFunCon every year with my wife. MaxFunCon is a wild weekend of creativity and camaraderie hosted by the Lorne Michaels of podcasts, Jesse Thorn. I can not recommend the event enough. It gets the blood flowing and makes you want to conquer the world in the name of awesomeness. Every year, Jesse and his friend Jordan Morris gift the Maximum Fun community with a theme. Last year's was More Powerful Than Ever: Going Ape. For some people, 2013 will be the year of the Snake, but for amazing people, 2013 is the year of Immortal Power: Plug It In! 

Now, I haven't updated this blog since October. It is obvious that I did not go ape enough. I could mention the chore of holidays and the lure of other projects, but those are excuses. Stoicism doesn't have room for excuses and ,obviously, excuses are anathema to anyone who is plugging into Immortal Power. That said, I am demanding better of myself starting...now.

2013

  • I finish novel number one and push it into the face of publishers
  • I practice and discuss Stoicism like it's going out of style, which it has
  • I blaze a trail down my career path like a machete wielding adventurer
  • I don't alarm co-workers with imagery like, "machete wielding"
  • [placeholder for secret project]

There you go. I want to thank Zeno, Epictetus, Aurelius, Christy Lynn, and all Maxfunsters for the epic year that I am about to create. Immortal Power: Plug It In! 

Sartorial Stoic: Flint and Tinder

Men, you should be wearing Flint and Tinder underwear. I would know, I'm an underwear expert. Malcolm Gladwell says it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill and I have thirty five years of underwear-wearing experience! So listen to me and try on a pair.

I've been spending time thinking about my purchases in general. I want my acquisitions to expand the world with which I'm pleased, whenever possible. That sentence was awkward. What I mean is, I prefer home-cooking and local restaurants to  fast food. I want neighborhoods to be walkable. I drink filtered tap water instead of getting it shipped in from Fiji. I listen to KPBS, therefore I donate to them as well. William Gibson once said, "the future is already here - it's just not evenly distributed."  I think the seeds of the world I want are already here and I need to invest in them to keep things growing. With that in mind, I've been trying to make better spending choices.

So back to underwear. Flint and Tinder started as a Kickstarter darling, one that has actually worked. American Apparel used to be the only company that sold Made in America men's underwear. Everyone else has been shipping in our skivvies from far, far away. Thanks to the generous outpouring of Kickstarter backers, there are now two companies selling patriotic underpants. I'm not against international trade. Actually I think it can be great. However, overseas trade is often about chasing lower costs, not better products. If someone wants to make my products closer to home and up the quality, I will pay for that. F&T products aren't as inexpensive as a 3-6 pack from Target, but every dollar you pay is returned in quality. I'd rather buy one item made with care than three items cheaply constructed.

 F&T really does improve on quality. They use very nice cotton. It ends up that the type of cotton matters. The texture of the fabric is leaps and bounds more comfortable than Haines, Fruit of the Loom, or whatever. Also, the stitching stays stitched. F&T claims that the care they put into picking materials and constructing the garments will translate into a longer lasting product. It will be a while before I can speak to that. What I know is, I own their boxer-briefs and they are the best undergarments I've ever worn. F&T made me ask, "why haven't I cared about underwear before?"

Buy Flint and Tinder products. The holidays are coming up. Surprise someone you love with a stocking full of underwear. I guarantee the look of surprise will be genuine. The thanks will be as well, at least, after he's worn them a while.

One Year

I just realized that it was a little over a year ago when I decided to test out Stoicism. It went quick. I've spent my time with Epictetus, ​Aurelius, and Seneca. I read Hadot, perused some biographies, and tried to read A Man in Full (someday I'll finish it). I've questioned myself, wrestled with my many faults, reoriented a bit, and mostly stayed the same. It's been a good time.

​The Stoic virtues are Justice, Truth, Temperance, and Courage. That said, I prefer Aurelius' streamlined tripartite view of Justice, Truth, and Temperance, with Courage as a natural outpouring of the virtues. I would never argue that one view is truer that the other, I hold to the three virtues model because that matches up with the three disciplines which is pleasing to my limited memory. My struggles to live a virtuous life have led to only the smallest sparks of courage. If I were more courageous, I would give more to the world.

The sparks are there though. A fantasy novel is finally in the works.​ A small side business is beginning (if the paperwork ever arrives). Projects are on the move. I believe my stoic mindset has contributed to this, even though the moments I'm in it are few. I'm excited. I think this next year will be fruitful. I plan on sharing it all here.