Vehicle Registration

In an actually relevant-to-this-blog post, the BattleWagon OG has registration again. It's been almost a year since it expired, and it's just been sitting, sadly full of junk and wasting away. So much work to be done, but it can be done. It just needs to be done. What better place than here? What better time than now?

The Busy Bee

My 8-year-old daughter is in third grade this year. Since school started, she has committed to a small role in Shrek, The Musical and playing for the kids roller derby team. I officiated a wedding last weekend, and she knew almost as many people as i did, here in this town where i grew up and spent more than half my life.

I hope she's never afraid of what she's building for herself here.

Star Wars as Religion

It's silly to believe in something that's written by people with no religious or spiritual background as fact. It's sillier when those people write for the purpose of gaining power. Still, it's okay to be silly if nobody gets hurt, yes? Enter Star Wars.

I'm not personally a believer in Star Wars. I do believe in The Force, but i believe The Force is like Qi (Chi), an invisible web of positive or negative energy that flows through everything and holds it all together. That's about all i take from it in practice.

In inspiration, however, there are stories of men and women fighting for noble causes, physically, mentally, morally, ethically, emotionally... battles against themselves, their friends, and their sworn enemies. The line between good and evil is much more clear than in, say, The Bible? It's okay to draw inspiration from these places. Whatever gives you the courage to face another day.

Musical Connection

My head does stupid things sometimes. The blockbuster animated film "Frozen" has a song in the soundtrack that sings about the north wind and what not called "All Is Found". Play it and then immediately play "Wind of Change" by the Scorpions. It's going to jack up your whole week.

Incoherent Ramblings

This blog is currently an accurate representation of my life. No focus. No goal. Just existing. It's a little disappointing, honestly, but then again, my kids are alive and fed, happy, housed, and getting educated. In that context, I'm blessed.

This blog has been a wonderful tool for me to share my experiences living in a van, moving to Alaska, Montana, living in my sailboat, doing all of the fun things that people are afforded the time to do when they are younger. Now, though, children throw the kinks.

At one time, i actually wanted to pack these kids into a van and see how it went. It looks like that may be the de facto plan in 2022 America. I just hope that whatever we get into, it teaches them kindness and humility. Everything else is moot.

The Unending Choring

I'm convinced that, when i die, i will be alone and i will have no possessions to my name. I will have no more accomplishments, save surviving as long as I have. I won't be remembered for doing anything great. Nothing will be named after me. I won't have anything to leave to my kids or grandkids. I will have consumed the empty shell i have carved out for myself, devoid of taste or fulfillment. I hope I'm wrong.

75 Hard? Nah. 63 Realistic? Sure.

I have a few very close friends who have completed the "75 Hard" challenge, where the participant agrees to crush workouts, family time, intellectual time, and other commitments for 75 straight days. Failure to comply once, no matter how far along, results in beginning the project at Day Zero. It's one hell of a feat, and I'm certainly not trying to take anything away from that accomplishment. At all. Two of the guys i know who have completed it are, i would safely say, different men than the guys I met years ago. Then again, so am i, and i haven't completed this challenge myself, but i have had kids and survived three summers as a line cook, so...

That being said, if time or money weren't constraints, i would love to participate in such a program myself. As it is, for funsies, I've made one of my own. Folks, I introduce "63 Realistic".

The Rules:

Every day for 63 days:

1. Pick a diet, stick to it, and make sure it's includes two days of easy comfort food and dessert. One drink here and there won't kill you, but stop smoking. 

2. Read 10 pages of any book you want.

3. Drink 32 oz of water, unless it's hot or you're working out. Then drink until your pee is clear.

4. Take a progress picture and a picture of something meaningful to you.

5. Workout for half an hour, once a day, 5 days a week. If you're like me and trying this out.

If you miss a day or two, pick up where you left off. Don't freak out. You can always add a week or two if you really feel bad. Maybe you'll be the first to break 1000 Realistic. Who knows?

I think I'm going to try it out and see what happens. Tomorrow is a Sunday. That's a good Day 1.