Author: robertjames1971

I'm wicked tall.

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
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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!

Prepped for Trick or Treat

Trick or Treating in my town starts at 5:00pm tonight.

I booked some time off so that I can be out of work in time to give out candy tonight. I am prepped and ready to go, even though it doesn’t start for another 7.25 hours or so. Sorry.

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