I’m not a drummer, but at least I know a good looking kit when I see it. It also just has a certain look to it in the way all the pieces fit together and that makes it interesting. Even if I have no idea what to do with all of the things on it, I still find myself eyeing the size of the bass drum, the angles of the toms and the way the cymbals are arranged. Some sets are straightforward and easy to assemble, while others come with lots of additional parts. I don’t know the function of each part, but I can still tell when the entire assembly appears clean and balanced.

The finish on the shells is unusually interesting, though often it makes itself noticed. It could be a solid color, natural wood grain, or wrap with a pattern. The metallic hardware comes in shiny or matte op. The way everything connects with stands and mounts is also remarkable. I see how they are spaced and supported. It sounds like a lot of thought is put into constructing the full set.

And that’s true just purchasing parts even if you don't know how to play. A drum kit is more than just a sound. It’s also shape, material and how the different parts hang together. You can read the design decisions in the glance. You know I can kind of see why people get off just to set up a drum set even if they dont play it. I like looking at them in music stores or on pictures. They are visually interesting.

There are a few things that tend to make a comfortable house to rest and recover from the rest of life. First on most people’s minds is whether the space feels clean and organized. It is simpler to focus on the very basic or simply do nothing without being distracted if the rooms are well ordered and lacking clutter. It should also have places to rest or sit in a way that properly supports your body. Beds or chairs that are too hard or too soft can lead to a distraction of discomfort over time.

Noise levels matter too. Again, people generally sleep better if the house blocks out outside noise or is on a street with little traffic or activity. Temperature control is another factor. If a house has functioning heating or cooling systems that raises or lowers the room temperature to a stable level, people don’t wake up because they’re too hot, or too cold, he says. Heavy drapes or blinds in some homes also help block out light when people are trying to sleep during the day.

It wouldn’t hurt if the house also had areas for quiet activities. These can be reading, a little bit of light cooking or just sitting in the silence. Good ventilation and fresh air also leads to better rest as the atmosphere would never be stuffy. The better a house can create and maintain these essentials, the more easily a person can rest there.

When a house is thoroughly clean, it is easier to see what is in each space and what one needs to do there. Dust, dirt and mess can all get in the way of being able to focus. The area is easier to use when surfaces are wiped down, floors are swept, and everything is put back where it belongs. You are not visually distracted by things being out of place and not having to remember where something is.

Cleaning also helps with decision making. If everything’s out and in its place, you don’t have to interrupt your process by looking for something. This eliminates confusion and allows tasks to stay on target. If you are in a out of place or messy home, it’s easy to forget steps, lose time, or become unsure about what you were actually doing.

There is a mental boost as well, for you will only have to have the things that you’ve completed left, which in times of anxiety or depression can be as good of a gift as anything else. You don’t have to constantly remind yourself to manage something that’s already clean. Which makes it easier to concentrate on other things. No need to accommodate messes or schedule around what needs cleaning.

Cleaning does not solve all problems, but it takes out an unnecessary level of difficulty. If a home is clean, the rest of the whole process is natural.

I’ve noticed that in a majority of superhero tales, there often is a Black character who has the main superhero’s back. This character knows better than to be the lead. He’s usually a friend, a mate, a teammate. Sometimes he gives advice. At times, he entertains with technology or logistics. He just shows up sometimes, when the hero needs backup. He is generally loyal and dependable. He typically does not receive his own full storyline or main arc. He’s there to make the hero be successful.

In most of these stories, the lead superhero is white. The Black character is not the protagonist, but he is always there. And so you can say this is a type of good representation just because the character is smart or strong or helpful. But he is not the one advancing the story. He is meant to enable someone else to succeed.

“I think this pattern arises often because people writing these stories may not think about what that really means. They may want variety, but they still orbit it all around the same type of hero. And the Black character is just subsumed into that formula. It crops up in movies, shows, comics and games. Now that you know it, it’s difficult not to see.

When I see somebody with red hair get a drink made from red ginger, I start to wonder if that could technically be some sort of low level cannibalism.

REed hair and red ginger are not related by anything scientific, yet the names are too close. Red ginger is a plant, ginger is also a person who has red hair.

The only overlapping link of connection is the word ginger, which is already confusing because ginger is the root you use in cooking, the plant, and the person.

If a ginger eats gingerbread, no one gives it any notice. If a ginger drinks ginger tea, no one pays attention. But when the drink is made from red ginger and the person drinking it also has red hair, it feels a little too specific not to pay attention. There is something bizarre about it and not bad, and just the whole idea seems odd.

I do not believe it is cannibalism. That would require eating another human being. But maybe calling it plant-based lookalike cannibalism could add to the comedy. I do not know if gingers would think it is funny or offensive. Maybe both.

During the hot summer, people sometimes complain that they wish it were cooler outside. Then, during the cold winter months, many people complain about wanting it to be warm again.

Then spring comes and the weather is pleasant, but some people may still complain about not feeling satisfied or happy. They might say they wish they felt better or that something still feels off. It appears to be a pattern, as the same thing happens no matter what the temperature or season is.

If outside conditions were the biggest factor of happiness, we would expect people to be happy when the weather improved. This doesn't always happen.

A person can be warm and comfortable in a nice climate, and still be unhappy. Another person could be in a bad climate and still be completely fine. This may suggest that how someone feels is not something the weather or even temperature can change.

When the weather changes, people react to it, but they still find ways to wish for something different.

Even when things are getting better outside, it feels like the mind continues to create new things to be preferential about. This may suggest that happiness is not coming from outside things. It may come from the way we react to what is happening.

Power is where men think it is. That phrase resonated with me because it captures something I've observed but hadn't thought about in those exact terms.

It implies that sometimes, power isn't associated with force, rules, or resources at all. simply, power is based on what people believe to be true or assume to be true. In terms of perceived power, if enough people act like a person is powerful, then that person is powerful, even if they don't make any decisions that more directly control the power.

This applies in all kinds of situations. a manager might not have legitimate control over hiring or budgets, but if people in the office treat them as though they have control over those areas, they behave consistently with that assumption.

A politician might lose their power over a particular substantive issue if the people simply distrust or no longer see them as effective, even though their formal position has not changed. As such, a title, symbol and/or position only has power to the extent to which people attribute power to it.

This is not to say that all power is fake power. in fact, belief is part of how power operates. in the fullest expression of power, at least in the military sense, the laws, or money, depend on some degree of collective belief. If everyone ceases to recognize a currency as currency or stops obeying a law, the currency or law ceases to have power under that description.

In that manner, power can be understood as social production.

I don’t stop thinking about the plant nursery in Ghana. Each time I go, something different catches my eye. Some nurseries concentrate on food crops such as tomatoes, peppers or cassava. Some cultivate tree seedlings for lumber or shade. There are tons of ones that specifically do flowers or ornamentals. The list of species is extensive and it usually depends on the local demand or what the nursery proprietor thinks will move.

The configuration of each nursery varies. Some are mere lines of black plastic bags of dirt. Some utilize raised beds or old vessels. The dirt in the bags is usually a too of compost.

A lot of the plants are watered by hand with watering cans.

A few bigger spots have hosepipes or rudimentary irrigation. More of the shade is offered by nets, scraps of old fabric or palm fronds. Here and there, there are tiny wooden huts with shelves.

Other nurseries are facilities of a farm. Still others are right along the roadside. Some are operated by enthusiasts who launched them in their own gardens. Prices fluctuate, but they are commonly scrawled on placards or described by vendors. A few sellers talk you through the care for each plant. Others simply provide the plant and assume you’ll figure it out or inquire if assistance is required.

There’s always something new to see. I never want to leave.

This patriotic Ghanaian wrote his own song just for Ghana, about Ghana. It’s sort of incredible actually when you consider it. He simply did it. No major studio or corporate feel or whatever. It just seems like something he really wanted to do. There are some Twi parts on the song and an English chorus, so depending on wether you understand the language, you may only catch bits of it. I certainly couldn’t keep up with every word, but I got the spark of it nonetheless.

To be honest, I didn’t think I’d like it so much. It’s not epic like you’d anticipate a commercial cut to be but I love the beat lowkey. That’s likely the greatest thing about it. You can tell it’s coming from somewhere real. The beat is cool and he’s not trying to be a braggart. He’s simply spitting his opinion on Ghana. There’s something sort of liberating about that. Like no filter.

If you know Twi you’ll likely get more from it. Even if you don’t, the English chorus makes it clear enough what the song’s about. It’s about patriotism. You don’t have to decipher the lyrics to catch the mood.

Not sure if its my style to put on a playlist, but I’m glad I heard it. It’s just some dude crooning ‘bout his country, in his own style, and that’s just goated.

The Gangan is a Djembe drum from the Yoruba people of Nigeria. It’s in the form of an hourglass and the drummer has a lot of control over the sound, by squeezing the cords on the side and changing the pitch. This lets the drum talk. It imitates the tones of speech, especially that of Yoruba, a tonal language. But the Gangan isn’t the only drum that is able to do this.

In Ghana, there are other talking drums. They’re not called Gangan, but the concept is still similar. For the Akan, Ewe and Dagomba people, drums are an important part of music, storytelling and ceremony. Some of them are capable of mimicking speech also. In Ewe music, one lead drum may play a melodic or signal role, while a related lead drum may play a rhythmic role simultaneously.

The Akan have the Atumpan, a pair of kettle drums for praise or announcement drums. The Dagomba have the Lunga, which resembles the Gangan a good deal, but much have developed its own style, use and meaning.

They both mold their drums and music in their own unique design. What the drum is saying varies depending on the language, the rhythm and the occasion. Despite being in the same family, one drum, in other words, does not sound the same as the other. They don’t denote the same things, either. But the attachment is in the way they hold voice without language.