Author: robertjames1971

I'm wicked tall.

Everyone Should Know This

What’s something you believe everyone should know.

Daily writing prompt

Anyone else catch the grammar error in the daily prompt today? Has there been an error like this in every question?

Here are a few things that everyone should know:

  • Everything is true.
  • God’s an Astronaut.
  • Oz is Over the Rainbow,
  • and Midian is where the monsters live…

Wait… that isn’t it… that’s a line from the Clive Barker movie Nightbreed.

So what was I going to write about?

Oh yeah, now I remember.

Here is a definitive truth that everyone should know…

Fascism is bad. Like… not a little bad, or sort of bad, but absolutely evil and very, very bad. Dig? Nazis are bad. Fascists are bad. Fascist collaborators are bad. Fascist sympathizers are bad. The entire free world once banded together to remove fascism from civilization. That was good. Destroying fascist states and fascist people is good.

It is really very simple. You can all understand it, right? If you start thinking that maybe that hitler guy had some good ideas, then you need to understand that those ideas were not good, they were bad. Also, it probably means that on a core level you are bad as well.

Stop being fascists.

Okay, here is a bonus based on a few responses to this question that I have read this morning.

Twelve people have walked on The Moon. They were all Americans.

  • Apollo 11 Mission
    • Neil Armstrong
    • Buzz Aldrin
  • Apollo 12 Mission
    • Pete Conrad
    • Alan Bean
  • Apollo 14 Mission
    • Alan Shepard
    • Edgar Mitchell
  • Apollo 15 Mission
    • David Scott
    • James Irwin
  • Apollo 16 Mission
    • John Young
    • Charles Duke
  • Apollo 17
    • Gene Cernan
    • Harrison Schmitt

If you have decided that these 12 people did not walk on The Moon then I suggest you get your head out of your ass and grow the fuck up.

Thank you, good night.

It is Time

Enough talking about it. Enough thinking about it. It’s time to actually do something.

I have two 40+ year old guitars that need to be taken to a luthier for a consultation and possibly some scary repair work. I’ve been thinking about it for years. I’ve been talking about it for almost as long as I’ve been thinking about it. The work that needs to be done is terrifying. Assuming of course that the two guitars actually need the work that I think they need.

I am going to try and schedule something for this weekend. Failing that, next weekend. It is time to stop thinking about it and actually do something about it.

I am scared for my two babies.

My 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom that I bought in 1990… does it need new frets?

My 1979 Gibson ES-335 Pro that I bought in 2000… does it need frets along with a wiring harness?

Like I said, I am scared for my two babies.

Sky

I have the Hipstamatic App set to save off an unfiltered copy of each photo it takes. The sky looked cool over the highway during my morning commute today so I snapped a pic. This is a rare occurrence of the unfiltered pic being better than the filtered pic, in my humble opinion at least.

No hipstamatic filter or square crop
Hipstamatic filter and square crop

Then again… maybe the filtered one is better than I thought. I don’t know. What does it all mean? Does it even matter?

Hybrid Work Environment

We had an announcement at work today. Starting in March our hybrid work environment is going to be slightly less than the current hybrid. Something like that, at least.

We’re going from four days at home and one day in the office each week to three days at home and two days in the office.

None of us are happy. We’ve been seeing the writing on the wall for a while, but now that the announcement has been made, it’s a huge bummer. We have plenty of time to work out the details (I’m thankful for that, at least) but I would much rather not have to deal with it. If it were up to me we’d be 100% remote.

Oh well.

November Music

It’s November 1st. Welcome to National Solo Album Month. Am I going to take part this year? Probably. I started a Trello board and today’s photo-a-day picture is a guitar. The signs are pointing to yes, but I am not feeling terribly motivated yet. We’ll see how it goes.

62/365 - November 1st
62/365

Kid at Heart

What does it mean to be a kid at heart?

Daily writing prompt

I have no idea how to answer this. I’ll throw out a couple of theories and then see how our faux friend Google Bard defines it.

  • Is it open mindedness? Kids need to learn negative biases, right? If we ignore such things does that make us a kid at heart?
  • Is it immaturity? Does loving fart jokes the way a kid does make you a kid at heart? That seems as good a definition as any, and I do love a good fart joke.
  • Is it some innate ability to see the wonder in the world? Life tends to kick our asses as we grow older. Does being a kid at heart require us to withstand such torment in a way that allows us to still see wonder in the insignificant things?
  • Is it just a matter of being a brat? Could be.

So now let’s ask Google Bard what it means. The answer can’t be any dumber than the ones I’ve vomited up, can it?

To be a kid at heart means to have a youthful spirit and outlook on life. It means finding joy in simple things, being curious and adventurous, and having a sense of wonder. It also means being playful, forgiving, and optimistic.

Here are some specific characteristics of a person who is a kid at heart:

  • They enjoy simple things, like playing games, spending time in nature, or reading a good book.
  • They are curious and always learning. They love to ask questions and explore new things.
  • They have a sense of wonder and are always amazed by the world around them.
  • They are playful and enjoy having fun. They are not afraid to be silly or let loose.
  • They are forgiving and quick to move on from mistakes.
  • They are optimistic and believe in the good in people.

Being a kid at heart is a positive trait. It means that you are able to enjoy life and find happiness in the little things. It also means that you are open to new experiences and learning new things. If you are a kid at heart, you are likely to have a lot of friends and be well-liked by others.

Here are some ways to embrace your inner child and be more kid at heart:

  • Spend time with children. Let them teach you how to have fun and see the world in a new way.
  • Do things that make you happy and bring you joy. This could include anything from playing your favorite sport to reading a good book to spending time in nature.
  • Be curious and ask questions. Don’t be afraid to learn new things.
  • Be playful and don’t take yourself too seriously. Let yourself be silly and have fun.
  • Be forgiving and let go of grudges. Don’t dwell on the past.
  • Be optimistic and believe in the good in people.

Being a kid at heart is a great way to live a happy and fulfilling life. So embrace your inner child and have fun!

Google Bard

Yeah, that definition makes sense. It’s also no dumber than any of the crap I came up with. I think this will do.

Hats

This one is super random but it’s something that’s going through my head so I am going to share it like the oversharing doofus that I am, run on sentences and all.

Hats. Should I have a go-to hat look? I have been a baseball hat guy since I was seven years old. Unfortunately as an adult I have a SUPER large head and it is hard to get baseball hats that fit. Those one-size-fits-all bastards? Not even close. Liars. I found a store that sells sized, licensed baseball hats (actually, I think Jen found the store) so I have a Red Sox hat that fits, though it feels a smidge too big post-weight loss surgery. I think my skull might have lost a little weight along with the rest of me.

Anyway…

We were watching The Gilded Age on whatever streaming service it’s running on… Max, maybe? Whatever, it takes place in the 1880s or 1890s and all of the men wear top hats. I asked Jen if I should wear a hat like that. She said yes. I think she was kidding. It got me thinking though… should I be a hat guy? Should I have a hat look? Maybe like a bowler hat like the characters in A Clockwork Orange? What about an Irish Scully Cap? My red hair makes that a pretty obvious choice, doesn’t it? What other types of hats are there? Not a cowboy hat, screw that redneck noise.

Is this something I should research? Is this something that I should make happen? With Jen’s approval of course. I don’t want to decide on a look that she wouldn’t like. The idea, as with all things, is to impress her and make her want to keep me around. You know how it is.

Thoughts?

Trick or Treat in Progress

Has anyone ever live-blogged their house’s trick or treat experience?

It started at 5:00pm. It’s 6:11 now. We had our first trick or treaters at about 5:45. That seemed really late, but it was after the sun went down so maybe folks were just waiting for darkness. I had one group of six slightly older kids. One was a girl in a Bruins uniform. She is currently tied for my favorite costume.

A few minutes after that first group left, the avalanche started. We got hit by maybe 20-30 kids all at once. I bought six bags of candy over the weekend. That run cleaned out three of the six bags. Boom, gone. Intense trick or treating. That rush included my other favorite costume. A little, little boy dressed as The Flash, complete with great big muscle-shaped padding. It was pretty awesome.

It’s 6:15 now. 45 minutes left on the clock and still about three bags worth of candy waiting to be distributed. Will there be more kids? Will there be another landslide rush?

We’ll see.

Happy Halloween!