YouTube Demonetizes Small Channels

For those that don't know, YouTube has been struggling with a few issues over the past few years (can you say Logan Paul and a dead body?). And as any company does over time, they make changes. One of those changes smacked me in the face this morning. I sat there checking my email first thing in the morning like always and see something from YouTube in my Inbox. In short, they will be turning off monetization for small channels. Specifically, they are giving everyone 30 days to meet their new minimum of 4,000 hours of watch time (240,000 minutes) and 1,000 subscribers.

That "and" is key there as I'm probably close enough to meet the minimum watch time to get to that goal this year. But the subscriber count is really where I'll take a kick in the pants. And to grow your channel by 900 or so subscribers in 30 days is so unlikely, I'm resigned to be demonetized for the foreseeable future. As in years. Even though I broke through the old minimum last year and actually made money at doing something I love, I've now been reduced to watching from the sidelines as the bigger channels get bigger and the smaller channels disappear.

I'm still bitter. I'm still processing my emotions. I'm still sad and mad and so many other things.

And no, I'm not going to ask you to subscribe to my YouTube channel or read my blogs. As much as I'd love to beg you to do that, I think you already would have if you enjoyed my content.

But I have to share something from one of my biggest supporters out there. My son. He is a huge YouTube consumer. If given the opportunity, he would watch YouTube all day and all night. What he enjoys is beyond my scope of understanding. I still can't comprehend how he can spend so much time watching people play Minecraft. I can't change who he is but I just don't understand. Getting back on track, as I was still processing the news and getting ready for work this morning, I shared the bad news with my son. The conversation went something like this:

Me: "I have some bad news William. YouTube has demonetized my channel."
William: "They deleted your channel?!"
Me: "No."
William: "They deleted your videos?!"
Me: "No."
William: "Can you still upload videos? I don't understand."
Me: "Well, basically I won't be able to make any money on my videos."
William: "Oh. Well that sucks."
Me: "Yep, it sure does."

It was a pivotal moment and I knew it. I was still pissed off and wanted to throw a chair through the window, but I knew, right there as I sat on the bed, that I would continue to do this thing I love. As I drove to work I wasn't sure if I wanted to put my fist through the window or cry uncontrollably. I ended up finding salvation in the bottom of my Starbucks coffee (#notsponsored!). And I realized I was having yet another John Locke moment where I just needed to scream "Don't tell me what I can't do!"

Since I started this journey through my midlife crisis back in 2016, I've struggled with my own identity. I finally found it last year. I'm a house spouse and a content creator. When I left my last job in 2016, I was kicked to the curb like a piece of trash. In 2017, I finally realized I wasn't trash and managed to pick myself up, brush myself off, and get back out there. It's 2018 and I'm back on the ground, wondering why the YouTube bus has decided to run me over.

I know there's a lot wrong with YouTube. I also know that I'm not part of the problem. I'll continue to edit videos just like I'll continue to research my articles. I'll continue to produce videos just like I'll continue to write stories. I'll even continue to pay for YouTube Red and YouTubeTV. But I feel like the platform I've enjoyed, supported, and been a member of since January 29, 2007, has betrayed me and all the other little guys out there. It wouldn't take a big push to get me invested in a different platform. ::coughcough:: Samsung? ::coughcough:: Casey Neistat? ::coughcough::

In closing, I'd like to ask you to do two things for me. First, support your family and your friends. Help them fulfill their dreams. Second, support those small, local businesses you know. Help your neighbors because they have dreams too.

Thanks for reading.

Coming Out Of The Closet

I won't pretend my announcement carries as much weight as someone that actually comes out of the closet as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or anything else. It was purely meant to grab your attention and to get you to read.

So what is my big announcement?

I think I know what my new identity is. It's house spouse.

I say "think" because I'm still struggling a little bit with the new identity. But after 15 months of being one, it's finally dawning on me that it's okay to be a house spouse.

Let me back up a little bit.

Even though I grew up in a household that was anything but traditional, I was always taught that a man runs the house and earns the money while the woman takes care of the kids and cleans things. And before my mom freaks out, I will clarify that I was never taught this by my parents. It was by society as a whole. Any movie or TV show or book or magazine or some random stranger you'd see in public would always emphasize, either deliberately or subliminally, that the man was the one to earn the money and the woman was meant to take care of him and the house.

Even through college, I saw examples of this in my own family. It was just normal. And that was fine with me. I never questioned it. It's how everyone lived.

But as I got older, more and more people defied that norm. Some did it in their own way, quietly, on their own. Others were more vocal about how they wanted to break with that American caste system. For me, I was happy to support anyone's way of life. For me, I typically earned less than my wife, and while it bothered me that I wasn't the head honcho of money, I never really felt bad about it. Over time I eventually made more than my wife and again, while I felt proud to be successful, I never really felt like I was better than her.

I guess in the end, as a couple, we usually decide on things together as equals.

As I embrace this new identity, I don't feel like I'm less than an equal in my marriage. Sometimes I feel like I'm the one with the better deal in that I can spend more time with my kids, but I don't feel like I'm less of a husband, less of a man, or less of a person just because I make less money than before.

So where does that leave me? Like I said, I've spent the last 15 months as a house spouse. I joked about it in the past but the more I thought about it, the more I realized this really was what my new job was. And since most men identify themselves by their profession, I'm a house spouse.

So there you have it. My big but not so earth-shattering announcement. Most of you already know I had a massive career change last year. This is just me finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and finally recognizing what kind of moth I am now that I've emerged from my cocoon.

August Recap

As I realize I've forgotten to post a lot of photos this month, I figured a recap was in order. So enjoy.

The end of July saw the completion of the deck replacement. It also meant we would finally close on the Round Hill house in August. It was our first home. And while I would love to say that we could keep it forever, our move to Fort Max was the right thing to do. Even though we've had struggles here, in the end, it's a far superior house.

I mean, how could NOT take a photo of a weeener out in public?!

Elizabeth helped create a Whomping Willow tree at the local book store. And I was supposed to find out if these books are worth reading.

I mean, it's Mike Wardian. What else do I need to say? And a fellow Oil Creek runner. And the last place finisher accepting the Musical Caboose award.

The first day of school.

Aside from a bunch of research, I'm also reliving my childhood when I see stuff like this at Goodwill.

And speaking of research, I get to learn about all sorts of stuff. Like Prince Michael Romanoff used to live in the area. He ended up being a Hollywood legend and was even a pallbearer for Erroll Flynn.

Despite the traffic, I actually enjoy picking Elizabeth up at middle school. Keeps reminding me of my high school days.

I mentioned the nostalgia of my childhood in the 80s, right?

A local surveyor lives in the neighborhood. Keep looking until you see it.

William appears to be reliving my childhood too.

Yes, I was in a band called the Fried Egg Yolks. No, I won't say who was in it with me. Not because it's a big secret, but more to protect the innocence of the other person. After all, we played together like two times and, well, let's just say I had no idea what I was doing with a guitar. Since he may not want to be associated with that particular moment of history, I'll allow him to keep his dignity. Not worried about mine. Make sure you read the paragraph again Yvonne. It's to protect him, not because I want to keep secrets from you.

So what does all of this lead up to? September. Where I can hopefully get my stuff organized enough to write the Prologue of my story. Here's a hint. My childhood home in Oxnard, CA.

Nostalgia Overload

This morning's run was a walk. I really just wanted to stay in bed thanks to a bad dream. Nightmare had me running a race in Italy, hurting my foot, and then suddenly being at the Oil Creek race that I have coming up in a month. Not exactly the pre-race jitters I was hoping for.

Anyway, I got out the door, walked, and generally just tried not to crawl back into bed. I saw my dad out walking so I talked to him for a couple of minutes. Also saw the widow out walking. And Mrs. Brown. While she is always the source of some nostalgia when I see her but today I went on overload when I dug into new research today. I can't go into details because it's personal but the information I read wasn't new. But it was deeply personal and I'm grateful I had the chance to read it. It was just a bit much to chew on this morning.

Thankfully things balanced out when I started getting into goofy pictures of myself and my friends. It was incredibly hard not to post them and have a good laugh. So tonight, I get to search for two people. Christine Ingermarsson and Nicole Schnittger.

I believe I found Christine on Facebook, but I can't be sure. The photo says "Mars 1990" on the back and "Mars" is "March" in French. So maybe? And the story behind the photo is, well, weird. I have no idea where it came from. And why did I keep it? Because she looked pretty. I was at least smart enough to never pretend she was my girlfriend.

Nicole's story has a bit more history. I met Nicole Schnittger in 1991 on a train trip I was taking across the country with my dad. There's some video of it on my YouTube channel but I'm pretty sure she's not in any of the videos. I don't remember exactly which section of the trip we met, or which direction she was going (either to her home in Illinois or away from it). I think her parents were divorced and she was going between the households but I could be wrong. All I remember is we hit it off, talked and hung out, and wrote to each other a few times after the trip.

So there you have it. Just a small side-trip down memory lane. A preview of a prologue of things to come.

Photos:
From my run this morning. There were three deer at the tree line. Dad's house is on the right.

This is the rear of the photo I have of Christine.

And this is Nicole's photo. I would post the back, but it has an address and phone number.

Weather:
Temps were about 85F. Humidity was high. Sky was clear. No wind.

Fluids and Fuel:
Coffee before the walk. Nothing during the walk. Recovery was two eggs, oatmeal, and two sausage links. And more coffee.

Aches and Pains:
None.

Gear:
Wore shorts and a t-shirt.

Today's Motivation:
Feeling lackluster today left me with very little desire to run. So the mental compromise was to walk instead. And I did 3 miles, so at least I stayed on plan.

Naughty Neil:
I had a wacky cake cupcake with ice cream last night. It was good. And I almost had a damn Whopper today for lunch.

Splits:
None. Didn't bother to wear a watch.

Magnum PI - S1 E4 - Thank Heaven for Little Girls and Big Ones Too

Magnum PI
Season 1
Episode 4
Thank Heaven for Little Girls and Big Ones Too


Overview
It's Christmas in Hawaii and a group of girls from Vermont are stuck on the island after losing their teacher.

Cell Phones
If Magnum had a phone, we wouldn't laugh at people having Robin Masters' private phone number.

Magnum could have called Higgins and alerted him to the girls trying to steal the painting, or return it if you believe them. But that would have spoiled the scene when Magnum catches them red handed.

I'm sure the girls, even as young as they are, would have cell phones. And while they may not be able to get a signal from inside the cave, they should have been able to drop pins or leave some sort of bread crumb behind. And if Magnum didn't have connections in the police department, I'm sure he could have called them in to at least trace the cell phones to the last known location.

Well now, what have we here? A mobile phone in the Robin Masters Audi? I'm shocked. But it just goes to prove, that Rick could have used a cell phone of his own to update Magnum.

Fashion
I know the little girls are in some sort of private school based on their uniform, but sheesh. Those shoes and jackets. But at least one of them had a very cool Pan Am backpack. And did you see TC sporting that leather visor? Where in the world did that come from, Tandy Leather?

Those high-waisted pink pants on Ms. Booton are stellar. And paired with the thin red belt makes such a statement They were both such a staple of the 80s.

What is it with white shoes and this show? The head bad guy, who happens to look a bit like George R. R. Martin, was sporting white leather shoes. Not the saddle shoes like the girls, but still. And TC running around with his shirt un-buttoned was classic.

The airport. Oh the airport. My eyes are hurting from thinking about Rick in his velour track suit. And all the background outfits are just about as painful. And of course we have the flight attendants uniforms.

Hawaiian Shirt
I think my last post had it a bit wrong. The signature Magnum shirt doesn't have flowers, it has purple birds. But still, it looks very nice. So does Rick's 280Z sports car.

Three's Company - S1 E3 - Roper's Niece

Three's Company
Season 1
Episode 3
Roper's Niece


Overview
Jack is planning for Janet's birthday and Mr. Roper's niece is in town to visit. Mr. Roper decides to let Jack take his niece out so Jack skips out on the surprise party that isn't a surprise. Mr. Roper catches them kissing at the end of the night but after the confusion settles, Jack is allowed to stay in the apartment.

Physical Comedy

• Mrs. Roper falling asleep.
• Jack "hitting" on Mr. Roper.
• Jack opening the can of beer just after Karen drops her dress.
• Janet taking the cake from Jack.

STEM
Mr. and Mrs. Roper are talking about sex change operations and Mr. Roper begins to wonder how it works. He says something along the lines of "I can see how they can take stuff off, but how do they put stuff on?" Mrs. Roper has a witty comment about Scotch Tape.

What they call a sex change operation back then, is now called "gender reassignment." As to how they "attach things with scotch tape" it's more of a skin graft. Most have a mastectomy (breast removal), hysterectomy (uterus removal), and then use skin grafts and a prosthetic to create the rest of the necessary anatomy.

Teacher Resources:
Seeing as a sex change operation isn't an ideal topic for students, I'm just going to skip this section this time around.

Magnum PI - S1 E3 - China Doll

Magnum PI
Season 1
Episode 3
China Doll



Overview
The intro is different. We see some clips of future episodes now instead of the pilot intro. In this episode, the action starts out in the Red Light district. The big bad guy uses Wang Chung. I swear that's what I heard him say. Anyway, Magnum is hired to protect Mai Ling from the bad guy who just wants Wang Chung everyone.

Cell Phones
When Magnum and Mai Ling drive out to check on her Uncle Han, a cell phone would have taken care of everything. Sure, they could still drive out there, but a phone call or text would have made things a little safer and easier on Uncle Han. But seeing as Uncle Han is older, he may not have a cell phone. But you'd think he would still have a landline.

One interesting thing was the bad guy setting up a meeting at a payphone. I know they still exist but he would have used a different land mark nowadays. But would he have called using the proverbial burner phone?

One odd thought I had about cell phones was that older couple on the helicopter ride. If they were younger, they would have used the speed filter on Snapchat, I just know it!

Fashion
From the looks of it, exotic dancers haven't seen much change in the way of fashion. It's all about the sparkles and feathers. I totally dug the matching husband and wife on the helicopter tour. Mr. Wang Chung was sporting an awful suit with wide collar and shiny shoes that look like loafers with a gold buckle. I'm sure it was rather dapper back then.

The swim suits are at times hideous and at times classically timeless. I guess a bikini that's a solid color is always going to work. But short shorts and one piece suits ebb and flow like the tide. And that matching couple was back, this time is some bizarre print shirt.

Hawaiian Shirt
Nice double shot of Magnum and Rick. Magnum's shirt is a nice light cream or white with some flowers while Rick is sporting a hilarious shirt with hot dogs, bananas, and women in swimsuits on it.

And then later in the show, we see what I would consider the signature Magnum shirt. Classic bright red with palm trees and flowers.

Duel In Williamsburg

You decide which one you like better.


My Video:

My Son's Video:

May the Fourth Be With You

May 4th is also known as Star Wars Day to many fans. Don't quote me on this but I'm pretty sure it started out as a joke before it became known as Star Wars Day. At least that's how I remember it. All my fellow Star Wars nerds would gather would come up to you, knowing you were a Star Wars fan, and say "May the Fourth be with you." Some would even use a really bad Yoda voice. Or wave their hand in front of you like it was supposed to be a Jedi mind trick.

1983 Me - About as 1980something as you can get. Watching Garfield.

This is not going to be a re-hashing of the entire series of movies. That would just bore any fan out there. There's no need to summarize the plot, prattle on about random points of trivia, or give favorite quotes. Instead, I'm hoping to look at the series as a whole and how it stands up over time. The movies were created generations apart but do they still hold their sway for an old fart like me?

Prologue (1980 something)

I was but a child when the first string of movies came out. I remember seeing one in the theater and being afraid of Chewbacca. He was hairy, roared really loud, and he had big teeth. But growing up watching, and re-watching, and re-watching the original trilogy has left me jaded towards these three movies. When George Lucas re-released them, I was excited. But I didn't like all of the new edits he made. Don't even get me started on Greedo.

1977 Me. Too young to watch Star Wars.

When the second trilogy came out, I was again excited but things were a bit more tempered. That may be why I enjoyed the movies more than some of my fellow fans. Sure, I'm not a huge Jar Jar fan, but I don't hate him. I just see him as a patsy for Palpatine. But the trilogy turned dark in a hurry and the acting wasn't what I had hoped for. But seeing Darth Vader at the end made up for some of it.

1980 Me. This was not the Yoda I was looking for.

Now as a father of a young boy who loves Star Wars as much as I do, I'm falling in love with Star Wars all over again. As a kid, I never would have seen Star Wars in the theater as much as I did with my son. But it was fun. I think we both enjoyed the experience but on different levels.

Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

The visual beauty of the movie is clear and crisp and sometimes stunning. Yes, some of the effects are plainly, or painfully, obvious, but at least it looks pretty. The battle droids and Jar Jar are clearly comedy generators. And just like young Anakin Skywalker, it seems to be a movie made for kids.

Unknown.

I think what strikes me the most is how clean everything is. I'm hoping it's part of the overall trend where things get more run down and dirty and re-used as the Jedi fall out of power. But I think there's a part of it that comes from the nature of films from that time where things are just cleaner and more crisp. We see a lot of this in the special effects and how props are built in the movie. It's almost like they knew they had the power but instead of using it wisely, they just used it.

This is Roger Roger. I won him as a book signing.

So how does it hold up? It does okay. There's political intrigue, podracing, space battles, and of course lightsabers. I think visually it holds up quite well. At least a stand alone movie. Within the franchise, not so much. It doesn't have that gritty, realistic feeling the others do. The acting is okay. Story is okay. So I guess overall, it holds up okay. But it holds little sway over me now. It was very easy to get distracted while watching.

Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

Here we go again. Another movie with crisp and clean shots and not a lot of grit and grime that makes it realistic. The acting takes a step down unfortunately. The overacting by Hayden Christensen and painfully obvious scheming by Palpatine is sad and at times enraging. The overt plots by Palpatine are mostly enraging. But even the Jedi were irritating at times. Mostly because of their lack of action. Patience they say. Bah.

Unknown. 

And oof dah, the acting. It starts out small but then develops into a growth that just can't be ignored. Like a bad mole that starts out like a cute little freckle but ends up sending you to the doctor because you know it needs to be removed. Ouch.

Unknown. 

At least the clones were interesting. Now I can see why they spun those off into TV shows of their own. They certainly had more depth than a lot of the other characters. And I think that's why it holds up a little better than Episode I. But it holds little sway.

Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

A more battle heavy and emotionally heavy movie. But it's also heavy with some over-acting. Again. While the CGI seems to be a bit better than the last movie, it's still a struggle so see some of the reality of things.

Um, yeah. That's me.

I know it's a sci-fi movie and it's just a movie, but that's what the industry lacks is the believability of special effects. There are a few exceptions of course, but as a whole, I think the movies of today lack something. That rustic feel of physical film is a part of it, but even then, there's something to be said for practical, physical effects. Movies like this that rely on so much computer generated magic lose some of that magic when they go too far.

Taken circa 2005.

Speaking of going too far, the movie again shows Palpatine going too far with his schemes. He's so overt it makes you wonder if he's so strong in the Force that he can dupe Jedi into thinking he's the good guy or if it's just bad writing. Then we have Anakin going too far with his pouting teenage angsty self. He's like Kylo Ren but so much more obvious. And like Palpatine, we're left to wonder if he's so strong in the Force he can dupe Jedi or if the Jedi are just blind to the obvious.

Just a minor glimpse of my collection.

In the end, it holds up about as well as the other two prequel episodes. But holds no sway over me. As with the other movies, there's just not much these first three movies seem to add to the franchise other than a bit of backstory. ::sigh::

Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

I'll admit openly and freely that this is my favorite movie of the series. Which means I have a lot of bias towards this movie and how the others measure up to it. With that said, this is also the first time I've watched it on Blu-ray and the first time I've watched it right after watching the previous movie. In fact, this is the first time I've watched all of the movies in order and within a relatively short time frame (3 days to be specific).

Unknown. 

The first thing I noticed was how clean the newly released versions are. Some of the older special effects have been feathered out and it's generally brighter and cleaner. But there's still enough grit and grime to make it more realistic than the prequel movies. So yeah, it's going to be hard to top that.

My old car.

Despite the modifications Lucas made well after the original release, the movie holds up. The story is solid, the acting is great (for some characters but not others), and it still holds sway over me. It is the epitome of the franchise. Yeah, like I said, I'm a bit jaded in my opinion.

Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

I know a lot of people love Empire but for me, it loses me after the Battle of Hoth. The rest of the movie is fine, better than the prequels, but it just leaves me feeling a little meh. I will say that the character development of Luke is progressing nicely. We see him grow from a wimpy farm kid to the leader of the Rebellion and, even though he whines on Dagobah, he's at least growing as a Jedi Knight.

Unknown. 

Speaking of Dagobah, it just creeped me the heck out as a kid. That's probably part of why I never liked Empire as much. But at least Yoda was real. Jim Henson's magic is so clear and obvious even after all these years. That's not just a sock puppet talking or some computer generated character using the Force. That's a person acting there and it shows.

Unknown. 

In the end, Empire holds up over time but holds little sway over me. Yes, Hoth was great and the final battle between Luke and Vader was good, but still, it just doesn't make my lightsaber rattle much.

Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)

Sure, sure, there's Ewoks and they're cute and vicious. But the scenes on Endor really make this movie. I think it starts out well enough with Luke going full Jedi but I was never a fan of Yoda's death. I guess it was too sad for me as a youngling. But as an adult, it was an appropriately emotional moment between the two. Three I guess if you count Obi Wan.

An animation cel I own.

I think what makes this movie hold up over time, and hold some sway over me, is that the effects are mostly physical and those computer effects that are used, are done so sparingly but with enough quality to keep you in that particular moment in the movie. In other words, it doesn't gut-check you when you see an Ewok or an AT-ST on Endor. Nor are the space battles so full of CGI that you don't know what's going on anymore.

One of the only comics I have.

So yeah, Return of the Jedi is right up in the top three for me and easily ranks higher than Empire.

Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

As we enter a new generation, we get a new trilogy of movies. I went into this with my jaded thoughts about which movie was best and how little I expected of the new installment. While I expected a good movie, I just didn't think it would carry much weight with it. To use an out-of-universe analogy, I figured it would be like a new Star Trek movie and just be meh.

My movie collection.

It wasn't. Time will ultimately be the final judge but for now, I'm ranking this right up there with the original trilogy and would even put it ahead of Empire and Jedi. That's right, I like this movie just as much as I like A New Hope. Some days I like it more, some days less, and some days the same. But in the end, it's always in my top two of all Star Wars movie out there.

Chewie (Peter Mayhew) and the man who killed him (R. A. Salvatore).

As a collector of the books for many years, I was seriously disappointed that they would not hold true to the stories they came out with revolving around the Solo and Skywalker families. They were pretty darn good and a solid arc of storytelling about the galaxy. But as much as I wanted to see those stories on screen, and still do, I'm okay with the new direction they've taken things.

Epilogue (almost 40-something)

So where does this leave us? Well, how about I keep things simple and rank my favorites based on how much they've held up over time and how much I think they've impacted me.

1. A New Hope
2. The Force Awakens
3. Return of the Jedi
4. Empire Strikes Back
5. Attack of the Clones
6. Revenge of the Sith
7. The Phantom Menace

But there's more to it than that, isn't there? No, I don't think so. That pretty much sums it up. But remember, that's just the movies. That doesn't take into consideration any of the spin offs and homages.

You want to check out the FANBOYS movie by Adam F. Goldberg.

Finally, one parting shot of the next generation of fans.

Note: Many of the photos in this post are not mine. I'll freely admit I downloaded them years ago and take no credit for them.

Groceries are exciting!

Work out is done! I'm just slow in writing it down. Got my workout in first thing this morning. My warm-up was cleaning the bathrooms for my wife's party tonight. Certainly got down and dirty with that one and certainly broke a sweat doing it. The workout itself went just fine. Nothing terribly exciting other than it hurt. But in a good way.

After my workout, it was off to town to get groceries. I was trying to find a way to make it exciting but I'm pretty sure it's hard to do. But I tried anyways. After groceries, it was back home to unpack, eat, and go to therapy.

That's where the excitement began. A minor emergency at work meant a lot of driving around and getting way outside of my schedule. But I managed to get things back on track in time to go pick up the kids from school. Then it was back home to prep some more for the party, feed the kids, then off to my trail meeting.

Phew! Busy day. But it was productive and I'm sure I'll sleep well tonight.

Photos:

Video:

Day 3 - Routine

Working on getting into a routine of sorts around the house. Not even a week into the new life so I know it'll take time. Today's adjustment was my new job. Just like in the past, I won't talk about my current employer. Not that I have anything against them, I just find it not quite the right thing to do. Previous employers, sure, I'm more than happy to talk about them.

But talking about current employers has gotten me in trouble in the past. I've overshared certain things and had my hand slapped. And while I try to stick to the rule of "don't say anything you wouldn't tell your grandmother," sometimes it doesn't matter what you say, your employer doesn't like it. I also find it easier to keep my personal life and my work life separate when I don't mix them on social media.

It has nothing to do with the employer, my bosses, my direct-reports, my location, my security clearance, nothing like that. As it stands now, those are all great. I have no issues at all. I just don't want to compromise where I am and what I'm doing by opening my mouth and people thinking it's something my employer has sponsored when it's not. This is my channel, my voice, and I'm wholly responsible for what comes out of my mouth

So in the end, no, I won't talk about where I'm working.

But I'm happy to roast my previous employers over the coals. Or praise them for doing something right. I'm no business expert but I've learned a few things in my time.

Anyway, on with today's story. I started the day out with my planned 2 mile run. I went over a bit but that's just how the route worked out. Along the way I talked to my dad and we made breakfast plans. After breakfast, I vacuumed in the basement and headed off to work.

Work was, work. Nuff said.

Photos:

Weather:
Temps for the run were about 550F to 55F. The sun was out but there were some clouds. Wind was light.

Fluids and Fuel:
Had a little coffee before the run. Plain water during the run. Recovery was a veggie omelette, two slices of toast, and hash browns. And more coffee.

Aches and Pains:
Nothing hurt during the run. There were a few times I felt extremely light on my feet and totally in a groove. The rest of the time I felt like a blob oozing forward slowly in a herky-jerky fashion.

Gear:
Shorts and a long sleeve top. And my BUFF. Should have worn another layer on top. Should have worn gloves too.

Today's Motivation:
As much as I wanted to continue moving around the neighborhood, the chill air and the offer of breakfast drove me inside to take a shower. As I ran, I realized I'll run for boobs and food. And probably a few other things too.

Naughty Neil:
I really want to eat a cookie. But I'm going to do my best to avoid snacks tonight. I ate a bit more calorie-wise today than I had hoped for. And with my weigh-in on Monday of 246.2 pounds, I really need to knock some of that shit off.

Splits:
Lollipop 1 - 16:02
Lollipop 2 - 16:45
Finish - 32:48

Day 2 - How do you make going to the dump exciting?

Today's challenge was making a trip to the dump exciting. I'm pretty sure I failed but hey, at least I gave it a shot. Along the way, I pulled some serious Mr. Mom stuff. Dishes were done. Laundry was washed, dried, and put away. I did my workout this morning. Pretty much everything on my list was taken care of except doing my two hours of exercise. But after yesterday, I was wiped and was pretty sure I couldn't pull 2 hours of sweating to the oldies.

So instead I walked around like the old farts in the neighborhood. Which is what I felt like when I was out there walking.

The rest of the day was just boring stuff. Organizing things for the rest of the week, helping with dinner, blah blah blah. You get the idea.

Here's more information about Yahoo tanking it in the market. And keep in mind, they discontinued their Work From Home program and claimed that it worked perfectly. That was 2013. So while some think working from home is going to be the norm, it's not something that works for everyone. But for those that can work from home, it's a huge boon to the employee and employer.

Photos:

Video:

Weather:
Temps were cool, maybe 50F, when I did my walking warm up. Not much exciting going on early in the morning. I did the rest of my workout in the basement where it was a warm 74F.

Fluids and Fuel:
Coffee before the workout. Plain water during the workout. Recovery was more coffee, two eggs, four slices of bacon, some home fries, and two slices of toast.

Aches and Pains:
Well, my ass hurts from doing all those fire hydrants. But aside from that, I just felt old. I also managed to knock out two whole pushups. Yeah, beast, right?

Gear:Nothing fancy, just shorts and a t-shirt.

Today's Motivation:
I'm back to being addicted to the green box in Training Peaks. I also want to kill it this summer. You know, get that Ken Doll body. But with man parts.

Naughty Neil:
Breakfast was larger than planned but I was hungry. Hangry.