The Work Play Work Sandwich.

 Which probably seems like a strange order of operations but it worked out well enough today.

Lots of good planning for the upcoming event always feels good. We have a fairly focused direction with clear objectives to follow and complete beforehand. I made the orders for most of the remaining gear needed and should be able to build the setups by the middle of next week.

Play in the middle of the day was fun. Of course. Not much else to say there.

Lots of good progress on the color grade rebuild for the quality control checks. It's very tedious at this point because it is clip by clip transfer and there are well over 2700 clips to touch in the process. I'm about 1400 or so through it so far. It moves relatively fast at the moment. That'll change when I get to the next pass with a more critical eye.

And now... the all beautiful act of sleeping. Recharge in style for tomorrow's resumed action.

Entering the Arm Wrestling Dungeon.

 Today was the first time I was able to visit the most excellent monument to strength that is Binh's arm wrestling dungeon. That man is an arm wrestling mad scientist with the dedication and intensity of a road flare. Ha.

We did several of his current routine's lifts and talked over theory and strategy, plans and goals, and all the highlights of our team and the various local teams as well. We even crossed into the realms of relationships and life. A wise and gentle soul lies firmly within that fiery exterior.

Anyway... always a good time and he even offered me a great piece of optimism for better things to come in the future. A groovy old time was had for sure!

Disagreement is Productive.

 And I think it ties into the same principle of progress that stems from the diversity of opinion in the workplace(and, broadly, any collective entity.) The more homogenous a group is the less it will innovate and improve... and maybe it is the fundamental disagreements that are at the core of that progress.

Kicking Off the Week in Chill Fashion.

 It wasn't much of a remarkable entrance but I'll take it over the negatively remarkable entrances every time. Ha.

I did a bit of my work, both at home and at arm wrestling practice, but I relaxed a decent amount as well. My back is even feeling noticeably better so hey, relaxing was justified.

Beyond all that... nothing particularly fancy to ponder on tonight. Just a simple thought that keeping things simple can definitely be the right way to go sometimes.

A Positive View of the Church.

 And maybe I am starting to aim my direction that way. I know I am still pretty far from what one would consider "active" but I have always had soft feelings toward the church in general.

So, what does this mean for me? I hope it means that I am headed in the right direction for my possible future wife and kids. I want to be the best person I can be for them. I need to improve myself. I need to focus on the right things WAY more. Does this mean I need a change of scenery? Hmmm... I don't really know.

What is Focus?

 I have heard it said that true focus is maintained by rejecting other great options to follow the one you desire most. It reminds me of the concept how people are lead around by the wind when they travel without a rudder. The wind can come in the obvious form and direction that is obviously negative to your goal... but the wind that is only a slight crosswind is just as dangerous... your aim will still miss the mark.

So, how does one accomplish this? I have no exact prescription about how to go about this but here's a few thoughts.

Practice saying "no" in general but better yet to potentially good options. Practice is pretty much the only way to improve at anything in life but it's especially important for the subtle and often overlooked soft skills that almost imperceptibly shape a person's character.

Take time at regular intervals to thoughtfully consider the subject of said focus. Daily might be the easiest interval to create and/or keep that sort of habit but I'm pretty confident weekly, semi-weekly, and monthly are all great stretches as well. Thoughtfully considering could be as simple as meditating on the subject but any sort of writing or communicating, especially to others, can really help the consideration more deeply sink in.

Adding peripheral goals that themselves are beneficial and synergistic toward the main subject of focus can be quite helpful. Steps in any direction tend to help more than doing nothing. Steps in a similar direction should help even more. Just be careful that the similar ones don't become the primary one.

Anyway... that's just a few ideas about the importance of focus and some ways to tackle how to stay on track. Hope some of it is useful!

Just Wonking Around.

 A new word that means what it seems like it means. Ha. I'm so loopy from the sleep deprivation that I have quite a bit less focus and motivation today. I mostly just want to heal my back and get back on track with my sleep. Is the lack of sleep a person's main priority to fix whenever it happens? Sort of like a person's health would be if that were in a similar realm of disfunction.