Distractions Are Easy

It’s easy to be distracted. It’s easy to sit down at the end of the day, turn on television, and turn off your mind. It’s easy to idly scroll through Facebook, Instagram, and other apps and news feeds on your phone.

You know what’s hard? Choosing to do something that makes a difference in your life and the lives of others. Getting up early to train, knowing you’ll like how you look better if you do. Choosing to read after dinner, because you want to continue learning and growing. Removing distracting apps from your cell phone, because in 20 years time you don’t want to look back at a life wasted.

A Relaxing Weekend With Family

For the first time in many months (due to COVID-19), I finally got to spend a few days with my immediate family! I headed to my parents’ house on Thursday, spent the rest of the extended weekend there just relaxing, and then headed back home today (Sunday).

Honestly, this is probably the first time I really slowed down and relaxed in the last few months. When I’m at home, I am very good a keeping myself busy. I intentionally limited my options for things to do (from my normal routine) when I visited family, and so I spent an entire weekend without doing anything work-related (it’s hard to stop thinking about work entirely).

Happy Independence Day!

It’s the 4th of July, the day that Americans celebrate Independence Day. Historically, in my family at least, it’s a day spent with family, normally with some good food (grilled, preferably), and maybe watching some fireworks in the evening.

That being said, every topic I’ve come up with to write about is much longer than I’m willing to work on tonight. And so, as I have a habit of doing… here’s a video to enjoy!

Initial Thoughts on Google Stadia

I have occasionally described myself as a technophile, due to my tendency to enjoy reading about, buying, playing with, and testing out the latest technology.

For years I was in the Google ecosystem. Name a hardware device, and I probably had it. And even though I am no longer as heavily vested in that world, I still pay attention to new products. And therefore, when Google Stadia was announced (nearly a year ago at this point), I quickly signed up, and purchased a Founder’s Edition kit (1 Chromecast Ultra + 2 controllers). I received it last November, but I’ve honestly only played with it a total of… 2-3 hours since then.

The Upside

Wow. Two days in a row where I don’t know what I want to talk about…

Yesterday I picked up the first 2 comic books from Lindsey Stirling that go along with her latest album, Artemis. After reading through them, I decided to re-listen to the album today. And now I have The Upside stuck in my head. Which, I’m sure, means it’s my duty to get it stuck in everyone else’s head as well.

Early to Bed, Early to Rise

“Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” Benjamin Franklin

“It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom.” Aristotle

For some reason, both of the above quotes have been cycling through my head this evening. I’m not sure what reminded me of them, but as I have mentioned before, I tend to practice the habit of both rising early (around 4 a.m.), and going to bed early (by 9:30 p.m.).

Movie of the Weekend: 21

I don’t tend to watch a ton of movies. In all honesty, it’s because I have a hard time sitting still and just watching something. But, this weekend, I was struggling to concentrate on other projects, and so… I watched a movie.

Which movie? 21. It’s the story of a group of card counters from MIT. I recall reading about the story it’s based on in the news years ago, and while I’ve been aware of this movie, I never got around to watching it till now.