Yesterday, March 17th 2013 was a special day. Yes, it was St. Patty's Day. But that's not why I am deeming yesterday special. Yesterday was unique in that the Earth was hit with solar particles the like we haven't seen in years. On Friday (March 15th) the Sun let out a CME that just happened to be pointed towards Earth and was essentially double the power, speed, and velocity of what a normal or average one would be. So no, this was not an Earth shattering event or something that made national news (it did not by the way), but it was special.
Predictions for the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis were for them to be seen as far south as Wisconsin. I am in Illinois and I looked North last night but could see nothing. I did not see any reports from people residing in Wisconsin either as to whether or not they were lucky enough to see any lights. However, it does stand to reason that this is not the last time this year that we will have such an event.
The Sun goes through cycles just like every other living thing. Yes, the Sun is alive. At least in my opinion. Not a sentient type of alive mind you. But as a living, breathing, heaving, living thing. It does not have organs nor does it have anything besides chemicals for that matter. But it goes through cycles like anything else. Since we have started recording them we noticed that they are 11 year cycles. Every 11 years the Sun Spots, CME's, Solar Flares, etc.. all spike. We are now at the climax of the 11 year cycle and that is why we are seeing more and more Solar events lately. That is also why I claim that last nights "almost" event will not be the last. I will report on anything I learn or see regarding this as it really interests me.
However, right now it is time to walk Dakota (my Boxer). If I do not get her walking down the block and rumbling through the freshly fallen snow she will not stop whining and I will not get anything done. So until then....
"Moving on, is a simple thing. What it leaves behind is hard..."
Showing posts with label Homelife. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Homelife. Show all posts
Monday, March 18, 2013
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Conspiracies and Me
As a writer I try to avoid certain things. I try to avoid things that might cloud my mind depending on just what it is that I am trying to write. If for example, I need to remain objective about a particular subject I might avoid resources that are too overly biased. This is much in the same way that I might try to avoid reading the reviews of a new movie that I am going to see so as not to spoil my opinion, entertainment, or outlook. It is in this vein that I try to avoid getting wrapped up in conspiracy theories.
Of course I must admit, there are those who take these things extremely seriously and for them I almost feel sorry. I'm just not sure if anything in life is worth that much energy and struggle. Then there are the theories that in my opinion are just, well... funny. I mean they are funny in the sense of just pure craziness. The kind that make you want to stand up and exclaim, "who the hell, or what the hell gave you THAT idea!?" You know what I mean?
Like I said, I do what I can to stay away from these things. However, the other day my son brought up a couple things that kind of made me re-think that approach. My son is in 7th grade and is a very intelligent kid and a star athlete. So he is not the kind of kid who is apt to get involved in crazy ideas. But, thing is, I could tell by the way he was talking to me that he had put some thought into this and that he had also spent a good amount of time doing some research of his own. The topic? The American financial crisis, the reasons we have said crisis, our history of creating money from thin air (the debt and federal reserve system), along with, and I didn't think this belonged with the others but when you get past the initial shock you understand why it was, the book World War Z.
As much as I would have liked to just ignore all of this and hope that it would just go away I do not think I can. As a father and as an intellectual, I feel that I must at least try to educate my son in things that I had thought I wouldn't have to talk about until he was maybe in his twenties. Either way it is going to happen. The good part about it all is that with the extra research that I will undoubtedly have to do I should have some great material for an article or two or three. One thing that I definitely have on my list is to denounce this one fool who is on YouTube and claims World War Z is our governments secret manifesto to taking over society. I will have fun with that one.
Even though I sometimes say it too often, stay tuned. The upcoming material should be very interesting at the very least. And who knows, maybe when I start tearing into the YouTube fool (Alex Jones on the Alex Jones Channel) I might even decide to do it in video format. That might be fun. Trust me, I will keep everyone posted. Until then...
Of course I must admit, there are those who take these things extremely seriously and for them I almost feel sorry. I'm just not sure if anything in life is worth that much energy and struggle. Then there are the theories that in my opinion are just, well... funny. I mean they are funny in the sense of just pure craziness. The kind that make you want to stand up and exclaim, "who the hell, or what the hell gave you THAT idea!?" You know what I mean?
Like I said, I do what I can to stay away from these things. However, the other day my son brought up a couple things that kind of made me re-think that approach. My son is in 7th grade and is a very intelligent kid and a star athlete. So he is not the kind of kid who is apt to get involved in crazy ideas. But, thing is, I could tell by the way he was talking to me that he had put some thought into this and that he had also spent a good amount of time doing some research of his own. The topic? The American financial crisis, the reasons we have said crisis, our history of creating money from thin air (the debt and federal reserve system), along with, and I didn't think this belonged with the others but when you get past the initial shock you understand why it was, the book World War Z.
As much as I would have liked to just ignore all of this and hope that it would just go away I do not think I can. As a father and as an intellectual, I feel that I must at least try to educate my son in things that I had thought I wouldn't have to talk about until he was maybe in his twenties. Either way it is going to happen. The good part about it all is that with the extra research that I will undoubtedly have to do I should have some great material for an article or two or three. One thing that I definitely have on my list is to denounce this one fool who is on YouTube and claims World War Z is our governments secret manifesto to taking over society. I will have fun with that one.
Even though I sometimes say it too often, stay tuned. The upcoming material should be very interesting at the very least. And who knows, maybe when I start tearing into the YouTube fool (Alex Jones on the Alex Jones Channel) I might even decide to do it in video format. That might be fun. Trust me, I will keep everyone posted. Until then...
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Is the Stay At Home Father Undervalued?
During the time that I have been writing about the "Stay at Home Father" experience I have generally spoke about the things we do as Dads, or what we do with our kids. One thing that I have stayed away from, mostly because I never ask for it myself, is recognition. Over the last couple of days however as I was thinking about what I should write about in the "Father" category it has crossed my mind that we are vastly under-appreciated in this role. I'm not looking for a pat on the back or for my wife to grovel at my feet shouting my praises. No. All I am looking for is for some acknowledgment of what it is that I do as a stay at home Dad. Let me elaborate.
Everyday we do our bit to help get the kids ready for school. In my house it is especially difficult because we have one bathroom and 3 girls! Normally this would spell disaster however the timing just happens to work out in addition to girl number 3 being in 3rd grade. That does not mean she is never in front of a mirror, just that she does not require the same amount of primping that my wife and my freshman daughter do. So the mornings are rough but doable. Once everyone is off for the day is when my day starts, just as it would for a typical housewife. I may start to lose track of what is PC so I am asking for forgiveness in advance.
The previous night always seems to somehow leave its mark on the house in the form of used dishware, a couple shreds of paper from my youngest and her 8pm art project. The dinner table has, after dinner of course, become a stopping point for graded school-work, mail, and the occasional ad paper that somehow made its way to our table as well. My son's baseball equipment, which he neglected to take back downstairs to his room now adorns the spot on the floor in front of the china cabinet. These are just a few examples of things scattered around the house from the previous day and nights activities. All of these "remnants" are now my responsibility to put away. I could leave some of it for the kids when they return from school and make them put it away. But if I did that I would have to stare at the things all day and I just could not deal with that.
So when everyone has departed for their school day and work day I start my day with a tour of the kids bedrooms as I wander around putting away all of the things they left out. This can take up a good portion of the morning, what with vacuuming, washing dishes and laundry not to mention folding the laundry (the thing I hate the most). Once I get this done to the point where I am satisfied I get on the computer and start to try and get some writing done. However, there are some things that must be done here that typically a woman would not do. At least I know my wife would not. This is where the recognition comes into the story.
All of the things that I had mentioned are your normal, everyday chores and tasks that need to be done in a family setting for whomever is the "homemaker". But, what differs between what I do and what my wife would do are what you could call the "guy stuff" around the house. Fixing the leak in the kitchen sink or the clog in the basement drain line. Is my wife going to do that? Would yours? How about fixing the bedroom door because it was rubbing on the door jam? Are the wives going to get the wood plane and bring the door down to size? I think not. Or let's say the leg on the dinner table is broken, would the wives take out the bolt and re-thread the hole so as to accept a new bolt? My wife never has. My point is this, all of the things that the husbands do around the house we also do while we are the homemakers.
It can become quite the strain on a man to do all the household chores plus all the home maintenance, yard work, car work, and various other things that the husband would normally do. Now do not misunderstand me and think that I am saying a woman cannot do these things. I would never say that because I know women who have. What I am saying is that the typical wife that is out working while her husband stays home to take care of the house and kids, that woman is not going to come home from the office and start hanging drywall. We as husbands should get at least some recognition that in addition to the household duties we also bust our humps with much more.
So when you are considering the value of having your husband stay home to care for the kids and the house, don't forget that he is still a man. Don't forget that he will still have a need and a desire to make sure the house and everything in it is in perfect working order for his wife and children. Don't forget that in order to make that a reality he will have to work twice as hard in order to get it all done during the day. Do not ignore the fact that all of these things are difficult, even if he makes it look easy. Realize that if it wasn't for your husband you would be calling a plumber, carpenter, HVAC tech, and PC service tech, among others. He sweats his butt off for you and the kids because he loves you guys and wants you to be happy. So if he complains that his back hurts a little, or he is a bit sleepy after dinner it is because he was working hard all day long. Understand that none of this is easy, even though he might make it look like it is, that is just because he knows what he is doing.
Everyday we do our bit to help get the kids ready for school. In my house it is especially difficult because we have one bathroom and 3 girls! Normally this would spell disaster however the timing just happens to work out in addition to girl number 3 being in 3rd grade. That does not mean she is never in front of a mirror, just that she does not require the same amount of primping that my wife and my freshman daughter do. So the mornings are rough but doable. Once everyone is off for the day is when my day starts, just as it would for a typical housewife. I may start to lose track of what is PC so I am asking for forgiveness in advance.
The previous night always seems to somehow leave its mark on the house in the form of used dishware, a couple shreds of paper from my youngest and her 8pm art project. The dinner table has, after dinner of course, become a stopping point for graded school-work, mail, and the occasional ad paper that somehow made its way to our table as well. My son's baseball equipment, which he neglected to take back downstairs to his room now adorns the spot on the floor in front of the china cabinet. These are just a few examples of things scattered around the house from the previous day and nights activities. All of these "remnants" are now my responsibility to put away. I could leave some of it for the kids when they return from school and make them put it away. But if I did that I would have to stare at the things all day and I just could not deal with that.
So when everyone has departed for their school day and work day I start my day with a tour of the kids bedrooms as I wander around putting away all of the things they left out. This can take up a good portion of the morning, what with vacuuming, washing dishes and laundry not to mention folding the laundry (the thing I hate the most). Once I get this done to the point where I am satisfied I get on the computer and start to try and get some writing done. However, there are some things that must be done here that typically a woman would not do. At least I know my wife would not. This is where the recognition comes into the story.
All of the things that I had mentioned are your normal, everyday chores and tasks that need to be done in a family setting for whomever is the "homemaker". But, what differs between what I do and what my wife would do are what you could call the "guy stuff" around the house. Fixing the leak in the kitchen sink or the clog in the basement drain line. Is my wife going to do that? Would yours? How about fixing the bedroom door because it was rubbing on the door jam? Are the wives going to get the wood plane and bring the door down to size? I think not. Or let's say the leg on the dinner table is broken, would the wives take out the bolt and re-thread the hole so as to accept a new bolt? My wife never has. My point is this, all of the things that the husbands do around the house we also do while we are the homemakers.
It can become quite the strain on a man to do all the household chores plus all the home maintenance, yard work, car work, and various other things that the husband would normally do. Now do not misunderstand me and think that I am saying a woman cannot do these things. I would never say that because I know women who have. What I am saying is that the typical wife that is out working while her husband stays home to take care of the house and kids, that woman is not going to come home from the office and start hanging drywall. We as husbands should get at least some recognition that in addition to the household duties we also bust our humps with much more.
So when you are considering the value of having your husband stay home to care for the kids and the house, don't forget that he is still a man. Don't forget that he will still have a need and a desire to make sure the house and everything in it is in perfect working order for his wife and children. Don't forget that in order to make that a reality he will have to work twice as hard in order to get it all done during the day. Do not ignore the fact that all of these things are difficult, even if he makes it look easy. Realize that if it wasn't for your husband you would be calling a plumber, carpenter, HVAC tech, and PC service tech, among others. He sweats his butt off for you and the kids because he loves you guys and wants you to be happy. So if he complains that his back hurts a little, or he is a bit sleepy after dinner it is because he was working hard all day long. Understand that none of this is easy, even though he might make it look like it is, that is just because he knows what he is doing.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Remove Bloatware the Easy Way!
There have been a ton of applications over the last few years that have promised to handle the daunting task of cleaning your computer. Sadly, most of them were just a ruse aimed at getting people to install the software only to pollute the computer with its own spyware, malware, and even a virus or two. Even when people go to download a software application from download giant CNET you have to be extremely vigilant. Every time you download something from them you are running the risk of installing a toolbar or other such junk that no one needs. Problem is, they try and make it seem as if the toolbar is part of the process of installing the software you actually wanted.
Of course this is not the only cause of what has long been called bloatware. Anytime you bring home a new computer the hard drive is polluted with crap that you do not need and will most likely never use. People spend hours deleting software using various means and different websites that promise to help. As a service tech myself I cannot count how many times I have been called because bloatware has caused some sort of problem on a system. The best thing that anyone can do is to delete anything you do not need or better yet, uninstall it through your control panel. This too can be a chore, especially if you do not know what you are dealing with. This can be hard even for a seasoned computer pro.
Well rest easy my friends. I have found a tool that will save the day. Not only will this application make getting rid of junk so much easier. But it will give you information about what you are deleting and what scores of other users have done with that same piece of software. Coupled with their website the application itself is priceless. I am referring to a piece of code entitled Should I Remove It?
As I said, the application and the website both do a wonderful job of first giving you information to help make your decision about deleting the software easier. Once you know what you are dealing with, you will know if you can safely remove the application without possibly making a mistake and uninstalling something you or your system may actually need.
The application is very easy to use and the best part about it is that it does not install or use any 3rd party applications to get rid of things you delete. The application will load the original uninstall software from the application you are removing. This way it is assured to get every file associated with the offending application because it is the application itself that is doing the deleting. The fact that this application does its job in such a simple yet effective manner is what makes it so great. If you couple this with a couple other great tools you will be able to keep your computer clean and running in top form for a long time.
The website is also a great place to start if you are still unsure about getting rid of things on your system. You can type any application that you find on your system into the search box and you will be presented with a bunch of information on that particular file. What else was installed with it, where it comes from and where on your system it resides. Of course you will still get the best piece of info in my opinion and that is what did other people do with it. What is so great about that piece of information is that even if you are not sure about the application or what to do with it, you can at least make a somewhat safe decision based on what thousands of others have done.
The website can be found HERE and you will find links on the home page to download their software also. That is up to you however. The application does a wonderful job of handling most of the tedious work of deleting the junk for you but if you would prefer to do it yourself you can still do that. Just utilize the web site and the information on it and you will be set to go.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Stay At Home Dads
When I made a couple changes to my blog about a year ago one of the things that I added was a focus on writing about being a Stay At Home Dad. I did it for a bit but it seemed that more often than not I was just writing about other things. Regardless, I still feel that the Stay At Home Dad is a powerful thing in our society today. Especially with the way things have been changing lately, the ability for a family to adapt is important.
My wife and I did it a couple years ago when I lost my job as a painter. In a way it was just fine with me because I was tried anyway. What? Did I think I was getting a break? Yeah Right! To be honest, the world was ready to accept me, Mr. Mom... but I wasn't ready to accept me. It is hard at first for a guy to accept the fact that not only is he not out in the world working hard and getting dirty to earn a buck; but instead I am at home, washing dishes, washing clothes, making beds, dusting, and cleaning the floor. Among many, many other things.
And I have to say it again, even though I am positive it has been said multiple times already. Women deserve a huge pat on the back for all they did while we were at work! I already had a pretty good idea what housework was before all of this. My wife and I have a pretty even relationship when it comes to taking care of household duties. We share a lot. I thought at first that would prepare me for taking it all over at 100% - boy was I wrong! The best way that I can describe it in terms that most men will understand is like this.
You know when you haven't done a physical job for a while, or you work all summer and are off for the winter (you know a season gig) then come spring it's time to get back at it? So when you first start working you hit it hard and get right back into the swing of things - right where you left off. But... and yea.. here it comes.. but.. after that first week of getting back to work. After that first week of putting your body through the physical hell that it was used to before.. your body was used to it before you sat around all winter soaking up the chips and salsa. But now your back to work and you weren't ready and your body is telling you just that. So after week number one you are laying in bed on Saturday and you cannot move no matter what comes rolling through. A freaking tornado couldn't get you out of bed. That is what it feels like to take on a woman/mother's role in a household.
It has been a while since that first couple of weeks that I took over for my wife at home. Things have calmed down immensely but that does not mean that things are not difficult. Life is hard as hell. It is hard as hell and I plan on telling you all about it. Again. Yes.. I will start a new section all about the stay at home Dad. See how the roller coaster goes up and down? I move from my Diverse By Design domain back to blogger where it all started and now I am bringing back old topics and features. I might also start including some of my story writing. I am currently working on getting a short story published in a weekly magazine. I'm just about done with it too. I just might include a story section too, why not.
The stay at home Dad is not going away. The economy has forced too many changes within our society and whoever can get work needs to take it. If that means the woman becomes the main breadwinner forcing the man to stay at home to care for the kids then so be it. Today there is nothing wrong with that at all. Matter of fact there are many couples that choose this route. They do not let life force them into such a change. I will try to speak with a couple of them someday soon and see what they have to say about society and how it has affected their way of life. If at all.
There is a lot going on around the DBD blog these days. I'm most excited about the short story I have coming out soon but there is much more than just that. It is going to be a busy month here. I look forward to hearing from some of you soon as well. Tomorrow I will be replacing the DBD Computer Service Link for those who wish to utilize our services. Of course this is for the local crowd only. OK ladies and gents. Time for me to go watch a movie with the wife and kids. I will catch you all on the flipside!
My wife and I did it a couple years ago when I lost my job as a painter. In a way it was just fine with me because I was tried anyway. What? Did I think I was getting a break? Yeah Right! To be honest, the world was ready to accept me, Mr. Mom... but I wasn't ready to accept me. It is hard at first for a guy to accept the fact that not only is he not out in the world working hard and getting dirty to earn a buck; but instead I am at home, washing dishes, washing clothes, making beds, dusting, and cleaning the floor. Among many, many other things.
And I have to say it again, even though I am positive it has been said multiple times already. Women deserve a huge pat on the back for all they did while we were at work! I already had a pretty good idea what housework was before all of this. My wife and I have a pretty even relationship when it comes to taking care of household duties. We share a lot. I thought at first that would prepare me for taking it all over at 100% - boy was I wrong! The best way that I can describe it in terms that most men will understand is like this.
You know when you haven't done a physical job for a while, or you work all summer and are off for the winter (you know a season gig) then come spring it's time to get back at it? So when you first start working you hit it hard and get right back into the swing of things - right where you left off. But... and yea.. here it comes.. but.. after that first week of getting back to work. After that first week of putting your body through the physical hell that it was used to before.. your body was used to it before you sat around all winter soaking up the chips and salsa. But now your back to work and you weren't ready and your body is telling you just that. So after week number one you are laying in bed on Saturday and you cannot move no matter what comes rolling through. A freaking tornado couldn't get you out of bed. That is what it feels like to take on a woman/mother's role in a household.
It has been a while since that first couple of weeks that I took over for my wife at home. Things have calmed down immensely but that does not mean that things are not difficult. Life is hard as hell. It is hard as hell and I plan on telling you all about it. Again. Yes.. I will start a new section all about the stay at home Dad. See how the roller coaster goes up and down? I move from my Diverse By Design domain back to blogger where it all started and now I am bringing back old topics and features. I might also start including some of my story writing. I am currently working on getting a short story published in a weekly magazine. I'm just about done with it too. I just might include a story section too, why not.
The stay at home Dad is not going away. The economy has forced too many changes within our society and whoever can get work needs to take it. If that means the woman becomes the main breadwinner forcing the man to stay at home to care for the kids then so be it. Today there is nothing wrong with that at all. Matter of fact there are many couples that choose this route. They do not let life force them into such a change. I will try to speak with a couple of them someday soon and see what they have to say about society and how it has affected their way of life. If at all.
There is a lot going on around the DBD blog these days. I'm most excited about the short story I have coming out soon but there is much more than just that. It is going to be a busy month here. I look forward to hearing from some of you soon as well. Tomorrow I will be replacing the DBD Computer Service Link for those who wish to utilize our services. Of course this is for the local crowd only. OK ladies and gents. Time for me to go watch a movie with the wife and kids. I will catch you all on the flipside!
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