dcscover 016 | Photos
I love to take photos but it can be hard to separate “photos” from “content.” I’ve grown accustomed to snapping pics and then sharing them on social media. The worst is when I realize that as soon as I snap the photo I’m already thinking about what caption to use.
Something I only started doing this year is regularly switching up my phone background/lock screen to feature a favorite, recently taken photo (usually it’s something relatively minimal, with a nice splash of color or interesting texture). It’s just a pure and personal way to enjoy a photo for the photo’s sake.
Here’s the one I was using the last couple of months:
And the one I just switched to:
And here are some more taken this year that I think are phone-wallpaper-friendly. (Feel free to use them :P)
This month’s finds
Recent album from Nell, the k-indie band whose songs often feel wintry to me (related: another wintry k-indie album I love).
Glass artist Jinya Zhao — I also love these little watercolor-esque digital sketches that convey different concepts.
A fascinating, rigorous account of how an engineer turned himself into a “learning machine” — I find it inspiring to see someone own up to really disciplined personal systems, since I always feel a tension between wanting to be both more disciplined and more spontaneous.
A new-to-me dan dan noodle recipe — it’s a sweeter/nuttier take that reminds me of some versions I’ve had at restaurants, so I’ll definitely make it again.
Fun “Window to the World” DIY project (basically what it sounds like: a “window” that shows live streams of scenes around the world).
One more thing
We got a huge pumpkin for Halloween porch decor and after a few weeks it was time for it to go. Jason had always planned on digging out the seeds to eat, but then he got in the zone or something and ended up cutting up everything and throwing half in the oven and the other half in the Instant Pot. So we ended up with a fridge full of containers full of pumpkin. I was pretty sure we’d have to throw some out but I’m proud to say that we managed to finish all of it. To start, we made a pumpkin porridge (topped with slices of dried dates and walnuts). Then we made some pumpkin bread. But the vast majority was just heated up on a pan and then tossed with Sichuan chili oil and scallions (or Parmesan), which turned out pretty good and was a helpful veggie side for numerous dinners.
Opening scene: Just a sunset photo from my living room that ended up looking a bit outer-spacey 🚀