in case you want to receive a notification whenever i make a post, i found a simple solution, however it requires a $2.99 monthly subscription.

what to do:

1. download the ifttt app and sign up for an account. pro-tip: i always select 'sign up with apple', and select 'hide my email'. this anonymizes you with services, and forwards any email correspondence to your actual apple id.
2. you'll need to allow notifications from the ifttt app (important, otherwise this won't work).
3. you'll need to subscribe to the $2.99/mo pro plan for more frequent polling intervals -- pro is 5 minutes, free tier is 1 hour. you don't need the pro+ plan for this functionality to work.
4. click 'create', to start a new applet.
5. on the next screen, select 'if this', and search for 'rss feed'.
6. select 'new feed item'.
7. enter the rss feed url *exactly* as it's written here: https://www.adampitchie.com/rss.xml
8. select 'then that (add)' and look for and select 'notifications'.
9. select 'send a notification from the ifttt app'.
10. if you want to receive a notification in do not disturb mode, select 'yes' for high priority. otherwise, leave as 'no'.
11. select 'create action'.
12. select 'continue'.
13. select 'finish'.

that's it! after you do this, you'll receive a notification every time i post. 😎

i used to dislike country, but over time my musical tastes have evolved. i recently decided to compile a playlist of what are – by various metrics – considered to be the best country songs of all time. this list is my own distilled version of all the other lists, as i don't think all country music is created equal. i tend to listen to country when i want a certain vibe, such as a carefree afternoon at a barbecue with friends on a warm and sunny day. any song marked with an asterisk is a song i particularly enjoy.

• alabama - mountain music
• alan jackson + martina mcbride - louisiana woman, mississippi man
• bob wills - san antonio rose
• bobbie gentry - ode to billie joe
• brooks and dunn - boot scootin' boogie **
• carrie underwood - before he cheats
• the carter family - can the circle be unbroken
• charley pride - kiss an angel good mornin'
• the charlie daniels band - the devil went down to georgia
• charlie rich - behind closed doors
• chris stapleton - tennessee whiskey
• corey kent - wild as her
• darius rucker - wagon wheel *
• deford bailey - fox chase - deford bailey is widely considered to be the first african american country music star.
• deford bailey - pan american blues
• dolly parton - i will always love you
• dolly parton - jolene
• dwight yoakam - a thousand miles from nowhere
• dwight yoakam - guitars, cadillacs - dwight has a cameo in the opening scene of weddings crashers.
• dwight yoakam - honky tonk man
• eddy arnold - make the world go away
• ernest tubb - walking the floor over you
• faron young - hello walls
• george jones - the race is on
• george strait - amarillo by morning
• george strait - the chair
• hank williams - a country boy can survive
• hank williams - family tradition
• hank williams - i'm so lonesome i could cry
• hank williams - your cheatin' heart
• highwayman - highwayman
• john denver - take me home, country roads *
• johnny cash - a boy named sue
• johnny cash - big river
• johnny cash - folsom prison blues
• johnny cash - get rhythm *
• johnny cash - home of the blues
• johnny cash - i walk the line **
• johnny cash - personal jesus
• johnny cash - ring of fire **
• johnny cash - rock 'n' roll ruby
• johnny cash + june carter cash - jackson **
• keith whitley - i'm no stranger to the rain
• kenny rogers - the gambler
• kris kristofferson - me and bobby mcgee
• lady a - need you now *
• leann rimes - blue
• lee ann womack - i hope you dance
• lefty frizzell - long black veil
• loretta lynn - coal miner's daughter
• luke combs - ain't no love in oklahoma *
• luke combs - fast car * - tracy chapman wrote the original version of this song in 1988.
• marty robbins - el paso
• merle haggard - mama tried
• merle haggard + willie nelson - pancho and lefty
• merle haggard and the strangers - if we make it through december
• morgan wallen - cowgirls *
• morgan wallen - last night *
• morgan wallen - you proof
• patsy cline - crazy
• patsy cline - i fall to pieces
• randy travis - forever and ever, amen
• ray charles - you don't know me
• reba mcentire - fancy
• roger miller - king of the road
• roy acuff - wabash cannonball
• sam hunt - body like a back road
• shania twain - man! i feel like a woman!
• shania twain - that don't impress me much
• shania twain - you're still the one
• skeeter davis - the end of the world
• tammy wynette - stand by your man - this song was used to comedic effect in goldeneye.
• tim mcgraw - just to see you smile
• tim mcgraw - something like that *
• tim mcgraw - where the green grass grows
• toby keith - should've been a cowboy
• tom t. hall - old dogs, children and watermelon wine
• waylon jennings - luckenbach, texas
• waylon jennings + willie nelson - mammas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
• webb pierce - there stands the glass
• willie nelson - on the road again *

i recently posted van down by the river, but i wanted to share an actual motivational video that i find simple, yet profound. if you're ever stuck in a situation where you need a little push to either get the ball rolling, or keep it rolling, this is the video for you. even though it became a meme, it has 52 million views for a reason.