Slowswift

Not that it particularly needs saying, but Brandon Sanderson is an amazing writer, and The Lost Metal is an excellent book.

The pen is a Schon DSGN Pocket Six with a titanium nib from Karas Kustoms, inked with Faber-Castell Garnet Red. A fun little thing about this nib is that it takes on the color of whatever ink you're using, so--while it doesn't come through in the photo very well--the whole thing has a slight reddish cast to it!

Went to the Barnes & Noble to purchase a copy of Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians, as one does, and wouldn't you know it--the one, the only, the Mr. Sanderson himself was there.

So, yeah. Got me a signed book tonight. 

Last week, I traded in my laptop for a desktop. As I boxed the little guy up and mailed it off, it felt like I was sending away a part of me. I actually felt empty inside.

Yeah, that's a huge problem.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'll be stepping back from the internet again for the foreseeable future. I'll still check in once in a while--this isn't a wholesale fast like I did last time. But boy howdy do I need to get my life in order, and having such easy access to the Web was running directly counter to that goal. (When you don't even have the attention span to veg out in front of the TV, you know something's wrong.) I'm reminded of a quote from one of my favorite General Conference talks, by Elder Johnson:

Quote

In our day, there are many distractions, including Twitter, Facebook, virtual reality games, and much more. These technological advances are amazing, but if we are not careful, they can distract us from fulfilling our divine potential. Using them appropriately can bring forth the power of heaven and allow us to witness miracles as we seek to gather scattered Israel on both sides of the veil.

(See also President Oaks' excellent talks on opportunity cost.)

I'm looking forward to increased free time, unburdened by the stress of internet addiction. I'm definitely going to try to read more. I'll pay the piano the attention it deserves, and maybe even learn to play the guitar!

All the while I'll be properly preparing to serve a mission. I've been feeling more and more that I need to do something with my life, and it has become evident to me that that is the next step. And I'm becoming increasingly excited about it!

Anyways, love you guys! Take care.  

Tried Twitter again. That was a mistake lol

Well, well, well. I don't yet if love it, but I really, really like it. Can't wait for January!

Oh, don't mind me, just obsessed with this arrangement and how phenomenal they sound with those acoustics.

I am feeling absolutely rotten--the sniffles I've been fighting all week have finally caught up with me and now I've got a full-blown cold. I thought to myself, "I feel not unlike Howl when he's got a cold." Then I thought, "Oh, I haven't read that book in a while! I should read it again!" 

So I still feel rotten, but some cold meds, some spicy soup, and my favorite book later, things aren't so bad.

We watched Werewolf by Night tonight. I must say, it was excellent.

Liquid Death, anyone?

What do you mean, I can't just temporarily fade into nonexistence when I get home from work? Ugh. Lame.

So my sister and I just finished watching Avatar: The Last Airbender for the first time, and uh.

Wow.

Pants are an illusion, and so is death.

Y'know, it's times like this I understand how a few trumpets were able to knock down an entire city wall.