The Celtic variation of Keith is “CEITEACH”. It’s of Scottish origin, a geographical surname for someone who lives in the woods. Bet the farm there will never be a president with Keith as a first name.
Rarely will you hear me complain about the Texas heat during the late spring or summer. It’s called that’s the way it is. Acceptance is the answer to almost all our problems. A practice easier to state than follow.
However, I will gripe about the Texas power grid. The way it is is not the way it should be.
You know you are in for a rough Monday when your starter word for Wordle doesn’t yield any green or yellow squares.
It’s an interesting exercise to reflect on different stages of your life and what you considered the biggest stressor in your life at the time. Some of those stressors you’ll realize strengthened you, yet some of those you’ll laugh at why you even sweated it.
One of my biggest everyday concerns is that I’m wasting the time of the people I engage with, from friends to cashiers. Well, not that I’m wasting their time, but they feel like I’m just a waste of their time.
Too often I feel like I deserve the pain that I’m in, whether it be emotionally or physically or whatever is in-between.There’s a difference between accepting responsibility for how I think about hurtful things others have done, and taking the blame for those actions.
Change can come quickly, but more often it’s a gradual process in which we endure and learn many lessons.
I hope the one thing that never gets stolen from me is my creativity. One thing that gives me hope is that I’m a work in process, Keith 1.5 trying to upgrade to Keith 2.0.
I’ve always hated the name Keith. I don’t know what I would like, but I certainly don’t like Keith. Do the world a favor and don’t name a child Keith.
Posted inPersonal|Comments Off on Bag of Randomness for Tuesday, June 14, 2022
One way I’m trying to upgrade from Keith 1.5 to Keith 2.0 is to try things I normally wouldn’t do, and keep an open mind. A friend has often invited me and the kids to go on his boat, but I’ve never been much of a lake person and always declined. Well, we arrived at his dock Saturday morning with open minds. The kids had a blast and couldn’t get enough of tubing. It was touching that they only wanted to do it together, not individually.
One of friends I made through a divorce support group told me he lived and slept on his boat every night on Lewisville Lake after he and his wife separated until they were able to settle on property. I always wondered how big of a boat he has.
The kids and I watched Field of Dreams Friday night. It delighted me it hooked them from the beginning and they thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, to my surprise, I didn’t cry. It was the first movie that happen to come on television and the first that I watched after my father died, which happened 24 years ago this month. I once counted the total number of days he was in my life, which was around 22 years.. I then counted and marked on the calendar those number of days since I started a relationship with my then wife. On that date, I was going to tell her about the special occurrence and give her something special. Oh, well. One day, I hope to find someone who would appreciate and take to heart such a moment.
I forgot just how good James Earl Jones was in that part, and I loved that it included Burt Lancaster’s last scene. The man was smooth and elegant. I loved the story of when his character died. They found in his office boxes of blue hats he never got around to give his wife. The romantic in me loved that, and at the end of my marriage, there were several gifts I had for my wife that I never got around to giving her. I was good at giving her a steady flow of things to show her my appreciation, which she now thinks was nothing more than manipulation.
Man, that movie influenced my life more than I thought. I never played catch with my dad. So I made damn sure I was going to play catch should I ever have a son. And, whenever he asks to have a catch, I never turn down the opportunity. Even when I lost my fine and most of my gross motor skills last fall, I gave it my best.
As much as I like a good baseball movie, I find it funny I never played organized ball. I was scared someone like the bully Shannon Yeats, who was a pitcher, would do nothing but try to hit me with the ball. Shannon, btw, has been dead slightly longer than my father after speeding away from the cops after stealing something to buy more drugs.
Anytime I hear a reference about the ends of the Earth or where the Earth stops (before the age of flat-Earthers), I immediately think of one of the final scenes from the movie The Gods Must Be Crazy. I referenced the movie not long ago, as I watched it with the kids. I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks that way. My pastor used it as an illustration yesterday.
Posted inPersonal|Comments Off on Bag of Randomness for Monday, June 13, 2022
There’s plenty to see in our nation’s capitol, but I bummed to see the National Air and Space Museum is temporarily closed through fall 2022. It’s really one museum in two locations, so the one on the national mall isn’t available, but the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, is open. That one consists of two enormous hangars that house the Space Shuttle Discovery, the Enola Gay and my personal favorite, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. I really wish I can find the plane my father served as a gunner in, a PV-1 Ventura. The only place I know where one exists is inside the Orlando Sanford International Airport. I want to find an excuse to go there. Most planes from DFW land at the other Orlando airport. While I don’t understand how medals and military uniforms work, my dad earned his wings as a gunner on the aircraft, and he seemed very proud of them. There’s a story about him being shot down and lost at sea for a few days. I could never get him to open up about it. However, I did find a telegram sent to his parents informing them that he was MIA. I’ll see if I can find it.
Most of the funds I received from the sale of GeedingManor went to my attorney. I really miss owning a home, especially doing all the DIY stuff, the feeling of knowing nothing is going to need to be packed or moved, and buying things only suitable for a home knowing you won’t have to lug it around. When I look at what’s going on in the local housing industry, I doubt I’ll ever own a home again. Half of my retirement savings went to my ex, so I’m trying to replenish that fund and still trying to figure out how to save for a rainy day after I pay rent and child support. Now, I fear these institutional investors are going to control the price for homes over the next several decades. Here are a few headlines that scare me:
One of my biggest stressors last year was finding a place to move to. I wanted my kids to feel their thoughts were valued and part of the process, so I asked if they would prefer if I lived in a new apartment or an older house with a yard. They both really wanted a yard. The first four or five places I submitted an application for were off the market within hours. I got lucky for the one I’m living in now because I took a risk and applied for it sight unseen. But, I had to stand out from the other applicants. It helped I was a homeowner of about 15 years, have a salary on paper that looks more favorable than others, and had a credit score above 800. But I stated I would pay $200 more than they were asking for per month and would be willing to sign a two-year lease, with the second year rent increased by a $100 a month. They said they preferred the longer lease I was committing to over the four or five applicants, only willing to sign a one-year lease despite paying more than $500 over asking. I’m here for another year, and by that time, the mother of my children and move the children to another school. So, a lot of my future depends on what mood she is feeling at a particular moment.
Thankfully, I don’t have to pay for gas. Yes, I wish my cheap electric car had a further range than 72-miles on a full charge, but not having to worry about gas or any maintenance is great. However, lighting struck nearby and the wall charging unit died. Thankfully, prices have come down and technology has increased since I bought one seven years ago. I found a decent unit for $200. In the meantime, I had to use the backup charger, which plugs into a traditional outlet, but will charge at a much slower rate.
I’ve entertained the thought of delivering pizzas for Domino’s. I don’t want to think any job is beneath me. Since I have an electric car, I don’t have to worry about gas. It would get me out of the house, and I’d be social.
DaughterGeeding wanted me to cook one of her favorite meals, something I call Mexican sunshine. It requires browning some ground beef, and I thought it was a nice opportunity to teach her how to cook. We had fun. It was a great memory for me, I hope it will be for her.
DaughterGeeding and I watched the first game of the NCAA Softball Championship Game. I was curious why players were wearing green and purple ribbons. You may recall a player from James Madison succumbed to suicide, and the university cancelled the rest of the season. The school colors are green and purple, so other collegiate teams have been sporting ribbons of those colors in support of their softball peers.
I was cleaning up files on my computer yesterday and you have no idea how much joy it brought me to delete the La La Land soundtrack.
Good luck finding a new job Jack Del Rio.
I found this article yesterday and my life became a little more pleasant. I use Google Photos as a screen saver for the living room television and a handful of faces I’d rather see show up. The article addresses similar settings in other apps, as well – How to remove your ex from your digital life
Google Photos has similar functions where you can hide people & pets and even hide dates, so anniversaries won’t be a problem. In the Photos app, tap on your profile photo, go to Photo Settings, then choose Memories. Tap “Hide people & pets” and choose who you’d like to hide, and the same goes for dates.
