Random Access

Thursday/Friday – 08/09 January 2014
I was so intent on relaxing after work this evening, that I completely forgot about today’s challenge… until I had been in bed for a couple minutes. But, not wanting to skip a day, I got out of bed to do it.

Day 8: Take some time today to reflect on your career. Jot down a timeline of it, including all the ups and downs. What was your best experience? And the worst? What would you like your future to look like, in terms of your career? If you’re a young man and haven’t started in yet, focus on that future part. What do you want your work to look like?

Work timeline (very high-level view)
I have worked for:

• Architecture firm (high school internship)
• U.S. Postal Service (service employee/supervisor)
• A friend’s auction management start-up (IT/Operations Manager)
• A tech startup… that wound up getting acquired by a larger – much larger –  company (IT)
• A consumer good manufacturer (IT)

I don’t know that I’ve had a “best” and a “worst” work experience. There have been good and bad points at each job. There were things that I loved, as well as things that I absolutely hated. Could I name them? Sure, but looking at the breadth of them, I can say this: All of the experiences have served as places and positions of learning and have helped mold me into the employee that I am today. To borrow a verse from Headlong Flight:

All the journeys
Of this great adventure
It didn’t always feel that way
I wouldn’t trade them
Because I made them
The best I could
And that’s enough to say…

I’ve found that I quite enjoy working in IT; it was something of an unexpected and unplanned career path, but it’s also been a good fit for me. I’ve been fortunate to be in positions learn about and work with current and emergent technologies. And, while some of it’s been a lot of “work” – and has had me nearly at wits’ end on occasion – it’s been fun. Besides, who doesn’t love a good challenge?!

I’d like my future to continue to chart an upward course. Would I like to “get out of the trenches” and into a management track again, someday? Sure, if the right opportunity presents itself. For now, though, I’m happy with what I do.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 07 January 2015
Day 7: You’ve made it one week! Reflect on what this newfound practice has been like. Getting through the first seven consecutive days is truly the hardest part. Have you enjoyed it? Has it been difficult? Has it been what you expected?

To quote Barenaked Ladies: It’s been… one week…

I have enjoyed getting back into the habit of writing daily. I had slipped into the bad habit of getting lazy and just assuming that I’d get around to writing later. Occasionally, I would, but more often than not… I didn’t. This hasn’t been difficult. Just a matter of “doing.” As to what I expected? This. Just this. Writing.

All told, it’s been good… and fun.

And now, back to my regularly-scheduled evening.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 06 January 2015
Day 6: Pick a quote from our 80-ish quotes on manhood and reflect on why it stands out to you. Does it reflect a man that you aren’t yet, but hope to be? Does one of them remind you of a great man in your life who you’ve tried to model? If you can’t seem to reflect on a single quote, just take the time to write out a few of them that you like. Doing so will keep them top-of-mind and perhaps lead to some thoughts later down the road.

It’s been something of “a day,” but I wanted to make sure that I did this. I tried to narrow it down to a quote, but there were just too many good ones. I’m also going to take up the last sentence of today’s challenge and write a few thoughts about them.

Here we go..

“A man’s ledger does not tell what he is, or what he is worth. Count what is in man, not what is on him, if you would know what he is worth—whether rich or poor.” –Henry Ward Beecher

Too often, we make much ado about what a person has, rather than who that person is.

Isn’t this one pretty self-explanatory?

“This is the test of your manhood: How much is there left in you after you have lost everything outside of yourself?” –Orison Swett Marden

What defines who you are?

Don’t expect things to be handed to you. Fight for yourself and achieve on your own. Accomplish the goals you set for yourself. But, when someone does give you something: Accept it with a grateful heart.

Joy. Wonder. Awe. With even the smallest of things. Why should we be expected give these up just because you get older?

I’m going to challenge this one a bit. I don’t think that we always want things to feel like an uphill battle, but I will agree that the sense of accomplishment that comes from conquering a challenge is usually pretty amazing.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have had a number of good examples of good men in my life. (A few bad ones, too.) And their examples have always been more helpful than platitudes.

Stagnation ruins many things, people, places, and things. I think that this item speaks not just to manhood, but to life, as well. Who wants to be the same person at 60 that you were at 40, or 20?

“A man should be able to hear, and to bear, the worst that could be said of him.” –Saul Bellow

To quote Ray Charles:

I’ve been abused
In my heart
I’ve been accused
I’ve been ‘buked
People talkin’ tryin’ to break us up, yeah
Scandlizin’ my name
They’ll say anything just to make me feel bad
Yes anything to make me shame
Bricks and stones may break my bones
But talk don’t bother me

One should not only be able to listen to the negative things that people say, but – if there is a measure of truth in them – learn and grow from them.

“Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you’re a man, you take it.” –Malcolm X

Brother Malcolm’s early teachings were often colored by his early life experiences and often came across as harsh and aggressive, but there was still truth in them. And this is one of them. There are things that are worth fighting for and not just sit idly aside and let pass you by.

“Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes. You must look into that storm and shout as you did in Rome. Do your worst, for I will do mine!” –The Count of Monte Cristo

Yes, life will bring adversity. It’s life. That’s what it does. Face whatever it throws at you and bend without breaking. Then take whatever you went up against, learn from it, and put it behind you.

All that… AND I still made it before the day was done. I call that a “win.”

Namaste.

Monday – 05 January 2015
Day 5: Write a letter to a loved one. Chances are high that there is someone in your life that you’d like to say something important to. Maybe it’s a wife, a parent, a grandparent you never really got to say goodbye to…take the time today to write that out. It can be positive, negative, or anywhere in between. The beauty of this letter is that you aren’t sending it in the mail, you’re simply “voicing” something that needs to be said. Should you choose to share it later, that’s okay, but you don’t have to. Doing this can be a great way to heal anger that’s been pent up inside, or to release a pressure valve of sadness we may have been harboring over something lost.

This is another fairly easy and straightforward item. All of my biological grandparents were deceased by the time I got married or had kids. I have been fortunate and blessed enough to have step-grandparents (and a grandfather-in-law) and a pretty kick-ass great-grandmother-in-law (seriously, how many hyphens can I fit in a name!?), to help fill in the gaps.

But, I’d still love the chance to say a few things to my grandparents. So…

Grandparents:
I hope that you’re well. You’re definitely missed. And you’ve missed out on some pretty interesting things

For starters, I moved to Utah. (Okay, Grandma N. knew that one…) Yes, Utah. Long story, short version: I met someone and wound up moving out here. It didn’t exactly work out. That’s okay. Things got better.

Fast forward a few years… and I met Sara.

Not only is she amazing, but she puts up with me, too. We met in… 2002 or 2003, I think – it may have been a year or so earlier – as part of the same coffee and beer group, but we were both seeing other people at the time. A few years after that, we met at another coffee-and-beer function and she asked me out. I said “yes,” and we went out a few weeks later. And kept going out. And, finally…

…and bought a house…

…and had a couple kids…

I’m sorry that you never got the chance to meet Sara and the girls. You’d love them.

I’m sorry that you didn’t get to be here for a lot of things.

But, mostly I miss you being around.

Love,
Rob

Sunday – 04 January 2015
Day 4: Via negativia; today, pick a habit that you’d like to eliminate from your life. Bad habits are like armpits, we all have ‘em and they all stink. Whether cutting soda out of your life, or putting a stop to your porn addiction; either way, as with yesterday, think about the steps you’ll take in order to put the kibosh on that negative habit. And again, also think about how you’ll keep yourself accountable to that goal.

This one is easy: I’d like to eliminate my occasional lack of patience with Team DiVa.

They’re three and despite their precocious natures, they sometimes – not surprisingly – act like… three-year-olds. There are times when they do things that are 180 degress opposite of what I’ve asked or told them to do.

At these times, my patience is tested… irritation peaks… and temper flares.

The main thing that I need to do is: Remember that they are three and respond to them calmly… even – or especially – when I want to explode inside. Take a deep breath. Walk away. You know: Be (or at least act like) a mature adult.

Fortunately, Sara! is good about pointing out when my response to the girls is disproportionate to their behavior. I’m becoming more aware of my reactions and and trying to be better about being more even-tempered in dealing with the girls when they’re pushing the envelope.

As the saying goes: The longest journey beings with a single step.

Namaste.

Saturday – 03 January 2015
Keeping up with the challenge…

Day 3: Decide on one positive habit you’d like to implement in your life. Whether seemingly mundane (like flossing) or perhaps life-altering (exercising every day), think of something you’d like to add to your life that will be beneficial. Then, think about the steps you’ll take to get there, and how you’ll keep yourself accountable.

The habit I want to implement – actually re-implement – is working out again. Sara and I have bandied this about for a while and we think that we’re at a point where our schedules should allow for us to get back to the gym.

We’re starting next month and, from there, getting back in to the routine of getting into shape. We’ve been out of the game for too long. Aside from that, it will be good for our overall health and well-being. As to accountability? I can’t speak for Sara, but I’m trying to get into shape to hopefully pull off a new Luke Cage cosplay by the time Comic Con rolls around. That’s going to take some work.

Here’s to a fitter us in 2015!

Friday – 02 January 2015
I’m really trying to get back in the habit of blogging more regularly here.
…and at Pinstripes and Polos.
… and at Four-Color Coverage.

I found an article, Jumpstart Your Journaling: A 31-Day Challenge, that might just be the impetus I needed to get myself back into the swing of things.

Granted, this blog isn’t as much “journal” as it is “repository for impulses, images and other echoes,” but the principles are similar enough that I think that I can employ some/most of the techniques.

With that, I’m going to put this entry to work doing double-duty: Day One and Day Two’s challenges. Granted, I wrote a post yesterday, so I’m kind of up on that, but in the interest of adhering to the challenge, I’m going to do the Day One Challenge.

• Day 1: Start with answering the question of why you want to journal, and beyond that, why you decided to embark on this 31-day experience. Write out what you’d like to get from journaling.

  When I started this blog, it was originally to get ideas for writing (prose, poetry, whatever really…). It wound up becoming a chimera of daily observations, things going on with me and the people around me, noteworthy things in the news, and a few ideas for writing. And it was good.

  What I hope to get out of this challenge is to get back into the flow of doing that on a regular basis. Even if it isn’t daily, I want to get back in the habit of writing regularly… or, if not writing, just sketching something – another thing I haven’t really done in far too long – and posting it online.

• Day 2: Continuing to work within that idea of constraints, try to write a 6-word memoir of your life so far. This idea is rumored to have originated from Papa Hemingway. The benefit is that with only six words, you really have to filter your life to what you deem most important. It may take you many iterations, but you’ll end up with something that speaks largely to who you are, if not in toto, then at least in this moment in time.

  Faced challenges. Learned lessons. Still growing.

That was a good first (and second) step. Now to make sure that the ball doesn’t stop rolling.

Namaste.

Thursday – 01 January 2015
Today begins a new year.  I hope that you, your families and those special to you have a happy and prosperous year.

No matter what 2014 brought you – good or bad –  you have faced it and made it through. I challenge you to do it again.

Be well and be good to each other.

Namaste.

May your Christmas be merry, your Kwanzaa be joyous, and your New Year be happy!

Namaste.

Monday – 15 December 2014
It’s been longer than I’d planned since my last post. So, let’s get down to business.

The last few weeks have been good. Thanksgiving went well. We managed to host and feed ten people to no ill effect. The girls have been sick. Gotten over it. I’ve been sick. Gotten over it. Sara’s worked a lot – apparently, the end of the year is a busy time for the ballet. The Nutcracker and whatnot. Go figure.

This past weekend, I also got around to installing the trim in the train room. I’ve got three walls done; now it’s just a matter of timing to do the rest. Well, timing and moving a few things. It’s not perfect, but I am proud of  the job. If nothing else, I’ll have a much better idea of what to do – and not do – the next time I have a reason to install baseboards.

Ahead, Christmas. I’m looking forward to it. Not just because “It’s Christmas,” but also because the girls are so excited about it. We started putting up our trees and other decorations a couple of weekends ago. The girls have been going on about “Santa’s going to love our pretty decorations!”

Stray Toasters

• As of this weekend, we have seen Frozen… or, at least, Sara! and I have seen it. We’re not sure if the girls had seen it before. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but it did surprise me in a couple of places.That said, I do understand Sara!’s irritation with Disney’s current marketing of the movie/DVD: All of the marketing seems to be geared towards Olaf (the snowman) and the Sven (the reindeer), rather than making note that the movie has not one, but TWO, strong female leads. Instead, the current wave points to “Hey, look at these funny characters!”
• Speaking of which: When is the last time that Disney – not Pixar or Marvel – made a movie for kids that didn’t have a wacky animal or magically animated object as a sidekick/comic relief?
• Titanfall is still fun… even when you haven’t played it in three months.
• Pinstripes and Polos – because… self-promotion!
• I can’t play “The Little Drummer Boy Game,” considering that one of my favorite Christmas songs is Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth, by Bing Crosby and David Bowie.
• Two of my least favorite Christmas songs are: Jingle Bell Rock and Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
• [REDACTED]
• I’m about 2/3 of the way through Ace Atkin’s Lullaby, the first post-Robert B. Parker Spenser novel.
  
  It reads very similarly to Parker’s style; there are a few things that seem slightly off – more “slightly out of focus” than “this isn’t even remotely right” – but pretty much reads like I expect a Spenser novel to read.

And that’s it for now; time to finish getting ready for Guys’ Night Out!

Namaste.

Tuesday – 11 November 2013
Today is Veterans Day.

“Thank you” to my family, extended family, friends and the thousands of other people who serve our country – and those who have served in the past – to protect our country and our freedoms.

Thursday – 06 November 2014
You know that it must be something of “a day” when it takes me this long to get around to wishing the lovely Sara! a “Happy Birthday!”

But, before any more of the day gets away from me, I want to be sure that I say it and wish her a great day and a wonderful year to come… because she deserves all that and much more!

Sara and I are in the middle of watching last night’s episode of The Walking Dead:. I was fast-forwarding through commericials, but missed my count and wound up going back to normal play speed just as this came up:

After spending the day with Team DiVa – and after the horrible night’s sleep, due to sick kids – I couldn’t stop laughing.

Well played, Vick’s. Well. Played.

Namaste.

Monday – 03 November 2014
A new week (and a new month, give or take a couple of days) is upon us.

Friday was Hallowe’en. After picking up Team DiVa from “school,” we got ready to take them trick-or-treating and prepared for visitors of our own.

Superhero Ballerinas: Batgirl (Vanessa) and Wonder Woman (Diana)

To check out more pictures of our resident superheroes, click here.

We took the girls out about 6:40 (after dinner and getting costumes in order); we didn’t run into other trick-or-treaters. Our neighborhood doesn’t have tons of kids, but there are a few around.  I had expected to see at least one or two costumed kids out there. Zip. Zilch. Zero. Nada. Not only that, but we didn’t receive any trick-or-treaters, either — we left candy and comics in a bowl on the front steps while we were gone. No takers. Oh, well. Their loss and more candy for us… like we needed it.

Saturday morning, Sara! headed off to quilting and Team DiVa and I hung out for a while. After Sara returned, I headed out to play in the “War of Light” HeroClix tournament at Dr. Volt’s. I went 1-2, but still had fun. Back home, Diana was starting to feel not-so-good, so we had a low-key afternoon around the house. I decided to see if there were any “new” cartoons that might be alright for the girls to watch. I was hoping to find something with Wonder Woman, but didn’t feel like giving Amazon money to watch old Super Friends episodes. I did, however, find episodes of Justice League of America and Teen Titans from 1967. The girls were able to readily identify Superman, Green Lantern, and The Flash from the JLA toons; they also mistook Wonder Girl for Wonder Woman in Teen Titans, but that was an easy mistake to clear up. On the plus side, they were rapt by the cartoons. Parenting win!

Sunday morning started early: 3 AM, when Diana started feeling sick (fever). She crawled into bed with Sara and me. For the next couple of hours, sleep became… not as easy as we would have liked. She went back to her room around 5 AM and we stole back to The Dreaming for a few more hours. After everyone was up, we went to breakfast at Millcreek Cafe and then took a Team DiVa-requested stroll around Wheeler Historic Farm. The girls took long naps, which afforded me the chance to put a major dent in cleaning up the Train Room. After nap time, the girls asked to watch more Teen Titans; so we did. Then it was time for Sara’s pre-birthday dinner at her parents’ house. Lamb curry. Pakora. Samosas. All good. Diana was still a little feverish and tired, so we put the girls to bed a little early.

Today, I’m playing Mr. Mom to one sick kid and one semi-sick kid, while trying to keep an occasional eye on work-related items… and watching more My Little Pony in one afternoon than I have in a month, apparently. That’s fine, though, because the cuddle factor makes it all worthwhile.

Namaste.

Sunday – 26 October 2014
As of 7:00 AM EDT, I officially turn(ed) 44.

This has been a good year. I’ve been fortunate and blessed enough to have spent it in the company of a great family and friends.

I took Friday off, as we have a project starting at work on Monday for which I need to be in the office. It’s surprising how much work I wound up having to do at various points in the day. By the time I had figured that I was done and could relax for the evening, one final thing cropped up. No rest for the wicked.

Yesterday, I didn’t get to sleep in quite as long as I would have liked, but you can’t really complain about a morning that starts with the little ladies coming in for “family cuddles.” Absolutely nothing wrong with that. We ran a couple of errands, including a trip to Dr. Volt’s. I picked up a few birthday presents for myself:

• Adventure Comics #371,
• Legion of Super-Heroes #2 (1973), and
• D&D Player’s Handbook (5th Edition) – not that I have a group with which to play, but “just because” is good enough. For now.

After nap time and running a couple more errands, we had family and a few friends over for cake and ice cream. Sara, made a Green Lantern-themed cake…

Yep, she knows me well. 🙂

…and it was good! Being the parents to Team DiVa keeps us “kind of” busy, so we don’t always get the time to spend with others. It was nice to take a couple of hours to unwind, sit and just catch up. Time well spent, I’d say.

We wound down the night with the premiere of Constantine and Doctor Who “Forest of the Night.” I enjoyed Constantine – it felt closer to the source material than the movie starring Keanu Reaves – but it was definitely a first episode. There’s still new show smell (actors getting used to roles, a lot of easter eggs and foreshadowing) on it, but I’m going to give it a go. The Doctor Who episode, on the other hand, I think may be the weakest episode (thus far) of the season. Oh, well. They can’t all be gold.

Today, not sure what’s going to happen during the first part of the day, but I get to choose the menu for tonight’s family dinner/birthday dinner. It shall be burgers and brats. Selah. Added birthday bonus: There’s a Ravens game this morning/afternoon. I’m good with that.

Time to see what the day brings.

Namaste.