April 21, 2026. Shannon had some friends visiting from Czech Republic and they requested a disco night. It was determined this would happen at my camp. I put together three playlists: 70s classic disco, modern disco, and creative modern disco that pushes the boundaries a little. I dug out my costume bag, yes I travel with costumes ever since Burning Man, and put on the most appropriate disco outfit I could assemble. About half an hour in I asked Marketa, the disco party requester, whether she meant 70s disco or modern disco or what. She told me that back home she and her friends go out dancing and it's pop hits and stuff like Metallica. There is clearly a difference between the Czech use of the word disco and ours. I moved quickly through the playlists to the creative modern one and everybody seemed happy. We ended the night with Rammstein, apparently her favorite. There's always a new wrinkle when you're providing music for people.
The news approach that's been working for me: one check per day, five to ten minutes on Ground News, a quick scan of whatever appears in my YouTube feed, and done. I know enough of what's going on without it taking my energy or knocking me off balance.
Camp is winding down. People have been leaving and more go tomorrow. Thursday will be a skeleton crew. This has been one of my longest van stays. I want to roll like this more often. The long stays are good. The freezer makes it possible.
Ladybug gave a talk yesterday about how cannabis gave her her life back after years of chronic pain following a serious car accident. I recorded it with three cameras and a microphone. I'll edit it and give it to her. It feels good to be able to do things like this, things not everybody can do, that matter to someone. The effort adds up to more than itself.
Last night just before sunset I went on a wild bike ride to a spot I'd found on OnX. It was several miles down a rugged 4x4 trail that had clearly fallen into disuse. I followed it to what seemed like the end, found a decent campsite, private but not epic enough to justify the road condition. The map showed the trail continuing, but I couldn't find it. So I pushed my bike through desert bramble, rocks and cacti for about 100 yards until I was standing where the map said the road ended. Just wilderness in every direction, all of it looking identical. I had no idea which way I'd come from.
The OnX arrow showing my direction was lagging badly. It sent me on two wrong expeditions before catching up and pointing somewhere else. What it could do was show my location on the map. I saw I needed to go west, opened the compass app, and that got me back. Walking the bike through the dense scrub, mind running through scenarios: snake bite, lost bike, dark coming. I haven't had that feeling in a while. It was good, in the way that a little controlled fear is good.
I'm still learning my little drone. The gesture control continues to astonish people, including me. I was riding through a tight wooded trail and it whipped around on its own adjusting height and angle to keep up with the shot. Leagues better than my five year old drone from the same company. The one thing I haven't sorted out is that it doesn't always hold the position I tell it to. I'll command it to stay at my back left and it drifts to my right. Still working on that. I also figured out the carry problem: the drone clips to my SPI belt on a carabiner, but adding the remote was too much for the belt and too little for a backpack. Then I remembered I have a fanny pack designed for a concealed weapon that never fit that purpose. Perfect for this.
My practice feels increasingly like the right frame for what I do. Writing this entry, the video work, the music, the building. All of it approached with intention, for intrinsic rewards. That's what a practice is. I'm getting more inside it. That's a good feeling.
A few of us sat around the campfire and talked until after 11pm, which is a rare occurrence.