I am the vacation planer for the family. I book the rooms, order the tickets, map the routes, and make the rezzes. This week finds us in Hershey, PA; we’re doing Hershey Park, but we’re mostly here for the Foo Fighters show tonight. We drove in yesterday afternoon and are lodged at a pretty decent Best Western on Chocolate Ave.

I made a dinner rez for last night at the around-the-corner Snitz Creek Brewery. Rhonda and I love beer, and the boys bar food, so it seemed like a good choice. It’s a pretty corporate place despite the appearance; would that I had the forethought to take my camera into the restroom, I could have delighted the reader with the cut-out-keg urinals. But alas.

Big picture, Snitz does a fine job with food; beer selection was mixed, and the service was lousy.

Rhonda started off with the Opening Day IPA, which is one of the brews I figured she would like to try; I went on their website the night before and reordered the list, grouping them by the styles I thought we’d be interested in. There’s a lot of fruit and dessert flavors on the list that I knew we’d avoid. The Opening Day is about twice as hoppy as the already aggressively hopped local favorite by Bonesaw, Swoosh. It’s nearly 100 IBUs, and there’s not much malt in the mix. Not for me. I tried the Golden Lager, which is a Helles style; I found this to be thin and boring in body and flavor. I know what a Helles is and what to expect, and this wasn’t a good iteration of the style.

Happily, the other beer I had my eye on, the Hopper Dropper, was much better (if a bit much): a hazy, nicely hopped IPA. Rhonda got the Citra, which is a much less bitter IPA that is hopped exclusively with Citra hops. Round two beers were both thumbs up.

The food at Snitz was, from start to finish, excellent and nicely executed. We all shared some wings, half hot and half mild; perhaps by accident, the mild came out with no sauce at all, which isn’t mild: it’s plain. But they were fresh and crispy and we all agreed, delicious. We also got the eggrolls, which featured local mushrooms. They too were excellent.

Rhonda got a smash burger, which was true to the style: gooey with cheese, juicy but not pink. I had a chicken satay bowl, which was a couple of boneless thighs with a bbq sauce. I intended to skip the rice, but found myself eating some of it anyway because it was so good. Aaron picked up some flavor in the rice, and Rhonda guessed it was Garam Masala. Aaron’s crispy pork chop was a riff on the same bowl I ordered, and it too was really good. Joe’s korean chicken sandwich looked good, served on the same brioche bun as Rhonda’s smashburger, but it was not a fried sandwich; the chicken was, I think, exactly what comes on the Satay. I do find that sleight of hand disingenuous, though: calling something “Korean chicken,” and describing it as “crispy,” would suggest to at least a sophomoric diner that it would be fried. Still good. But not fried.

The service was really bad at Snitz, though; we arrived and took our seats, and the server asked about drink choices. We needed a few minutes to make a decision about a beer, but because happy hour was almost over, the server launched into a dissertation about how we could save a buck by ordering one before 6 pm. I made a six pm rez and didn’t give a rat’s ass about happy hour when I made it, but more to the point, if you think happy hour is going to cause a stir at my table, give me the beer at 6:03 pm for the happy hour price. Least damaging? Just say, “Happy hour pricing is available until 6 pm” and let us peruse.

He then disappeared for a long time, and while yes, we did ask for some time to review the draft list, we had made decisions quickly thereafter. For the second round, I had to serve myself at the bar, which I always find annoying and should be embarrassing to the staff. What’s worse, I handed the bar tender our empties and asked for the two new pours (different styles) and what ensued was a lengthy pause and steady eye contact while the bartender reminded me that the glasses I was handing him were for two other styles. It was as if the notion of having a second beer that what not the same as the first was not only unusual but transgressive. Buddy… people do it all the time.

This brings me to the larger point about Snitz: it feels very polished but also corporate. That a person had to make this speech communicates that there’s no flexibility for on-the-floor staff, which sounds corporate to me. And the utter polish of the food, and the online rez system, and the goofy beer names… just something strikes me that way. I’m not above dining at a chain, but I don’t prefer the experience, generally, save for obvious hits like Shake Shack.

I’d go there again, though.

I was listening to the Modern Wisdom podcast this weekend, and Joe Hudson was on. I’m not sure what to make of “coaches” and their expertise in some of these matters, but I found this particular conception of why people are afraid of their feelings to resonate:

I also really like Hudson’s “Golden Algorithm”:

The Golden Algorithm of emotional mastery:
1. Name an unwanted emotion in your life
2. List the ways that you try to avoid it
3. Notice that every way you try to avoid it, you actually create it

The Art Of Mastering Your Emotions | Joe Hudson on Modern Wisdom with Chris Williamson Ep. 813

Here’s this week’s list of things to check out:

1. Lamy Safari Fountain Pens: I wrote last week about the Fisher Space Pen, which, outside of really nice disposable pens, was among my first “serious” pens and ignited my interest in more bespoke offerings. The Safari was not my first fountain pen, and truth be told, as a lefty, it isn’t always the pen I can use; lefties push their pens across the page, which can lead to even messier results than I’m used to.¹ Described as a “fountain pen for dummies” by the Strategist, it’s an approachable tool for anyone interested in trying out a fountain pen.
2. Drawboard PDF: I tried out the free version of Drawboard on either an iPad or Microsoft Surface Pro when I needed something that PDF Pen Pro didn’t run on, and the first version was interesting, if a little unusual, with its tool dial interface. I tried it again recently and was impressed with its design and performance on both Mac and Windows, so I signed up for a trial. The markup tools are easy to use and attractive, and the ability to rearrange and insert pages is spot-on for what I need. The only downside is that you can’t edit text in a PDF, which is a feature I don’t often need, but need once in a while. Happily, you can do just that with Affinity Publisher when you need to; there’s still a great bargain to be had if you’re looking for it.
3. UpNote: There are people in the world who lead quiet and contented lives using paper and pen for to-do lists and reference material, and a similar contingent who will use Apple Notes or Reminders or whatever comes with their device and spend little to no time wondering about alternatives to these solutions. I consider it a blessing and a curse that I am not one of them. As a technophile, I’m always looking around and trying out different applications that catch my eye. On the to-do list side, I’ve gone from OmniFocus to Asana to Things, back to OmniFocus, and tried Todoist a couple of times, which is where I’m staying for now (I could, and probably will, write a fair bit about Todoist in the way that I used to about OmniFocus). In the PKM space, I’ve similarly farted around with a multitude of options: Yojimbo, EverNote, Alternote, iA Writer, Bear, DEVONThink, Apple Notes, Dendron, and most recently, OneNote (not my first rodeo there). UpNote is an interesting mix of EverNote/Yojimbo-style digital shoe boxing, but with modern features like Markdown support and Wikilinking. It runs on everything and looks great. And it’s cheap! I really like it and would consider using it if it supported handwriting a la Apple Notes and OneNote. (Yes, for some reason, despite my eschewing handwriting in second grade, as this post attests, I still do prefer handwriting for a number of things, and at least like to be able to have the option to handwrite instead of type whenever the spirit moves me).

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¹ I went to Catholic school, and teaching penmanship was still a thing in the 1980s; we used yellow ruled paper and Palmer Method workbooks to practice printing and eventually, by second grade, cursive. I remember, after painfully and carefully trying to complete a writing assignment, looking over at a classmate, and watched her effortlessly, and with a sense of satisfaction, complete her assignment, producing clear and legible cursive on her paper. I realized that was never going to be me, and effectively gave up on anything more than just getting the assignments done at the age of 8.

Logitech announced recently an update to their excellent but dormant Keys to Go. I wrote about finding the re-released version and ordered one to carry in my bag for my tablet. I like the original very much, but found the update lacking compared to the original in terms of keypress and texture.

The Keys to Go 2 is now available. The new one looks like a cased-up version of Apple’s Mgic Keyboard. I ordered one and will report back as soon as I give it a spin.

One of those sit-bolt-upright-in-bed-while-reading moments.

Last night, we faced the cocktail hour without, for the second night, any maraschino cherries for our Manhattans. Despite my ordering cherries yesterday from Amazon which were supposed to arrive today, they will be delivered tomorrow.

I copped Rhonda’s move from last night and grabbed some fresh black cherries from the fridge, sprinkled them liberally with sugar, and mashed them up in a measuring cup. I strained this over a fine-mesh strainer into our usual couple glasses, and that was that. Just as good.

Maybe better.

Last Friday we headed north to check out Tonewood Brewing (again) while the boys shopped at nearby House of Fun. They had a beer on tap that I wouldn’t ordinarily try, but was poured using something called a LUKR Side Pull Faucet:

VERTIGO FLOWERS American Lager w. Chamomile 4.5% (LUKR Side Pull Faucet)
Notes of Soft Brioche, Citrus, Wildflower Honey, Chamomile

A lager is plenty enjoyable, but it sounded softer and of course kinda grandma-ish with the chamomile. I asked the bartender what a “L-U-K-R” was and she launched into a well-rehearsed description. I was intrigued, as it sounded bespoke, like something served from a handpump (which I will always try, if available).

In short, they let your pour a foamier beer. It was pretty damn, good, I must say.

Foodies we are. But some of our best dinners are those we make ourselves. I cooked a chuck roast for about 30 hours at 135 and finished it on the grill. Amazing. And Rhonda made the Franklinville Inn’s Belgian Chocolate Mousse Pie. Also amazing.

Here’s this week’s list of things to check out. If there’s a theme this weekend, I guess it would be creativity and generativity. These are tools for self expression:

1. Fisher Bullet Space Pen: I purchased this space pen probably 12 to 14 years ago and it’s still my favorite; I have a silver one as well, and another black one as a spare, but this one still works, so I continue to use it. I will go spells preferring my Lamy Safari fountain pen (another post) or other disposables, but I always find the Bullet ready and waiting for me. It writes smoothly and feels great in hand. The story is worth a read.

2. ImageGlass: ImageGlass is a great ImageViewer that can also perform some basic editing and photo manipulation. I love how it shows thumbnails along the bottom of the application window when you open a file in a folder full of images.

3. Affinity Photo: Affinity Photo is a Photoshop competitor that comes in at a much more competitive price. The licenses are good across iOS, Mac, and Windows, and they’re having a sick six-month free trial right now. Worth it if you like to tinker with your photos, or like to have a fully featured graphic editor on your device when the defaults won’t cut it.

It’s long been a truism that if you feel like getting a new computer, but don’t really need to, you can alternatively swap out your keyboard and mouse and feel like you have a new device. In the cell phone space, the analog is clearly swapping out your case.

My current phone is an iPhone 14 Pro, going on two years of use. when I got this phone, I bought the usual Apple leather phone case I tend to choose, as they’ve always been reasonably protective, look good, and wear well. This particular phone has been wearing a black case since I got it. I’ve noticed a tendency for one bottom corner to slip out of these cases, and in one situation, I cracked the screen (I think it was an iPhone 12 but I can’t remember).

I wrote a while back about my preference for bumper cases. Apple hasn’t made one of these in ages, so third party bumper cases, if that’s your bag, are the only way to go. I did have a nice Rhino bumper case for my last phone, and which my younger son Aaron prefers for his phones; they are very well made and protective, but they add a lot of space around the device, and in order to protect the increasingly large camera bumps of modern devices, end up feeling like a giant ring of plastic around the borders of your device. So while I liked the Rhino, I wasn’t inclined to return to using one with my new phone immediately.

Anyway, back to my phone: the black Apple leather case I originally purchased for my phone has really gotten beat up (a testimony both the the wiseness of sheathing your phone, and the durability of the Apple leather cases). Add to the evident abuse and tendency of the case to let the front left corner slip out and I thought I’d do some research.

Apple doesn’t make the leather case anymore, and they don’t even offer it for older models; they’re just not available from Apple. I tried the clear plastic Magsafe variant, ordering directly from the Apple Store app on my phone while floating in the pool, and while I liked it, it had the unexpected effect of making it hard to tell whose phone is whose: Both Rhonda and Joe (my older son) both have the same case, and his iPhone 14 Pro is black, like mine. (Rhonda’s phone is the white/titanium version of the 15 Pro, which is easy to distinguish from the two black devices; Aaron has a purple 14 Pro, and it’s wrapped in the aforementioned bumper, so it’s easy to distinguish immediately). And another issue with the plastic case: it’s slippery. I tend to perch my phone on the sink counter when I’m brushing my teeth, and sometimes park it on other less flat surfaces, and it was prone to slipping. Like a lot. So after a week of not realizing the phone on the table was mine, and just liking to be a notch different from everyone else, I looked into an alternative.

So my phone is now comfortably sheathed in the appropriately named Caudabe Sheath. It is effectively the same design as the Apple case, covering the back of the iPhone and providing protective lips to keep the screen and camera lenses from being scratched. I like everything about the case: the color, called Ocean Blue, looks navy in some spaces, while it evinces an almost purplish color in direct sunlight. It has a great texture that not only looks good, but feels good and provides protection against slippage. The buttons have an officious click (unlike Apple’s plastic case, where I found the buttons mushy and sometimes not responsive).

This is a sick deal: A free trial of Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher. These are all worthy options in the graphic design pantheon of software.

I touched on Homelander in my last Sunday Serial in nominatng The Boys for a pick. I don’t think he’s terribly hard to figure out, even from a purely behavioral level; I don’t think the writers are trying to be subtle with his character or cagey about his development. But still…it was something I wanted to write about.

Screenrant:

Homelander’s origins set the foundations for a truly broken character. He was raised from birth in a lab to be the world’s greatest superhero. He never had any parental bonds, and cold Vought scientists constantly tested his powers. Throughout The Boys there are two Homelander personas on display; one persona is the clean-cut superhero adored by the public, and the other is the homicidal monster who privately gets away with murder.

Distractify:

Throughout Seasons 1-2 of The Boys, Homelander’s only weakness was his desire to be loved…What’s wrong with Homelander? It’s not his superpowers. It’s the fact that he’s a full-blown narcissist…[When] Ashley informs Homelander in The Boys Season 3, Episode 3, that his numbers in the popularity polls have skyrocketed…Homelander is genuinely thrilled.

Sounds like a narcissist. What are narcissistic traits?

• Grandiosity and self-importance
• Fantasies of perfection and superiority
• Sense of specialness and uniqueness
• Need for praise and attention
• Strong sense of entitlement
• A tendency to exploit others
• A tendency to exploit others
• Arrogance and scorn

What’s interesting about Homelander, of course, is that some of these are actually true. He is special and unique (he’s the most powerful supe on the planet). It would be hard not to feel that way. But he flips the switch into narc territory because he checks all of the other boxes, too.

So why are narcissists narcissists?

One popular explanation is parenting: too permissive or too critical a parenting style is thought to cultivated the personality disorder. Again, with Homelander, he likely was cultivated in the perfect conditions to become a narcissist. He was grown in a lab, for starters, to be an incredibly powerful superhero. He didn’t experience anything approaching normal attachment to a parent or caregiver. And the expression of his powers surely informed how his caretakers handled him.

From PsychCentral:

Grandiose narcissists, on the other hand, have tended to experience a more avoidant attachment pattern early in their lives which has led them to feel they have to take care of themselves, that they don’t need anyone else, and they should be pseudo-independent.

Again, with Homelander, in addition to being raised in lab conditions, he likely was feared by everyone around him as he realized his powers, He could, in some real (and terrifying) ways, solve his own problems, from the point of reference of being an under-developed but incredibly powerful child.

I’m not going to get into attachment styles here, but they are fascinating to learn about. There are three broad types: avoidance, anxious, and secure. There are some combinations that don’t mix well in relationships (without conscious effort), and some that do. John Bowlby is a psychologist who introduced the framework into the lexicon, but Mary Ainsworth is credited with applying his ideas to adult relationships. Attached by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller is a great book if you’re interested in the topic. And psychologizing yourself, if you like.

As with most things, YouTube is an overwhelming source of advice, information, and exhortation about all things, including rowing. One of the themes I’ve seen repeated is shooting for a lower cadence, expressed in strokes per minute. By way of example, if you rowed for 20 minutes, your rowing computer would not only tell you your current stroke rate, but report your average. So you might start off slower, maybe 2:12. but finish higher, say at 2:08. On the Concept2’s PM5, ideally synced to their RowErg app, you can look at your stroke rate in real time, and later in terms of cadence per split and for the whole piece. It’s all interesting data, if you are so inclined.

In pursuing a 10k in 40 minutes flat, I noticed lately that while my time hadn’t measurably changed much, I was starting to see lower stroke rates. This corresponded with both how blown out I fell after a hard effort (lower stroke rate felt easier) as well as things I was seeing both on YouTube and Reddit.

Having to wake up earlier for my new job, and again for summer hours at work (7:30 start time instead of 8:00), I decided to lean into lower stroke rates, but still try for the same power I’d need to get to a 40-minute 10k (2:00). I guess the idea is to increase your power while rowing more slowly.

So I exported by last season (2024) and this season (2025), the latter or which only started in May and so includes fewer data points. I restricted the data to distance-defined sessions: 1k, 2k, 5k, and 10k pieces.

Regarding my average stroke rate, I learned this:

Interestingly, my cadence for all four pieces is lower this season compared to last. So if my goal is to row at a lower cadence, what does that mean for my power?

Regarding my average power over the two seasons?:

My power is lower for all of the pieces… except for the 10k. I’d of course like to see the lower cadence pieces increase in power, but this is interesting.

Next: times (aka “work times”).

Here’s this week’s list of things to check out:

1. Glass: Glass started as an app on the App Store for iOS; it’s a Flickr-like service where you can upload photos, follow other photographers, and browse. The founders describe it as “a sustainable home for photographers.” I take a lot of pictures but I hate posting on FaceBook and Instagram save for once in a while. Glass lets me share.

2. The Boys: We just watched Season 4, and it was another good one, different than the first two. I want to write a post about Homelander, as he’s the most obviously disturbed character, but the whole shebang is pretty fucked up. When a former coworker mentioned it to me, I imagined a cop show. The Boys is most certainly not. The boys (Joey and Aaron) informed me that Homelander is a roman à clef for Donald Trump.

3. Glasstown “The Manor” Saison: I read an article on The Manual celebrating this style, which described the style as “subset of the farmhouse ale is often pale in color, is very effervescent (almost sparkling wine-like), and has a dry, lightly spicy, fruity, often yeasty flavor profile.” I grabbed a four-pack while we were out shopping for the holiday weekend. I’ve always liked the style, but I wouldn’t describe Glasstown’s version as yeasty. I had it with some passable Chinese food, and enjoyed the whole pint. Gluggable at least.

Here’s this week’s list of things to check out:

We finally got an über-modern car wash around the corner. Ran all of our cars through it, and took this pic of the fast ones: