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. 

22 October 2024

Life is starting to normalize after the princess’ sickness, she’s doing better and back in daycare. Thankfully the younger princess is very chill and gives us a chance to rest. It’s amazing how different the two of them can be in terms of loudness, though the elder has begun to sing her ABC’s and Twinkle twinkle, in the car ride today we sang together and that’s a lot of fun. Since my last writing the children’s book I made was delivered, it’s exiting and cool to have, I don’t know what to think of it though. I took this photo to prove they are real then boxed them back up and put them on the shelf. The reason I wrote the book was because the owner at daycare would always say at drop off, “here comes the girl in the silver boots.” Then for awhile she was saying she needs to write a book about that and eventually said I should right the book, so I did. I’ll give the book to her before Christmas break, so there’s no pay off for the work until then. I don’t know if there is any pay off, the process got me thinking about all the other processes I’ve gone through from painting and making music, even to military awards, they don’t satisfy the driving force. There’s a long period of work and stressing out about it, then when it’s done, there’s nothing and it’s time to find a new activity to fill the time. Raising kids has been nice to fill a lot of time, but by the time they’re both in school I’ll have to have something prepared to work on eight hours a day. Maybe the podcast will have leveled up by then. I’ve made progress on getting myself to exercise more, but I’d probably restrict that to 30 minutes a day.

Wrecking and Rapping ep 35

The crew discusses a variety of topics ranging from music and childhood memories to philosophical ideas and personal challenges. They explore the impact of Kanye West’s music on different generations, reflect on their own childhood experiences with movies, and delve into the nature of silence and thought. The conversation shifts to consumer choices in the age of Kickstarter, weight loss journeys, and the complexities of character development in films, particularly Disney movies. The hosts also touch on historical events, personal challenges like running, and the significance of legacy in life.

17 October 2024

It’s been a long week, my elder princess caught hand, foot and mouth disease at daycare last week. She did a wonderful job recovering and went back today. Spending more time with her has been nice and the kids grow up so fast that she’s practically a different child from the last time she was home for a week. The word explosion she’s going through has been nonstop, she’ll attempt to say nearly everything I say, this morning she even asked for “pepperonis”. Of course her pronunciation isn’t perfect, which is another interesting side of parenting, I’m learning a foreign language that is her words. Since she’s doing so good with words I’ve moved past speaking in one or two word combos and will now use a whole sentence that includes the key words. The younger princess continues to be a rock star with how easy she’s been, the big accomplishment during this time has been some long stretches of sleep, I even got five or six hours of sleep straight one night. Nothing is as helpful as good sleep. Last week I wasn’t able to do the podcast since life went crazy, we’re recording tonight and I’m getting fired up.