Building Momentum

It takes time to get the ball rolling, once there’s momentum things go easier. My initial estimate was to write three times a week and it looks like I’ll only get two this week. There was some exercise last night, but it feels like I haven’t done a workout this week. If I’m lucky I’ll do some stretching tonight after the princess goes to sleep. My plan was to stretch last night, but things got chaotic and it was bumped. The lesson learned there is do not put important things off until the end of the day since there’s no telling what is going to happen. There was time during the day that I could have stretch, I’ll be more vigilant about seizing those moments. On a similar note I’ve got some trees arriving today and after returning from daycare I dug the holes for them, so that when the trees arrive it will be fast planting. This week I did finish the children’s book I was working on, I still have to submit it and start publishing. There is a pdf proof of the book I’m passing around to people to look for any glaring mistakes, that’s a lot of energy relieved from my mind though. We are currently in the slow build stage, put more effort to get things started and also start as simple as possible, making a habit is better than any achievement. There’s also been some Fall cleaning, throwing out some clothes that has holes in it. Because I have flat feet my socks wear down fast in particular spots, now I have fresh socks. And a fresh mindset, it’s the end of the week, some lessons were learned and tasks completed, I’ll keep coming back. Once the newborn starts sleeping longer that will help everything. 

Navigating Newborn Care and Unexpected Challenges

Here’s a weird scenario I never expected myself to be in. We have something called a duala, not to be confused with a dually, a truck with double back tires. A duala or some similar sounding word is basically a mid wife, maybe the resume would have differences but to me it’s a stranger who is professionally trustworthy with children, the Queen and I trust this person while we both sleep. They’re on the clock though watching the baby from x time until y which means I want to use as close to 100% of that time for sleep, my most valuable resource, “My kingdom for sleep!” To fall asleep quickly I take Benadryl stored in the Queen’s bedside table. My wife and the mid wife, that is the wife at the mid point of myself and wife, were having a conversation blocking the Benadryl. At first I said quietly waiting for them to finish, I could see the pink bottle on the night stand. I wanted nothing more than to sleep and this was time I was paying to sleep. Now I don’t like to wait around for anyone, I’ll send invoices for my time whenever someone keeps me waiting. When I bought my new car, everytime the sales person walked away from me I started a timer, and if I was ever left alone for more than 5 minutes I would walk out without buying a car. Waiting in my own house, I never thought it could happen to me. Eventually I got up, said excuse me and grabbed the bottle. Everything about the incident is foreign to me, it’s hard to explain, but who I am now I never intended to become. Regardless here I am and must do the best I can given the situation, it’s part of why I take on the king character. How would a king act is more useful than how I would act in these situations.

Wrecking and Rapping ep 34

In this episode of ‘Wrecking and Rapping’, the hosts delve into various themes including the nature of wrecking and rapping, cultural representations in media, the relevance of Shakespeare, ethical dilemmas illustrated by the trolley problem, the impact of nightmares, historical events, and philosophical discussions on consequentialism and deontology. The conversation flows through humor, personal anecdotes, and deep reflections, creating a rich tapestry of ideas and insights.

Podcast Comeback, Crowns, and Creative Progress

My return to the podcast has been recorded, I got a new crown for this new saga of the show, it’s smaller than my old one and was very painful while recording. Most of what we said I can’t even remember because my brain was being squeezed. In the future I’ll figure out something to do to about it even if I have to make a cracked crown. In other news the landscaper did some mowing in the wooded area of my yard and I’m very grateful for that. Right now with the newborn finding the time to mow is a challenge. Finding the time to write is tricky too, but I know if I push myself it can be done in about 10 minutes. That’s the same perspective I have on exercise, 10 minutes of exercise is a great workout for someone in my current shape. Running that whole time would be a decent workout for anyone, right now I’d be better off stretching that whole time. Once this week I was able to get a workout in which is fine, it was my first week attempting it. My attempts for next week will focus on stretching and that will require less recovery. A lot of progress was made on my kid’s book as well, I’ve had the words written and have been doing the art work for the pages from the beginning. As I finish a page I upload it to the program used for book publishing, I’ve gotten 8 out of 14 pages done. Hopefully it will be printed before Christmas and I’ll be able to give a copy to the woman who runs the daycare since she was the one that pushed me to write it in the first place. 

Juggling Babies, Tantrums, and Small Wins

Last night might have been the first night in a month I’ve gotten a little over three hours of sleep straight, it felt good for a minute waking up at 2 AM to feed the baby until after that everything was a mess. I’m not sure the baby actually went to sleep for the rest of the night, we went through a couple swaddles and bed sheets between poops and spit ups. Once the younger was down, it was time for the elder princess to wake up, she was at least in a better mood today. Yesterday while driving to daycare she asked for a straw, I tried looking for maybe a spare fast food straw that had been left in the car, but found nothing. The princess did not take the news well it was a scream fest for the rest of the drive. In the afternoon when I went to pick her up I realized a snack she likes is veggie straws and I bring them with me now. When I got home this morning I needed sleep, thankfully my queen watched the baby and I went to a spare bedroom. I turned my phone on silent because I was expecting a delivery today and of course while I was sleeping I had four missed calls from the driver. The package did get delivered, they told me it would be late in the day, but I knew they’d be here the minute I went to sleep. The package was the throne I plan to sit in on the podcast, I’m very pleased with how it looks and grateful it arrived in time. This concludes the first month of the new baby and now the next phase begin, I think it will last about two more months until my queen returns back to her job.

New Beginnings: Balancing Baby, Creativity, and Returning to Routine

Time to shake the rust off, today is the baby’s one month doctor’s appointment and now I’ll begin the process of getting into my old habits. Ideally I’ll be writing at least three times a week, everyday will be subject to change for a couple months. Putting in the effort to write whenever I can is exercise, I’ll also need to start exercising. During the last month my intention was to ignore myself and put all focus on the family, now we begin to transition towards normal life. I wasn’t caring about what I ate or how much, there needed to be fuel constantly coming in and there’s no telling when the next meal will be. On the exercise front, all free time has been best used to rest. I’ll be returning to the podcast this week also, the bois were doing a great job while I was gone. I’ve also made progress on a kids book I wrote, the woman who runs the daycare for my princess suggested I write one about The Girl in the Silver Boots. The words have been written, yesterday I began trying some AI generated art and was pleased with the results, progress will begin again. Hopefully the book will be out before Christmas time, not for it to be a Christmas present, but I would like to start the new year with one less thing on my plate. Besides baby, blog, and book, most of my energy goes into the podcast, thinking about where I want to take it. Before I even started leave I was making plans for how I would adjust my outfit and background. There was purple and gold throne I ordered that was delayed six weeks, then another three weeks to deliver to the warehouse only to find out the contained had suffered water damage. Believe it or not there is more than one place that sells thrones, so I found another and it will hopefully be delivered this Wednesday right before I return to the podcast. 

Wrecking and Rapping ep 33

In this lively podcast episode, the hosts engage in a humorous debate about the best Ninja Turtle, explore the importance of preparation in various contexts, and discuss the preparedness of Disney characters. They delve into emotional preparedness, the historical significance of SpaceX’s achievements, and wrap up with a thought-provoking trolley game that presents ethical dilemmas. The conversation is filled with pop culture references, laughter, and insightful commentary on the nature of being prepared.

Wrecking and Rapping ep 32

In this episode of Wrecking and Rapping, the hosts engage in a lively discussion about the importance of honesty in relationships, the implications of communication styles, and the historical context of Mexican Independence. They also delve into trivia about Kaiju, share humorous anecdotes, and promote various personal projects, all while maintaining a light-hearted and entertaining atmosphere.

Wrecking and Rapping ep 31

In this engaging conversation, the hosts explore a variety of topics ranging from nostalgic video games like Parappa the Rapper to the significance of Baobab trees. They delve into the concept of perception, discussing how it shapes understanding and cultural references, including the famous 316 quote. The conversation also touches on the impact of 9/11, the nuances of online scams, and a deep analysis of ‘The Little Prince,’ highlighting its themes and interpretations. The episode concludes with a fun game about Transformers, showcasing the hosts’ nostalgia and knowledge of the franchise.

11 September 2024

I figured it would be good to write an update on how things are going. We had our new baby girl a little earlier than planned and everyone is doing well. We’ve settled into newborn life at home and I’m happy to report it’s been what I expected. The biggest impediment is disturbed sleep, but so far our newborn has been much calmer than our first. Currently I expect to wake up every 2-3 hours during the night to change and feed the baby, being able to have that much routine already is a big win. Two hours of sleep is better than zero, we’re still early on though and I know after about of month of this I’ll be delirious. What I told myself last time was the first month was the hardest, the first three months are hard and after nine month it becomes fun. The pets have adjusted well to the new baby and big sister has been wonder. The elder princess has taken care of her sister since the moment they met, when we visited the hospital she put a pacifier in the baby’s mouth. In the mornings she runs to the bedroom to say hi to moma and baby. She even gives goodbye kisses to both when we leave for daycare. The owner of daycare has convinced me to write a book about my princess, The Girl with the Silver Boots. I’ll be working that while I’m taking time off of the podcast, and the podcast has been going on without me thanks to the help of my brother. The weather is cooling off as we enter a new stage of life, now it’s time to feed the baby.