Keeping Busy

I’ve done a bit of work on sprucing up the blog when I had some free time, including sharpening up the header and site icon, but I’ve been busy taking care of some home issues. We need to purchase a new HVAC system, so a fair bit of my time has been dedicated to calling up contractors and getting estimates. Of course, everything takes longer with the corona virus pandemic. Almost everywhere you call has “high traffic call volumes”. But, I’m slowly but surely making headway!

It’s not always a simple or easy process getting things like this done, but there is certainly satisfaction in knowing that you’ve accomplished something and put the time in to make an informed decision.

Just trying to keep some blogging going in my limited free time at the moment. I hope everyone out there is doing well in these confusing and complicated times!

New Header Image and Gradual Changes

I’m slowly changing around elements on the blog in my free time. I finally finished a header image (with some possible changes later). I’m pleased with it overall. But for now, I need to get some lunch. Here’s to slow and somewhat steady progress!

Second Post! Woo?

I’ve been giving some more thought on how to redesign the blog, but haven’t had much time to implement anything. I’m planning on writing mainly about general life events and my new interest in writing music. I’d also like for it be a tool for some positive reflection on my current life (I’m sure we could all use a bit of that right now). As a stay at home dad, it can be all too easy to be overly critical of myself. So I’m hoping that this might be a way to help me reflect on all the positive things in my life.

Maybe next time I can write a bit more about myself, but for now, my short break is over.

Starting Up Again

I’m thinking about starting to blog again (or, honestly, making a dedicated effort in the first place). I’m trying to come up with a plan for how to approach this so I can use it as a tool to reflect on myself, but also create an interesting experience for the reader.

So, here I am taking the first step by writing this short post, which tells anyone reading it very little. But hopefully there is more to come in the not too distant future!

Welcome to My Minecraft House

I started playing the video game Minecraft for the first time about a year ago. Obviously I’m a bit late to the scene (the game was originally released in 2011). One of my friends had talked about playing the game several times before, but I was worried that the game could take up too much of my time or just quickly become repetitive and boring. We had previously sunk quite a few hours into the game Terraria (which can basically be described as a two dimensional version of Minecraft). I finally decided to check the game out when I saw some videos on a YouTube channel called LagTV (known mostly for StarCraft 2 content). In these videos the channel hosts were playing Minecraft but with modification packages that other users had created. I was amazed by all the tools and machines users could build utilizing this user created content.

Dangerously Personal November 17 : The Search for a New Residence (of danger!)

My wife and I have begun the exciting, nerve wracking, and time consuming process of purchasing our first home. We are both very much looking forward to moving into our first place at the end of this process and starting a new phase of our lives. I’ve been spending almost all of my free time recently talking to various banks and Realtors and looking at different homes on multiple real estate websites (Zillow has probably been the most useful overall). Not sure how long this whole search will take us, but hopefully in the end we will find something wonderful! I’m not one of those people who thinks we will find the “perfect” home though, because in life most things require some compromise. I don’t foresee having one of those moments where I walk in a home for the first time and just know that it is the one (like some Realtors have talked about to me before). That would potentially make the whole process easier though (or much more complicated if it happens in every home).

Disclaimer! Not a Home we Actually Looked at!

We are having some trouble deciding what kind of homes we like the best. We both want something with “character”, but that can be a very difficult thing to define. Does having character, for example, mean that the house is older, has nice details, has hardwood floors, or has crown molding? Other questions then follow such as do we want to go with something old or something new? I think we would be alright with something that needs some remodeling but doesn’t have to be almost a total overhaul. So far the homes we have looked at seem to either be way too much work or already finished but lacking some of the “character” we are hoping to find.

With that in mind, I will probably be much less active on the blog (even less so than normal!) for the next few weeks (or possibly even months). Tomorrow is another day of talking to yet another Realtor and driving through some more neighborhoods (a car driving slowly through a neighborhood and passing the same homes multiple times, not suspicious at all). Wish us luck, we will definitely need it!

Is anyone out there a recent home buyer with some words of encouragement or advice? Please feel free to leave any home searching related comments below and as always thanks for reading!

 

Dangerously Curious: Why do People Enjoy Scary Movies?

In this edition of Dangerously Curious we examine the Halloween inspired topic of why people enjoy watching scary movies (but well after Halloween at this point). Why do people want to pay money to feel unsafe, scared, or see images that many people would consider highly disturbing? Is this something that humans are just naturally attracted to or satisfies some sort of basic human urge? Keep in mind that these articles are mostly meant for some lightly researched fun (and act to satisfy my curiosity as well as yours), and they are not meant to be an exhaustive or comprehensive write-up on any of these topics.

Exploring Some Fall TV Shows

I’ve recently had a chance to catch up on some of my most anticipated fall TV shows. I tend to enjoy science fiction, action, and super hero type shows (as you can see below), but I’m always open to some other genres as well. So, here are some short takes on some recent shows I’ve been watching.

Next 90’s Alternative Song Selection: Haunted by Poe

The next song selection for my 90’s Alternative posts is Haunted by Poe (sorry, there is no official video). The album, also called Haunted, was actually released in 2000 (I know, this post is a complete sham already), but her first album, Hello, was released back in 1995. Haunted features a dark and moody sound, which I thought made it an appropriate selection for this time of year.

First Danger Blog BiWeekly Recap

I am considering publishing some blog recap posts on a fairly regularly interval. The purpose of these would be to highlight some of my recent posts. Currently, I feel like doing one of these every two weeks might work out well, but I might decide to extend that period to a month depending on how active I am on the blog. This post will feature content from any time in October, since I haven’t done any of these before.

As for the blog in general, this October has been by far my most popular month ever (and my most active month writing). I’ve had significantly more visitors and views than any other month. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to view my content! Maybe some day I’ll come up with a concrete purpose or a set posting scheduling for my blog to celebrate (but what fun would that be?). I can’t make any promises on how active I will be on the blog in the future, but I certainly plan on doing more writing when I get the chance. I have a long list of topics I still want to write about at some point, so lack of ideas will not hold me back at least.