All posts by Duf

Man it felt like the weekend was a big disjointed mess, a feeling I never enjoy.  On Saturday morning after doing some chores running errands I headed to my accountants place.  She had been asking me for several months if I could stop out to look at stuff for her.  I felt badly that I had forgotten about it, especially since her husband had died so unexpectedly a couple years ago.  I wound up walking out of there with a bunch of old equipment she no longer needed or wanted, most of it I will recycle but there is a printer that we will be giving to Katie.  I was able to address the issues she had, I wish I would have done it sooner.

So by the time I got home it was after three but I had it in my head that I needed to get the weed whacking done.  It had not been done for weeks and it showed.  I didn’t get out in the yard until probably closer to 4:15.  I worked straight into darkness to finish up.  The session was very annoying because of some issues I am having with my grass trimmer, it only wants to stay running in the choked position.  I got sick of f’ing with it and switched to the electric trimmer which I had to refill twice with trimmer line and swap out batteries twice as well.  When I whacked the last weed I was very frustrated.

So Saturday night I looked forward to relaxing while watching a movie we rented, Tenet.  This movie made headlines as being one of the first to go into theaters after covid started.  I recalled hearing/reading positive things about it.  It didn’t take long for me to question these positive statements. I found the movie utterly stupid.  I had a very hard time understanding much of the dialogue because of the accents of some of the main characters.  The plot whipped back and forth nonsensically, at least to me.  I would love to hear someone explain how/why they liked the film.  It seemed confusing just for the sake of being confusing.  I don’t give out many D ratings but Tenet went there for me.

On Sunday I wanted to try to get some of my things in order. I had stuff haphazardly laying around various spots in the house which bugs the hell out of me.  I got stuff sorted, organized and put away, at least to some degree.  During the afternoon we met up with Deb to do a little ride around at the school, which was fun despite the rather chilly, by Florida standards, temperatures.

I also shot a video talking about my first year with the whole house solar system.  The cliff notes version is I did not break even from a power perspective like I hoped.  In total I wound up paying for about 5000KWH of usage, a far cry from what I used to pay but still, a bit annoying.

I spent a good portion of Sunday evening editing the two above videos as well as binge watching a few Cobra Kai episodes with Cindy.  This week is looking rather busy, I feel like I have a lot of balls in the air.

This week Cindy and I did something unusual, watch movies on a weeknight, an activity normally reserved for weekends.  On Wednesday we watched Bombshell, the movie about Fox News and the various sexual harassment claims against Roger Ailes.  I thought the performance by Charlize Theron, taking on the appearance and speaking patterns of Meghan Kelly was pretty amazing.  The movie outlined the slimy underbelly of Fox News although this type of behavior I am sure is pervasive through the industry, just ask Matt Lauer.  I’d give it a B+.

Last night we watched Soul, the new Pixar movie that came out Christmas Day on Disney +.  I heard a lot of people talking about how touching and inspirational it was.  I thought the movie was good but not quite as impactful as others expressed.  I am sure my lack of religious beliefs affects my interpretation but regardless I thought it was a feel good movie with a message that more people should pay attention to, enjoy the simple things.  I’d give it a B+ as well.

I read someone make a funny analogy regarding some Trump staff resigning as a result of the history making self serving abuse of power he displayed on Wednesday.  The comparison was to someone who unbuckled their seat belt as the plan landed after a long flight.  NOW, you are outraged, NOW you care.  Of course Trump is the primary focus of ire for the last four disastrous years but we can’t forget the litany of enablers that went along with the bullshit.  For some of them to say NOW they have had enough seems disingenuous and just a token effort to distance themselves from the Trump dumpster fire.

Speaking of the Wednesday event, it seems quite clear that the capitol police did a poor job preparing and executing their enforcement duties.  There are many examples of the police simply stepping away on video, allowing the rioters through without resistance.  The chief has subsequently resigned and McConnell fired the guy that was in charge of security for the buildings themselves.  It seems pretty obvious that many of the officers only made a token effort to slow the onslaught but not to impede it.

This weekend I should be able to enjoy outdoor labor and activities due to the pleasant temps.  On Saturday afternoon I am going to head to my accountants place to help her out with some tech stuff she had been asking me about for 6 months or so.  She reminded me about it this week so I figured I need to do it sooner rather than later so it doesn’t drop off my radar again.

I, like the rest of the country, well the portion of the country that has not been the victim of four years of deliberate psychological manipulation, watched in disgust as a mob of die hard Trump acolytes got whipped into a frenzy by the grand leader himself and then proceeded to invade the US capitol buildings.  Their activities included breaking barricades, climbing walls, breaking windows and infiltrating interior sections of the building, including the floor of congress itself.  It was the ultimate shit show of an already exhaustively long list of atrocious behavior both committed personally and/or encouraged by Donald Trump.  It was the result of a childish temper tantrum by a 74 year old child who simply can’t accept an outcome that he did not want.

Now I have to question, like many media sources, just how this was allowed to happen.  It appeared the capitol police in many places were not very prepared or forceful in turning away the red faced MAGA hat wearing lunatics.  Since this protest has been planned, talked about and predicted for MONTHS, somebody seriously dropped the ball.  Reporters also mentioned that if this were Black Lives Matter protestors there is absolutely no way they would get to the interior of the buildings, they would have been stopped in their tracks by an overwhelming use of force. I would not at all be surprised if the orders to only slow but not impede the protestors came from higher, much higher up the chain of command.

To have this spectacle taking place and be ignited, promoted, and desired by the president of the country is surreal.  This is the sort of thing dictators do which is more or less what we have born witness to during Trump’s term.  You either cater to his wishes and desires, legal or not, or you are out.  When Trump did his ridiculous message to “calm” the crazies by telling them we were cheated out of the landslide victory, the election was stolen, he loved them, but it was now time for them to go home I wanted to reach through the screen and choke him.  I thought it was hilarious and overdue that Twitter and Facebook locked his accounts so he was cut off from spewing more gas onto the bright burning fire.  I hope they never allow him access to social media again, he is far more dangerous than Alex Jones.

So Congress did eventually resume and certify the vote just like they had to.  There were a few sparks of sanity that were revealed as a handful of the congressman that originally said they were going to participate in election fraud results protest changed their mind after Trump’s stunt and ensuing madness.  It’s good to know that not everybody is a lemming.  Even Mike Pence had to eventually deal in reality, admitting he had no power to overturn state election results which of course infuriated Trump too. Hell you know Donald has lost his mind when Pat Robertson, a well established Trump devotee and an impressive whacko resume of his own even said that Trump is living in his own reality and needs to move on.

So there has been a strong reaction to this as you would hope.  There was talk of the 25th Amendment being enacted when a president has proven he is unable to perform his duties.  Some say, heck he only has two weeks left, how much damage can he do?  Yesterday was proof just how bad it can be and just how disconnected from reality the man is.  I am sure he actually enjoyed having his zealots rampage and destroy.

I was angry and disgusted, enough that I posted on my Facebook account an unfriend request to anyone that was enthused by the events that occurred yesterday.  If you voted for Trump in 2016, ok, there are various reasons to do so, you didn’t necessarily need to be a racist, gun worshiping, light thinking, individual to cast that vote.  Maybe you just were a wealthy me firster that doesn’t care much about the greater good or you really disliked Hilary Clinton and the way the DNC rammed it to Bernie.  However if you still are gulping the Trump Kool Aid after the last four years and the abhorrent actions since the election was over, you’re officially a cultist and I have no interest interacting with cult mentality.  That doesn’t mean there isn’t hope for you in the future to wake up, I can only hope that happens, but I am not going to be the one to do it for you, so adios.

I have said it many times, especially in the last four years because it is absolutely true.  Joesph Stalin said, correctly, that “A lie told often enough, eventually becomes the truth…”  Trump has proven it again and again and again.

As planned I stopped at Outback on the way home from work to grab an on the go birthday dinner for us.  Cindy placed the order online.  When I told her I picked it up and was leaving she asked me if I checked the order.  I snap responded I did not, I told her the bag was very heavy so I was sure there was enough food in there.

I got home only a couple minutes before Katie, Daniel and baby DJ pulled up.  It always warms my heart when he comes over and gives me the “pick me up” pose.  We all enjoyed the food despite the lack of traditional restaurant surroundings.  Katie requested an ice cream birthday cake which I had not had in awhile.  DJ seemed to really enjoy the cake as well as he wore a good amount of it on his face. The birthday visit was filled with lots of fun, love, and laughter which is all you can hope for.

So I woke up this morning to some very encouraging news.  I saw that Raphael Warnock was outright declared the winner in the one Georgia senate race and John Ossoff was leading in the other race by a thin margin that mimic’s the presidential vote.  Warnock’s win was huge, the first time Georgia has elected a black senator.  Ossoff is super smart and well spoken, his opponent David Perdue comes off as a throwback to good old southern politics, if you know what I mean.  If Ossoff manages to win, it will officially flip the senate out from the iron and decrepit thumb of Mitch McConnell which would be a huge accomplishment.

Winning both of the seats would be a nice and tidy bow on the utter rebuke of Trumpism. This would be despite the cult members gathering in DC today to protest for an imaginary result under the direction of the falsest prophet ever to reside in the White House.  Any of the congressman that decide to participate in the ruse when the electoral college results are read today should be rewarded the next election cycle with defeat.  They should not ever be allowed to forget they participated in this sham.

The carnival side show is over kids, either get on board with common decency, respect, and the greater good or take your Trump Water and Trump Steaks to one of Trump’s boarded up casinos and have yourself a party.  Donald’s dive into insanity is now complete as he is now driven mad for being the ultimate loser on the planet’s biggest stage for all to see.

Yesterday Cindy was in distress as her Hyundai Ioniq appeared to be dead.  I talked her through using the key to manually open the door but when she got inside no lights were on.  My over the phone diagnosis was the 12V battery was probably dead.  Some people are surprised that hybrid cars have 12V batteries.  The Prius has one, which I have replaced in the past.  Hell believe it or not my Tesla even has a conventional 12V battery tucked into the front end.  I assumed it was the same case with the Ioniq.

So when I got home I was all ready to jump the car.  I opened up the manual to find the 12V battery location as it was not under the hood.  As I read the manual I realized something I had never heard of, the Ioniq hybrid does not have a conventional stand alone 12v battery.  Instead it has a 12v battery incorporated into the main hybrid battery pack.  When you encounter a situation where the car is dead there is a “12V reset” button on the dash you press which basically “jump starts” the car from the main hybrid battery.  Once you do that you are just supposed to drive the car for a short while to recharge the 12V lithium battery.

I hit that button and the car immediately returned to life.  At first we thought DJ maybe hit the button but in retrospect I think Cindy just has not been driving her car all that much lately, the Tacoma has been getting a lot of work with the landscaping stuff she has been doing.  I think just driving it around a little bit should get things back to normal as this morning she had to hit the 12V reset button again to get it started.

Today is Katie’s 27th birthday.  Typically for her birthday we would get together and go out to dinner someplace.  With covid still circulating robustly this year I am going to bring the dinner to her.  Cindy is going to place a takeout order at Outback which I will pick up after work. As grateful as I am to have Cindy in my life, I’m also thankful that it meant adding Katie and now my best buddy DJ to my life as well.  I love them both and will do anything to protect and help them navigate through the maze of this crazy world we live in.

On New Years Eve Cindy worked hard on getting the inside Christmas decorations put away, including both trees.  It’s a huge help for me and was much appreciated.  We had no formal NYE plans as you can imagine.  Instead I played some WoW until close to 11 as tons of people in our area indulged in their personal home fireworks displays, which I despise more and more every year.  Even with giving Elsa some calming treats and putting her compression vest on she still spent most of the evening in the bathtub, shaking.  I wonder if all of these people that get aroused by fireworks so deeply have pets as well and just don’t give a shit?  It was just another reminder of why I don’t enjoy human beings.  We did stay up to watch the ball drop in NYC.  Just like the rest of 2020, it was bizarre seeing Time Square mostly empty for the celebration.

On New Years Day I treated it like any other weekend, getting chores knocked out.  I did trap another palm rat overnight who I released in the same remote area as the others.  It seems like the rats that hang in the shed are not as wise to my live trap as those that hang in the chicken area.  Cindy helped me with taking down the outdoor decorations during the day.  It was a bit depressing but I also do get a sense of calm when things are returned to normal.

Earlier in the morning while I was out in the yard the neighbors kid, who I don’t think I have spoken to in a couple years, came running towards the fence to get my attention.  He told me that if we wanted to sit on the porch that night that he was going to be setting off fireworks.  Without hesitation I said “ok thanks” as he turned around and ran back inside.  The second I said it I immediately got angry with myself and my reflex reaction to be polite in most situations.  I should have told him that the fireworks terrify our dog and the last thing I would be doing is watching them for enjoyment.

The first thing I did was check to see if it was legal to shoot off fireworks on New Years Day.  I discovered that fireworks are legal in Florida three days of the year, 4th of July, New Years Eve and New Years Day.  Once I had that information I texted the neighbor kids mom and told her I appreciated him letting me know about the additional fireworks display but asked if they were going to do it, please keep them on the other side of their property which borders a vacant lot.  I told her that the fireworks terrify our dog.  The neighbors have at least two dogs of their own so you can refer back to my earlier confusion about why people would willingly scare their pets.  Anyway, she acknowledged my concern but said the kid I guess has been working at one of the firework retailers so he has some “big ones”, which made me cringe.  The kid was evidently very excited about blowing off explosives in the yard, yay.

Cindy and I came up with a plan where she would take Elsa to Katie’s house during the display.  I was scheduled to live stream anyway that night.  So just after dark the noise started.  I scooped up Elsa, who was already shaking and put her in the back of the truck so Cindy could take her to Katie’s where there weren’t New Years Day explosions.  From Cindy’s account Elsa had a great time there which I was happy to hear.

My three hour live stream went very well.  Marty co-hosted it with me.  At one point we had over 70 concurrent viewers which I think is a record for me.  I gave away about a dozen items to celebrate the milestone, it was a good time for sure.

Since I got a lot of my chores out of the way Friday, my Saturday was less demanding.  I mostly attended to things I wanted to do instead of things I felt I had to do.  One of those things was replacing the hot end assembly on one of my printers which I made a video about.  I really would like to get more 3D content on my channel as it has a much broader appeal than EUCs.

On Saturday night we also watched the live action version of Mulan with Cindy.  I never watched the cartoon version that was popular so the story was all new to me.  It was good stuff, I can see why it has been so popular, B+.

On Sunday we met up with Deb to do a ride late morning.  I took my One Wheel XR which I have not ridden for months.  Within 5 minutes of riding it I remembered why I enjoy it so much.  With my normal once a week riding slot I just haven’t had the time to give all of my PEVs equal time.  We had a fun time zipping around the scenic Oakes Bvd area.  At one point I thought I broke my camera when I inadvertently let it hit a pole while I was holding it behind,  Luckily everything still appeared to still work afterward.

After editing the video I headed out and changed the oil quickly on my Tacoma.  As always seems to be the case I I wound up getting oil blown on me by the wind.  The canister style filter the truck uses is a bit of a hassle but I have done the chore enough now that I can knock everything out in 30 minutes.

So I stayed up to watch the Eagles game last night.  Although the Eagles were out of the playoffs the game had significance because Washington had to win to make the playoffs. If they lost, the Giants, who beat the Cowboys earlier would make the playoffs.  I came away from the 20-14 loss angry, very, very angry.  The team, and more specifically Doug Pederson, appeared to give up.

The Redskins jumped out to an early 10-0 lead but the Eagles scored two touchdowns in the first half on two running scores by Jalen Hurts.  Speaking of Hurts, another head scratcher was the Eagles making Carson Wentz a clean scratch, meaning he wasn’t even eligible to play, instead they activated Nate Sudfield who hasn’t had a regular season snap in three years.  The official reason was to avoid putting Carson in harms way but it seemed like another indicator that they didn’t care if they won the game or not.

Ok so moving forward to the second half, down 17-14, Pederson decides to go for it on fourth down instead of kicking a game tying field goal.  Yea I know he did this all the time when the team was good but hey Doug, news flash, your team sort of stinks this year.   So they fail to score on fourth down.  So Jalen Hurts was not spectacular as a passer last night, he only threw for around 100 yards but he did score those two TD’s with his legs.

To be honest I think that is why he has had the success he has had behind this shitty offensive line that has changed 14 times in 16 weeks, a record dating back to the 60’s.  He is more elusive than Carson and makes quicker decisions.  If he doesn’t see an open receiver he quickly will make positive yardage with his legs where Carson far too many times would be taking sacks in the same situation.

So anyway, after the fourth down failure the next offensive series Pederson puts in Nate Sudfield for some reason.  There is no way he could have been thinking Sudfield gave them a better chance to win.  Sudfield, like I said who hasn’t seen regular season action in three years responded as you would think, throwing an interception in his first series and then fumbling on the second series on the Eagles side of the field, giving Washington another 3 points.  The Eagles sputtered into the finish with Sudfield out there, it felt like Pederson just threw in the towel, almost like he wants to get fired.  In a post game conference Pederson said he put Sudfield in because he thought it would help them win the game, come on Doug, that’s bullshit.

I have always liked Pederson and wanted him to stay as the coach but this raising of the white flag angered me so much that I really don’t care if he stays or goes.  The lighting fast reversal of some of the players performances this year make me think that maybe Pederson has lost the magic of 2017, with this cast of characters.  It was an appropriately pathetic way to end the Eagles season, one of the most disappointing since Chip Kelly was around.  Yes injuries were a huge part of the teams decline but a lot of things are going to change next year, that is for sure.

Despite my assurance of the lack of integrity and sanity of our lame duck president, I have to admit that even now he still has no shame in trying to criminally strong arm election officials to change their results with no evidence.  The call he made on Saturday to Georgia election officials was outrageous and disturbing to the core.  Not that we didn’t already know just how corrupt and ruthless Trump is, hearing it first hand on a recorded call just further cements his legacy as the worst, most corrupt, and blatantly criminal president in the history of the United States.  The thing that is truly terrifying is his cultists will hear that recording and think nothing of it, perhaps even cheer the effort by president big league to illegally change election results as part of a desperate and hopeless plan to stay in power.

This week there is a large contingent of spineless republican congressman that plan to stage a dog and pony show offering false support for the election dispute charade as both a ploy to remain in favor with Trump’s mentally checked out base as well as trying to get access to their wallets as they continue to funnel their dollars to the the biggest conman to ever sit in the White House.  It is truly disgusting.

Now I know Biden said basically he was not going to pursue Trump for the numerous criminal acts he committed as president.  He prefers to let the local state lawsuits run their course instead.  I understand Joe wants to focus on moving forward and the greater good but there is something to be said about the consequences of not punishing illegal acts.  If there are no repercussions for doing this shit what is the incentive for others to not do the same?

So after posting today’s year end wrap up I just happened to glance at last year’s post on this day and saw it was titled “Cardboard”.  I had no recollection of what I was referring to a year ago so I took a peek.  When I did I was a bit flabbergasted.  In the post I described how I had been feeling sick for over a week and all of a sudden a new symptom showed up, loss of taste, everything tasted like cardboard.  Now at that time it was not widely known that loss of taste was an almost 100% indicator that you have covid.  My thought at the time was that I possibly was having a Bells Palsy relapse which also caused me to lose taste.  I never redeveloped Bells Palsy but I did have no taste and lingering sickness for awhile.

I have read accounts that covid was actually in the United States way before the alarm bell was sounded in March. This makes me feel it was certainly here for awhile.  I recall my brother telling me how sick he also was last December and when my sisters family visited in February they had all been deathly ill the two weeks prior.  It was quite shocking for me to make this realization that I likely already had the disease I have been trying to avoid for 10 months. Happy New Year to me.

Wow 2020 was something else, and not in a good way. The pandemic and politics have changed our society in a lasting way, and not for the better. But this entry isn’t about the rest of the world, it’s about my little slice of it.  Let’s begin as always with reviewing the goals from the end of last year to see where we stand.

I set goals of continuing my running program and improving physically.  Well instead of continuing the running program I basically stopped it, forever.  Once gyms closed down from covid I started doing ad hoc workouts that included lots of push ups, body weight squats, and running the parking garage.  Two of those three activities lead to serious injury.  The thousands of push ups somehow screwed up my right shoulder to the point where I couldn’t lift my arm for two weeks, requiring a month of physical therapy to get it functional again.  Running the inclines and declines of the parking garage was a fun challenge but also resulted in injuring my “good knee” pretty severely which left me limping for two months.  After I healed up I swore off running and instead use Cindy’s Echelon bike for my intense cardio session.

Around the time I was limping I also started developing serious back issues which at times feel almost debilitating.  They persist to varying degrees today but I am just learning to live with it.  My fitness focus is more about retarding my overall decline.  I’m not about setting personal bests anymore, they hurt too much.  I still hit the gym five days a week and can crank out 15-20 pull ups depending on the day.

On the project front I hoped to get the chicken area elevated and enclosed with better fencing. I also mentioned the pool needing work at some point, the idea of enclosing the covered area of the lanai, and mentioned the windows will need attention down the road.

Well we did get the chicken and other areas of the property elevated.  In total I bet close to $5000 was spent on dirt, sod, and labor.  Elevating the chicken area sort of took care of the need for better fencing since the portions that were rusty from being submerged during the summer were now blocked by a foot of soil/sod.  I was happy with the end result of the work although I wasn’t happy with the guy that did it.  He was constantly promising and then missing work dates and never actually completed the job 100%.  The other potential projects remain with an ETA of TBD.  Enclosing the lanai is probably off the table as Cindy has sort of transformed that space into plant central.

I talked about a goal of increasing my secondary income sources from the 3D store and the YouTube channel.  I definitely hit that goal.  I haven’t run totals yet but I bet I am close to doubling sales this year compared to last on the store.  It’s a lot of work at times but it’s stuff I enjoy doing for the most part.  The YouTube channel has continued to grow.  I hit a major milestone just today, surpassing 10,000 subscribers.  I’m not sure if I can continue the same growth trajectory but I can certainly try. I also have continued to stick money away in a savings account for a rainy day in addition to my two retirement accounts. It’s nice to know you have some financial cushion. 2020 exposed just how many Americans live check to check with no back up plan.

I mentioned the idea of a road trip possibly in 2019.  Well we did travel to PA twice.  In January Cindy and I flew to PA for my step mom’s 60th birthday.  In June I drove the Tesla to PA for Todd’s 50th birthday party.  It was very interesting taking an electric vehicle over 2500 miles and not in a bad way.  Cindy and I both have expressed a desire to do one of our conventional road trips in the future, we both miss them.

I mentioned buying a new tractor and more 3D printers in 2020.  Yep both things happened.  I bought a high end Husqvarna tractor and at least three or four more printers last year (and many other things) Ok so let’s talk more about some details of 2020.

Like everyone, Covid 19 flipped reality on it’s head.  I was never a social butterfly but the way that covid lopped off the head of so many activities that we used to take for granted was a shock to my system.  The toilet paper hysteria, major sporting events cancelled by the hundreds, my work shutting it’s doors to the public for a month and a half, it was and still is just a bizarro world.  I never felt the levels of fear you saw some people exhibit but I also have no doubt about covid’s potential for damage, knowing several individuals that were hospitalized with serious complications from the virus.

The other horror we all were forced to endure was the presidential election and all of the toxicity it involved.  It exposed just how brainwashed a segment of America is as a result of Donald Trump.  I railed enough about it in various entries throughout the year I won’t go overboard now.  I am just thankful he will be kicked out of the White House soon and hopefully goes directly to the insane asylum or jail once state prosecutors are let loose from their current chains.

My sister and her family came to visit pre-covid which was nice.  We had not had any longer term guest for awhile.  We had a lot of fun with the kids.  It was nice for them to get a chance to interact with me face to face instead of just knowing me as the uncle that sends them things at Christmas and their birthdays. For a decent period of time we also had Deb coming over on weekends to hang out during the deepest parts of the lock down.  It was nice to have non-virtual interactions with another human being.

It was not a good year for pets either.  We lost four more chickens this year, Ginger, Katie, Dot, and Georgie. We lost one to disease, two from perch falls and one from a coyote attack where it jumped the four foot fence, grabbed poor Georgie and was out in 10 seconds or less.  The coyote attack resulted in me spending $1000 on fence extensions that added another four feet to the height of the fence.  So far it seems to have worked as we have not lost any more hens to predators.  We are down to only 5 birds at this point.  We tossed around the idea of getting more but the chickens and their required care have been one of the big reasons we have abandoned road trips the last several years.

The loss of my dad’s two dogs, Maggie and Clara was terribly sad.  My dad’s existence for the last decade and a half was all about the dogs.  To have them both pass away months apart is a tragedy for both my dad and step mom.  Even though I only saw Maggie and Clara on a limited basis every time I saw them it was like we never were apart.  I loved them too. Shug’s had one of his dog’s die a few weeks ago and Sadie and Ferdie are both getting to elderly status which is hard to witness.

I continued my battle with rodents in 2020.  My refusal to use lethal traps/solutions has left me with live trapping and sonic deterrents as my only option.  I have probably trapped/released around 10 of the palm rats this year.  I also sealed the area under the coop where they like to hang out in a more substantial way to make it less convenient for them to come and go as they please.

My purchasing in 2020 was done at a historic pace.  Even though I am saving more money than I used to in the past I am also spending more than ever, without a doubt.  On the EUC front I bought three new wheels, two suspension models and the Sherman which is a high speed, ultra-long range wheel.  I did try to offset that expense by selling two of my other wheels as well.  I bought a Skydio 2 drone, a 360 camera, two new action cameras, a handful of 3D printers, a new high end PC and far more things that I can’t even begin to accurately recall.  I can claim a lot of it as a business expense since it is used as part of content creation but still, it adds up to a huge amount of money.

I already mentioned the ground elevation project, Cindy, with a minor assist from me transformed two of our landscaped areas, the pond and the orchard.  The old pond liner was disintegrating so we ripped it all out and put a new one in.  After that Cindy took over trimming back the overgrown palms and filling the space with rocks and plants.  In the orchard the transformation was even more dramatic.  She turned it into a peaceful and beautiful rock garden.  My major contribution to that project was building the overhead structure that provides some shade and convenient places to hang plants and swings.

This was the first year I relented and paid someone to do the majority of the tree trimming, my most hated chore of every year.  After getting a quote that seemed reasonable I watched a crew of full time trimmers knock out the job in a few hours.  I had them also trim the two oak trees which have never been professionally tended to.  They looked much better as a result.  The older I get the more I expect to be doing these cost/benefit decisions when it comes to jobs that require a  large toll on my body.

My biggest and most expensive project from 2019, the solar array didn’t quite live up to expectations.  It was specced to supposedly supply enough power to offset a typical year of electrical consumption based on our prior usage.  Well as we sit a couple days from the end of the year we are about 5000 kwh in the hole comparing what we made versus what we consumed.  I thought the long hot days of summer with the sun directly overhead would provide tons of power.  The reality was my summer production was actually quite poor because of the near daily thunderstorm activity and cloud cover.  I’m still glad I went with solar and there are things we could change to consume less electricity if I want to come closer to a break even scenario.  I am still trying to get the system paid off within 10 years so I can get some real value out of it.

I was exposed to the world of virtual reality in 2020, buying a Quest 2 headset which screws with your brain in a mostly magical way.  The ability to transform yourself into a different environment easily just by slipping on the Quest is pretty incredible.  I liked it so much I bought Katie one for Christmas as she loved playing with mine.  My other two mainstay games of Hearthstone and World of Warcraft still held a similar role for me as in recent years, something I enjoy doing but don’t get as much time to enjoy as I would like.

2020 was the year that DJ went from being a baby to a toddler, running around like a little whirlwind.  He has become my best buddy when he is in the house.  For whatever reason he always seems to pick me out of a crowd.  It’s a unique and special thing for me to have this bond with him that I never really experienced before in my life. By this time next year he should be a full fledged mini-person.  I love the little guy.

Like I said, there weren’t a lot of trips or social events on the docket this year due to our new covid-reality.  Even so Cindy and I made the best of what we had.  That is the good thing about our relationship, we don’t need exterior events to make our lives fun.  Sure I would love to be able to go on another cruise someday but we have fun just sitting on the couch every night watching a show while we eat dinner.  I appreciate the value of being with someone that appreciates your value.

Ok so I am sure I could go into far greater detail about 2020 but hey, it sort of sucked for the entire world so I don’t feel the need to dwell on it further.

So this is the part where I make up goals for the following year with no real knowledge of how viable they may be.

I don’t know how realistic travel plans will be this year.  Perhaps when mass vaccinations occur things can start to resemble normalcy.  I know I won’t be rushing out to get vaccinated early but if after some time has passed and no significant adverse reactions are reported I may consider getting shot.  I know in some situations it will be nearly a requirement to get it.  As I mentioned, I really enjoyed going on that last cruise but I would also love to pull off another western road trip, in the Tesla.

My physical goals right now focus on just feeling more or less normal which right now means getting the chronic back issues to subside.  I have no plans to run, just ride.  I’ll continue my weight training albeit in a scaled back manner at the county fitness center. At least the mystery fatigue I suffered from for a good portion of 2019 has relented. 2020 was also the year I said goodbye to Planet Fitness, the worst gym chain in the country.

I have not given much thought to major projects for the upcoming year.  Anything truly major would likely involve a contractor like window work or pool repairs.  The fence at some point will need some attention as some of the posts are getting suspect after 15 years or so in the ground.  The house could use new paint to better match the metal roof but again, I would pay someone to do that unfun task as well.  Most weekends I find myself with a pile of smaller tasks to complete, I don’t expect that to change anytime soon.

I hope the 3D store continues to grow along with my content creation side businesses.  There is more and more competition out there so it takes work to not fall by the wayside.  Despite my track record of off the rails spending I plan to keep working on paying down debt at an accelerated pace while building on plumping up the  savings account.

I know this is ridiculous for me to say but I honestly don’t have any major purchases targeted for 2021.  I don’t need any more 3D printers or PEVs or computers or gaming systems or insert thing here.  If I bought any bigger item it would have to come with the trade off of selling or giving something similar away.  My Tesla continues to serve me flawlessly and will hopefully do so until I get my Cybertruck in a couple years, maybe, if it ever comes to be a real thing.

My personal hope is 2021 is the year when we can start actually looking forward to things again.  We won’t have to wake up every day getting angry at the latest thing Donald Trump said, did or tweeted.  We will have a president that doesn’t crave adulation and the spotlight.  It will be great to know that we will have people in charge that actually care about science, the environment, and cleaning up the shrapnel from the last four years.  If the covid vaccines truly do move us past the isolation/cancellation culture we have all become used to it will be a bright day for all of us, until the next pandemic rolls around.

I’m happy that despite all the misery the last year has contained I have a partner in life that loves and supports me the best she can.  Finding joy in simple things is a lost art for many.  I’m glad that we can come home and enjoy our little sphere of life, together.  Thank you Cindy.

Thanks for taking the time to read about my last 365 days.  In the big picture I am very lucky to have the good fortune that has been bestowed upon me, there are so many that have struggled terribly in 2020.  I wish the best for your family and friends and hope we can all look back on 2021 with much brighter memories as we all turned the corner, together.

This three day weekend I will be doing stuff, as always.

One the miseries of pet ownership is when you lose an animal that you consider to be part of your family.  You may think that as you get older, the cycle of life and death may affect you less.  At least for me the opposite is true.  It seems the older I get, the more attached I get to my animals.  Recent years have not been fun, in the last 5 years I’ve lost a number of pets including Tuki, a ton of chickens and of course Nicki which was the hardest of all.  This year my dad and stepmom lost both of their dogs which was hard for me and had to be crushing for them.  A few weeks ago Ali and Shugs lost one of his two dogs, Latte.  Animal loss has been a sad part of my reality.

Sadie, who just turned 13 (we think) has been struggling with her rear hips/legs this year.  Both Nicki and Maggie suffered the same ailment as they got older.  With her pain she has become less active which has resulted in a lot of weight being packed on her frame the last year as well which only exacerbates her problems.  Despite her issues she had fun out at the house with Elsa, rough housing and even jogging in short spurts.  However Ali said that she has been in bad shape since I dropped her off Monday, having a tough time walking and eating. Presumably she overdid the activity at the house. Ali lives in a two story town home with upstairs bedrooms so the stairs are an absolute killer for a dog with bad hips.

It’s a Catch 22 that not only affects dogs but humans as well.  You age, things hurt and you do less.  As you do less you gain weight or suffer other negative side effects which continue to cause you to shrink your box of capability, until you can’t do a damn thing at all.  The trick is to try to stay ahead of the curve because at a certain age trying to play catch up is a mountain sized task.

I have gone through this scenario enough to know what is coming, I just hope to be able to manage it the best I can.

I enjoyed my last day of vacation more than I did the second to last day when I was undeniably in a sour mood.  Once again I found myself attending to little things mostly inside the house.  I also had another impulse buy, responding to a GoPro email about a special bundle price on the new GoPro 9.  I snagged it quickly almost totally ignoring I just bought a GoPro 8 a few weeks ago.  There have been some issues with the 8 that annoy me and I may just give it away as part of my 10,000 YouTube subscriber celebration.  I justified it as something else I can write off as a business equipment expense and I paid for it out of my PayPal account which is funded entirely by 3D store sales.  I have been in an impulse buy mood lately, and they can be dangerous.

Mid-afternoon I geared up for a different style DD ride.  I surely looked ridiculous with one camera perched 8 inches on top of my helmet while carrying a second camera on a selfie stick.  My plan was to record a 360 video of the ride but use the audio from the selfie stick camera to make for better production quality.  Well the plan didn’t work out thanks to a technical limitation I didn’t think about prior to the ride.  The end result is I have three videos, a 360 version of the ride there, the ride back, and the footage shot from the GoPro.  It’s kind of silly but entertaining. I talk in depth about my post Christmas blah sensations.

When I got back from the ride Katie and DJ were there so I got to hang with my little buddy for awhile which is always fun for me.

Monday night was a demo of how technology can bridge the distance of isolation many people have felt since covid became a thing.  Katie and Cindy were both in VR playing Beat Saber together which was really cool.  Not only were they in the same virtual space, they had real time voice communication going on as well so they both had a ton of fun.  Cindy played through most of the battery charge on the headset so I knew she was having a great time.  The previous day Cindy participated in a VR exercise class which was surprisingly fun and engaging.  You are definitely working hard but hardly realize it.

I just had no idea how crazy VR can be.  I’m glad I discovered it sooner rather than later.