18 November 2024

The weekend was a success, we traveled for the first time since the little princess was born. We went to see a Christmas village, the elder princess was cute saying we were on our way to find Christmas and we did indeed. Surprisingly the only thing that upset the princess was the fake snow machine, of course it was a loud machine. This was the latest she’s been awake for a longtime and thankfully there were no meltdowns. Both girls were as good as we could ask for and slept through the night well. The day after the Christmas village we visited an indoor water park and a petting zoo. Last Friday was also my first day to have the two girls to myself, since my queen is back to work we took separate cars and I went up early. Caring for two kids is certainly different than one, the difficulty spike for two isn’t as big as one though there are new uniquenesses. At home we have doorknob covers to keep the elder from opening them, but obviously didn’t at the place we were staying. When I had to put the baby down for a nap, there was a danger the elder could walk out the front door. Thank goodness for baby shark though, she would sit down listening to that song again and again. As long as I could hear baby shark, things were safe. This is another example of why having kids is healthy for a person, I obsess over always improving and with kids that has to be the case. They keep me on my toes and constantly develop into something they weren’t the day before. The challenge is it’s exhausting since it doesn’t happen at my own pace, they always need more care.

Wrecking and Rapping ep 39

In this episode King Cooper flies solo to explore protagonist against antagonist to see which are better characters. Staying calm and dealing with unexpected surprises such as ants. How different industries are changed through time. How do we come to know things, through senses or reason?

13 November 2024

I’m re-entering baby mode and the baby is learning daddy time ain’t no joke, we got work to do. First thing this morning I had the little princess help with planting the new grape vines, she could hardly move a bag of soil and I got the small ones. Without much help I got the grapes in the ground. The real workout for baby has been some neck exercises, she’s got a tight muscle in her neck pulling her head to the left. We’re working to loosen the tightness and strengthen the rest of the neck, that means lots of old fashioned tummy time. The little princess is a champ though and hardly ever complains, she does cry more with dad than mom, I figured it’s because I’ll leave her alone for longer periods. Baby mode is different than other walks of life since she’s only awake for about an hour at a time. A lot has to happen in that hour, usually feeding and changing a diaper at minimum. Then the cycle repeats, that’s maddening part, doing the same routine five times in a day. When I have down time with her asleep I’m left disoriented, time is a mystery and the only hour that matters is when the next nap is. There is a high level of focus I feel when caring for a baby, my eyes get strained starring at the target intensely. For awhile I’ve been working on my theory that raising levels of anxiety and ADHD are a result of less people having kids or waiting until they’re older. It seems to me that caring for a baby regulates that stuff, if you’re taking the job seriously, I even take deep breaths whenever I get a smell of baby to satisfy any subconscious chemical reactions.

12 November 2024

Today is the first day my Queen goes back to work and as such the first day of a new chapter. There’s always a lot of work to be done, I’m still working on an exercise habit, hopefully I’ll be blogging more, and maybe I’ll even get back into piano. My Fall shipment of grape vines should be arriving soon. The farm they shipped from is about a 20 minute drive from my house and it will take about three days to travel through mail, I wish they would have offered that I could pick them up. The holes are already dug and the soil is next to the holes, unboxing will probably take longer than planting. Then I’ll have to set up the hose for regular watering. Because the land is big and I plan to cover any open grass, I’ve been thinking of ideas for watering. The most I’ve had is 400 feet of hose, I might get that again, but some trees will be planted further than that away from the house. One idea I had was to put a water tank on the back of my buggie and drive the water to the plants, that will lead me into getting water tanks for rain collection. A project I’d like to get done before Spring is have a greenhouse built. When I would drive to the hospital for the new baby, I’d pass a place selling a number of greenhouses and even a chicken coop. Maybe they’ll have some holiday sales. When life is just me and the baby, there’s a lot of time to think about what needs to be done, especially as she’s still in the potato phase. I’m thankful the elder princess is now able to help out with somethings or at least not be destructive when I ask. 

Wrecking and Rapping ep 38

The hosts delve into the complex topics of diversity and cultural appropriation, exploring their distinctions and intersections. They discuss accountability in society, the nuances of cultural appropriation in music, and the challenges of consumerism in retail experiences. The conversation also touches on philosophical reflections about existence, the nature of dreams, and the reality of human experience, all while maintaining a humorous and engaging tone.

4 November 2024

Everyone really was going crazy last week, I found out over the weekend a friend of mine got in serious trouble with the law. What’s worse, he is one of the people I’m trying to help and that just got a lot harder. I’m always suspicious of my own judgment that maybe I shouldn’t be helping him. Through our life some people have to go and some stay, my assessment is something like are they helping me or hurting. This guy has helped me more than most and I understand his behavior given the situation. Another friend said God is doing a mighty work on him. I agree and we’re excited to see who he comes out as on the other side. Today I had some holes to dig, 12 to be exact. Towards the end of November I’ll have grape vines delivered and I’m planning some vineyard rows. I planned to record a time lapse video digging the holes, but seconds into the first hole the auger hits something and stops working. There was a good amount of metal where I was digging. The area is currently open grass, but the world is so old that everywhere was once used for dumping someone’s trash. After digging the first hole with a shovel the auger started up again and the rest got easier as I went. The battery I started with ran out quickly, it may be broken because I put it on the charger and it said full quicker than it should have been. This is one of the reasons I’ve come to dislike electric, buying a new battery can sometimes cost as much as a new tool. Maybe the battery was having a bad day, we’re all welcome to that occasionally. 

Wrecking and Rapping ep 37

This conversation delves into the significance of All Saints Day, focusing on St. Anthony of Egypt and his teachings. The hosts explore the cultural implications of saints in modern society, the influence of scripture and Shakespeare, and the relevance of daylight savings time. They also discuss the intersection of cultural myths, such as vampires and saints, and conclude with a reading from the Sermon on the Mount, reflecting on the teachings of Jesus and their impact on contemporary beliefs.

30 October 2024

Seems like lately the whole world has been going crazy, I don’t mean current events, everyone I talk to recently seems to be picking a fight with me. Of course I have to be skeptical that I’m causing these fights, but it doesn’t seem likely. That’s not to say I haven’t been agitated. The scenarios I find myself in are trying to help people and the reactions are basically that I’m doing it wrong or helping the wrong people. Fine, help me get on the right track, but more than fixing me it’s that they don’t want me helping others. My theory is it must be the changing of the seasons affecting people with colder temperatures and shorter days. Maybe that’s why Halloween is now, that every year at this time people turn into ghouls and witches. Of course pumpkins and all sorts of squash are growing now, I also noticed a short lived increase in spider webs that made me assume that’s why they’re part of the seasonal decor. Things are going well in my life though, that’s part of my confusion as to why I keep getting into conflicts with people. I’m pretty good about stopping things before they get heated and if I’m happy, I’m not starting fights. There was an amusing incident in the car ride to daycare today where the princess was upset she lost the Hot Wheels truck she was playing with. While driving I tried reaching back with one hand to find it and decided we’d have to wait until arriving at our destination. Then when I have the chance to get out and thoroughly look, still nothing. I break the news to the princess that we have to move on and start the day, she cries for her truck and pulls her pants. The truck was stuck in her pants, we got it free.

Wrecking and Rapping ep 36

In this Halloween-themed podcast, the hosts delve into the classic novel ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley, exploring its themes of creation, identity, and existentialism. They discuss the monster’s self-perception, the implications of literary adaptations, and the philosophical debates surrounding creation and responsibility. The conversation also touches on cultural references, the American dream, and the nature of knowledge and experience, culminating in a reflection on the implications of these themes in modern society.

23 October 2024

I got a workout in today, that technically makes three this week which was my goal and the rest of the could be rest. Tomorrow will definitely be a rest day since I was doing squats this morning. This was the first squat workout I’ve done in a long time, so I might be walking funny for a couple of days. To go more in depth on my workouts, I did a light job to the pole barn where all the equipment is. To start my workout I did five minutes on the rowing machine, lifting weights is fun, but I have to focus on cardio. I’d like to run laps around my property someday, there’s a lot of a weight to lose for that and work to be done toughening up my bones. Jumping rope will work on my shins in small doses. Currently I have a system for a upper body and lower body days. Push ups and pull ups are the focus for upper body and those can be done in the house. A pull up bar has been installed right outside my bedroom door in a frequently passed location. Of course the more exercise I do, the more motivated I feel to do other work. After exercising yesterday I took my hedge trimmers to a couple different locations to work on clearing a path. Fall has a officially begun with the leaves changing into beautiful red, yellows, and brown. If it was higher on my priorities, right now is the perfect time to cut back poison ivy, it’s leaves have changed red while most of the tree it hides on are still green. This makes it easy to identify.