Category: Updates

I’m a professional at not touching my face, and to make the world better, I need your help.

I’m really good at not touching my face. I learned how NOT to do it in Kung Fu class, back in college. If class had started, and you fidgeted, scratched, or moved at all from your attentive stance–it had better been a movement to turn around. If you turned around, you could take care of any pesky hairs stabbing you in the eye, or any other discomfort you were feeling. If you broke concentration and, for example, touched your face, you’d get assigned push-ups. So, after many years and many hundred times that count in push-ups, I’m a professional at…

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State of the Matto (Jan-2020)

2019 had some rough spots, but I overcame them. Now, I’m looking forward with a fresh outlook. In 2019 I wrote a book and started its sequel, I started world-building a fantasy realm, and I started to learn game design by inventing some space-themed board games. I had hoped to finish the sequel, but delays and shifting priorities slid it backward on the timeline. My author platform (website, mailing list service, etc) is expensive, and it’s not working for me. I followed the guidance of ‘pros’ in the field, but I just couldn’t adapt myself to their workflow. I spent…

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Side Effects

In 2019 I went from 195 pounds after my surgery to 155 pounds. I decided I wanted to eat less and move more, and I did. But something else happened too. I almost entirely stopped drinking. I had been in the habit of enjoying a drink at night, even when my partners weren’t enjoying a drink. Rarely ever would I have two drinks by myself, but with friends, I’d likely have two, or maybe even three. I stopped mostly due to diet, to avoid excess calories. At first, I started drinking low calorie hard seltzers, but soon the taste bothered…

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Changes Ahead

In January, 2019, we realized that our house had old termite damage that wasn’t disclosed, an active termite infestation, and a lot of water entering the house and causing damage. This significantly impacted the home renovation timeline, and I put a lot of my personal goals on hold. I certainly accomplished a lot in the bulk of 2019, including recovering from elbow surgery, building a 550 square foot stone patio; building a custom, glass and oak banister; replacing damaged siding and millwork; repairing the house’s rim joist and reinforcing floor joists; installing three support beams in the crawlspace; and designing…

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