Coffee
Good morning, coffee friends
Following the pre-wetting of the filter with hot water, I add the coffee and pour water over it. What you see in the picture is a top-down view of an AeroPress at that stage.
Now it’s time to add the plunger, wait a few seconds, and, finally, press. I love to cook, by the way, but I really do follow recipes to the letter. Time and quantity are frequently eyeballed.
🤎 Every morning, I’m inundated by an immense sense of joy as I open Mastodon and enjoy a cup of coffee while looking at the posts tagged with the #coffee hashtag. It is like having a cup of coffee with friends from all over the world.
Our modern society is nothing but a delicate house of cards
If you don’t live in Portugal or Spain, it will be impossible for you to understand the feelings I’m trying to convey below. And I sincerely hope you never have to deal with it.**
Around 11:30 a.m., the external monitor I have hooked to my laptop, went black while I was editing a video. If the room’s light hadn’t been also shut off, I would think it was a simple connection issue. This type of incident is such a rare phenomenon that at first I thought it was related to my apartment or building and decided to go for a walk with my dog.
Heading to the dog park, I grabbed my phone to share the “morning event” with my wife. Yes, we keep in touch all the time using Signal.
This was the moment I sensed something bigger was happening, but I still thought it was a local thing. My phone data connection was down, and as someone who has worked for 10 years in the telecommunications sector, I know that something like that rarely happens. There are so many contingencies and backups. Something else must be going on.
Maybe the entire neighborhood lost power, and, for some reason, the backup generator at the mobile phone tower closest to me didn’t kick off, I thought, trying to rationalize the situation.
I don’t know if it was instinct, but I immediately sent my wife an SMS: “I have no idea what’s happening, but we lost power and I have no data on my phone”. Again, because of many years of experience, I know how SMS works and how it is such a robust feature of the network.
The SMS took longer than expected to be sent, and that was another undesired sign. Perhaps she didn’t get it. My wife is currently on an overseas trip, so I text a friend here in Portugal: “We lost power and I have no data on my phone. What about you?” “We also lost power and I can barely use data. It looks like it’s affecting the entire country.”
This is when I started having very unwanted thoughts. Instant communication is a crucial element that we take for granted. But if you think about it, modern society has been building on top of this core infrastructure since the invention of the telegraph.
Let me provide you with further context of the situation I found myself in at that moment. Every single appliance and equipment in my house is electric, so there’s no way to cook or take a hot shower. The TV cable is an Ethernet connector that plugs to an Internet hub, so there’s no way to watch the news. I also just sold my car, so no analog radio as well.
To make coffee that day, I used my gas-powered camping stove, which I ironically set up on top of its modern induction successor.
Okay, this is a national situation. A big one because the phones went down. If there’s a positive side to this, it’s that there are probably dozens of people working tirelessly to fix it. Again, little did I know.Â
Here’s when I decided I had to stay calm. I ate the rest of yesterday’s salad, grabbed my iPod, a book (the paper type), and thought to myself: If this is not solved until 4 p.m., I’ll go buy some extra supplies.
I read for two hours, but at some less engaging parts, I couldn’t help but stop and think about this unusual and unexpected situation. Looking around, I began to see all these wonderful sparks of beauty in the midst of the chaos. From my balcony, where I was reading, I could see all the other people on their balconies, kids playing on the street, and neighbors having fun conversations on their doorsteps.
I remember it now. This is how the world used to be when I was a kid, and even a teenager. This is how people used to behave before mobile phones existed.
Back to reality. “It’s 4 p.m. Time to buy some supplies,” I reminded myself.
I decided to bring my dog to a nice place we usually go together to relax, before heading to the supermarket. If there was one happy soul in the house, that was my dog. Ignorance is bliss.
Going to another dog park on the same day must be winning the dog’s lottery, right? It’s a somewhat hidden micro forest on the way to the supermarket. We stayed there, going back and forth from having fun to relaxing for a while. Then we headed to our main mission.
With no shopping carts available and so many people inside, the outcome couldn’t be different. The number of shelves empty was impressive. To give you some context, something like this never happened during COVID-19. Thankfully, I don’t need much, but that’s one more unwelcoming sign to add to my list, I thought to myself.
On the other hand, I kept seeing all these kids playing on the streets and so many adults in front of houses having conversations face to face and laughing without looking at their phones. Those scenes were absolutely beautiful.
As all of this was going on, I still didn’t have any mobile data and, shortly after texting my wife and my friend in the morning, the SMS system stopped working. If you haven’t guessed yet, there was no calling as well.Â
All the information I had, was collected here and there, talking to others on the street. But because most people didn’t have access to the rest of the world, it was impossible to know what was really happening. Moreover, all the ones I talked to would start the sentence with something like “I heard that…”
Experience, or perhaps hope, was telling me to keep sending journaling messages to my wife, and so I did. At this point, I was already back to using Signal, where I started narrating everything I was doing. That was the only app I kept opened all the time, hooping for momentarily breaths of the network.
If, for some reason, the network comes up for a few seconds or minutes, she’ll get all the updates. I didn’t know it at that moment, but she was doing the same on her side, and at about 7 p.m., a relieving exchange happened. I saw a burst of messages from her, and the read update pop-up on all the messages I had previously sent here. That would never happen again until the power and network came back to life at about 11 p.m. But at least she was now aware of what was happening to me.
I don’t know if this applies to everyone, but as I grew older, I started understanding that many things in life were never supposed to be about me. At some point, I learned that it’s about what I mean to other people, and that’s why I have to take care of myself. That’s for them! And it goes both ways, of course. Anything we do is always affecting the ones who love us, and this perception became so important to me that I’m constantly more worried about the feelings of the others, the loved ones. It’s like going to a funeral. Our main responsibility there is to comfort the ones that are still alive. We are there for them. Loving is seldom about us, and I wish I had learned this early in life.
Anyway, back to my ordeal. You know me, I’ve been detaching my digital life from the cloud for a long time. And I do have equipment to survive in a situation like this for a few days. Of course, I learned some new lessons with this test the world just tossed at me, and I’ll do my homework.
However, as a society, I think we are digging our own grave. Why are we increasingly relying on the cloud for everything? Why do all things have to have an app that has to be connected to the Internet to work? The more I think about it, the more I see unreliable digital conveniences replacing the so-called “outdated” gadgets that are still working so well. This is nothing more than building a gigantic house of cards. And to further add more salt to the injury, it is probably being built on top of a single point of failure.
This digital modern life of ours is so bizarre. Among all the real and relevant concerns I was having yesterday, it also occurred to me that I would lose my 775 streak on Duolingo if I couldn’t do my lesson today. Seriously?! The simple fact that something as futile as that crossed my mind is so absurd!
Today, I woke up feeling slightly stressed from my adventures and I still have a bit of a headache. Nothing terrible or distressing happened yesterday. Thankfully, I was working from home and everything was calm in my neighborhood. But, in retrospect, I think the real burden I felt was the thought of possibly not being able to connect with my loved ones living in different parts of the world. That, and the fact that nobody knew exactly what was happening or how many days would be like that. I didn’t miss anything else related to the Internet, just that connection with others and the real-time information that comes with instant communication.
By the way, I’m old enough to say that most of what we did at the beginning of the web was communicating via email, forums, blog comments, etc. It was a lot of fun!
I’m grateful to have power and communication back, but, when walking with my dog this morning, I saw people quickly resuming their lives just like if nothing had happened, and, in a way, that made me sad. Yesterday’s flourishes of harmony and beauty are now gone, like busted soap bubbles.Â
The insane society we are building for ourselves is now back on track, and the house of cards is sitting there waiting for the next breeze. Until then, the only sign of the now gone problems was a possible bug that kept the public lighting still on during this morning.
The first time I used an e-Ink screen device to write an article.
I’m torn. Part of me wants to make this work because that screen is so good, but at the same time, the writing experience is not as convenient as opening my MacBook Air and starting to type.
My obsession with how simple it is to sit down anywhere, open a lid, and start typing began with an 11-inch MacBook Air back in 2012. I loved that computer. It traveled with me around the globe, allowing me to write books, articles, and blog posts wherever I was. Furthermore, its size was perfect for trains and plane tray tables.
It was eventually replaced by the M1 Air, which is a little bigger, but I still carry it with me to far too many places. Regarding the small screen of both computers, it was never a problem since I always had an external display at my office.
And, yes, I have tried an iPad, but, regardless of what Apple claims, that’s not a computer. Mostly because of iPadOS limitation. Anyway, I quickly stopped using it because, more often than not, I had to also pack my laptop for the non-writing work. So, why bring two devices with me if I can do a much better job with just the MacBook Air.
Enters the Supernote
The Nomad, which is the one I have, is a little bigger than a Kindle, but much smaller and thinner than an iPad. It has an e-Ink screen and the Kindle app. And talking about reading, I love my Kindle and keep it in my bag all the time. Can you see where I’m going with this? But before that, let’s talk about my first attempt to organize my notes in the Supernote (video below).
I’m trying my best to document and share my learning process, but inevitably the videos about the Supernote will always be a few days and many features behind my real-life experience. So, what I showed in the video above has already evolved to a system that I’m thrilled with.
I’m easily capturing and organizing my ideas like never before. There’s almost no friction and, of course, I’ll publish a new video about it in the following days. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that with the above solved, I thought I could probably give the Nomad an extra job.
Yesterday I packed a generic foldable Bluetooth keyboard and a tablet stand and went to a coffee shop. Writers tend to spend far too much time looking at screens, and that combined with the time I spend editing videos has taken a toll on my eyes. So, the first thing I felt when using the Supernote to write was an immense relief. The comfort is almost indescribable. What a gorgeous screen to look at.
However, before that, I had grabbed the Supernote pen, navigated to the article, unfolded a keyboard, unfolded a stand, and only then start typing. Arguably, there are also many steps when using a laptop, but it is a single piece of equipment and there’s no need to lift the hands off the keyboard and trackpad to get to the app and start writing.
Extra gear and fewer features
Using the Kindle app on the iPad was never an option because of the screen, but I can now leave my beloved Kindle behind, and make room for the Supernote.
However, if my goal is to write long texts when away from my home or office, I’ll have to always carry that keyboard and stand with me. I’ll also miss some useful tools, like LanguageTool. Not to mention that I have already expressed my negative thoughts about devices like this.
Fortunately, I’m already old enough to understand that only the fool never changes their minds. Maybe less strain on my eyes and a more mindful writing experience is what I need for a while.
The only way to know it for sure is by trying, and if this extra job I’m giving the Supernote ends up failing, I’ll be fine with it. Like I mentioned above, this lovely device has already become my quick go-to notepad for jotting down and organizing ideas. In other words, it’s already in my everyday bag, coming with me everywhere.
My travel coffee kit
I still use my original AeroPress to make coffee in my office, and for a long time, it was the one I took with me on every trip. When the AeroPress Go was released, I had to buy one and include it in the small đź«Ł kit that I always travel with to be able to brew my own coffee every day.
Getting away from the problem for a while often leads to new insights
Taking a break is as important as getting into the flow
It’s my belief most people come here for the free Wi-Fi. Not me. I have an office, that is also my studio, and even a comfortable home office. But I do my best to come to this Starbucks at least once a week to edit a video.
Why?
I call it my Coffee Office Day. And last Friday was a special one. The city streets are not empty anymore. On contrary, everything is getting back to normal. I’m hearing people speaking English, French, Spanish and some other languages I have no idea what they are.
Welcome back, Porto!
Randomness
Have you read The Click Moment, from Frans Johansson? One thing I’m looking for when I come here is getting away from my comfort zone.
You need to take time, even schedule time, to explore things that are not directly related to your immediate goal. You need to take your eyes off the ball in order to see and connect with the possibilities around you.
—Frans Johansson
The Flow State
There’s more. When I’m here, I seldom ask for the Wi-Fi password, or connect my phone to the computer. My goal is to avoid online distractions, and, at the same time, enjoy people speaking a multitude of languages. I love to edit here. As soon as I sit down and open my computer, I enter the Flow State. It’s magical.
Flow is great, but one has to escape from it once in a while to avoid exhaustion and to break the blind alleys’ paralysis. At my office I have a different strategy, but here I do it by raising my head and looking around for a while. It never fails. In essence, this is how the Pomodoro Technique works.
During that moment, I try to guess what a person is doing. Is he working? Is she messaging a friend? Where are they from? I’ve seen it all. From job interviews to friends from different countries meeting accidentally.
It takes no more than a couple of minutes. Suddenly everything becomes background noise again, and I’m back to the computer.
Something tells me I developed this ability when I lived in Boston, back in 2015. But this is a story for another day.
Have a nice week!
Wow, what an amazing view!
She asked me for my name for the cup writing thing and said “Campos”. “That’s my family name,” she replied đź¤. I smiled and said it was in reality my family name too. We both laughed.
That was already a nice story for my journal, but when I sat down and looked out the window, there she was—the Sagrada Famlia church was right there in the corner.
Wow!
Goodbye, Boston
I initially planned to work from home, but it didn’t take long for me to start experimenting with different coffee shops. After a few weeks, I picked this place next to my father’s office and began coming here regularly. I wrote many of my podcast scripts, blog posts, and chapters of my books at this Starbucks.
This is the third time I have lived in Boston. It is now time to leave. Again.
We are leaving soon, and it’s been hard to say goodbye. Part of my family lives here, and the city itself holds a special place in my heart.
Thank you, Boston!
First AeroPress Coffee
This is the big mess I made a few days ago, when preparing the first coffee in our new temporary home. I don’t like this type of coffee maker, but this is a furnished house; it was also our first morning here, and after searching the cabinets, that’s what I found.
It was the perfect excuse I needed to finally order an AeroPress, which just arrived.
