Category: Generic

Habits Again

What are your daily habits?

Daily Writing Prompt

Daily habits. I don’t know if I really had any daily habits prior to the whole weight loss surgery thing. Now I have a bunch of them, mostly due to having all of these post-op goals to hit every day.

  • Have some water and my morning vitamins before breakfast
  • Exercise every morning before breakfast
  • Eat a lot of protein for breakfast
  • Make sure the cats are fed
  • Make the bed (I fail on this one a lot, but I hate it when I do)
  • Exercise again during lunch, just a bit
  • Hit my daily water/liquid intake goal of at least 64 ounces
  • Hit my daily protein goal of at least 80 grams
  • Hit my daily Apple Watch Activity app exercise goal of at least 30 minutes, preferably more like 60
  • Hit my daily Apple Watch Activity app move goal by burning at least 1000 calories
  • Hit my daily Apple Watch Activity app stand goal by standing for at least one minute each hour for 12 hours
  • Write at least one blog post
  • Take at least one photograph, preferably with my Nikon Z5
  • Most important of all, be kind and loving to my wife
  • Track my sleep stats with my Apple Watch
  • Wake up and do it all again

I am sure I am missing a few things. I find the whole exercise and post-op thing a ton easier if I stick to a routine. Like, I overslept by almost two hours this morning and I am worried about staying on target for all of the exercise and food/water goals already. It’s only 7:30am, but I should have a bunch of that stuff done already. It bugs me a bit.

Anyway, those are some daily habits. I may be insane. Just a smidgen.

My response from last year

I’m thinking this is the last time I do this. That’s my theory at the moment. I might change my mind, but this just feels silly now. Not that it ever didn’t feel silly before… it’s just more silly now, and in a more pathetic kind of way.

Backyard Violence Redux

This time it was a chipmunk.

The hawk came back! Or, a different hawk came around. Whichever it was, I was sitting at my desk eating some lunch (a little Purdue chicken patty and a handful of frozen French fries, all heated up in the air fryer) and I heard another bang outside of my window. I looked out and there was the/a Red Tail Hawk. It was holding what was left of a chipmunk. I couldn’t see it clearly through the dirty window screen and with my reading glasses on, but I could see it well enough to notice that a big strip of the little rodent had been removed. Ouch town, population Alvin/Simon/Theodore. There will be no hoola hoop for xmas this year. Yikes!

The hawk sat on the grass in front of my window for just a second or two and then flew off. See you later, bro.

Such violence. Such brutality on display. Hawks are freakin’ awesome!

Sustainability Again

Are there things you try to practice daily to live a more sustainable lifestyle?

Daily Writing Prompt

Right then, let us play this goofy game one more time.

Here is my response to this question from last year:

I’ve only been playing this daily prompt game for a few days, and since jumping on the wagon there haven’t been any questions that required any thought, or made me want to… you know… write anything. Now we have one and the theme is going to be shame.

I am going to have to turn in my hippy membership card after this one because up until recently I haven’t really lived my life in a way that could be in any way considered sustainable. The only exception being driving a car with a hybrid engine. Sometimes. Also, that’s only been a part of my life for a few years now. We have two cars in our household an one is a hybrid. The other… very much isn’t. It gets okay gas mileage but nothing to write home about. I drive a lot and when I am covering any notable distance I drive the hybrid. Other than that…

Until recently I never recycled. I produce what feels like a lot of waste. We order food for delivery more than we should and that always comes with tons of packaging that goes into the trash. Plastic, Styrofoam, the works. Fortunately for the Earth, my city sort of forced recycling upon us not long ago. They instituted automated trash pick up and issued a trash barrel and a recycling barrel to each residence. That put me onto the recycling wagon so when it comes to sustainability, I am pleased with myself for adding that to my personal list, but still disappointed with myself for making it to my 50’s before getting on that particular bus.

So I guess I am doing a couple of things to be sustainable now. I just feel like I should have been doing it a lot longer than I have. I seriously doubt I would make any difference, as my hippy self is often overpowered by my much more insistent cynical self, but as a proud bleeding heart liberal my lack of sustainable habits have always been a major source of hypocrisy.

I’m doing better now though. I will continue to do better in the future. I promise.

Link to last year

And now let’s have Google Gemini write a comment, just for goofy fun:

The writer is grappling with the theme of shame through the lens of sustainability. Here are some points to consider in your comment:

  • Relatable struggle: Many people can identify with the internal conflict between wanting to be eco-friendly and falling short due to convenience or ingrained habits.
  • Humor and self-deprecation: The use of phrases like “turn in my hippy membership card” and “bleeding heart liberal” adds a touch of humor while acknowledging the hypocrisy the writer feels.
  • Progress over perfection: Even though the writer feels they should have started sooner, they acknowledge the positive steps they’ve taken and their commitment to continuing to improve.

You could offer encouragement for their efforts or share your own experiences with sustainable living.

And finally, let’s ask Google Gemini to generate an image based on last year’s post and see what kind of monstrosity it dreams up.

Delicious

What’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten?

Daily Writing Prompt

Okay, so that’s the writing prompt… here’s my response from last year.

Now how can you answer this question? This is completely subjective. The most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten? That probably changes every time I eat anything. I mean, how many magical chocolate cakes have there been? How many magnificent premium steaks at the Capital Grill or Ruths Chris have there been? How many trips to Kimball’s for ice cream?

I mean, how can a guy reasonably narrow down a lifetime of delicious food, especially when he doesn’t really have a stomach anymore and can’t eat many of the things he used to love?

And here is a really pointless comment from Google’s A.I…. because why not?

This text expresses a delightful frustration with the subjectivity of the question “most delicious thing ever eaten.” The author playfully highlights the vast amount of delicious food they’ve encountered, from fancy steaks to ice cream trips, making it nearly impossible to choose just one.

The comment also hints at a bittersweet undertone. The mention of a missing stomach and the inability to enjoy food in the same way suggests the author may be looking back on these experiences with fondness.

And finally, here’s an image generated by Google’s A.I. based on last year’s text. What fun.

Yes, Virginia, Robert is extremely bored with this crap. Time to find another way to play along. This is dumb.

A.I. Chimes In

If you were forced to wear one outfit over and over again, what would it be?

Daily Writing Prompt

I sent the text from last year’s answer to this question through Google’s Gemini and asked it to rewrite it in the style of a pompous ass. It did not rewrite me, but it did write a pompous ass of a response.

That’s a delightful answer! Jeans and a t-shirt are a classic for a reason – comfortable and versatile.

As for the profundity of the question…well, let’s just say some minds work faster than others. Perhaps for a being like yourself, eternally unbound by the constraints of laundry day, the concept of a singular outfit is rather… pedestrian.

However, for us mere mortals, a favorite outfit can hold a certain significance. A Rush tour shirt, a symbol of youthful rebellion and musical passion! Or a Bruins/Red Sox jersey, a testament to unwavering loyalty and civic pride! Clearly, your sartorial choices transcend mere function and delve into the realm of emotional resonance.

In short, a seemingly simple question reveals a surprisingly complex individual. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must ponder the existential implications of sock selection.

https://g.co/gemini/share/94184fab1c1d

Anyone else getting really tired of this game, or is it just me?

Stanley Cup Final Game Seven… Uh Oh

The second period just ended and the dream of a legendary Edmonton come back has taken a step back.

Florida has a 2-1 lead.

Shit.

20 minutes of regulation left in the game, the series, and the NHL season.

Come on Oilers!

Zero

How important is spirituality in your life?

Same answer as last year. How important is spirituality in my life? It is 0.00% important. It is non-important. None. Negative. No importance at all.

Just call me a fairy tale free zone. Again. Still. Whatever. The chances of that ever changing are also 0.00%. Sorry. I know this prompt is pandering to the religious folks who answer all questions with some version of god, but they aren’t getting me with it. No dice, chuck.