# Now _Updated: June 2025_ *This page reflects what I’m focused on at this time in my life. It helps me stay aligned and gives others a snapshot of my current direction.* ## 🔎 Focus I’m currently focused on narrowing down potential locations for our next home. The leading contenders include: - Polk County, North Carolina (staying here) - Floyd County, Virginia - Montrose County, Colorado - La Plata County, Colorado - Archuleta County, Colorado Each of these areas has its own mix of strengths and trade-offs—some with appealing climates and communities, others with concerns about housing inventory and prices or environmental risks. As of yesterday, smoke from Canadian wildfires has once again drifted into the U.S., affecting air quality across parts of Virginia and North Carolina. This marks the second major smoke event in the past three years, and it’s a sharp reminder of how wildfire patterns are increasingly influencing where we choose to live. Right now, the two biggest factors shaping our relocation decision are **air quality (especially wildfire smoke)** and **housing affordability**. ## 🔭 Exploring Lately, I’ve been exploring the new **Bases** feature in the beta version of Obsidian for macOS. This core plugin lets me turn YAML properties into clean, interactive tables using intuitive and user-friendly queries—no scripting required. One use case I’m experimenting with is organizing notes that need review or processing. This includes a growing collection of highlights and annotations automatically imported from Readwise, such as Kindle notes and entries from the Reader app. Bases allows me to surface these in a simple, sortable table—making it much easier to stay on top of what needs attention. Until now, I’ve relied on the community-built **Dataview** plugin for similar functionality, but Bases offers a more integrated and streamlined approach. I’m curious to see whether it can eventually replace Dataview for my daily workflows. ## 🍎 Lifestyle I’m continuing to prioritize consistency in both exercise and nutrition. Some days, I don’t feel particularly motivated to work out—but after years of maintaining a disciplined routine, I’ve learned to cut myself some slack. On low-energy days, I’ll start with the intention of doing a very light workout, and more often than not, it naturally builds into something more substantial. Healthy eating has always come fairly naturally, especially when the kitchen is stocked with fresh vegetables, fruits, and everything we need to cook nutritious meals. Over time, we’ve made the entire process—from grocery planning to cooking—as simple and enjoyable as possible. One tool that helps streamline this is **Paprika**, a recipe and meal-planning app we use on macOS and iOS. Robin and I share grocery lists through the app, and when it’s time to cook, the recipe is right there at our fingertips. It’s one of those small things that makes a big difference in keeping healthy habits sustainable. ## 🖥️ Technology Lately, I’ve been blown away by the quality of **Whisper Memos**, an iOS app that uses AI to transcribe voice dictation with impressive accuracy. I’ve been using it to capture spontaneous thoughts on a range of topics—many of which eventually find their way into my journal or onto my travel blog. What sets Whisper Memos apart is how well it transcribes natural speech into clean, readable paragraphs. It removes filler words and awkward phrasing while preserving the original meaning—without injecting its own interpretations. I also appreciate that it handles long pauses gracefully, which is a major limitation with Siri’s built-in voice transcription. Once I get the text output from Whisper Memos, I’ll often paste it into ChatGPT to refine the tone or structure, depending on whether it’s going into a journal entry, blog post, or some other format. After a quick review and light editing, I can drop the final version directly into Day One or wherever it’s needed. The whole process is fast, enjoyable, and surprisingly effective. It’s become one of my favorite tools for capturing and polishing ideas on the go. ## 📚 Reading After spending the last few months immersed in Franklin Horton’s gritty, post-apocalyptic _Borrowed World_ series, I’ve shifted gears to something a bit lighter with _The Rescue_ by Stephen Konkoly. I’m also working my way through two thought-provoking nonfiction titles: _Mind Your Body_ by Nicole J. Sachs and _You Are the Placebo_ by Dr. Joe Dispenza. Both are rich and deeply layered—books that invite slow, reflective reading rather than a quick cover-to-cover sprint. As always, I’m using Goodreads to browse reviews, discover new titles, and keep track of my ever-growing “want to read” list. ## 🎧 Listening I recently canceled my SiriusXM subscription, which saves me a couple hundred dollars a year—and honestly, I haven’t missed it. Instead, I’ve been enjoying the **Triode** app, which streams high-quality radio stations from around the world. One of my favorites is **WWOZ**, the iconic public radio station out of New Orleans, known for its rich mix of jazz, blues, and local flavor—perfect for long drives in the truck. I also frequently tune in to **WNCW** out of Asheville, which offers an eclectic blend of Americana and bluegrass that hits just the right note. Outside of radio, I’m a loyal follower of **NPR’s Tiny Desk series**, which continues to deliver some of the most intimate and inspiring live music performances available anywhere. ## 🎬 Watching Lately, I’ve been drawn to low-budget action films, including a number of international titles available on the usual streaming platforms. While many are hit or miss, every so often I come across a foreign gem that rivals—if not surpasses—what Hollywood is producing in terms of storytelling, creativity, and raw energy. These unexpected finds are what keep me exploring beyond the mainstream. ## ❌ Saying No To I’m saying no to YouTube channels—and other media—that exist primarily to mock or tear people down, even when they target public figures I don’t agree with. That kind of meanness doesn’t add anything constructive to my life, and I’ve realized it’s not energy I want to invite in. I’m choosing content that informs, inspires, or entertains without feeding into cynicism. ## 🏛️ Archive - [[Now - May 2025]] - [[Now - April 2025]] - [[Now - March 2025]] --- *Back to [[Now]]*