Hannah Diamond’s pop track Hi could be dismissed as a silly teenage heartbreak song given it has all the trappings of a banal pop song. Highly produced artificial sounding vocals, the synthy instrumentation typical of bubblegum pop, and the literal lyrics make it feel like a parody of 2000s pop. But the song itself is genuine.

Hi is about longing for a deeper connection we don’t know how to make. The music video, like the rest of Hannah’s work, takes place in a world where she is a popstar a la Britney Spears. The video shows Hannah interacting with other people through one-way spaces: interviews, runway walks, photoshoots. She is separate from the rest of the world. She only gets to engage with others through the internet. This separation leaves her trying to find ways to prove that her connection with someone is authentic “Tell me a secret. Or something that only you know. I just need to know a little more. About you.” She’s questioning if the person is even real: “Feels like I miss you. But is it really the real you?.”

The repetition of the chorus “I don’t want to be alone in my bedroom,” leaves us hoping that the character will turn this new understanding of their feelings into some way to break free. Instead, we hear that she’s fallen back to where she was at the beginning. Hannah says “Hi! Oh my god, it’s so good to see you!” to the person on the other side, playing along in a pretend relationship.

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Is it surprising that this song came out in 2015? The feelings discussed in the song are common internet sentiment today. We can draw connections to the isolating nature of the internet, or the loss of certainty that the “person” on the other side of any interaction is actually a person.

I think too much about the tools of my hobbies. I spend an inordinate amount of time watching videos reviewing cameras, or lenses, or pans, or luggage, or shoes. Surface level engagement with the hobby saps my energy from actually doing the hobby, scratching the itch enough to sate the urge.

Blocking apps using Foqos has helped reduce wasted time. Rabbit holing on my phone is easier than on my computer.

Chad Robertson’s book Tartine Bread teaches the intuition of bread making. Chad layered his knowledge into the instructions, giving the first time reader a step by step guide that hides hints that only make sense on later reads. Only after multiple reads (and many more loaves) of the country loaf recipe did I understand the feeling of what he meant by "…the dough will feel aerated and softer. A well developed dough is more cohesive and releases from the sides of the bowl when you do the turns." On my first read I thought I understood it without knowing what it actually meant, what the clean sides of the container look like when the dough pulls away but leaves a tackiness, what fluffy aerated dough feels like in your hands.

The rhythm of baking naturally leavened doughs forces the learner to practice. Each day you must feed the starter. The night before making a dough you must make the preferment. The mixing and folding and turning of the dough is the same every time. You get good at it fast.

Making bread from just flour, water, and salt is a skill worth learning if you’re interested in baking. Baking the Tartine country loaf over and over gave me confidence to make more complex doughs. I recommend Chad’s book.