Category: Daily Life

These are my daily rants, stories, and what not.

A politics free summer

meisajDaily Life

Well not summer, but July.

As a progressive, as someone who kind of despises the current political direction of our government, someone who can’t stand the inane, confusing, misleading, factually incorrect and outright lies made by our president on a daily basis, someone who leaves messages for my senators and representatives Congress (which – despite asking for letters and other communication about their votes, thinking on topics I care about, and other issues – I have received none communication back – I’m looking at you Senator Porter – thanks for writing me off as a constituent), and someone who reads a ton of news each day, its been a frustrating couple of months.

So what do I do?  Well July is my month off from work.  I’m also taking a month off from politics.  I’ll still read headlines, and read local news, but I’m taking July off from engaging in political news or discussion.  At least as much as I can.

Think of it as a mental health break.  I’ll spend July reading books, maybe (hopefully) hiring a few teachers – which is ironic since it is my month off of work, fixing things around our house (bathroom sink – fixed!), maybe drawing again, and exercising.  And take a cue from my cats and just relax.

I’ll re-engage in August.

I will say this political climate of the last two years has made me re-think how I get my news.  I’ve gone from only consuming free news (CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Politico, etc) to paying for my chief news sources.  From reading websites, to reading actual newspapers and dailies.

I subscribe to the Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, Skeptical Inquirer and PBS.  I also listen to NPR and the BBC.  I know the Washington Post definitely has a left leaning slant, but is factually accurate.  The Christian Science Monitor is centrist, and has a global view.  Same with BBC. Skeptical Inquirer and PBS are not necessarily news (at least in how I consume them), but rather for science discussions and documentaries.

Surprisingly not jumping to immediate reactions, and reading articles written at a later time, with thought, is way easier to digest than ’emerging stories’.   These newspaper sources, non-biased sources like the BBC, and dailies like the Christian Science Monitor, are also way more factually accurate than quick reporting stations and sites like CNN, Fox, and MSNBC.

Also, as an interesting end-note, my hometown newspaper, The Post Star, is apparently one of the least biased newspapers in the country.  Yeah… That’s an odd statement.

Kenny Loggins Day 2018

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It’s Kenny Loggins Day!!

Like many things Kenny Loggins Day started from something silly, such a coworker making fun of the Footloose soundtrack I was playing.  I’m just the guy to run with something ridiculous like that.

The first few years it was just me celebrating by listening to Loggins in my office, but I told people about it at work and they got excited by the absurdity of it all.  I went bigger with mailings, business cards, stickers and post cards to celebrate just because… no real reason.

I now know more about Kenny Loggins than any human being has a right to know.  And you know what.. I love it.  No Kenny Loggins probably doesn’t know about it, but I did tweet at him and mail his fan club in my mailing.

But who cares.  The whole point of Kenny Loggins Day is to celebrate something completely ridiculous on an otherwise inconsequential February day.  Instead of a dreary winter day, it is a fun day to listen to music, talk unabashedly about Kenny Loggins great on-going and try to get others join on in… just because.

AJ Charpentier
President of the Kenny Loggins Day Association

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There came to be a few simple rules with Kenny Loggins Day.

  • It has to be celebrated on a work day.
    1. Kenny Loggins is meant to shared. Co-Workers are the best people to share it with.  Blast some Kenny Loggins at work.  Kenny Loggins Day will always be February 16th, but it has to be observed on a work day.
    2. Therefore if KLD falls on the weekend, or President’s Day, it will be celebrated the next work day. (I’m sorry to everyone who does not work in a school or government job.  I get President’s Day off, and I’m President of the Kenny Loggins Day Association, so it will not be celebrated on President’s Day.  Besides, Kenny Loggins doesn’t need to share his holiday.)
  • While it is Kenny Loggins Day, Full Soundtracks featuring Kenny Loggins Songs are acceptable music.
    1. That means the Top Gun Soundtrack, Caddyshack, Pooh Corner, Footloose and other soundtracks featuring Kenny Loggins can be played and enjoyed in their entirety.
  • Loggins and Messina count.
  • No non-Loggins related music. Kenny Loggins has 13 studio albums, 2 Live albums, 2 Compilation Albums and is on many classic 80’s and 90’s soundtracks.  More than enough to keep you listening without much repetition.  And he’s still making more music!!!
  • You have to be unabashed in your celebration of Kenny Loggins Day. A sign, a poster, business cards to hand out, twitter, facebook, post it notes… whatever.  Anything to announce that you are indeed celebrating Kenny Loggins Day.

That’s it.  That’s Kenny Loggins Day.

30 Days

meisajDaily Life

30 Days to go until Kenny Logins Day.

  • Stickers ordered
  • Post cards ordered
  • Business cards ordered

I kept the postcards and business cards the same. They’re just too good to change. I’ve updated the stickers though, from just four stickers to almost twenty different stickers.

Next steps:

  • Investigate custom window/floor decals of Kenny Logins face.
  • Find banner and figure out better hanging system than last year.
  • Create postcard / Kenny Logins Day mailing list.
  • Celebrate.

If you want a KLD postcard, business card or some stickers let me know.

Feeling Old in the New Year

meisajDaily Life

I’ve had a pretty good winter break.

This is my last day off before returning to work tomorrow, and I’m actually putting off doing some work for tomorrow while I type this.  But that’s ok.

So I had a good break, Christmas, visit with the family, playing with nephews and nieces, and relaxing with Sam.  We sort of planned our trip to my parents around her available vacation.  It’s the first time we spent Christmas together (we always celebrated early or later since I went home and she went to her parents).

All good.  So what do I do when we get back to Cleveland?  I decide that since I’m on break, relaxing and don’t have to work, I’m gonna stay up late and play some video games.  Not just video games, but a button smashing fighting video game.  Which is great, I loved it, but the next morning I wake up and my wrist is killing me.

Its to the point that when I rotate my wrist I can hear the muscle move. At this point its not the pain that bugs me, I can handle that.  Its the noise.  Hearing my muscle move it bizarre.  Reminds me of when I broke my collar bone.  I was laying on the ground in pain after diving to catch a frisbee, but the way I knew I broke my collar bone was that I could hear the bones grinding against each other.

So I’ll be wearing this for a while.

It is Sam’s for her tendonitis.  Which is what I’m sure is going on in my wrist.  It helps keep my wrist straight, but when I pick things up I can still occasionally hear my muscles move, which is still just weird – but its ok… I’m a Charpentier, I heal fast. But from a video game.  Awww.

Man it makes me feel old.