hobbies

i find i’ve been apologizing a lot lately for my untimely video postings. and here i am doing it again. even though i said i was moving the schedule to tuesdays and fridays, i missed last friday. i didn’t have much to talk about, but could have given updates. the goal should always be not to get off the schedule.

this time, it wasn’t the hot weather that kept me from recording, but rather my mood. i’ve been in a funk the last week, or so, and my motivation to do… well, anything, had been way down. i’m not sure what it is, or if it even matters. depression occasionally creeps in and its hard to be productive when you’re feeling hopeless and helpless.

having struggled with depression for most of my life, i’m familiar with the feelings, and have tools to dig myself out before it goes on for too long. i’ve been through therapy and so don’t have to deal with it on a regular basis anymore, but the flip side, i’ve noticed, is that i don’t notice as quickly as i used to that’s what’s going on.

now that i’ve identified the funk, i can be proactive about lifting myself up out of it. hence the blog post. and there will be a video tomorrow, i promise.

also, i’m a bit frustrated that i’m not adding viewers or subscribers as quickly as i’d like. i’ll be the first to admit i haven’t developed a “program” that would have much appeal beyond those who know me, but that so few of my friends and family have actually subscribed or watch regularly is a bit defeating.

those who do subscribe and watch regularly, don’t interact as much as i’d like….

i know it sounds like i’m complaining (i kinda am) and i’m sorry. i don’t like to bitch just for the sake of bitching. instead, i’ll throw this comment out into the void and see if i get a response; what do you think i can/should do to make my videos more entertaining? what suggestions do you have for getting more people to watch and interact (i.e. comment, respond to content, etc.)?

come on folks, just a little help, please!

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hopefully i’ll do better with a tuesday-friday schedule.

this is my shortest video, i think, to date. on the one hand, it’s good, as i’ve been told videos much longer than four minutes are too long and people may not watch to the end. the analytics for my channel don’t seem to bare that out, but i have nonetheless been trying to keep them to under four minutes, with obviously little success.

i’ve realized that i have a tendency to repeat myself though the course of my videos, so i’m going to concentrate on not repeating myself, or should i not be successful on that front, then be more aggressive at the editing stage. i’m also growing more aware of myself and what i say as i’m recording, allowing me to self-correct on the fly, minimizing stuttering and stumbling.

it’s all a work in progress….

and speaking of works in progress, today will be day two of the workout routine (and accompanying self-restricting diet). last night when i finished i really thought i’d be so sore today that walking would be difficult. surprisingly, though, i have very little residual pain. there is some stiffness. this is likely more a reflection of the fact that i didn’t work as hard as the man in the video wanted me to and less likely attributable to my actual fitness level.

i’m kinda looking forward to another workout today, which frightens me a bit.

finally, the smoking quit is an ongoing struggle. i’ve only had one actual cigarette today (sucking on gum now), but i have little doubt that i will struggle for a while.

 

please take a moment to subscribe to my youtube channel and set it up to get emails when new videos are posted (in case i don’t get to the accompanying blog post right away). and be sure to let me know your thoughts on the magic 8-ball questions idea. leave comments here, or on the video in youtube.

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i’m sorry i was so bad last week getting videos and blogs uploaded in a timely fashion. i struggled to come up with material, so was able to only do one video last week. and then i was lazy this weekend getting a blog post up.

lazy, lazy, lazy. bad, bad, bad….

here’s the one i recorded for this past friday:

and i plan to record one today to have posted tomorrow. i’ll be switching to a tuesday, friday schedule and i hope that will be a little easier to maintain.

on the cigarette front, i’ve been cigarette-free since saturday afternoon. so far so good….

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though i am a loyal apple customer and think they’re products are generally think they’re products are pretty great. do i think they’re perfect? certainly not. nor would i say everyone should get an iphone, over an android, especially given their cost. there are some cool things androids do that apple doesn’t and i recognize that.

still, whenever apple comes out with a new iphone and it has problems, the media and everyone else freaks out. since i’ve never owned or used an android phone, i don’t know much about them, but i can’t imagine they’re perfect and free of flaws when new versions are released, though i’ve never heard the press say anything about it.

when apple released the iphone 5 to problems with its antenna when the phone was held a certain way, that was a pretty big snafu and to me a legitimate cause for griping.

the things people are complaining about now, to me, are not good reasons to complain. they’re complaints by stupid people and they should be dismissed as such.

 

if you’ve subscribed to my youtube channel, but aren’t getting emails when i post a new video, here are the steps:

  1. go to your youtube channel
  2. click on “my subscriptions”
  3. on your subscriptions page, you should see a link that says “manage subscriptions” click on it
  4. check mark the box next to my channel (regardingfrost) under “send me updates”
  5. then, on the activity drop down, you can either select “all activity” (default) or “uploads only”

if you have trouble, let me know, though i think it’s pretty straight forward. and of course, that’s if you want such notices (i think you do).

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…and the referendum vote in scotland to stay part of the united kingdom.

i do my best to stay up on world affairs, but as the world seems to be spinning out of control at an ever-increasing rate, it’s hard to stay engaged knowing there’s little i can do about it without wanting to give up and set the whole thing ablaze.

still last thursday’s historic vote in scotland on whether or not to leave the united kingdom was particularly interesting. i watched patiently as the votes were counted, while political commentators discussed the vote from every angle imaginable. actually, part of what was so entertaining for me was how much the coverage seemed to mimic election coverage here in the states: reporters camped out at the different watch parties, talking to supporters on both side of the issue, and speculating on the outcome.

in the end, somewhere around 90% of scotland voters decided to continue on as a partner in the united kingdom, with both sides promising there would be positive changes in the future.

i know the politics in europe are different than they are here, but i will be nonetheless surprised if there are any real, substantive changes to the benefit of the scotish people….

laborfest was great fun. and what an inspiring way to spend an evening. the keynote speakers were gerald horne, moors professor of history and african-american studies at the university of houston, and steve early, a labor journalist, lawyer, organizer, and union representative. both were entertaining and interesting, but i have to say professor horne was great. i bought his book, fighting paradise: labor unions, racism, and communists in the making of modern hawaii. my friends bart dame and bill puette also participated, as well as others from various backgrounds.

if you’re interested, you can see the whole event broadcast on olelo:Screen Shot 2014-09-20 at 3.32.16 PM

also, check out hawaii alliance for progressive action (hapa). it’s an organization from which i expect great things. consider getting involved and help make hawaii a better place for all of us and for future generations.

and stay tuned for exciting news about the new collaboration project with my old friend shawn steiman.

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