Author: Rob Says

A man who loves and likes women.

Cracks Along The Edges

Rob Says2 Comments

pink and teal painted surface

A lot of things have happened to me since I first started writing this blog back in October of 2016. For starts, I went from writing a handful of posts that year, to writing two posts per week for almost two years running. I had a live-in girlfriend at the beginning of this blog, to being single now as I write this.

You all got to read in more or less “real time” about my mother being diagnosed with ovarian cancer and her eventual death.

You got to learn about me, my “origin story” as it were, if you followed along with my twice weekly ramblings and rantings. My “story” is sprinkled all throughout my blog. You don’t want to take the time and read through everything I’ve written so far? That’s okay. I created a post for my patrons on Patreon that summarizes it all nicely. It will cost you money though. You want it, you get to pay for it like they did.

I created a newsletter and in the beginning I was writing individual emails every single day. It was great until it wasn’t. That caused me to burnout pretty bad, which is why I use my newsletter now mostly as a way to keep in touch with those that want to stay in touch with me in the event that I get deplatformed. What you are reading here you’ll end up seeing on the newsletter. So subscribe to that if you would like, or don’t. I won’t try and sell some shit from gumroad to you and I won’t sell your email address to spammers, scammers, or other nefarious sorts.

You have seen my beginnings with Masculine Geek here as well. I try and keep most of my stuff collected here as I’ve tried to keep what I do here and what I do there separate. Sometimes I have succeeded admirably in doing this, and in other cases I have failed spectacularly. There’s only so much time in the day and only so much creative juice flowing. I’m finding that out right now.

I’m spreading myself too thin. I’m burning out. There’s “cracks along the edges” in my life. So I’m going to take a break. I’m taking a break from the blog for the time being. I want to get through this whole stupid mess that we are calling “quarantine” before I’ll probably come back on here. My work life right now is demanding a huge amount of my attention and my energy and I’m struggling with coming up with new and witty things to say to you all.

I want to devote more of my time to making and editing videos and doing the “livestream thing.” So that’s what I’m going to do for the foreseeable future. At least until things settle down at work and sort of go back to “normal,” whatever that is.

What can I leave with you for right now?

I’ll leave you with this:

Women are great, but they are just women. They do stupid shit just like we do. They are not the be-all-end-all to life. They are just human beings. I know that may come as a shock for some of you, especially if you are going through a dry spell, or you’re fairly young and somewhat new to dating and relating in the 21st century, but I promise you, they “ain’t all that.”

Spend more of your time working on the things that you are interested in. Whether it’s health, wealth, or learning a new skill or hobby, do that instead of constantly chasing women around. Get a few of them under your belt if you haven’t, but you’ll figure out really quick that sex is like pizza. There’s no such thing as bad pizza, just some are better than others. Same can be said about women. Once you get to sex, it all feels the same pretty much. It only differs by degrees and those degrees are usually slight.

Your friends are more important than your woman. They will be there for you when you fall flat on your face or you get “zeroed out.” And you will get “zeroed out” eventually. Whether emotionally, financially, or otherwise, it will happen. If it doesn’t, you are either extremely lucky, or you haven’t ventured out into the world and taken any risks whatsoever. Don’t fuck up your friendships over a woman, ask me how I know.

Use your voice. I’ve said it before, several times in the past. Somebody has to come along to “carry the torch.” If I’m still here doing this when I’m 60 or older, than I have failed you and I have failed myself. There’s more to life than talking about game, women, and red pill topics. It’s called life itself. And it will blow by you in the blink of an eye. One day you will wake up and you will be 50 and you’ll wonder, “where did all of the time go?” Don’t let that happen to you. Get out and live. Go enjoy the sunshine. Go ride a motorcycle or something. Get off the internet and get out of your house.

I’ve heard some of the guys that I interact with in this particular sphere ask the question, “What happened to all the guys that were here before us? Most of them just disappeared.” That or they died. My take as well as many of the guys that I’ve talked with about this particular question is that our “forefathers” if you will, got what they needed from “this space,” and then went on with their lives. Maybe this is me wanting to get on with my life. I honestly don’t know at this moment.

Be authentic in whatever you do, especially on the internet. Don’t be one of these caricature asshole grifters. If “selling your soul” to make money is the route you go down like they are, I’m pretty sure you will end up broke and dead at the end of that road. And even if you don’t end up broke, you will still end up dead and nobody will have known who you really are. That sounds like a lonely existence to me.

Stop looking for somebody to “save you.” There is no messiah coming. The only one that is going to “save you” is yourself. You are your own messiah.

Stop bending the knee to women just so that you can get some ass. You won’t get it because she won’t respect you or be attracted or aroused by you, so knock it off. You’ll just end up being a simp and nobody wants to be around that, not even women.

I don’t know what it will take for you, because I’m not you, but have some self-respect. If you don’t respect yourself, nobody else will either. That includes women. Especially women. Be willing and able to walk away.

Last thing:

Let Them Burn.

If you don’t know what that means, either you are new, lazy, or just plain old dumb. Go read my blog, it’s in there and all over the place. Stop being a lazy fuck wanting someone to hold your hand and spoon-feed you like a baby bird. Stop looking for shortcuts and “hacks,” because in life there aren’t any shortcuts or “hacks.” You get to do this thing called life the hard way where everybody is keeping score, points matter, participation is mandatory, you’ll probably get less out of it than you put into it, and ultimately nobody gives a fuck whether you live or die. They have their own shit to worry about.

And if you think I’m being pessimistic and negative, all that tells me is that you don’t know me, and you probably never will.

At the end of the day, there’s two ways to look at life:

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Talk to you all soon.

Rob

So You Want To Do A Live Show?

Rob Says1 Comment

selective focus photography of gray stainless steel condenser microphone

I had a conversation with a friend of mine the other day, and he was asking me about what it takes to be in, or do, a live show.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far, and it doesn’t matter if you are doing your own channel and/or show, or if you are a guest on someone else’s show and/or channel:

  1. Microphone Etiquette: When you need to step away from your microphone, mute it. Nobody wants to hear you fighting with a bear in your living room, and nobody wants to hear you microwaving your food. If you really want to be professional, mute your microphone until you are about to speak. Nobody wants to hear you eating your crunchy munchy shit, or your bowl of cereal. Basically, unless you are about to speak, mute your microphone. A really good microphone, or even a shitty one can be extremely sensitive and can pick up literally anything and everything. Think about that toilet flush, that train in your backyard, your dog barking, cat meowing, or your family thumping around in the next room. All of that can and will be picked up on a sensitive microphone.
  2. Your camera: Turn it off when you leave it to do whatever it is that you need to do. Nobody cares about you eating your burrito, so don’t show them that you’re eating a burrito, unless that is what your show is about, then by all means, eat your burrito on camera. While we’re at it, for most shows, the viewers want to see you. Don’t leave your camera off for extended periods of time, unless you are wanting to do the whole anonymous thing. In this case, by all means, leave your camera off. If you do decide to show your face realize that the cat is now out of the bag and you don’t get to go back to being anonymous, because the internet never forgets. So choose wisely. You can be anonymous or you can show your face, but for the most part, you can’t do both. While we are discussing cameras, 720p minimum. You don’t need to go all fancy and go for 4k unless that is your thing, but 720p is where you want to start. 1080p is ideal in this situation. Especially if you want to create your own videos as well as be in a live show. Cameras that shoot in 720p or 1080p are done dirt cheap these days, so there’s really no excuse to have something of lesser resolution.
  3. Your connection: Hardwired or GTFO. Yes, in a pinch you can do it via wireless, and sometimes that may be your only option, but if at all possible, connect straight from your computer to your modem/router via an ethernet cable. That way you minimize the “chop” and the freeze ups. I can’t tell you how many times viewers will come on to see what you are up to, only to leave moments later, never to return again, because you or a guest had a shitty connection. You want viewers to show up and to keep them there? Start with a stable, fast connection. Anything else and they will go somewhere else, and fast. And getting them to come back? Good luck.
  4. Your background: This can be a tough one. Nobody wants to see something that is too “busy.” But then again, nobody wants to think that you live in a dark cave. Less can definitely be more in this scenario. It’s better to have a plain wall than to have a ton of shit behind you, but then again, it’s better to have something that can visually stimulate your viewers than a white-wash. That is why I prefer a green screen. You can put up whatever you want behind you then. It stimulates your viewers and you can use pretty much whatever you want. Ideally you want something that is not too busy, nor too plain, and is yours. Or at least something that you didn’t swipe off of the internet. Otherwise you could end up committing copyright infringement and there goes your show. Use a gradient if necessary. It’s easy to create, can’t be copyrighted for the most part, it’s simple, and it isn’t too busy or too plain usually.
  5. Your microphone: Yes, I covered microphone etiquette, but now I want to talk about your microphone itself. You don’t need to take out a second mortgage on your microphone, but literally anything is better than the one that is built into your computer or the one that is built into your earbuds. A decent microphone is worth its weight in gold. It can be the difference in sounding amateur and that you are doing or participating in a show from a tin can, and something that sounds half decent. If I can hear your car and the road noise, chances are I’m going to be distracted and not tune in to the rest of that episode. You sound “good,” and I’m not getting a lot of extraneous noise, I’m more likely to stick around for that episode and for future episodes. While I don’t think a high quality microphone is absolutely essential, especially when you are first starting out, it does matter. Get a decent one as soon as you can.
  6. What you say is more important than how you say it: What I mean by this is, your content is more important than your editing or any special effects. What you have to say is more important than that J or L cut, or that nifty fire effect that you added to your video or to your show. If you have nothing to say, all of the cuts, edits, and special effects in the world won’t cover up a crappy video or live show. Story, or content, is better than special effects.
  7. Be authentic: In today’s world, it’s really easy to hide behind filters, masks, background music, and even green screens. Your viewers are starving for authenticity. While you should work at minimizing your “umms” and “ahhs,” at the same time, don’t obsess over them. Work on reducing them for sure, but be authentic. While you may demonetize your video or show if you swear, at the same time, if that’s how you roll, then roll with it. Be relatable. Let your viewers know that you are human and that you make mistakes, just like them. They will relate and love you for it. It’s okay to screw up and make mistakes. Keep going. Move on. The show must go on.
  8. Be consistent: If you decide to do a show, or be a part of a show on whatever day and time of the week that you decide, then do it. Your viewers are counting on it. If you have to change your day and time for whatever reason, let your viewers know in as far as advance as possible. I get it, life happens. Things come up. Let them know as soon as you possibly can. And if you need to make a change for whatever reason, stick to the reschedule. Nobody likes an unpredictable showtime believe it or not. Randomness doesn’t pay off in this area. If you decide to do or be a part of a show on a certain day and time, make sure you honor that day and time. Your guests, co-hosts, and viewers will respect and love you more for it.
  9. Have fun: What’s the point in all of this if you are absolutely miserable? Whether you are doing a show to gain exposure, make money, or have your grab at “fame,” ideally you should be having fun. If you aren’t, you better take another look at why you want to do any of this.

That’s a good start for now I think. I’ll make more posts as things come up and as people chime in.

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Now Is The Time

Rob SaysLeave a comment

analogue black and white black and white clock

On Sunday I had another Salt Lake Sit-Down with Tim Keefe and Skelton. It was a great show. I highly recommend you check it out if and when you get a chance. There’s a lot to unpack and parse in it and a lot of good takeaways.

One of the things that we talked about, towards the end of the show was the need, now more than ever, for guys to use their voices. Guys like you reading this.

I’ve talked about it in the past on several occasions both in videos and in blog form, but now is the time to use your voices. We have the technology and the prices to buy that technology are done dirt cheap. Now is the time to say what you need to say, to get it out there.

Don’t worry about Screaming into the Void. It’s okay if you are starting out at zero. Nobody is listening, nobody is watching. Nobody is tuning in. I don’t want to sound like a cliche, but if you do in fact build it, they will come. There are far more seekers than there are content creators. I started at zero, so did Vince, TJ, Aaron, and everyone else that has an audience or has a following. We all started at zero. Do it anyway.

Don’t worry if it has all “been said before.” Maybe the way you say it and express it will “stick” better with someone than the prior guy who said it. Say it anyway. 

We are on the verge of something completely different and unknown from what we have known up until now. If things keep going in certain directions, we are most likely headed towards another Dark Age with all the mumbo jumbo, mystical, “woo-woo” thinking. We could stand to lose all sorts of ideas and knowledge due to fear and wanting others to do the “hard thinking” for us. Don’t let that happen. Don’t focus on fear, crackpot nonsense, platitudes, and lizard people. Start thinking and talking about what is actually going on around us, around you. Stop trying to predict the future and focus on solutions that can actually help you and others around you get out of the mess that is going on around us.

Don’t be lazy, don’t be afraid to make mistakes and mess things up. You aren’t always going to get it “right” on the first try or the first go. Just go for it and do it.

Use your voice. Speak what you know about. Boost the signal. If you can’t find what it is that you are looking for, then create it for yourself. Others will show up.

Now is the time.

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