Tiny Tea Dispatch #009

In an unexpected turn of events, I have a acquired a full driver’s licence.
This has been your final warning.

As some of you may know, I have a slight obsession with green jalapeños and I love the vinegar-based hot sauces made from them. So I took up making my own. Right now, I’m experimenting with roasted peppers and various herbs, which is giving some very nice results.
Eventually, I would like to create one inspired by Tabasco’s green jalapeño sauce. I believe they use a fermentation process and wooden barrels but I’m not sure yet how to approach that in a small-scale, home-made kind of way.

~~ Watch report ~~

I haven’t bought any new watches this year (EDIT: ah, no, I did get a Seiko Flightmaster. I’ll show that one in the next dispatch), but I have modded 2 older ones from the collection.
In the picture above, on the far left, you will see my previous SKX009 mod (which I’m calling the ‘Spiderman’) for comparison. The 2 modded watches next to it are:

• the ‘Batman‘ from last time: I replaced the dial to match the ‘Spiderman’ watch. I find it very amusing that I now have 2 superhero-named watches in the same style but from competing universes.
• the ‘Stargate‘: I swapped out the dial with something more fitting. I think this adds more class and gets along better with the overall look and design of the black bezel. I might swap out the hand set  with something lighter as well.

I’ve seen several 300 to 500 euro watches from microbrands in the previous 6 months, that look and sound great but I’m saving the cash for bigger things. There is the house awaiting us in the near future, of course, but countless other things to keep in mind as well.
And eventually, I would love to get my hands on an Omega rail master, a sea master 300 or planet ocean, with the classic arrow hands.

~~ Made ~~

Okay, so I bought one of the new iPad Airs a few months back. No no, I know everybody and their grandma have one, just hear me out. Apple finally (FINALLY) added support for their ‘Pencil’ to their cheaper models (older pen hardware, but who cares). So I finally (FINALLY) have a digital drawing tablet that is fully mobile. You know how long I’ve been waiting for this? 15 years.
Yeah, sure, there have been styluses and bluetooth pens and digitizers integrated in Android tablets but the software was never any good. For as much as I dislike and avoid the Apple eco-system, the hardware is top notch and the software is great at what it does.
Everything I’ve drawn since May was done on that thing. It’s not perfect but it is 90% of the way there. I’m taking it with me on a trip later, testing the convenience vs. a sketch book.

My own additions:

• I added a screen protector with some resistance to make it feel more like paper (I need to bring down the grit a teeny tiny bit more)
• LineaApp and Procreate for sketching/illustration (export & import could be smoother). Custom font support is the last big hurdle that the software is tackling right now (some software allows you to add font files, others don’t) and once that editing experience issue is solved, I can see this fully replacing a comic-making process like the one I had when doing webcomics. Or filling the gap with other software such as Affinity Designer or Comic Draw
• a light case for casual, inside use + a heavy-duty one with keyboard, for other conditions
• modified the light case so the keyboard can click onto it

My biggest hurdle is just getting back into the routine of creation. This thing takes some of the effort away but it doesn’t solve the ‘me’ using it.

You can see most of what I’ve drawn so far, over on my Instagram account.

~~ Send-off ~~

Today’s dispatch is a bit lighter than usual because I wanted to get something out before I’m 100 years old. I presume I’ve been postponing writing them, because to pour all the thoughts and interesting stuff into a somewhat coherent stream, requires me to sit down and focus on 1 task. And that felt too much like work. Well, that’s most likely one of the reasons. Each individual part that contributes to making these is a fun and interesting experience for me but when it comes to connecting the dots and actually producing it, all gears grind to a halt.

And that is why this one is relatively short. Just a couple of talking points, showing some stuff and done.

I’m also rethinking my website and blog a bit, thinking how those could fit into the ‘writing and creating’ impulse. So maybe a bit on that in the next newsletter.

Stay tuned and have a great week!