Spoke to a monk

While in Walmart today I spoke with a Tibetan monk. Very nice and quite calm, given what a crazy world we live in.

Thought I Would Post More

I thought with this whole Covid thing that I would be able to post more. I thought I’d have more time on my hands and be able to share my thoughts and all kinds of things but as a cheesy saying goes the world has changed we would live in a much different place right now so maybe I’ll need to start scheduling some time with working from home and teaching from home and doing all the stuff I never anticipated doing in my day-to-day life.

No Sports Due To Pandemic

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic one of my concerns was the health of my children.  Well, the school district has cancelled the remaining school year.  So, that eliminates school sports and rec sports in town mirror what the school district does.  That means no sports not even club sports.

If this situation was not the way it currently is, we as parents, would probably be wondering if we would get anytime to ourselves.  Now, we find ourselves with more than enough time with no practices or games to drive to.  It also frees my time up as a coach.  Just trying to keep my players motivated and in good spirits.

Then there is the issue of no professional sports being played.  For me TV is a giant wasteland without sports.  I should be watching NHL playoffs and the beginning of the MLB season.  It looks like the Chicago White Sox could not be basement dwellers this season.  Of course, as luck would have it.  There are no baseball games being played.  I don’t recall if at any other point in my lifetime that you were unable to find a sporting event on both the radio or the television.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic one of my concerns was the health of my children.  Well, the school district has cancelled the remaining school year.  So, that eliminates school sports and rec sports in town mirror what the school district does.  That means no sports not even club sports.

If this situation was not the way it currently is, we as parents, would probably be wondering if we would get anytime to ourselves.  Now, we find ourselves with more than enough time with no practices or games to drive to.  It also frees my time up as a coach.  Just trying to keep my players motivated and in good spirits.

Then there is the issue of no professional sports being played.  For me TV is a giant wasteland without sports.  I should be watching NHL playoffs and the beginning of the MLB season.  It looks like the Chicago White Sox could not be basement dwellers this season.  Of course, as luck would have it.  There are no baseball games being played.  I don’t recall if at any other point in my lifetime that you were unable to find a sporting event on both the radio or the television.

It goes without saying that sports should take a backseat to the health of the citizens should be the first priority.  Be safe.

Random Dutch Amiga Nerds

After years of working with my Commodore 64 I eventually stepped up to the Amiga 500.  I was living in Europe at the time and wow was that machine popular there.  It was my first experience with a true face to face computer club.  It was really cool.  He I was an American kid hanging out with a bunch of Dutch Amiga nerds.  Eventually a second American joined the club.  While games were my initial driver for going with the Amiga I started to see other things that the machine was capable of, sound and video editing to name a couple.  It was a pretty amazing time in my growth in electronics.

Quick wrap up

After years of working with my Commodore 64 I eventually stepped up to the Amiga 500.  I was living in Europe at the time and wow was that machine popular there.  It was my first experience with a true face to face computer club.  It was really cool.  He I was an American kid hanging out with a bunch of Dutch Amiga nerds.  Eventually a second American joined the club.  While games was my initial driver for going with the Amiga I started to see other things that the machine was capable of, sound and video editing to name a couple.  It was a pretty amazing time in my growth in electronics.

Going back to radio.  At that time, 1989-1992, there were still plenty of shortwave radio stations around.  While I was unable to bring my computer to work there was always a radio.  When I traveled around Europe my shortwave radio was always with me.  With the wall coming down between East and West Germany both legal and clandestine shortwave stations were plentiful. 

A quick leap forward to present day and I can say that I am still very interested in both computers and radio.  I play around with my PCs and Raspberry Pi computers working on various projects.  I am now a ham radio operator and still an active shortwave radio listener.  The tools (toys) are a little cheaper to purchase these days and honestly more effective. 

The start of it all

I grew-up in a mid-sized Midwestern town.  My friends lived all over the neighborhood.  Calling a friend on the phone was lazy back then.  You rode your bike or walked over to their house.  From sun up to sun down were we always doing something.  In the summer it was mostly outdoor activities.  When it got to hot then bowling and the arcade became an option.  During the winter it was Dungeon and Dragons.

For years this was my spring and summer break mixed in with some organized sports.  My friends were the first to get the Atari 2600 and then Commodore 64.  I was always a late adopter in my group of friends.   Better late than never.  I worked my butt off one summer so that I could buy my own Commodore 64 with tape drive.  Many lawns were mowed so I could jump into the computer age.

It was an awesome purchase and one that even today I can point out as being one of the things that got me started in my love of electronics.  Which in turn got me interested in radio.  Many hours in front of the computer with local radio on in the background was greatness.  I may be turning into that old man but I just don’t see any kids doing those kinds of things these days.  Maybe I am missing it.

To reboot or just begin?

I have tried time and time again to post on a regular basis.  I originally wanted to use this blog to share my hobbies and various interests while improving my writing.  Of course, something always kept delaying me.  This reason or that reason.  Well, with the recent increase of the frequency I have been working from home I hope to use this time as a break from work and share my random thoughts.

As a child of the 80’s I grew up in a mostly analog world.  Pinball and arcades were popular.  Home gaming systems and computers were in their infancy.  This is where my journey started.

Let the adventure begin…..

Spatchcock Chicken

I started grilling my whole chickens lately using the spatchcock method. Putting some compound butter under the skin and seasoning on the skin creates one juicy chicken. If you have not tried it I strongly suggest you give it a try.

My hobbies

I have way too many hobbies.  Starting out as a kid it was radio and computers to go along with various sports interests.  Growing up in the 80’s I was an avid Dungeons and Dragons player.  Little did I know how playing D&D would help me later on in my life.

Prior to the internet and access to anything at any time you hung around with those people who had similar interests.  That was your group of friends that you went on life’s adventures with.  Fast forward 20 years or so and I no longer live near those same friends with common interests.  Thankfully, the internet came about.

With the advent of the internet I have been able to continue with my various hobbies and interests. It is quite incredible that I have ready access to information and forums ranging from ham radio to retro arcade games and everything in between.