Inside BWD HQ
When I was in seventh grade, I fashioned a desk from a cardboard box, placed an old, manual typewriter and coffee mug full of #2 pencils on top, and sat in the corner of the basement playing cub reporter.
A few years later (predicated on a pledge to bring more breaking news to the high school monthly), I was Managing Editor of The Conestoga Spoke. And thereafter, Rolling Stone and MTV News.
– I have written something most every day since I was ten, whether for a publication, my own blog (and now newsletter), or one of the many journals boxed away in the attic.
– My current workstation, a 29,000 watt flamethrower high atop the corner of Rockford and Delaware, is slightly more well equipped.
– Dual Dazzne DC50 LEDs light my face. Two Waylight 20s provide color (off camera).
– This is my second standing desk in a year, an Uplift. It is FAR more stable and sturdy than its predecessor.
– Sadly, my Universal Audio Apollo Twin has gotten very little musical action. Together with the industry standard Cloudlifter Preamp, though, it’s stepped up my podcast audio.
– And these are the KRK Rokit Monitors that have not yet been sufficiently cranked. They go to 11. Highlands neighbors, you may hear them someday soon …
– For vocals, I use a Shure SM7b. For guitars, an SM57. (All standard.)
– I felt like I should get a New York Times mug to go with Weekender. So I did.
– Prior to our 2019 South Africa trip, Abbi took my entry level DSLR in for repairs, and came out with this EOS T71. It now provides principal photography for both Friends & Neighbors and Highlands Live.
– Lamicall Laptop Stand. Pro Tip: Keep that lens just above the eye line, and keep that chin up!
– I’ve used a clipboard most of my career; people with the clipboard just look more prepared. People with clipboards are people with plans. On the narrowest column, I list my meetings. In the center, I list my business tasks, and on the right, personal ones. Crossing completed tasks off the list is sweet, sweet reward.
– My bulletin board is loaded with an ever-changing collage of faded snapshots (Telluride ’93), pop art (Lucky Cat) and self talk (“It’ll All Work Out”)…
– Also, a Beer Pong Glove courtesy of Chris and Megan Abad!
– And to remind myself of the very large world well beyond my window, I made 18 Mixtiles from my favorite travel images (Athens, Sydney, Hong Kong, Montreal, etc).
Outside that window, just twenty or so miles southwest and half a world away from that cardboard box in the basement, spring unfolds for what seems like the first time: blossom by blossom, bloom by bloom.
