This weekend's project was supposed to be upgrade this site. This site has been in its current state, plus bug fixes, for going on 7 years, and it seriously shows. Instead, I decided to embark on an entirely NEW PROJECT. Whoo! And shock! Another shock? It's a something-every-day project. Okay, no shock there. Though, because you read the title of the post, you know that it's a t-shirt-a-day project.

First three are up, and available on groundr.com, which has me totally excited.

#hashtag

I've been wanting to do a #hashtag t-shirt for a while. I managed to do it with a 140 point font, in Twitter blue, too. So many subtleties with this one.

Rocketship!

I saw a flat-design rocketship and really liked it. So, now it's a shirt!

Chat Away

I'm unsure where I saw this design. Also liked it. I expect to sell exactly one of these, the one I buy. It's a design I like, I doubt anyone would like it.

If you have any suggestions for tomorrow's shirt, send it my way!

From James Altucher

Blaming feels like a comfort. An escape. Complaining pretends to soothe. But it's just a siren calling from the sea to drown you. Everyday I stay on my no-complaints diet. Or I try.

I just need to say Good-bye. To stop the aging that the leathery finger of failure beckons to me from the shadows. Hooded, yellow eyes, fear, "come here, James. Stay with me for awhile. Stay with me for part of your life so neither of us are alone." The finger... barely out of the shadows. Come here.

Goodbye.

Subscription link to his mailing list.

Good stuff.

When I was in Portland last month, I spent too much time in bookstores and paper stores. Wait, wait, wait, no, not too much time, one can never spend too much time in these places. I did, however, spend a lot of time in these places. I like this. I like paper. I like books. These facts are well established.

When I was in the Paper Source while in Portland, I saw a set of hand made note cards. It was the last set, well handled, the top card bent over from people opening it to look inside without opening the whole pack. I loved the pattern, so I picked up that last set, and, surprising to no one, picked up a couple more sets of hand made cards, and bought them all. The cards are I've had these cards for a month, and started writing to family and friends.

Side note, if you want a note mailed to you on paper, written upon with pen, send me your address.

My goal is to send two or more notecards or postcards a week. If I can establish a good habit, that'll increase, but for now, it's a good number that I'm achieving.

Inspired by this, when I was in the local Michaels yesterday and saw a box of note cards with cute designs on them, I thought, sure, I'll keep this up. I bought the box, and with anticipated delight, opened the box last night.

And I am disappointed.

The expensive, handprinted notecards are a delight to write on. The pen sinks just right into the paper. The texture of the paper is lovely. The colors are vibrant.

With the inexpensive notecards I bought last night, they're glossy, with a smooth writing surface that is likely to smear. There's little joy in the texture of the inside, much less the outside. It's a card. There's no art in the card the way there is with the expensive handmade cards.

And I'm reminded, again, how much choosing quality over quantity is important. I'm reminded that spending more money for exactly what you want, instead of saving a few bucks and buying something "close enough" just isn't worth it.

What I don't understand at this moment is why I keep needing to learn this lesson. Especially with paper. Well, notecards anyway. I already knew this with journals, so buy only ones I love. I know it with furniture and vehicles and computers and electronics and clothes.

Next bunch of cards, I'm totally ordering off Etsy.

While winter is coming, fall is already here.

It was snowing on Friday in Portage. Snow. Beginning of October. Northern Indiana.

And Dad still denies climate change is a thing.