Say What?

This blog post dovetails with my previous entry as I continue to ponder life—my life, in search of answers that likely won't be revealed to me until my time here is done, if then. I've been in a very contemplative place for at least the past two years while I watch helplessly as the years of my life pass by, each one faster than the one that preceded it. Contemplation is one of my superpowers, if only for my benefit. Along with my preoccupation with contemplating my life and all of its twists and turns and lessons, my thoughts are beginning to dwell more and more on life beyond this one and what that might look like. It was so much easier when I took shelter in my Christian faith, not really bothering to seriously consider any other alternative than one where I leave my physical body and pass through a tunnel of white light into the arms of Jesus, to dwell with other believers as we sing songs of praise to God. It was a very simple way of looking at life and death; so much so ...

This blog update is a follow-up to a post I made on Facebook last night. The first paragraph below was what I posted. What I'm about to write is personal, but I share it with the hope that it will help others see another side they may not appreciate with respect to those of us who have chosen to leave organized religion or any belief system we may have walked away from. I've always been a very spiritual person, seeking after God and in conversation with this entity throughout the day, whatever it may be. If you ever see me out walking and it looks like I'm talking to myself, I'm likely in conversation with God. Some of what I say here in this post may strike some as offensive. That's not my intention, but I don't know how to sugarcoat this to make it more acceptable to you. Thank you for hearing me out. A little more than 15 years ago, when Rachel turned 16, Tammy, Rachel, and I got Christian fish ankle tattoos to signify our walk with Jesus. I liked it—we all d...

Tammy is 11 weeks post-op from her hip replacement surgery and is pretty much back to normal. She was given the green light a few days ago to resume her Zumba workouts. I'm super happy for her because I know how important those workouts are for her. She's happy as well. It's been a few years since she had to stop exercising due to hip pain. We braved some near-blizzard conditions two weeks ago to take a mixology class at Norseman Distillery in Minneapolis. It was a gift Tammy had surprised me with one year ago and it was about to expire. I've put so little time into learning what goes into various drinks so this was all new to me. It was a lot of fun—so much so that we're talking about taking Mixology 2 as a follow-up.  We had the most beautiful snowfall earlier this week. Over two days, about 20" (50cm) of tree-clinging snow blanketed the area and because there was very little wind, most of what was clinging to the trees is still hanging on, making a walk th...

Charlie says Happy Holidays!  I still have some gifts to wrap but other than that, my work is done for this holiday season.  We had a gathering of family over on Saturday and enjoyed our time together. Rachel, Drew, Jenny, and PJ  came over early to cheer on the Vikings in what was looking like a route after the 1st half with the Vikings down 33-0 at the half. The way they were playing, I gave them a 0% chance of coming from behind to win it. But we kept watching, and steadily they kept closing the gap to win it in overtime! Neither Tammy nor I are football fans but we both found ourselves getting caught up in the moment when the Vikings did the near impossible. It was the largest come-from-behind win ever in professional football. Fun stuff! Later, we danced! Before I forget: I'm no longer on Twitter. I canceled my account yesterday. I've seen enough.  I had this text conversation with a friend a few nights ago:  Steve: I’ll trade you a Trump ‘wrestler’ for a ...

We were living in a snow globe today! Snow began falling in the wee hours of the morning and continued throughout the afternoon. We received about 7" (18 cm) by the time it quit. I was enjoying our mostly snowless winter but there are silver linings in this kind of weather for me as well; namely fat-biking. I was able to get out last night for a walk—my usual loop around Crystal Lake—ahead of the snow. It may be a while before I can do this walk again. It was such a peaceful couple of hours spent in upper 30º temps.  Twitter continues circling the drain under Elon Musk's leadership—I use the word "leadership" loosely. I'm a little bummed because I enjoyed the site. It was the source for a plethora of information of all shapes and sizes as well as an abundant supply of cute and heartwarming animal videos. Musk has opened it up again to the vilest voices that had previously been banned from the platform and also to accounts that spread disinformation, while at the...

It's like it's a party that's in its final years, trying to remain powerful but offering nothing in the way of compromise or ideas; only fear, sabotage, disinformation, and voter suppression. They're a shrinking party and they know their days are numbered so they will do whatever they have to do to not lose control. Their final act is to attempt to install a strongman in office, an authoritarian who will corrupt institutions and consolidate power—better that they figure than ever conceding to Democrats.  The number of election deniers on the ballot today should tell you something. Most GOP supporters may still believe in democracy but their party leaders have moved on. Democrats aren't perfect but they at least believe in fair elections and the peaceful transfer of power. The same cannot be said for the GOP. I would love to be wrong but I see no other explanation for what's become of the political party I once embraced.  The most important thing on the ballot to...

Tammy continues to make nice progress more than 3 weeks out from hip replacement surgery. She's replaced her "Herschel walker" with her "John Mc-cane". (Sorry, I can't help myself. 🤷🏽‍♂️) It's nice to have these first few weeks of her recovery behind us.  My quest to find a new road bike moved at record pace since my last update here. I stopped by Flanders Bros Cycles in South Minneapolis to chat with Adrian about a new bike build. We put together a package that was a little dizzying in price but long on quality and checked off all of my wants and then some.  I no sooner returned home from meeting with Adrian when a friend texted me about a (blemish-free) demo bike TIME had on their website—a TIME ADH 01 with Campagnolo Record 11-speed EPS (Electronic Power Shift) components and Boyd carbon fiber wheels and hubs (set up tubeless) for a little more than half the price of the package I had just put together with Adrian. I immediately shot Adrian a text: ...