How to be insanely successful (or whatever), a brilliant PT device, a video that made me laugh AND want to build stuff, plus a slick van upgrade.
Summer rolls on, Traipsterinos! My favorite recent small pleasure is chopping up fresh mint straight from our garden to add pizzazz to summer salads. Sounds weird? Try it out!
Another winner that I made this week: spicy miso shishito peppers, whaaaat. I made them sans-oil and they were delicious.
Meanwhile, the garden is flourishing and Chelsea the Farmer continues to work magic and plant copious amounts of ornamentals in The Project. I’ve installed approximately 12,732 drip irrigation lines and my legs burn from all the squatting. It’s way harder work than biking, but easier on the brain than piano.
This Week's Newsletter:
How to be insanely successful (or whatever), a brilliant PT device, a video that made me laugh AND want to build stuff, plus a slick van upgrade (if I say so myself).
Onward!
Dakota
P.S. You may notice big paragraph spacing in this edition. I'm sure it's simple to fix, but Chelsea hiked me into the ground today, there's no paid staff around here, and I'm too tired to figure it out. Thanks for your leniency.
I know, I know, it's weird to not see a bike in a picture.
(A rare overcast summer day hiking near Bend yesterday.)
How to Be Insanely Successful...Or Whatever
“Let’s be honest, our definitions of success are fairy godmother, made-up bullshit.” Anytime writing contains a line like that, I’m intrigued.
Mark Manson knocks it out of the park with this article. My definition of success constantly shifts - from “money first” in 2010 to “vanlife4ever” to “physical activity, 24/7” to a more balanced existence (still evolving) these days - and I found myself nodding yes to Mark’s wisdom.
I bet you will too. At least when you’re not laughing out loud at his hilarious writing. If you dig the article, check out his insightful book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck.
Fix Yourself with a Mobo Board Months ago, I took a solid rock climbing fall at Smith Rock and jacked my ankle up something fierce. POP said the ankle, OW said I...and then I hiked out a steep two miles for bonus fun.
Repairing the damage required physical therapy, and lots of it. Last week, I finally ran for the first time since March. (My calves ached for days. Gawwwd returning to running is hard.)
The Mobo board, developed by my local physical therapist Jay, was integral to my recovery. He’s a superstar PT with tons of pro clients (not me) who fly to Bend for sessions, plus he does consulting for running brands and writes books and stuff.
My ankle is stable and strong again and I'm excited for mountain running this fall. However, Mobo is also awesome for general PT and stability exercises. I've adopted many of them into my GarageFit workouts. You can even watch me floundering at them in Mobo's exercise video reel while the other models (all pro athletes) crush it.
There’s magic in making stuff. REAL, tangible products.
This dude in SoCal takes discarded skateboards and creates beautiful woodwork from them. Not just that, his videos are SO creative and engaging. Check out creating a coffee table. I loved the ridiculous creative awesomeness of the slot machine section.
BTW I shamelessly stole this link from my friend Jono’s newsletter. If you’re into product design and creating physical products, I highly recommend checking out his weekly newsletter.
Just when you thought this newsletter couldn't get more fascinating, PROPANE SHOWERS WITH QUICK CONNECT FITTINGS!
We All Deserve Hot Van Showers
In true pioneer spirit, we lacked running water during our three years of van travel. I only installed a sink and water system near the tail end of full-time travel. I’m still kicking myself.
As an additional upgrade, last year I added an Eccotemp L5 propane shower to the back door of the van. For ~$100, the inconceivable luxury of a hot shower entered our lives. (Hot showers rule! We should have hot showers at home!)
I didn’t want a hooked-up shower all of the time though. Enter quick-connect fittings. Using an array of them from Amazon, I created a system that takes about 30 seconds to set up, but doesn’t leave the back of the van a mess the rest of the time.
If you already have the Eccotemp shower, a propane tank with regulator hose, and a water hose, below are all the quick connect fittings you’ll need:
That's it for this edition. Thanks for reading and as always, please send any links to videos blogs, articles, podcasts and book recommendations you feel are important my way. I love hearing what you're into. Have an awesome weekend!
