I just listened to today’s podcast and wondered if you are open to appearing at more book festivals? I am a huge fan and run the San Diego Writers Festival. (Www.sandiegowritersfestival.com) and we would flip our gourds if you would come to discuss your books (either in person or on line). The next festival is Oct 8. Our theme this year is -What Unites Us - which is another way of sayin “Hugs before punches!”
Oh- and this is a real question from a legit jewy festival chic. Happy Sunday - Marni from San Diego
Hi Nick, no question from me I’m afraid but did want to leave a few words to just say “thank you” - I love what you do, and hope you continue Donkey Thoughts for as long as you are happy to do so. Sending lots of love your way, Peter (a Kiwi in the UK)
First and foremost, you are definitely landing this substack. Its particularly nice to see that something long and uncut rather then a short and cleaned up can also get the job done.
Nick, I seem to have a tendency of being a whirlwind and take on many projects during any moment I'm not working; gardening, fixing a table, cooking, going for a bikeride, grocery shopping. Add in copious amounts of time with my family and you get the big picture. At the end of the day I have managed to take on many tasks but look around me to find that all my efforts have created a disaster and now its time to clean up. After putting this and that away I start to hear the procrastination bug (new "Big Mouth" character?) whispering in my ear to leave the rest for tomorrow. Manana (I can't do the little wavy accent on the first n) sounds too good to resist and I kick back and say to myself "I worked hard today, hell...I deserve a little rest. I'll do it tomorrow.".
I can imagine I'm not the only one with this problem and I am hoping you could give some advice on how to combat such end of day laziness masked as personal entitlement.
Big Hug
Jason from Puidoux (Pwidoo phonetically), Switzerland
P.S. It would be great if you came to perform in the hall "The Docks" in Lausanne, there is a huge Canadian and American community here thanks to the Olympics committee and Nestlé headquarters in the area. I'm sure you would enjoy the beer, farmlands and vinyards of this region.
I’ve been listening to your latest book, interspersed with donkey thoughts episodes (donkey-sodes? no… never-mind), on my commutes to and from the Airfield I’m stationed at as a full-time Air National Guardsman here in Syracuse, New York. Having just completed a run beside the Erie Canal this evening (a favorite of mine, along with Green Lakes State Park, for both their beauty, and well, ok, I live right next to the park entrance and the trail is across the street), I’d started to listen to your Epilogue, wherein you quote the lyrics to “Home on the Range”. I hit pause at the lyrics’ conclusion before you continued for a shower and decided that it might be fun to click play on that tune, famous to me from my days as a Tiger Cub and later Eagle Scout. A potential trigger for some decent, if not deep, “shower thoughts,” I chose a version sung by the Sons of the Pioneers (in truth, because they also sing “Tumbling Tumbleweeds”, which weaves its way though the opening scene of my favorite film, The Big Lebowski, but I digress, again). Anyways, I found myself truly affected by the two verses, left out of our scout-camp recitations (big surprise) addressing the American culpability for the removal slash near-extermination of the native peoples of the very land and skies being admired in the song, and the singer contemplating our place within, in your recent words, “the great economy”. Afterwards, I listened to the rest of your book and found myself disagreeing on a small point. When taken together, the two verses seem to me, to first: admit some sense of regret and responsibility for the results of Manifest Destiny, obviated through the absence of the range’s previous occupants, and then second: to pause and reflect that maybe we got it wrong. That the stars above, in their splendor, are evidence that we should, perhaps, have been appreciating their majesty all along, vice pursuing our own self-aggrandizement. As if in noticing that the “red man” may never return, and finding some “enlightenment” (play on words intended) in the starlight, that we might benefit from reconsidering our place in the cosmos. Kansas keeping the latter verse, while skipping the former certainly removes the listener’s ability to consider such, which is probably even more effective as a sneaky or more-nuanced whitewashing effort than would have been the wholesale deletion of both versus, because it does seem to re-frame the thought process into, as you aptly put it, contemplating whether or not we’re actually more glorious than they (the stars).
Long story long, I’ve rambled on about a few paragraphs and even fewer verses… my apologies. I’d like to leave you with a note of encouraging things I’ve seen in uniform of late and a related question. Truth be told, I’ve been aching to ask you something, but hadn’t until now found anything to try and exchange thoughts on.
So: having served for just a bit over 20 years so far, both enlisted and commissioned, a generational trend I’ve come to appreciate is as follows. In the first fifteen years or so of my career (read: in the aftermath of 9/11 and the hyper-focus it created on the threat of terrorism, perceived or actual, as well as its role as the impetus for finding yet greater ways to spend money on the military industrial complex, read: my own job security… a nuance I only came to see later on, admittedly), identifying a military member willing to align themselves with the simple, if progressive, concepts of equity, earth science, abortion rights, LGBTQ+ inclusion, or, put plainly “it might be possible that not all brown people are bad” felt comparable to finding: a real-life unicorn… Since the election, and ouster, of the previous administration however, I’ve noticed a perceptible adjustment, maybe not a “sea change” but maybe the early signs of one in the offing. If I had to apply a broad estimate (or “WAG” in military parlance, that’s: Wild Ass Guess) on the ratios of our membership’s ideological foundations (to avoid, or at least re-word the concept of political affiliation), I’d put us, at least those of us I encounter regularly among the members of the Air and Space Forces, somewhere around 2 in 5 that seem to have the willingness (formerly the audacity) to not-vote Republican blindly. To be quite honest, it’s been one of the core things that has continued to invigorate my desire to remain in service, if not to our nation, then at least in support of these young Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, and now Guardians that see fit to serve, but serve on their own terms, with an eye on how we can, at least try to (leaning back on my time as a Scout here again), leave this place better than we found it.
To my question: How, if at all, does the above jive with your thoughts on how people from yesterday-to-time-immemorial enjoy refraining the idea that each coming generation will be then end of “our civilization?” (As If civilizational-evolution was tantamount to realizing the Book of Revelation). To quote Orwell, if not Horace before him: “Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that came before it and wiser than the one that came after it.” I myself have been guilty of decrying “participation trophies” at a point in my past. But honestly, and it may be a shame because if we can’t turn the climate change ship around in time it might not matter, I find myself heartened by the apparent magnanimity and communal thought processes of our successors. Maybe, just maybe, altruism will be what allows us to persist, in contrast to Richard Dawkins’ points on selfishness and it’s role in survival. My wife is giving me the side eye now, as I’ve been focused for a large portion of the night on writing this all out, so I’ll leave it at that. Cheers, and thank you for sharing your insights here, in your books, and on tour (we saw and loved you in Kalamazoo pre-pandemic).
Michael T. “Billy” Squier, Captain, New York Air National Guard, Hancock Field, Syracuse, New York
P.S. As a man with a discerning eye for particularly terrible vistas, rest assured, I’ve added the apparently veritable hellscape of Sedona, Arizona to our short list of van-camper ports of call.
Are there any YouTube woodworking channels you are especially fond of? I am curious to hear which channels can assist with developing a design or help with brainstorming a project. I recommend Shara Woodshop Diaries, 3x3 Custom, and Rogue Engineer.
Ps. You have answered one of my previous questions in a video. If I asked, in a Midwest Nice way of course, could I share that on my socials?
How do you balance your love of woodworking as a hobby, craft, and artform with running an actual woodworking business? Presumably you need your business to make a profit, or at least breakeven, to be self-sustaining. Does that economic element debase the unsullied aspect of the craft itself?
I just listened to today’s podcast and wondered if you are open to appearing at more book festivals? I am a huge fan and run the San Diego Writers Festival. (Www.sandiegowritersfestival.com) and we would flip our gourds if you would come to discuss your books (either in person or on line). The next festival is Oct 8. Our theme this year is -What Unites Us - which is another way of sayin “Hugs before punches!”
Oh- and this is a real question from a legit jewy festival chic. Happy Sunday - Marni from San Diego
Hi Nick, no question from me I’m afraid but did want to leave a few words to just say “thank you” - I love what you do, and hope you continue Donkey Thoughts for as long as you are happy to do so. Sending lots of love your way, Peter (a Kiwi in the UK)
I subscribe to Bored Panda and was wondering if you've seen these beautiful creations:
https://www.boredpanda.com/crazy-woodworking-projects/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter
Hello Nick,
First and foremost, you are definitely landing this substack. Its particularly nice to see that something long and uncut rather then a short and cleaned up can also get the job done.
Nick, I seem to have a tendency of being a whirlwind and take on many projects during any moment I'm not working; gardening, fixing a table, cooking, going for a bikeride, grocery shopping. Add in copious amounts of time with my family and you get the big picture. At the end of the day I have managed to take on many tasks but look around me to find that all my efforts have created a disaster and now its time to clean up. After putting this and that away I start to hear the procrastination bug (new "Big Mouth" character?) whispering in my ear to leave the rest for tomorrow. Manana (I can't do the little wavy accent on the first n) sounds too good to resist and I kick back and say to myself "I worked hard today, hell...I deserve a little rest. I'll do it tomorrow.".
I can imagine I'm not the only one with this problem and I am hoping you could give some advice on how to combat such end of day laziness masked as personal entitlement.
Big Hug
Jason from Puidoux (Pwidoo phonetically), Switzerland
P.S. It would be great if you came to perform in the hall "The Docks" in Lausanne, there is a huge Canadian and American community here thanks to the Olympics committee and Nestlé headquarters in the area. I'm sure you would enjoy the beer, farmlands and vinyards of this region.
Hi Nick, I just got your books and am excited to jump in. Any particular order you recommend?
I guess I'd suggest taking them in order, since I undoubtedly learned new words as I went...
Nick,
I’ve been listening to your latest book, interspersed with donkey thoughts episodes (donkey-sodes? no… never-mind), on my commutes to and from the Airfield I’m stationed at as a full-time Air National Guardsman here in Syracuse, New York. Having just completed a run beside the Erie Canal this evening (a favorite of mine, along with Green Lakes State Park, for both their beauty, and well, ok, I live right next to the park entrance and the trail is across the street), I’d started to listen to your Epilogue, wherein you quote the lyrics to “Home on the Range”. I hit pause at the lyrics’ conclusion before you continued for a shower and decided that it might be fun to click play on that tune, famous to me from my days as a Tiger Cub and later Eagle Scout. A potential trigger for some decent, if not deep, “shower thoughts,” I chose a version sung by the Sons of the Pioneers (in truth, because they also sing “Tumbling Tumbleweeds”, which weaves its way though the opening scene of my favorite film, The Big Lebowski, but I digress, again). Anyways, I found myself truly affected by the two verses, left out of our scout-camp recitations (big surprise) addressing the American culpability for the removal slash near-extermination of the native peoples of the very land and skies being admired in the song, and the singer contemplating our place within, in your recent words, “the great economy”. Afterwards, I listened to the rest of your book and found myself disagreeing on a small point. When taken together, the two verses seem to me, to first: admit some sense of regret and responsibility for the results of Manifest Destiny, obviated through the absence of the range’s previous occupants, and then second: to pause and reflect that maybe we got it wrong. That the stars above, in their splendor, are evidence that we should, perhaps, have been appreciating their majesty all along, vice pursuing our own self-aggrandizement. As if in noticing that the “red man” may never return, and finding some “enlightenment” (play on words intended) in the starlight, that we might benefit from reconsidering our place in the cosmos. Kansas keeping the latter verse, while skipping the former certainly removes the listener’s ability to consider such, which is probably even more effective as a sneaky or more-nuanced whitewashing effort than would have been the wholesale deletion of both versus, because it does seem to re-frame the thought process into, as you aptly put it, contemplating whether or not we’re actually more glorious than they (the stars).
Long story long, I’ve rambled on about a few paragraphs and even fewer verses… my apologies. I’d like to leave you with a note of encouraging things I’ve seen in uniform of late and a related question. Truth be told, I’ve been aching to ask you something, but hadn’t until now found anything to try and exchange thoughts on.
So: having served for just a bit over 20 years so far, both enlisted and commissioned, a generational trend I’ve come to appreciate is as follows. In the first fifteen years or so of my career (read: in the aftermath of 9/11 and the hyper-focus it created on the threat of terrorism, perceived or actual, as well as its role as the impetus for finding yet greater ways to spend money on the military industrial complex, read: my own job security… a nuance I only came to see later on, admittedly), identifying a military member willing to align themselves with the simple, if progressive, concepts of equity, earth science, abortion rights, LGBTQ+ inclusion, or, put plainly “it might be possible that not all brown people are bad” felt comparable to finding: a real-life unicorn… Since the election, and ouster, of the previous administration however, I’ve noticed a perceptible adjustment, maybe not a “sea change” but maybe the early signs of one in the offing. If I had to apply a broad estimate (or “WAG” in military parlance, that’s: Wild Ass Guess) on the ratios of our membership’s ideological foundations (to avoid, or at least re-word the concept of political affiliation), I’d put us, at least those of us I encounter regularly among the members of the Air and Space Forces, somewhere around 2 in 5 that seem to have the willingness (formerly the audacity) to not-vote Republican blindly. To be quite honest, it’s been one of the core things that has continued to invigorate my desire to remain in service, if not to our nation, then at least in support of these young Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, and now Guardians that see fit to serve, but serve on their own terms, with an eye on how we can, at least try to (leaning back on my time as a Scout here again), leave this place better than we found it.
To my question: How, if at all, does the above jive with your thoughts on how people from yesterday-to-time-immemorial enjoy refraining the idea that each coming generation will be then end of “our civilization?” (As If civilizational-evolution was tantamount to realizing the Book of Revelation). To quote Orwell, if not Horace before him: “Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that came before it and wiser than the one that came after it.” I myself have been guilty of decrying “participation trophies” at a point in my past. But honestly, and it may be a shame because if we can’t turn the climate change ship around in time it might not matter, I find myself heartened by the apparent magnanimity and communal thought processes of our successors. Maybe, just maybe, altruism will be what allows us to persist, in contrast to Richard Dawkins’ points on selfishness and it’s role in survival. My wife is giving me the side eye now, as I’ve been focused for a large portion of the night on writing this all out, so I’ll leave it at that. Cheers, and thank you for sharing your insights here, in your books, and on tour (we saw and loved you in Kalamazoo pre-pandemic).
Michael T. “Billy” Squier, Captain, New York Air National Guard, Hancock Field, Syracuse, New York
P.S. As a man with a discerning eye for particularly terrible vistas, rest assured, I’ve added the apparently veritable hellscape of Sedona, Arizona to our short list of van-camper ports of call.
P.P.S. Re: my choice of artist’s rendition… turns out, I could have just waited to hear Megan sing it better.
Are there any YouTube woodworking channels you are especially fond of? I am curious to hear which channels can assist with developing a design or help with brainstorming a project. I recommend Shara Woodshop Diaries, 3x3 Custom, and Rogue Engineer.
Ps. You have answered one of my previous questions in a video. If I asked, in a Midwest Nice way of course, could I share that on my socials?
How do you balance your love of woodworking as a hobby, craft, and artform with running an actual woodworking business? Presumably you need your business to make a profit, or at least breakeven, to be self-sustaining. Does that economic element debase the unsullied aspect of the craft itself?