Weeknotes: February 5–9, 2024
I’m new to the concept of weeknotes. Here’s how I found out. In December Field Notes, the Chicago notebook company that I use religiously, posted on their Instagram account about getting a mention in Russell Davies' book Do Interesting: Notice. Collect. Share. I had never heard of Davies or the U.K.-based Do Books series, but I bought it and loved it. I mean, I really loved it. It inspired me to start this blog. Davies mentions weeknotes as a type of journaling meant to reflect on and break down the events of the work week. From there I found the wonderful English blog Walknotes from a South London resident who documents their daily commute. I find Walknotes deeply charming . An old school barebones Wordpress blog with no visual frills, just great writing. I’ve become a subscriber and look forward to it every Saturday morning in my inbox. Since I already journal and love capturing small details I thought I’d try my own version of the weeknotes format.
A Small Appreciation
When we are out on a walk and pass any sort of evergreen shrubbery, my dog will lean into it and enthusiastically scratch her back on its brush. She'll make a few passes, hitting both sides of her coat, occasionally getting strung up on a branch. Once she is satisfied and trots off, there will inevitably be a jaunty green sprig or two sticking out of her harness like a corsage. I love it so much I sometimes just leave it there for the rest of our walk.
Is This Something?
A few years ago I started a side project called Log Variations. It was rooted in an earlier idea involving a stage prop, one of those motorized fireplace sets with a jumble of logs surrounding a molded plastic window behind which an amber light bulb gives off a cozy fire-like glow. It's a piece of kitsch so wonderfully fake it becomes its own unique object. My original concept was to have the "logs" open for some of my solo shows. I would activate the fireplace about for about ten minutes while playing some crackling campfire sound effects interspersed with spontaneous synth stabs and abstract field recordings. In 2021 I revisited those recordings, created a few more, and released them on cassette under the title Log Variations. Then I started an Instagram account devoted to photos of fires, logs, and other log behavior. Next up was a video component of burning logs and their corresponding soundtrack.