#shopdanielhowell

Dan: Did I talk about the Internet Support Group mug last time we did a live show?

Phil: No.

Dan: If not-

Phil: That's a surprise.

Dan: Is it? I'm pretty sure I talked about it.

Phil *giggling*: Well, it's not anymore!

Dan *repeats insistently*: I'm pretty sure I talked about it.

Phil: Is this news to anyone else? Cue the BRAND NEW INFORMATION Phoebe GIF.

Dan: I swear to God I talked about this.

Phil: Someone say they've heard about this.

Dan *chuckling*: I'm on crack.

Phil *reading from chat*: Nope.

Dan: Okay.

Phil: What a way to announce it in the worst way possible.

Dan: What else would it be? It would just have been a tweet. With a couple of other things.

Phil: I thought it was exciting! You'd get to look at it then.

Dan: Well, one of the ideas that I've had for merch since 2014 is obviously a mug of some kind and an Internet Support Group is a good one. And I had two ideas and I was going to do a poll to decide between them but then I decided that one of them was definitely the best idea. Should I tell them the idea?

Phil: Well, no they might like the other one and then you cannot make it.

Dan: No, no! I'll just tell them-

Phil: Oh, right!

Dan: Basically, the idea is - I feel this is quite thematically appropriate - it's a black mug, obviously, and it says Internet Support Group made out of text art. You know like ASCII, is that how you pronounce it?

Phil *spells out the letters*: ASCII.

Dan: Yeah! That!

Phil: ASCII-

Dan: -whatever art. But the characters that spell out, like the hundreds of little things, that spell out Internet Support Group.

Phil: Yeah.

Dan: What it is, is a massive emotional breakdown rant that I typed out.

Phil: It's very funny!

Dan: That when printed spells the shape of Internet Support Group, which I felt is very appropriate.

Phil: Yeah, it's a good thing to read while you're drinking your tea.

Dan: Yes, was just going to print the logo on it but then I thought this is a lot more appropriate, so that's a thing.

Phil: Yeah, that's a thing.

Dan: And I'm so glad I told you that.

Phil: And I can hint at some new Phil merch coming soon. I'm not going to say what it is-

Dan *smiling*: Thanks.

Phil: But I'm going to say that my hand, my hand is aching slightly from the creation of it.

Dan: Don't know how I feel about that. Personally.

Phil: That's it.

I am not a big fan of that whole New Year, New Me-shit. It always felt a little off-putting, like you could change your life completely from one day to the next and you did it based on a number on a calendar changing. However, I do also see the appeal of having earmarked days and tethering goals to dates to stick to them better. I just don't believe that we can change old, in-grown habits so rapidly or suddenly but routinely stick to something you might never have done before. It may sound a little cynical but I'm still a softie at heart, and I do believe that New Years resolutions can do you good.

You would need to do construct them cautiously and also be aware that you could literally start this thing on any other day in the year and it would be wouldn't change the resolve you'd need to accomplish your goals. I like even numbers and I like structure so I like the appeal of starting on the first day in the year but time is still simply a construct. I only remain sceptical because it always seems like people are going all-in, overestimating their capability to commit to the goals with aims too far out of reach. When they inevitably fail, everything just falls apart. There's no forgiveness for stumbling and screwing up and then it feels easier to give up entirely rather than continue with a tainted record.

In 2019, I only have one resolution, if you can even call it that. I want to have the courage to exist. I now wear the saying around my wrist but I need to learn how to wear it in my heart and in my actions as well.

@danielhowell during his live show on the 9th of October 2018

Quotes from Dan (129/?)