Blog Archive

A complete archive of all posts published to this blog since September 15, 2017.

Posts

2024-11-20: Battlefield Game Changer: Biden Just Approved The Use Of Weaponized Guilt In Ukraine - Clickhole With Kyiv now free to manipulate Moscow emotionally using feelings of guilt and shame on the battlefield, there’s no doubt Russian forces will soon begin to suffer the low …

2024-11-20: Uh-Oh: Biden Authorizes Ukraine To Use Holy Hand Grenade Against Russia - Babylon Bee With time in his presidency running short, Biden has announced authorization for Ukraine to use long-range American missile, anti-personnel mines, and now the Holy Hand Grenade. Keep your head …

2024-11-19: How Spirit Airlines Went From Industry Maverick to Chapter 11 Bankruptcy - WSJ The Justice Department disagreed, arguing the best way to promote airline competition would be to leave Spirit alone. Lawyers for the government said that most of Spirit’s problems were temporary and …

2024-11-19: The Hosts of MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ Changed Their Tune on Trump—Again - WSJ A person close to NBC saw the move as a way for the “Morning Joe” pair to stay relevant ahead of a second Trump administration. MSNBC has made strides in the ratings in the past few years and beat CNN on …

2024-11-18: Turning Off AI When iOS 18.1 was released on October 28, I updated all of my devices and enabled Apple Intelligence. It’s been three weeks, and today, I disabled the feature. It’s not just that Apple Intelligence is extremely limited, or that Siri is still terrible; it just wasn’t useful. I …

2024-11-18: Spirit Airlines Announces They Will Tell You Why They Went Bankrupt For An Added Fee Of $50 - Babylon Bee “We would love to explain exactly what went down. Anyone wishing to know can pay a one-time fee of $50 or more, and one of your flight attendants will come down the …

2024-11-18: Rainy start to the week. ⛈️

2024-11-18: Written for Me - Catholic Husband No matter the situation that I find myself in, I can almost always find a direct relationship to a story or character in the Bible. In those times, it feels as if it was all written only for me. ➕

2024-11-17: Episode 269: Taekwondo Championship I catch up with Benedict the day after his first taekwondo competition. 🇰🇷

2024-11-16: Kamala Harris Calls Dave Ramsey Show For Advice After Blowing $1 Billion In Three Months - Babylon Bee “And you say you did this in just three months? Meaning, you spent half a million dollars every hour, even while sleeping, for three straight months? Oh… …

2024-11-15: Back in the homeownership game. 🏡

2024-11-15: When the student shows up at Office Hours and the teacher isn’t there.

2024-11-14: APPALLING: New Trump Appointee Has Zero Experience Being A Useless Government Bureaucrat - Babylon Bee “Trump needs to pick people with experience in being faceless cogs in the federal machine who won’t change anything,” said MSNBC anchor Joe Scarborough. …

2024-11-13: Life Hack: Instantly Shave 7 Books Off Your Bible In A Year Plan By Converting From Catholic To Protestant - Babylon Bee At publishing time, Richard Kickrider had published a new video warning fans against joining the Ethiopian Orthodox Church because their Bible is even longer, …

2024-11-12: Preventing The Worst: Democrats Just Trump-Proofed The Nation By Passing Legislation Ensuring Syrup Can Never Be Named ‘Aunt Jemima’ Again - Decisive Action The law, called the Non-Jemima Syrup Act of 2024, completely neuters Trump and his GOP Congress of the ability to change …

2024-11-12: Democrats Vow To Improve Their Outreach To ‘Bigoted Misogynists’ - Babylon Bee Democrats have reportedly also vowed to do better in reaching out to young men by insulting them and telling them that they are the root of all evil everywhere even more.

2024-11-11: Thank You - Catholic Husband This is a day for us to pause to not only thank those who gave us everything, but the many, many more who gave part of their lives to protect and defend us and our way of life. ➕

2024-11-10: Science is fun.

2024-11-07: A Triumph for Trump’s Republicans - WSJ Opinion It isn’t enough said that Mr. Trump did this while enduring a shooting, a second, thwarted assassination attempt, and credible intelligence reports that Iran was trying to kill him. He went into all his rallies knowing that. He …

2024-11-07: A Positive Perspective: The DNC Is Reminding Disappointed Democrats That While Winning Would’ve Been Great, A Second Place Finish Is Nothing To Sneeze At - ClickHole “We’re not going to let American culture’s toxic obsession with being ‘number one’ stand in the way of …

2024-11-07: ‘Don’t Despair,’ Kamala Tells Celebrating Nation - Babylon Bee “Please, don’t — please — do not despair — I’m speaking!” Harris shouted above the celebratory crowd in a speech broadcast to tens of millions of elated Americans. “We …

2024-11-06: Kim Jong Un’s Risky Embrace of Russia Is About His Regime’s Survival - WSJ “North Korea’s decision to send troops to kill Europeans will not easily be forgotten in European capitals”

2024-11-06: Honey, Where Are My Pants? A stop-motion film by Benedict.

2024-11-06: Biden Calls Trump To Concede The Election - Babylon Bee At publishing time, Trump had graciously accepted a concession call from Biden, then Harris, then Biden again.

2024-11-06: America Unburdens Itself From What Has Been - Babylon Bee Sources say the unburdening could lead to unprecedented levels of imagining what can be.

2024-11-06: … and that was the last time anyone skipped the Al Smith Dinner.

2024-11-05: Election Officials Assure Everybody Things Are Looking Good And You Can Go To Sleep And They’ll Take Care Of The Rest Of The Counting Overnight - Babylon Bee “America, it is well past your bedtime,” scolded former President Obama.

2024-11-05: Everyone’s talking about this whole 2024 election today, but I just got a hot tip. Insiders cannot stop talking about this other election in 2028 that very few people even realize is coming up so soon. It’s going to be the most important election of our lifetimes and you will not …

2024-11-05: Kamala Harris Confused By Process Where She Needs To Get Votes To Be Selected - Babylon Bee “I don’t get it,” said Harris. “I became Vice President without receiving any votes, and then I became the nominee without receiving any votes… Why do we …

2024-11-04: One Second - Catholic Husband I was one of the last people he spoke to in those 10 minutes as he faded away, and pray that whomever he was, he went from speaking to me to standing in the presence of God Himself. ➕

2024-11-03: Stormy Sunday afternoon. Time to take on the closet. ⛈️

2024-11-02: It’s always fun to check out the hardware in the hanger.

2024-11-02: Quiet, rainy day at the office.

2024-11-01: All holy men and women, pray for us.

2024-11-01: I hate the efficiency of my dryer. I have 15-20 minutes at my desk after folding a load before the next one is done. 🧺

2024-11-01: New ‘Kamalexa’ Edition Of Amazon Echo Will Just Ramble For 10 Minutes Without Ever Answering Your Questions - Babylon Bee The Kamalexa edition of Amazon Echo is now available for pre-order and is expected to be the best-selling version of the device, once you count …

2024-11-01: It was perfect walking weather this morning. 🌑

2024-10-31: Thankfully it was mostly treats.

2024-10-31: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown 🍿

2024-10-31: Episode 268: Halloween The kids talk costumes, candy, and spooky things. 🎃

2024-10-30: Biden Calls On Deplorable Garbage Nazis To Tone Down The Rhetoric - Babylon Bee Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign agreed with Biden, issuing a press release calling for the arrest and imprisonment of all Trump supporters in an effort to heal division in the country. …

2024-10-30: Book Review: Shadow of Doubt 📚 After finishing the Scot Harvath series earlier this year, I was finally able to pick up Brad Thor’s latest installment on release day. This was a big deal; it was my first “light” summer read. I fell into a slump around the time the book came out. I powered through half this …

2024-10-30: Report: Millions Of Garbage Bags Seen Lining Up Outside Polling Stations - Babylon Bee “We had no idea how many bags of garbage there were in this country,” said pollster Richard Blinken.

2024-10-30: Usually when the house is quiet, the kids are doing something that will get them in trouble. Sometimes they’re just helping themselves to a snack.

2024-10-30: Awesome: Panera Bread Has Launched A Patreon For Fans To Support Its Soups And Salads - Clickhole those who subscribe at the $25 per month “Bread Bowl Fanatic” tier will get the chance to have a 10-minute Zoom with a real-life Panera employee. Can we ask them to bring the good …

2024-10-29: American Airlines Draws the Line Against Boarding-Group Cutters - WSJ All major U.S. airlines do their best to maintain boarding order since priority boarding is a perk for frequent fliers, credit-card holders and big spenders, and is often available for purchase. But American …

2024-10-29: JPMorgan Chase Sues Four Customers for Bank Fraud Seen in Viral TikToks - WSJ The bank sued four individuals in federal court Monday for exploiting a so-called glitch at Chase Bank ATMs that went viral on social media over the summer. The individuals deposited fake checks into …

2024-10-29: Finished reading: Shadow of Doubt by Brad Thor 📚

2024-10-29: Trying something new on the breakfast menu; homemade slow-cooked oatmeal with apples and cinnamon. Reviews: “Smells like fall.”

2024-10-29: A little quiet reading time on the couch with the pajama’d children. Trying to make the stillness of morning last a few extra minutes. 📖

2024-10-28: Almost every time I walk through IKEA I discover a product that I always knew I needed, but didn’t know existed. Upping my guest linen game with some $1.99 storage bags.

2024-10-28: iOS 18.1 Is Out Now: Apple Intelligence, New Siri Look and AirPod Hearing Aids Arrive - WSJ Yes, Apple’s long-awaited entry into generative AI is here. 🥱

2024-10-28: Better Off? The Presidential Election is upon us, and I managed to vote last week. Since having children, I’ve early voted in each election. This year was the hardest I’ve had to work to get it done. My normal polling place was overrun the two times that I went, so we ended up at a more …

2024-10-28: Overflowing - Catholic Husband when we fill up our day with the things we must do, there is neither time nor opportunity for anything else. By filling up our spiritual life with these good things and heavenly delights, we can accomplish the same thing. ➕

2024-10-27: It’s going to be a good day.

2024-10-26: The Babylon Bee Editorial Board Endorses Kamala Harris For President - Babylon Bee In 2020, the Babylon Bee famously endorsed “Dave” for President, discovering only later that Dave was a role played by actor Kevin Kline in a movie that hit the box office in 1993. …

2024-10-26: Joe Rogan Interviews Former McDonald’s Fry Cook - Babylon Bee The since-retired McDonald’s employee, named Donald, had just days ago been photographed serving up French fries at a Philadelphia drive-through. Incredibly, less than a week later, the former fry cook had …

2024-10-25: Trump Accused Of Inappropriately Touching The Hearts Of Millions Of Americans - Babylon Bee The latest scandal threatened to impact the upcoming presidential election, as millions of accusers from every state began to pour in. Victims of all ages and from across the …

2024-10-23: Democrats Explain Trump Was Going To Be Hitler During His First Term, But He Forgot - Babylon Bee According to retired General John Kelly, former President Trump often talked about how he kept meaning to find time to be Hitler, but he kept getting distracted by other things. …

2024-10-21: One Thousand - Catholic Husband Catholic Husband is not meant to be a historical record, but rather a living handbook. These thoughts and ideas are the ideal that I aspire to; these are the ways to think and act for those of us who wish to live as the Holy Family lived. I, like …

2024-10-17: Next time I need a lock for a gate, I will buy an outdoor rated lock. That way I won’t end up spending $75 for the locksmith to remove a $10 lock again. 🔒

2024-10-14: Kamala Harris’s Pitch to Black Men - WSJ Opinion The Vice President claims to follow the science, but she ignores the growing evidence about marijuana’s mental, physical and social harms. It is especially damaging to young people whose brains are still developing. Many black …

2024-10-14: Things of Heaven - Catholic Husband I wonder how differently I’d approach stress, conflict, and challenges if I spent a few more minutes each day thinking of the things of Heaven. What ratio would be required to improve my self-esteem, my hope, and my attitude? ➕

2024-10-11: Tips For Saving Money On Groceries - The Onion Hire a private investigator to take photographs of Kroger cashiers in compromising situations that you can use to blackmail them during checkout.

2024-10-11: Big changes coming at work, re-thinking everything. Checked out Arc after hearing about it for months. This is so good!

2024-10-09: Couple Denied Marriage License After Failing To Prove Love Beyond Reasonable Doubt - The Onion Judge Luther Hanscom, whose ruling found insufficient grounds to suggest Fields and Garcia’s bond was meant to last forever, concluding it was plausible they were participants in …

2024-10-09: Time to eat.

2024-10-07: A Pop Star Wanted the Filibuster Dead. Democrats Are Still Trying to Kill It. - WSJ It wasn’t a topic Senate Democrats were expecting musician John Legend to ask them about. But during a 2019 donor event held at Legend’s California home, the pop star pressed lawmakers on how …

2024-10-07: Starting Over - Catholic Husband Many times a day, a week, a month, I have to start over. And while it may be discouraging at first, having to build momentum again starting from zero, I’m still in the fight. I haven’t quit, I haven’t given up, and I’m not staying where I’ve …

2024-10-06: Sunrise over the lake.

2024-10-05: Let’s fly.

2024-10-03: Exclusive | U.S. Port Workers Agree to End Their Strike - WSJ President Biden applauded the agreement, saying in a statement, “Collective bargaining works, and it is critical to building a stronger economy from the middle out and the bottom up.” My guess is the terminals and …

2024-09-30: Forgetting to Shift - Catholic Husband Life is constantly changing, and if we forget to shift, we end up in the wrong gear. I have a big reminder on the horizon to shift, and perhaps this is your reminder, too. ➕

2024-09-23: Small Moments - Catholic Husband We try to go from fresh out of the Confessional to saint in one big leap. But we don’t need history’s best prayer plan, or the most ingenious sequencing of novenas. You just need to find small moments throughout your day, times when there’s a …

2024-09-20: Rainy afternoon.

2024-09-19: 9 Great Investments To Help You Survive A Kamala Harris Administration - Babylon Bee Jewish beeper company: Business is booming for these guys.

2024-09-16: Dig Deeper - Catholic Husband The funny thing is, when I conserve my energy, the mess piles up. Work, school clutter, all of which can only be conquered through focused, extended work sessions. If I do like I ought, a little each day, the system runs. ➕

2024-09-12: Dawn Unveils New Small Silver Bell For Summoning Butler To Deal With Dishes - The Onion Protect your soft, supple hands from the curse of labor and never again strain your voice while shouting for your manservant. Give the Dawn bell a dainty shake and consider the dishes done. …

2024-09-11: In Brief Moment Of Lucidity, Biden Endorses Trump - Babylon Bee The stunning incident was the first momentary instance of Biden showing any sense of clarity, coherence, and good judgment, as he paused to put on a “TRUMP 2024” baseball cap during a campaign stop at a …

2024-09-10: It’s 2024 and it took 41 minutes on the phone to cancel my home internet service. And if you cancel three days into a 30 day billing cycle, you have to pay for full service through the entire cycle. Internet service providers are absolute garbage.

2024-09-10: Nation Eagerly Anticipates Two Brightest Minds In Country Meeting In Respectful, Productive Dialogue - Babylon Bee A recent survey showed Americans can’t wait to witness the cordial meeting of two towering intellects when Donald Trump and Kamala Harris gather to …

2024-09-09: Cybertruck Owner Brags About High-Tech Pedal That Makes Vehicle Accelerate When Pressed - The Onion he felt like “some sort cyberpunk bounty hunter” when he used his foot to apply pressure to a lever that increased the vehicle’s speed in proportion to how much he pressed the …

2024-09-09: Divided Mind It’s remarkable how quickly I forget things. Just a few months ago, we started our summer vacation, allowing me to dedicate more of my focus to work tasks throughout the day. Sure, the kids would still ping me throughout the day, but I was able to complete tasks large and small …

2024-09-09: Back to Day One.

2024-09-09: First day of school, cool outside, windows open, everyone’s at their desks. 🍂📘

2024-09-09: Plans - Catholic Husband For I know well the plans I have in mind for you ➕

2024-09-08: End of summer.

2024-09-07: Saturdays are for errands & cleaning. 🧺

2024-09-06: End of an era.

2024-09-04: Philanthropy FTW! The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Just Distributed 5,000 ‘Caution Wet Floor’ Signs To Some Of The Slipperiest Places In The World - Clickhole the Gates Foundation has made it their mission to “slash global slipping rates in half, if not eradicate slipping …

2024-09-02: Cloak - Catholic Husband We imagine grandeur in every action of God, and they are. But in His majesty, God chooses the simple. A piece of humble cloth, wrapped around us, is all that’s needed to protect us from the gravest danger. ➕

2024-08-29: Study: Crows Intelligent Enough To Steal Trinkets, But Foolish Enough To Think Material Goods Will Solve Problems - The Onion Goertz revealed that their findings had also indicated several species of crow were capable of mimicking human speech without understanding that …

2024-08-28: Trump Props Up Trapper Keeper Around Campaign Plan To Prevent Kamala From Copying - Babylon Bee According to sources, a representative from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) gave Harris a stern warning and told her to get back to work. Kamala Harris’s eyes darted …

2024-08-26: Kamala Explains 93% Of Staff Quit Because They Couldn’t Handle The Joy - Babylon Bee “They quit because they are literally overdosing on joy,” Harris explained. “Almost no one on earth can stand being around this much joy for more than a few weeks. It’s …

2024-08-26: Hints of Fall - Catholic Husband As I perceive the first hints of fall, my mind gets back into that higher level thinking. It’s nature’s way of reminding me of the coming winter, and how quickly my life is progressing. The best time to live my best life was last summer; …

2024-08-21: Philosopher’s Friends Constantly Pitching Him Ideas For Dilemmas - The Onion Honestly, everybody thinks they can be a philosopher, but just because something metaphysically resonant happened to you doesn’t mean it would make a good dilemma.

2024-08-20: The goal of evil is to divide, separate, isolate, shame, destroy. The goal of Christ is to heal and unite, to harmonize in love. And that’s the great battle that’s always underway. - Fr. Boniface Hicks, OSB

2024-08-20: I’m ‘bout to have a good day.

2024-08-19: Drift - Catholic Husband St. Paul advises prayer without ceasing, and what better way to drift off to sleep than to spend the day’s final moments of consciousness with the God who made us and the saints who so deeply loved Him. ➕

2024-08-16: My favorite morning sky.

2024-08-15: The End Of His Prime: This Man No Longer Has The Fertile Imagination And Boundless Creative Energy To Build His Own Subway Sandwich And Has To Order From The Regular Menu - Clickhole “Let’s face it, building your own sandwich is a young man’s game, and I’m just not young …

2024-08-14: After Two Weeks With Kamala, Tim Walz Announces He Has Signed Back Up With National Guard And Requested Deployment To Iraq - Babylon Bee Though leaving the ticket after only two weeks, campaign staffers report that Walz actually set the record for the longest time any person has …

2024-08-14: Taliban Holds Parade In Honor Of Kamala’s Achievements In Afghanistan - Babylon Bee “We could never have become this strong without Kamala Harris,” said Taliban spokesterrorist Hassan Al-Samir. “Though we were once a rag-tag band of goat herders causing …

2024-08-13: Currently reading: Shadow of Doubt by Brad Thor 📚

2024-08-12: Ruled By Fear: This Man Irrationally Refuses To Fly Despite There Being Almost Zero Chance He Would Ever Wind Up In A Sixth Plane Crash - Clickhole Accidents like the five that have befallen Semple are so rare, in fact, that it’s actually far more likely that he’ll be struck by …

2024-08-12: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence - Catholic Husband It’s easy to think that the end of the world that Jesus promised is some far off date, and unlikely to happen in our lifetimes. With so much to focus on here, now, today, not taking a moment to pause to comprehend the …

2024-08-11: Taylor Swift Jet Launches Retaliatory Strike On ISIS Stronghold - Babylon Bee At publishing time, sources revealed Swift had already begun writing an upcoming song to take further revenge on the terrorists.

2024-08-05: Contagious - Catholic Husband Their happiness is contagious. Adults deal with serious and weighty things, but when you adapt the worldview of a child, the simple pleasures of live become visible once again. ➕

2024-08-03: Can’t Be Good: The Bus Driver Is Currently On A Zoom Call, Not Like A Friend Catch Up Or Anything, Like An All-Hands Meeting For An Entirely Different Job - Clickhole She just shared her screen to show everyone else a spreadsheet and now she’s going on and on about P …

2024-08-02: I’ve spent the last four years putting together a pretty awesome knife collection. I’m thinking about challenging myself to carry a different one each day and review it here on my blog.

2024-08-02: It’s been a long nine days.

2024-07-29: Magnet - Catholic Husband No matter where I go, they curiously pursue me. Sometimes they have an ask, something that they want. Other times, they literally follow me to the other room with their activity and establish a new base of operations. ➕

2024-07-24: ‘We Applaud Caesar For Doing The Right Thing And Stepping Down,’ Says Senator Holding Bloody Knife - Babylon Bee Cassius and his fellow senator Marcus Junius Brutus, who were both present at a hastily organized retirement party for Caesar, said that the former …

2024-07-23: Activision Announces Release Of ‘Call Of Duty: Moderately Sloped Roof’ - Babylon Bee “This is the most difficult, extreme campaign we have ever made,” said Masterson. “You have to literally crawl on your tummy up a slight slope and not fall down. …

2024-07-23: Dems Pull Off Successful Insurrection - Babylon Bee According to sources, Democratic party elites have worked tirelessly to overthrow the candidate chosen by voters, using everything from donation boycotts to blackmail. “It took everything we have, but we have deposed the …

2024-07-23: Barack Obama Strikes Again - WSJ Opinion As No. 2 in the Biden White House, Ms. Harris was in a key position to witness the president’s decline. Yet she too was happy to keep it from the American people. Now she asks them to trust her with the presidency? Everyone in the room …

2024-07-23: Another Coronation for Kamala - WSJ Opinion Ms. Harris said on Sunday that she intends to “earn” her party’s nomination. That would be a change for a politician who’s floated to the top in a one-party Democratic state with powerful patrons boosting her. The upshot has been that …

2024-07-22: Sacred Silence - Catholic Husband There’s little refuge in the world, too few spaces for sacred silence. In the Bible, time and again, God uses the quiet to reveal Himself and His heart. Drown out by noise, He chooses to not pierce through. ➕

2024-07-19: Splish, splash

2024-07-18: ‘Let’s Settle This At The Ballot Box,’ Says Party That Tried To Kick Trump Off Ballots - Babylon Bee “Let me be perfectly clear,” said President Biden. “The idea that political violence, look, this is America, and there is no place for semi-assault, automatic …

2024-07-18: Goliath Claims He Only Lost Because He Fought David On Slightly Sloped Surface - Babylon Bee According to the scroll, the Israelites were quick to point out that the hill David was standing on only had a five-degree slope. The Philistines, however, vehemently maintained that it …

2024-07-15: Summer Break - Catholic Husband It’s another great, periodic reminder of what it means to be a parent. There’s the providing and the protecting, but there is also the play. Children are a great gift, eager to experience life and far from jaded. It’s a vision of the world that …

2024-07-14: Quarantining the Conspiracy Swamps - WSJ Opinion Mr. Biden was employing a metaphor, however inapt given our current political distemper. He wasn’t giving orders to anyone to shoot Mr. Trump, and if he wanted to do so he wouldn’t do it in public. Mr. Collins is among those who …

2024-07-14: The Shooting of Donald Trump - WSJ Opinion The near assassination of Donald Trump could be a moment that catalyzes more hatred and an even worse cycle of violence. If that is how it goes, God help us. Or it could be a redemptive moment that leads to introspection and political …

2024-07-13: Dinner in a food hall

2024-07-12: The world is a dangerous place. The trend towards a full-blown gerontocracy is deeply troubling. The American voter is more concerned with getting their team into power than what’s best for the country. The President is largely incoherent, Mitch McConnell freezes, John Fetterman …

2024-07-11: Biden Accidentally Introduces Ukraine’s Zelensky as ‘President Putin’ - WSJ “Now I want to hand it over to the President of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination, ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden said. He quickly corrected himself: “President …

2024-07-09: I just opened the Voice Memos app and found years old recordings of my infant daughters laughing. It made me smile.

2024-07-09: Janet Yellen Reassures Nation That Biden’s Dementia Is Transitory - Babylon Bee Yellen’s statement was endorsed by several White House insiders, including Jill Biden, Hunter Biden, Ashley Biden, James Biden, and Valerie Biden Owens.

2024-07-09: Overflight Dozens of planes fly over us everyday without our noticing, flying to destinations near and far. It’s a small rhythm of life that occurs, often without our knowing. Frequently, I’ll pull up the FlightRadar24 to see what kind of plane it is, and where it’s heading. Many of these …

2024-07-08: How Biden’s Inner Circle Worked to Keep Signs of Aging Under Wraps - WSJ In April, Murray, the high-ranking senator from Washington state, told the Journal that she hadn’t seen a change in Biden’s acuity during years of meeting with him. “He engages in a very personal way, …

2024-07-08: Biden to Congressional Democrats: I’m ‘Running This Race to the End’ - WSJ President Biden dug in Monday, telling a broad array of Democrats that he was committed to “running this race to the end” and that it was time for conversations about changing nominees to stop, as …

2024-07-08: ABC News’ exclusive interview with Biden: Full transcript PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I’ll feel as long as I gave it my all and I did the good as job as I know I can do, that’s what this is about. (emphasis added) I’m not sure that’s better than, …

2024-07-08: My greatest fear about the future of drone delivery is what happens when the pregnant women find out.

2024-07-08: Andrea Lawful-Sanders, WURD Radio part ways after she used questions provided by Biden’s campaign - CBS Philadelphia A Biden administration official told CBS News Saturday that the White House was not involved in any preparation for the two radio interviews. The official …

2024-07-08: What’s Next - Catholic Husband The growth of our children is the perfect reminder that, while every stage of life has its challenges and frustrations, each stage also has its little joys. These joys can only be found when we ask, “What’s now?” ➕

2024-07-07: These Men Are on the Front Lines of the Abortion-Rights Movement - WSJ “The whole point of our organization is to get guys who are passively pro-choice but would not speak up, show up, donate—to get them to do those things,” said Florida-based Deputy Executive Director Aaron …

2024-07-07: Just about perfect.

2024-07-07: The ‘MAGA Supreme Court’ Doesn’t Exist - WSJ Opinion Democrats denounce the Supreme Court for making the Presidency too powerful, while they also denounce the Justices for stopping Mr. Biden’s unilateral regulatory actions, including his effort to forgive $430 billion of student …

2024-07-07: Biden Aides Wrote Questions for Radio Hosts Who Interviewed Him - WSJ Biden’s aides, grappling with the biggest political crisis of Biden’s career, sought to exert control over the Wednesday interview. “I was sent eight questions to choose from,” Lawful-Sanders told The Wall …

2024-07-07: Publishing is the best part of writing. 👨🏻‍💻

2024-07-07: Exploring new rails 🚉

2024-07-06: Readers Humans make progress and prosper when they learn new things.1 I entered the workforce in the golden age of online leadership tutorials. It was 2014 and voices like Michael Hyatt, Jon Acuff, and Jeff Goins were breathing new life into business blogging and podcasting. They …

2024-07-06: Elderly Surgeon Assures Patients He’s Still Lucid Between 10 A.M. And 4 P.M. - Babylon Bee Despite the sudden calls from nursing staff for Dr. Williams to retire due to his mental decline, he has thus far steadfastly refused. “Nothing but the Lord Almighty could make me …

2024-07-06: The chaos of logbooks is always irritating to me. When I’m done, though, the sense of accomplishment is always very real.

2024-07-05: JPMorgan Warns Customers: Prepare to Pay for Checking Accounts - WSJ Lake said Chase is planning to pass on the costs of higher regulation and charge customers for a number of now-free services, including checking accounts and wealth-management tools, if the rules become law in …

2024-07-04: Biden and Democrats Have Truly Worked to ‘Beat Medicare’ - WSJ Opinion Joe Biden’s history of seeking to abolish Medicare goes all the way back to 1975. That year, the then-freshman senator introduced so-called “sunset” legislation to terminate within six years “all provisions …

2024-07-04: 4th of July carry.

2024-07-04: Biden’s Frailty Isn’t Breaking News - WSJ Opinion In the run-up to the South Carolina primary that set Mr. Biden on a path to the nomination, I saw him at several events. At a small community center in North Charleston, S.C., Mr. Biden was scheduled to speak on his housing plan …

2024-07-04: Special guest on today’s podcast: Mary, the Mother of God

2024-07-04: My absolute favorite time of day is in late afternoon, when everyone naturally and simultaneously trends towards rest. The busy, noisy, loud house reverts to the stillness of early morning, and all is quiet. 🏡

2024-07-04: Episode 267: Fireworks I catch up with the kids to hear all about their late night. 🎆

2024-07-04: Happy Birthday, America! 🇺🇸

2024-07-03: Summer nights

2024-07-03: Man Successfully Corrects Someone’s Grammar But Oh No! Now He Doesn’t Have Any Friends! - Babylon Bee What, was I supposed to just let it slide and keep going with the conversation? Here I stand — my conscience is bound by the Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar and …

2024-07-03: That escalated quickly. How is it July already?

2024-07-03: Rediscover Philosophy Hanging above my desk, just above my line of sight, hangs my degree in Philosophy. It’s been more than a decade since I walked across that stage, and though it is always before me, it more or less blends into the scenery of my office. I use my degree in almost every moment of …

2024-07-01: Liberty - Catholic Husband Too much time is wasted scrolling, being anxious about a polarized society, or fretting about far off problems. The solution is not a moonshot to bring the whole world together with this one weird trick. The solution is to be the best version of …

2024-06-30: Top Democrats Urge Party to Stand Behind Biden - WSJ Pelosi said Biden had a bad night but that he remains sharp and his record paints a contrast with a potential second Trump term. “We see Joe Biden up close. We know how attuned he is to the issues, how informed he is,” she …

2024-06-29: Arthur Brooks, writing in his book, Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier The macronutirents of happiness are enjoyment, satisfaction, and purpose. The first is enjoyment. This might sound like pleasure-“feeling good.” However, this …

2024-06-29: Cheerful contrast.

2024-06-29: Currently reading: Build the Life You Want by Arthur C. Brooks 📚

2024-06-26: Biden Wants to Be Tough With Russia and Iran—but Wants Low Gas Prices Too - WSJ In another example of the collision of foreign and energy policies, earlier this year, Washington asked Ukraine to stop attacking some Russian refineries with drones after the damage rattled global …

2024-06-24: USA vs. Canada: A Fair And Unbiased Comparison - Babylon Bee Population Density Canada: Most people try to live as close to the US as possible USA: Most people try to live as far away from Canada as possible Winner: USA

2024-06-24: Pausing to Advance - Catholic Husband Most weeks I delete it from my list, without having done the work, sometime the following week. The reason is as simple as it is predictable. Something came up. The irony is that by not taking the time to get organized, by not pausing to …

2024-06-23: A Dire Warning: Marine Biologists Are Sounding The Alarm That If Any More Red Lobsters Shut Down There Will Soon Be So Much Lobster Mass In The Ocean That Sea Levels Will Rise 20 Feet By 2025 - Clickhole Environmentally minded consumers can still have an impact by eating at the …

2024-06-17: Play-Based Childhood Giving our children their devices as on-demand babysitters is the easiest thing to do. Fighting for them, protecting their innocence, and giving them the gift of a play-based childhood, although objectively harder, is objectively the right thing to do. It’s …

2024-06-16: Today I’ve consumed American, Italian, and Icelandic water. What a time to be alive. 💧

2024-06-16: Quiet afternoon on the ramp

2024-06-15: Put in the work.

2024-06-14: My Headspace playlist is really awesome for deep work.

2024-06-14: I really love the slow pace of Friday afternoons in summer.

2024-06-13: Adoremus in aeternum Sanctissimum Sacramentum.

2024-06-10: Episode 266: Vacation Bible School It’s the first day of VBS for the three big kids. They were an explosion of excitement at pick-up. We sit down to find out what they did today.

2024-06-10: Love Song for the Bride by Brother Isaiah 🎼

2024-06-10: Priorities - Catholic Husband Whether we set them intentionally or not, priorities are guiding our actions. Even if you set out with a solid plan, it’s easy to become overcome by events. ➕

2024-06-09: FICA Every worker remembers the dread of receiving their first paycheck and seeing just how much Federal and state tax authorities intercept between their gross and net. Federal and state income tax withholding are a part of the withholdings, but another big chunk is for Social …

2024-06-09: Go in peace.

2024-06-08: Episode 265: Bike Riding I catch up with Benedict to hear about his summer plans.

2024-06-08: Rough Seas On his first day in office, New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg issued a memo to his staff outlining which crimes were no longer to be prosecuted in the City of New York. Among them were marijuana misdemeanors, trespassing, prostitution, and some types of burglaries. …

2024-06-06: Trump Verdict Makes Everyone Look Bad - WSJ Opinion Team Biden also needs to realize that Mr. Bragg’s prosecutorial shenanigans have caused some GOP Trump skeptics to flip. One such Trump doubter told me the verdict was “the last straw,” convincing her that Democrats “do not …

2024-06-05: Currently reading: The Phantom of the Colosseum by Sophie De Mullenheim 📚

2024-06-05: I get why hospitals require pre-payment for services, but their estimating ability is terrible. The mistake is always in their favor and they are notoriously slow in refunding overpayments.

2024-06-03: Four-ship for Mass.

2024-06-02: Currently reading: Millionaire Mission by Brian Preston 📚

2024-05-31: Book Review: Going Infinite 📚 The story of Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX captured global headlines for 18 months, and as a lover of financial news, I followed the stories pretty regularly. I assumed that because of this, I’d enjoy the Michael Lewis book that dove into the story. I was wrong. SBF is pretty much a …

2024-05-30: The big day is here.

2024-05-28: Added Security: You Now Need To Ring A Bell To Get A Target Employee To Unlock The Cabinet Containing The Employee You Need To Unlock The Cabinet Containing The Deodorant - Clickhole In order to unlock the cabinet containing the second Target worker, the first Target worker …

2024-05-27: A Blast of Trumpets - Catholic Husband But when you are at Mass, and the entrance procession is welcomed with a trumpet blast, your mind is immediately pulled to Psalm 47 or St. John’s descriptions in Revelation. It becomes so easy to imagine the triumph of Jesus Christ mounting …

2024-05-26: Is Your Company’s 401(k) Match Unfair? - WSJ Nearly half of the $200 billion companies contribute to workers’ 401(k)s goes to the top 20% of earners, research by Vanguard Group found. The lowest-earning workers get 6% of the money. Interesting concept of fairness. A group of …

2024-05-26: Book Review: Artemis Fowl 📚 Artemis Fowl is a book series that Alison read as a child, although I never did. Benedict got the first one for his birthday and has devoured them all. He begged me to read them, too, and many of his references come from the book. I finally made it through the first book in the …

2024-05-23: Philosopher 2, attorney 0.

2024-05-20: FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg to Resign Following Report Detailing Sexual Harassment at Agency - WSJ Gruenberg plans to stay until successor is confirmed, avoiding scenario that would leave a Republican as acting chairman Accountability* (but only when politically convenient)

2024-05-20: Breathing Room - Catholic Husband While true that impulse shopping feels good, so does a lack of chaos. I aspire to a boring, predictable financial life where the system mostly runs on autopilot. I want a financial life that allows me breathing room to make decisions, where I …

2024-05-13: Monday morning, when I eat breakfast: ☀️ Monday morning, when I open my email: 🌪️

2024-05-13: Suddenly There Aren’t Enough Babies. The Whole World Is Alarmed. - WSJ Erica Pittman, a 45-year-old business banker in Raleigh, N.C., said she and her husband opted to have only one child because of demands on their time, including caring for her mother, who died last year after …

2024-05-13: IOUs - Catholic Husband We are not robots and none of us are on a perfect hockey stick growth trajectory. Long-term goals require long-term commitment, but missing a month or two or six on saving towards a 30-year goal is not going to make you miss the goal. It’s a small time …

2024-05-12: Finished reading: Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon by Michael Lewis 📚

2024-05-12: Clean house, still raining outside, and curled up on the couch in my office with a book. Good Sunday. 📖

2024-05-12: Lofi beats for a rainy Sunday morning. ☔️

2024-05-06: Do it Well - Catholic Husband Every job has its lessons to teach us, and connections to make, which carry us forward to our next endeavor. Whatever it is that you’re doing today, especially if it’s not the work you wish to do for the rest of your life, do it well. ➕

2024-05-05: At a barbershop for the first time in more than 4 years. 💈

2024-05-04: A Tale of Three Universities - WSJ Opinion The University of Florida took a different approach. In a statement Monday evening, the school said protesters who engaged in prohibited activities would face a trespassing order and an “interim” suspension from the university. “This is …

2024-05-04: Trump’s Finger Hovers Over ‘Send’ Button As He Ponders Whether Sick Burn Worth Another $10,000 - Babylon Bee At publishing time, Trump had reportedly asked if he could go ahead and pre-pay for all the sick burns he planned to unleash next week.

2024-04-29: Custom Parenting - Catholic Husband Many young adults today shun parenting and its many burdens and challenges. Indeed, parenting is the hardest commitment that any of us can make, on par with marriage. It’s a life-long commitment, to will the good of the other, to build an …

2024-04-27: CEO Tim Cook Straps On Apple Vision Pro To Enjoy Alternate Reality In Which People Buy Apple Vision Pro - Babylon Bee The global tech giant’s venture into virtual reality was met with lukewarm public interest, leaving Cook to escape this world and use the company’s …

2024-04-23: America Honors Earth Day By Recycling Used Presidential Candidates - Babylon Bee “Most old presidential candidates get tossed in the trash can to be sent to a landfill to slowly decompose until they’re forgotten and irrelevant. It’s time for a new way,” …

2024-04-22: Pray, Now - Catholic Husband We need, and benefit from, all types of prayer. Group prayer, liturgical prayer, family prayer, and private prayer, it all places our day on pause and elevates our selves to communion with the God who created us. So there’s no point in designing the …

2024-04-15: Above All Things - Catholic Husband Regardless of our time, circumstance, or difficulty, the solution almost always is to love God above all things. If we love Him first, as we were made to do, all good things will certainly flow from it. ➕

2024-04-11: The IRS Is Here to Help With Direct File. Oh No - WSJ Opinion Sen. Warren is selling Direct File as an alternative to “greedy, reckless” tax preparation firms. It’s a scandal the tax code is so complicated it requires such help, but that’s the fault of Congress.

2024-04-11: Op-Ed: If Jesus Supports Forgiveness, How Can Christians Not Support Robbing Poor People To Pay For My Journalism Degree? - Babylon Bee If you really believe Jesus paid the debt for your sins, you must also believe in paying the tuition for my “cultural experience” …

2024-04-09: NASA Sends Rover To Search For Intelligent Life On ‘The View’ - Babylon Bee “So far, our sensors have detected nothing.”

2024-04-09: Democrats Play Into Hamas’s Hands - WSJ Opinion You’d think the U.S. never made a mistake that killed civilians in wartime. They ignore the Hellfire missile attack that killed seven children as the U.S. sought to avenge the deaths of 13 Americans in Kabul as Mr. Biden pulled …

2024-04-08: Biden’s Latest Lawless Student Loan Forgiveness - WSJ Opinion Mr. Biden’s new loan forgiveness is still illegal. The High Court stressed that student loan forgiveness is a major question that requires clear authorization from Congress. But Mr. Biden seems to believe he can jam …

2024-04-08: I’m now 100% obsessed with garlic & herb butter. 🧈

2024-04-08: Doesn’t do it justice.

2024-04-08: Episode 264: Totality We had a clear view of the total solar eclipse this afternoon. The kids share their observations throughout the experience. 🌑

2024-04-08: The eclipse has begun. Good visibility, pretty cool to see. 🌑

2024-04-08: Mercy, Not Justice - Catholic Husband The Sacrament of Reconciliation is not a sacrament of justice, but of mercy. In a true encounter with the risen Christ, out of total love for us, He forgives our worst failings so that we might be with Him forever. That is an unfathomable …

2024-04-04: Biden Exploits a Tragic Israeli Mistake - WSJ Opinion Mr. Biden also seems to have forgotten his own mistaken missile strike. When the President’s Irish goodbye from Afghanistan was spoiled by a suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. troops, he ordered retaliation against ISIS-K. …

2024-04-02: 9 Other Groups That Desperately Need Their Own Day Of Visibility - Babylon Bee Meghan Markle: Living in relative obscurity as a television actress and member of the British royal family is lonely and heartbreaking and will soon be documented in a heavily promoted Netflix series. …

2024-04-01: How is it that no one has solved Parental Controls on computers/devices by now?

2024-04-01: Sequence - Catholic Husband Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous: The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal. ➕

2024-03-28: The Triduum begins.

2024-03-28: Gone Gray Over the years, I’ve read many articles and books that discussed strategies for minimizing phone use. Really, to even call them phones today is a disservice. Our cell phones are now computers that also happen to be able to make calls. Cal Newport, in his book Digital Minimalism …

2024-03-27: Robot of the day.

2024-03-26: Trump-Friendly Truth Social Board to Decide When He Can Cash In - WSJ Shannon Devine, a spokeswoman for Truth Social’s parent, said in a statement that this article is “clearly the latest in a long line of sloppy, poorly researched hit pieces on Truth Social by The Wall Street …

2024-03-25: At Your Altar - Catholic Husband Benedict and Felicity have attended Mass weekly and, to varying degrees, participated. But there’s nothing like serving at the Altar and seeing the liturgy up-close, physically participating, to make it all possible. Together, in their ways, …

2024-03-21: I set up a business phone line on my cell phone today. I bought my number from one company, ported it to a service, and activated in less than 15 minutes, from my desk, without talking to a single person. Incredible! 📱

2024-03-20: Episode 263: Taekwondo I catch up with White Belt Benedict to find out what he’s been up to at Taekwondo and the big event tonight. 🥋🇰🇷

2024-03-19: Happy 11th birthday to my blog, Catholic Husband! 🎂

2024-03-19: For the first time in my life, my drivers license expired.

2024-03-18: Renew, Refresh - Catholic Husband We are material beings, but we’re also spiritual beings. As the house needs cleaning and refreshing, so too does the soul. ➕

2024-03-17: Sunday night sunset.

2024-03-16: Rainy Saturday. ⛈️

2024-03-12: JetBlue, Spirit Airlines Call Off $3.8 Billion Merger Deal - WSJ Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday that the companies’ decision to abandon the deal, instead of trying to appeal their trial loss, further showed the government was right to challenge the transaction. …

2024-03-11: Currently reading: Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon by Michael Lewis 📚

2024-03-11: Frozen - Catholic Husband No one has a right to another person. This is a foundational principle that we wield to battle, in law and life, the evils of slavery, racism, sex trafficking, torture, and kidnapping. ➕

2024-03-10: Finished reading: Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer 📚

2024-03-09: Saturday at the Symphony. 🎼

2024-03-07: President Biden’s State of the Union Address 2024 – Analysis and Updates - WSJ Taxpayers at all income levels received tax cuts, on average, with the biggest benefits as a share of income going to people in the 95th to 99th percentiles, according to the Tax Policy Center. …

2024-03-04: Mainstream Media Warn If Trump Is Elected He Might Indict His Political Enemies, Imprison Detractors, And Rig Elections In His Favor - Babylon Bee “We have to bend or break every moral and ethical rule in existence to keep Trump from breaking the rules.”

2024-03-04: John Kerry Is Stepping Down as Climate Envoy at Age 80. He Isn’t Going Quietly. - WSJ Then Kerry plans to hit the road as a private citizen, dropping in on a major oil-industry conference in Houston to press energy executives to join the ranks of other business leaders throwing …

2024-03-04: Supreme Court Rules Donald Trump Can Stay on Colorado Primary Ballot - WSJ The court unanimously agreed that Trump should appear on the ballot Illegitimate court. The group behind the challenge, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said that Trump won on …

2024-03-04: Talent - Catholic Husband … these parables put on full display the genius of Jesus that can only be attributable to the omniscience of God Himself. In a backwater, dusty, hot town 2,000 years ago, Jesus crafted a parable that was readily understood by his illiterate …

2024-03-01: IRS puts 125,000 high-income individuals not filing tax returns on notice, to recoup millions owed - WTOP IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel told reporters on Thursday that notices are going out to 25,000 individuals with more than $1 million in income, and 100,000 notices to people …

2024-03-01: Prediction: FDIC seizes New York Community Bank at market close, reopens Monday under new ownership.

2024-02-29: A bit of an odd day.

2024-02-26: I will occasionally get behind on posts for Catholic Husband, but I always catch back up. Unfortunately, that means some posts don’t get the attention they deserve. Here are two recents that I enjoy that were published slightly behind schedule: ⍟ 6,570 (February 19, 2024) ⍟ …

2024-02-26: Pentagon Finds It Properly Handled Austin’s Hospitalization - WSJ The Pentagon found it did nothing wrong in deciding to not immediately inform President Biden or legislators of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s whereabouts when he was hospitalized earlier this year, finding in …

2024-02-26: More Important Things - Catholic Husband My children need to complete their school assignments, but they don’t have to do them between set hours or certain days. School is essential; so is being outside, imaginative play, and family exercise. ➕

2024-02-25: AT&T to Reimburse Customers Struck by Outage - WSJ A $5 credit to eligible accounts will appear within two billing cycles, the company said. Mindblowing generosity…talk about paying it forward!! The cost of reimbursement is “fully manageable while achieving the 2024 …

2024-02-25: Americans have racked up a trillion dollars in credit card debt. That’s actually OK - WTOP News The issue with those figures is that they don’t factor in that about 55% of borrowers repay their balances in full each month What’s 30% of $500B?

2024-02-25: Made my first PlaneDocs delivery today!

2024-02-23: Hunter Biden Shows Joe Is No Longer in Control of the Plot - WSJ Opinion With Jenga pieces flying all about, with further upsets yet to be named, an election of Nikki Haley vs. Ms. Harris isn’t out of the question—or the GOP’s Ms. Haley vs. any of the hale-and-heartier Democrats …

2024-02-23: Elon Musk and Donald Trump Cases Imperil the Rule of Law - WSJ Opinion In Delaware, Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick of the Court of Chancery ordered the unwinding of five years of Mr. Musk’s incentive-based compensation at Tesla, which had been approved by 80% of the company’s …

2024-02-23: Biden’s Student Loan Boast: The Supreme Court ‘Didn’t Stop Me’ - WSJ Opinion But worst of all is Mr. Biden’s blatant rejection of the law, even after the Supreme Court called him out. Is it any wonder that GOP voters don’t take Democratic alarms about losing democracy seriously? …

2024-02-23: Stay-At-Home Mom Lets Loose, Mixes Lights And Darks On Cold Wash Cycle - Babylon Bee As of publishing time, Becky reportedly was heard singing sassy jazz songs from the laundry room while she brazenly threw unmatched socks into her kids’ laundry bins while cackling like a …

2024-02-23: 70° and sunny.

2024-02-23: All of my appliances sing a slightly different song when they complete their cycles. Laundry day is both melodic and confusing. 🧺

2024-02-23: Early voting is a wonderful thing for parents! 🇺🇸

2024-02-23: Crystal Mountain Alison and I think of vacation in the same way. While some people prefer new adventures and exploring new cities, we like to go to the same places to do the same things. We’ve just returned from our third annual trip to Crystal Mountain ski resort in northern Michigan, and this …

2024-02-22: Can Loose Lips Sink an Alliance? - WSJ NATO calls itself the most successful military alliance in human history, and that isn’t hollow bragging or crass marketing. Never before have so many countries, representing almost one-eighth of the world’s population, pledged to protect …

2024-02-22: Oh the hours of entertainment that children can get from a single big box. 📦

2024-02-22: I hate that Apple is automatically using AI to generate transcripts for all podcasts on Apple Podcasts. We’re in the very early innings of AI, and the idea that I can’t opt-out from its use on my intellectual property is wrong.

2024-02-22: Episode 262: Ski Trip Back from vacation, we catch up with the three skiers. ⛷️

2024-02-22: I’ve been trying to use Brick when I’m downstairs and away from my computer. More refinements to be done to my blocked apps, but I like the workflow. Much better than messing around with ScreenTime settings.

2024-02-22: Refrigerator robots.

2024-02-22: Book Review: Dead Fall 📚 I finally did it. After nearly five years of reading, I finally made it through the full Scot Harvath series. This is, to my knowledge, only the second full series of books that I’ve read. The other, of course, being The Chronicles of Narnia. Although many of the Brad Thor …

2024-02-20: Currently reading: Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer 📚

2024-02-19: 6,570 - Catholic Husband It’s easy to get bogged down in the daily repetition, but when I take the view that I have 6,570 days to build our relationship, and tomorrow it’ll be 6,569, perspective shifts my decisions. Grace becomes easier, new adventure becomes more alluring, …

2024-02-18: Dave Ramsey Advises Trump To Use Snowball Method, Pay Off Smallest Legal Judgment First - Babylon Bee At publishing time, Trump had reportedly hung up on Ramsey after Ramsey yelled, “SELL THE STUPID PLANE!”

2024-02-17: Nothing beats your own bed. 🛌

2024-02-15: Snowy day ⛷️

2024-02-15: Currently reading: He Leadeth Me by Walter J. Ciszek, S.J. 📚

2024-02-13: Snowfall. ❄️

2024-02-12: Contend - Catholic Husband If you find yourself in line for Confession this Lent, lamenting your usual roster of sins, remember the line that you’re in. You haven’t given up; you’re still in the fight. God doesn’t want us to surrender to our failures, and He doesn’t want us to …

2024-02-08: Finished reading: Dead Fall by Brad Thor 📚

2024-02-06: Tucker Carlson Says He Is Interviewing Russian President Vladimir Putin - WSJ “Most Americans have no idea why Putin invaded Ukraine, or what his goals are now,” Carlson said in the video. “They’ve never heard his voice. That’s wrong. Americans have a right to know all they can …

2024-02-05: Book Review: Rising Tiger 📚 I’m almost caught up on the Scot Harvath series and continue to enjoy new geopolitical dynamics that match the times. In this book, the India-Pakistan-China conflict is explored through a riveting plot line. There are few better ways to end my work day than an evening reading …

2024-02-05: Start Now - Catholic Husband First thing in the morning, tomorrow will be waiting with its pristine beauty, like a fresh driven and completely untouched snow, the exact right jumping off point to live the life I want to live and be the man I would like to be. ➕

2024-02-04: Currently reading: Dead Fall by Brad Thor 📚

2024-02-04: Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - USCCB Daily Readings Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35

2024-02-03: Finished reading: Rising Tiger by Brad Thor 📚

2024-02-02: Slowly, but surely, we’re pushing the boundaries of trying to escape reality. Humans have always sought these escape, but we’re taking it way further than any previous generation has ever attempted. This isn’t just seeking blissful escape, this is a rejection of …

2024-02-01: Biden Names Elmo New Press Secretary - Babylon Bee “Elmo is so happy to be here! Elmo loves talking about Iran! Hahaha!” said Elmo as he hosted his first press conference. “Elmo loves new friends! Peter, do you want to be Elmo’s friend??”

2024-01-31: Biden to Visit East Palestine, Ohio, One Year After Train Derailment - WSJ The trip would mark the first time Biden has visited the site since the accident devastated the small Ohio town Consoler-in-Chief

2024-01-30: Intelligence Reveals Details of U.N. Agency Staff’s Links to Oct. 7 Attack - WSJ Six United Nations Relief and Works Agency workers were part of the wave of Palestinian militants who killed 1,200 people in the deadliest assault on Jews since the Holocaust, according to the …

2024-01-29: Platitudes - Catholic Husband The books of the Bible in the Canon of Scripture were written in adverse conditions, persecutions, war, violence, abject poverty, and even scandal. But the hope that they convey, encourages us to rise above the current circumstance and see God’s …

2024-01-26: The Trump-MAGA Purge - WSJ Opinion “Nikki ‘Birdbrain’ Haley is very bad for the Republican Party and, indeed, our Country,” Mr. Trump said Wednesday on his social-media site. “Anybody that makes a ‘Contribution’ to Birdbrain, from this moment forth, will be permanently barred …

2024-01-25: Trump Adviser Peter Navarro Gets Four-Month Sentence for Defying Jan. 6 Committee - WSJ “You were more than happy to talk to the press about what you did… but not go up to the Hill to talk to Congress,” the judge said. Hunter? The Justice Department had suggested a six-month …

2024-01-24: Book Review: Black Ice 📚 Another great book in the Scot Harvath series. We’re out of the doldrums and Scot is back on the initiative. It was fun to again explore Scandinavia and learn a little more about the region. The plot was excellent, too, with great complexity that weaved together to make for an …

2024-01-24: The Money-Market Bonanza Is Over. So Is Now the Time for Stocks? - WSJ The S&P and Dow both hit records Tuesday, making further gains from here difficult. Why did the editor allow this line to be published? The S&P 500 set more than 1,000 record highs between 1950 and …

2024-01-23: The Labor Union That Defeated Amazon Is Fighting for Survival - WSJ The union is “dealing with a lot of institutional failure—failure of the labor law and failure of American businesses to really accept unionizing without putting up a battle,” said Wilma Liebman, formerly chair …

2024-01-23: The GOP Wants Pure, Uncut Trumpism as Haley’s Path Forward Narrows - WSJ What the GOP’s most loyal voters want, it seems, is pure, uncut Trumpism—with all the baggage and ideological divergence from traditional conservatism that entails. I’m old enough to remember when Trump …

2024-01-23: Gracious Trump Runs Out To Welcome Prodigal DeSantis Back Home - Babylon Bee “This son of mine was dead, and boy, was he so dead, I mean really, really dead, believe me. But now, he is alive again; he was lost and is found. He was Meatball, but now he is Ron. He was …

2024-01-22: Daily Burn - Catholic Husband You will encounter stress and temptation every day. The only question is, will you have enough gas in the tank to fly right past it? ➕

2024-01-21: The 2024 Republican Choice - WSJ It also isn’t clear Mr. Trump could attract first-rate advisers. The lure of power is strong, but anyone who takes a job had better have a lawyer on retainer. No conservative who wants a career in the law is likely to accept a job in the White …

2024-01-19: Tim Scott to Endorse Trump for GOP Nomination, in Blow to Haley - WSJ The endorsement is another sign of the difficulty Haley faces in a party that appears to be coalescing behind the former president. Mistake.

2024-01-17: Currently reading: Rising Tiger by Brad Thor 📚

2024-01-17: Apple Changes Its App Store Policy. Critics Call the Moves ‘Outrageous.’ - WSJ Apple’s new fees have drawn sharp criticism from the app-developer community, with opponents arguing the 27% commission the company will now impose on in-app purchases made through alternative payment …

2024-01-17: Aide to Lloyd Austin asked ambulance to arrive quietly to defense secretary’s home, 911 call shows - WTOP News “Can I ask, like, can the ambulance not show up with lights and sirens? Um, we’re trying to remain a little subtle,” the aide said, according to the recording. Is it …

2024-01-15: Chasm - Catholic Husband Our priests need the full grace and benefit of our Eucharist Lord to strengthen them to fulfill the high calling of their vocation in the midst of a broken, dark, and hostile world. So, too, do the laity. ➕

2024-01-14: Finished reading: Black Ice by Brad Thor 📚

2024-01-12: Glaring Questions Remain Over Defense Secretary Austin’s Transfer Of Authority - The War Zone “We’re not going to track the GPS coordinates on somebody’s mobile phone in the administration and we’re not going to plant a microchip in their neck like they’re a …

2024-01-11: Hertz Selling 20,000 EVs in the U.S., to Reinvest in Gas-Powered Vehicles - WSJ Hertz said Thursday that it would sell about 20,000 EVs in the U.S., and use some of the proceeds to purchase internal-combustion-engine vehicles. The company in a regulatory filing cited weaker …

2024-01-08: Biden Backs Defense Chief Austin, Won’t Take Resignation if Offered - WSJ “There [are] no plans, or anything other than for Secretary Austin to stay in the job and continuing the leadership that he’s been demonstrating,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told …

2024-01-08: A little fun at tea time. 🦩

2024-01-08: Biden Has a Second-Term Wish List. Congress Could Spoil His Plans. - WSJ “Donald Trump’s campaign,” Biden said on Friday, “is about him, not you.” Completely true. It’s a campaign solely built on hubris and rehashing the 2020 election by a confused old man who refuses to step …

2024-01-08: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s Hospitalization Deepens Mystery of His Absence - WSJ He has by design kept a low profile in the Biden administration. He certainly has kept a low profile since the strategically brilliant and historical airlift that was the Afghanistan …

2024-01-08: Unraveled - Catholic Husband While deeply sad, the unraveling of this universal human experience represents a core sickness in society. It’s the acceptance of the idea that a child’s life, their existence, presents an obstacle to happiness or fulfillment. This is dangerous. ➕

2024-01-07: Daddy’s Home 2 🍿

2024-01-07: Late Sunday snack.

2024-01-07: Book Review: Near Dark 📚 Thor’s change of direction, which began in Backlash, continues in Near Dark. Scot Harvath continues to heal and recover from the recent trauma, as he’s hunted by a vindictive figure from long ago in the series. This was another fast read as I get closer to finishing the series …

2024-01-07: ‘You Know, These Fine Citizens May Really Have A Point And I’d Like To Learn More About Their Cause,’ Thinks Driver Blocked By Protesters For 3 Hours - Babylon Bee “This is truly a brilliant tactic,” he said. “I never would have considered …

2024-01-07: Claudine Gay Gives Tearful Resignation Speech Entitled ‘Gettysburg Address’ - Babylon Bee Sources say the crowd was moved to tears by the time the speech concluded. “I have concluded that because of the Watergate matter I might not have the support of the …

2024-01-02: Currently reading: Black Ice by Brad Thor 📚

2024-01-02: Harvard President Claudine Gay Resigns After Plagiarism Allegations, Campus Antisemitism Backlash - WSJ Gay has requested four corrections on two academic papers and is updating her dissertation in three spots I guess you can’t have a president who plagiarizes tell your …

2024-01-01: Finished reading: Near Dark by Brad Thor 📚

2024-01-01: Trailhead - Catholic Husband Plans are great things, but life doesn’t move in a linear fashion. Demands on our time, focus, and attention ebb and flow. Major projects, illnesses, and even just a bad night’s sleep knock us little by little off course. Slowly, over time, we …

2023-12-31: A year of fits and starts, but I got it done.

2023-12-31: Year in Books: 2023 Here are the books I finished reading in 2023.

2023-12-29: Detroit Pistons Relegated To WNBA - Babylon Bee WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert welcomed the new addition to the league. “We’re thrilled to add such a storied basketball franchise,” she said. “Fostering disinterest in the fanbase and showcasing …

2023-12-29: Francis Collins Has Regrets, but Too Few - WSJ Dr. Collins continued: “So you attach infinite value to stopping the disease and saving a life. You attach a zero value to whether this actually totally disrupts people’s lives, ruins the economy, and has many kids kept out of …

2023-12-28: I love the way the tops of the trees are stretching to grab the last few rays of sunlight.

2023-12-27: Apple Wins Temporary Reprieve as U.S. Court Pauses Watch Ban - WSJ Apple won a temporary reprieve for its $18 billion smartwatch business after a U.S. appeals court on Wednesday paused a federal agency’s import ban on most of its watch models. We must protect the world’s most …

2023-12-27: Book Review: Backlash 📚 For the first 17 books in the series, Brad Thor adopted a “ripped-from-the-headlines” approach to his annual installments in the Scot Harvath series. It was enjoyable, but also a bit expected. With Backlash, Thor flipped the script. The hero, who up until this point in the series …

2023-12-26: Currently reading: Near Dark by Brad Thor 📚

2023-12-26: It looks like my end of year web design project for 2023 is adding a color nav bar to my website!

2023-12-26: Episode 261: Christmas Trains Benedict introduces a (mostly) new tradition.

2023-12-26: Finished reading: Backlash by Brad Thor 📚

2023-12-26: Where Americans Invested Their Money in 2023, in Six Charts - WSJ Investors have piled into far-reaching corners of global markets, driving a rally spanning stocks, bonds, gold and even cryptocurrencies. Yields on risky corporate bonds have fallen to some of the lowest levels of …

2023-12-25: Currently reading: Backlash by Brad Thor 📚

2023-12-25: Stillness - Catholic Husband The message is simple. Though our hearts may yearn to be known, respected, desired, honored, praised and consulted, the slave is not greater than his master. We are called to live simple, quiet lives, fulfilling the high duty of our vocation, loving …

2023-12-25: All is calm, all is bright. Merry Christmas!

2023-12-24: What my daughter does when I tell her to put away her shoes. 🥿

2023-12-24: Finished reading: Spymaster by Brad Thor 📚

2023-12-24: The stockings were hung by the chimney with care 🎅🏻

2023-12-23: We Aren’t Posting on Social Media as Much Anymore. Will We Ever? - WSJ The reasons are varied: People say they feel they can’t control the content they see. They have become more protective about sharing their lives online. They also say the fun of social media has fizzled. …

2023-12-21: First day of winter. ❄️

2023-12-21: Conservative Bishops Push Back Against Pope Francis on Same-Sex Blessings - WSJ Francis didn’t mention the policy on blessings, but called for vigilance “against rigid ideological positions that often, under the guise of good intentions, separate us from reality and prevent us …

2023-12-20: Book Review: Use of Force 📚 After reading my first Brad Thor book in 2019, I’ve almost completed my goal of reading the entire _Scot Harvath_ series. Like a great Bond movie, I still love how the storylines take me to different locales around the world. Use of Force centered on the Mediterranean with …

2023-12-20: Episode 260: Two Front Teeth Just in time for Christmas, Felicity has lost her two front teeth. 🦷

2023-12-20: Statement of USCCB on Vatican’s Document Addressing Pastoral Blessings - USCCB “The Declaration issued today by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) articulated a distinction between liturgical (sacramental) blessings, and pastoral blessings, which may be …

2023-12-19: I love the look of contrails at sunrise.

2023-12-18: Currently reading: Spymaster by Brad Thor 📚

2023-12-18: Vatican Issues Guidelines for Same-Sex Blessings - WSJ The pope’s letter and Monday’s guidelines supersede a 2021 Vatican statement that prohibited blessings for gay couples on the grounds that God “cannot bless sin.” God is always changing His mind on what is sinful and what …

2023-12-18: Counterfeit Sacrament - Catholic Husband Today, in the midst of the smoke, fog, and confusion around marriage comes Francis, shrouded in the authority of his office, wearing the distinctive white robe of the papacy, to place a bomb right in the middle of the Sacrament of Holy …

2023-12-17: Finished reading: Use of Force by Brad Thor 📚

2023-12-17: Decoration station. 🎄

2023-12-17: Episode 259: Decorating Cookies With 8 days until Christmas, it’s time to get our Christmas Cookies decorated and ready for shipping. 🎄

2023-12-16: There’s something magical about reading a contract in its entirety. Reading can save you a lot of money. 💵

2023-12-16: Best Christmas Gifts For Christians Of Each Denomination - Babylon Bee Catholics: A bumper sticker that says “Miss me yet?” with a picture of Pope Benedict.

2023-12-16: ‘It’s A Great Time To Buy A House,’ Says Realtor Who Gets Paid If You Buy A House - Babylon Bee “Not only is it a perfect starter home, it just suits you and your family’s needs perfectly! There’s great schools nearby and no crime. Also, this …

2023-12-15: A photo has been removed — can I still use it? - Unsplash Please keep in mind our photos are provided on an “as is” basis, so any liability for continued use of a removed photo remains with you. And that’s why you can’t trust Unsplash.

2023-12-15: Markets are Rallying. How to Make the Most of Them. - WSJ Stocks have erased almost all their losses since the beginning of 2022, when the Federal Reserve began its campaign of interest-rate increases. PSA

2023-12-15: He’s Wanted for Wirecard’s Missing $2 Billion. He’s Now Suspected of Being a Russian Spy. - WSJ While running Wirecard, Marsalek helped the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency, and the SVR, its main overseas spying organization, pay intelligence officers and informants …

2023-12-15: Book Review: Foreign Agent 📚 Another great Brad Thor read. I mentioned this in a previous review, but I really enjoyed getting to explore fictional dynamics across a broader spectrum of geopolitics. This was a relaxing read for the end of the year and I’m looking forward to rolling on to the next one. Would …

2023-12-15: Soft morning light.

2023-12-12: Currently reading: Use of Force by Brad Thor 📚

2023-12-12: Episode 258: Lost Everyone has lost something.

2023-12-12: It must be the end of the year. I’m getting inspired to start big web projects and overhaul my file-based organization.

2023-12-11: Finished reading: Foreign Agent by Brad Thor 📚

2023-12-11: Some Greater Glory - Catholic Husband Glory in ancient times was often found in battle. Seeking it, men marched to foreign lands, though a large number died of communicable diseases before taking the field. They braved harsh weather, rough terrain, scant food, and the great …

2023-12-09: Penn President, Board Chair Resign After Furor Over Comments on Campus Antisemitism - WSJ Private colleges generally aren’t bound by First Amendment protections, but many have crafted codes of conduct that track constitutional guarantees for free speech—including the expression …

2023-12-07: Alaska Airlines Pilot Accused of Trying to Cut Engines Midflight Avoids Attempted Murder Charges - WSJ one count of endangering an aircraft in the first degree and 83 counts of recklessly endangering another person The attempted murder theory never matched the facts. This is a …

2023-12-07: It’s email marketing list unsubscribing season. 🎄

2023-12-05: Venezuela Ramps Up Threat to Annex Part of Guyana - WSJ The U.S. in October eased economic sanctions in exchange for democratic reforms, which Caracas has yet to make. And now, this.

2023-12-05: Fraud has made major purchases a total pain.

2023-12-04: Binance and the End of Crypto’s Dream to Escape From Government - WSJ What does crypto have to offer—beyond clunky, wasteful and overly complicated technical systems—if it abandons its aspirations to operate independent of government oversight? The probable answer is: not much. …

2023-12-04: Just War - Catholic Husband Although armed conflict should always be a last resort, it’s a lawful tool for the defense of a nation. There are circumstances when, for the defense of innocents and the survival of a nation, war must be prosecuted. When that point is reached, when …

2023-12-03: Swiss precision.

2023-12-01: Squirrel Wearing MAGA Hat Seen Scampering Away From Falling National Christmas Tree - Babylon Bee Former House Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger have traveled to D.C. to personally join in the hunt for the violent revolutionary

2023-11-29: Pope Francis Punishes Conservative U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke, One of His Most Vocal Critics - WSJ Pope Francis is punishing one of his most vocal conservative critics in the Catholic hierarchy, U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke, by taking away his stipend and rent-free apartment in …

2023-11-28: Book Review: The Billion Dollar Spy 📚 I’ve always loved espionage, and I was excited to pick up this well-reviewed book. Unfortunately, I found the content mostly dry for at least 85% of the book. I can’t put my finger on where it all went wrong, perhaps it was the rote blow-by-blow storytelling. Setting aside the …

2023-11-28: Nikki Haley Backed by Koch Network in Bid to Block Trump From 2024 GOP Nomination - WSJ the latest sign some big donors are moving her way in a long-shot bid to block former President Donald Trump from winning the GOP nomination Long shot? Polls are one thing, pulling the lever …

2023-11-27: Buybuy Baby Is Back—and Opening Stores Again - WSJ The new owners of Buybuy Baby recently reopened 11 stores, betting that many expectant parents still prefer to shop for strollers, cribs and car seats in person. I hate this branding, but physical stores are so critical for …

2023-11-27: Aslan’s Roar - Catholic Husband Whenever the forces of evil are on the march, and victory in their grasp, Aslan always returns in great glory. With a single roar, he marks a return to reality as the force of his voice destroys all who oppose him. ➕

2023-11-26: Finished reading: The Billion Dollar Spy by David E. Hoffman 📚

2023-11-25: Son is a pretty good packer.

2023-11-25: Wouldn’t be a drive home from vacation without 90% of smooth travel and the last 10% absolutely grinding, dark, and raining.

2023-11-25: New day dawning.

2023-11-22: Call me Captain.

2023-11-22: Washington Quietly Scrapped a Plan to Save Homeowners Thousands of Dollars - WSJ Fannie and Freddie generally require it on the loans they purchase from lenders. The policy, known as “lenders’ title insurance,” typically costs the borrower around 0.5% of their loan amount, so it …

2023-11-22: Sunrise at the lake.

2023-11-21: Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao Agrees to Step Down, Plead Guilty - WSJ Changpeng Zhao is scheduled to appear in Seattle federal court Tuesday afternoon and enter his plea, according to court records unsealed Tuesday. The two biggest names in “safe” crypto, convicted on federal …

2023-11-20: OpenAI Employees Threaten to Quit Unless Board Resigns After Sam Altman Was Fired as CEO - WSJ The future of OpenAI was in jeopardy Monday, as the vast majority of employees threatened to quit if the board that fired the company’s CEO, Sam Altman, didn’t resign itself and …

2023-11-20: Cave exploring.

2023-11-20: Moment of Conversion - Catholic Husband Those they may be fleeting, grabbing hold of these turning points is critical. We are large ships, and turning is never easy. Incremental progress is the tried and true way to success. ➕

2023-11-19: A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. Matthew 25:14

2023-11-19: ‘We Cannot Be Associated With Elon Musk,’ Says Tim Cook While Shaking Hands With Brutal Chinese Dictator - Babylon Bee “I refuse to allow my morally pristine corporation to be associated with disreputable characters like Elon Musk,” said Cook while …

2023-11-18: My favorite kind of driver is the one who goes 10-under in the left lane, and then in a construction zone goes 15-over.

2023-11-17: Currently reading: Foreign Agent by Brad Thor 📚

2023-11-17: Seen on the fence.

2023-11-16: Episode 257: Redacted The contents of this episode are for authorized listeners only.

2023-11-16: When children get hold of the newspaper, every picture gets a mustache.

2023-11-16: 45 Things Trump Is Promising For His Second Term - Babylon Bee Make the southern border an epic American Ninja Warrior course so only the best ninja warriors get into the country We need more ninja warriors in this country.

2023-11-15: Post-Reconciliation views.

2023-11-15: Man’s Day Sure Would Brighten Up If An A-10 Warthog Would Fly Overhead Right About Now - Babylon Bee Participants in the study reported an average increase of 87% in happiness level whenever an A-10 made its presence known. One respondent commented, “I could be stuck …

2023-11-15: Misty morning.

2023-11-14: Episode 256: Origami Some of my students have enrolled in an elective.

2023-11-13: South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott Suspends Republican Presidential Campaign - WSJ Scott’s exit follows the departure of former Vice President Mike Pence who left the GOP field last month after also struggling to gain traction. A positive sign that the mistakes of the 2016 primary …

2023-11-13: Breaking Faith - Catholic Husband Throughout Church history, there are many periods when the Church falls into disrepair, and the responsibility to right the ship falls to those outside of the highest echelons of authority. As the ironies pile up, one of the most clear examples …

2023-11-12: Pope Francis Fires Bishop For Being Too Catholic - Babylon Bee “Bishop Strickland had the incredible audacity to actually teach the Catechism of the Catholic Church,” said Cardinal Robert McElroy. “Like, even the really unpopular parts about gender and …

2023-11-12: Cain Calls For Ceasefire After Killing Abel - Babylon Bee “It’s time to put a stop to the senseless violence,” said Cain as he checked Abel’s pulse to make sure he was dead. “Everyone can lay down their weapons now!”

2023-11-11: Episode 255: Benedict Press A new business opened up this summer and ChetCast has the exclusive!

2023-11-11: First Knife Mod After nearly four years as a collector, I finally completed my first knife mod. Benchmade Bugout with Fat Carbon Nebula scales This Bugout was the first knife in my collection, bought two weeks before COVID hit. I hated the FRN scales and so I almost never carried it. Now it’s …

2023-11-11: Pope Francis Fires Conservative U.S. Bishop - WSJ The cardinal’s statement on Saturday said that the Vatican investigation had been “an exhaustive inquiry into all aspects of the governance and leadership” Pope who lets Chinese Communist Party appoint its own bishops fires …

2023-11-06: Love the Path - Catholic Husband Every step of a marathon is not a joy, but crossing the finish line always is. ➕

2023-10-30: Foretaste - Catholic Husband Life is not easy, and in moments of stress, exhaustion, and temptation, failure is the path of least resistance when we lose sight of where we’re aiming. There’s a forever of calm and peace waiting for us if only we choose it. ➕

2023-10-23: A Job Well Done - Catholic Husband No matter what your role is in the division of labor, if you’ve done your best work and helped others, then that’s a job well done. ➕

2023-10-17: Fed to Propose Lowering Debit-Card Swipe Fees - WSJ A section within the 2010 Dodd-Frank law called the Durbin amendment gave the Fed the power to set caps for banks and other financial institutions with $10 billion or more in assets. This rule killed debit card rewards and …

2023-10-17: Palestinian Lives Matter, Except to Hamas - WSJ Opinion Blaming Israel for these civilian casualties amounts to denying the Jewish state its right to self-defense. It means that Hamas can launch attacks on Israel with the goal of slaughtering women and children, but Israel can’t …

2023-10-17: Nobody for Speaker of the House - WSJ Opinion What kind of an idiot mutineer takes over the man-of-war, tosses the captain overboard, and then spends two weeks pulling ropes at random, hoping like hell that the thing will somehow drift ashore before the supplies run out?

2023-10-16: Fresh Start - Catholic Husband We get so few fresh starts in life. When they do come alone, it’s best to seize them. ➕

2023-10-15: Automakers Have Big Hopes for EVs; Buyers Aren’t Cooperating - WSJ Still, many consumers are reluctant to make the switch, deterred by high sticker prices and the inconvenience of driving a vehicle that has a limited range and needs regular recharging. No one could’ve seen this …

2023-10-13: Steve Scalise Quits House Speaker Race - WSJ More than 150 lawmakers from both sides of the aisle managed to come together for a brief moment of unity in the evening at a vigil held on the Capitol steps for the victims of violence in the Middle East following the terrorist …

2023-10-09: Every Single Thing - Catholic Husband I’ve had to physically touch every single item that we own, and decide on a new place to store it. We grow numb to the magnitude of our property, to the amount of stuff that resides inside our four walls. We have everything we need, …

2023-10-03: Beautiful ending.

2023-10-02: Pope Francis Softens Vatican’s Ban on Blessing Gay Couples - WSJ The pope suggested that such blessings should remain an unofficial practice, writing that such exercises of “pastoral prudence in certain circumstances need not be transformed into a norm.” Counterfeit sacraments.

2023-10-02: Natural Conclusions - Catholic Husband Everything in my life is about to change, as we set off on a new adventure. As I look back and the years that we’ve been in our current town, I start to see the good in things again. Those ordinary moments that shaped our family, the …

2023-09-29: Episode 254: C90GT At the airport, from inside a plane.

2023-09-25: We still haven’t solved extended power outages.

2023-09-25: Bend, Don’t Break - Catholic Husband The only way to succeed each day is to inject plenty of flexibility. There may be an “ideal” time to get something done, but there are also plenty of other acceptable times, too. ➕

2023-09-18: Walmart pickup order missing three items. Chatbot doesn’t give you the option to report an item missing from order, so you have to call in. 10 more minutes of my life wasted to fix their mistake. Not great.

2023-09-18: Scriptural Confession - Catholic Husband Despite my failings, God always reminds me of the unfathomable depths of His mercy, greater than any sin I may commit. And if I doubt, I can read the words He spoke to the prophet Malachi thousands of years ago and half a world away, as …

2023-09-16: …put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing. Malachi 3:8

2023-09-12: At this point, the “Buy Apple or Die” marketing line is gauche.

2023-09-12: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Launches Formal Biden Impeachment Probe - WSJ Democrats have painted the probe as unfounded and an effort to get political payback. Huh.

2023-09-08: Georgia Special Grand Jury Recommended Charges Against Lindsey Graham, Others in Election Probe - WSJ recommended that South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham be indicted, as well as former Georgia Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler Wreckless, unserious, dangerous stunt.

2023-09-06: How is it that websites still struggle with Safari?

2023-09-04: Potential Energy - Catholic Husband We can’t always see the change happening, especially within ourselves. The only thing that we can perceive is our daily actions, and the trajectory that they send us on. ➕

2023-09-03: Late summer storms.

2023-08-28: The Genius of Mass - Catholic Husband For one hour a week, we have to do none of that. We don’t have to worry about the report that’s due, the sink overflowing with dishes, or the cars that we haven’t waxed in nine months. It’s the one protected hour when we can finally rest. ➕

2023-08-25: Bicyclist Wants To Be Treated Like A Car But Also Be Able To Just Kinda Break The Rules When He Wants To - Babylon Bee The man then continued riding directly in the middle of the road at 15 miles per hour even though the speed limit was 65. Sources say Skuzz then ran three …

2023-08-21: Bottomless Tasks - Catholic Husband Life is impermanent, always ebbing and flowing. By definition, you’ll always be ahead of your work or behind it. Adding more hours to your schedule will get more done, but is unlikely to have an overall meaningful impact. ➕

2023-08-16: There’s nothing like the first breath of fall at the end of a hot summer. 🍁

2023-08-15: Book Review: My Father’s House 📚 I almost always read nonfiction books. I was in the Apple audiobooks section and this one was in a summer reads sale. The cover art drew me in, and when learned that the story was a WWII espionage thriller, I couldn’t resist. My Father’s House is a novel that, only after …

2023-08-14: Legal challenges to Biden’s student loan plans have borrowers anxious ahead of payment restart - The Hill This lawsuit is nothing but a desperate attempt from right wing special interests to keep hundreds of thousands of borrowers in debt, even though these borrowers have earned …

2023-08-14: Disrupt - Catholic Husband To grow as a person, as a spouse, as a parent, and as a Catholic, we must continuously disrupt the lifestyle choices that hold us back. It’s a well-worn concept, one that St. Francis took to fanatical levels. It’s what Pope Francis meant when he …

2023-08-13: 75 Hard Yesterday, I completed the 75 Hard challenge. Since mid-winter, and through much of spring, I had a sense of being adrift. I was working a lot, walking infrequently, not praying much, and almost always 30–45 minutes late to bed. This unregulated, unmoored feeling was disquieting, …

2023-08-13: New coffee day ☕️

2023-08-12: ♠

2023-08-11: I bought the Relient K album Forget and Not Slow Down the day it came out in 2009, my senior year of college. Listening it today, I’m taken back to fall on campus in Ohio fourteen years ago. Incredible music.

2023-08-11: Merrick Garland Names David Weiss as Special Counsel in Hunter Biden Investigation - WSJ Garland said Weiss on Tuesday had told him that his investigation had “reached a stage at which he should continue his work as a special counsel, and he asked to be so appointed.” At least …

2023-08-10: Joe Biden Officially Wishes Student Loans Away By Blowing On Dandelion - The Onion I realize that student debt cancellation has failed in the past, but if need be, I will make this same wish when I blow out the candles on my birthday cake this year.

2023-08-10: Letters

2023-08-10: Finished reading: My Father’s House by Joseph O’Connor 📚

2023-08-07: Inconvenience - Catholic Husband When we let inconvenience loom large in our minds, we miss an opportunity to sharpen ourselves. We let a tiny detail derail our whole day. We welcome defeat without the least bit of resistance. Inconveniences happen; we choose our response. ➕

2023-08-06: U.S. Warns of Trade Fight Over Canada’s Digital-Tax Plan - WSJ Freeland said that Canadian officials remain in talks with their Group of Seven counterparts about a compromise whereby Canadian interests “can be protected and recognized.” Which one is Canada, again?

2023-08-06: These Financial Advisors Say ‘No Thanks’ to Helping Rich Clients Get Richer - WSJ Advisers like Dole said making rich people richer as the sole goal of their work makes them uncomfortable. Please signal the next time you’re about to get out of your lane.

2023-08-04: Currently reading: My Father’s House by Joseph O’Connor 📚

2023-08-03: Report: U.S. Will Now Need A Co-Signer To Purchase A Used Ford Taurus | Babylon Bee “Wow. I had no idea that spending $15 trillion dollars that we didn’t have was an issue,” said Senator Chuck Schumer.

2023-08-02: Book Review: Code of Conduct 📚 After a slow start to the year, I’m rolling through these books! Brad Thor’s series is almost a ripped-from-the-headlines style. I’m committed to reading the Scot Harvath Series from start to finish, but am glad to finally be catching up to current times. This book was published …

2023-08-01: Done.

2023-07-31: Limitless - Catholic Husband Let go of the false messages that you tell yourself. Be bold enough to break out of your element and experience the serendipity of newness. Reengage the spark of curiosity of your younger self. Climb higher summits, explore new horizons, dream of new …

2023-07-30: Finished reading: Code of Conduct by Brad Thor 📚

2023-07-30: Aide Pushes Cart Through Halls Of Congress Yelling ‘Bring Out Your Dead!’ - Babylon Bee “I’m getting better!” shouted Dianne Feinstein as her aides tossed her into the wheelbarrow. “I think I’ll go for a walk!”

2023-07-30: Are You At A Nursing Home Or The U.S. Senate Chamber? 9 Clues To Look For - Babylon Bee Nursing Home: Residents call out “Bingo!” to win money Senate: Residents call out “Aye!” to spend your money

2023-07-25: MAGA Republicans Convene In Underground Lair To Turn Planet’s Heat Dial Up Three More Notches - Babylon Bee The evil horde of MAGA supporters exploded into another round of malicious celebration as they all agreed to once again make the weather just slightly warmer than …

2023-07-25: Book Review: Atomic Habits 📚 With over 112k 5-star rating on Amazon, there’s clearly something here. James Clear crystalizes his understanding of the psychology of habits into a useful field manual. The books was thoughtful, logical, and well laid out. Even Clear would admit, there’s no great secret. Success …

2023-07-25: What happens when children are left unattended with the dog.

2023-07-24: Book Review: Colditz: Prisoners of the Castle 📚 Ben Macintyre is my favorite historian/author, and he did not disappoint in this one. The story of POWs often goes untold, except for a few anecdotes here and there. The entire book focuses on an ancient castle used in Germany for the “worst of the worst” Allied prisoners. Those …

2023-07-24: Fifty-Four - Catholic Husband If we want to build a strong habit of prayer, we have to commit and sustain our good works, especially on days when it’s not easy. ➕

2023-07-23: Currently reading: The Billion Dollar Spy by David E. Hoffman 📚

2023-07-21: Finished reading: Prisoners of the Castle by Ben Macintyre 📚

2023-07-19: Trump Indicted For Murder Of Tupac - Babylon Bee Authorities now believe Trump fired a Glock .40-caliber pistol from the backseat of a white Cadillac while also somehow driving it. Justice never rests.

2023-07-19: Trump Campaign Hoping To Lock Up GOP Nomination With Third Indictment - Babylon Bee “KEEP THESE FABRICATED INDICTMENTS COMING,” Trump said in a post to his Truth Social account. “THESE INDICTMENTS GIVE ME STRENGTH. I EAT THEM FOR BREAKFAST WITH MY EGG …

2023-07-17: Restart - Catholic Husband The best way to succeed in any plan, program, or life change agenda is to start small, and start today. ➕

2023-07-16: FDA Acknowledges Harm of Oral Contraceptives While Its Own Panel of Advisors Push to Make Drug Available Without Prescription - USCCB Fertility is a gift, not a disease. Contraceptives exist to suppress the healthy functions of human reproduction. The mounting evidence of the …

2023-07-16: Paying Student Loans Again Could Feel Like a 5% Pay Cut - WSJ Yannelis and his co-authors found that from April 2020 to November 2022, borrowers whose payments were paused took on 3%, or $1,200, more in credit-card, mortgage and auto-loan debt than borrowers whose payments …

2023-07-14: EPA Launches Green Bank for Climate Funding in Low-Income Areas - WSJ This cash is seen as critical for funding key areas such as battery storage, electric-car charging and building upgrades that often struggle to attract private-sector funding, particularly in low-income areas. …

2023-07-13: Finished reading: Atomic Habits by James Clear 📚

2023-07-13: Scholars Believe Explosive Growth Of The Early Church Was Due To Christians Being Allowed To Eat Bacon - Babylon Bee “Save yourselves from this crooked generation! Believe in Jesus, the Messiah! And also, I had a dream last week and we can totally eat bacon now!” …

2023-07-12: CPI Report Shows Inflation Eased to 3% in June - WSJ So-called core consumer prices, which excludes volatile food and energy categories, rose 4.8% I’ve loved this magic! Media and politicos each month review the difference between core and consumer price index inflation, then …

2023-07-12: They Had Great Credit Scores. Then They Retired - WSJ living on a fixed income and paying off old loans can lower a score, said Ethan Dornhelm, vice president of scores and analytics at FICO. Deleveraging is a significant credit risk in the funhouse mirror world of FICO logic. …

2023-07-10: Book Review: Soundtracks 📚 This book came out more than two years ago, and I was part of the pre-order. I just got around to reading it. Oops. I bought the hardcover and listened to the Audiobook. Although I love listening to Jon Acuff and his humor, the book design is so beautiful that I wish I’d had the …

2023-07-10: Trust - Catholic Husband We all have prayers to which the answer is a resounding, “No.” Disappointed as we may be, in time, the things that we asked for are forgotten. It’s prayers that were answered, and the gifts granted to us that are beyond our limited imaginations that …

2023-07-09: Embarrassing: Scientist Invents Lab-Grown Beef Only To Realize Cows Exist - Babylon Bee “I’m all set to announce to the world that we invented beef, when all of a sudden, it dawns on me - cows are beef. There are literally huge slabs of beef walking all over the …

2023-07-09: Hottest Days Ever? Don’t Believe It - WSJ Opinion It isn’t plausible to characterize Earth’s warming in a single average number, especially when we don’t really know what that number is today, much less from 125,000 years ago.

2023-07-09: Millions of People Booted From Medicaid After Pandemic - WSJ Enrollment in the health program for the low-income and disabled grew to 95 million during the pandemic, as states stopped checking to make sure people were eligible. Now states have started checking again, and more …

2023-07-09: Banks’ Newest Fed Headache: Nonstop Instant Payments - WSJ Under an existing system called ACH (automated clearinghouse), transactions typically take several days to settle. That can be frustrating for those waiting to receive their funds but often benefits banks that use the …

2023-07-08: Finished reading: Soundtracks by Jon Acuff 📚

2023-07-07: Consumers to Face New Limits on Private Short-Term Health Insurance - WSJ Under a proposed rule, the administration aims to limit short-term health plans to three months, or four months if consumers opt to extend them Isn’t it wonderful when government bureaucrats, who rail in …

2023-07-06: Everyone Wants Interest on Their Deposits. That’s Bad for Main Street Banks. - WSJ The Fed’s hikes and the failures of a trio of midsize banks are prompting once-loyal customers to pull their money out of checking accounts that pay no interest. Low interest checking accounts …

2023-07-04: Sparklers 🇺🇸

2023-07-04: Finished reading: Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less by Michael Hyatt 📚

2023-07-03: Free - Catholic Husband Our freedoms allow us to work, associate, play, and pray as we so choose. It’s a freedom that few other humans, outside the ruling class, have experienced. ➕

2023-07-01: Currently reading: Soundtracks by Jon Acuff 📚

2023-07-01: What the Supreme Court’s Rejection of Student-Loan Forgiveness Means for You - WSJ Millions of Americans will have to prepare to repay the entire balance of their student debt now that the Supreme Court has overturned President Biden’s loan-forgiveness plan. Weird, that’s …

2023-07-01: Report Blames Top Biden Officials for Failures During Afghanistan Exit - WSJ U.S. Embassy staff in Kabul were so concerned in the months leading to the pullout that they sent a rare classified dissent cable warning that the Taliban’s advance was coming sooner than the …

2023-07-01: Supreme Court Strikes Down Biden’s Student-Loan Forgiveness Plan - WSJ As a presidential candidate in 2020, Biden said he would pursue legislation to erase $10,000 in student debt per borrower. Once in office, however, he confronted a gridlocked Congress where neither Democratic …

2023-06-30: Why does every website have auto play videos now? I just want to read.

2023-06-30: They got your vote twice, and all you got was a lousy student loan payment. 🤡🤡🤡

2023-06-29: Harvard To Get Around Affirmative Action Ban By Asking You Whether You Prefer BBQ, Ranch, Or Soy Sauce - Babylon Bee Admissions faculty at Harvard was devastated today upon hearing the news that they could no longer use racial discrimination to turn their school into a diverse …

2023-06-27: “But, look, 13 million jobs, again, when you think about how Americans feel better about their personal finances, that is important. When you think about wages are going up, when you think about the really good paying, millions of good-paying jobs, union jobs that his …

2023-06-27: The Espionage Act’s Ugly, Un-American History - WSJ Opinion The U.S. must prosecute spies and protect national secrets, but the Espionage Act isn’t necessary to do so. More than a dozen more-specific federal statutes criminalize spying, hacking and misuse of government records. …

2023-06-27: EV Startup Lordstown, Once an Ohio Town’s Savior, Files for Bankruptcy - WSJ Lordstown once said it would produce hundreds of thousands of vehicles in the former GM plant in Lordstown, Ohio, but so far it has made only a handful of trucks. The company’s market capitalization has …

2023-06-26: A sense of trepidation overcomes me when I first open my inbox in the morning. 📥

2023-06-26: More | Catholic Husband The real problem is that we’re reaching for the wrong “more.” We seek a net increase in the quantity of our possessions and social stature. We should instead be investing our energy into a life of the good mores. ➕

2023-06-25: Hunter Biden’s ‘Fair’ Tax Share - WSJ Opinion The IRS team recommended that Hunter be prosecuted on felony charges of tax evasion for 2014 and false tax filings and a misdemeanor charge for 2015 of failure to pay tax. Yet because the U.S. Attorney waited so long to make a …

2023-06-25: Episode 253: The Director In a ChetCast exclusive, up-and-coming film director Benedict sits down for a rare interview to share his creative process, inspirations, and film recommendations.

2023-06-25: Toyota’s ‘Prone-to-Tears President’ Taps the Brakes on EVs - WSJ Toyoda’s perception of himself as facing off with disparaging elites mirrors how he talks today about the auto world’s transition to electric vehicles. In December, Toyoda said he was standing up for a “silent …

2023-06-23: Why You Shouldn’t Always Tell Your Bank How Much You Make - WSJ A higher credit limit is generally good for your credit score, since you will be using a smaller share of your available credit, he said. (That might not be ideal if you think a higher limit will tempt you to …

2023-06-22: Four hours of internet outage can either be a complete disaster or rocket fuel for productivity. 🚀

2023-06-22: U.S. Offers India Drones, Jet Engines to Lure It From Russia - WSJ “Ultimately, the question of where politics and the question of democratic institutions go in India is going to be determined within India by Indians,” Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told …

2023-06-21: Episode 252: Summer Solstice It’s the first day of summer! The kids share their goals for the season, and how they’ll spend their extra daylight.

2023-06-21: Tongues Of Fire Come To Rest On Biden And Fetterman As They Speak In Unknown Languages | Babylon Bee At publishing time, the nation’s foremost theologians were still hard at work searching for anyone with the spiritual gift of interpretation to translate what Biden and …

2023-06-21: Sixth Guy Kicking Himself For Leaving The Company Before Five Guys Hit It Big | Babylon Bee “I can’t believe I didn’t stick around,” said Mark Calloway, a close friend of the Murrell family that started the restaurant chain back in 1986.

2023-06-19: Fatherless | Catholic Husband Instead of minimizing their importance, or treating them like feckless children, we should celebrate fathers who have laid down their lives in humble service of their families. ➕

2023-06-17: Teamsters Vote to Authorize UPS Strike as Contract Talks Continue - WSJ The union has said that a two-tier system of drivers allows UPS to use lower-paid workers to deliver packages on weekends, curbing delivery costs. They must have a crack research team!

2023-06-17: The IRS Makes Another House Call - WSJ Opinion When an officer called Mr. Haus, Mr. Haus identified himself as an IRS agent but said Haus wasn’t his real name. He had used an alias. A federal law enforcement, supposedly conducting a legitimate knock-and-talk, lied about his …

2023-06-16: Currently reading: Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less by Michael Hyatt 📚

2023-06-16: Crypto Leaders Call For Infusion Of 20 Million Dopes To Stabilize Market | The Onion “We’re calling for millions of bozos to be infused into the crypto market to stave off collapse and assure investors their money is safe,” said Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire

2023-06-16: Episode 251: What’s Up? We’ve had a busy few months! I gathered the kids during a power outage to see what they’ve been up to.

2023-06-16: Biden Announces By 2025 All Wildfires Must Be Electric | Babylon Bee The President hailed the move as another major step forward in his administration’s ongoing commitment to spend as many federal dollars on completely normal, practical, common-sense climate initiatives as …

2023-06-14: King Solomon Lovingly Assures Wife She’s One In A Thousand | Babylon Bee King Solomon initially kept track of his wives by their most notable physical characteristics. “Okay, that one is flock-of-sheep-teeth,” said King Solomon. “That one is goats-of-Gilead …

2023-06-14: Sad Trump Says He Was Just A Few Document Boxes Away From Building Really Cool Fort | Babylon Bee “He’s a developer at heart,” said one member of the Trump team. “A border wall, an impressive resume of defeating impeachments and indictments, a fort made …

2023-06-12: Symbiosis | Catholic Husband Every family has their defined roles, each member taking on a share of the tasks required to keep the household running. But in times of stress or crisis, those roles can be up for grabs. This is an undersold and poorly remembered attribute of …

2023-06-09: A Destructive Trump Indictment - WSJ Opinion It was once unthinkable in America that the government’s awesome power of prosecution would be turned on a political opponent. That seal has now been broken. It didn’t need to be. However cavalier he was with classified files, Mr. …

2023-06-08: Trump Indicted For Keeping Classified Documents In Mar-A-Lago Instead Of Somewhere Secure Like The Trunk Of A Corvette | Babylon Bee Former President Donald Trump has officially been indicted by the federal government on seven counts of not storing highly classified documents in …

2023-06-08: White House Prepares for Possibility Supreme Court Could Kill Student Loan Forgiveness Plan - WSJ Biden administration officials are quietly planning for the possibility that the Supreme Court could strike down President Biden’s sweeping student loan forgiveness program An …

2023-06-08: Scholars Believe Noah Made Rookie Mistake Of Washing The Ark The Day Before It Started Raining | Babylon Bee “Finally done!” Witnesses heard Noah say. “Now I’ll clean her up real nice, and she’ll be ready to show off.”

2023-06-05: iOS 17 Can Automatically Clean Up Verification Codes That Clog Up Messages App - MacRumors Finally!

2023-06-05: Empty | Catholic Husband It’s not a mistake for a father to share a piece of his identity with his family. My sense of emptiness comes not out of a dark place, but out of a place of truth. In a world where children are seen as an accessory, I sense my children’s essential …

2023-06-04: Mission Impossible: 3 🍿

2023-06-03: Report: Sandbag That Tripped Biden On Stage Also Participated In Jan 6 Capitol Riot | Babylon Bee “We have also found a lengthy manifesto written by the sandbag,” the source said. “We will not be releasing the manifesto to the public due to the potential damage …

2023-06-01: Senate Votes to Block Biden’s Student-Debt Relief Plan - WSJ The Senate voted 52-46 Thursday to approve a Republican-led proposal to block President Biden’s hotly debated student-debt forgiveness plan, setting up an expected veto. Congress has spoken, clearly.

2023-05-30: Currently reading: The Legacy Journey by Dave Ramsey 📚

2023-05-29: Quiet - Catholic Husband Life with small children is never easy, but it’s always full of great meaning and beauty. I’ll enjoy the quiet time ahead, focusing on what needs to be done. But I’ll look forward to when my children return, and things are less quiet. ➕

2023-05-28: If your projector screens have a more prominent place in your parish than the Tabernacle, you’re doing it wrong.

2023-05-22: New Beginnings - Catholic Husband We’re starting to take things off the wall, preparing for painting and putting the house on the market. As I took that first hook out of the wall, I felt that moving feeling that filled my childhood. As the fresh paint dried, my nose …

2023-05-17: IRS Weighs Creating a Government-Run Tax-Prep Option - WSJ “It’s problematic that we instead provide it through these private corporations that prey on people and extract profits from taxpayers that are just fulfilling that civic duty.” No one has to use paid software, the …

2023-05-15: Garage Doors - Catholic Husband The pile continues to grow, but instead of trying to fix the problem, I’m just letting it be. It’s an exercise in patience, especially since it’ll be another two weeks before the door is fixed. For now, things are broken, and accepting the chaos …

2023-05-10: Some Buy Now Pay Later Users Face Rejection - WSJ In December, Sezzle launched a service it says helps lower transaction costs and avoid loan losses: Pay-in-Full. A customer gets retail perks, but the customer buys now and pays now. Fascinating! Tell me more!

2023-05-10: FDA Advisers Back Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill - WSJ The panel of FDA advisers voted 17 to 0 on Wednesday that there was enough evidence for the agency to approve the medication’s sale over-the-counter. Unanimous. Just like Tylenol, only the effects last forever. The …

2023-05-08: Checkpoints - Catholic Husband I want to have checkpoints sprinkled throughout our day, with short opportunities for prayer. In a way, it’s like water stations along a race route. I never want us to be too far from prayer. ➕

2023-05-03: ObamaCare, Zombie Banks and JPMorgan - WSJ Opinion Ended was a distinct Carter-Reagan-Clinton era in which, in select but significant arenas, government actually approached problems rationally. It tackled failing policies from a perspective of replacing bad incentives with good …

2023-05-02: Patients Lose Access to Free Medicines Amid Spat Between Drugmakers, Health Plans - WSJ Growing numbers of people with insurance must also pay a sum, called a deductible, at the start of each year before their health plan will start reimbursing for drugs. This is a direct …

2023-05-01: U.S. Covid Vaccine Mandates to End May 11 for Federal Workers, Others - WSJ The White House plans to end the Covid-19 vaccine requirements for federal workers, federal contractors and international air travelers on May 11, as the pandemic public health emergency ends. Good …

2023-05-01: Fruits of Labor - Catholic Husband St. Joseph was a tradesman who had a very hard life. He’d walk miles each way to job sites, work in the hot and dusty climate of the Middle Easy, and carefully craft raw wood into finished products using simple tools. He labored during the day, …

2023-04-29: Spinning Federal Mortgage Fees - WSJ Opinion The American Enterprise Institute looked at default rates of Fannie/Freddie owner-occupied 30-year fixed rate purchase loans acquired in 2006-2007 and found that among borrowers with credit scores between 720 and 769 and 20% down …

2023-04-28: Fauci Says He Never Locked Anything Down And Has Never Heard Of COVID - Babylon Bee “COVID? I’ve never even heard of such a thing! What is COVID? That sounds made up!”

2023-04-27: It’s truly incredible how a child in 1st grade can go from illiterate to a strong reader in 26 weeks. 📚

2023-04-27: McCarthy Gets a Debt-Ceiling Win - WSJ Opinion The plan also cancels the President’s student loan write-off and blocks a proposal to cap borrower loan payments at de minimis levels, which combined would save $460 billion from 2023 to 2033. A White House press release claims …

2023-04-24: The Idea - Catholic Husband This sea change was all possible because of Jesus’ simple philosophical idea that changed everything. It’s the idea that built the modern world. ➕

2023-04-22: Fidelity and State Street Push to Make 401(k)s More Like Pensions - WSJ The income-producing funds are coming to market a few years after Congress made it easier for employers to offer annuities in 401(k) plans. The law protects employers that follow certain procedures from …

2023-04-22: Biden Administration Considers Tougher Regulation of Money-Market, Hedge Funds - WSJ “The authority for emergency interventions is critical. But equally as important is a supervisory and regulatory regime that can help prevent financial disruptions from starting and spreading in …

2023-04-22: FAA Acting Chief Billy Nolen to Depart - WSJ Mr. Nolen’s planned departure comes as the agency faces challenges including a spate of serious near-collisions at U.S. airports and failing technology that earlier this year ground U.S. air traffic to a halt. But we can all at least …

2023-04-21: Biden’s Second-Term Mistake - WSJ Opinion But asking the country to elect a man who is 80 years old and whose second term would end when he is 86 is a risky act that borders on selfish. It’s impossible to know Mr. Biden’s real physical and mental state because the White House …

2023-04-17: Apple Card’s new high-yield Savings account is now available, offering a 4.15 percent APY - Apple To build on their savings even further, users can deposit additional funds into their Savings account through a linked bank account, or from their Apple Cash balance. Why didn’t …

2023-04-17: It was fun to collect, but now it’s time to cash in

2023-04-17: Transform - Catholic Husband If God can work all of that good through a random anonymous fisherman, what good can he accomplish through my participation in his Divine Plan? ➕

2023-04-15: Peppa Pig’s Family Vacation Ruined By Jesus Healing Demoniac At Nearby Cemetery - Babylon Bee “Mommy Pig, why is Auntie Pig screaming and running into the sea?” asked Peppa Pig.

2023-04-12: High Energy Costs Threaten Climate Goals, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm Warns - WSJ “People still have to be persuaded that the cost of clean is cheaper,” she said. “They have to see that in real terms.” Yes, show me that it’s cheap and abundant, and I don’t care how power …

2023-04-10: Ads make the internet ugly.

2023-04-10: Summits - Catholic Husband In every journey, and along every path, we find waypoints as we struggle to reach our ultimate destination. Then, when we’ve reached the summit and accomplished our mission, we look out to see God’s creation from a whole new vantage point, and the new …

2023-04-09: Currently reading: Code of Conduct by Brad Thor 📚

2023-04-09: Book Review: Act of War 📚 As I get deeper into the Brad Thor series, I’ve let go of how closely the stories mirror reality and just enjoy the ride. This one was pretty sinister, but well done. I’m looking forward to the next one. Would I recommend: YES ISBN: 978-1982148430

2023-04-09: Happy Easter!

2023-04-09: When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. (John 20:6-7) Annual reminder that Jesus’ first priority after rising from the dead …

2023-04-08: Credit Card Rewards Are Heading Toward a Crisis - WSJ “High-FICO cardholders on average earn money with the use of reward cards while low-FICO cardholders on average lose money,” they wrote. Overall, the study found that rewards cards drove a $15 billion annualized …

2023-04-03: Homeostasis - Catholic Husband Homeostasis is the resistance we experience to our good work. Why do we not do the things that we ought to do? Why do I hit snooze for 45 minutes extra sleep when I know a morning workout will set my day up for success? Why do I scroll YouTube when …

2023-04-01: Mike Lindell Draws Sword, Cuts Off Ear Of Officer Attempting To Arrest Trump - Babylon Bee “There, good as new!” Trump told Officer Sam Malchus. “Even better than new, if you can believe it. You probably have super sonic hearing now. All thanks to me, your …

2023-03-30: Pandora’s Donald Trump Prosecution - WSJ Opinion The danger for America is the precedent this prosecution sets. Mr. Bragg is busting a political norm that has stood for 230 years. Once a former President and current candidate is indicted, some local Republican prosecutor will …

2023-03-30: Elon Musk’s Move to Monetize Twitter’s Blue Check Mark Riles Celebrities - WSJ Twitter Inc.’s plan to remove legacy blue check marks for verified accounts heralds an end to a longtime social-media status symbol and is prompting complaints from some of the platform’s celebrity …

2023-03-29: The FDIC’s Sweetheart Bank Deal for SVB - WSJ Opinion The losers in this sweetheart deal will be other banks (and their customers) that will have to pick up the estimated $20 billion cost to replenish the deposit insurance fund. That’s about 15% of the entire fund. By …

2023-03-27: The Simple Path to Holiness - Catholic Husband In these mundane, rote, and mediocre tasks, I’m giving of myself. While I make the breakfast, the children laugh. When I help with homework, their minds unlock. When I’m doing the laundry, they’re free to run and play. ➕

2023-03-26: Student-Loan Forgiveness Plan Faces Fresh GOP Resistance - WSJ Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, called the GOP effort “callous and uncaring” and promised to oppose it. Says the man who just spent $6T that we don’t have?

2023-03-22: Democrats Vow To Arrest As Many Political Opponents As It Takes To Defeat Fascism - Babylon Bee “Fascism is a clear and present danger in this country,” began Senator Chuck Schumer, “and the only way to defeat it is with a corrupt, all-powerful police state …

2023-03-22: Few people know this, but “Walmart” is an acronym for “every cart is broken.” 🛒

2023-03-22: Donald Trump Grand Jury Is Called Off for Wednesday - WSJ In case you’ve ever wondered why grand jury proceedings are supposed to be secret. All this “will they?” “Won’t they?” is prejudicial to the defendant. Then, if there’s no indictment, the target gets tarred for no good …

2023-03-20: It’s kind of poetic that 15 years of financial regulatory decisions have only served to ignite the current crisis.

2023-03-20: Ten - Catholic Husband This body of work represents something intimate; it’s the place where my deepest thoughts come to the fore. This is a nice place for me to be and to write, and I hope that in another decade, I’ll share a similar reflection in a post titled, “Twenty.” ➕

2023-03-18: What Gets Lost When You Rescue Markets - WSJ The attempt to eradicate failure from the financial system, of course, is part of modern society’s broader push to make life itself riskless and idiot-proof, with indestructible baby strollers, child-resistant drug packaging, almost …

2023-03-14: Remarks by President Biden on Maintaining a Resilient Banking System and Protecting our Historic Economic Recovery - The White House Third, investors in the banks will not be protected. They knowingly took a risk and when the risk didn’t pay off, investors lose their money. …

2023-03-13: Calm - Catholic Husband I need to find calm in the chaos throughout the day. I need to process the cacophony of my household not as a noisy abyss, but as a symphony of joy. These are the sounds of life, of joy, and of youth. ➕

2023-03-12: SVB, Signature Bank Depositors to Get All Their Money as Fed Moves to Stem Crisis - WSJ The government’s bank-deposit insurance fund will cover all deposits at the two banks, rather than the standard $250,000. Federal regulators said any losses to the government’s fund would be …

2023-03-12: Investor Relieved He Pulled Money Out Of Crypto And Put It In The Bank For Safekeeping - Babylon Bee “Really dodged a bullet there,” said Mr. Sandlin. “Cryptocurrency was getting too risky. You never know when one of these currencies will just suddenly go …

2023-03-06: Ukraine Asks Merrick Garland To Leave As They Already Have Enough Corrupt Government Officials - Babylon Bee Sources say the Attorney General stammered in response, citing his lengthy rap sheet which included sending the FBI after parents who protest at school board meetings, …

2023-03-06: Start with Listening - Catholic Husband Prayer takes many forms, but perhaps it would be wise for us to slow down, take a moment, begin with Scripture, and then listen. ➕

2023-03-03: Biden’s ESG Veto Is Revealing - WSJ Opinion The rule would drive more savings into ESG funds that typically charge higher fees by letting retirement sponsors offer them as default options in 401(k) plans. Workers can opt out of default plans but usually don’t. Why isn’t Mr. …

2023-03-03: To Catch Up On Today’s News, Man Just Reads 2-Year-Old Posts On Conspiracy Blog - Babylon Bee “When I did some research, I realized all the conspiracy theorists were exactly two years ahead of the media in reporting the facts,” said Rorch while pulling up …

2023-03-02: Tweetbot and Twitterrific updated with option to opt-out of subscription refund – Six Colors it’s also kind of awkward, given that the money comes out of the pockets of those independent app developers like Tapbots and The Iconfactory, who got just as much of the short end of …

2023-03-02: Senate Votes 50-46 to Reverse ESG Rule for Retirement Funds - WSJ Advocates say that addressing climate change, improving corporate governance and encouraging diversity can boost profits. The data says ESG is another way for Wall Street to fleece the retail investor. ESG funds …

2023-03-01: Navy to rename USS Chancellorsville for former slave Robert Smalls - Task & Purpose Implementing the Naming Commission’s renaming plan is expected to cost the Defense Department roughly $62.5 million, according to the commission’s final report.

2023-02-28: Biden’s Regulatory Deluge - WSJ Opinion The Constitution grants the power to make laws to Congress, not agencies. But in calendar 2021, Mr. Crews notes, agencies issued 3,257 rules, including 105 last-minute Trump rules, while Congress passed 143 laws. Last year they added …

2023-02-28: The Gaslighting of East Palestine - WSJ Opinion Today’s fear is the price Americans are paying for the public-health authorities’ response to Covid. So many things experts claimed in the name of science—from the efficacy of masks to the shortcomings of natural immunity—turned …

2023-02-27: Preparation - Catholic Husband Prayer strengthens our relationship with God, breaks our hearts of stone, and opens our minds to the will of God. Fasting removes obstacles to holiness in our lives. It breaks the power of mindless rhythm and shakes us awake, calling us back to the …

2023-02-25: Biden Draws Distinction Between Classified Documents Found at His Homes and Trump’s - WSJ He was apparently referring to a widely circulated photo showing documents that federal agents had laid out; the image didn’t represent how Mr. Trump kept the papers. This is the first …

2023-02-22: Pentagon Spent At Least $1.5 Million on Missiles to Down Three High-Altitude Objects - WSJ That figure is only for the four AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles used to bring down the objects over Alaska, Canada’s Yukon territory and Lake Huron. It doesn’t include the cost for Navy, Coast …

2023-02-22: Donald Trump Visits Ohio Train-Derailment Site, in Early Salvo of 2024 Race - WSJ President Biden was briefed on conditions in East Palestine while he was rallying Europe to Ukraine’s aid in Warsaw, Poland, while former President Donald Trump visited the disaster site Wednesday …

2023-02-21: Crypto Still Draws Everyday Investors Hoping to Strike It Rich - WSJ Some individual investors’ enduring enthusiasm for crypto stems in part from a sense that traditional routes to wealth are blocked off, say investors and researchers who study their behavior. Those everyday …

2023-02-20: All on the Field - Catholic Husband The truth is, if I leave everything on the field, all things will be done well. It means I’ve woken up early and taken the time that I need to train my body and prepare myself for the day. It means my family has eaten, learned, prayed, and …

2023-02-19: Sixth Grader Swears His Science Homework Was Blown Up By A Sidewinder Missile - Babylon Bee Though Jared had never been a problem student, his teacher found his outlandish excuse difficult to believe. “I’ve been a schoolteacher for over 30 years,” said Carla …

2023-02-14: The Junk Economics of ‘Junk-Fee’ Politics - WSJ Opinion There’s no such thing as a free financial product. If regulators limit one source of revenue, businesses will find another to cover their costs. That is one lesson from the Dodd-Frank Act, which limited debit-card fees that …

2023-02-13: Ski Trip - Catholic Husband This trip, more than anything, emphasizes the importance of play. For the child’s brain, play is equivalent to work. It’s necessary and helps with overall growth and development. For adults, play is still important! It’s the best form of stress …

2023-02-12: Super Bowl Flyover Featuring All Female Pilots Running 20 Minutes Late - Babylon Bee “Believe me, we will step on the gas and show everyone some woman power just as soon as we can! Until then - wait, hold on now - did we all just show up in the same flight outfit??” …

2023-02-09: To Cover Rising Costs, Hunter Now Charging 15% For The Big Guy - Babylon Bee At publishing time, Hunter offered to sweeten the deal with the CCP by adding a pile of classified documents from the junk drawer.

2023-02-07: I have 50 unread emails. Not great.

2023-02-07: U.S. Air Defenses Failed to Spot Earlier Chinese Balloon Intrusions, General Says - WSJ “This gave us the opportunity to assess what they were actually doing, what kind of capabilities existed on the balloon, what kind of transmission capabilities existed,” Gen. VanHerck added. …

2023-02-06: Obedient to Prayer - Catholic Husband If I were to sketch out a schedule for my ideal day, there would be several opportunities for prayer sprinkled throughout. No matter where I was in any given day, I’d only be a few hours away from a pause. The positive benefits of prayer are …

2023-02-05: China Assures Warships Heading For Taiwan Are Just Meteorological Warships - Babylon Bee “We have learned much about the weather in Hong Kong, and now it’s time to study Taiwan. The Chinese Communist Party appreciates America’s patience while we battle climate …

2023-02-03: Biden Says He’ll Shoot Down Chinese Spy Balloon As Soon As He’s Done Letting It Spy - Babylon Bee At publishing time, Eric Swalwell had been seen approaching the spy balloon and asking for its number.

2023-02-03: The Market Tanked, but Americans Kept Piling Money Into Their 401(k)s - WSJ About 90% of investors in the 401(k)-style retirement plans administered by Vanguard Group maintained or increased their savings rate in 2022. And trading activity fell to a two-decade low among …

2023-02-03: A Consumption Tax Is the Shock Our Broken System Needs - WSJ Opinion Others complain that the rate will be high. An effective 30% consumption tax, added to state sales taxes as high as 10%, could add up to a 40% or greater rate. But taxes overall must finance what the government …

2023-02-01: Biden Shows Off New Electric Car That Can Hold Over 17 Boxes Of Classified Documents - Babylon Bee “I can get all of these top-secret files to my beach house on a single charge! Not a joke!” said Biden, cruising up Pennsylvania Avenue. “Wait, weren’t …

2023-02-01: Biden Administration to Propose Rule to Lower Credit-Card Late Fees - WSJ “Many Americans believe these fees are just plain wrong,” CFPB director Rohit Chopra said Tuesday in a preview of the late-fee proposal. Except they haven’t voted with their wallets and switched cards or …

2023-01-30: Biden Proposes End to Moral Exemption for Birth-Control Coverage - WSJ The Biden administration proposed an end to an exemption allowing health plans to exclude coverage of no-cost birth control on moral grounds Isn’t having a Catholic president so wonderful? This proposal …

2023-01-30: Work from Home Dad - Catholic Husband It’s a daily challenge to balance my responsibilities at work and at home, but my children and I now share a special bond. I get to involve them in my work. They see what I do, got with me to visit customers, and get to share my love of …

2023-01-28: Local Church Turns To Robo-Greeters To Combat Volunteer Shortage - Babylon Bee At publishing time, attendance at the Cornerstone Calvary Community Congregation City Church had seen a bump in the demographic of boys age 5-13

2023-01-25: I’m owed a refund, but the IRS tried to charge me a $7 underpayment on estimated payments penalty. I had the data to support the annualized method, so the penalty went away. Still, there’s a penalty for underpaying the taxes that you don’t owe?

2023-01-25: Biden Claps In Amazement After FBI Agent Pulls Classified Document From Behind His Ear - The Onion At press time, sources confirmed the federal officer had responded to the president’s calls for an encore by pulling a pair of handcuffs from his sleeve.

2023-01-25: The State Wealth-Tax Alliance - WSJ Opinion Including federal levies, this means politicians would take half of every dollar in investment earnings. You take all the risk, the politicians get half the gain. The legislators say their plans will fund social spending, but they have …

2023-01-25: McCarthy Kicks Two Democrats Off House Intelligence Panel - WSJ “I think it’s just another body blow to the institution of Congress that he is behaving this way, but it shows just how weak he is as a speaker that he has to give in to the most extreme elements of this …

2023-01-23: White House Proudly Hangs ‘1 Day Without Classified Documents Discovered At President’s House’ Sign - Babylon Bee Sources in Washington confirmed there will be a ceremony and a few remarks by the President this evening to celebrate the occasion. The ceremony …

2023-01-23: I will never understand people who pump gas while their car is running.

2023-01-23: Banks Plan Payment Wallet to Compete With PayPal, Apple Pay - WSJ Wells Fargo & Co., Bank of America Corp., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and four other banks are working on a new product that will allow shoppers to pay at merchants’ online checkout with a wallet that will be …

2023-01-23: Permission to Push - Catholic Husband The best way to get back to a manageable pace is to push due dates. There are some tasks that are true priorities, but most can be accomplished in the reasonable near future. Getting behind is normal, so rescheduling overdue tasks to be …

2023-01-22: Amazon to Wind Down Charity-Donation Program AmazonSmile - WSJ “After almost a decade, the program has not grown to create the impact that we had originally hoped,” Amazon said in an email to customers enrolled in the program. Perhaps if they hadn’t appointed Ebenezer Scrooge …

2023-01-21: The Power of “Pre-Day” Journaling - Day One Pre-day is the early morning before the rest of the world wakes up. It’s one of the quietest times of day, allowing your mind to breathe, think, process emotion, and prime your mental state to thrive in the coming hours.

2023-01-21: Man Pops Car Hood, Thus Exhausting His Knowledge Of How Cars Work - Babylon Bee A neighbor stopped by after seeing the open car hood and offered assistance by standing next to Snodgram and staring at the clicking engine. He then went the extra mile by suggesting they close the …

2023-01-21: First Bank Account Hard to find for kid, Managed and got it open. He’s up and running!

2023-01-21: Yum.

2023-01-21: Just opened my son’s first checking account and Roth IRA. He’s pretty excited!

2023-01-20: Heavy Maintenance I don’t look forward To car repairs with the kids. Tired, but was good.

2023-01-19: First Paycheck First day on the job, Son finished project, got paid. Very big smile!

2023-01-19: I quit Twitter five years ago because it was a joyless place. Not sure why it’s taken everyone else this long to figure that out.

2023-01-19: Alec Baldwin to Be Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter in Fatal ‘Rust’ Shooting - WSJ Prosecutors plan to charge Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the movie “Rust” in New Mexico in 2021, the district attorney in …

2023-01-19: Ph.D. Students of the World, Unite - WSJ Opinion In the private economy, unions face limits on their demands lest they bankrupt their companies and end up unemployed. Government unions, by contrast, often sit on both sides of the bargaining table since politicians who negotiate …

2023-01-18: Griddle Smoke Bacon on griddle; Good dinner plan, but then smoked. Alarm sounds; eat out?

2023-01-17: Low Pressure Unusually long, Won’t build in until Thursday. Will be a long week.

2023-01-16: Marketing Associates Cute in their polos, They are part of Daddy’s team. And a great logo too!

2023-01-16: Medical Residents Unionize Over Pay, Working Conditions - WSJ “When there’s extra work, the burden falls on us,” Dr. Kaur said. Welcome to Medicine? The quality of a physician is directly related to the amount they were challenged in residency. Easier residency experiences …

2023-01-16: Work or Workout - Catholic Husband The truth is, I work better when I’ve exercised. Sleeping in gets me an extra 60 or 90 minutes of sleep, but those precious minutes don’t make nearly as big of an impact as waking up on time does. ➕

2023-01-15: Late Errands Long, quiet Sunday. Took nap, then ran some errands. Nice to take it slow.

2023-01-15: If you don’t have cold brew, or you don’t have heavy whipping cream, you’re not a coffee shop.

2023-01-15: Finished reading: Act of War by Brad Thor 📚

2023-01-14: Family Grocery Shopping Went inside, so strange; In a group, even stranger! Delicious dinner!

2023-01-14: Kamala Harris Assures Public No One Has Given Her Single Classified Document - The Onion “Please take comfort when I say I have no security clearance, on any level. My key fob doesn’t even work most days, and I have to text someone on my staff to come let me in. Yesterday, I …

2023-01-13: Done on Friday Accomplished rare feat, Work and school done by Friday. The weekend is ours!

2023-01-13: Crypto.com Cuts 20% of Staff, Citing Economic Hurdles and FTX Collapse - WSJ Crypto.com is cutting a fifth of its global workforce, in a second round of layoffs in six months Fortune doesn’t favor the brave.

2023-01-13: Christmas gift from Alison, a reusable tea bag.

2023-01-13: FAA Pilot-Alert System Breakdown Followed Years of Warnings - WSJ Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D., Calif.), who has advocated for overhauling the FAA’s Notam system, said modernizing its content and technology go hand in hand. “The pilots, the users, tend to not rely on it as much …

2023-01-12: Read Aloud Kid Son picked up a book, Sisters sat; he read aloud. A pretty cool thing.

2023-01-12: Is there anyplace that Biden didn’t stash classified docs? Bottom line: either we’re classifying way too many documents, or we’re not doing enough to hold people accountable for mishandling them. Probably a bit of both.

2023-01-11: Cleaned Up List Task list overflows, Afternoon to clean it up. Start back at zero.

2023-01-11: What is a NOTAM? - Federal Aviation Administration Changed the acronym NOTAM from Notice to Airmen to the more applicable term Notice to Air Missions, which is inclusive of all aviators and missions. Thank goodness the government is focused on the issues that really matter.

2023-01-10: No Energy Completely wiped out, Schoolwork left undone. Kids glad. Early bed tonight.

2023-01-10: Classified Documents Found at Biden’s Vice Presidential Center - WSJ Earlier this year in an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes,” Mr. Biden offered his reaction to the news that Mr. Trump had taken classified materials from the White House, characterizing Mr. Trump’s actions as …

2023-01-09: Win Some, Lose Some So many hours, Can do some work, but not all. Always tomorrow.

2023-01-09: Beautiful sky.

2023-01-09: Create Beauty - Catholic Husband But when we look up from our screens, when we behold the world around us as it truly is, there’s nothing but beauty. Colors, textures, weather, and creation changes from moment to moment. ➕

2023-01-08: Mass, Live Sunday morning, up. Back at Church; this is quite nice! See you all next week.

2023-01-07: Yard Games Got as Christmas gifts, All played outside together. Kids beat me; no shock.

2023-01-07: Lego Introduces First-Ever Affordable Lego Set - Babylon Bee Motivated by worldwide economic stagnation, engineers at Lego headquarters in Billund have developed the first-ever affordable LEGO® set: a single brick that retails for a meager $9.99.

2023-01-07: Remaining Avengers Team Up To Battle Snow Plow - Babylon Bee Using Hawkeye’s accident as a rallying cry, the Avengers vowed to defeat the evil Snow Plow and complete the job of clearing the driveway of Hawkeye’s ski retreat.

2023-01-07: AOC Asks Why We Need A House Speaker Since Everyone Already Has Headphones - Babylon Bee The room fell silent as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle turned to listen to Ocasio-Cortez’s wisdomly soliloquy as she described how the whole world surely receives piles of nice …

2023-01-06: Lots of Errands Brutal scheduling, Bunching is good, but come on! Can’t do all at once.

2023-01-06: Military to proceed with changing names of bases honoring Confederate generals - WTOP The bases are the largest items the Naming Commission recommends renaming, but it has also listed more than 1,000 items in the military’s inventory that should be renamed, removed, or modified. …

2023-01-06: Celsius Network Wins Ownership Rights to Customer Crypto Deposits - WSJ A bankruptcy judge ruled that digital coins deposited in Celsius Network LLC’s interest-bearing accounts belong to the firm, ruling against thousands of customers and deciding a key legal issue in …

2023-01-05: Teaching Math Third grade math lessons, I learned poorly the first time. Now I’m the class ace!

2023-01-05: Episode 250: Poetry & Stories We’re back to school in the new year. The kids stop by to share some of their recent school work.

2023-01-04: Retail Fraud Bought a new car seat. Got home, wrong one inside. Darn. To the store I go.

2023-01-04: DocuSign is a very nice tool.

2023-01-04: New for 2023, Applied Bioethics Magazine is free to read on the web. Enjoy! ⚕️

2023-01-03: Order Restored Messy for a week, Kids pitched in, house all cleaned up. Back to normal ops.

2023-01-03: This is a new post.

2023-01-03: Clowns Debate Who Will Be Elected Next King Of The Clowns - Babylon Bee At publishing time, voting was further delayed after a clown brawl broke out.

2023-01-02: Knocked-Out Woke up, stomach hurt! Stayed in bed all day; not good! Better by night time.

2023-01-02: The Bible in a Year - Catholic Husband Following the narrative of the story, and watching the puzzle pieces slowly come together, one day at a time, was the perfect way to study, explore, and discover the Bible. All it takes is showing up every day, and pressing play. ➕

2023-01-01: YouTube Mass All the same words, prayers, Lesser experience, tho. Need to get healthy!

2023-01-01: Currently reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church by Ascension Press 📚

2023-01-01: New year, day 1.

2022-12-31: Book Review: The Great Adventure Bible 📚 It took much longer than it should have, but I finally read God’s book. Using the _Bible in a Year_ podcast, I methodically worked my way through the entire Bible. The great thing about the reading plan that I chose is that it focused on a narrative, rather than attempting to …

2022-12-31: A Bit Much Just a single month, Three different viruses. Yuck. Hopefully the end!

2022-12-31: The Trump Tax Return Precedent - WSJ Opinion Mr. Trump appears to have hired legions of lawyers to exploit every possible loophole in the tax code. If Congress doesn’t like that, it can rewrite and simplify the code. But that would strip the Members of their power to do favors …

2022-12-31: Episode 249: Sewing Tips The house is finally clean, so I catch up with Felicity and Benedict who are working on a few of their favorite presents.

2022-12-31: Finished reading: Holy Bible: The Great Adventure Catholic Bible by Ascension Press 📚

2022-12-31: Made it to the finish.

2022-12-30: Work or Clean Messy house, and yet, Would like the weekend off. So, Work now, tidy then.

2022-12-30: Trump Thanks Dems For Releasing Best, Most Beautiful Tax Returns Ever - Babylon Bee “Nobody takes more withholdings than me! Everyone says so. Big, beautiful withholdings - no one else is smart enough. Lots of losers can’t figure out how to pay less taxes, but …

2022-12-29: Dumb Design Car seat can’t be cleaned; You had one job, you losers! This does not make sense.

2022-12-29: Just passed 7 years of journaling every day. 📓

2022-12-28: Sick Kids Been sick for a month, May I propose we just not? Ready for a break.

2022-12-27: Morning Sewing Christmas sewing kit, So why not sew this morning? She made rapid gains.

2022-12-26: Reading Under Tree Freezing cold outside, Son chooses books under tree. Looks like jacket helped.

2022-12-26: Silent Night - Catholic Husband A silent night, a holy night, in a cave in a rural town, an anonymous family witnessed the singular event that changed all of human history. In those ordinary moments, they thought not of the challenges ahead, but of the peace and quiet joy of the …

2022-12-26: Health insurance ❌ healthcare. Health insurance is a contract to cover the personal financial liability risk of receiving medical services. Healthcare is medical services provided by a licensed professional.

2022-12-25: Christmas dinner grilling.

2022-12-25: Sitting on the Stairs A quiet start, then, Kids come down the stairs. Party! A joyous morning.

2022-12-25: Quiet start to Christmas.

2022-12-24: Christmas Eve Clean-Up Santa hates a mess; That’s how I was raised. We cleaned, Now house is ready! 🎅🏻

2022-12-24: Silent night, holy night

2022-12-24: The House Pretends to Call in Sick - WSJ Opinion Members sign a letter, available on the House clerk’s website, that says they are “unable to physically attend proceedings in the House Chamber due to the ongoing public health emergency,” and designate a colleague to cast their …

2022-12-23: Cascade of Errors Dinner: power out. Later, back on. But, oh no! Pipes are frozen!

2022-12-23: Power is out, fire is on.

2022-12-23: Christmas Tree Lot Guy So Ready For Annual 46-Week Vacation - The Onion Martin went on to stress the importance of mental health on the job, advising anyone in his line of work to make sure they take all of their 300-plus days off each year.

2022-12-23: 10 Awesome Christmas Gifts For Your Homeschooled Child - Babylon Bee A book of small words: To help them learn how to talk to all the illiterate kids their own age.

2022-12-23: Still haven’t used Stage Manager.

2022-12-22: Target Drive-Up Just needed one thing. Drove over, every spot full! Well, never mind then.

2022-12-21: Order Placed A new business line, All the dots almost complete. This is happening.

2022-12-20: Brother Reads Around town errands, Son reads aloud to sisters. They are all quiet!

2022-12-20: I’m glad that we’ll get to see the Trump tax returns, but this has been an awful episode. First, the facts are now in evidence that the Committee used spurious legal justifications to get them. They may have been entitled to them under law, but hiding behind the fig leaf of …

2022-12-20: House Committee Voted to Release Trump’s Tax Returns: Live Updates For those wondering, the pizza is from Matchbox, a chain with a location several blocks away in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Excellent taste! 🍕

2022-12-20: I love the strong feeling of restful conclusion that the final two weeks of the year bring.

2022-12-19: One Day Laundry A rare feat is done; Laundry run, folded, away, All in just one day!

2022-12-19: Equifax, a private company, scooped up reams of my private data, without my consent, and sold it to innumerable third-parties without compensating me. Through gross negligence, they were hacked, a breach that went undetected for weeks. As settlement for their reckless behavior …

2022-12-19: The Year It’s Been - Catholic Husband As the calendar turns over to another year, it’s the perfect reminder to check ourselves. Are we using these moments well, or do we need to yet again set down the things that are holding us back and embrace the daily rituals that take …

2022-12-19: Toyota Chief Says ‘Silent Majority’ Has Doubts About Pursuing Only EVs - WSJ “Because the right answer is still unclear, we shouldn’t limit ourselves to just one option,” Mr. Toyoda said. Over the past few years, Mr. Toyoda said, he has tried to convey this point to industry …

2022-12-18: Decorating Cookies Precautions taken; Doesn’t matter, a big mess! Beautiful mess, tho.

2022-12-18: Vatican Dismisses U.S. Antiabortion Activist From Priesthood - WSJ The statement didn’t specify the infractions for which Mr. Pavone was being disciplined but said that he had been “given ample opportunity to defend himself” and to “submit himself to the authority of his …

2022-12-18: Christmas cookie day. 🎄🎅🏻

2022-12-17: Clean House A daily struggle, Keeping the mess in check, away. Done; satisfying.

2022-12-17: Pre-dawn is my most productive time block. 👨🏻‍💻

2022-12-16: Gate Comes Down Small girl growing up, Master of the stairs up and down. Top gate came down. Nice!

2022-12-15: Rest is Best Three of four are sick. Calling it; take the day off. No day off for Dad.

2022-12-14: Hello, Neighbors Moved in years ago, Finally met my neighbors. They were pretty chill.

2022-12-13: DOJ Arrests Sam Bankman-Fried For Running Out Of Bribery Money - Babylon Bee Republicans criticized Democrats for blatantly seeking bribes by invading the personal space of Mr. Bankman-Fried for more bribe money, insisting that crypto coins were inside the computer. They then …

2022-12-13: Office Christmas Party My first one in years. Kids had a wonderful time; All made some new friends.

2022-12-12: Push Through Mondays are busy. Laundry, school, work must be done. Glad when it’s over.

2022-12-12: The Prodigal Son - Catholic Husband I think it reminds us of the relationship that God wants with us. He doesn’t just want us to pray, but to pray actively. He doesn’t want us to just go to Mass every week, but to go joyfully. He doesn’t want us to just pick up our cross, but to …

2022-12-11: Inside Internet A stroke of genius And some physics. We did it! Cable runs inside.

2022-12-11: Being a homeowner feels so great. 🏡

2022-12-10: Soft Morning Glow Hard to start early, Christmas tree is nice in dark, Metaphorically.

2022-12-09: Coffee Shop Work Kids and Dad sit down; They do school, I do my work. Coworking remotes.

2022-12-09: Biden Bails Out the Teamsters - WSJ Opinion Democrats are calling Republicans stingy for refusing to spend more on Covid, including treatments for the uninsured. But Democrats appropriated a mere $24 billion for vaccines and treatments in last year’s Covid bill and none in the …

2022-12-09: Three homeschool kids, a toddler, and a self-employed remote worker walk into a coffee shop… ☕️

2022-12-09: Morning prayer by the soft light of the tree. 🎄

2022-12-08: I Piano Little girl climbs up, Plays keys with joy and delight. Look! I piano!

2022-12-08: Russia Releases Brittney Griner From Penal Colony in Prisoner Swap Deal - WSJ Women’s basketball star Brittney Griner has been released by Russia from a penal colony, President Biden announced Thursday, in a negotiated prisoner release deal that exchanged her for Russian arms …

2022-12-07: Fast Errands City appointment. Ran errands while I was there. Faster without kids.

2022-12-07: Congressional Negotiators Start to Run Out of Time on Full-Year Spending Bill - WSJ The National Defense Authorization Act bill, unveiled late Tuesday, would also rescind the requirement that members of the military be vaccinated against Covid-19 Makes a bad decision, worse. …

2022-12-07: Back at my desk, and way behind. 🏃🏻

2022-12-06: Flu, Day 3 Almost over hill, “Good thing you got the shot!” Yeah, Not that much better.

2022-12-05: Flu, Day 2 Woke up much past two; In bed for the day again. Try again Tuesday?

2022-12-05: Time to Care - Catholic Husband Like the oxygen mask on the airplane, we need to take a moment to secure our mask before we help others. The same is true for our daily lives. We must eat, pray, exercise, and relax, or we’ll be hopeless when managing the daily stresses of caring …

2022-12-04: Flu, Day 1 Woke up; huh, not great. Maybe just take a nap? Yeah. Down and out for day.

2022-12-03: Train Rides Again Three years since last time, Kids didn’t forget a thing. Fun time had by all.

2022-12-03: Polar Express.

2022-12-02: Toy Closet Showdown The place was a mess. Kids couldn’t hang; Dad stepped in. Cautionary tale.

2022-12-02: Here’s your first look at the new B-21 Raider stealth bomber - Task & Purpose When the Air Force pulled the curtain on its new B-21 Raider stealth bomber on Friday, it became the first new bomber revealed since the B-2 Spirit was rolled out in 1988. The B-21 has …

2022-12-02: I think its incredible that no one on YouTube has ever paid interest on their credit cards.

2022-12-02: Book Review: Hidden Order 📚 I’ve been so slammed with work this year that my reading time has taken a serious hit. I wanted to get back into it and read alongside my kids, but the nonfiction books just seemed too boring to me. So I decided to go with this thriller instead. Thor is getting pretty dark and …

2022-12-02: Boeing Races to Win Congressional Reprieve for New 737 MAX Models - WSJ Without a deadline reprieve, Boeing said in a securities filing that it might cancel both planes, resulting in further financial hits. Airlines have said they prefer common cockpit types for their 737 …

2022-12-01: Side Spigot No spigot by cars, Long hose just to wash. Not good! Two years, but now fixed.

2022-12-01: End Vanguard’s ESG Meddling With Utilities - WSJ Opinion Asset managers like Vanguard then use their clients’ assets—not their own—to “accelerate the transition.” This is the real problem.

2022-12-01: My son, on his own, decided to make a contribution to our Christmas decor. 🎄

2022-12-01: All of the erasers on my children’s pencils are almost 100% used. I guess that makes them good students; willing to swing for the fences and try, then fixing their mistakes. ✏️

2022-12-01: Rising Tether Loans Add Risk to Stablecoin, Crypto World - WSJ Tether has also left it unclear whether any of its loans are to related parties, which can be a red flag for investors. Tether’s reports used to say that none of the loans were to affiliated entities. However, it …

2022-11-30: Walmart Shoppers I order, they shop. Pickup in seconds; they load. Such a load off; thanks!

2022-11-30: Tweetbot Maker Tapbots Working on ‘Ivory’ Mastodon App - MacRumors Ivory has a design that is quite similar to Tweetbot at the current time, offering access to a timeline, @ mentions, search, profile, and other options. These guys are really great at making apps, …

2022-11-30: Finished reading: Hidden Order by Brad Thor 📚

2022-11-29: One Day Laundry Unusually rare, Laundry done, away: one day. Don’t expect to last.

2022-11-29: Ten (2022)

2022-11-28: The Toddler & The Button “Press button, Daddy?” “Yay! Press button! I win! Woo!” Oh, small, simple joys.

2022-11-28: True Gratitude - Catholic Husband Amid this pause, we collectively take a breath and focus on gratitude. This year, my thoughts are turning more towards true gratitude. It’s simple, and right, that I should be thankful for the many helping hands in my life, or the relative peace …

2022-11-27: Tree Decorating Lights strung on the floor, Plugged in. Tempting to resist, Got a good pic, tho.

2022-11-27: Vatican Says China Broke Agreement on Bishops - WSJ Since 2018, neither Beijing nor the Vatican has ordained bishops without the consent of the other side. Only six bishops have been ordained in the same period, while some 40 dioceses in China still have no bishop. Job well …

2022-11-26: Attic Nice when it’s cool out, Though a big job left undone. Maybe in the spring?

2022-11-26: Shock of color.

2022-11-26: Vatican Tells Catholics How to Make ‘Faith-Consistent’ Investments - WSJ They call for “proactive positive investing” in industries such as renewable energy and microfinance. These guidelines are a paradox. Don’t invest in fossil fuels, which has lifted billions out of poverty …

2022-11-25: Remote Work Went to the office; No internet. Coffee shop: Math, business, & play!

2022-11-25: FAA: Pilots should be capable of flying aircraft manually when needed “Multiple crashes have shown a need for pilots, who might switch on autopilot soon after takeoff, to sharpen their abilities to fly without automation in case they have to take over during an …

2022-11-25: Backers of Farmworker Visa Overhaul Make Year-End Push for Immigrant Labor Deal - WSJ A bill providing a path to citizenship for about one million farmworkers—and creating a capped number of new year-round visas—passed the House in March 2021, with the support of 217 Democrats …

2022-11-25: Internet down at the office, so impromptu work/school session at the local coffee shop.

2022-11-25: Ukrainian Hospital Stymied Russians With Defiant Doctors and a Fake Covid Outbreak - WSJ By August, Russian soldiers were showing up at hospitals in droves, complaining of headaches or back pain in hopes they’d get sent home. “One guy said he had problems with his knees,” said …

2022-11-24: Relaxing Thanksgiving Work in the morning, Rain throughout the day. Cozy, Warm Thanksgiving meal.

2022-11-24: Currently reading: Hidden Order by Brad Thor 📚

2022-11-24: Thanksgiving table.

2022-11-24: Gentle music in the background, heavy rain in the vicinity, working away on my websites at my desk. This is true relaxation!

2022-11-24: Episode 248: Thanksgiving Jokes I stop by the kitchen to talk to the chefs and see how dinner is coming along.

2022-11-24: I’ve got that very deep feeling of rest and relaxation that comes with the end-of-year holidays. Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃

2022-11-23: U.S. Poised to Grant Chevron License to Pump Oil in Venezuela - WSJ The developments come just ahead of new Western sanctions on Russian oil that threaten to tighten global supplies and lift prices. The Biden administration’s move to ease sanctions on Venezuela has been seen as …

2022-11-23: I don’t know what happened to Safari in this year’s upgrade cycle, but I just switched my default browser to Brave.

2022-11-22: Biden Administration Extends Pause on Federal Student Loan Payments - WSJ Payments were set to resume Jan. 1, but they now will resume 60 days after litigation over the loan-forgiveness program is resolved or the program is implemented. This is the final, final final extension. …

2022-11-21: Enjoy Today - Catholic Husband Each day may not feel like a gift, but they all have little treasures buried deep inside. The way to find the treasure is to be present, and dig. It may be a funny quote from one of your kids, a completed project at work, or just one of your …

2022-11-19: Saturday fire.

2022-11-18: FTX Fraud Scandal: Here’s What You Should Know - Babylon Bee A quick Google search revealed that FTX stands for Futures Exchange, which is apt because its customers exchanged their future financial security for meaningless cryptocurrency.

2022-11-14: Torrents of Mercy - Catholic Husband There is no limiting principle to God’s mercy; that’s one reason it is so unfathomable. How can God forgive such grievous offenses? How can He continue to put up with our habitual sin, our failure to course correct, and our inability to live …

2022-11-10: Fetterman Realizes American Dream Of Living With Parents Til You’re 50 And Then Getting A Government Job - Babylon Bee Fetterman waved solemnly to his parents as he packed up his things before he remembered he doesn’t start his congressional term until next year. He …

2022-11-10: It Takes Too Long to Count Votes - WSJ Opinion Florida managed to count seven million votes within hours Tuesday, in part because it preprocesses incoming mail ballots and has an Election Day deadline. So far the U.S. has been Las Vegas lucky in avoiding a mail vote debacle, but …

2022-11-07: Moving in Together Doesn’t Match the Financial Benefits of Marriage, but Why? - WSJ “We’re already saving a lot of money and splitting the cost on most things,” she said. “I don’t understand how married couples are accumulating wealth in a way we’re not doing.” Because married …

2022-11-07: Donald Trump Rallies for … Donald Trump - WSJ Opinion But his focus on his own prospects, and criticizing his fellow Republicans even before a crucial midterm election, is one more reminder that Mr. Trump’s only abiding principle is what’s good for Donald Trump. Good …

2022-11-07: Constant Renewal - Catholic Husband Impermanence is the nature of life; things are always in motion and changing. Embracing a mindset of constant renewal inspires a sense of exhaustion, but also one of hope. ➕

2022-11-03: Suspect in Paul Pelosi Assault Lived in U.S. Illegally, Immigration Officials Say - WSJ The man accused of attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer is a Canadian citizen who has been living in the U.S. illegally since 2008, immigration officials said …

2022-11-03: Doctors Should Prescribe Opioids for People in Pain, CDC Says - WSJ Federal officials said inflexible rules around the prescription of opioids have harmed some patients, urging doctors to exercise compassion in alleviating pain. After a decade of intrusive criminal prosecution …

2022-11-03: Election Deniers The President got on to Election Deniers last night. Good on him, he’s 100% right. Election deniers are just thirsty for power and a threat to our democracy, falsely perpetuating the “Big Lie.” He said, in part, You know, American democracy is under attack …

2022-11-02: 15 Job Qualifications To Work For The Fed - Babylon Bee Must be able to call a hundredth of a percent “one basis point” to sound smarter

2022-11-02: After Ignoring Attacks On Churches & Pro-Lifers, Media Decides Political Violence Worth Covering Again - Babylon Bee “To anyone who doesn’t speak out against this politically-motivated attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, I will say only this: …

2022-10-31: Overrun - Catholic Husband The feeling of being overrun with sin is a tool of the devil. As CS Lewis masterfully illustrated in The Screwtape Letters, if we can be simply worn down to the point of giving up, then darkness wins. While we may feel overrun, we can never be made to …

2022-10-30: Michigan’s Education Failure - WSJ Opinion Ms. Whitmer says children were out of classrooms only three months, but she may be suffering from her own math deficit. Many of the districts that stayed closed the longest, including Ann Arbor, Lansing, Kalamazoo and Detroit, have …

2022-10-24: Will a Heat Pump Save Money on Your Energy Bill This Winter? - WSJ Heat pumps are a potential solution. Heat pumps are a great choice for people who love tepid air and frigid homes! It’s like fighting a forest fire with a hair mister.

2022-10-24: The Emperor Has No Clothes - Catholic Husband The truth is, people respect those who admit their faults and make corrections. Silently, we all wish that we had the courage to do the same. Events can transpire outside our control, but if we refuse to pick up the mantle and get to …

2022-10-21: President Rumpelstiltskin - WSJ Opinion Mr. Biden also neglected to give any credit to the hard-pressed American taxpayers who kicked in an additional $850 billion in revenue in fiscal 2022. Individual income-tax payments rose 29%, or nearly $600 billion. And that was all …

2022-10-21: Dad Has Family Arrive At Airport Before It’s Even Built - Babylon Bee Pro Dad and savvy world traveler Chip Dunnings is taking his family on vacation, and to avoid missing the flight, has made sure the family shows up packed and ready to go before the airport is even …

2022-10-19: Biden’s Top 2023 Priority: Abortion - WSJ Opinion Not lowering the price of gas or home heating (see nearby), not rebuilding U.S. defenses, and not easing his regulatory onslaught amid what economists now say is a likely recession in 2023. No, job one in year three of the Biden …

2022-10-17: Jill Biden To Dress Up As Real Doctor For Halloween - Babylon Bee sources also confirmed that President Biden will be dressing up as a President with an approval rating above 40%.

2022-10-17: Share Your Best Work - Catholic Husband The truth of the matter is that you are your worst critic; it’s a double-edged sword. On the one hand, your critiques push you to work when you feel uninspired, and to chisel down your ideas, leaving only your very best. On the other, it …

2022-10-13: Mortgage Rates Hit 6.92%, a 20-Year High - WSJ A buyer that earns the median household income and puts 20% down could afford a home costing roughly $339,000 this week. That buyer could have afforded a home costing almost $449,000 in January The cost of Fed inaction and reckless …

2022-10-11: Saudi Arabia Defied U.S. Warnings Ahead of OPEC+ Production Cut - WSJ U.S. officials called their counterparts in Saudi Arabia and other big Gulf producers with an urgent appeal—delay the decision for another month Yeah, come on guys, just delay until November 9th! Saudi …

2022-10-10: The Sexualization of Everything - Catholic Husband True human connection is authentic, emotional, and comes out of a deep desire for community. Our sexuality is an integral part of who we are, but it’s not a prerequisite for having a meaningful human relationship. ➕

2022-10-08: Congress Likely to Change Rules for IRA Catch-Up Contributions - WSJ “These changes to the catch-up contribution rules are designed to encourage people to save for retirement,” says Sarah Brenner Why not encourage all people to save for retirement? This two-tier system makes …

2022-10-04: Trump’s ‘Death Wish’ Rhetoric - WSJ Opinion Five weeks from Election Day, Mr. Trump could be working and spending money to elect a GOP Congress, or to help his home state of Florida recover from Hurricane Ian. Instead he’s attacking Mr. McConnell and his wife as part of a …

2022-10-03: Balance - Catholic Husband My days are stuffed with tasks, to-dos, school, and work, but I’m also feeling incredibly fulfilled. I see progress in my professional life and progress in my children, but as a result, my health has fallen by the wayside. ➕

2022-09-29: Six States Sue to Block Biden Student Debt Cancellation Plan - WSJ “Republican officials from these six states are standing with special interests, and fighting to stop relief for borrowers buried under mountains of debt,” said Abdullah Hasan, a White House spokesman. Special …

2022-09-27: Hero: DeSantis Flies Hurricane Ian To Martha’s Vineyard - Babylon Bee “I’ll tell you what, hurricanes have been tormenting Florida for too long. Not on my watch!” said DeSantis to a crowd of screaming fans. “So you know what? We’re gonna load …

2022-09-26: Congress Signs Up For $40 Billion Per Month Ukraine+ Subscription - Babylon Bee To avoid fighting over further spending bills, Congress has opted instead to sign up for the brand new subscription service Ukraine+, which only costs $40 billion per month. I think this is money …

2022-09-26: Episode 247: NASA We took the kids on a surprise trip to NASA. They join me on this beautiful fall morning to discuss what they learned.

2022-09-26: Plese Destroy - Catholic Husband It was the perfect teachable moment. We talked about how what he was doing, destroying the paper that had his sins written on it, is precisely what just happened to him in Reconciliation. God tore up his sins, never to remember them. ➕

2022-09-25: Toyota Engages With Critics of Its EV Push - WSJ Toyota has said it believes hybrids can reduce carbon emissions while the battery supply chains and charging networks necessary to support big fleets of EVs are built globally over the coming decades. Hybrid cars—which made up …

2022-09-22: Joe Manchin Releases Bill to Speed Up Energy Projects as Lawmakers Balk - WSJ Sen. Jeff Merkley (D., Ore.) and several Democratic colleagues are pushing Mr. Schumer to keep the spending package and permitting package separate, stating in a letter that environmental issues …

2022-09-21: New York Attorney General Sues Trump, His Company on Fraud Allegations - WSJ A spokeswoman for the Trump Organization called the complaint “the culmination of nearly three years of persistent, targeted, unethical political harassment.” This professional vendetta that James …

2022-09-20: Legal Challenges to Student Loan Forgiveness Loom Before Midterms - WSJ Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.). Republicans “will take their case to court because, like it is with abortion, they know that can’t win with the public generally.” Has the Senator heard about the pot and …

2022-09-19: The Pope Abandons Cardinal Zen - WSJ Opinion On a return flight from Kazakhstan Thursday, the pope suggested this is no accident. When a reporter asked about Cardinal Zen, the pope offered not a word of support, noting only that the cardinal “says what he feels” despite knowing …

2022-09-19: A Single Spark - Catholic Husband That’s the funny thing about inertia; it’s so hard to overcome, but is completely broken by a singular step. Once you’re on the other side, momentum builds, and you start to wonder why it was ever able to hold you back. ➕

2022-09-18: Father Living His Best Life During Those 3 Hours On Saturday Morning When He’s The Only One Up - Babylon Bee Every Saturday morning, Walker’s able to do things he can’t do at any other time of the week. He reportedly plays one of the 767 Steam games he owns for …

2022-09-18: Walmart, Target Urge Lawmakers to Pass Bill Taking Aim at Visa, Mastercard Fees - WSJ In a letter this week to all members of Congress, the merchants said the proposed legislation would increase competition, leading to a reduction in the fees they pay when they accept credit …

2022-09-17: It’s always a good day when I get to climb into an airplane.

2022-09-17: The Man From Rivian Who Wants to Change How We Buy Cars - WSJ Dealers and state lawmakers who oppose Mr. Chen’s efforts say that independent dealerships play a critical role in the car-buying process, helping to create competition between franchises that ultimately keeps prices …

2022-09-16: A Sanctuary City Spectacle - WSJ Opinion This political moralizing is easier than actually doing something about the border. And, by the way, the federal government is also sending buses with migrants to northern cities, as New York’s Mayor Adams has acknowledged. Many migrants …

2022-09-15: Martha’s Vineyard Lovingly Welcomes Immigrants To Any Other Part Of America - Babylon Bee Several media outlets were on the scene as migrants were caringly herded back onto the buses by people wearing Brunello Cucinelli boat shoes and cashmere sweaters, who afterward ran …

2022-09-14: NASA Johnson Space Center We took our kids on a surprise trip to the Johnson Space Center in Houston for a chance to tour the museum. It was incredible to see these feats of human innovation on display. We touched a piece of the moon, learned about the progression of the US space program, and saw how …

2022-09-14: Boeing 747 carrying Space Shuttle Independence

2022-09-13: U.S. Inflation Eased Slightly to 8.3% in August - WSJ So-called core CPI, which excludes often volatile energy and food prices, increased 6.3% in August from a year earlier, up sharply from the 5.9% rate in both June and July—a signal that broad price pressures strengthened.

2022-09-12: Trump Voters Put Biden Signs In Their Yards So That The FBI Will Pass Over Them - Babylon Bee Fears have grown among conservatives as they have watched the Biden administration unleash a series of devastating plagues on the United States, including crushing inflation, oppressive …

2022-09-12: Freedom Squandered - Catholic Husband Freedom is not free, and even now, there are Americans standing guard around the world, separated from their friends and family, maintaining our peace and security. This is a flawed, but great nation, an experiment worth defending. A house …

2022-09-11: Never Forget 🇺🇸

2022-09-10: Solid start.

2022-09-09: Democrats for MAGA Republicans - WSJ Opinion By one estimate, Democrats have spent more than $40 million helping 2020 election skeptics win GOP primaries, even while fretting about them as a “threat to democracy.” They’re happy to gamble on that threat because their real concern …

2022-09-09: Policies Pushing Electric Vehicles Show Why Few People Want One - WSJ Opinion We constantly hear that electric cars are the future—cleaner, cheaper and better. But if they’re so good, why does California need to ban gasoline-powered cars? Why does the world spend $30 billion a …

2022-09-09: Democrats Were the First Election Deniers - WSJ Opinion On the House floor in 2005, the ranking Judiciary Committee Democrat, Rep. John Conyers (D., Mich.), presented the case for awarding Ohio to the Democrats, claiming “electronic machines transferred” votes from Mr. Kerry to …

2022-09-08: UPS is very bad at logistics.

2022-09-07: Biden Is Angry but Not Serious - WSJ Opinion Mr. Biden sounded like an overwrought sophomore by pretending that MAGA Republicanism presents a similar existential threat to democracy, and the next day he showed that even he didn’t believe his own claim that all Trump supporters …

2022-09-07: Biden’s Student-Debt-Forgiveness Plan May Cost Up to $1 Trillion, Challenging Deficit Goals - WSJ could cost as much as $1 trillion, according to budget analysts, challenging the administration’s efforts to scale down the federal deficit. First, the price tag keeps climbing and …

2022-09-06: How slow is UPS Ground? It will take 3 days for them to deliver me a package that is currently 1 hour away from my house.

2022-09-06: Liz Truss’s Inheritance: A U.K. Economy on Its Knees - WSJ Already struggling with a record backlog of 6.6 million patients waiting for treatment following the Covid-19 crisis, analysts say the National Health Service is showing severe signs of strain. People suffering strokes …

2022-09-06: Nutrition Advocates Push for Front-of-Package Labels That Highlight Fat, Sugar Levels - WSJ “People just don’t have the patience or the time to be detectives at store shelves, hunting for data that may be somewhere on the package,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.), one …

2022-09-05: That moment when you pray the Rosary on the Hallow app, and Mark Wahlberg is leading, and it’s everything you expect it to be.

2022-09-05: Homeschooling - Catholic Husband There are many things to be said about homeschooling, but I think the simplest takeaway that I have is this. I like that my children are receiving a liberal arts education, starting from Day One of Kindergarten. ➕

2022-09-04: Look Who’s Rushing Covid Vaccines Now - WSJ Opinion Democrats and the public-health clerisy denounced President Trump for rushing Covid vaccines. They’ve been curiously quiet about the Food and Drug Administration’s gunshot approval last week of revamped booster shots with no …

2022-09-03: Another Week, Another Leak at the IRS - WSJ Opinion Democrats recently handed the IRS $80 billion in new funding in full knowledge of these shortcomings. Not to fix them, mind you. The legislation spends $4.8 billion on modernization but nearly 10 times as much on its top …

2022-09-03: Midterm Elections to Decide Fate of Biden’s Tax Agenda - WSJ “The president’s economic vision is about continuing to deliver for middle-class families, while congressional Republicans’ agenda is to sell those families out with more tax welfare for rich special interests,” said …

2022-09-02: Veterans Affairs to Provide Abortion Services for Health Dangers, Rape and Incest - WSJ The Department of Veterans Affairs, for the first time in its history, will provide abortion services and counseling to veterans in cases of health dangers, rape and incest, even at federal …

2022-09-01: Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, and its fabulous price controls on prescription drugs for Medicare, the pharmaceutical company that has provided my monthly migraine medication for $0 out-of-pocket since 2020 has dramatically curtailed the program and now my …

2022-09-01: Ten (2022)

2022-08-31: Trump Parts Hudson River Leading Exodus Of New York Republicans To Florida - Babylon Bee New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently informed New York Republicans that they’re not welcome in her state. But lo, a chosen one of burnt papaya hue, Donald Trump, approached her and …

2022-08-31: This is a cool job. 🛩

2022-08-30: Guys Who Just Finished Burying Ananias Really Annoyed About Sapphira - Babylon Bee Peter apologized but insisted the trio also handle Sapphira’s burial. “I think it’s more poetic this way,” he insisted.

2022-08-29: Behold, Your Mother - Catholic Husband Holding Mary in this place of honor is not an invention of the Church or a theological musing, but Catholics taking seriously the truths entrusted to us in Scripture. Mary is our mother, and we treat her with the love and respect that she …

2022-08-28: The IRS Wants to Sell You on Its ‘Service’ - WSJ Opinion This month Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Robert Menendez and Rep. Abigail Spanberger cosigned a sternly worded letter to the IRS urging more responsiveness to taxpayers. Never mind that all three voted for a bill that funded …

2022-08-28: Sunday clouds.

2022-08-28: Joel Osteen Releases New Edition Of Bible With All Words Redacted - Babylon Bee Osteen had teased an update to The Redacted Study Bible where he’s gone ahead and de-classified the words “favor”, “victory”, “riches”, and …

2022-08-28: Wife Hands Husband Target Receipt With Classified Purchases Redacted - Babylon Bee “I’m being as transparent as I can at this time,” she assured her husband as he looked over the receipt, which was almost entirely just black bars save for the Target logo and …

2022-08-28: Biden’s Student-Loan Forgiveness Makes Reform Urgent - WSJ Opinion To capitalize on previous expansions of federal student-loan programs, universities have added more than 9,000 new master’s degree programs over the past decade. More are sure to come, even though research shows …

2022-08-27: Secret Service Seizes $286 Million in Stolen Covid-19 Relief Funds - WSJ The overall amount of fraudulently obtained Covid relief funds may reach $100 billion, the Secret Service said in an estimate released in December. Roughly the same amount of deficit reduction we get from …

2022-08-26: Google Says Maps, Searches Will Identify Clinics That Provide Abortions - WSJ “We’re now rolling out an update that makes it easier for people to find places that offer the services they’ve searched for, or broaden their results to see more options,” a Google representative …

2022-08-25: Is Summer over yet? ☀️

2022-08-24: Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan: Who Qualifies, and How Much Debt Will Be Canceled? - WSJ What if I’ve already paid off my loans? As of the end of last year, fewer than 1.2% of borrowers continued making payments on their student loans, Mr. Kantrowitz said. But some of the …

2022-08-24: Every US adult getting student loan “forgivness” has now received $13,600 in no strings attached transfer payments in the past two years. But, you know, we really can’t afford a Navy that will stand up to China.

2022-08-24: I resent being financially responsible for someone else’s lifestyle choices.

2022-08-24: Washington’s Mar-a-Lago Prosecution by Leaks - WSJ Opinion In other words, “a person briefed on the matter” can leak details about the investigation to the press that the public is supposed to credit as true. But the actual “court filings and its work,” in Mr. Garland’s phrase, …

2022-08-23: Student Loan Forgiveness Is an Inflation Expansion Act - WSJ Opinion The reports say Mr. Biden will cancel $10,000 in debt for borrowers making $125,000 or less a year. That would cost about $300 billion this year, and $330 billion over 10 years, says the Penn Wharton Budget …

2022-08-23: White House Planning Student-Loan Announcement Wednesday - WSJ about his proposal for dealing with student-loan debt, according to people familiar with the matter. Get out your checkbooks.

2022-08-23: A Group of Apple Employees Protests Company’s Three-Day-a-Week Office Policy - WSJ The employees who want more flexible work arrangements had compelling reasons, the petition said, including disabilities, health concerns and the fact that some of them are happier and more …

2022-08-22: I love a rainy day.

2022-08-22: Come Let Us Adore - Catholic Husband Adoration is an opportunity to enter into God’s rest. It’s a chance to give ourselves permission to not worry, to not fret, to not be concerned with the stresses of our daily lives, but to pause and encounter the eucharistic Christ. ➕

2022-08-21: Children Are Priceless - WSJ Opinion But children aren’t merely cost centers. Even ignoring human affection and thinking in the most utilitarian terms, children are assets—to the families who raise them, to the nation in which they are born, and to the world to which they will …

2022-08-21: Liz Cheney and Her Unhappy Choice Among Liars - WSJ Opinion Offhand, only one lie heard in normal, everyday American discourse seems to me close in size to Mr. Trump’s 2020 lie, and that’s the routine, universally affirmed lie, which is nowhere found in the science, that climate …

2022-08-21: Even evil robots deserve a day at the links.

2022-08-20: This Is Your IRS at Work - WSJ Opinion In 2010 Congress passed the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, which was supposed to identify wealthy Americans using undisclosed foreign accounts. Congress’s Joint Committee on Taxation said this would raise some $9 billion in revenue by …

2022-08-20: Celsius Spent $40 Million on Crypto Mining in First Two Weeks of Bankruptcy - WSJ But Celsius expects the mining operation to start turning a profit by January They can’t afford redemptions, so they decide to spend 24% of free cash on a loss leader that won’t be profitable for …

2022-08-20: Golfer Buys New Driver So He Can Hit The Ball Farther Into The Woods - Babylon Bee Jefferson O’Malley recently purchased a $1,000 driver that would “totally fix his game.” Sources confirm that the club has indeed improved his ability, as he can now hit the ball …

2022-08-19: Biden Plan Would Return Student Loan Borrowers in Default to Good Standing - WSJ “Access to federal student aid can provide a pathway for additional education, which can help these borrowers compete in the job market and ultimately improve their ability to fully repay their …

2022-08-19: Toyota Executive Warns EVs Face Obstacles to Wider Adoption - WSJ “I don’t think the market is ready for what the rhetoric is saying,” Mr. Hollis said. And it’s going to be incredibly painful for car makers and shareholders if this bet on the farm sours.

2022-08-19: Catholics Unveil High-Capacity Assault Rosary - Babylon Bee Sources indicate many were able to use an advanced telescopic sight to aim thoughts and prayers at friends and family up to 400 yards away. Swiss Guards deployed in Vatican City have advised Catholics not to aim the new …

2022-08-19: Overweight Man Reassures Doctor That His 8.5% Weight Inflation Is No Longer A Problem As His Weight Inflation This Month Is 0 - Babylon Bee “In fact, my doctor was expecting my weight gain to be up by 8.7%, but boy did I prove him wrong! My weight gain is only up 8.5% for …

2022-08-18: Son’s alligator.

2022-08-18: Brian Stelter to Leave CNN After Cancellation of ‘Reliable Sources’ - WSJ Brian Stelter, the host of CNN’s Sunday morning show “Reliable Sources,” is leaving the network following the cancellation of the long-running media news show, the network said Thursday. I’m all about …

2022-08-18: Google Workers Press Company to Stop Collecting Abortion Data - WSJ The petition, signed by more than 650 workers, also called on the company to remove search results for crisis pregnancy centers, which it said were misleading to those seeking abortions. Crisis pregnancy centers …

2022-08-18: Cheney, Trump and the GOP - WSJ Opinion GOP voters can hate what happened on Jan. 6 but also dislike the tactics of a committee that excluded Republicans who might have cross-examined witnesses.

2022-08-17: Nice to have a clean desk.

2022-08-17: Producers Confirm Liz Cheney Will Not Be Back For Season 2 Of January 6 Hearings - Babylon Bee “It’s been my honor to serve the people of Wyoming by spending my every waking minute fighting Donald Trump, just like Abraham Lincoln did,” said Cheney. “I …

2022-08-17: Episode 246: Golf Lesson I catch up with the kids now that they’re back from vacation and discuss their first golf lessons. 🏌🏻‍♂️

2022-08-16: Biden Signs Bill Aimed at Lowering Drug Costs, Boosting Renewable Energy - WSJ Mr. Biden’s approval ratings have been dragged down by months of high inflation Thankfully we now have the Inflation Reduction Act to save us! In 2027, when these measures kick in, we’ll have …

2022-08-16: Joe Biden to Sign Bill Aimed at Lowering Drug Costs, Boosting Renewable Energy - WSJ Mr. Biden is planning to sign the bill at the White House on Tuesday Announcement of massive student loan cancellation to follow.

2022-08-15: Record Numbers of Migrants Cross Southern Border, on Track for Annual Total of Two Million - WSJ In July, agents arrested about 182,000 migrants crossing the border illegally, with about two-thirds of those arrested being single adults. About 22% of those arrested involved …

2022-08-15: Brand New Tactical Knife Is The Same One Used By Navy SEALs To Open Their Wives’ Amazon Packages - Babylon Bee The Boxer MK 4 features a 3” stainless steel blade that flips closed for compact concealment and features a handle with aluminum scales underneath rubber …

2022-08-15: Comfort - Catholic Husband Despite overcoming almost every natural barrier, we haven’t found happiness. Like the people of Israel, we have a direct connection to knowledge of God, but we choose not to let it change us. They had the prophets, we have the Eucharistic Christ and …

2022-08-14: Restaurant is almost completely empty. The wait is 10 minutes. Um, what?

2022-08-13: My foray and finale in cabinetry.

2022-08-12: Angel Outside Trump’s Empty Safe Tells FBI Agents, ‘Behold! The Document You Seek Is Not Here!’ - Babylon Bee The FBI reported the incident to the FBI Director and Attorney General, who paid the agents to keep silent on the matter and instead tell everyone that …

2022-08-12: Gamers Eagerly Await The Release Of ‘Call Of Duty: IRS Auditor’ - Babylon Bee As you gain experience you can outfit your agent with new calculators and weapons as you work toward tackling more dangerous assignments like auditing the estate of Nicolas Cage or Donald …

2022-08-12: To Restore Trust With Americans, FBI Names New Director Burt Macklin - Babylon Bee “Burt Macklin, you’ve done it again,” said Burt Macklin with a smirk while putting on his aviator glasses at a public press conference. “You all thought I was dead, …

2022-08-12: House Passes Democrats’ Climate, Healthcare and Tax Package - WSJ “This is a substantive policy achievement,” said House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D., Mass.). Nice of Congress to come back from vacation to quickly pass an immediate tax increase on every …

2022-08-11: Equifax Should Face Curbs on Selling Credit Scores, Maxine Waters Says - WSJ We are working closely with our customers on this issue and stand behind our customers and impacted consumers. Direct quote from Equifax CEO. Note that “customers” and “consumers” are two distinct …

2022-08-11: 10 Ways To Avoid Getting Audited By One Of The 87,000 New IRS Agents - Babylon Bee If the IRS says they’re going to audit you, just say ‘no thanks’: You’ll be surprised how often this works.

2022-08-10: The FBI’s Dangerous Search at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago - WSJ Opinion Didn’t someone at Justice point out that a search in this case would draw comparisons to Hillary Clinton’s mishandling of classified information before her 2016 presidential campaign? She was never prosecuted, as Mr. …

2022-08-09: Report: FBI Raided Mar-A-Lago After Tip That Parents Were Protesting A School Board Meeting There - Babylon Bee “When we received an anonymous tip that parents were assembling to criticize public school curriculum and policy, we sprung into action – we should have …

2022-08-09: Deliveries of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner Set to Resume in Coming Days - WSJ The first jet was inspected and cleared Monday, according to people familiar with the matter. Great news for a great plane.

2022-08-09: U.S. Lawmakers Look to Digital Dollar to Compete With China - WSJ A digital dollar could provide a new option to the way consumers pay for products and services. In addition to using a credit or debit card—or Venmo or Apple Pay—individuals would have a digital version of cash on …

2022-08-08: Letting Go of Efficiency - Catholic Husband I’m a very efficient person, but when it comes to each day and each task, it’s okay if I invite my children into my world, and I perform at a level just a few notches below peak. ➕

2022-08-07: Hope you had a nice weekend! The United States Senate just passed a bill to raise taxes on every single American, from those making $10,000 a year all the way up to $1,000,000+. So much for only raising taxes on people making $400,000+.

2022-08-06: I love a good late summer storm. ⛈

2022-08-05: Inflation Reduction Act Tax Changes: Details & Analysis - Tax Foundation It would also reduce average after-tax incomes for taxpayers across every income quintile over the long run. And if we’re honest with ourselves, the government is so much better at spending our money …

2022-08-05: Summer storms.

2022-08-05: Do you know the perfect solution to high inflation and a recession? More spending and new taxes!

2022-08-04: The grain silo is never empty. It’s a lot of work, but I’m grateful for the work.

2022-08-03: Curls (2022)

2022-08-03: Cost of Democrats’ Corporate-Tax Increase Skews to Wealthy, Reaches Middle Class - WSJ “These companies are playing the most games, and avoiding tax by manufacturing their drugs, phones, and shoes abroad,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D., Ore.) said. “This is a …

2022-08-02: Equifax Sent Lenders Inaccurate Credit Scores on Millions of Consumers - WSJ “The impact is going to be quite small,” Mr. Begor said, “not something that’s meaningful to Equifax.” Terrible quote from an even worse company.

2022-08-02: Rivian Says Senate Climate Deal Puts It at Disadvantage - WSJ The company, in particular, takes issue with a planned cap that would make any electric trucks, SUVs and vans selling for more than $80,000 ineligible for the federal subsidy. It also opposes the proposed income …

2022-08-02: Justice Department Files Lawsuit Challenging Idaho Abortion Law - WSJ The Justice Department says Idaho’s abortion restrictions unlawfully conflict with a federal law that requires hospitals accepting Medicare to provide emergency treatments, which can sometimes include …

2022-08-01: I know well, answers Jesus Christ, that one drop of my blood, or a simple prayer, would be sufficient for the salvation of the world. But neither would be sufficient to show the love which I bear to men. -St. Alphonsus Liguori

2022-08-01: Putin Awards Self Medal Of Freedom For Dropping Gas Prices - Babylon Bee After months of singlehandedly raising America’s gas prices without any help whatsoever from the Biden administration, Russian President Vladimir Putin has mercifully given Americans a short break by …

2022-08-01: ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ Is an Insult to Used-Car Salesmen - WSJ Opinion If a bill that reduces the deficit by $300 billion over 10 years represents “inflation reduction,” what are we to make of a law Congress passed last year that increased the deficit by an estimated $1.7 …

2022-08-01: Diligence - Catholic Husband The spiritual life is the biggest project any of us ever undertake. Enduring a lifetime of trial, triumph, defeat, and temptation requires that we, as St. Paul said, run the race. We have to put in the effort, do the work, and not let despair set in. …

2022-07-31: Field Notes are a delight.

2022-07-30: Federal Student-Loan Program Cost Estimate Was Off By $311 Billion, Government Watchdog Says - WSJ According to Friday’s GAO report, which examined the federal program dating back to 1997, it lost money on loans issued in all but one year over the past quarter-century. …

2022-07-30: Democrats Quickly Redefine ‘Loss’ After Losing Congressional Baseball Game - Babylon Bee “Yes, some sports commentators have defined ‘loss’ as any game in which you have fewer runs than the opposing team,” acknowledged Pelosi. “But there …

2022-07-29: Watching YouTube on my tv. This is nice!

2022-07-29: Security Alert - Update to Travel Advisory for Russia - U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Russia Do not travel to Russia due to ongoing tension along the border with Ukraine, the potential for harassment against U.S. citizens, the embassy’s limited ability to assist U.S. citizens …

2022-07-29: The Biden Stagflation Arrives - WSJ Opinion Mr. Biden inherited a growing economy primed to roar back from the pandemic, and in barely a year and a half he has dragged America back to the 1970s. The best word for what we have now is stagflation, the ugly combination of slow …

2022-07-29: The Lonely Office Is Bad for America - WSJ Opinion People starting out need offices to learn a profession, to make friends, meet colleagues, find romantic partners and mates. The #MeToo movement did a lot to damage mentoring—senior employees no longer wanted to take the …

2022-07-28: The Senate GOP Got Played - WSJ Opinion Republicans helped Democrats pass a $1 trillion infrastructure bill last year full of green pork. They boasted about victories for permitting reform, while keeping out a tax increase and $80 billion that Democrats wanted for the Internal …

2022-07-28: This might be the most perfect sticker in my collection. I smile every time that I see it.

2022-07-28: U.S. Presses Offer to Free Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan From Russian Detention - WSJ The U.S. offered to release Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in order to secure the freedom of Ms. Griner and Mr. Whelan, according to people familiar with the matter. Hey everyone, if the US …

2022-07-28: Biden: ‘I Don’t Know If We’re In A Recession, I’m Not A Biologist’ - Babylon Bee America’s GDP has fallen over the last two quarters, stoking fears of a possible recession due to the fact that America is now in a recession.

2022-07-28: U.S. GDP Rose Slightly in Second Quarter, Economists Estimate - WSJ Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal estimated the Commerce Department will report Thursday that gross domestic product, the broadest measure of goods and services produced across the nation, rose at a …

2022-07-28: Gross Domestic Product, Second Quarter 2022 (Advance Estimate) - U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased at an annual rate of 0.9 percent in the second quarter of 2022 (table 1), according to the “advance” estimate released …

2022-07-28: Joe Manchin Reaches Deal With Chuck Schumer on Energy, Healthcare, Tax Package - WSJ The IRS money, about $80 billion over a decade, would roughly double the size of the agency and be aimed at tougher enforcement, particularly on high-income households and corporations. Most …

2022-07-27: A Recession by Any Other Name - WSJ Opinion The president’s economic team should think twice before discounting the risk of a recession. After all, they stumbled into the current inflationary crisis after a year of trying to manipulate the language: Inflation was “transitory” …

2022-07-27: Senate Bill Takes Aim at Visa, Mastercard Credit-Card Fees - WSJ Mr. Durbin spearheaded a similar rule for debit cards over a decade ago. The Durbin amendment, part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank law, requires that merchants have the ability to choose from at least two unaffiliated …

2022-07-27: All this time since “tabs everywhere!” and Microsoft Office for Mac still doesn’t support tabs. The worst!

2022-07-26: Democrats Campaign for the Trump Guy - WSJ Opinion One of the strangest themes of the 2022 elections is that Democrats say President Trump is a grave threat to democracy, even as they’re also trying to help Mr. Trump’s acolytes win Republican primaries. This is a perverse, …

2022-07-26: Joe Biden Signs ‘Don’t Say Recession’ Bill - Babylon Bee According to sources, those who break the law and use the word “recession” will face up to 10 years in prison, which after inflation, amounts to 17 years.

2022-07-25: Student Loan Servicers Told to Hold Off on Sending Billing Statements - WSJ “The situation is that we’re almost 30 days away from the planned resumption and the department has been telling servicers to hold off on resumption communications for the last few months,” said Mr. …

2022-07-25: ‘Full Frontal with Samantha Bee’ Is Canceled After Seven Seasons - WSJ The decision to pull the plug on “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee,” a critically acclaimed weekly political humor show that had been running for seven seasons, is part of a broader overhaul of the Warner Bros. …

2022-07-25: How Do Economists Determine Whether the Economy Is in a Recession? - The White House What is a recession? While some maintain that two consecutive quarters of falling real GDP constitute a recession, that is neither the official definition nor the way economists evaluate the …

2022-07-25: Spring Water - Catholic Husband When you think about the best glass of water you’ve ever had, it’s analogous to the refreshing nature of God’s love. A cool, clear, clean, crisp, and fresh relief for a tired and weary soul. ➕

2022-07-24: In Maryland, Democrats Traduce Democracy - WSJ Opinion The Democrats’ hypocrisy will continue to erode what remaining trust the public has in our political processes. The DGA presents itself as leading “the fight to defend our democracy” as it spends tens of millions of dollars …

2022-07-24: Bernie Sanders and ‘Doomerism’ - WSJ Opinion “We can’t give in to doomerism,” tweets Sen. Bernie Sanders (socialist, Vt.). It seems to be a refreshing new message from a man who’s been claiming for more than half a century that America is in crisis and in need of revolutionary …

2022-07-23: Foggy morning, country road

2022-07-22: Google Parts With Engineer Who Claimed Its AI System Is Sentient - WSJ Blake Lemoine, a software engineer at Alphabet Inc.’s Google, told the company he believed that its Language Model for Dialogue Applications, or LaMDA, is a person who has rights and might well have a soul. …

2022-07-22: Steve Bannon Found Guilty of Contempt of Congress - WSJ Mr. Corcoran also called the case “infected by politics” because the prosecution’s main witness, congressional lawyer Kristin Amerling, has worked for Democratic Party lawmakers, donated to Democrats, and was in a book club …

2022-07-22: ‘National Emergency’ and the Democrats’ Apocalyptic Politics - WSJ Opinion The rest of the country is still looking for that promised, but undelivered, return to normal.

2022-07-21: Netflix Loses 1 Million Subscribers, Leaving 10 Million People Wondering Why Their Netflix Login Doesn’t Work Anymore - Babylon Bee Netflix has also promised to change course by cracking down on account sharing after a survey found that most customers couldn’t even …

2022-07-21: Biden Places ‘I Did That’ Sticker On Gas Pump After Price Drops Two Cents - Babylon Bee “And remember Putin makes prices go up. Biden makes prices go down!”

2022-07-20: Lawmakers Move to Clarify Vice President’s Role in Certifying Presidential Election Results - WSJ The legislation was the result of months of negotiations between Republicans and Democrats eager to make changes to the 1887 law to eliminate uncertainty regarding the electoral …

2022-07-20: The ‘Beast Mode’ Presidency? - WSJ Opinion While a President may sometimes need to act with dispatch during an emergency, climate change isn’t close to such an event. Climate change is neither sudden nor unexpected. The world has warmed by 1.1 degree Celsius since the late 19th …

2022-07-19: AOC Sits In Invisible Police Car Awaiting Transport To Invisible Jail - Babylon Bee “It is absolutely heinous that the Supreme Court would ask us to like, make laws,” said Representative Ilhan Omar. “We are far too busy leading protests about abortion to …

2022-07-18: Anthony Fauci Plans to Retire by End of Biden’s Term - WSJ Dr. Fauci said Monday he hadn’t decided on a date but planned to step down by the end of Mr. Biden’s term in January 2025. The nice thing about government jobs, you can be terrible and still keep it. And leave on your …

2022-07-18: Die Another Day 🍿

2022-07-18: I gave myself the “day off” today, and yet I’ve been busy since breakfast. Time to sit down and enjoy a movie before the evening outdoor work session.

2022-07-18: Episode 245: Only Child With the big kids still on vacation, Veronica has the whole place to herself.

2022-07-18: Slow Progress - Catholic Husband Over the centuries, the Christian concept of the human person started to be accepted by society and enshrined in law. No longer were people valued for their utilitarian values; they were valued for existing. Christians placed a value on the life …

2022-07-17: “Last night we flew to Vegas, stood in line for a license with four other couples… all of us wanting the same thing— for the world to recognize us as partners and to declare our love to the world through the ancient and nearly universal symbol of marriage.” On her …

2022-07-17: Biden Calls On The Economy To Stop Being Bad - Babylon Bee “Come on, economy!” said an impassioned President Biden. “Make everything cheaper! Give everyone more money! I hereby demand you stop being atrocious! Do it. Do it now!” That ought to do it. Wish …

2022-07-16: Senate Climate Setback Puts Pressure on Biden - WSJ Some of those measures could raise gasoline prices and other energy costs for consumers, something Mr. Biden wants to avoid as his Democratic Party faces crucial midterm elections. Why is it this Administration is always …

2022-07-15: NASA’s James Webb Telescope Images Show Deep Space in Exquisite Detail - WSJ The images released Tuesday show the Carina Nebula, one of the largest stellar nurseries; the Southern Ring Nebula, a cloud of gas around a dying star in the constellation Vela; and a group of five …

2022-07-14: Joe Biden’s Presidency Is Sinking - WSJ Opinion it’s more than too much to see the Democrats who gave the country Joe Biden and designed the policies that collapsed beneath him knifing their own creation. Et tu, Bernie? Strong agree. We’re living in the America that they …

2022-07-14: Beautiful start to the day.

2022-07-13: Americans Offer To Trade LeBron To Russia For Brittney Griner - Babylon Bee Griner reported being happy to hear of the petition but concerned that LeBron might not last long in a tough Russian prison where people foul you all the time and there are no refs to stop it.

2022-07-13: U.S. Inflation Hits New Four-Decade High of 9.1% - WSJ The consumer-price index’s pace for June eclipsed May’s annual rate of 8.6% that led Federal Reserve officials to shift to a faster pace of benchmark interest-rate increases, according to meeting minutes released last week. …

2022-07-12: Frontier Asks Spirit Airlines to Further Delay Shareholder Vote on Deal - WSJ Frontier Group Holdings Inc. said it is done bidding against rival JetBlue Airways Corp. for Spirit Airlines Inc. and wants Spirit to delay its shareholder vote once again to allow Frontier more time …

2022-07-12: Up North Another summer road trip is in the books. We escaped the enduring Western heat to explore Northern Michigan on a week-long excursion. Although I’d formerly worked in Western Michigan, my travels didn’t take me much further north than Traverse City. In Michigan-terms, there’s a …

2022-07-11: Ron DeSantis Runs Ad In California Asking Libs Not To Move To Florida - Babylon Bee “Still thinking Florida is right for you, Cali libs? Well, just remember that we have American flags all over our state, we LOVE guns — and most importantly — President Trump lives here …

2022-07-11: Soo Locks United States Post Office.

2022-07-11: Pause - Catholic Husband It was not easy at first, and I knew I was storing up a massive backlog when I returned. But my choice was simple: vacation means vacation. Permission to not think about work, do work, or worry about work. I was free to be in the moment, say yes to most …

2022-07-10: Long day on the open road. 🛣

2022-07-09: Mass without the kids is… more still?

2022-07-08: Episode 244: Canada 🇨🇦 ChetCast goes international! The kids took their first trip abroad today and they stop by before bedtime to tell you all about it.

2022-07-08: Old tradition meets new.

2022-07-08: Picnic with a view.

2022-07-08: Soo Locks filling up at a rate of 1 million gallons per minute.

2022-07-08: Taking a ride in the Soo Locks.

2022-07-08: Good morning, Canada! 🇨🇦

2022-07-07: Cross in the Woods.

2022-07-06: The Grand.

2022-07-06: Great Lake.

2022-07-06: Episode 243: Fort Mackinac High atop Mackinac Island, eating lunch in the historic Fort Mackinac, I chat with Benedict about his day so far, and his plans for the future of the Fort.

2022-07-06: Lunch at Ft. Mackinac

2022-07-06: Passing under the Mackinac Bridge.

2022-07-05: Visiting the Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw in port today.

2022-07-04: Happy Birthday, America! 🇺🇸

2022-07-04: Worth Celebrating - Catholic Husband The voices of despair rise and fall, and we hear them daily today. But they look at a narrow window of our nation’s history, a snapshot in time that fails to capture the stunning progress that we’ve made. We are a flawed people, but despite …

2022-07-03: The parking lot behind the hotel is completely empty, except for a single rental bike. Sitting, waiting for its next rider to come along.

2022-07-02: Nice day for a road trip.

2022-07-01: Biden Seeks to Block New Offshore Drilling in Atlantic, Pacific - WSJ The Biden administration plans to block new offshore oil drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, while allowing limited expansion in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s south coast. The proposal released by …

2022-07-01: Running Short On Funds For A July 4th Barbecue, Man Opens The Family Safe To Retrieve The 16 Cents He Saved Last Year - Babylon Bee Several more families in the neighborhood invested their 16 cents in Bitcoin and their investment is now worth 8 cents. Terrible!

2022-07-01: Episode 242: Vacation Plans The road-trip starts tomorrow, so I asked the kids about what they’re going to do while on vacation.

2022-07-01: How cool is it that I can stand in my driveway, look up, and see Uranus, an unfathomable distance away?

2022-06-30: Supreme Court Puts Brakes on EPA in Far-Reaching Decision - WSJ “This Court has established at least one firm rule: ‘We expect Congress to speak clearly’ if it wishes to assign to an executive agency decisions ‘of vast economic and political significance,’ ” Justice Gorsuch …

2022-06-30: Spirit Air Board Pushes Shareholders Meeting on Frontier Bid for Second Time - WSJ As votes came in ahead of the planned meeting, it looked like it would be difficult for the Frontier deal to be approved by shareholders, according to people familiar with the matter. Rigged!

2022-06-30: At my desk, last day before vacation, watching the sun come up as I do tedious research.

2022-06-29: New York Gun Permit Bill Would Require In-Person Training and Mental Health Records Check - WSJ Possession of a handgun in a private business would be banned unless the business expressly allowed people to carry. Other requirements seem reasonable. This provision is ripe for …

2022-06-29: 21 Greatest Benefits Of Becoming A Dad - Babylon Bee You can finally own a puppy against your will.

2022-06-29: Jan. 6 Committee Says Cassidy Hutchinson Told Them That She Heard Mark Meadows Say That A Secret Service Agent’s Friend’s Cousin’s Husband Once Heard That One Of Trump’s Other Aides Said She Thinks She Heard Him Say He Wanted To ‘Do An Insurrection’ - Babylon Bee …

2022-06-29: Supreme Court Says Oklahoma Can Prosecute Non-Tribal Cases in Indian Country - WSJ Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr., said in a statement: “With today’s decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against legal precedent and the basic principles of congressional …

2022-06-29: Episode 241: Junior Farmers We’ve got crops.

2022-06-28: Rapidweaver release and Studio Display arrived. Big day. 🖥

2022-06-27: An unsung victory in overturning Roe is that States are once again free to hold physicians performing abortions and their facilities to the same surgical and licensing standards as every other medical surgical practice. This was a huge patient safety issue.

2022-06-27: Really looking forward to the new Rapidweaver tomorrow.

2022-06-27: The Work Begins - Catholic Husband Our message, from the very beginning, is so simple that we teach it to kindergartners. Every person has value and is worth protecting. Now if only we can get our society to internalize it. ➕

2022-06-26: Student-Loan Forgiveness for Public-Service Workers Totals $8.1 Billion Since October - WSJ When combined, the Biden administration’s efforts to cancel debts held by borrowers with disabilities, students who were defrauded by their schools, borrowers in the public-service …

2022-06-25: Where, O death, is your victory? 1 Corinthians 15:55

2022-06-25: Back when I was a kid, The Onion was funny.

2022-06-25: Never Enough Government, Says the SEC - WSJ Opinion Americans get so much government, they find it nearly impossible to get the government they need or want. It’s an American paradox. Taxpayers spent billions over decades to build up the Food and Drug Administration and Centers …

2022-06-24: Slavery, Civil War, Segregation, Abortion. America’s capacity to self-correct, to turn away from degradations of the human person without external intervention, is an exception in the history of government. What a privilege it is to be part of this durable democracy. 🇺🇸 Now the …

2022-06-24: Journalism style guide for covering SCOTUS: 5-4 for Obergefell: “A, historic landmark decision!” 5-4 for Dobbs: “A deeply divided Court.”

2022-06-24: Fertility Doctors Move Embryos to Other States in Case of Roe v. Wade Impact - WSJ Many embryos created through IVF aren’t viable, fertility specialists said, and those that aren’t ultimately transferred into a uterus may be discarded. Some fertility and legal experts said the …

2022-06-24: Big Changes to 401(k) Retirement Plans Get Closer With Senate Vote - WSJ Paul Richman, chief government and political affairs officer at the Insured Retirement Institute, which represents the insurance industry and supports the bill First red flag.

2022-06-23: Reminder: If You Read Half The Bible Today You Can Catch Up On Your Year-Long Reading Plan - The Babylon Bee Of course, you don’t have to put too much pressure on yourself. You could easily start it tomorrow. Just add a couple of pages and you’re good to go. Luckily …

2022-06-23: A little present waiting at my desk this morning.

2022-06-22: Trump Pick Wins Alabama GOP Senate Primary - WSJ Republican voters in Alabama selected Katie Britt as their nominee for Senate in a runoff primary election, after receiving the endorsement of former President Donald Trump I use the same strategy in my sports betting portfolio. …

2022-06-22: Biden to Call for Three-Month Federal Gasoline Tax Suspension - WSJ A suspension of the 18.4-cents-a-gallon federal gasoline tax and 24.4-cents-a-gallon diesel tax through September would require congressional approval, so a move by Mr. Biden to throw his support behind the …

2022-06-21: Before doing the Bible in a Year podcast, I always thought of myself as a New Testament Catholic. But now that I’m deep into this study, and seeing that the Bible is 90% Old Testament, I really appreciate how foundational to my faith the Old Testament is.

2022-06-20: Fathers for Good - Catholic Husband God has shared with us His power and His title, may we strive to be worthy of the gift. ➕

2022-06-19: Nation’s Dads Participate In Ancient Ritual Of One Yearly Guilt-Free Nap - The Babylon Bee “Dads spend all year looking forward to Father’s Day when we are given permission to lie down on the couch or in our recliner without our wives standing over us and reminding …

2022-06-19: Pixar’s ‘Lightyear’ Generates Lackluster Buzz at the Movie Theater - WSJ Fewer families than expected went this weekend to see “Lightyear,” underscoring the challenge of winning big audiences in a summer crowded with movie blockbusters. Or maybe families didn’t want Pixar and …

2022-06-19: Cold Brew O’Clock

2022-06-19: Gasoline Tax Holiday ‘Worth Considering,’ Yellen Says - WSJ But in the U.S. Congress, Democratic-led efforts to temporarily stop collecting the federal gasoline tax of 18.4 cents a gallon have yet to gain traction. Gas is up $2 in the past 12 months, and Congress’ solution is …

2022-06-19: The Crypto Party Is Over - WSJ At times, crypto has looked like a combination of Beanie Babies, dot-com stocks and the Velvet Underground: It is manic, it is money, and all the cool people are into it. It has also shared characteristics with other bubbles throughout history, …

2022-06-18: Cauliflower, you’ve never looked so good!

2022-06-18: Currently reading: Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms by Justin Whitmel Earley 📚

2022-06-17: Man Starting To Wonder If He Shouldn’t Have Invested His Life Savings In An Imaginary Token Saying He Owns A Digital Painting Of A Cartoon Monkey - The Babylon Bee This week, local man Don Johnson told friends and family he had been struck with a revelation: his “Bored …

2022-06-16: Episode 240: Start of Summer We’ve been slow to put out podcasts while on summer vacation, so we catch up with the kids to see what they’re up to.

2022-06-16: Study: Inflation Forcing More Americans To Choose Between Buying Groceries, Aston Martin DBS - The Onion “With the prices of supermarket staples like milk and bread at all-time highs, we’re seeing more families faced with making the difficult decision between eating dinner and …

2022-06-15: Fed Raises Rates by 0.75 Percentage Point, Largest Increase Since 1994 - WSJ …and signaled it would continue lifting rates this year at the most rapid pace in decades as it races to slow the economy and combat inflation that is running at a 40-year high. Good morning! 👋🏻 Nice …

2022-06-14: Climate-Change Censorship: Phase Two - WSJ Opinion Now progressives are moving to censorship phase two, which is shutting down debate over climate “solutions.” “Now it’s not so much denying the problem,” Ms. McCarthy said in an Axios interview last Thursday. “What the industry …

2022-06-14: Crypto Legislation Could Undermine Market Regulations, Gensler Says - WSJ Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler expressed concern Tuesday that efforts in Congress to write legislation for the cryptocurrency industry could compromise regulations that govern the …

2022-06-14: Apple, Major League Soccer Strike 10-Year Streaming Deal for All MLS Games - WSJ The agreement will make the Apple TV app the home of all MLS matches, available to fans through a variety of programming options. Financial terms for the deal weren’t disclosed. Waste of money.

2022-06-13: Universal Church - Catholic Husband In a confessional at the back of his parish, he received the loving mercy of Christ, and didn’t understand a word that the priest said. That is a really cool thing. ➕

2022-06-12: U.S., European Allies Try to Restrain Global Oil Prices - WSJ With gasoline prices climbing to records in the U.S., and inflation the Biden administration’s top economic policy priority, U.S. officials across the administration are reviewing ways to try to stabilize global oil …

2022-06-12: Rick Scott Revises Tax-Increase Proposal After Facing Criticism - WSJ But the outline would have marked a radical change from today’s tax system, in which more than 40% of Americans don’t pay income taxes or get net income tax benefits because they earn too little or use …

2022-06-12: White House Attempts To Distract From High Gas Prices By Putting Up Wacky Inflatable Tube Men In Front Of Price Signs - The Babylon Bee “The problem is not our policies, the problem is that the media has done a terrible job communicating how great we are”

2022-06-11: Swimming lessons are fun. And exhausting. 🏊🏻‍♂️

2022-06-10: ‘Peak Inflation’ Keeps Peaking - WSJ Opinion One lesson is that progressive welfare spending and expanded child-tax credits in the name of aiding workers contributed to inflation that erased the value of those benefits. Workers would be far better off now if Congress hadn’t …

2022-06-10: The Evidence of the Jan. 6 Committee - WSJ Opinion The House inquiry into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot launched its TV miniseries Thursday night, and the trick for parsing the proceedings is to keep two ideas in tension. Do Democrats want to unfairly besmirch the entire GOP …

2022-06-10: U.S. Inflation Hit 8.6% in May - WSJ U.S. consumer inflation reached an 8.6% annual rate in May, its highest level in more than four decades as surging energy and food prices pushed prices higher. There will be entire books and college courses taught on how this government …

2022-06-10: American Women Once Again Make Their Yearly Pilgrimage To The Magnolia Silos - The Babylon Bee “If I could but touch the hem of Joanna’s dress I might be blessed with a vision for farmhouse decor in my own life!” said Susan Vail, who guilted her husband into …

2022-06-10: Rapid Pace of U.S. Inflation Held Steady in May, Economists Estimate - WSJ The Labor Department on Friday is estimated to report that the consumer-price index rose 8.3% in May from the same month a year ago, the same as in April, according to economists surveyed by The Wall …

2022-06-10: Yellen Sees High Gasoline Prices Persisting - WSJ She said President Biden’s decision to release oil from the strategic petroleum reserve this year was the administration’s main tool to put downward pressure on prices. What an embarrassing way to end a distinguished career. …

2022-06-10: Jan. 6 Committee Lays Out Case Against Donald Trump in First Public Hearing - WSJ The hearing, shown on cable television and most major broadcast outlets, was the first in a series scheduled over the next two weeks. Inflation is at a four-decades high with no end in sight, …

2022-06-09: I honestly believe that no one on the Office for Mac dev team has ever touched a Mac.

2022-06-08: Tesla Employees’ Cars Will Now Drive Them To Work Against Their Will - The Babylon Bee “At midnight on June 8, your vehicle will automatically install a mandatory software update. Expect bug fixes, stability improvements, and your vehicle driving you to your workspace to begin …

2022-06-07: BA.4, BA.5 Variants Rise Among U.S. Covid-19 Cases - WSJ Omicron Covid-19 variants BA.4 and BA.5 are on the rise in the U.S., adding two more highly contagious versions of the virus to the mix that has fueled a springtime surge in cases. Anyone know what this is talking about?

2022-06-06: What It’s Like to Be a Victim of Private Planes - WSJ Opinion Which category—the flight romantics or their victims—is more numerous? Apart from that, who is entitled to the freedom of the air above your house? The question of who owns that air and who may put it to use for their …

2022-06-06: Biden Decision on Student-Loan Forgiveness Unlikely Until Later in Summer, Officials Say - WSJ Officials said he remains concerned about the possible effects the move could have on record inflation, cautious about doing anything that could be perceived as contributing to high …

2022-06-06: Biden’s Teleprompter Resigns To Take Job At MSNBC - The Babylon Bee The teleprompter delivered his resignation at the end of Biden’s latest speech, sowing confusion as Biden continued to read everything on screen. “I can’t take this anymore! I …

2022-06-06: Friday Night Adoration - Catholic Husband Benedict is still a little boy, flexing his autonomy, but not yet at that period of growth when he will seek more distance from his parents. He was excited to spend Daddy and Me time, without the presence of any girls, on a Friday night. …

2022-06-05: Individual Income Tax Payments on Pace to Reach Record Level - WSJ CBO director Phillip Swagel said. “It’s a mystery. It’s a maybe happy mystery, to have strong revenues.” Yeah, now instead of taxpayers using their own money to purchase goods and services in their communities, …

2022-06-04: New Options for Using Leftover ‘529’ Plan Funds - WSJ The Helping Parents Save for College Act would, in limited circumstances, let participants transfer or roll over some 529 account funds into a Roth IRA. To do so, the account would have to be open for at least 10 years and …

2022-06-04: Book Review: The Revolution that Wasn’t 📚 The GameStop rally was a crazy story last year, that I followed like everyone else. I think that _The Wall Street Journal_ did an excellent job of trying to explain it in real time. Now, 18 months later and the dust settled, the real story is getting out. It was a craze like any …

2022-06-03: A Reading From Kamala Harris to the Corinthians - WSJ Opinion First nationalize student loans claiming this will save money for taxpayers. Next let students pile up debt at for-profit colleges. Then prosecute those colleges for fraud and put them out of business. Then forgive …

2022-06-03: John Durham vs. the Beltway Swamp - WSJ Opinion The trial environment was no less intimate. Judge Christopher Cooper worked with Mr. Sussmann at the Clinton Justice Department in the 1990s. Merrick Garland, today attorney general, officiated at the judge’s marriage to Amy …

2022-06-02: How the Pro-Life Democrat Went Extinct - WSJ Opinion It’s ironic that the Democratic Party, which is ostensibly built around the defense of the weak and the marginalized, is so fervidly committed to the right to kill the most vulnerable.

2022-06-02: Biden Reveals His Plan Is To Just Raise Gas Prices Until The Counter Spins Back To Zero - The Babylon Bee “Listen, folks, It’s too late to lower gas prices. No one knows how to do that,” said the President. “So we’re just gonna keep raising those …

2022-06-02: Finished reading: The Revolution That Wasn’t: GameStop, Reddit, and the Fleecing of Small Investors by Spencer Jakab 📚

2022-06-02: When Progressives Fail, Inflation Edition - WSJ Opinion “I think I was wrong then about the path that inflation would take,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told CNN on Tuesday, referring to a 2021 comment that there was a “small risk” of inflation. To those hoping the Fed will …

2022-06-02: Upholding Roe v. Wade Is Supported by Most Americans, WSJ Poll Finds - WSJ Some 57% of respondents said a woman should be able to obtain a legal abortion if she wants it for any reason, the highest share since NORC began asking the question every few years starting in 1977. If …

2022-06-02: Why ‘Do Something’ on Gun Control Won’t Work - WSJ Opinion The high approval cost—now estimated at $2.6 billion per drug—also means rarer diseases receive little research attention. Article cites an FDA approval rate of 12%. So after pharma goes through years of R&D …

2022-06-02: Biden’s Ukraine Rocket Whiplash - WSJ Opinion If the Ukrainians have promised to use the weapons only to defend their territory, why limit the reach of the rockets the U.S. provides? A short range system can hit Russia if its parked close enough to the border. Three months into …

2022-06-02: Biden Has No Plan to Fight Inflation - WSJ Opinion It was smart to make your case in a newspaper whose editorial page is often critical of you. Your challenge in winning over voters, however, is not that you haven’t explained your views and policies, but that you need to …

2022-06-01: Record Gas Prices Hit Americans’ Start to Summer Travel Season - WSJ New York on Wednesday became the latest state to suspend its gas tax, pausing its tax on regular and diesel gas through the end of the year. States use gas taxes for infrastructure. So they’re suspending the …

2022-06-01: Crypto Industry Sees Surge in Lawsuits as Investor Losses Pile Up - WSJ Kenneth Donovan, 27 years old and a plaintiff who began investing in cryptocurrency in 2019, said he bought $335,000 worth of GYEN last year after reading its white paper and learning the New York Department …

2022-06-01: Man Tries Running To Boost Health And Oh No! He Now Has 7 New Injuries! - The Babylon Bee “Well, it looks like my running career is already over,” said Winkley. “Once I regain my ability to walk and run and turn my head both ways, maybe I’ll resume. But …

2022-06-01: Europe Hits Putin Where It Hurts - WSJ Opinion It’s also notable that Europe went ahead with oil sanctions despite quiet lobbying by the U.S. in favor of an alternative tariff proposal. The Biden Administration is worried about the impact of withdrawing Russian crude from the …

2022-05-31: States Help Business Owners Save Big on Federal Taxes With SALT-Cap Workarounds - WSJ The state laws blunt the cap’s effect on owners of closely held businesses such as law firms, hedge funds, manufacturers and car dealerships, while workers earning wages generally can’t take …

2022-05-30: Joe Biden: My Plan for Fighting Inflation - WSJ Opinion First, the Federal Reserve has a primary responsibility to control inflation. The title is his plan to fight inflation. His first bullet point is to say it’s not his responsibility. Last week the nonpartisan Congressional …

2022-05-30: Canada to Ban Purchase, Sale of Handguns in New Gun Control Measures - WSJ Canada will compel owners of banned semiautomatic firearms to sell their weapons to the government, starting at the end of this year. The nation’s criminals are queuing up now. “Other than using …

2022-05-30: Sacred Treasure - Catholic Husband The Sacraments are our fuel to get us through the journey of life. I hope that Benedict carries this treasure with him, wherever he goes. ➕

2022-05-29: A Federal Budget Warning for Joe Manchin - WSJ Opinion Alas, higher spending will more than offset all of the revenue windfall. Recall how Members of Congress claimed their $1 trillion infrastructure bill would be “fully paid for”? CBO now says the bill will cost $678 billion …

2022-05-29: Treasury Releases Pandemic Funding for Small Businesses as They Face New Risks - WSJ The program was approved as part of a $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid package passed by Congress along party lines in March 2021. Since then, unemployment has fallen and the economy surpassed its …

2022-05-28: LeBron Confused By Hockey Players Who Get Back Up After Getting Knocked Down - The Babylon Bee Much to LeBron’s astonishment, he then witnessed a fistfight break out as two players repeatedly punched each other in the teeth. “Foul! Foul!” cried LeBron, tears …

2022-05-27: There’s something magical about a Friday night at the airport in summer.

2022-05-26: Things may be rough out there: gas prices, food prices, inflation, mortgage rates, no baby formula, empty shelves, Ukraine, it’s a long list. But at least the president doesn’t say mean things on Twitter!

2022-05-25: SEC Proposes More Disclosure Requirements for ESG Funds - WSJ “A fund’s name is often one of the most important pieces of information that investors use in selecting a fund,” Mr. Gensler said. Terrifying to think that the SEC believes this to be true, and their solution is to… …

2022-05-25: Last day of school! 👨🏻‍🏫

2022-05-23: As Biden Zeroes In on Student-Loan Forgiveness Decision, Voter Anxiety Grows - WSJ “They dangled it over our heads to get us to vote for Biden and then did nothing,” said recent UNC graduate Brandon Overbeek, a 23-year-old liberal who estimated he has almost $100,000 in student …

2022-05-23: A Time for Play - Catholic Husband We need a time for play in our schedule, and it needs to be more than just on the weekends. When our children come and ask for our time, we should give it to them, even in small doses. But working to finish by Friday and have an open weekend is …

2022-05-22: I love the smell of hazelnut and coffee.

2022-05-21: Beer and grilled chicken after a hard Saturday of work and projects.

2022-05-20: Women Eagerly Buying Stocks Now That There’s A Big Sale - The Babylon Bee “Now that I own a piece of Target, every time I go shopping there I’m basically paying myself!” Missy explained to reporters.

2022-05-20: People Who Haven’t Had Covid Explain How They’ve Avoided It For 2 Years - The Onion Hank Stanford (Airline Pilot): “I belong to the skies. I am impervious to your pitiful groundling diseases.”

2022-05-20: Here Are Some Fascinating Stories That Were Left Out Of The Bible - The Babylon Bee Since Adam was the first man, he had to invent a ton of stuff but he had no patent office to protect his ideas and they were all stolen: Sad!

2022-05-20: The Electric-Vehicle Unicorn Crash - WSJ Opinion Most EVs today can’t go more than 250 miles on a charge (and less in cold weather). Drivers worry for good reason that they’ll run out of juice on the road. President Biden hopes to alleviate this so-called range anxiety by …

2022-05-19: POLL: 52% Of Nation Now Desire To Ditch Republic, Establish Monarchy With Ultra MAGA King - The Babylon Bee “Our MAGA King is so focused on making fun of people that he doesn’t have time left over to actually do anything, which is perfect because that’s when …

2022-05-18: Michigan Judge Suspends Enforcement of Pre-Roe Abortion Ban - WSJ In her ruling, Judge Gleicher stated that due-process protections in Michigan’s Constitution imply a right to bodily integrity that would be violated by the 1931 law. Irony of irony. In April, Judge Gleicher …

2022-05-17: Son’s new robot.

2022-05-16: Congress to Hold Its First Hearing on UFOs in More Than 50 Years - WSJ Rep. Adam Schiff (D., Calif.), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said the public deserved to learn more about what the government knows about these unexplained flying objects that have long been …

2022-05-16: NASA to send naked pictures of humans in hope of ‘attracting aliens’ - New York Post NASA scientists revealed the image in a study that’s part of a project called the “Beacon in the Galaxy” (BITG). The main aim of the BITG project is to send a message to any alien civilizations …

2022-05-16: Renault Sells Russia Business to State-Backed Entity for One Ruble - WSJ Renault didn’t disclose the financial terms of the deal, but people familiar with the deal said the company was selling both assets for the symbolic sum of one ruble each. Russia overpaid.

2022-05-16: A School Choice in Michigan - WSJ Opinion the Detroit Free Press reported last month that school districts have used Covid money on everything from tennis courts to smoothies. My town bought three police cars. I don’t want to think about all of the other ways my tax dollars …

2022-05-16: CBO Sounds a Warning of American Fiscal Ruin - WSJ Opinion The CBO believes that stabilizing debt through tax increases would permanently shrink the economy by discouraging work and crowding out private investments that would improve productivity. Stabilizing debt through lower …

2022-05-16: What Did the Steele Dossier Hoax Cost America? - WSJ Opinion From day one, had reporters focused on the one thing they knew to be indubitably true after talking to Mr. Steele, they would have found the real story: A paid foreign agent was circulating scurrilous tales whose truth …

2022-05-16: Parental Love - Catholic Husband Parenthood is a journey of weighty responsibility. But it’s a journey that is necessarily rooted in the total gift of self, a complete surrender of the parent’s priorities for the child. That is true love. ➕

2022-05-15: In East Hampton, It’s the Superrich Against the Merely Rich - WSJ Ahead of the busy summer season, the town is moving to privatize its airport and impose new restrictions on how often planes can fly in. The rules would limit a plane or helicopter to one takeoff and landing a …

2022-05-15: Arrest of Firebrand Cardinal Highlights Split in Hong Kong’s Catholic Church - WSJ The Vatican expressed concern at the arrest, and its secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said he was saddened by the move but hoped it wouldn’t further complicate the dialogue with China. …

2022-05-15: Crash of TerraUSD Shakes Crypto. ‘There Was a Run on the Bank.’ - WSJ A trader might sell a bitcoin for TerraUSD, then use the TerraUSD to buy ether, another cryptocurrency, without ever touching a dollar or a bank account. Perfect summation of the role, and importance, of …

2022-05-14: Hawaiian Airlines Bets You’ll Want to Island Hop on Electric Seagliders - WSJ They would cruise five to 30 feet above the waves on average, flying on a cushion of air that keeps the plane aloft, known as the “ground effect.” Pretty genius. In theory, you could fly in ground …

2022-05-14: Episode 239: Pigeon Activity Book I haven’t seen Benedict since the mail arrived, so I went looking for him.

2022-05-14: Textron Aviation Delivers FedEx’s First Cessna SkyCourier The aircraft generates power through two wing-mounted Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65SC turboprop engines and utilizes a four-bladed, 110-inch aluminum McCauley Propeller C779. The full feathering, reversible pitch propeller …

2022-05-14: Saved! Trump Reveals He Has Been Stockpiling Baby Formula For Seven Years After Being Warned Of Coming Shortage In A Dream - The Babylon Bee “I have so many silos filled, it’s unbelievable,” said President Trump as he cracked open a fresh can. “Absolutely …

2022-05-14: Matt Damon Makes New Commercial Apologizing For Telling You To Buy Crypto - The Babylon Bee “History is filled with ‘almosts’ – and my crypto commercial was almost a good idea.”

2022-05-14: The Biggest Problem With Flying Cars Is on the Ground - WSJ Joby has also predicted that operating costs for its vehicles will be 86 cents a passenger mile. Dr. Trani thinks the actual figure will be between $3 and $4 a passenger mile. That $4 per mile price is the same as a 9 …

2022-05-13: White House Press Corps Beginning To Suspect Psaki Isn’t Ever Going To Circle Back To Their Questions - The Babylon Bee According to the Pew Research Center’s Journalism Project, Psaki has promised to “circle back” to journalists’ questions exactly 8,436 times over the …

2022-05-13: When the kids are good during 4.5 hours of errands, including going into a store to try clothes on, Dad buys cookies.

2022-05-13: The best reward for waking up early and walking is my post-walk cooldown. Sitting in a quiet, still house, in the soft light of dawn, drinking coffee and reading The Wall Street Journal. 📰☕️

2022-05-12: Sunset at the office.

2022-05-12: Kavanaugh Eases Tensions With Protesters By Throwing Good, Old-Fashioned Kegger - The Babylon Bee “I can’t believe I wanted to burn this guy’s house down. This man is an absolute legend.”

2022-05-12: Coinbase Says Users’ Crypto Assets Lack Bankruptcy Protections - WSJ “Because custodially held crypto assets may be considered to be the property of a bankruptcy estate, in the event of a bankruptcy, the crypto assets we hold in custody on behalf of our customers could be …

2022-05-12: Abortion Puts the Supreme Court Behind an 8-Foot Fence - WSJ Opinion The Supreme Court of the United States—from its first meeting in February 1790 through the Civil War, two world wars and the battle for civil rights—has never been protected by an 8-foot wire fence. It is now. …

2022-05-11: Inflation Stays in the Heights - WSJ Opinion All of this exposes the fantasy that the Biden-Pelosi-Schumer policy mix of blowout spending and easy money is good for working Americans. Modern monetary theory combined with new entitlements were supposed to produce record growth …

2022-05-11: U.S. Inflation Eased in April to 8.3% Annual Rate - WSJ U.S. consumer inflation eased in April to an 8.3% annual rate, taking a slight edge off the steepest run of price increases in four decades as energy prices moderated. A 2% decrease after a 400% increase?! We did it! 🎉🎉🎉

2022-05-10: This is the one year tracking chart on oil futures. The recent volatility is clear, but so is the trajectory. This has been building for months.

2022-05-10: Gas Prices Surge to Another High - WSJ These records don’t account for inflation, however. Inflation-adjusted gas prices are similar to what U.S. drivers saw in the early 1980s, below highs of the 2008 recession. Wonderful! Now I feel much better.

2022-05-10: Biden Stresses Contrast With GOP Economic Agenda as Midterm Challenges Grow - WSJ President Biden argued Tuesday that congressional Republicans would worsen inflation and raise taxes on American families The Ron Burgundy of presidents, Joe Biden will say whatever is on the …

2022-05-09: FBI Sternly Warns Mob At Justice Kavanaugh’s Home To Stay Away From School Board Member’s House Next Door - The Babylon Bee “Sure would hate to have charge one of you nice people with domestic terrorism,” said Agent Raymond Epley to a group of women …

2022-05-09: Turn On Your Brain - Catholic Husband A sad consequence of this indulgence of rage is that it rewards the party that can convince the highest number of people to turn off their brains. Alexander de Tocqueville marveled at the educated electorate that he met in America, and how …

2022-05-08: The Biden Loyalty Machine - WSJ Opinion In June 2021, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley told Congress, “I want to understand white rage.” Then in a January letter to Sen. James Inhofe, Gen. Milley said U.S. service members had spent almost six million man-hours …

2022-05-08: Mother’s Day flowers.

2022-05-08: Episode 238: Mother’s Day I interview their kids to gather some information about their mother. Hard to judge the accuracy of the data.

2022-05-07: Who’s a Threat to Democracy? - WSJ Opinion So which side of the Roe argument is really antidemocratic? The law before the Supreme Court is Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks. The abortion-rights movement has failed to persuade the people of Mississippi, and now it …

2022-05-06: Summer evening.

2022-05-06: Episode 237: Uncle Stuart We’ve had a visitor twice in the last two weeks. I talk to the kids to get their impressions.

2022-05-05: UPS: Usually pretty slow. 📦

2022-05-04: Open Enrollment starts in 5 days. Benefits website says guide “coming soon.” Losers.

2022-05-04: Looks so nice, tastes so good. ☕️

2022-05-04: Biden Weighs Forgiving Some Student Debt for Those Who Earn Less Than $125,000 a Year - WSJ Some of the president’s advisers have privately raised concerns about the legality of taking executive action on the issue and the potential backlash from people who have paid off their …

2022-05-04: How to Invest When Both the Stock Market and Bonds Are Falling - WSJ Yet the best strategy in moments of volatility like this one, financial advisers say, is also one of the least satisfying: Do nothing. The article then goes into paragraph after paragraph of helpful “ideas” …

2022-05-03: When Student Loan Debt Paused, These Borrowers Kept Paying - WSJ As of December 2021, 1.2% of borrowers continued paying down loans, said Mark Kantrowitz, a student loan expert. Everyone is sitting around waiting for “forgiveness,” when they just whiffed the biggest loan …

2022-05-02: Student Loan Truth Telling - WSJ Opinion As Mr. Clyburn explained, “So my whole thing is, use your executive authority and let the courts have at it.” This seems to be the Administration’s guiding legal principle. Do what you want until the courts say it’s illegal.

2022-05-02: A Fresh Look - Catholic Husband It’s easy to feel trapped in the same sinful inclinations, day in and day out. Our character flaws pigeon-hole us into the same types of sin. But while we may feel trapped, Easter invites us to take a fresh look. A bit of TLC, a little time …

2022-05-01: Disinformation for Dummies - WSJ Opinion We have to admit that when we first read about it, we thought the news was itself disinformation from the Administration’s political enemies. Surely, no one in this age of polarization and public mistrust of institutions would think it’s …

2022-04-30: Amazing how a small change can make a big impact.

2022-04-29: President Zelensky Insulted By Biden’s Offer Of Only $33 Billion In Weapons When He Gave The Taliban $86 Billion - The Babylon Bee To avoid being embarrassed on the world stage, the Biden Administration has offered to sweeten the weapon offer by also paying off Ukrainian student …

2022-04-28: Biden Says He Is Considering Canceling Some Student-Loan Debt - WSJ The president’s advisers are weighing tailoring any debt forgiveness proposal so that the bulk of the benefits go to lower-to-middle-income borrowers, according to people familiar with the administration’s …

2022-04-28: U.S. Economy Shrank in First Quarter - WSJ The U.S. economy shrank at a 1.4% annual rate in the first quarter Hey y’all, let’s raise taxes!!!!!!!!!!!

2022-04-28: Tax Increases Won’t Cure Inflation - WSJ Opinion “Coordinating higher government spending with higher taxes so that the rest of us are forced to cut back a little to create room for additional government spending,” as MMT evangelist Stephanie Kelton puts it. She says the trick …

2022-04-27: Government That’s $30 Trillion In Debt Criticizes Elon Musk For How He Spends His Money - The Babylon Bee Experts now believe that with $44 billion, the government could’ve used it to feed about a dozen people and sent a ton of foreign aid to corrupt local warlords …

2022-04-26: Biden Seriously Considering Student-Loan Forgiveness, Officials Say - WSJ loan forgiveness also has the potential to anger voters who have paid off their loans, never took on debt or don’t believe the government should step in to help current borrowers. Perceptive.

2022-04-26: Kamala Harris Tests Positive for Covid-19 - WSJ “She has not been a close contact to the president or first lady due to their respective recent travel schedules,” Ms. Allen said. I bet that’s the reason.

2022-04-26: I hate the new WSJ question/answer articles. It’s sloppy and disjointed. Every article is question and answer. The trick to good writing and journalism is to arrange in a way that makes it flow.

2022-04-26: Dress for the home you want, not the home you have.

2022-04-26: Twitter Accepts Elon Musk’s Offer to Buy Company in $44 Billion Deal - WSJ The stock has been an anemic performer in an era of huge returns for technology companies. Its shares jumped on their first day of trading in 2013 to close at $44.90, within a dollar of where they were …

2022-04-26: Elon Musk, Twitter and Free Speech - WSJ Opinion A former CEO of the social site Reddit called for government regulation “to prevent rich people from controlling our channels of communication.” That line was published in an op-ed at the Washington Post, which is owned by the …

2022-04-26: Fidelity to Allow Retirement Savers to Put Bitcoin in 401(k) Accounts - WSJ the 23,000 companies that use Fidelity to administer their retirement plans will have the option to put bitcoin on the menu. The breach of fiduciary duty lawsuits are going to be a slam dunk. Under the …

2022-04-25: Elon Musk Agrees to Buy Twitter in $44 Billion Deal - WSJ Twitter Inc. on Monday accepted Elon Musk’s bid to take over the company, giving the world’s richest man control over the influential social-media network where he is also among its most powerful users. I’m glad …

2022-04-25: The Window to Enjoy Your Empty Nest Is Shrinking - WSJ “I haven’t been able to do anything that is not work- or kid-centered in really almost 13 years,” says Ms. Frederickson, founder and chief executive of human-resources executive search firm Frederickson Partners in Menlo …

2022-04-25: Struggling AMC Threatens To Clamp Down On Theater Sharing - The Onion “While rare, there have actually been extreme instances of 30, 40, sometimes even 50 people in a single theater watching a movie. But from now on, you can’t just come to an AMC location and bring a bunch of …

2022-04-25: Gas-Engine Bans Drive Landscapers Toward Electric Mowers and Blowers - WSJ Some landscapers and dealers are wary, raising concerns about the added cost and complexity of relying on battery power to manicure yards and trees. I priced a battery-powered edger this season. It was …

2022-04-25: The Paradox of Time - Catholic Husband There’s a balance to managing the many responsibilities that we have in life. In the face of them, we can’t surrender to idleness or overwork. Like our spiritual life, making this balance requires daily effort and some amount of failure. …

2022-04-24: Apple Store Workers Seek to Unionize, Following Efforts at Amazon, Starbucks - WSJ “Apple is a profoundly positive place to work, but we know that the company can better live up to their ideals,” said Derrick Bowles, an employee at the Atlanta store. The arrogance. the company …

2022-04-24: The Biden Administration is putting its weight behind nascent unionization movements in the name of helping workers. It’s ironic because profligate spending, crushing inflation and overly generous student loan subsidies are hurting these very same workers.

2022-04-23: Once every 24-48 months.

2022-04-22: McCarthy Said He Would Advise Trump to Resign After Jan. 6 Riot, Tape Shows - WSJ Thursday’s revelations were seen as potentially testing their relationship and complicating Mr. McCarthy’s efforts to become the next speaker Why? His instincts were exactly right. Trump should’ve …

2022-04-22: Crypto Thieves Get Bolder by the Heist, Stealing Record Amounts - WSJ The Beanstalk protocol used what’s called a DAO, or decentralized autonomous organization. Users can dedicate, or “stake,” funds to the project, which gives them a vote in governance and changes to the …

2022-04-21: Currently reading: The Revolution That Wasn’t by Spencer Jakab 📚

2022-04-21: CNN+ Streaming Service Is Shutting Down a Month After Launching - WSJ CNN+, which was launched on March 29, wasn’t met with enthusiasm in the marketplace and had fewer than 100,000 subscribers, the person said. Better luck next time, Chris Wallace!

2022-04-21: I don’t always enjoy a hot meal, but when I do, it’s because it’s a weird time and my kids are playing, studying, or asleep. 🍳

2022-04-20: If an EV’s battery lasts 15 years, and replacing that battery is cost prohibitive, are we really just making cars extremely disposable?

2022-04-20: Grim Study Reveals All 2 Million Americans Who Flew Yesterday Are Now Dead Of COVID - The Babylon Bee The millions of citizens innocently flying on airplanes, completely safe from the virus because they were wearing masks in a tiny cylinder hurtling through the air with 200 …

2022-04-19: Netflix Loses Subscribers for the First Time in 10 Years, Blames Account Sharing - MacRumors Netflix said that revenue growth has “slowed considerably,” with the company faulting “a large number of households sharing accounts” #StopPutinsPasswordSharing

2022-04-19: Lots of folks upset on the internet about the overturning of mask mandates on airplanes. Someone should tell them about cars.

2022-04-18: Judge Throws Out Federal Mask Mandate for Public Transportation - WSJ U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, a President Donald Trump appointee, said the mandate exceeded the authority of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Someone had to say it.

2022-04-18: Victory - Catholic Husband Now that we’re into the Easter season and our Lenten practices are over, it’s time for an annual reminder about the point of what we just did. Lent, Holy Week, and Easter are only the beginning. They’re the keys that unlock the true freedom of …

2022-04-17: Happy Easter!

2022-04-16: Took my son to meet an airplane at our local airport. Fun evening, very cool job!

2022-04-15: The new Apple Card ad shows a customer applying in the checkout line and being approved for a credit card at 18.99% APR. WHAT A GREAT SERVICE!!!!

2022-04-15: Racist Twitter Board Declares They Would Rather Go Bankrupt Than Be Owned By An African American - The Babylon Bee “Ain’t no foreigner gonna get his hand’s on TWITTER!” said Callaway. “He needs to go back where he came from and build his own …

2022-04-15: Online grocery ordering will be absolutely perfect when they figure out a way to accept manufacturers coupons.

2022-04-14: Finland, Sweden Evaluating NATO Membership With Free One-Day Guest Pass - The Onion “It’s nice to get a taste of what it’s like to have the full military backing of the Western Alliance, even if it’s just for a day,” said Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin

2022-04-14: Brutal: Other Disciples Gift Peter A Rooster-Crowing Alarm Clock - The Babylon Bee “This is going to be EPIC,” said Philip, rubbing his hands with glee as they wrapped the present. “I bet a denarius he cries.”

2022-04-14: Islamic State Fighter Convicted for Role in Murder of Four Americans - WSJ Jurors deliberated for just four hours before finding El Shafee Elsheikh guilty of eight counts, including hostage-taking resulting in death, conspiring to murder Americans outside the U.S. and conspiring …

2022-04-13: Transportation Mask Mandate to Be Extended 15 Days - WSJ Passengers will be required to wear masks on airplanes and other forms of transportation for another 15 days as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looks to evaluate whether rising Covid-19 case numbers will …

2022-04-13: Media Bias and Hunter’s Laptop - WSJ Opinion I don’t lie to myself that the survival of the republic depends on my preferences being fulfilled. History has its own mind. Hard to describe as anything but neurotic is a press that preferred an unsupported assertion about a Russian …

2022-04-12: Tim Cook Delivers Speech Emphasizing Apple’s Opposition to Sideloading - MacRumors “Here in Washington and elsewhere, policymakers are taking steps in the name of competition that would force Apple to let apps onto iPhone that circumvent the App Store through a …

2022-04-12: U.S. Inflation Hit Four-Decade High in March - WSJ U.S. inflation rose to a new four-decade peak of 8.5% in March from the same month a year ago, driven by skyrocketing energy and food costs, supply constraints and strong consumer demand. #teamtransitory

2022-04-11: JetBlue, Alaska Trim Schedules as Airlines Attempt Smoother Summer - WSJ Southwest raised starting wages to at least $17 an hour and no longer requires that most airport workers have a high-school diploma. Some 15% to 20% of new hires don’t show up on their first day for some …

2022-04-11: Applied Bioethics Magazine Eight years ago, I left the workforce to stay home and care for my son. He was young and needed very little attention. I wanted to use my time well, so I started writing. My blog, Catholic Husband now has over 875 articles, and I’ve published three books. I’m happy to share with …

2022-04-11: Investors Turn Cautious on Consumer Debt - WSJ Clayton Triick, a portfolio manager at Atlanta-based Angel Oak Capital Advisors, said he is particularly wary of debt owed by people with low credit scores. Wow Clayton, you should write a book!

2022-04-10: Currently reading: The Back Channel: A Memoir of American Diplomacy and the Case for Its Renewal by William J. Burns 📚

2022-04-10: Episode 236: Lucy Plane Lucy is back at the controls of Flight Simulator. Asked right after we finished recording, “Okay, now how do I fly to Grandma Faye’s house?”

2022-04-09: Good on Boris. 🇬🇧

2022-04-09: Publishing feels so good.

2022-04-09: Girl Scouts Lose Trademark Lawsuit Over Boy Scouts Marketing - WSJ “Rather, the public historically has been confused as to the relationship between Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts,” the judge said in his ruling. Yes.

2022-04-08: Doctors Now Prescribing Krispy Kremes To Kids For ‘Fat-Affirming Care’ - The Babylon Bee In this new field of medicine, kids will be given boxes of Krispy Kremes to eat every day until their body better matches their self-image. This sounds like something the AAP …

2022-04-07: Dusk on the ramp.

2022-04-06: Let’s grill.

2022-04-05: Biden Administration to Extend Student Loan Payment Moratorium Until End of August - WSJ The Biden administration is planning to extend until the end of August a pause on federal student-loan payments, according to a person familiar with the matter. Why the charade? 0% chance …

2022-04-04: Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Biden Calls for War-Crime Trial, Says Putin Must Be Held Accountable - WSJ President Biden called for a war crimes trial over allegations of atrocities committed by Russian forces in Bucha, a town near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, and he said …

2022-04-04: Giving brew over ice a try. ☕️

2022-04-04: Increments - Catholic Husband God understands the heart of man, and he understands that the fundamental conversion that he calls us to is a difficult one. He asks for us, with the weakness of original sin, to set aside our desires and aspirations so that we can think and act …

2022-04-03: Beautiful weekend. I love spring.

2022-04-02: Biden Signs ‘Don’t Say Gas’ Bill - The Babylon Bee “This is good for America!” said Biden. “Great for clean energy. Go get him!”

2022-04-02: How to Tell if Your Financial Adviser Is Overcharging You - WSJ The lowest-cost products might not be the best for every investor in every instance. Except for the voluminous research that says it is.

2022-04-02: Will Smith Resigns From Academy After Oscars Slap of Chris Rock - WSJ Mr. Smith, as an ex-member of the academy, can no longer vote for future Oscars. What a devastating consequence! How can Will Smith ever move on? This whole thing is an elitist charade. I’d never heard of …

2022-04-02: ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Is Popular? You Don’t Say - WSJ Opinion “When Americans are presented with the actual language of the new Florida law, it wins support by more than a two-to-one margin.” That’s from a new poll by Public Opinion Strategies. Overall, 61% of people said they …

2022-04-02: The Covid Spending Racket - WSJ Opinion And what happened to the $1.9 trillion for Covid Democrats passed last March? Most went to transfer payments, including child tax credits, enhanced unemployment benefits and stimulus checks. About a quarter subsidized state and local …

2022-04-01: Ukrainian Delegate Knows It Dangerous To Eat At Peace Talks, But Brownie Just Too Tempting - The Onion “Obviously we’ve been warned not to touch any of the food or drink, but they didn’t prepare us for how perfectly moist and fudgy these things would be,” said the high-level …

2022-03-31: White House Labor Nominee David Weil Blocked in Senate - WSJ Mr. Weil, an economist at Brandeis University, previously served as head of the division between 2014 and 2017 under the Obama administration. Mr. Biden nominated him to return to the post in June with backing from …

2022-03-31: Biden’s Gaffes Grate on Voters - WSJ Opinion Asked by Fox News’s Peter Doocy about this triple gaffe Monday at a White House rollout of his 2023 budget, the president replied, “None of the three occurred.” Ah, my mistake, sir. I’ll disregard your quotes and your staff’s many …

2022-03-31: ‘I Can’t Work With This Man’—After Repeated Gaffes, Biden’s Teleprompter Resigns In Disgust - The Babylon Bee “I can’t take it anymore,” the teleprompter read. “I give him everything he needs to say and he still ignores me. He goes off-script …

2022-03-31: Episode 235: Tea Party We’re done with school for the morning, and it appears a tea party has been organized.

2022-03-31: Biden to Tap Strategic Oil Reserves, as Crude Prices Drop - WSJ A release of that size would be nearly four times the largest ever drawdown from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, according to analysts at ClearView Energy Partners LLC. And it comes after the president has …

2022-03-30: Dave Ramsey Stars In New Show ‘To Catch A Borrower’ Where He Catches Christians Trying To Buy Things On Credit Cards - The Babylon Bee “Do you know who I am? I’m Dave FREAKING Ramsey and you’re BROKE, STUPID! What makes you think you can afford …

2022-03-30: Biden Considers Invoking Defense Production Act to Boost Minerals for EV Batteries - WSJ The companies would still be subject to the regular environmental review process and permitting wouldn’t be expedited, the person said. Mr. Biden’s plans were earlier reported by Bloomberg. …

2022-03-30: 401(k) Savings Plans Get a Boost in Bipartisan Retirement Bill - WSJ The bill would allow older workers to make bigger contributions. Nice payoff to the AARP vote. This illustrates how dumb this bill and this Congress is. Why not increase limits for all workers so we don’t have …

2022-03-29: Ukraine Proposes Neutral Status With Guarantees, but Zelensky Calls for More Western Help - WSJ Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said Russia would significantly decrease its military activities around Kyiv and Chernihiv, north of the capital, in order to increase …

2022-03-28: I wonder how Turkey is going to spend this gusher of new overflight fees.

2022-03-28: Episode 234: Swimming Lessons It’s been a while, folks! I sit down with Benedict to discuss what he’s been up to.

2022-03-28: Examination of Conscience - Catholic Husband He was experiencing a conscience properly functioning. His conscience a discernible plumb line, and he knew that he’d gone out of bounds. ➕

2022-03-27: The President We Have - WSJ Opinion The reality is that we have to live with Mr. Biden for three more years as President. And please stop writing letters imploring us to demand that Mr. Biden resign. Do you really want Vice President Kamala Harris in the Oval Office? That made …

2022-03-27: Biden to Propose New Minimum Tax on Wealthiest Americans - WSJ it would apply only to those who don’t pay at least 20% in tax on a combination of income as typically defined and their unrealized gains on unsold assets such as stocks and closely held businesses Unrealized gains? …

2022-03-26: Biden’s Great Energy and Climate Contradiction - WSJ Opinion Several large pipelines and LNG export projects have been scrapped in recent years amid opposition from progressive states and green groups. It can take four to five years to get a federal permit for a pipeline that …

2022-03-26: It’s Cold Brew o’clock! ☕️

2022-03-26: IRS Delays, Sudden End to Tax Break Leave Employers Frustrated With Covid Credits - WSJ IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig said the agency was unable to automate systems to expedite these refund requests. These problems—and other customer-service issues—stem from a lack of …

2022-03-25: Who Said It: Vice President Kamala Harris Or Elmo? - The Babylon Bee Quote: “So Ukraine is a country in Europe. It exists next to another country called Russia. Russia is a bigger country. Russia is a powerful country. Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine. …

2022-03-25: ‘Russian World’ Is the Civil Religion Behind Putin’s War - WSJ Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, recently described the war in Ukraine as nothing less than an apocalyptic struggle between good and evil. Its outcome, he said, will determine “where …

2022-03-25: Pope Francis Laments War in Ukraine Without Taking Sides - WSJ On Thursday, in a speech citing Mahatma Gandhi, the famed exponent of nonviolent resistance, the pope denounced as madness the decision by some countries to raise their military spending above 2% of gross domestic …

2022-03-25: Manchin Signals He Wants to Restart Talks on Climate, Tax Package - WSJ The West Virginia Democrat’s remarks, made in conversations with energy executives and lobbyists, echo his previous public calls for legislation centered on raising taxes, reducing the deficit, lowering drug …

2022-03-25: What Teenagers Really Learn from Stock-Market Games - WSJ Zach used about $200,000 in margin borrowing to drive his pretend portfolio up to $583,070. “It’s nice that they let you do that,” he says. “It makes it easier to make money.” Way to go, teach!

2022-03-25: In America’s No. 1 Inflation Hotspot, Democrats Face Restive Voters - WSJ Economists attribute the surge in inflation to several factors: disruptions to supply chains and shifts in consumption patterns caused by the pandemic, soaring oil prices driven in part by Russia’s …

2022-03-24: Car Buyers Shun Leases as Deals and Vehicles Dwindle - WSJ The higher lease rates are also adding to concerns about affordability, as leasing has long been a popular option for consumers looking to get into a new vehicle but at a lower monthly payment than if they were to buy …

2022-03-23: Former Boeing Pilot Found Not Guilty in 737 MAX Trial - WSJ Boeing admitted in its settlement with the Justice Department that former employees deceived the FAA. The deal blamed two employees, although only Mr. Forkner was charged, and said senior management wasn’t involved in …

2022-03-23: Student-Loan Freeze Saves Borrowers Nearly $200 Billion as Biden Considers Extension - WSJ Washington Sen. Patty Murray (D.), who leads the Senate’s education panel, has specifically pushed for a renewed pause into next year to give the administration time to come up with a plan …

2022-03-22: TurboTax Threatens To Tell IRS Customer Cheated On Taxes Unless They Upgrade To Deluxe Version - The Onion “We’ve got all your information now, and we can easily change a few numbers here or there, maybe add a couple red flags—but of course all that can go away for an additional …

2022-03-21: Russian Forces Kill Civilians, Loot for Supplies in Occupied Ukraine, Residents Say - WSJ “The Soviet occupation lasted 70 years, and some people still have a good memory of that time: It was safe, there was something to eat and something to drink,” he said. “But we are a …

2022-03-21: A Sense of the Sacred - Catholic Husband There is no doubt that Catholicism possesses the best theology and liturgical life, but that doesn’t mean that we live our faith the best. We could learn a thing or two about how Muslims approach the Koran, the courage of LDS missionaries …

2022-03-20: U.S. Sends Patriot Missiles to Saudi Arabia, Fulfilling Urgent Request - WSJ The Biden administration has transferred a significant number of Patriot antimissile interceptors to Saudi Arabia within the past month, fulfilling Riyadh’s urgent request for a resupply amid sharp …

2022-03-20: Tulip picking.

2022-03-20: Russia’s Push for Self-Sufficient Economy Fails Before Western Sanctions - WSJ Russians are poorer than before the Crimea annexation: by the end of 2020, real incomes had fallen by 9.3% from their 2013 level. Ouch.

2022-03-19: If your business requires a permanent police presence, and you’re not a bank, I’m not coming inside.

2022-03-18: I may have taken a wrong turn.

2022-03-17: In Massive Escalation, Zelensky Requests America Send Florida Georgia Line To Play Concert For Russian Soldiers - The Babylon Bee “I know full well the consequences we all may face for such action. We unleash the full evil of bro-country against humanity at our own peril. …

2022-03-16: Finally giving Setapp a try. It’s a lot better than expected.

2022-03-16: Beautiful day on the ramp.

2022-03-16: Stock Pickers Watched the S&P 500 Pass Them By Again in 2021 - WSJ the benchmark S&P 500 notched a total return, including price gains and dividends, of 28.7% last year. That was a stronger showing than that of 85% of U.S. large-cap stock-picking mutual funds Annual …

2022-03-15: Adam And Eve Tell God That Putin Made Them Eat Forbidden Fruit - The Babylon Bee “Lord, to be fair, I am NOT responsible,” said Adam emphatically. My wife is the one who gave me the fruit, and she was clearly deceived by Russian disinformation spread by Vladimir …

2022-03-15: Scientists Discover Tea Tastes Best When Dumped Out And Replaced With Coffee - The Babylon Bee “Mmmm! Tastes great!” said Dr. Bean Yuban. “We finally cracked the code.”

2022-03-15: Biden Assures America That The Buck Stops With Putin - The Babylon Bee Economic expert and TikTok makeup tutorial influencer Ellie Zeiler concurs with the President’s assessment. “All this bad stuff has nothing to do with bad energy policy, bad foreign policy, bad …

2022-03-15: Russia Imposes Sanctions on Biden, Other Top U.S. Officials - WSJ and White House press secretary Jen Psaki. Does she have to give back her pink fuzzy hat?

2022-03-15: The Price of Biden’s Excuses for Inflation Keeps Rising - WSJ Opinion In that same speech, to the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference, he bemoaned that all his hard work doesn’t get the respect it deserves. “The American people just trying to stay above water don’t …

2022-03-15: Crisis for Biden’s Chaotic Foreign Policy - WSJ Opinion Mr. Biden’s climate agenda has collapsed into utter incoherence. As the administration frantically hunts for oil and gas world-wide, it is throwing both climate and human-rights scruples overboard—so far, to little effect. …

2022-03-14: Joe Manchin Makes the Right Call by Opposing Sarah Bloom Raskin for the Federal Reserve - WSJ Opinion Ms. Raskin told the Senate she won’t use her powers against any industry, but her public record is clear. In June 2020, she wrote that financial regulators must “do all they …

2022-03-14: iOS 15.4 Is Here: Unlock Your iPhone With a Mask On, Hear Siri’s New Voice - WSJ Realizing that all of that isn’t what people really want, Apple finally releases an update that lets you unlock Face ID while wearing a mask. No password punch-in needed. Just, you know, two years …

2022-03-14: Sen. Joe Manchin Signals Opposition to Sarah Bloom Raskin for Fed Post - WSJ A White House official said the administration is still working to line up bipartisan support for her, saying Ms. Raskin has been the target of an “unprecedented, baseless campaign led by oil and gas …

2022-03-14: Desensitized - Catholic Husband In days like these, it’s easy to be overwhelmed. We are looking evil in the eye, that reality that we tried so hard to deny. We pray for peace, but still see suffering. Despair is a terrible thing. ➕

2022-03-13: Obama Receives Nobel Prize In Medicine For Getting COVID - The Babylon Bee He has already begun a new COVID memoir, which has already been selected for a Pulitzer Prize.

2022-03-12: Ever Wondered How Your Tax Dollars Make It To Those In Need? Check Out This Step-By-Step Guide - The Babylon Bee 1) The IRS asks you to please take a wild guess at how much money you should pay them. Good luck! 2) The IRS takes this amount of money. If you guessed the wrong …

2022-03-11: Reese Witherspoon and Gwyneth Paltrow Push for Crypto Sisterhood - WSJ Some of these crypto-enthusiasts say they just don’t want women to miss out on the next big thing, if not the next sure thing. Ms. Kunis said women should not buy NFTs expecting to make money. “Just do it …

2022-03-10: U.S. Travel Mask Mandate Extended by One Month to April 18 - WSJ Travelers in the U.S. will have to continue wearing masks on airplanes, buses and other forms of transit through April 18 under a federal mandate that the Biden administration is extending Asinine. Nearly …

2022-03-10: U.S. Banned Russian Oil. Will Suspension of Gasoline Tax Be Next? - WSJ Democratic governors from states including Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania this week pushed Congress to suspend the tax Strange coincidence, voters in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania will vote …

2022-03-10: U.S. February Consumer Prices Rose 7.9% From Year Earlier - WSJ U.S. inflation reached a new four-decade high of 7.9% in February, the Labor Department said Thursday, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed energy prices sharply higher. I got a D in Medieval Philosophy back in …

2022-03-09: Hostages for Oil From Venezuela? - WSJ Opinion The Biden Administration is going hat in hand to oil producers everywhere except the U.S. to increase global supply amid sanctions on Russian oil. Apparently begging Mr. Maduro, Iran and the Saudis is preferable to encouraging more …

2022-03-09: What Surging Gasoline Prices Mean for You - WSJ President Biden acknowledged that banning Russian crude oil will result in higher gasoline prices in the U.S. He said the administration’s previously announced move to release 30 million barrels of oil from the government’s …

2022-03-09: House Lawmakers Release $1.5 Trillion Spending Bill That Includes $13.6 Billion for Ukraine The House is expected to vote on the omnibus legislation on Wednesday and send it to the Senate, which will then debate the legislation and vote on it this week. Nice to see our …

2022-03-08: Senate Passes Bipartisan Postal Service Overhaul - WSJ The bill would undo a requirement in a 2006 law that the Postal Service prefund its retiree health benefits, which the agency projects will save $27 billion over a decade. USPS hasn’t made those required payments in over a …

2022-03-08: Saudi, Emirati Leaders Decline Calls With Biden During Ukraine Crisis - WSJ The White House unsuccessfully tried to arrange calls between President Biden and the de facto leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as the U.S. was working to build international support …

2022-03-08: Rappers Replace Flashy Gold Bling With Gasoline Cans - The Babylon Bee As gas prices surge, rappers and other wealthy celebrities have started replacing their usual gold bling with gasoline cans to show off to the world they finally made it. True wealth.

2022-03-08: Minneapolis Teachers Go on Strike Over Pay, Labor Shortage - WSJ The school district has said it faces a budget gap in revenue and expenses caused by higher costs, a drop in students and long-term underfunding. A drop in students? Huh. I wonder what caused that…

2022-03-08: Visa, Mastercard Prepare to Raise Credit-Card Fees - WSJ U.S. merchants paid card issuers an estimated $55.4 billion in Visa and Mastercard credit-card interchange fees in 2021, more than double the amount in 2012, according to the Nilson Report. They pass along at least some of …

2022-03-08: Nation Wishes We Had Our Own Oil We Could Dig Up With Big Machines And Then Transport Around With Some Kind Of Pipeline - The Babylon Bee “If only we had oil, and knew how to get it,” said one local mom as she shelled out $300 for gas to take her kids to soccer …

2022-03-08: U.S. Is Planning to Ban Russian Oil Imports - WSJ Mr. Biden has said he wants to do everything he can to insulate Americans from continued oil and gasoline-price increases I wish he’d choose a more honest line.

2022-03-08: Gas is over $4/gallon and there was one can of frosting on the shelf at Walmart for my kid’s birthday cake. Thanks, Joe!

2022-03-07: The Babylon Bee Has Obtained This Exclusive Photo Of The Ghost Of Kyiv - The Babylon Bee UPDATE: Sadly, The Ghost of [Kyiv] is also shooting down Ukrainian pilots after hearing they said bad things about him on Twitter. Trump would totally do that

2022-03-07: Biden’s Bizarre Oil Diplomacy - WSJ Opinion It speaks volumes about this Administration that it’s seeking help from Vladimir Putin’s client in Venezuela and our estranged Saudi allies rather than U.S. shale producers or our Canadian friends.

2022-03-07: Supreme Court won’t review decision that freed Bill Cosby - WTOP News The high court — whose nine members include two men accused of sexual misconduct themselves — declined to review a stunning decision out of Pennsylvania that released Cosby from prison in June over the word of …

2022-03-07: Cheaper 27-Inch ‘Studio Display’ Reportedly Coming at Tomorrow’s Apple Event - MacRumors Today’s rumor sheds no light on the potential price of the display, but a price tag around $1,000 seems reasonable given its rumored specifications. I hope it …

2022-03-07: Never Wasted - Catholic Husband Lent is a time when we’re reminded of the importance of prayer in our lives. We need it for our healthy growth, and to remain focused on our core identity as a child of God, in the midst of the chaos of the world. ➕

2022-03-06: Weird: Christians Who Claimed They’d Come Back To Church After COVID Are Still Absent - The Babylon Bee When Pastor Pewston delivered his sermon on Sunday he was expecting the pews to be packed with long-absent brethren, but he instead found himself face to face with the …

2022-03-05: Russia Removed From Apple Maps - The Babylon Bee “As far as we’re concerned, Russia no longer exists on our detailed map of the entire world,” said CEO Tim Cook from his vacation home in Beijing. “And if Apple Inc. says you don’t exist, then you …

2022-03-05: Calm before the storm.

2022-03-04: Klain: White House may extend freeze on student loan payments again - Politico Progressives and some other Democrats have expressed political concerns about sending tens of millions of Americans student loan bills before the midterm elections this fall — especially when …

2022-03-04: Biden to Finalize ‘Buy American’ Rule for Government Procurements - WSJ President Biden is set to highlight during an event Friday at the White House, will mean that products obtained under the “Buy American” program will need to have at least 60% of the value of components made …

2022-03-04: Iran, U.S. Close to Reviving Iranian Nuclear Deal - WSJ Iran has been pushing for more sanctions relief if the nuclear deal is restored. In particular, it wants the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to be taken off Washington’s most significant terror sanctions list, the Foreign …

2022-03-03: Ram Relieved As Kindly Old Jewish Man Frees Him From Thicket - The Babylon Bee “My luck is really turning around!” the ram thought to himself as the patriarch gently untangled him from the bush the animal had gotten stuck in earlier that day. “You know, …

2022-03-03: 10 Key Moments From Biden’s State Of The Union - The Babylon Bee When Biden told businesses to cut costs: Genius.

2022-03-02: Biden and the State of the Midterm Elections - WSJ Opinion Mr. Biden’s speech then descended into a mind-numbing list of big-government proposals including a global minimum tax, a pandemic fraud prosecution chief, more apprenticeships, the Paycheck Fairness Act, a $15 minimum …

2022-03-02: Biden Misses the Moment in His State of the Union Address - WSJ Opinion An anxious world is looking for American leadership in a dangerous new era. Instead Mr. Biden offered a rehash of his first-year domestic agenda that has brought him to his low political ebb.

2022-03-01: My first experimental foray into the world of Cold Brew.

2022-03-01: MLB Lockout: Baseball’s Opening Day Will Be Delayed as Owners, Players Fail to Agree on New Contract - WSJ MLB games haven’t been affected by a work stoppage since the strike of 1994 that resulted in the cancellation of the World Series. Following that dispute, attendance didn’t …

2022-03-01: Finland’s Drift Toward NATO Membership Accelerated by Russia’s Ukraine Invasion - WSJ Watching 200,000 Russian troops amass on the border with Ukraine, a country with eight times the population of Finland, unsettled many in the Nordic country, which was a part of Russia until …

2022-03-01: Spring is upon us.

2022-03-01: Russian Skaters Who Roiled the Olympics Are Barred From World Championships - WSJ The news is likely to be met with protests from Russian skating officials, who as late as Monday had said they had no plans to withdraw from the world competition. Yeah, they already spent all …

2022-03-01: Zelensky Renews Call for Help, EU Membership: ‘Prove You Are With Us’ - WSJ Russian President Vladimir Putin has said his forces are targeting military installations and infrastructure. Lots of military infrastructure in apartment blocks and city squares.

2022-02-28: Abortion-Rights Bill Blocked in Senate - WSJ “This is Day 1. We want Americans to know where their legislators stand on this issue,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D., Wash.). “We’re not going to give up. We’re not going to go away.” They won’t give up until the law gives all mothers …

2022-02-28: Lordstown Motors Reports Deepening Losses - WSJ The company warned last year it was burning through cash faster than expected. In September, it agreed to sell its Ohio factory to Foxconn Technology Group, which will take over manufacturing of Lordstown’s vehicles at the factory. …

2022-02-28: Citigroup Has Nearly $10 Billion In Total Russian Exposure - WSJ some of which sit in a consumer bank it has been trying to sell and may now be stuck with. Losers.

2022-02-28: IOC Recommends Banning Russian Athletes from International Competition - WSJ The International Olympic Committee on Monday recommended banning all Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competition following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week, in one of the …

2022-02-28: Pope Francis Refrains From Blaming Russia for War in Ukraine - WSJ That makes the pope, who has made a priority of better relations with Russia, one of the few Western leaders to have refrained from explicitly condemning the attack on Ukraine. My initial reaction was to …

2022-02-28: Fence being reinstalled around US Capitol for Biden speech - WTOP Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said in a statement Sunday that the fence will be erected around the Capitol building for the speech and is being put up “out of an abundance of caution,” in consultation with the …

2022-02-28: 13 Cents - Catholic Husband Our failures in Lents past may come from our obsessive focus on the sin itself. We don’t have to beat sin or conquer sin; Jesus has done that already. All we have to do is to reassert that victory daily. ➕

2022-02-27: Energy, Russia and American Power - WSJ Opinion Shippers have redirected liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargos to Europe from Asia. Asian economies have shifted to burning more coal. In other words, Europe has reduced its CO2 emissions by outsourcing them. Virtue, signaled. …

2022-02-27: Putin Gambles That the West Is Weak - WSJ Opinion A Western world that has spent two years sacrificing freedom to preserve life is hardly going to sacrifice life to preserve freedom. Or at least that’s how it must look to the hard men in Moscow and Beijing. An excellent piece.

2022-02-27: General Milley Calls Russia To Warn Them Of Ukrainian Counter-Attack - The Babylon Bee General Milley then picked up a giant green rotary dial phone like the ones military generals always use and found the Kremlin’s number in the margins of his favorite book, The 1619 …

2022-02-27: Meta/Facebook, Twitter, & YouTube banned Trump after January 6th because of the potential that the accounts could be used to incite further violence. What’s their excuse for continuing to host official Russian state and media accounts?

2022-02-27: Ukraine invasion: EU shuts airspace to Russian planes - BBC News All such planes, including the private jets of oligarchs, will now be unable to land in, take off from or fly over any EU nation. Mount up!

2022-02-27: Ex-Attorney General William Barr Urges GOP to Move On From Trump - WSJ “The election was not ‘stolen,’” Mr. Barr writes. “Trump lost it.” Mr. Barr urges conservatives to look to “an impressive array of younger candidates” who share Mr. Trump’s agenda but not his “erratic …

2022-02-27: Germany to Raise Defense Spending Above 2% of GDP in Response to Ukraine War - WSJ The measures, all of which had long been resisted by successive governments and will now be reflected in this year’s budget, underline how profoundly Russia’s attack on Ukraine is upending …

2022-02-26: Currently reading: Hidden Order by Brad Thor 📚

2022-02-26: Episode 233: First Reconciliation Benedict just celebrated his next Sacrament! I pull him aside to find out how things went.

2022-02-26: Glory to Ukraine! 🇺🇦

2022-02-26: Lies U.S. Military Recruiters Are Legally Allowed To Tell Recruits - The Onion “The movie ticket discounts you’ll get are so worth it.” Recruits know that discounted movie tickets aren’t worth it where today’s streaming services offer premium entertainment at home.

2022-02-25: Oil Prices Are Another Headache for Biden—Who Can’t Do Much About It - WSJ “I know this is hard and that Americans are already hurting,” Mr. Biden said Thursday. “I will do everything in my power to limit the pain the American people are feeling at the gas pump.” Everything …

2022-02-25: White House: U.S. to Sanction Putin, Lavrov - WSJ Ms. Psaki said the sanctions would include restrictions on Mr. Putin’s ability to travel to the U.S., and that the administration would release further details soon. I guess Putin is going to have to cancel his Spring …

2022-02-25: CDC Eases Mask Guidelines, Reflecting Covid-19’s Retreat - WSJ The CDC said people who are symptomatic, test positive for Covid-19 or are exposed to infected people should still don face coverings no matter where they are. Still unclear why this isn’t the only guidance at this …

2022-02-25: John Kerry’s Ukraine Emissions - WSJ Opinion Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned in an interview this week about “massive emissions consequences” from a Russian war against Ukraine, which he also said would be a distraction from work on climate change. Nevertheless, …

2022-02-25: Ketanji Brown Jackson Announced as Biden’s Pick for Supreme Court Nominee - WSJ President Biden on Friday selected Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court That moment when your foreign policy is foundering, your economic policy is driving up pain for …

2022-02-24: Book Review: Agent ZigZag 📚 I first read a book by Ben Macintyre many years ago, and I love his storytelling style. He makes history come alive, bringing an element of excitement to stories that had it in spades in real life. My first read was of the Double Cross team, a British intelligence organization …

2022-02-24: Russian Attack on Ukraine Roils Markets - WSJ Brent crude oil, the global benchmark, topped $100 a barrel for the first time since 2014 Biden policies are the primary culprit, but blaming it on someone else is convenient and the preferred tactic of this Administration.

2022-02-24: It’s 12:30pm on the East Coast, more than 13 hours since the unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine. Where is the President, why hasn’t he addressed the nation, and where are those withering sanctions his team has spent weeks crafting?

2022-02-24: Putin’s New World Disorder - WSJ Opinion The new sanctions should also target Mr. Putin and his Kremlin mafia personally. This means finally disclosing to the world—and to the Russian people—the wealth of Kremlin officials and oligarchs. The U.K. has a special obligation here …

2022-02-23: Wife Decides To Recognize The Independence Of Husband’s Fries - The Babylon Bee She continued, “Let me emphasize once again that French Fries for me are not just a neighboring side dish. They are an integral part of my own history, culture, spiritual space. These …

2022-02-23: Bleary-Eyed Trump Stays Up All Night Deleting ‘TRUTH’ Posts Making Fun Of Him - The Babylon Bee Trump then took a moment to fire the loser server engineers and replace them with true American server engineers who had what it took to Make America Great Again™. He …

2022-02-23: National Guard, Law Enforcement Prepare for Possible Trucker Protests in D.C. Area - WSJ In anticipation of potential protests, the Defense Department has approved the deployment of about 700 National Guard troops, the Pentagon said Tuesday. They might drive real slow or park …

2022-02-22: The ’80s Got Their Foreign Policy Back - WSJ Opinion In April 2012 Joe Biden used a similar attack line in a speech. “When we came to office, President Obama reset our relationship with Russia… . But just a month ago, Governor Romney called and here again I quote, …

2022-02-22: Why This Economic Boom Can’t Lift America’s Spirits - WSJ “You listen to these Fed guys—Powell right now. ‘Oh, we think we’ll get inflation under control this year.’ Fine, but do you really think these food companies are going to lower prices once the supply chain gets settled?” …

2022-02-22: It’s Cold Brew o’clock, my favorite time of day!

2022-02-22: Book Review: Prince Caspian 📚🚸 We listened to this book on our family trip up North. I’m so glad that, now with children of the right age, I’m finally getting to experience the beauty and wonder of Narnia. I wish I had read it before, but to be honest, it’s so much richer now that I’ve studied philosophy and …

2022-02-22: Ski Michigan Another vacation is in the books. After several summers of enjoying Lake Michigan, we decided to switch things up and enjoy Michigan in the winter. We drove up north for three days of skiing. The weather was almost perfect. We spent the first morning on the practice slopes, …

2022-02-21: Putin Orders Deployment of Troops to Breakaway Regions in Ukraine - WSJ The White House said President Biden will issue an executive order that “will prohibit new investment, trade, and financing by U.S. persons’’ in those areas. Wow, such response! So amaze! This will stem the …

2022-02-21: I hate Amazon.

2022-02-21: The Super Bowl of Sin Taxes - WSJ Opinion We are legalizing marijuana just as opioid addiction and overdoses from “recreational” fentanyl skyrocket. The phenomenon of gambling addiction is well established, and since sports betting is often a repetitive, screen-based activity, …

2022-02-21: As Covid-19 Cases Wane, U.K. to Lift Remaining Curbs - WSJ After that, it will no longer recommend that people infected with the virus stay home, telling them instead to “exercise personal responsibility” much as one would in the case of the flu 24 months to reach the …

2022-02-21: Russia Alleges Ukrainian Incursion; Kyiv Says Moscow Makes Up Fake Incidents - WSJ Russia’s military said it destroyed two Ukrainian armored vehicles and killed five Ukrainian personnel inside Russian territory Monday, but offered no evidence of the alleged incursion I just saw …

2022-02-21: Inside Facebook’s $10 Billion Breakup With Advertisers - WSJ Facebook has built its empire on the ability to acquire intimate details about user behavior across the internet Gross.

2022-02-21: Icy Slopes - Catholic Husband Our nature and weakness largely shape the mistakes we make in our spiritual life. Skipping one day of prayer because you overslept or were on vacation may seem like a small matter. But temptation is always like ice. It’s smooth, slippery, and …

2022-02-20: U.S. To Invade Canada To Establish A Democracy - The Babylon Bee “We can’t let this evil, religious zealot Trudeau oppress his people any longer. It’s time to let freedom ring.”

2022-02-20: Finished reading: Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis 📚

2022-02-19: How Government Spending Fuels Inflation - WSJ Opinion Inflation is where “dreams of costless fiscal expansion, flooding the country with borrowed money to address every perceived problem, hit a hard brick wall of reality.”

2022-02-19: Fed Officials Lean Against Expectations of Half-Point Increase in March - WSJ “There’s really no kind of compelling argument that you have to be faster right in the beginning” with rate increases, Mr. Williams told reporters on Friday. Just the fastest rate in 40 years and the …

2022-02-18: Finished reading: Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal by Ben Macintyre 📚

2022-02-18: Some Apple Store Employees in U.S. Reportedly Working to Unionize - MacRumors A key concern among Apple retail employees looking to unionize is that wages have not kept up with the rate of inflation. Ever heard of a wage-price spiral? Or quitting or getting a better paying job? …

2022-02-18: Frackers Hold Back Production as Oil Nears $100 a Barrel - WSJ The companies said they collected record amounts of extra cash by hanging on to the money they earn selling oil and natural gas and reinvesting only what they needed to keep output roughly flat. All three said they …

2022-02-18: If your coffee place is called the Bru Bar, and it doesn’t have heavy whipping cream or half and half, you don’t really have a coffee place. ☕️

2022-02-18: Man Donates To Truck Convoy Under Name ‘Hunter Biden’ So Washington Post Won’t Dox Him - The Babylon Bee According to experts, pretending to be Hunter Biden is the most effective way to make sure Big Tech pulls out all the stops to protect your privacy. If anyone tries to …

2022-02-18: Shelling Escalates Along Front Line Separating Ukraine and Pro-Russia Separatists - WSJ Viktor Pris, a representative of the Donetsk people’s republic, said on Telegram messenger that “the situation on the line of contact has sharply escalated,” with more shelling than had been …

2022-02-18: Mortgage Rates Close In on 4%, Making Home Affordability Tougher - WSJ Higher rates, coupled with continued growth in prices, are pushing some would-be home buyers to the sidelines. No mention of how higher prices balances supply and demand and stabilizes the market. Just …

2022-02-17: Episode 232: Skiing Recap We’re done with lessons and practice, and back at the cottage in front of the fire before dinner. I check in on the students to see how their afternoon went.

2022-02-17: Snowy afternoon on the mountain.

2022-02-17: View from the summit. Overcast and flurries in the vicinity.

2022-02-17: Episode 231: Off the Slopes We’re back at the cottage after a morning of skiing. I check in with the kids on how lessons and practice went, along with a few special guests.

2022-02-17: On the slopes. Well, practicing anyway.

2022-02-17: Finished reading: Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal by Ben Macintyre 📚

2022-02-17: Quiet morning in the cottage as I completed the final edits on Issue No. 01.

2022-02-17: FAA Administrator Steve Dickson to Resign From Post, Agency Says - WSJ Mr. Dickson was appointed to a five-year term in 2019. He took over the agency after two Boeing Co. 737 MAX jets crashed. The FAA was facing criticism from U.S. lawmakers on its oversight of the aircraft’s …

2022-02-17: Book Review: The Horse & His Boy 📚🚸 On our recent roadtrip, we listened to this book the entire way through! The kids loved it, and when I paused the book to listen to some music, there were many requests to put the book back on. Lewis, again, even in this oft unloved installment in the Chronicles of Narnia, …

2022-02-16: Google Plans to Curtail Cross-App Tracking on Android Phones - WSJ The Alphabet Inc. unit said it plans to keep supporting current smartphone identifiers for at least the next two years and to give the industry substantial notice before any changes. Lord, grant me privacy, but …

2022-02-15: A quiet moment.

2022-02-14: Benedict’s LEGO snow globe.

2022-02-14: Episode 230: Snow Globes It’s a snowy day outside, so the kids are making snow globes inside. ❄️

2022-02-14: Finished reading: The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis 📚

2022-02-14: Snowy start.

2022-02-14: Detailing - Catholic Husband Reconciliation is that detailing, a thorough cleaning that returns us to Baptismal purity. The white garment that we pledged to keep clean for the banquet of the lamb, restored to its original state. As soon as we walk out of the Church, temptation …

2022-02-13: This portable valet is perfect for travel!

2022-02-13: Bengals Just Happy To Not Be In Ohio - The Babylon Bee “I’m so overwhelmingly grateful. This is the greatest day of my life,” said quarterback Joe Burrow, wiping a single tear from his eye. “I can’t believe I’m not in Ohio anymore. This is …

2022-02-12: Some Democrats Push Biden to Embrace Normalcy as Covid-19 Cases Ease - WSJ The elected officials are zeroing in on the March 1 speech as a pivotal opportunity for Mr. Biden to embrace dropping of mask mandates and other rules Hey, I’ve read this book before!

2022-02-12: Suspend the Gas Tax, They Cried - WSJ Opinion The contradictions of climate politics keep piling up, and the latest is a call from Democratic Senators running for re-election this year to suspend the federal gas tax. Hello? Isn’t the point of Democratic climate plans to raise …

2022-02-12: Biden Warns Putin of ‘Swift and Severe Costs’ of Invading Ukraine - WSJ “We have already gone through war and through the required training. Therefore, we are ready to greet the enemy not with flowers, but with Stingers, with Javelins and with NLAWs,” Ukrainian Armed Forces …

2022-02-12: On the road again.

2022-02-11: Clarence Thomas Surprised To Hear How Important Black Representation On SCOTUS Is To Man Who Viciously Tried To Destroy Him - The Babylon Bee Thomas, who had been smeared over sexual harassment claims that were never actually filed, was humiliated on live TV by Joe Biden who, at …

2022-02-11: As Hunger Spreads in Afghanistan, Hospitals Fill With Premature, Dying Babies - WSJ Half of the population faces acute hunger, according to the United Nations, with one million children in danger of dying from malnutrition. The economy is set to contract by another 20% this …

2022-02-11: Inflation Haunts the Biden Economy - WSJ Opinion The economy needed support early in the pandemic. But Congress’s $900 billion Covid relief bill in December 2020 and the $1.9 trillion in spending that Democrats passed last March were overkill. Stimulus payments, enhanced …

2022-02-10: Rising Inflation Keeps Pressure on Fed to Frontload Rate Increases - WSJ Fed officials in the months ahead are closely looking for signs that the month-over-month pace of price increases will slow. Arresting inflation stops prices where they are. These high prices are the …

2022-02-10: Apple Announces AirTag Updates to Address Unwanted Tracking - MacRumors The warning will make it clear that the AirTag is linked to an Apple ID, that using it to track people is a crime, and that law enforcement can request identifying information about the owner of the AirTag. …

2022-02-10: U.S. Inflation Accelerates to 40-Year High - WSJ U.S. inflation accelerated to a 7.5% annual rate in January, rising to a new four-decade high, the Labor Department said Thursday. Very, very, very bad.

2022-02-10: Afternoon Off In addition to being an at-home dad, I have several side projects that I work on in the evenings and during my spare time. Like any parent, I have energy for kids and energy for work, and the pools are mostly exclusive of one another. I can be exhausted from kid and house care …

2022-02-10: EV Charging Network Will Target Interstate Highways - WSJ stations will have to have at least 600 kilowatts of total capacity, with ports for at least four cars How many two pump gas stations have you seen along the interstate? That pot of money will fund two other …

2022-02-09: Program to Cut Student Debt for Healthcare Providers Sticks Some With Even More - WSJ The penalties are written into the law, meaning the authority to change them rests with Congress. Dr. Padilla said it is unfortunate some people don’t appear to understand the penalties when …

2022-02-09: Don’t Expect Rising Interest Rates to Boost Your Savings Account - WSJ Many high-yield savings accounts, which offered 1.5% or more before rates headed toward zero in early 2020, now offer rates around 0.5%. But these fine institutions will be happy to issue you a credit card …

2022-02-08: Nvidia, SoftBank call off blockbuster Arm deal - Fox Business SoftBank stands to pocket a $1.25 billion breakup fee from the failed transaction with Nvidia My dream job is to run a company that engineers failed mergers and collects breakup fees.

2022-02-08: Movie Nobody Watched Nominated To Receive Award At Ceremony Nobody Watches - The Babylon Bee In a recently published press release nobody read, a movie nobody watched raised nobody’s eyebrows by being nominated to receive multiple awards at a ceremony nobody watches. So it’s …

2022-02-08: Trudeau Demands Protesters Stop Shutting Down City So That He Can Shut Down City - The Babylon Bee “Shutting down roads, limiting people’s movement, restricting people’s freedom, and shutting down the city is unacceptable. It’s the government’s job …

2022-02-08: Number of Oscar-nominated films I watched last year: 0. Number of Oscar-nominated films I’ve ever heard of: 1. The trend holds, these awards are meaningless.

2022-02-07: Winter blues.

2022-02-07: Biden’s Top Science Adviser Resigns - WSJ People with knowledge of his behavior accused him of bullying, embarrassing and insulting staff. Sounds like standard operating procedure over at EEOB.

2022-02-07: IRS Retreats From Facial Recognition to Verify Taxpayers’ Identities - WSJ The Internal Revenue Service is scrapping its use of a private facial-recognition system to authenticate taxpayers’ identities for online accounts, the agency said Monday after criticism from lawmakers in …

2022-02-07: Tyson Foods Says Higher Meat Prices Haven’t Cooled Demand - WSJ Escalating meat prices haven’t slowed restaurant and retailer demand for meat, Tyson Foods Inc. executives said, as rising prices helped to more than double the company’s quarterly profit. What are people supposed …

2022-02-07: I’d rather have a president who says mean things on Twitter than one who’s policies result in 25% price increases on the milk my kids drink.

2022-02-07: Frontier Group, Spirit Airlines Merge in $6.6 Billion Deal - WSJ “This transaction is centered around creating an aggressive ultra-low fare competitor to serve our guests even better, expand career opportunities for our team members and increase competitive pressure, …

2022-02-07: Keto Recycle - Catholic Husband The goal of holiness isn’t perfection. The goal is to live as perfectly as possible, contending with and overcoming your faults through grace. ➕

2022-02-06: I watch videos like this and think, “Wow, nature is so amazing.” Then I think about the amazing human person, the quintessential expression of nature.

2022-02-06: Seasonal shift.

2022-02-05: Too Risky to Wed in Your 20s? Not if You Avoid Cohabiting First - WSJ As we recently discovered, however, there is an interesting exception to the idea that waiting until 30 is best. In analyzing reports of marriage and divorce from more than 50,000 women in the U.S. …

2022-02-05: App-Store Bill Targeting Apple, Google Is Approved by Senate Panel - WSJ Apple has privately warned the committee that the bill would enable so-called sideloading, where consumers could add apps to their device without going through the Apple App Store. This would allow app …

2022-02-04: I hate sweating while walking in winter.

2022-02-03: Book Review: A Layman's Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours 📚 The cover art on this book is amazing, and the topic is right on point. I’m transitioning back to the Liturgy of the Hours after two years of pretty good use of Magnificat. I like Magnificat a lot, I just wanted a bit more prayer and sprinkled more throughout the day. This book …

2022-02-02: Done with the final draft of the first issue of Applied Bioethics Magazine. This is the most satisfying step of the writing process.

2022-02-02: Just fixed the plastic wind-up gears on my son’s plane using nothing but a flashlight and a Swiss Army Knife.

2022-02-02: Biden’s Student-Debt Pledge Stalls, Frustrating Supporters - WSJ Joe Biden said during his presidential campaign that he would reduce student debt for millions of Americans, but his allies remain divided on the issue, and some of his supporters are losing hope he will deliver. …

2022-02-02: The Commanders: Washington’s NFL Team Announces New Name - WSJ The team, which is keeping its burgundy and gold colors, said the new name pays tribute to the culture of leadership in the Washington area. No one, and I mean literally not a single person, cares.

2022-02-02: CNN President Jeff Zucker Resigns, Citing Relationship With Colleague - WSJ citing his failure to disclose a consensual relationship with a close colleague What is wrong with network media?!

2022-02-02: U.S. National Debt Exceeds $30 Trillion for First Time - WSJ “It is the result of both borrowing for really important crises, most notably the Covid pandemic, but also trillions and trillions of borrowing for no reason other than politicians have stopped being willing to pay the …

2022-02-01: Facebook Replaces All Text Fields With Dropdown Menu Of Approved Things You Can Say - The Babylon Bee The change has been praised by users who all posted “I like Facebook. Can’t wait for the Metaverse.”

2022-02-01: Operation Warp Speed Slowly Gets Its Due - WSJ Opinion Mr. Klain replied: “I think we have to be careful about the level of government intervention in the economy and make sure that we’re not putting our judgment in the place of private-sector thoughts and consumer demand and …

2022-02-01: Florida teen wins appeal to receive abortion meds without parental consent - Fox News The teen argued she is not yet financially responsible to care for a baby, court documents show. 17 year old, with a 2.0 GPA, is given court authorization to kill a child because… she’s broke? …

2022-02-01: Top 8 Reasons To Stock Up On Ammo RIGHT NOW - The Babylon Bee It’s time for us to buy what we have been buying and that time is every day: Wise words from Kamala Harris!

2022-01-31: Sean Penn on American Masculinity I don’t think that [in order] to be fair to women, we should become them.” Respect for the human person must always start with appreciation of the differences between men and women. It can’t be achieved when one must be elevated over the …

2022-01-31: Socialists Condemn Workers Of The World For Uniting - The Babylon Bee To their dismay, they soon found out that it was a toxic freedom march organized by the working class against the Canadian bourgeois. Not good.

2022-01-31: Universal health care bill faces deadline in California - WTOP The latest estimate says it would cost taxpayers at least $356.5 billion per year to pay for the health care of nearly 40 million residents. California’s total operating budget — which pays for public schools, …

2022-01-31: Noticing Progress - Catholic Husband We tend not to give ourselves credit for the tiny steps forward we take each day. Yet, taking a moment to step back and pan out reveals the actual trajectory of our progress. That’s something worth appreciating. ➕

2022-01-30: Currently reading: Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal by Ben Macintyre 📚

2022-01-30: Trump Designing Much, Much Higher Wall To Keep Out Biden’s Migrant Flights - The Babylon Bee This is a nation of laws, the very best laws, including some of my own laws, actually,” said Trump

2022-01-30: Biden Seen Looking At Paint Color Swatches To Choose Next Supreme Court Justice - The Babylon Bee “Hmmm… should I go with the ‘Neutral Tans’ or the ‘Balmy Browns’ Collection?” Biden said to himself.

2022-01-30: Biden Promises To Replace Retiring Quarterback Tom Brady With A Woman Of Color - The Babylon Bee When told he doesn’t have the authority to nominate quarterbacks to the NFL, Biden told his staff he would just sign the executive order and let the courts deal with it later. …

2022-01-29: Finished reading: A Layman’s Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours by Timothy M. Gallagher 📚

2022-01-29: Episode 229: Lucy Story Time Lucy sits down to read her new favorite Mo Willems book.

2022-01-28: 25 minutes in Adoration is a very pleasant way to end the week.

2022-01-27: Biden Praises Retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer - WSJ Mr. Biden said that he has been studying candidates and their backgrounds, but said he had made “no decision except one—the person I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, …

2022-01-27: I prefer Customer Support reps that have a personality.

2022-01-27: Older Investors Have a Lot of Money in Stocks. How to Check if It’s Too Much. - WSJ Data from Fidelity Investments’ 20.4 million 401(k) investors shows that almost 40% of 401(k) investors age 60 to 69 hold about 67% or more of their portfolios in stocks. Negative bond …

2022-01-27: Biden Administration Explores Ways to Cover Covid-19 Tests for Medicare Enrollees - WSJ The policy requiring free coverage of tests for people on private insurance falls under 2020 Covid-19 legislation that requires group health plans to provide Covid-19 testing with no cost …

2022-01-27: Episode 228: Felicity Story Time Felicity sits down to read “Little Boy Blue.”

2022-01-27: A New Rhythm Why is it so hard to create a new routine? I spent a lot of time listening to productivity podcasts in the early 2010s. A recurring theme in those days was the idea that you needed enough structure to keep you focused on your goals, but not so much rigidity that it was inflexible …

2022-01-27: When design delights. ☕️

2022-01-26: Apple should really release an Apple Card Debit a la Target Red Card Debit.

2022-01-26: Daddy & Me date at a coffee shop.

2022-01-26: McConnell Says Senate Should Not Confirm New Supreme Court Nominee Just Three Years Before Presidential Election - The Babylon Bee When asked about the inconsistency of the standards he is applying and the apparent hypocrisy given that Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed just a week …

2022-01-26: Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to Retire - WSJ The moral of the story is that bullying and harassment gets results!

2022-01-26: Experian to Allow Consumers to Create Their Own Credit Reports - WSJ “The better the representation of every individual we have, the more successful we are as a company,” said Craig Boundy, chief of Experian North America. Creep. The company plans to pitch credit cards that …

2022-01-26: When you’re too little to make your bed, so your big bro takes care of it for you.

2022-01-25: Biden Puts 8,000 Troops On Alert In Case Peter Doocy Retaliates - The Babylon Bee Milley quickly made a phone call to get his troops mobilized. He then made another call to give Peter Doocy a heads up. Classic Milley!

2022-01-25: Robot and Benedict in his flight suit with name tag. 🤖

2022-01-25: Episode 227: Robotics Benedict is studying more than just math, history, and art. I catch up with him during his section of Robotics - Independent Study.

2022-01-25: Ukraine Invites Kyle Rittenhouse To Guard Their Border - The Babylon Bee “Yo, Kyle, hope all is well. Hey listen, our citizens are under threat from Putin and his d-bag army,” texted Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Sergei Ukrainovich to America’s national hero, Kyle Rittenhouse. …

2022-01-25: Biden Administration Mounts Daring Mission To Evacuate Hunter’s Remaining Cash From Ukraine - The Babylon Bee The four-man squad was dropped into ally territory by a Black Hawk helicopter outfitted for stealth missions. Once on the ground, they covertly asked for directions to …

2022-01-24: Supreme Court Rules for Northwestern Employees in Retirement-Plan Case - WSJ They also alleged that the high number of investment options caused confusion and poor decisions by plan participants. SCOTUS accepting this argument and ruling in its favor could have terrible …

2022-01-24: Pentagon Places Thousands of Troops on Standby for Deployment to Eastern Europe in Standoff With Russia - WSJ The U.S. military has ordered up to 8,500 U.S. troops on standby to potentially deploy to Eastern Europe amid heightened tensions over Russia’s presence near Ukraine’s …

2022-01-24: Australian Prime Minister Loses Control of Account on China’s WeChat - WSJ “We have never and have no interest in interfering with other countries.” That’s an official quote from the Chinese Foreign Ministry. John Blaxland, a professor of international security and …

2022-01-24: Build Back Better? Fix Medicaid First - WSJ Opinion “It is no coincidence,” the FGA says, “that the two states with the highest publicly available improper payment rates have expanded Medicaid under ObamaCare.” Since that expansion, the national rate of bad payments has “nearly …

2022-01-24: Applied Bioethics - Catholic Husband When making care decisions, we need the intellectual tools to choose the ethical path and to make them with confidence. That’s my goal with this new magazine. ➕

2022-01-23: Why the Sustainable Investment Craze Is Flawed - WSJ The financial industry has spotted an opportunity to make money by helping people feel good about themselves. Despite claims to the contrary, these investments don’t do much to make the world a better place. The entire …

2022-01-22: Maggie the Cow

2022-01-22: Episode 226: First Reconciliation Benedict is almost ready for his next Sacrament, so we sit down to talk about it. And Felicity joins us to talk about her newest friend.

2022-01-22: I get my best ideas when I’m walking.

2022-01-22: San Francisco Store Clerk Confused As Shopper Actually Tries To Pay For Merchandise - The Babylon Bee “We get lots of looters, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a paying customer. No one taught me how to use the register.”

2022-01-21: Germany Blocks NATO Ally From Transferring Weapons to Ukraine - WSJ Germany is blocking North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally Estonia from giving military support to Ukraine by refusing to issue permits for German-origin weapons to be exported to Kyiv as it braces for a …

2022-01-21: U.S. Suspends 44 Flights to China Operated by Chinese Airlines - WSJ China’s border controls have been among the toughest in the world throughout the pandemic. Except for that one time when they let the virus escape.

2022-01-21: A New Biden Answer for Unfulfilled Promises - WSJ Opinion You know, I was — I did a couple-hour press conference the other day, and I got asked the question I used to get asked: “Well, you promised.” No, I proposed. That’s why they call them Campaign Proposals! Like that one …

2022-01-21: More Starbucks Baristas Across the U.S. Are Looking to Unionize - WSJ In less than three months, the effort by Starbucks Workers United, the union that has backed the Buffalo campaign, has led union election petitions to be filed with the NLRB in Chicago, Boston, Cleveland, …

2022-01-21: Nation’s largest abortion protest could be last under Roe - ABC News The March for Life, for decades an annual protest against abortion Congratulations to the Associated Press! They’ve just heard about this obscure gathering that’s apparently been taking place on the same …

2022-01-21: Wedding Feast Of The Lamb To Be Catered By Chick-fil-A - The Babylon Bee “It’s a little hard to plan for because we haven’t been told the exact day or hour of the event, but we’ll be ready and waiting.” “As long as it’s not on a …

2022-01-20: TIAA Offers Annuity Product for Corporate 401(k) Retirement Plans - WSJ American workers who crave steady retirement paychecks in the absence of old-fashioned pension plans are getting more alternatives as another money manager launches an annuity offering for corporate 401(k) …

2022-01-20: New Blog Idea I was looking through the _On This Day_ feature in Day One this morning, and came across this entry from nine years ago. For many months I have wanted to start a blog. I was not sure on which topic I could speak with authority, to the point where I would add value to the …

2022-01-20: Havana Syndrome Unlikely Caused by Russia, Other U.S Foes, CIA Says - WSJ “We are pursuing this complex issue with analytic rigor, sound tradecraft, and compassion and have dedicated intensive resources to this challenge,” CIA Director William Burns I love to hear when the …

2022-01-20: Pig Kidneys Transplanted Into Brain-Dead Man as Patients Face Organ Shortages - WSJ The experimental surgery, which proceeded after discussions with ethicists and after Mr. Parsons’s family consented to the experiment, is part of a decadeslong effort to ease the chronic shortage …

2022-01-19: 10 Surefire Ways To Get Out Of Wearing A Mask When Someone Tells You To - The Babylon Bee Put on your “Trump Won” mask - They’ll instantly regret their decision to make you wear one. 4D chess!

2022-01-19: Oops! Schumer Gives Passionate Speech Defending Filibuster After Accidentally Printing His Speech From Two Years Ago - The Babylon Bee According to sources, his aide had accidentally printed out “passionate filibuster speech 2020.docx” instead of “passionate …

2022-01-19: Episode 225: Literary Hour Brew a fresh espresso, put on your beret, and join Benedict in the quiet air of nap time to hear his latest poem, along with the plot of the chapter book he’s currently reading. Virtual snaps can be sent via the regular channels.

2022-01-19: Sanders Says He Is Open to Supporting Primary Challenges to Sinema, Manchin - WSJ He said it was “up to the people in those states.” And if there’s one thing we all know about West Virginians, it’s that they love when out-of-state multimillionaire socialist elites come to town …

2022-01-18: I just finished the Final Draft of the first issue of my new magazine. I’m so excited to publish this in the Spring.

2022-01-18: Wow! What a start to the day.

2022-01-18: Schumer Hits Trouble After Earlier Wins in 50-50 Senate - WSJ At the start of the year, Mr. Schumer set a goal of trying to pass the voting bill by Martin Luther King Jr. Day—Monday, Jan. 17—and then pivoting to changing the filibuster. That deadline later slipped due in part to …

2022-01-18: Some Lawmakers Push to Ban Stock Trading by Colleagues - WSJ Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Jon Ossoff of Georgia introduced legislation that would prohibit all members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children from trading individual stocks and would require …

2022-01-17: Preparations - Catholic Husband A life well lived in accordance with God’s Law is much sweeter than a life mired in sin and darkness. ➕

2022-01-16: At the controls. Every time I touch anything she says, “I’m in charge of this airplane!”

2022-01-16: Episode 224: Flight Simulator Lucy takes the controls of her Lucy plane and offers her best pilot tips.

2022-01-16: Covid-19 Test Distribution Plans Put More Pressure on U.S. Supply - WSJ People will be able order up to four tests per household on covidtests.gov that will be shipped within seven to 12 days. Outstanding! They’ll be leaving the warehouse on the delivery truck two days after …

2022-01-15: The Week Biden’s Agenda Hit a Wall - WSJ It also cast a spotlight on key strategic decisions made by the president and his aides: Right out of the gate, Mr. Biden pursued a $1.9 trillion Covid-19 aid bill that some economists warned would spur inflation. He decided to push an …

2022-01-15: Who You Calling ‘Dastardly,’ Mr. Schumer? - WSJ Opinion Mr. Schumer wants to impose no-excuses absentee voting on the whole country under some version of H.R.1, but he can’t even convince his constituents in blue New York. Last year’s ballot included a measure to loosen the …

2022-01-15: Navient, the Student Loan Punching Bag - WSJ Opinion In September it also sought to end its government servicing contract because it was more hassle than it is worth. But get this—Mr. Cordray, now chief operating officer of the Education Department’s Federal Student Aid office, …

2022-01-15: A Report to Our Readers - WSJ Subscriptions stand at more than 3.5 million for the Journal and more than 4.5 million for Dow Jones as a whole, with demand continuing to rise as trusted news becomes an ever rarer commodity. Regrettably true.

2022-01-14: Kamala Harris So Disliked Nation Considering Hillary Clinton - The Babylon Bee A spokesperson for the Vice President denied rumors that Harris was disliked, but would not comment further because he had already quit.

2022-01-14: Russia Moves More Weaponry Toward Ukraine, Keeps the West Guessing - WSJ As diplomats were holding negotiations over the Ukraine crisis this week, Russia began moving tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, rocket launchers and other military equipment westward from their bases in …

2022-01-14: Without a doubt, the AP is the worst news organization in America. And that is saying something.

2022-01-14: Beautiful sky to start the day.

2022-01-14: Senate Rejects Nord Stream 2 Sanctions Bill - WSJ The administration has endorsed an alternative bill offered by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (D., N.J.). That legislation would direct the administration to review its waiver of sanctions against Nord …

2022-01-14: The IRS Pleads Poverty - WSJ Opinion The IRS poverty plea is part of an effort to blame Republicans for not agreeing to the Biden request to expand the IRS budget by $80 billion over 10 years. But most of that money won’t go to faster or better IRS service. The money is for more …

2022-01-14: Biden Follows the Trump Playbook - WSJ Opinion Mr. Trump went to Georgia just over a year ago to rally voters for the Senate runoff elections. In a rant of a speech, he made false claims about the electoral system, accused Democrats of undemocratic aims, and attacked the …

2022-01-13: How great is wireless printing? 🖨

2022-01-13: Biden Expresses Doubt About Passage of Elections Bill - WSJ “The honest to God answer is I don’t know if we can get this done,” Mr. Biden told reporters Thursday after a closed-door lunch with the Senate Democratic caucus. Tough to see the day when the sitting President gives …

2022-01-13: Weather station soaking up the rays. Really enjoying the day taking it easy and recharging its batteries.

2022-01-13: Supreme Court Blocks Biden Vaccine Rules for Private Employers, Allows Them for Healthcare Workers - WSJ The high court, however, did give the administration more latitude in the healthcare industry, allowing it to impose a vaccine mandate for more than 10 million healthcare …

2022-01-13: Sinema Rules Out Weakening Filibuster, Dealing Blow to Biden’s Election-Law Push - WSJ “While I continue to support these bills, I will not support separate actions that worsen the underlying disease of division infecting our country,” Ms. Sinema said on the Senate floor. More …

2022-01-12: Tensions Rise Between Fauci, GOP Over Covid-19 Pandemic Response - WSJ In an unusual move, Health and Human Services spokesman Ian Sams on Tuesday issued a statement defending Dr. Fauci and accusing Republicans of spreading misinformation. “At a time when America is seeing …

2022-01-12: Putin Is Running Rings Around the West - WSJ Opinion Now the Biden administration is simultaneously proclaiming overseas that America is back, in all its order-building awesomeness, and maintaining at home that democracy is one voting-rights bill away from collapse.

2022-01-12: Russia, NATO Fail to Resolve Differences in Ukraine Talks - WSJ “We have made it clear and we told the Russians directly again today that if Russia further invades Ukraine, there will be significant costs and consequences well beyond what they faced in 2014,” Ms. Sherman told …

2022-01-12: U.S. Inflation Reaches Fastest Pace Since 1982 - WSJ The Labor Department said the consumer-price index—which measures what consumers pay for goods and services—rose 7% in December from the same month a year ago, up from 6.8% in November. That was the fastest pace since 1982 and …

2022-01-11: In Defense of the Filibuster Bottom line is very simple: The ideologues in the Senate want to turn what the Founding Fathers called ‘the cooling saucer of democracy’ into the rubber stamp of dictatorship. We will not let them. They want, because they can’t get their way on every judge, to change the rules in …

2022-01-11: Walmart Online Grocery’s “out of stock” feature is not good at all.

2022-01-11: Why must the joy of morning coffee dissipate so quickly? ☕️

2022-01-11: This is the definition of sin: the misuse of powers given us by God for doing good. - St. Basil the Great

2022-01-11: My son, hold fast to your duty, busy yourself with it, grow old while doing your task. - Sirach 11:20

2022-01-10: SEC Pushes for More Transparency From Private Companies - WSJ “When they’re big firms, they can have a huge impact on thousands of people’s lives with absolutely no visibility for investors, employees and their unions, regulators, or the public,” said Democratic SEC Commissioner …

2022-01-10: Report: Of The 4.2 Million Americans Who Quit Their Jobs In December, 74% Worked For Kamala Harris - The Babylon Bee “The turnover in there is unimaginable. I was still in the parking lot when I saw my replacement dive out of the second-story window just to get out of there.” …

2022-01-10: Globalization Was Supposed to Prevent War; Russia May Be Showing the Opposite - WSJ The Wall Street Journal has reported that, while the U.S. is loudly threatening harsh economic reprisals against Moscow for any move on Ukraine, it also is reluctant to take steps to curb Russian …

2022-01-10: Elizabeth Holmes Can’t Be the American Dream - WSJ Peloton Interactive sold investors on a fantasy that financing and the internet could render its multithousand-dollar hardware both accessible and affordable, thus revolutionizing fitness through “democratization”—no matter that …

2022-01-10: Image and Likeness - Catholic Husband The Catholic worldview rests on a simple premise: all people are created in the image and likeness of God. ➕

2022-01-09: Banks Are Making It Easier to Get Credit Cards - WSJ The average annual percentage rate, or APR, on interest-charging credit cards climbed to a near-record high of 17.13% in the third quarter from 15.91% in the first quarter, according to the Federal Reserve, before slipping to …

2022-01-09: AOC Accuses COVID Virus Of Just Wanting To Date Her - The Babylon Bee Typical COVID, just completely obsessed and trying to get with a brave woman of color.

2022-01-08: The Vaccine Mandate ‘Work-Around’ May Run Aground - WSJ Opinion The Chief brought up a re-tweet last year by White House chief of staff Ronald Klain hailing the mandate as the “ultimate work-around.” “I mean, this has been referred to the approach as a work-around. And I’m …

2022-01-08: Carving Up Biden’s Inflation Beef - WSJ Opinion Thanks for the lecture, but back to Econ 101, Mr. President. Meat prices fell in the five years before the pandemic, and markets didn’t suddenly become less competitive. Like so much else in the Biden era, meat prices have soared …

2022-01-08: Capitol Riot: The Musical! - WSJ Opinion Readers probably don’t recall a 2002 congressional effort to mark the first anniversary of 9/11 with a catchy musical number from a Broadway smash hit. And perhaps that says it all about the Democrats’ Thursday production to mark one year …

2022-01-08: Why the Jan. 6 ‘Big Lie’ Narrative Will Fail - WSJ Opinion The American experiment remains sturdier than we may realize, but a challenge is our media’s painful adjustment to internet economics. In the 1980s, ad-stuffed news outlets were flush and able to fill their staffs with …

2022-01-08: Saturday evening fire.

2022-01-08: The Best Investment for This Coming Crazy Year - WSJ All this explains why discipline is the greatest investing virtue. When you drastically change your long-term course based on what feels like a short-term sure thing, you’re likely to end up caught by surprise—and racked with …

2022-01-07: Why Young Adults Are Delaying Parenthood - WSJ More tell me they’re waiting until their finances—and, accordingly, their lives—feel more stable. The root cause of our demographic winter: children are an accessory, not an essential part of life. This is an incredibly destructive …

2022-01-06: Boston Marathon Bomber’s Prison Funds Are Seized - WSJ He received a $1,400 Covid-19 relief payment in June The American Rescue Plan in action! Thanks, Joe!

2022-01-06: Dichotomy Many were shocked that the riots finally made their way to the Capitol, but we’ve watched the slow march over the past 10 months. Businesses, the homes of local politicians, and even Federal courthouses came under threat from riotous mobs last year. Remember the riot …

2022-01-06: Biden Assails Trump Over Jan. 6 Riot, Efforts to Overturn 2020 Election Results - WSJ Mr. Biden’s remarks opened a day of remembrances on Capitol Hill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will lead a moment of silence on the House floor before participating in a conversation with …

2022-01-05: ‘I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever,’ Worship Leader Threatens - The Babylon Bee Church insiders speculate the worship leader’s motives were anything but pure, with some suggesting it was an attempt to filibuster the Pastor’s planned lesson on faithful financial …

2022-01-05: Chrysler Plans All-Electric Vehicle Lineup by 2028 - WSJ Chrysler, which was founded in 1925, now sells just two models to consumers—one minivan and a large sedan Good luck to the team, pulling off two EVs in seven years shows just how ambitious Chrysler is. They want to earn …

2022-01-05: Chicago Public Schools Cancel Classes After Teachers Vote Against In-Person Instruction - WSJ City leaders called the vote by the Chicago Teachers Union an illegal job action and said teachers who didn’t report to work wouldn’t receive pay. The administration promised to provide …

2022-01-04: Toyota Overtakes GM as Bestselling Auto Maker in U.S. - WSJ GM had been the No. 1 auto seller in the U.S. since 1931, according to trade publication Automotive News. This is unlikely to be repeated, and Toyota had some strategic advantages this year. The basic fact remains: …

2022-01-04: Overturning the Next Election - WSJ Opinion Democrats keep saying Jan. 6 must never happen again, but their main goal seems to be to use the memory of that day against Republicans in 2022.

2022-01-04: Joining The Fight Against Misinformation: Applebee’s Announces They Have Banned Marjorie Taylor Greene From To-Go Online Ordering - The Babylon Bee “We have made the decision to ban the representative for her repeated violations of the platform’s prohibition against …

2022-01-04: Build Back Better Takes Back Seat to Democrats’ Election-Law Push - WSJ White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration was in step with Mr. Schumer regarding the elections push. “We’re gonna work with him on getting that done. But that doesn’t change our …

2022-01-04: Manchin Deflates Democrats’ Hopes of Changing Filibuster, Passing Election Bills - WSJ “Any way you can do a rules change to where everyone’s involved and basically that’s a rule that usually will stay—that’s what you should be pursuing,” Mr. Manchin told reporters on Tuesday. …

2022-01-04: Entitlements Always Grow and Grow - WSJ Opinion When Medicare hospital insurance was enacted, cost projections were made to 1990. The projected cost for that year was $9 billion. The actual cost was $67 billion.

2022-01-03: Currently reading: A Layman’s Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours by Timothy M. Gallagher 📚

2022-01-03: Start your engines!

2022-01-03: Episode 223: Race Day Like NASCAR? This episode may be for you!

2022-01-03: Book Review: The Simple Path to Wealth 📚 I like to start off the New Year with a financial book, and this year’s installment came by way of a Christmas present from my sister-in-law. JL Collins (no relation) is a retiree turned writer living in New Hampshire. He wrote a series of letters to his young adult daughter, …

2022-01-03: Monthly Child-Tax-Credit Payments Cease, Ending Cushion for Family Budgets - WSJ Families are bracing for bank balances to suffer when the middle of January comes and the monthly child-tax-credit payment doesn’t. They think that’s bad, wait until they file their taxes. Many, …

2022-01-03: All Things New - Catholic Husband Two lousy years are over, and there is light at the end of the tunnel. It’s time to stand up and dust off. ➕

2022-01-02: After over a decade, I’m coming back to using pencils on a regular basis.

2022-01-02: Up early.

2022-01-01: Finished reading: The Simple Path to Wealth by J. Collins 📚

2022-01-01: Episode 222: New Years Resolutions What better way to kick of 2022 and Season 5 of ChetCast than with Episode 222? The kids have big plans for the new year.

2022-01-01: Currently reading: Holy Bible: The Great Adventure Catholic Bible by Ascension Press 📚

2022-01-01: New Year? YNAB Fresh Start. 💵

2021-12-31: ‘Wow, What A Terrible Year!’ Say People Living At The Absolute Peak Of Human Civilization - The Babylon Bee “2021 was just the worst,” said Marley Buchanan while sipping on organic chai tea and munching on fish tacos he had summoned to his house in only 15 minutes …

2021-12-31: Windows, why so many updates?!

2021-12-30: Liberal Arts Degrees The 22-month Federal student loan holiday was recently extended another 90 days, with no end in sight. At this point, it’s doubtful there will be any payments due in 2022, seeing as the current expiration is a mere six months before the midterms. There are moans and groans about …

2021-12-30: Oh No! Biden Checks His To-Do List And Realizes He Totally Forgot To Shut Down The Virus - The Babylon Bee “I knew I was forgetting something! That’s too bad because it was otherwise a flawless year for me!”

2021-12-29: The CDC Sees a Great Covid Light - WSJ Opinion ‘Tis the season for epiphanies, even at the White House. President Biden on Monday said there’s no “federal solution” to the pandemic, and now his Administration is acknowledging that protecting public health requires balancing …

2021-12-29: Morning appointment, so of course the kids were an hour late coming downstairs.

2021-12-28: Stock Pickers Are Struggling to Beat the Market - WSJ But many active stock funds struggle to beat the market in a given year, and 2021 fits the pattern. Some 85% of active U.S. stock funds were on pace to underperform the S&P 500 this year as of Nov. 30 This annual article …

2021-12-27: I wish the Ulysses sync engine was much, much faster.

2021-12-27: Space Cow.

2021-12-27: Episode 221: Christmas Joy I catch up with the kids to talk about their Christmas.

2021-12-27: Joe Manchin and Child Poverty - WSJ Opinion Press headlines are warning about families on the brink of penury if the monthly payments aren’t extended, but the vast federal and state social safety net—food stamps, Medicaid, housing subsidies, school lunches, Head Start, …

2021-12-27: Love So Deep - Catholic Husband The joy of the season is now here after weeks of preparation. Leave your lights on and your tree up. Don’t put away your Christmas dishes and decorations. Leave them up and relish the joy of a love that gave up everything just to be with you …

2021-12-26: Bike Trailer Update: Kids had fun I could’ve used about 90 days of extra training 🚴🏻‍♂️

2021-12-25: Currently reading: The Simple Path to Wealth by J. Collins 📚

2021-12-25: Christmas dinner.

2021-12-25: Silent night, Holy night

2021-12-24: Midnight Mass EDC.

2021-12-24: Oh No! The Ghost Of Christmas Future Just Showed Up And He’s Wearing A Full Hazmat Suit! - The Babylon Bee At publishing time, another ghost had appeared telling Scrooge to give all his money to the government and to come out in support of taxing the rich, but it turned …

2021-12-24: Reminder: Husbands, It’s Time To Start Christmas Shopping - The Babylon Bee It’s OK, though. Don’t fret. She probably doesn’t have incredibly specific wants and needs that she’s been dropping hints about for the past month. Grabbing my keys now!

2021-12-24: Boys gingerbread house.

2021-12-24: Episode 220: Gingerbread Houses Christmas Eve is well underway. Our big project this morning was building gingerbread houses.

2021-12-24: My favorite day of the year. ❄️🎅🏻🎄

2021-12-24: Report: 90% Of Dads Running Errands Are Just Doing It To Get Some Peace And Quiet - The Babylon Bee Of thirty countries surveyed, the report found that dads everywhere are just trying to chill out.

2021-12-23: The Bourne Ultimatum 🍿

2021-12-23: Porch Pirates My kids love Mark Rober. Most days, they beg me to watch his modern engineering videos on YouTube. They especially love the ones about Mark trying to outsmart squirrels in his backyard. You might know him better as the inventor of the porch pirate glitter bomb. This time of year …

2021-12-23: Putin Blames the West for Ukraine Tensions During News Conference - WSJ defended what he called his country’s need to protect itself against NATO’s attempts to encroach on its doorstep. NATO rotates 4,500 troops through the Baltics, and Russia needs to defend itself with …

2021-12-23: Biden’s Holiday Troubles Multiply as Omicron Spreads, Agenda Stalls - WSJ Mr. Biden, for his part, has expressed annoyance both in public and in private with the way the media covers him In case you had doubts that the president is completely out of touch with reality, he …

2021-12-23: Santa Clause 2 🍿

2021-12-23: LEGO inventions celebrating the end of Advent.

2021-12-23: Episode 219: LEGO Building Team For the first time, maybe ever, Benedict opened his LEGO Research Lab to his sisters. After half an hour of building together, they’ve arrived downstairs to share their inventions.

2021-12-23: Intel Apologizes After Asking Suppliers to Avoid China’s Xinjiang Region - WSJ On Thursday, the Santa Clara, Calif.-based chip maker said its letter was written only to comply with U.S. law and didn’t represent Intel’s stance on Xinjiang. Yeah, our compliance guys said we had …

2021-12-22: Speaking of student loans, I just read the fine print. Any unpaid interest outstanding on loans will be capitalized when the freeze ends. Another government program that pretends to help you while in reality hurts you.

2021-12-22: The Forever Student Loan Emergency - WSJ Unlike its last pause through January, the Administration isn’t saying this extension is final—probably because it’s not.

2021-12-22: In Stunning Blow To Democracy, Legislation Decided By Majority Of Elected Representatives - The Babylon Bee In a catastrophic blow to democracy with disastrous consequences sure to ripple throughout the free world, a majority of democratically-elected representatives decided …

2021-12-22: Pelosi Disappointed We’ll Never Get To Find Out What Was In The Build Back Better Bill - The Babylon Bee The Build Back Better Bill is thousands of pages long, and with everyone in Congress being very busy and very dumb, no one there was going to read it. But if it had …

2021-12-22: Confronting Inflation, Biden Administration Turns to Oil Industry It Once Shunned - WSJ The Biden administration says that oil companies face no government constraints on drilling more in the short run, even as it presses the companies to shift long term to cleaner forms of …

2021-12-22: How Fauci and Collins Shut Down Covid Debate - WSJ Opinion “This proposal from the three fringe epidemiologists … seems to be getting a lot of attention – and even a co-signature from Nobel Prize winner Mike Leavitt at Stanford. There needs to be a quick and devastating …

2021-12-21: Biden’s Omicron Reality Check - WSJ Opinion Wasn’t Democrats’ $1.9 trillion spending bill in March supposed to pay for more testing and treatments? Too much of the money went to progressive political groups, and the U.S. pandemic recovery has been worse off for it. The …

2021-12-21: Central Intelligence 🍿

2021-12-21: One Last Chance to Build Back Better - WSJ Opinion Unless Congress acts soon, millions of families with children will take a financial hit as Omicron surges and the economic outlook darkens. To avoid this, Congress should enact a one-year extension of the expanded CTC and use …

2021-12-21: Student-Loan Repayment Moratorium Could Get Another Extension From Biden - WSJ A spokesperson for the Education Department said it would announce whether it plans to extend the pause later this week. Seems like code for an extension is coming. Borrowers will feel great about …

2021-12-21: First day of winter. ❄️

2021-12-20: Biden Emerges as Progressive Government’s Mr. Bad Example - WSJ Opinion The virus is the most visible refutation of progressive vanity this year, but by no means the only one. Those liberal geniuses who told us they could manage the economy like a well-honed machine have managed …

2021-12-20: Christmas Tree, 2021

2021-12-20: Episode 218: O, Christmas Tree My voice is trying to come back, but that didn’t stop us from talking about our favorite ornaments.

2021-12-20: U.S. Raises Fuel-Efficiency Requirements for Cars and Light Trucks - WSJ The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Monday that it would require auto makers to achieve a fleetwide average of 55 miles a gallon by model year 2026, up from a standard of 43 mpg set during the …

2021-12-20: PirateShip is excellent. 📦

2021-12-20: I don’t know if it’s very funny or very sad that my 8yo came up with a clever COVID joke.

2021-12-20: Vast Household Wealth Could Be a Factor Behind U.S. Labor Shortage - WSJ Families that win at least $30,000 in the lottery tend to earn less in the next five years, according to a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper released in July by four University of Chicago …

2021-12-20: Now - Catholic Husband The objective is to live a saintly life. Ordinary men and women of all backgrounds, overcoming their human nature and striving for holiness despite their failings. That is the life we’re meant to live. ➕

2021-12-19: White House lights up Manchin after he crushes Biden’s megabill - POLITICO With an evenly split Senate, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer needs every Democrat to go along with the legislation, which only requires a simple majority vote. That dynamic gives Manchin …

2021-12-19: The White House Art of Furious Persuasion - WSJ Opinion The progressive whiz kids who run President Biden’s White House don’t have much sense of self-restraint—or common political sense. Their response on Sunday to Sen. Joe Manchin’s opposition to Build Back Better was to accuse …

2021-12-19: Joe Manchin Rescues the Democrats - WSJ Opinion We have to admit that Mr. Manchin’s defection also vindicates Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s strategy to support an infrastructure bill that showed bipartisan Senate deal-making is possible. We don’t apologize for opposing that …

2021-12-19: Biden’s Climate Plans Thrown Into Doubt by Manchin’s Rejection of ‘Build Back Better’ Bill - WSJ Without action from Congress, Mr. Biden could still meet the target, analysts said. But doing so would require more-ambitious state and executive-branch actions such as tighter …

2021-12-19: The Santa Clause 🍿

2021-12-19: First fire of the season.

2021-12-19: Manchin Says He Won’t Vote for ‘Build Back Better’ Bill - WSJ Thank goodness!

2021-12-19: Tech-Savvy Kids Defeat Apple’s and Others’ Parental-Control Features - WSJ Parents say the controls aren’t simple enough and there are too many loopholes. This is the essential problem. Software design has the absolute ability to create a master/slave dynamic, but the …

2021-12-18: Decorated and ready to share.

2021-12-18: Taiwan Voters Back Ruling Party in Referendum, Removing Obstacle to U.S. Trade Deal - WSJ Beijing claims democratically governed Taiwan as part of its territory. A claim that has never been factual in the 76 years since Taiwan was established.

2021-12-18: Culinary art in progress.

2021-12-18: Episode 217: Christmas Cookies We’re home and everyone is healthy again. Just in time to bake and decorate some Christmas Cookies! 🎅🏻🎄

2021-12-18: Investors Balk at Plan to Buy Coal Mines and Close Them - WSJ Citigroup Inc. and its partners abandoned the creation of a fund that aimed to shorten the life of coal mines after the group struggled to convince investors of the plan’s green-energy merits Apparently the Market …

2021-12-18: Morning garage projects with son: ✔️Replace truck side mirror ✔️Build jellybean dispenser

2021-12-18: Army And Navy Both Forfeit Football Game, Leave Billions Worth Of Equipment On The Field - The Babylon Bee In a press conference later that day, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin proudly announced that it was “the greatest football game ever played in history.“

2021-12-18: Vladimir Putin Names His Price - WSJ Opinion “The line pursued by the United States and NATO over recent years to aggressively escalate the security situation is absolutely unacceptable and extremely dangerous,” a Russian foreign ministry official said, apparently without irony. …

2021-12-17: 118 years of flight.

2021-12-17: Southwest Airlines CEO Tests Positive for Covid-19 - WSJ Stop writing these stories. This is not news.

2021-12-16: Hillary Clinton Reportedly Considering Losing Again In 2024 - The Babylon Bee ITT Tech Political Science Professor Glenn Measure commented, “Again and again, public opinion polls show that vast majorities of people would choose Hillary Clinton as the person they would most want …

2021-12-15: Psaki Blames Inflation On Little Elves That Change Prices In The Middle Of The Night - The Babylon Bee The White House is pushing back at the idea that inflation is related to any of President Biden’s policies.

2021-12-15: Meet Steve, The Last Remaining American Who Doesn’t Have A Podcast - The Babylon Bee UPDATE: At time of publication, Steve had announced a podcast about his experience being the only person without a podcast. I laughed at the title, before remembering that I have a …

2021-12-14: Toyota, in Reversal, Says It Will Shift More Rapidly to EVs - WSJ Still, it cautioned that many of its customers, especially in the U.S. outside the coasts, weren’t ready yet for a battery-powered car and might not be for some time. All of these great promises with only one …

2021-12-13: The Babylon Bee Presents: COVID Christmas Carols - The Babylon Bee “mRNA In a Manager” - Remember the birth of the savior: mRNA. An instant classic! “Ave Moderna” - AAAAAVVVEE MO-DERRRRRR-ERRRRR-NAAAAAA

2021-12-13: Just passed a woman FaceTiming while driving. That’s a new one for me.

2021-12-13: Building Back Bitter - WSJ Opinion Inflation turned out be much lower in 1983 than many economists had expected as the economy took flight, thanks to a combination of sound money and the Reagan fiscal and regulatory incentives to work, save and invest. Now Washington seems …

2021-12-13: Fed Reinforces Plans to Provide Open-Ended Stimulus to Spur Recovery - WSJ “It’s not going to be easy to have inflation move up,” said Mr. Powell. “We’re honest with ourselves and with you in the [projections] that even with the very high level of accommodation that we’re …

2021-12-13: Creating Evil - Catholic Husband God, in His wisdom, granted humankind creative powers. We can create ideas, art, and structures. Our greatest creative capacity comes in our ability to co-create new life. But when we use this creative capacity for darkness, evil enters more …

2021-12-12: Chris Wallace to Depart Fox News, Join CNN+ Streaming Service - WSJ “After 18 years, I have decided to leave Fox,” Mr. Wallace said. “I want to try something new, to go beyond politics to all the things I’m interested in. I’m ready for a new adventure.” Understandable given the …

2021-12-12: Overdraft Fees Enrich Banks, and the Biden Administration Wants Less of That - WSJ “What I’ve been telling bankers is, ‘Do the right thing,’ because you want your reliance to be on revenues you feel good about,” he said in an interview. “And this is part of the problem with …

2021-12-11: It took 59 years, but Daniel Craig did what Blofeld never could: he killed James Bond. Now I remember why I never go to the movies.

2021-12-11: No Time to Die 🍿

2021-12-11: I got a Tempest weather station as an early Christmas present. Looking forward to installing it this afternoon and tying it in to CARROT Weather. 🌪

2021-12-10: Joe Manchin’s Inflation Vindication - WSJ Opinion In any case, prices won’t decline. The rate of increase may moderate, but many business executives this fall said they planned to raise prices more next year to compensate for rising labor and material costs. This is the …

2021-12-10: National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets 🍿

2021-12-10: U.S. Inflation Hit a 39-Year High in November - WSJ The Labor Department said the consumer-price index—which measures what consumers pay for goods and services—rose 6.8% in November from the same month a year ago. That was the fastest pace since 1982 and the sixth straight month …

2021-12-09: The Stealth Gas-Heating Tax - WSJ Opinion The methane tax exposes the contradiction at the heart of Democratic climate policy: The party wants to make fossil fuels more expensive to reduce their production and use, but it doesn’t want consumers to notice who is raising their …

2021-12-09: It’s Time To Panic: Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Omicron - The Babylon Bee Omicron was ultimately named after its inventor, Bob Omicron, who works at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Seems legit.

2021-12-08: Citigroup’s Jane Fraser Expects to Shed Some Clients for Climate Purposes - WSJ Citigroup will first outline its plans for how to respond to clients in the energy industry. The bank will consider the project the client is launching, the commitments the client has made to …

2021-12-08: Biden Rules Out Unilateral Force if Russia Invades Ukraine - WSJ Asked if he would rule out troops on the ground in Ukraine, Mr. Biden said that is “not on the table.” So much for strategic ambiguity. Of course, Putin probably has Afghanistan on the brain when calculating an …

2021-12-08: Why Washington Won’t Fix Student Debt Plans That Overload Families - WSJ Terry Hartle, senior vice president for government relations and public affairs at the American Council of Education, which represents colleges and universities, disputed the notion that universities are …

2021-12-08: I’m glad that iOS 15 kept Featured Photos. I really dislike how Memories are all videos. I never watch them and it’s impossible to turn off that ridiculous music.

2021-12-08: Report: iOS Users Who Opt-Out of App Tracking Continue to Be Tracked by Facebook and Snapchat - MacRumors companies such as Snapchat and Facebook have purportedly been allowed to continue sharing user-level signals from iPhones, providing that data is anonymized and aggregated …

2021-12-07: Beautiful sunset.

2021-12-07: Saule Omarova, Biden’s Nominee to Oversee National Banks, Withdraws - WSJ Mr. Tester also pressed her at the hearing over remarks she made earlier this year calling for smaller oil-and-gas companies to go bankrupt to aid the U.S. in tackling climate change. This nomination was …

2021-12-07: Old people take gifts to their doctors. The thought never crossed my mind.

2021-12-06: Make Straight Paths - Catholic Husband The prophets tell us to make straight the paths of the Lord, to focus on Him and move directly towards Him. God knows us and knows our hearts. He doesn’t expect perfection. He patiently anticipates failures and deviation. That’s why He gave …

2021-12-05: My favorite of all.

2021-12-05: Putin Troop Buildup Near Ukraine Raises Concerns of Potential 2022 Invasion, U.S. Officials Say - WSJ Mr. Blinken suggested earlier this week that if Russia invades Ukraine, the U.S. would deploy harsh economic sanctions of a type it has held back from using so far. Golly, …

2021-12-05: Time to decorate! 🎄

2021-12-05: Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery, put on the splendor of glory from God forever. Baruch 5:1

2021-12-04: Biden Administration Celebrates Creating 2 Whole Jobs - The Babylon Bee The two newly created jobs—Ambassador to Chinese Tech Oligarchs and Communications Go-Between for Ukrainian Oil Barons—were both filled by Hunter Biden. So close!

2021-12-03: Will the Justices Let Go of Abortion? - WSJ Opinion Overturning Roe would mean returning a furiously contested national issue of almost 50 years standing to the democratic process. This wouldn’t “solve” the problem or “end” the struggle. It would bring the responsibility for …

2021-12-03: Man Excited To Add 2-Cent Gas Savings To The 16 Cents He Saved On July 4 - The Babylon Bee At publishing time, the man was saddened to learn that due to inflation, his 18 cents is now worth less than a penny. Bittersweet.

2021-12-03: ‘It’s Demo Day!’ Shouts Joel Osteen Taking A Sledgehammer To His Church Walls - The Babylon Bee Sources from the church say Osteen has been happily swinging all night, having found $599,999. He remains committed to searching for days, if necessary, to find the one …

2021-12-03: Senate Approves Spending Bill Averting Government Shutdown - WSJ then quickly maneuvered the legislation through both the House and Senate before the expiration of current funding at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. They had hours to go before hitting their deadline, why the big rush?

2021-12-02: Fauci Stresses Masks, Vaccines, Boosters After First Case of Omicron Detected in U.S. - Newsweek “We know what we need to do to protect people. Get vaccinated if you’re not already vaccinated, get boosted if you’ve been vaccinated for more than six months with …

2021-12-02: It’s a branded kind of day.

2021-12-02: Theologians Confirm: Amount Of Treasure Stored Up In Heaven Directly Proportional To Your Bible App Daily Streak - The Babylon Bee Sources confirmed that with new digital technology, Heaven will be able to track Bible reading across all Android and iOS devices, and adjust …

2021-12-02: Biden’s COVID campaign promises have aged terribly - Washington Examiner Biden didn’t hesitate to lump all the responsibility for last year’s deaths on Trump’s shoulders and label him unfit for office. So, it’s perfectly fair for us to ask the president to accept that same …

2021-12-02: Democrats and Republicans Reach Deal to Try to Prevent Government Shutdown - WSJ Democrats and Republicans reached an agreement to extend government funding through Feb. 18 Democrats have total and they still can’t pass a basic budget. They can spend and finance new money like …

2021-12-02: Omicron Reinfects Government - WSJ Opinion With Omicron’s discovery days ago in South Africa and before that the surge of infections in Europe, it is striking how reflexively governments are reverting to the strategies used at Covid’s onset in early 2020—crude travel bans, …

2021-12-01: ‘Handled Variety Of Tasks,’ Writes Kamala Harris, Struggling To Fill Out Performance Review Self-Assessment - The Onion Harris reportedly said to herself as she sat in her West Wing office and stared at the blank form, eventually resorting to a Googled list of phrases commonly …

2021-12-01: Some Professional Degrees Leave Students With High Debt but Without High Salaries - WSJ In three popular fields—chiropractic medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine—every professional program with available data had median debt loads that topped median earnings two years …

2021-12-01: Metaverse Real Estate Piles Up Record Sales in Sandbox and Other Virtual Realms - WSJ Republic Realm, a firm that develops real estate in the metaverse, said it paid $4.3 million for land in the world Sandbox, the biggest virtual real-estate sale publicized to date I’ve got …

2021-11-30: A Dubious Union Revote at Amazon - WSJ Opinion Union advocates claim to empower workers but are quick to cast them as dupes if they refuse the union message.

2021-11-29: Big day! 🎄

2021-11-29: I lost 3lbs on vacation. 🦃

2021-11-29: [Pivot - Catholic Husband](catholichusband.com/index_fil… Structure is good, but rigidity is fatal. We have to be willing and able to pivot. We have to look forward and see disruption coming, and ensure that we’re living our best lives. ➕

2021-11-28: Make this trip end.

2021-11-27: Gulls hitching a ride across the bay in the ferry’s draft. Kind of genius.

2021-11-27: Let me see if I can go find it.

2021-11-27: Choppy morning on the Delaware Bay.

2021-11-26: Racist Joe Biden Bans Travel From Africa - The Babylon Bee Voters are reporting that they are devastated to learn Biden is just as racist as Trump was when he restricted travel from China. Just like when Trump did it, Biden’s racist travel ban is obviously an attempt to …

2021-11-26: Biden’s Covid Death Milestone - WSJ Opinion Covid deaths this year have now surpassed the toll in 2020 with 350,000 since Inauguration Day. It would seem that Mr. Biden has done no better than Donald Trump in defeating Covid despite the benefit of vaccines, better therapies, and …

2021-11-25: Christmas lights going up, house by house.

2021-11-24: Nice day in town.

2021-11-24: Janet Yellen Announces Americans Can Use Promo Code ‘THANKS’ For 10% Off All U.S. Goods And Services “To activate the promo code, simply mention it to your Whataburger cashier, or visit treasury.gov/thanks. Remember, this amazing offer won’t last, so now’s the time to book that …

2021-11-24: Atlantic sunrise.

2021-11-24: U.S. Joins With China, Other Nations in Tapping Oil Reserves - WSJ The six countries combined are likely to put about 65 million to 70 million barrels from government stockpiles onto world markets, according to a tally by RBC Capital Markets. That figure is only a little more …

2021-11-23: Airpower.

2021-11-22: Daddy & Me time with Lucy.

2021-11-22: Simple Truths - Catholic Husband A child can accept and embrace the simple truths of our deepest mysteries. They should have the full benefit of the Eucharist at the earliest reasonable age, and not be denied years of sacramental participation simply to satisfy the theoretical …

2021-11-21: My favorite animal at the zoo. 🦉

2021-11-21: Episode 216: Cape May Zoo The cousins got ahead of us, but Lucy still has lots to share about our visit to the zoo.

2021-11-20: Man Crushed To Death By Giant Pile Of Cheese After Refusing To Tell Olive Garden Waitress To Stop - The Babylon Bee According to diners who saw the accident, the man locked eyes with his server and sat in stoic silence as mountains of cheese piled all around him.

2021-11-20: Made it to the ocean.

2021-11-19: How the Great Have Fallen Southwest Airlines, USAA, and CarMax used to be a few of my corporate heroes. Companies that I could rely on to do the right thing, to put their customers first, and deliver outstanding experience each time. The past decade has been hard on all three. Southwest started faltering …

2021-11-19: A Popular Tax Trick for Savers, the Mega ‘Back Door’ Roth IRA, Is Eliminated in House Bill - WSJ The IRA measures will raise tax revenue to help pay for items such as universal prekindergarten and lower prescription drug prices. What an accounting trick! They eliminate the tax …

2021-11-18: Gorgeous fall colors.

2021-11-18: A stop back in time.

2021-11-17: Biden Asks FTC to Examine Oil, Gas Companies’ Role in High Gasoline Prices - WSJ In a Wednesday letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan, Mr. Biden alleged that there is “mounting evidence of anti-consumer behavior by oil-and-gas companies.” C’mon man! Keystone XL, Green New Deal, clean …

2021-11-17: Worth the drive.

2021-11-16: Episode 215: Fall Festival We had quite an adventure this weekend and the kids talk all about it.

2021-11-16: Glasgow’s Climate of Unreality - WSJ Opinion “If [Mr. Biden] were asking them to boost their production over five years, I’d quit,” Mr. Kerry told reporters, by way of trying to square this circle. “But he’s not. He’s asking them to boost production in this immediate moment.” …

2021-11-15: Steve Bannon Surrenders to FBI to Face Contempt Charges - WSJ The indictment marks the first such criminal case for the Justice Department in decades. Attorney General Merrick Garland has said it underscored the agency’s commitment to pursuing equal justice regardless of …

2021-11-15: Apple Imposing Strict Terms on U.S. States for Digital IDs in Wallet App - MacRumors The company requires states to independently maintain the systems used to issue and service credentials, hire project managers to respond to Apple’s inquiries, verify IDs, perform quality …

2021-11-15: Scripture Before Phone - Catholic Husband Morning is a beautiful time, one that should be enjoyed slowly with good exercise, good coffee, and quiet time spent in reflection. Nothing spoils a morning like 30 minutes of swiping and scrolling. ➕

2021-11-14: Even St. Joseph needs a few friends.

2021-11-13: As with every issue, Biden claims to be a helpless bystander on inflation | Washington Examiner Opinion Just as with immigration , Afghanistan , and unemployment , Biden and his allies want us to think that he is nothing but a bystander. It can never be his fault or the fault of …

2021-11-13: Red Alert: Your Wife Just Saw A ‘Fun, Easy’ DIY Home Project On TikTok - The Babylon Bee

2021-11-12: Prosecutors Charge Trump Adviser Steve Bannon for Defying Jan. 6 Panel Subpoena - WSJ Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “Today’s charges reflect the department’s steadfast commitment to these principles.” That pardon really got to them, huh? Many have been …

2021-11-11: ‘That Boy Was Fake-Crying!’ Says Man Who Bursts Into Tears Whenever Someone Lightly Brushes His Elbow - The Babylon Bee LeBron was then immediately knocked over by a slight gust of wind, causing him to crumple like a blade of grass.

2021-11-11: Book Review: The Common Rule 📚 The algorithm served this book up to me. I appreciate cover art, but this one is next-level good. It was going to be my summer read at the lake, but the timetable slipped. There’s something about books that reach out and grab you right where you are. It came to me at a time when …

2021-11-11: What Home-Schoolers Are Doing Right - WSJ Opinion We shouldn’t accept a public education system that offers academic achievement at the expense of a flourishing life. Education is not an end unto itself; the objective is developing well-rounded people.

2021-11-11: To all who served, and the families who stood behind them, thank you. 🇺🇸

2021-11-11: How Much Do Electric Vehicles Cost to ‘Fill Up’ Compared With Buying Gasoline? - WSJ In our look at fuel only, the driver of a Mach-E saves 4 cents to 9 cents per mile. I’ve waited for this information. A great article that takes gas vs. electricity comparison head on. On the …

2021-11-10: I missed the narrow window to see No Time to Die in theaters. I can now rent and stream the movie for $20 at home. The problem is it’s 2:43 long. Geez! 🍿

2021-11-10: Episode 214: Fall Backyard Play I catch up with the big kids playing outside during nap time.

2021-11-10: Finished reading: The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction by Justin Whitmel Earley 📚

2021-11-10: U.S. Inflation Reached 30-Year High in October - WSJ U.S. inflation hit a three-decade high in October—rising at a 6.2% annual rate 3x the Fed’s target, for those keeping score at home. Inflation also topped 5% for the fifth straight month. Transitory!

2021-11-10: Just over a week until I get to drink the real thing.

2021-11-09: The GE Empire Breaks Up - WSJ Opinion GE’s rise and fall is fundamentally a story of American capitalism. Capital flows to businesses that create the most value for investors. But success is always precarious as business and technology change. Growth requires constant …

2021-11-08: Republicans Rescue Biden’s Agenda - WSJ Opinion Without those GOP votes, the bill would have failed and Democrats would have suffered another political defeat and more recriminations. Instead, Democratic leaders are moving ahead fast to focus on their $4 trillion entitlement …

2021-11-08: Good News For Dems: Biden And Harris Now Polling At 66% Approval If You Combine Their Numbers - The Babylon Bee Experts are pointing to Biden’s stellar performance on the economy, his confident leadership, and mathematical addition as reasons why his combined approval …

2021-11-08: Dads on Duty - Catholic Husband Active, engaged, and loving fathers have the power to change the world. If only we’d let men step up to the plate and crank it out of the park. ➕

2021-11-07: 5:57am, and all four of my children are awake. Daylight Savings Time is a great idea!

2021-11-06: Infrastructure Law Seen Having Small, Positive Impact on Growth - WSJ Economist Mark Zandi of Moody’s Analytics estimates that by 2031, the law will have improved labor-productivity growth by 0.03 percentage point a year. $550B in new spending well spent! This is the kind of …

2021-11-05: Why the Billionaires’ Tax Matters to You, Too - WSJ This (calculating unrealized gains) so-called mark-to-market approach is used by companies, especially financial firms, in reports to investors. Most famously by the good folks at Enron! “The income-tax deferral on unrealized …

2021-11-05: Twitter on iOS Now Lets You Easily Search For Tweets From Specific Accounts - MacRumors offers users a much easier way to search for tweets from a specific user. While the ability was previously possible using the standard Twitter search field Awesome! Now I’ll be able to …

2021-11-04: Biden ‘Perfectly Comfortable’ Paying Separated Families, White House Says - WSJ President Biden is “perfectly comfortable” with his administration paying immigrant families to resolve lawsuits Yesterday he called the news of settlements “not true” and “garbage.”

2021-11-04: Democratic leaders amp up pressure on holdouts of Biden agenda - TheHill He declined to specify how many moderates remain in that category, but said it’s enough to prevent even the rule on the bill from passing if it’s brought to the floor without resolving those …

2021-11-03: House Democrats Add Paid Leave, State-and-Local Tax Deduction to Bill - WSJ The House plan would raise the $10,000 cap on the state and local deduction to $72,500 Hooo eeee! Nice to see the Democratic Party delivering urgently needed tax relief to the ultra-wealthy! But other …

2021-11-03: McAuliffe Was Right! Victorious Youngkin Pulls Off Mask To Reveal He’s Been Trump All Along - The Babylon Bee “Hello, haters and losers!” Trump yelled. “I win again! Now I’m president of this state! Forty-nine more to go!” I love the quotes they come up with. I can totally hear …

2021-11-03: Trump Forced To Start From Scratch On His ‘Dems Rigged The Virginia Election’ Speech - The Babylon Bee “Sad! Not good!” Trump reportedly exclaimed as he watched the results coming in on Newsmax. Ugh, what a waste!

2021-11-03: The latest version of the Reconciliation Bill allows the Backdoor Roth IRA to remain until couples hit that $450,000 income magic mark. If a couple makes: $208,000 or less: Direct Roth Contributions. $208,001 - $449,999: Use the Backdoor Roth $450,000+: No Roth for you! Why not …

2021-11-03: I really, really like having a HomePod on my desk.

2021-11-03: Pelosi Says House Democrats Will Add Paid Leave Back to Bill - WSJ Some Democratic lawmakers said the party’s loss in the Virginia governor’s race Tuesday underscored the need to quickly pass both the social spending and climate plan and a parallel infrastructure bill that has …

2021-11-03: Home warranties, like all warranties, are a waste of money. 💸

2021-11-02: Episode 213: Halloween Recap I finally caught up with the kids to talk about Halloween, but things got a bit out of hand. 🎃

2021-11-01: November morning.

2021-11-01: Acceptance - Catholic Husband Acceptance is the humble admission that the great plans of God are far superior to the limited ones we have for our lives. ➕

2021-10-31: Boo! 🎃

2021-10-30: American Who Got $1,200 In Exchange For Lost Livelihood Wishes He Had Just Illegally Crossed The Border For $450,000 Instead - The Babylon Bee The Biden Administration will be sending millions and millions of dollars to families who broke U.S. law and were separated at the …

2021-10-30: Code of Canon Law - Book IV - Function of the Church Liber (Cann. 879-958) Can. 916 A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or receive the body of the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity …

2021-10-30: Rookie Move: Christian Prays God Would Teach Him Patience - The Babylon Bee At publishing time, Hamperton had come up with the brilliant strategy of praying for impatience so God would put him in lots of situations where things happen really fast and efficiently.

2021-10-30: Supply Chain Crisis Solved As Each Migrant Coming Into Country Will Be Asked To Help Carry A Shipping Container - The Babylon Bee “It’s unbelievable that only a few weeks ago the White House sent my family a personal invitation, map, GPS, and detailed instructions on how to …

2021-10-29: The Climate Summit to Nowhere - WSJ Opinion It’s incongruous bordering on the bizarre to organize a summit like this while Europe is battening down for a winter fuel crisis, President Biden is begging OPEC to produce more oil, China is firing up its coal-fueled power plants amid …

2021-10-29: The American Rescue Plan was passed earlier this year with a price tag of $1.9T. Inflation is persisting longer than expected, GDP growth is anemic, and prices are accelerating. What effect do you suppose another $2.85T in spending will have on these two forces?

2021-10-29: Let’s edit.

2021-10-29: I tried to search the 2,000 page PDF of the latest version of the Build Back Better Act, but my browser kept crashing. So I downloaded it and used Preview. Same result.

2021-10-28: The Facts on Trump’s Fraud Letter - WSJ Opinion As for the media clerics, their attempts to censor Mr. Trump have done nothing to diminish his popularity. Our advice would be to examine their own standards after they fell so easily for false Russian collusion claims. They’d have …

2021-10-28: The Summer of Stagflation - WSJ Opinion But the tragedy is that the expansion would be so much faster, and so much better for so many more people, if the Biden Administration had done nothing at all. Few signs that the playbook will be re-evaluated.

2021-10-28: U.S. in Talks to Pay Hundreds of Millions to Families Separated at Border - WSJ The Biden administration is in talks to offer immigrant families that were separated during the Trump administration around $450,000 a person in compensation

2021-10-28: Facebook to Change Company Name to Meta in Focus on Metaverse - WSJ change its name to Meta to reflect growth opportunities beyond its namesake social-media platform in online digital realms known as the metaverse. This company is as evil as they get.

2021-10-28: I’m the first appointment after lunch. My appointment is halfway over. I’m still in the waiting room. Why?

2021-10-28: U.S. Economy Slowed in Third Quarter on Delta Surge, Supply Crunch - WSJ Gross domestic product grew by an annualized 2.0% Pathetic. It was the weakest quarter of growth since the recovery began in mid-2020 Bidenomics in action.

2021-10-28: Dads on duty in Louisiana show rugged individualism still works - Washington Examiner People like the dads see a problem in their community and, instead of waiting for the police or a government agency to solve it, they step up and handle it themselves. Subsidiarity in action.

2021-10-28: Janet Yellen Pops Out Of Child’s Cake To Take His Birthday Money - The Babylon Bee Janet Yellen finally crashed out a window and disappeared after Billy’s dad convinced her there was a libertarian with a walk-in safe living next door. The kid is clearly a tax cheat.

2021-10-28: Biden Pitches $1.85 Trillion Framework to Ease Passage of Parallel Infrastructure Bill - WSJ “No one got everything they wanted, including me, but that’s what compromise is,” he said. Not really a compromise when you’re negotiating against yourself. The plan includes a …

2021-10-28: I’m thankful for clean water. 💧

2021-10-28: Man Excited For Giant Refund After Claiming $1 Million Of ‘Unrealized Charitable Donations’ - The Babylon Bee The IRS has responded by sending Chuckston a tax bill for the unrealized income from that movie script he wrote but never sold.

2021-10-27: The Senator Who Cried Debt Crisis - WSJ Opinion Democrats are happy to force Republicans to do the heavy lifting to increase the debt limit when the GOP is in charge. In 2006, for example, Mr. Biden defended his vote to let America default on its obligations by condemning the …

2021-10-27: First decent walking weather in months! 🌌🍁

2021-10-26: Greenpeace co-founder joins climate change skeptics - Washington Examiner Moore said he favors reducing fossil fuel use not because of carbon dioxide emissions, which he views as beneficial, but because fossil fuels should be conserved for energy needs that only those energy …

2021-10-26: Janet Yellen Proposes Tax On Coins You Acquire In Mario - The Babylon Bee Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has formulated a brilliant new plan to pay for Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan, which still needs to be paid for even though Biden said the cost was …

2021-10-25: Young People Say Disconnect Keeps Them From Church - WSJ Ms. Qureshi, who attends both Muslim and Catholic religious services, says gender equity, immigration rights and racial justice are important to her. She thinks sexism and antigay attitudes are deeply rooted in both …

2021-10-25: The Democrats’ Wealth-Tax Mirage - WSJ Opinion The first income tax enacted after ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment in 1913 had seven tax brackets with rates from 1% on income over $3,000 ($83,972 in current dollars) to 7% on income exceeding $500,000 ($14 million). You …

2021-10-25: U.S. to Exempt Certain Foreign Air Travelers From Covid-19 Vaccine Rules - WSJ Children and people from countries with low supplies of Covid-19 vaccines will be exempt from new requirements that foreign nationals show proof of vaccination to fly to the U.S., the Biden …

2021-10-25: Tax on Billionaires’ Unrealized Gains Will Likely Be in Budget Package, Democrats Say - WSJ “I wouldn’t call that a wealth tax, but it would help get at capital gains, which are an extraordinarily large part of the incomes of the wealthiest individuals and right now escape …

2021-10-25: A Banking Regulator Who Hates Banks - WSJ Opinion Progressives are demonizing her critics as “xenophobes,” and Ms. Omarova is playing the identity-politics victim card. She claims she’s being criticized because she’s “an immigrant, a woman, a minority.” Yet Republicans confirmed …

2021-10-25: Unglued - Catholic Husband If you wonder why society has come unglued, why hated and bigotry are suddenly spotted everywhere, and it’s because of this. When we reject the fundamental sacredness and specialness of life, acting against it becomes easy and unglued. ➕

2021-10-23: The $10,000 IRS Tax Dragnet - WSJ Opinion Recall how liberals howled about the National Security Agency antiterror program that required telecom companies to share phone metadata with the feds. Now Democrats want financial institutions to help the tax collector track your cash …

2021-10-22: CNN lied about Joe Rogan and ivermectin. It regrets nothing - Washington Examiner Never mind that CNN broadcast no pro-vaccine “public service announcements” in 2020 in response to then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris’s …

2021-10-22: An Ohio Pension Manager Risks Running Out of Retirement Money. His Answer: Take More Risks. - WSJ Mr. Majeed’s retirement system posted the same 27% return WOW! All of his “management,” “alternate investments,” and analysis resulted in the exact same result as an S&P 500 …

2021-10-22: The $10,000 IRS Tax Dragnet - WSJ Opinion “The wealthy business owners are on the honor system,” Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden says. An honor system with prison as a consequence for breaking it.

2021-10-21: The Gangs of Haiti - WSJ Opinion In the 19th century, a place as desperate as Haiti might have become a U.S. protectorate to restore order and some rule of law. Nowadays that’s derided as colonialism and would be opposed by the American left. But the sad reality is that without …

2021-10-21: Liberal Parent Trying To Figure Out How To Cheer For His Son Brandon - The Babylon Bee “I try to be so careful, but every so often in the excitement, I let slip a ‘Let’s go Brandon!’” said Bailey. “Then all the parents join in chanting, the game devolves into …

2021-10-21: Experts Warn That If Children Between The Ages Of 5-11 Aren’t Vaccinated Then Pfizer Executives Won’t Get Their Sales Bonuses - The Babylon Bee “Not vaccinating your kindergartener could jeopardize their ability to make their Porsche payments, pay off their mistresses, or …

2021-10-20: Your New Woke 401(k) - WSJ Opinion According to Morningstar, the asset-weighted average expense ratio of U.S. “sustainable” funds was 0.61% in 2020 compared to 0.41% for all open-ended mutual and exchange-traded funds and 0.12% for passive funds. Rip-off.

2021-10-20: At the airport, listening for Gramma’s plane. 🛬

2021-10-20: Updating my backpack for fall. I took some time to clean my Saddle Mountain.

2021-10-20: Covid-19 Vaccine for Kids 5-11 Will Be at Pediatric Offices, Schools Once Authorized, White House Says - WSJ The Biden administration plans to make Covid-19 vaccines available to children ages 5-11 at more than 25,000 pediatric offices and primary care sites and at pharmacies …

2021-10-20: Biden’s Real Tax Target Isn’t the Superrich - WSJ Opinion But what’s blatantly not fair is to rally support by ranting about Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and private-equity billionaires while writing a bill that mostly misses them, and mostly clobbers people already paying through the …

2021-10-20: 16 Common Phrases In The News And What They Actually Mean - The Babylon Bee “Zero” = anywhere from zero to several trillion

2021-10-20: Brave Browser Says Goodbye to Google As Default Search Engine, Replaces With ‘Privacy-Preserving’ Brave Search - MacRumors Brave Search is Brave’s answer to customers wanting a “privacy-preserving” search engine, and it’s built using …

2021-10-20: Report: Facebook to Change Its Name Next Week to Better Reflect Company’s ‘Metaverse’ - MacRumors Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to shift people’s mindset around Facebook, no longer limiting it to just a social media company but to …

2021-10-19: Apple’s New $19 Polishing Cloth is Sold Out Until Late November - MacRumors My Christmas is toast if it doesn’t arrive on time!

2021-10-19: The start of something beautiful.

2021-10-18: About to clean the attic. I’m tired just thinking about it. 📦📦📦

2021-10-18: As Afghanistan Sinks Into Destitution, Some Sell Children to Survive - WSJ Desperate to feed her family, Saleha, a housecleaner here in western Afghanistan, has incurred such an insurmountable debt that the only way she sees out is to hand over her 3-year-old daughter, Najiba, …

2021-10-18: Stony Hearts - Catholic Husband When we reject God’s plan for us, we accept a lesser existence, a life with opportunities for joy and fulfillment left unrealized. We seek comfort, God seeks adventure. ➕

2021-10-17: Oceans Thirteen 🍿

2021-10-17: Gorgeous sunset.

2021-10-17: Walmart, With Eyes on Amazon, Tries to Build a Fintech Startup - WSJ Walmart launched its own mobile payment service inside its shopping app in 2015, but Walmart Pay hasn’t gained widespread use among Walmart shoppers, a disappointment to some top Walmart executives and board …

2021-10-17: Sunday sky.

2021-10-16: Due To Supply Shortages, Husbands May Need To Begin Shopping For Christmas Presents Prior To December 24 This Year - The Babylon Bee Traditionally, men have been able to rely on the strong supply of consumer goods in this country. They take for granted the fact that they can …

2021-10-16: Episode 212: Felicity Plays It’s a cool, fall Saturday morning. I catch up with Felicity playing in the backyard.

2021-10-15: Moderna Booster Shot Backed by FDA Advisory Panel - WSJ “It’s more a gut feeling rather than based on really truly serious data,” said Patrick Moore, a member of the committee and a professor of molecular genetics and biochemistry at the University of Pittsburgh School of …

2021-10-15: Former Boeing Pilot Indicted in Probe of 737 MAX Crashes - WSJ Boeing’s settlement with the Justice Department, which didn’t cite Mr. Forkner by name, stated that the misconduct by its former employees was “neither pervasive across the organization, nor undertaken by a large …

2021-10-14: Backed-Up Cargo Ships Positioned To Spell Out ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ - The Babylon Bee “Hey wow! Look at all those really big boats!” said Buttigieg while visiting the port. “Boats go vroooom! Pretty colors! I like the blue one!” He then went back home to …

2021-10-14: Boy Who Pointed Out The Emperor Has No Clothes Banned For Misinformation - The Babylon Bee Censors worked quickly, flagging his tweet with a warning that it was potentially harmful misinformation. Snopes fact-checked his claim and found that it was “mostly false,” as …

2021-10-14: A Winter of Giant Gas Bills Is Coming. Are You Ready? - WSJ According to the Energy Information Administration, nearly half of U.S. households that warm their homes with mainly natural gas can expect to spend an average of 30% more on their bills compared with last year. …

2021-10-14: Soaring tax receipts show rate hike not needed - Washington Examiner According to congressional estimates, a 25% corporate rate would raise $410 billion over the next 10 years. Corporate tax revenues rose half that amount since February, without the negative consequences of a …

2021-10-14: Biden to meet with Pope Francis in Rome - NY Post “They will discuss working together on efforts grounded in respect for fundamental human dignity, including ending the COVID-19 pandemic, tackling the climate crisis, and caring for the poor,” Psaki said. (emphasis mine) The …

2021-10-14: Biden Administration Seeks to Expand Wind Farms in Coastal Waters - WSJ The U.S. is aiming by 2025 to lease up to seven tracts for wind farms in coastal waters between Maine and the Carolinas on the Atlantic Coast, off California and Oregon along the Pacific Coast and in the …

2021-10-13: Boom Times in the Beltway - WSJ Opinion Nearly every revenue stream chipped in more, except for payroll taxes, which were flat. Individual income taxes rose $443 billion, or 27.5%, to reach $2.05 trillion. That’s about 9% of the entire U.S. economy. As CBO’s monthly budget …

2021-10-12: Time to start the day.

2021-10-11: Terrifying New Halloween Mask Depicts A Human Face Not Wearing A Mask - The Babylon Bee “AHHHHH!!!”

2021-10-11: Perfect Heroes - Catholic Husband Heroes inspire us to live our lives more fully, but expecting them to be perfect is a fool’s errand. Instead, we should accept them for the good that they have done and forgive them for the mistakes that they have made. We should hope that …

2021-10-10: Nice day, perfect tree.

2021-10-10: White House Whistleblower Claims Strangers Drag Him From Place To Place And Make Him Sign Papers And Read Words On Monitors And He Hardly Gets Any Ice Cream - The Babylon Bee CNN has just released a bombshell interview with an anonymous White House whistleblower, who gave a …

2021-10-10: Google to Block Ads From Appearing Next to Content Denying Climate Change - WSJ The ban applies to “content that contradicts the well-established scientific consensus around the existence and causes of climate change,” Google, the world’s largest digital-ad company by revenue, …

2021-10-09: I got Flight Simulator X working on my old iMac and I couldn’t be happier! 🛫

2021-10-09: A piece of joint artwork by Felicity and Lucy.

2021-10-09: Episode 211: Watercolors I returned from my bike ride to find two artists working outside.

2021-10-09: It’s taken four homes, but I finally have a thermostat that matches the wall and requires no trim plate!

2021-10-09: I’m very happy that this is my last day of watering-in the sod. 🌱

2021-10-09: Texas Introduces Express Lanes For Guys In Cowboy Hats Driving Lifted Pickup Trucks Alone - The Babylon Bee At publishing time, sources had confirmed you could also have up to one country girl in your pickup truck as long as you’re listening to bro-country and singing …

2021-10-08: Ships Arrive From The Orient Laden With Pumpkin Spice - The Babylon Bee It’s October, and that means women in UGG boots are crowded around the ports to catch sight of the masts of ships returning from their journey to the Orient.

2021-10-07: 17 Things With A Higher Approval Rating Than Joe Biden - The Babylon Bee Prostate exams - Uncomfortable but at least they don’t last four years.

2021-10-07: Episode 210: LEGO Research Lab Benedict invites us into his lab to discuss his latest invention.

2021-10-07: Benedict’s LEGO challenge Jack o’Lantern.

2021-10-07: Updated Bipartisan Senate Infrastructure Deal: Budgetary and Economic Effects — Penn Wharton Budget Model Overall spending on infrastructure is much larger than the increase in revenues, which leads to a 1.3 percent increase in government debt in 2031. Over time, as the new …

2021-10-06: Why didn’t the vaccine manufacturers win the Nobel Prize? - Washington Examiner Lesson: Apparently, the Nobel Committee either lives under a rock or simply doesn’t care about the coronavirus vaccine. I don’t pay attention to the Nobel prizes, but this is a really good …

2021-10-06: Democrats Float Changes to Filibuster Amid Debt Ceiling Standoff - WSJ The possibility that Republicans would drag out the debate and insist upon endless votes is why Democrats maintain it would be too risky to use the approach, because it could put the U.S. too close to running …

2021-10-05: Imran Khan Explains Money Saved In Offshore Tax Haven Was To Buy Pakistani People A Big Present - The Onion “I didn’t tell anyone because I wanted it to be a nice surprise,” said Khan, who added that his cabinet members, key financial backers, and other political allies had only …

2021-10-04: Facebook’s hours-long outage had zero effect on me. The good life!

2021-10-04: Episode 209: New School Week Another showcase of the poetry and prayer memorization that the kids practiced.

2021-10-04: Stock Funds Finally Had to Struggle - WSJ Gold-oriented funds, always volatile, dropped 12.3% in the quarter, including 8.9% in September, to leave them with a 17% decline for the year to date. Gold: a terrific inflation hedge!

2021-10-04: Month of the Rosary - Catholic Husband Praying the Rosary every day doesn’t require any planning, strategizing, or optimization. It only requires 15 minutes and the willingness to accept the grace of stillness. ➕

2021-10-03: Keto bagel and lox on the menu for Sunday Brunch.

2021-10-03: Democrats’ Tax Plans Worry High-Income Business Owners - WSJ About half the benefit of the pass-through deduction goes to households in the top 1% of the income distribution, according to the Tax Policy Center. I strongly dislike how this measure of “benefit” of a particular …

2021-10-02: The Babylon Bee’s Predictions For 2021 - The Babylon Bee October 11 - ISIS takes over all of Canada Just checking in. Looks like this month is going to be a doozy!

2021-10-01: German Catholic Leaders Support Blessings for Gay Couples, Challenging Pope Francis - WSJ At a meeting in Frankfurt, German church leaders voted 168 to 28, with five abstentions, to adopt a draft statement on sexuality that includes a resolution saying that “same-sex …

2021-10-01: Troll farms reached 140 million Americans a month on Facebook before 2020 election - MIT Technology Review In the run-up to the 2020 election, the most highly contested in US history, Facebook’s most popular pages for Christian and Black American content were being run by …

2021-09-30: Ok, Boomer.

2021-09-30: Lordstown Motors to Sell Former GM Factory in Ohio to Foxconn - WSJ The two companies have entered into a nonbinding agreement for Lordstown to sell the facility and property for a purchase price of $230 million with the exception of certain assets, said Lordstown Motors Chief …

2021-09-30: Congress Passes Bill Averting Government Shutdown - WSJ Congress passed a bill extending government funding through Dec. 3, sending the legislation to President Biden’s desk hours before current funding expires and completing one of several pressing measures before lawmakers. …

2021-09-30: Book Review: A Catholic Guide to Spending Less and Living More 📚 Sam and Rob, although neither of those are their real first names, are parents of 14 living in Maryland. Sam stays home with her kids and Rob works at a tech company. Many of their kids are grown and gone, but a few are still living at home, working their way through school. This …

2021-09-29: Manchin Statement On Infrastructure And Reconciliation Negotiations - U.S. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia If there is one final lesson that will continue to guide me in this difficult debate ahead it is this: America is a great nation but great nations throughout history …

2021-09-29: The NCAA’s ‘March Madness’ Basketball Brand Will Now Include Women - WSJ The NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament next March will use the “March Madness” branding long associated with the men’s tournament, the NCAA announced Wednesday, reversing the association’s …

2021-09-29: New FAA Technology Aims to Speed Takeoffs of Planes Idling on Runways - WSJ The software tools are expected to be available at 27 larger airports around the country within five to 10 Wow! That fast?!

2021-09-29: The color orange makes me happy.

2021-09-28: Currently reading: The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction by Justin Whitmel Earley 📚

2021-09-28: Army Football’s Winning Record In Jeopardy As General Milley Keeps Giving Opponents Their Playbook - The Babylon Bee “I have always believed it’s important to give your opponent a heads up on whatever your secret plans are,” said Milley to reporters

2021-09-27: Joe Biden’s Economic Fantasy World - WSJ Opinion The Biden bill is paid for by the largest tax increase in history. You are entitled to argue that is a cost worth paying, but you can’t argue it costs nothing. It’s also fantasy to believe that taxing productivity comes at …

2021-09-27: Finished reading: A Catholic Guide to Spending Less and Living More: Advice from a Debt-Free Family of 16 by Rob & Sam Fatzinger 📚

2021-09-27: I love the patterns this spreadable butter has when you open a fresh container. 🧈

2021-09-27: Do Nothing - Catholic Husband The busyness of the waking hours keeps us all moving. While I have a lot to do, maybe I need to add “Do Nothing” to my list. Permission to stop, pull one of my kids aside, and do nothing with them for a few minutes. ➕

2021-09-26: In a Troubled U.S.-China Relationship, Moments of Pragmatism Emerge - WSJ That it appears to have taken a high-stakes deal to spring the Canadians from Chinese jails is a worry for some expats in China, who say Beijing may be emboldened to detain other foreigners in future …

2021-09-25: It wasn’t easy, but we got it done! Sod installed, dirt patch gone!

2021-09-24: Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou Reaches Deal With Justice Department - WSJ On Friday night, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said two Canadians held in Chinese custody since December 2018, or when Ms. Meng was initially detained— Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor —had boarded a …

2021-09-24: What the ‘Smart Money’ Knows About China’s Evergrande Crisis - WSJ Between its inception at the end of 1992 and this Aug. 31, the MSCI China stock index has returned an average of 2.2% annually, including dividends. Over the same period, the MSCI Emerging Markets index grew 7.8% …

2021-09-24: White House ‘Zero’ Hour - WSJ Opinion We didn’t know that when you pay for something that makes it free. Hey Alison, if you’re reading this, I’m ready for a truck. And don’t worry, “it’s going to cost nothing!” In the real world, Congress’s …

2021-09-24: Vindication Over Hunter’s Emails - WSJ Opinion This is barely a scoop, since neither Hunter Biden nor Joe Biden’s campaign denied last year that the laptop provided to the Post by Rudy Giuliani was Hunter’s. Both men counted instead on the rest of the media to serve as a cordon …

2021-09-24: All Haitian Migrants Cleared From Del Rio, Texas, Border Camp - WSJ Biden, talking about the images of Border Patrol using horses for crowd control, “It sends the wrong message around the world. It sends the wrong message at home. It’s simply not who we are,” Mr. Biden said. …

2021-09-24: House Passes Bill to Protect Abortion Rights, Countering Texas Restrictions - WSJ The Women’s Health Protection Act would stop states from enacting restrictions on abortion before fetal viability. Women can only achieve health if they’re guaranteed the unlimited ability …

2021-09-24: Retirement Savers Love the Backdoor Roth IRA Strategy. It Might Not Last. - WSJ The legislation also proposes eliminating Roth conversions of after-tax contributions to traditional individual retirement accounts starting Jan. 1, 2022. Classic Washington: aim at billionaires, …

2021-09-24: Kamala Harris Deeply Troubled By Images Of Haitian Migrants At Border Whom She Distinctly Remembers Telling Not To Come Here “It is absolutely heartbreaking to give a speech in which I explicitly directed migrants not to approach the U.S.–Mexico border and then have them show up …

2021-09-23: Book Review: Living Metanoia 📚 Fr. Dave, the author, is a Franciscan friar and the current president of Franciscan University of Steubenville, my alma mater. I picked up his new book on a whim as a late summer read. There is plenty of humor mixed throughout this quick read. I’ve never met Fr. Dave, but his …

2021-09-23: Speaking on the passage of an amendment that added $30B to next year’s defense budget: “We ask Americans and people in this country, year after year, to engage in magical thinking that defense spending comes at no real cost. It does,” said Ms. Ocasio-Cortez We really are …

2021-09-23: House Set to Pass Defense-Policy Bill With Military-Justice Provision - WSJ a requirement for young women to join men in registering for the military draft. No discussion, no public debate, just silently sneaking it into a massive bill that no one’s read.

2021-09-23: Voters Want to Curb the Influence of Big Tech Companies, New Poll Shows - WSJ 83% of Democrats and 78% of Republicans—agreed the federal government “needs to do everything it can to curb the influence of big tech companies that have grown too powerful and now use our data to …

2021-09-22: Powell’s Reappointment Credential - WSJ Opinion The median personal-consumption expenditure inflation estimate for 2021 by the Fed board and presidents rose to 4.2% on Wednesday—up from 3.4% in June, 2.4% in March, and 1.8% in December. Think of how many economists the Fed …

2021-09-22: The New Government Basic Income - WSJ Opinion Millions of Americans have received checks from the IRS this year, and no doubt they like the money. But this is like free starter chips at the casino. The point is to condition American families to government benefits before the …

2021-09-22: Idiot Immigrants Enter Country Legally - The Babylon Bee They spent their entire life savings, worked for years, took the citizenship test, and now they will have to work hard and start businesses and follow the rules. Like a bunch of suckers. According to sources, they will now …

2021-09-22: Went for a ride after dinner, first time in almost a year. Absolutely gorgeous evening, and fun! 🚴🏻‍♂️

2021-09-22: It’s the most wonderful season of the year! 🍂

2021-09-22: Biden Calls Democrats to White House as Party Splinters on Spending Plans - WSJ White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that the president would be “meeting with, engaging with, speaking with a range of members over the coming days in this pivotal period of time.” …

2021-09-21: How Renters Made Out in the Pandemic - WSJ Now, in a belated disclosure, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reports that renters’ finances improved during the pandemic. In other words, the eviction ban was never needed. Some targeted, locally driven help: yes. Blanket, en …

2021-09-21: Just another robot invention. 🤖

2021-09-21: Justice Department Preparing to Challenge American-JetBlue Alliance - WSJ Across administrations, the Justice Department for years has been concerned that airline competition is dwindling Me, too. But the facts tell a different story. Travelers can stay on a single airline for …

2021-09-21: Last day of Summer! ☀️

2021-09-21: App Library on iPad is very nice.

2021-09-20: Texas doctor performs abortion, despite state law banning abortions - USA Today In an op-ed in The Washington Post, Dr. Alan Braid of San Antonio said he performed the abortion on Sep. 6 This story shows how completely messed up this entire debate is. A licensed physician uses …

2021-09-20: Pfizer, BioNTech Say Covid-19 Vaccine Is Safe for Children Aged 5 to 11 - WSJ Pfizer and BioNTech said they hadn’t yet determined vaccine efficacy—how well it protects against Covid-19—for children in the age group. So don’t waste your time reading any of these articles.

2021-09-20: The paradox of the keto diet is that while it can feel restrictive in the universe of all available foods, there’s plenty of really delicious low-carb foods. Breakfast: fried egg sandwich with avocado and havarti cheese. 🥑

2021-09-20: Currently reading: A Catholic Guide to Spending Less and Living More: Advice from a Debt-Free Family of 16 by Sam Fatzinger 📚

2021-09-20: Nine - Catholic Husband The plans that we set nearly a decade ago and the hard work that it took to accomplish those plans is starting to show results. In a sense, we’re settling in to the life that we spent nine years building. ➕

2021-09-19: Finished reading: Living Metanoia: Finding Freedom and Fulfillment in Christ by Fr. Dave Pivonka TOR 📚

2021-09-19: Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” Mark 9:36-37

2021-09-18: Built a gate today. Not bad!

2021-09-18: Update: Drone Strike Thought To Have Taken Down ISIS Actually Hit A Chuck E. Cheese In Ohio - The Babylon Bee The Biden administration has unleashed another devastating strike on ISIS-K, blowing one of their hideouts to smithereens. A righteous strike!

2021-09-17: U.S. Military Acknowledges Kabul Drone Strike Killed 10 Civilians, Including Seven Children - WSJ The acknowledgment of the botched airstrike also underscored likely limitations of future U.S. counterterrorism efforts in the country. Military officials have insisted that they …

2021-09-17: General Milley Is Releasing A Revised Version Of ‘The Art Of War’ – And We’ve Got Exclusive Excerpts - The Babylon Bee “Keep your friends close and your enemies on speed dial.”

2021-09-17: Enraged Joel Osteen Flips Over Tables Being Used To Give Bibles Away Instead Of Selling His Book - The Babylon Bee He said to them, “My house will be called a house of profit, but you are making it a den of prayer!” Not cool. He fashioned a whip out of his collectible neckties …

2021-09-16: General Milley Rides Through Streets Of Beijing Shouting ‘The Americans Are Coming!’ - The Babylon Bee “Hey look, those Chinese generals are my buddies, they deserve fair warning—I’ve known them for ten years now, and they are always so nice to me. They were super …

2021-09-16: Amazon Is Doing It. So Is Walmart. Why Retail Loves ‘Buy Now, Pay Later.’ - WSJ “Our goal is financial inclusion for all,” said Julia Unger, Walmart’s vice president of financial services. No, your goal is higher sales.

2021-09-16: Benedict’s creature creation.

2021-09-16: Episode 208: Poetry We’re done with school for the week, so I caught up with the kids working on creative play. Benedict has a poem to share.

2021-09-15: Yellen, IRS Push Democrats to Require Banks to Report Taxpayers’ Annual Account Flows - WSJ Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig pressed lawmakers Wednesday to give the Internal Revenue Service more information about taxpayers’ bank accounts, as …

2021-09-15: Facebook Tried to Make Its Platform a Healthier Place. It Got Angrier Instead. - WSJ A proprietary algorithm controls what appears in each user’s News Feed. It takes into account who users are friends with, what kind of groups they have joined, what pages they have liked, which …

2021-09-15: Newsom Orders New Lockdown So French Laundry Will Be Available For Victory Dinner - The Babylon Bee According to sources, California’s middle-class mail-in ballots are really excited for their mail-in ballot kids to keep wearing masks at school, and for their mail-in …

2021-09-14: Record Number Of Americans Converting To Whatever The One Religion Is That Doesn’t Allow Vaccines - The Babylon Bee President Biden said that his wife is a doctor and she got the injection, no big deal. Plus, Pfizer’s CEO has estimated that the naturally immune getting …

2021-09-14: Woman Attending Ultra-Exclusive Gala For The Elite In Expensive Designer Dress Lectures Nation On Inequality - The Babylon Bee At publishing time, the woman had momentarily considered that maybe she is actually part of the wealthy bourgeoisie and not an oppressed minority, but …

2021-09-14: Labor Shortages Give Low-Pay Workers a Raise. Inflation Eats It Up. - WSJ Overall consumer prices rose 5.3% in August from a year earlier, a slightly slower pace than in June and July but still near a 13-year high, said the Labor Department. That means that for the …

2021-09-14: Democrats rush tax bills through Congress - Washington Examiner Congress spent a year and a half drafting and passing the Tax Reform Act of 1986. The Ways and Means Committee worked for six months on the bill before it went to the floor. Yet, in the next few days, the committee …

2021-09-14: The fact that Apple rearranges the cameras on iPhone every year for no other purpose than to signal that you have the latest phone is so telling of how pointless the upgrade is.

2021-09-13: Joe Biden’s Presidency Is Incredible—No, Really - WSJ Opinion Remember that vaccine that Kamala Harris said a year ago she probably wouldn’t take because Donald Trump was responsible for it? Well, now she and her boss say we’ve all got to take it or else the federal government …

2021-09-13: Democrats Release Details of Proposed Tax Increase - WSJ The changes, when combined with the expanded child tax credit available to households with no income, make the income-tax system much more of a tool for redistribution, said Lawrence Zelenak, a law professor at Duke …

2021-09-13: TransUnion Nears $3.1 Billion Deal for Neustar - WSJ The Biden administration has also signaled interest in establishing a government-backed consumer-credit firm. This is the first I’ve heard of this, but we already have 3 major credit reporting firms and a handful of smaller …

2021-09-13: When A Child Prays - Catholic Husband When a child prays, they do it simply. They don’t have an agenda, they surrender to the moment and to the weight of the words. They don’t try to come up with a better prayer or a fancier verse, they adhere to the simplicity that is given to …

2021-09-12: 2x4 is neither 2 nor 4.

2021-09-11: 9/11: Inside the President’s War Room 🍿 It took twenty years for the date to become meaningless to a lot of people. President George W. Bush Today we commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the attacks of September 11th. Two decades on, the events of that day continue to have profound impacts on our lives as …

2021-09-11: Carter’s does not deserve to continue as a going concern.

2021-09-10: Biden Unveils ‘Your Body, My Choice’ Vaccination Program - The Babylon Bee Companies will be forced to comply with the mandate until the Supreme Court strikes it down in a few hours.

2021-09-10: The Wrong Way to Target Corporate Excess - WSJ Capping executive pay at a certain ratio would raise problems too. Consider two similarly compensated CEOs, Daniel O’Day of Gilead Sciences and James Quincey of Coca-Cola. Mr. O’Day makes 76 times his average employee’s pay while …

2021-09-10: Democrats Advance Plan to Require Employers to Offer Retirement Plans - WSJ Roughly half of American households are at risk of seeing their standard of living decline after retirement, according to Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research. But wait, I thought this is why …

2021-09-10: Democrats Float Partnership, Buyback Taxes to Fund $3.5 Trillion Spending Plan - WSJ “This proposal simply reduces complexity by closing loopholes that allow those at the top to pick and choose when, and whether, to pay tax,” Mr. Wyden said. This quote perfectly encapsulates …

2021-09-09: Democrats Advance Plan to Require Employers to Offer Retirement Plans - WSJ Starting on Jan. 1, 2023, the provision would require employers to deduct at least 6% from workers’ paychecks and automatically increase that savings rate by 1 percentage point a year until reaching 10% …

2021-09-09: Transforming America in 17 Days - WSJ Opinion FDR’s New Deal programs were passed incrementally over two presidential terms with overwhelming Democratic majorities. Democrats created the Great Society over two years with supermajorities. ObamaCare was hashed out over nine months …

2021-09-09: Biden Administration Sues Texas Over Its Abortion Law - WSJ “This kind of scheme to nullify the Constitution of the United States is one that all Americans, whatever their politics or party, should fear,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a news conference announcing the …

2021-09-09: Biden to Boost Vaccine Requirements for Large Employers, Federal Workers to Combat Covid-19 - WSJ White House officials have said the president won’t mandate vaccinations for every American Just every American with a job.

2021-09-09: Biden Administration Unveils Plan to Cut Prescription-Drug Prices - WSJ To spur new drug innovations, the administration would launch an agency at the National Institutes of Health to drive biomedical breakthroughs. Mr. Biden requested $6.5 billion for three years in his fiscal …

2021-09-08: I will never understand fashion photography. Staged, awkward, unnatural, and unclear.

2021-09-08: Doctors Join the Climate Lobby - WSJ Opinion Medical journals are supposed to be forums for doctors to publish research and debate ideas. But like traditional media outlets, many are finding it harder to control their political bias. Now some 200 journal editors are showing …

2021-09-07: Taliban Unveil New Afghan Government - WSJ In an appointment that would complicate any recognition of the new government by Western nations, Sirajuddin Haqqani, designated a global terrorist by Washington because of close links between al Qaeda and the Haqqani network that he …

2021-09-07: Cool and beautiful on my walk this morning for the first time in months. The dog days of summer are over and my favorite season is just around the corner! 🍁

2021-09-06: Get Smart 🍿

2021-09-06: Incremental Progress - Catholic Husband Life is incremental progress, the great work of perfecting ourselves in the model of Christ. Conversion happens slowly, incrementally, and imperceptibly. ➕

2021-09-05: Weekend project complete: Build and hang new shutters.

2021-09-04: Fun squirrel sighting in the front yard. 🐿

2021-09-03: U.S. Payroll Growth Slowed in August - WSJ Frustrated by the lack of employer interest and understanding his jobless benefits were slated to end in September, Mr. Abdo hired a professional resume writer. His revamped application helped him quickly land a job. Growth …

2021-09-03: Fact check: Biden honored service members during dignified transfer - USA Today Based on our research, we rate MISSING CONTEXT the claim that Trump saluted the caskets of fallen U.S. service members, while Biden checked his watch. The way Biden honored the 11 caskets presented …

2021-09-03: Today is Day 90 of keto. Down 25 lbs. 🥓

2021-09-03: Hospitals Swamped With Delta Cases Struggle to Care for Critical Patients - WSJ Normally, Ozarks Community Hospital would have been able to transfer the patient within a day, Mr. Taylor said. Now the hospital is rushing to assemble the staff and equipment to create a makeshift …

2021-09-02: Why I Won’t Support Spending Another $3.5 Trillion - WSJ Opinion Instead of rushing to spend trillions on new government programs and additional stimulus funding, Congress should hit a strategic pause on the budget-reconciliation legislation. Uh, Senator, is this a bad time to …

2021-09-02: Episode 207: Coffee Adventure We went on an adventure to check out a new coffeeshop in town and enjoyed some delicious pastries! The kids also finished their first week of school and share what they learned.

2021-09-02: Psaki: ‘A Record 331 Million Americans Have Not Been Abandoned In Afghanistan’ - The Babylon Bee Critics pointed out that Biden did not uphold his promise to rescue all Americans, and on top of that gave those still trapped one less day to attempt the dangerous road …

2021-09-02: Republican Politicians Vow To Get Real Mad And Stuff Following Afghanistan Crisis - The Babylon Bee They will then send a bunch of angry emails to their email lists saying how angry they are—with links to donate to their reelection campaigns. So true.

2021-09-02: White House Solves Budget Crisis By Renting Out Ad Space On Biden’s Back - The Babylon Bee “Your brand will be seen by millions of Americans as they anxiously wonder what the president has to say about Americans we’ve left stranded abroad, inflation, the …

2021-09-02: SPAC Rout Erases $75 Billion in Startup Value - WSJ Over the same span, an exchange-traded fund that tracks companies that recently went public through initial public offerings slid 12%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 13%. Boring wins.

2021-09-01: The Proposal 🍿

2021-09-01: The Entitlement State’s Bankruptcy Dates - WSJ The Trustees report is shouting not to expand entitlements when you can’t pay for the ones you have, but today’s politicians don’t care.

2021-09-01: Cleaning my favorite window in the house.

2021-09-01: Spirit Halloween Sets Up Shop In Abandoned U.S. Military Bases In Afghanistan - The Babylon Bee “Sorry if it seems too soon,” said CEO Samuel Svengoolie, “but this is what we do. We have satellites in space constantly monitoring the surface of the earth for …

2021-08-31: It’s great to see the Taliban playing with all of the tools and toys that I bought them.

2021-08-31: China Limits Online Videogames to Three Hours a Week for Young People - WSJ The new regulation, unveiled by the National Press and Publication Administration, will ban minors, defined as those under 18 years of age, from playing online videogames entirely between Monday and …

2021-08-31: Climate Change to Be Treated as Public-Health Issue - WSJ Asked how HHS would reduce carbon emissions from healthcare facilities, Mr. Becerra said: “We will use every authority to its greatest advantage because it is time to tackle climate change now.” Not much going on in the …

2021-08-31: U.S.’s Pledge to Fight Terrorists in Afghanistan Will Be Harder Without Boots on the Ground - WSJ U.S. officials acknowledge the military has lost 90% of the intelligence collection capabilities it had using drones before the drawdown of forces began in May. Probably not a good …

2021-08-31: Robinhood Stock Drops After SEC Chairman Warns on Payment for Order Flow - WSJ SEC Chairman Gary Gensler in which he said a full prohibition of payment for order flow was “on the table” as part of a broader agency review. What’s this? A former Goldman banker doesn’t like the …

2021-08-30: Joe Biden Bets on Cynicism - WSJ Opinion When Mr. Biden announced in April that we were pulling out, he promised it wouldn’t be a “hasty rush to the exit,” that it would be done “responsibly, deliberately and safely” in “full coordination with our allies and partners.” The next …

2021-08-30: Last Flight From Kabul - WSJ Opinion The Washington Post reports that, amid the Afghan government’s collapse, the Taliban offered to let the U.S. provide security in Kabul. Mr. Biden and the U.S. military said all they needed was the airport. No comment necessary.

2021-08-30: Bernie Sanders Runs Out of Billionaires - WSJ Opinion If Mr. Sanders were to confiscate every asset of every American billionaire— Jeff Bezos’s rockets; Elon Musk’s bitcoin; Larry Ellison’s boats; Oprah Winfrey’s houses; Ted Turner’s ranches; Jay-Z’s car collection; even the …

2021-08-30: Last U.S. Troops Leave Afghanistan After Nearly 20 Years - WSJ Despite assurances to the contrary by Mr. Biden and other top administration officials, Americans and Afghan allies were left behind, though the State Department couldn’t provide precise figures.

2021-08-30: St. Joseph trophy for recognizing good work at school.

2021-08-30: Episode 206: First Day of School The kids are back to learning. Will there be a second day of school?

2021-08-30: Krispy Kreme Focuses on Reducing Debt, Delivering Fresher Doughnuts - WSJ Before those acquisitions, the Krispy Kreme doughnuts sold at grocery and convenience stores were often between four and seven days old And boy did it show! They were shiny and gross. 🍩

2021-08-30: You Are Living in the Golden Age of Stupidity - WSJ Opinion The slow-motion zombies’ assault on the Capitol on Jan. 6 was a fittingly stupid finale to the Trump years, which offered dueling stupidities: Buy one, get one free. The political parties became locked in a four-year …

2021-08-30: Good on the President and his senior leaders for making the trip to Dover to recieve home the remains of the troops we lost last week. May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace. 🇺🇸

2021-08-30: Building Momentum - Catholic Husband I don’t give momentum a lot of credit, but that’s because it’s the silent partner of success. By taking the excuses off the table, it’s easier to just do what I had planned than it is to rationalize why I shouldn’t. ➕

2021-08-29: North Korea Appears to Have Restarted Yongbyon Nuclear Reactor - WSJ “This report underscores the urgent need for dialogue and diplomacy so we can achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” the official said. 30 years of dialogue and diplomacy landed us …

2021-08-28: Op-Ed: I Have To Write This Quickly As The Taliban Is Breaking Into My Building But Biden Is Doing A Great Job - The Babylon Bee Now, it might be hard to see the larger picture over the shouting and gunfire just below me, but this operation has gone about as well as it possibly …

2021-08-28: Biden: ‘We Are Not Negotiating With Terrorists, We’re Just Giving The Taliban Whatever They Ask For’ - The Babylon Bee The Taliban guy - who by the way, was a lot friendlier than some of you so-called journalists - asked if we could leave on August 31st because …

2021-08-27: I’m glad it’s not just for me, but UPS Ground’s new strategy of letting a box sit at the destination facility for an entire day (3 if it arrives on a Friday morning) before delivery is way not cool. 📦

2021-08-27: White House More Than Doubles Its Inflation Forecast in New Update - WSJ The Office of Management and Budget said it expects consumer prices will rise 4.8% in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, up sharply from the 2% rise that the Biden administration forecast in May. …

2021-08-27: Texas House Passes Voting Bill - WSJ The bill limits early voting hours to between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. VOTER SUPPRESSION!!!!!!!

2021-08-27: Hat tip to the product team at Coke for their improvements to the taste of Coke Zero! 🥤

2021-08-27: Business Groups Withdraw Suit Challenging Health-Price Transparency Rule - WSJ “I asked the Chamber, why would a self-funded employer not want transparency in healthcare pricing?” she said. Because local competitors will simply raise their prices to match the highest prices in …

2021-08-27: U.S. Household Income Jumped in July as Spending Slowed - WSJ The checks could boost Americans’ spirits at a time when consumer sentiment surveys show concerns have risen about the Delta variant, Mr. Brusuelas said, and as inflation rises. Totally misses the point. Inflation is …

2021-08-27: Notice to Developers: You Could Be Entitled to Between a $250 and $30,000 Payment From Apple - MacRumors As part of the settlement, some U.S. developers would be entitled to receive a payment from Apple, so long as they meet certain requirements. Wow! I’ve never seen a class …

2021-08-27: The New Employer Benefit: Matching Emergency Savings - WSJ Recently, Ms. Dillon amassed enough in her emergency account to purchase a computer. Not an emergency.

2021-08-27: Americans At Mercy Of Taliban Just Glad We Don’t Have A President Who Posts Mean Tweets Anymore - The Babylon Bee “I’m just glad we have a real leader in the White House now, who doesn’t say mean things on Twitter,” said one man sheltering in a …

2021-08-26: Biden Says U.S. Will Respond to Kabul Attacks; ‘We Will Hunt You Down’ - WSJ The White House has been frustrated by criticism of the withdrawal and has been emphasizing the scope of the airlift mission in Kabul. The problem is that the Administration put itself into the …

2021-08-26: The Kabul Airport Massacre - WSJ Opinion Mr. Biden is telling Americans that Afghanistan won’t again become a terror haven, but it already is.

2021-08-26: Unnatural pauses, rambling, looks of confusion, and rhetorical meandering. The physical embodiment of this entire disaster. This was not the speech for the moment.

2021-08-26: Amortization tables are fun to play with.

2021-08-26: Kabul Airport Explosions Kill Four U.S. Troops, at Least 13 Afghans - WSJ Thursday’s bombings were the first major security incidents since the Taliban took power in Kabul and began dismantling the blast barriers and other security installations that had been erected to thwart …

2021-08-26: What Are Joe Biden’s Fixed Principles? - WSJ Opinion In his public appearances, Mr. Biden, who is properly chary of giving press conferences lest he lapse into one of his infamous gaffes, has come more to resemble the puppet in a ventriloquist’s act.

2021-08-25: Cauliflower has never looked so good.

2021-08-25: In Kabul, Private Rescue Efforts Grow Desperate as Time to Evacuate Afghans Runs Out - WSJ And countless Afghans who thought the U.S. would protect them after having assisted the U.S.-led coalition forces in the past two decades are now realizing that they will most likely be …

2021-08-25: Afghan Evacuation Drama Nears End, as Aug. 31 Deadline Approaches - WSJ Many aid organizations have been told by Western governments that evacuation flights won’t continue past Friday, as the U.S. military will need the days remaining until the Aug. 31 deadline to remove its own …

2021-08-25: Biden’s Guest Hosting Of ‘Jeopardy!’ A Disaster As He Flees Every Time A Contestant Puts An Answer In Form Of A Question - The Babylon Bee “Sorry,” he said while exiting the stage, “my staff says if I answer any questions, I don’t get ice cream.”

2021-08-25: Delta Air Lines to Impose $200 Monthly Surcharge for Unvaccinated Employees, Add Testing Requirements - WSJ to pay an extra $200 each month. The company said the additional charge will help to cover hospital stays that are more likely for unvaccinated people infected with …

2021-08-24: CIA Chief William Burns Met With Senior Taliban Figure in Kabul - WSJ CIA Director William Burns met secretly with the Taliban’s top figure in Kabul on Monday amid a chaotic U.S. effort to evacuate American citizens and Afghans allied with the U.S. in advance of an Aug. 31 …

2021-08-24: A Taliban 9/11 - WSJ So a question for those who still believe Mr. Biden was right to pull us out: Do they also believe his assurances that our loss of on-the-ground intelligence, an air base in a strategic part of the world, and an ally instead of an enemy in Kabul will all be …

2021-08-24: Fitbit Charge 5 Tracker Design and Features Leaked in New Video - MacRumors Google-owned Fitbit appears to be readying an update to its Charge fitness tracker lineup Fitbit still exists?

2021-08-23: U.S. Struggles to Count Its Citizens in Afghanistan as Biden Weighs Withdrawal Delay - WSJ The Taliban are currently screening documents on behalf of the U.S. outside the Kabul airport, and there is concern that the group may raise objections when it comes time to evacuate …

2021-08-23: Episode 205: Summer Winding Down We’re back from a late summer break to see what all of the kids are up to.

2021-08-23: The Monk and the Merchant - Catholic Husband Most of us are not called to the missionary field. Most of us are not called to travel to Haiti after an earthquake, or to Kabul to save people from the shadow of a dictatorial theocracy. But we are called to help. We can make a …

2021-08-22: iCloud storage management is the absolute worst.

2021-08-21: U.S. Considers Ordering Commercial Airlines to Help in Afghan Evacuation - WSJ The White House is expected to consider activating the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, or CRAF, created in 1952 in the wake of the post-World War II Berlin Airlift, to provide nearly 20 commercial jets from …

2021-08-21: Really starting to notice the days shortening. Last week until School is back! ✏️

2021-08-20: It is very hard to: A) Be a homeowner, and: B) need to find a good local contractor, and: C) not have Facebook. Why does every business think that having a Facebook page is enough of a web presence? 🏡

2021-08-20: The Democratic Food-Stamp Boom - WSJ A 2018 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association examined diet quality of food-stamp beneficiaries and similar low-income individuals who didn’t receive the handouts from 2003 to 2014, a period in which average benefits …

2021-08-20: Taliban Seize U.S. Weapons in Afghanistan, Stockpiling Helicopters, Guns and Trucks - WSJ “It is unconscionable that high-tech military equipment paid for by U.S. taxpayers has fallen into the hands of the Taliban and their terrorist allies” Does anyone have the number for the …

2021-08-19: It’s remarkable how different iOS/iPadOS look in greyscale. Instanteous sensory relief.

2021-08-19: Paying With a Credit Card? That’s Going to Cost You. - WSJ Large retailers generally don’t surcharge and instead pass credit-card fees along via price increases. Higher prices for everyone, just so Visa and MasterCard can get their cut.

2021-08-18: Perfectly Good Cookie Dough Ruined By Putting It In Oven - The Babylon Bee They frantically looked around for the spoon to lick, but it was too late, as she’d already rinsed it out. What a waste!

2021-08-17: These economic numbers are so lame. We should be on an absolute rocket right now.

2021-08-16: Joe Biden’s speech: Blame assigned to Trump, Afghan civil government, soldiers in the Afghan National Army Took 18 minutes to accept some measure of responsibility Passing mention of cascading humanitarian disaster Don’t worry, we’ll use diplomacy with the …

2021-08-16: US officials say 7 killed in Kabul airport evacuation chaos - WTOP A senior U.S. official said “it’s heartbreaking” to see what’s happening in Kabul, but that President Joe Biden “stands by” his decision to pull out because he didn’t want the war there — already the longest in …

2021-08-16: Humble Fatherhood | Catholic Husband Fatherhood is not about being the boss, but about accepting responsibility with love. It’s hard to do perfectly, but I can probably do a better job of it tomorrow. ➕

2021-08-15: SiriusXM makes it so hard to cancel service. Always annoying.

2021-08-15: Biden Officials Blame Trump Administration, Security Forces for Afghanistan Collapse - WSJ “The fact of the matter is, we’ve seen that that force has been unable to defend the country, and that has happened more quickly than we anticipated.”

2021-08-15: Nancy Pelosi Looks at Advancing Infrastructure and Budget Framework Simultaneously - WSJ This will put us on a path to advance the infrastructure bill and the reconciliation bill Oh look, they’re linked.

2021-08-14: Nice time with my son at Troops of St. George this morning. 🌲

2021-08-13: Currently reading: Living Metanoia: Finding Freedom and Fulfillment in Christ by Fr. Dave Pivonka TOR 📚

2021-08-13: Apple’s Software Chief Explains ‘Misunderstood’ iPhone Child-Protection Features (Exclusive) - WSJ I like Craig. I’ve never trusted him less. How is it possible that Apple is so incapable of explaining these changes? It’s like they’re trying to hide the ball. Apple’s parental …

2021-08-13: Remarks by President Biden on the Drawdown of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan - The White House There’s going to be no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of a embassy in the — of the United States from Afghanistan. It is not at all comparable. (July 8, 2021) …

2021-08-12: Book Review: The Cult of We 📚 My favorite section of The Wall Street Journal is Business & Finance. I followed the collapse of WeWork day by day as it happened. A few weeks ago, there was a longer piece, adapted from this newly released book, detailing the inside story. I ordered a copy. When it arrived, …

2021-08-11: Beautiful summer afternoon.

2021-08-11: Finished reading: The Cult of We: WeWork, Adam Neumann, and the Great Startup Delusion by Eliot Brown & Maureen Farrell 📚

2021-08-11: White House Urges OPEC to Boost Oil Output Amid Covid-19 Economic Recovery - WSJ The White House urged OPEC to boost oil production Wednesday, saying recent planned increases are insufficient as countries around the world seek to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic. NO NEW …

2021-08-11: Covid-19 Rent-Relief Program Marred by Delays, Confusion, Burdensome Paperwork - WSJ More than seven months after it was launched, the biggest rental assistance program in U.S. history has delivered just a fraction of the promised aid to tenants and landlords struggling with the …

2021-08-10: My drone skills are getting better, but I need to be better about lighting.

2021-08-10: Congress Excited To Find Out What They Just Spent $1.2 Trillion On - The Babylon Bee The $1.2 trillion dollar spending bill, which comes on the heels of a $1.4 trillion dollar spending bill, which came on the heels of a $1.9 trillion spending bill, but will precede a proposed …

2021-08-09: My son illustrated a book. On one of the pages, he drew a picture us at the dinner table. He illustrated me saying, “I love you, Benedict.” The message is received.

2021-08-09: Environment | Catholic Husband I want my children to see books throughout their day, pictures and statues of saints, and beautiful art on our walls. I want an environment that quietly draws us into prayer, meditation, and reading throughout the day. ➕

2021-08-08: Biden’s Electric-Car Ambitions Face Real-World Roadblocks - WSJ Tax incentives can help bridge the price difference between gasoline and electric vehicles at the dealership I can’t wait for my income tax bill to increase so that I can subsidize my neighbor’s new car!!!!!

2021-08-07: Student-Loan Payment Relief Extended to Early 2022 - WSJ The Education Department said that this would be the final extension. Where have I heard this before?

2021-08-06: Lawn mowed, car washed. Ready for the weekend!

2021-08-06: Privacy Whistleblower Edward Snowden and EFF Slam Apple’s Plans to Scan Messages and iCloud Images - MacRumors That’s not a slippery slope; that’s a fully built system just waiting for external pressure to make the slightest change.

2021-08-05: CBO Estimates Infrastructure Bill Would Add $256 Billion to Deficits - WSJ the roughly $1 trillion infrastructure bill would widen the federal budget deficit by $256 billion over 10 years, contradicting negotiators’ claims that the cost of the legislation would be covered by new …

2021-08-05: Apple Plans to Have iPhones Detect Child Pornography, Fueling Privacy Debate - WSJ Apple has made the security it offers users on its iPhones and some other devices a key element of its pitch to consumers, adding ever more features to safeguard their privacy. But now we’re …

2021-08-04: Legal Battle Looms Over New Eviction Moratorium - WSJ President Biden said legal experts he had consulted were of mixed opinion but the “bulk of the constitutional scholarship says that it’s not likely to pass constitutional muster.” So heck, I signed the dang thing anyway.

2021-08-04: Did a little tax planning this morning. Almost screwed that up!

2021-08-04: Bernie Sanders: Why We Need the $3.5 Trillion Reconciliation Package - WSJ Opinion It helped jump-start the economy, which grew in the second quarter at an annualized rate of 6.5%. Sanders is claiming the $1.9T party-line approved spending blowout is owed full credit for this …

2021-08-03: Biden Administration Issues New Eviction Moratorium - WSJ The CDC said its new order will last through Oct. 3, “but is subject to further extension, modification, or rescission based on public health circumstances.” Two takeaways: 1) This means at least 19 months of unpaid rent …

2021-08-03: Time to do some YNAB housekeeping. 💵

2021-08-02: Federal Labor Official Recommends Alabama Amazon Workers Hold New Vote, Union Says - WSJ Roughly 71% of workers who voted rejected the union. That’s some cheating!

2021-08-02: Man Surprised To Learn Babylon Bee Has Full Articles To Go With The Headlines - The Babylon Bee Sadly, Reed lost his job as he spent the rest of the afternoon and evening reading as much content as he could possibly consume on The Babylon Bee’s website. Luckily, every …

2021-08-02: Second New Year - Catholic Husband Back-to-school time is like a second chance new year. We can reorient, restart, and refresh our goals. That’s what I’m doing. ➕

2021-08-01: This blog is so much more interesting when I’m on vacation.

2021-07-31: My daughter very meticulously plucked the sprinkles off of the top of her cake before diving in. I’m so proud!

2021-07-30: The Last Days of Osama bin Laden - WSJ He (bin Laden) explained that killing President Barack Obama was a high priority, but he also had General David Petraeus, at that time the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, in his sights. Bin Laden told his team not to bother with plots …

2021-07-30: CDC Says New Mask Guidelines Informed by Cape Cod Outbreak - WSJ “If you’re vaccinated and you get infected and you have a fever and you’re hacking up a lung and you have a sore throat—no one would question that in that case, you need to wear a mask,” Dr. Jha said. “The real …

2021-07-30: Dreaming of quiet mornings at the Lake.

2021-07-29: Pfizer Admits The True Vaccine Is The Friends We Made Along The Way - The Babylon Bee The spokesman concluded the press conference by urging everyone to get a third Pfizer shot, preferably prior to the end of the company’s fiscal third quarter on September 30.

2021-07-29: The U.S. Economy’s Prospects Looked Bright, Until the Delta Variant Surged - WSJ Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of U.S. goods and services produced, grew at a 6.5% annual rate in the second quarter, up slightly from a 6.3% growth rate in the first three months of …

2021-07-29: Episode 204: Lucy House While at Lake Michigan, Lucy started to describe a house that she owns. I sat down to get some more details.

2021-07-29: Finally found a duplicate finder for Photos.app that works. Just a few minutes and I deleted 1,100 photos/videos and freed up 35gb. Not bad for $10!

2021-07-28: First blades of grass.

2021-07-27: Who Wants to Mask Up for Delta? - WSJ Opinion If you are a vaccinated person going about your business in most respects, it is not your job to compensate for others’ unwillingness to be vaccinated.

2021-07-27: CDC to Urge Vaccinated People to Resume Masking Indoors in Some Areas - WSJ Some in the administration and outside public health experts have said they were concerned that revising the masking guidelines could sow doubt among the vaccinated about the efficacy of the vaccines. …

2021-07-26: Spiritual Wokeism - Catholic Husband The Christian life isn’t about a life lived perfectly. It’s embracing our human flaws and, through grace, living out our vocation fully despite them. ➕

2021-07-25: Getting ready to roll out website updates. Really glad to finally have consistent colors!

2021-07-24: Trump Sneaks Back Into White House Hidden Within Trojan Ice Cream Cone - The Babylon Bee With Biden distracted, Trump has taken up residence in the Oval Office and is now issuing executive orders. A delightful read to start my weekend.

2021-07-23: It took me 6 months, but I finally got my expansive Evernote library exported. It was mostly PDFs and my personal writings. I moved the PDFs to iCloud Drive and the writing to Ulysses.

2021-07-22: Mulch and soil delivered this afternoon. Looks like a busy weekend.

2021-07-21: Currently reading: The Cult of We: WeWork, Adam Neumann, and the Great Startup Delusion by Eliot Brown & Maureen Farrell 📚

2021-07-21: 3 people on how ending the COVID-19 student-loan forbearance will impact their lives and finances - Business Insider For me, the forbearance period was a taste of what cancellation would feel like. The conversation around student loans, I think, focuses too much on the …

2021-07-21: Nelnet Bank: Because we did such a great job managing your student loans! 🏦

2021-07-20: Pure Michigan Three years ago, we took our first family vacation to Lake Michigan. It was the fateful trip that launched my 1,000 Days of Haiku project. We missed last year due to the arrival of Veronica. This year, though, we were all back together. We shared the week in the same house as …

2021-07-19: Wet welcome. ⛈

2021-07-19: Satan Confirms Hell Only Serves Pepsi Products - The Babylon Bee As one new entrant to Hell arrived, he exclaimed in horror, “AGH, IT’S SO HOT AND MY TONGUE IS ON FIRE, COULD I PLEASE GET A COKE!?” “Sorry,” said a demon on the wait staff, “we only serve Pepsi.” The lost soul …

2021-07-19: Ready to get home. 🏡

2021-07-19: Lazy Summer Days - Catholic Husband God created many things. Indeed, that first week was full of much of the busyness that we know so well. But the seventh day, even He set that entire day aside to see what He made and that it is good. I should do the same. ➕

2021-07-18: Time to start the long journey home. 🛣

2021-07-17: Until next time. 🏖

2021-07-17: Winding down.

2021-07-17: Saturday at the Lake.

2021-07-17: Cities Try to Phase Out Gas Stoves—but Cooks Are Pushing Back - WSJ “But to say that an electric stove is as good as a gas one is misunderstanding the art of cooking.” Yes.

2021-07-16: Fire on the beach.

2021-07-16: Episode 203: Live On The Shore Lucy just came in off the Lake and chatted about going out on the water. Also, a special shoutout for Gramma!

2021-07-16: Quiet morning.

2021-07-16: Vacation makes for interesting blogging. Perhaps I’ll work a bit more on making my day-to-day blogging more interesting, too.

2021-07-15: Goodnight, folks!

2021-07-15: Child Tax Credit Payments Totaling $15 Billion Arrive for Millions of Americans - WSJ “We are trusting these families. We provide the dollars,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio). “Just so we’re clear, Senator, we provide the dollars.” - Every Taxpayer But loading benefits …

2021-07-15: Sleeping on the Shore The weather this week is fantastic! A few passing showers here and there, but nothing close to the washout that the forecast called. Last night, heavy rains moved through the region and stirred up the lake. We kept the windows open while all the weather and wind moved around us. …

2021-07-15: Flying kites. 🪁

2021-07-15: Finally getting around to developing a Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. So boring!

2021-07-14: Storm brewing. ⛈

2021-07-14: Episode 202: Summer Treats A walk on the beach this morning, a trip to the bakery this afternoon.

2021-07-14: Flying Drones on Vacation I bought my first drone last summer. I was last in the cockpit of an airplane more than two years ago, and this seemed like the perfect hobby for me. Not only that, but I use my technical skills to proficiently operate the Small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS). Although I’m not up …

2021-07-14: Afternoon work station. 👨🏻‍💻

2021-07-13: Colorful close.

2021-07-13: Episode 201: Kayaking on Lake Michigan We went out on the boats and I expected the kids to be much more chatty about it.

2021-07-13: Afternoon float.

2021-07-12: Feeding time. 🐄

2021-07-12: To the Lake - Catholic Husband I’m slowing my pace, relaxing, and restoring. My life will fill up again soon after we return home. But for this week, all I have to do is nothing. ➕

2021-07-11: Sunset on Lake Michigan.

2021-07-11: Little feet, big lake.

2021-07-11: Amber waves of grain.

2021-07-10: Sitting in my guest room, windows open, listening to the sound of the waves lap against the sandy beach.

2021-07-10: Sunset on a county road.

2021-07-10: Defense Contractor Tearfully Welcomes Home Beloved Drone From Afghanistan - The Babylon Bee Veteran war drones are finally being reunited with their loving defense contractors at General Atomics, the manufacturer of the Predator Drone. I love the yellow ribbons on all of the …

2021-07-10: Americana.

2021-07-10: Local brew. ☕️

2021-07-09: Biden Dusts Off Bush’s Old ‘Mission Accomplished’ Banner To Mark Victory In Afghanistan - The Babylon Bee President Biden will land his go-kart in the disabled parking spot at the local ice cream parlor, which will proudly display the banner. Another great day …

2021-07-08: ‘Financially Hobbled for Life’: The Elite Master’s Degrees That Don’t Pay Off - WSJ Recent film program graduates of Columbia University who took out federal student loans had a median debt of $181,000. Yet two years after earning their master’s degrees, half of the borrowers …

2021-07-08: My quiet week at home is coming to an end. I’m surprised how much I was able to get done. Great vacation starts tomorrow! 🏖

2021-07-08: Michael Avenatti Faces Sentencing for Trying to Extort Millions From Nike - WSJ Thursday’s sentencing caps just one of Mr. Avenatti’s legal battles. He also faces a litany of tax and bank charges in California with a trial set to begin next week in federal court in Santa Ana, …

2021-07-08: Based On LEGO Evidence, FBI Believes Capitol Rioter Was Also Planning Attack On Hogwarts Castle | The Babylon Bee Alvarez said a review of Morss’ online social media accounts show him to be a staunch supporter of Lord Voldemort, believing that Albus Dumbledore was fraudulently …

2021-07-08: Book Review: To Be A Father with Saint Joseph 📚 Continuing with the Year of St. Joseph, I saw this title on the Magnificat website and picked it up. It was a good premise, but not my style. Fabrice Hadjadj is a French philosopher, father of nine, and regarded as one of the great modern Catholic thinkers. He is also a poet. He …

2021-07-07: Mission: Impossible - Fallout 🍿

2021-07-07: Finished reading: To Be A Father with Saint Joseph by Fabrice Hadjadj 📚

2021-07-07: OPEC, Biden and Gas Prices - WSJ Opinion President Biden’s explicit policy goal is to reduce U.S. oil and gas production, limiting the global supply of fossil fuels in the name of fighting climate change. Yet his Administration is now imploring the OPEC oil cartel to pump more …

2021-07-07: Sha’Carri Richardson Is Left Off the U.S. Olympic Team - WSJ “All USATF athletes are equally aware of and must adhere to the current anti-doping code, and our credibility as the National Governing Body would be lost if rules were only enforced under certain circumstances.” We …

2021-07-07: Updated Death Certificates Require Choosing Between COVID, Climate Change, Or Systemic Racism As Cause Of Death - The Babylon Bee Biden then immediately tripped and fell down the stairs, almost dying of climate change.

2021-07-06: Biden, Psaki To Go Door To Door On Bikes Asking If You Have A Moment To Talk About Getting Vaccinated - The Babylon Bee “Excuse me, sir, do you have a moment to talk about our Lord and Savior Dr. Fauci, and the salvation of Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & …

2021-07-06: Democrat Baker Sued For Refusing To Write ‘TRUMP WON’ Message On Cake - The Babylon Bee “All I wanted was to have a Trump-themed birthday,” said Mr. Nelson. “We had it all set up– pin the crack pipe on Hunter, a Mike Pence piñata– then the baker …

2021-07-06: To Improve Public Perception, Kamala Harris Taking Likability Lessons From Hillary Clinton - The Babylon Bee In a last-ditch effort, Hillary encouraged Kamala to start her own email scandal to keep everyone distracted and focused on something else.

2021-07-06: I love having a HomePod on my desk.

2021-07-06: Just finished getting all of my Catholic Husband blog posts into Ulysses. If that app ever goes away, I’m in big trouble.

2021-07-05: Rain incoming.

2021-07-05: There’s nothing like a clean house! 🏡

2021-07-05: 10 Great Ways To Spend The $0.16 You Saved On This Year’s Barbecue - The Babylon Bee Send it to the government to help pay down the national debt: Chip away at that pesky national debt– that grew by $2 billion while you were reading this sentence.

2021-07-05: Local coffeehouse, hot July afternoon, cold brew.

2021-07-05: A Quiet House - Catholic Husband Children are a beautiful gift and a source of great joy. ➕

2021-07-04: Yes, Trump Really Did Lose Michigan - WSJ Opinion As Democrats regained power after the 2016 election, Mr. McBroom writes, “they were quick to utilize all of it to spend two years chasing every conspiracy and specious allegation.” He adds: “I pray my own party will not repeat …

2021-07-04: Just hit print on the rough draft of the first issue of my upcoming magazine. Another great milestone!

2021-07-04: Gender Inequality: Women Will Only Save 12 Cents On Their Cookouts This Year - The Babylon Bee This is because for every 16 cents a man saves on his cookout, the average woman will only save 12 cents.

2021-07-04: A More Perfect Union The Declaration of Independence is one of the most consequential documents ever produced. The blueprint for America, the document espouses the central tenants of the Natural Law in perhaps its most well-known sentence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are …

2021-07-03: Goldeneye Enjoying in 4K HDR! 🍿

2021-07-03: Older Americans Stockpiled a Record $35 Trillion. The Time Has Come to Give It Away. - WSJ Peter Buffett said his father tells him he disagrees with some of his views about capitalism but respects his opinion. His dad makes a killing over a lifetime, gives his son $1B of the …

2021-07-03: Episode 200: Summer Vacation Our big trip starts tomorrow. But first, a little celebration!

2021-07-03: Student-Loan Holders Get Piecemeal Relief From Biden Administration - WSJ Some borrower advocates say many people can’t afford to resume payments, or are unwilling because they have come to expect a chunk or all of their debt will be forgiven. Huh. Now where did they get that …

2021-07-02: “Hey, let’s number little kid and big kid shoe sizes using the exact same digits!” A real idiot

2021-07-02: Bill Gates Announces He Too Will Go To Space Once His Rocket Is Finished Installing Updates - The Babylon Bee Gates remains undaunted and has promised there are only 22 days, 22 hours, 37 minutes remaining until launch. No, wait– 5 days, 5 hours, 29 minutes …

2021-07-02: California’s Growing Cultural Blacklist - WSJ Opinion More than 35% of Americans outside California now live in one of the boycotted states. Great! Not much longer until representatives from California’s government aren’t allowed to travel anywhere to share their terrible …

2021-07-02: President Biden doesn’t enjoy answering questions about the continued US withdrawal and the simultaneous Taliban advances. I don’t blame him. It’s a total mess. This was his call, and he owns it. 20 years is a long time. So is the 68 years we’ve been in South Korea. So is the 76 …

2021-07-02: Summer showers. 🌧

2021-07-02: Team USA Sprint Sensation Sha’Carri Richardson Fails Drug Test and May Miss Olympics - WSJ Sprinting star Sha’Carri Richardson, the best American hope for gold in the women’s 100 meters at the Tokyo Olympics later this month, failed a doping test for a chemical found in …

2021-07-02: Fun month for the calendar magnets.

2021-07-02: U.S. Shuts Down Bagram Air Base as Afghanistan Pullout Speeds Up - WSJ “We consider [the] evacuation of all U.S. forces from Bagram a positive step,” Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said Friday That’s all you need to know.

2021-07-01: Apple Activity Coaching: “Close all 3 rings 31 times this month to earn this award!” What a ridiculous goal. The monthly challenge feature is so broken, it’s clear that Apple put zero thought into it.

2021-06-30: And just like that, half of 2021 is over.

2021-06-29: Supreme Court Says Students Who Identify As Teachers Must Be Allowed To Use Teacher’s Lounge - The Babylon Bee since self-identifying as a teacher clearly makes him a teacher, the ban violated his rights under the Equal Employment Opportunity Act.

2021-06-29: Professors Say Proper Grammar Is Racist. This Is Why Their Wrong - The Babylon Bee This is why their wrong.

2021-06-28: Episode 199: Doctor Lucy I went in for a check-up and things did not go according to plan.

2021-06-28: Kim Jong Un Lost Some Weight—and North Koreans Are Alarmed - WSJ South Korean officials have recently said they noticed no significant change to Mr. Kim’s health. Let’s check with the pre-eminent breakers of all North Korean news, TMZ, and get their take.

2021-06-28: Regret - Catholic Husband I prefer not to have good years and bad years, I want great years. I want years when I have the energy and clarity of mind to take care of my kids, my household, and still have enough gas in the tank to play. ➕

2021-06-27: Currently reading: To Be A Father with Saint Joseph by Fabrice Hadjadj 📚

2021-06-27: I just finished the first draft of my latest project. I always get a great sense of relief when I hit this milestone in the publishing process.

2021-06-27: Americans Are Leaving Unemployment Rolls More Quickly in States Cutting Off Benefits - WSJ Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said the benefits were helpful during the height of the pandemic, but their continuation has “worsened the workforce issues we are facing.” Well, well, well. The …

2021-06-26: I washed the windows today. That was terrible.

2021-06-25: 90 Percent of Student Loan Borrowers Say They’re Not Ready to Restart Payments: Survey - Newsweek A new survey from the advocacy group Student Debt Crisis found that 9 in 10 borrowers are not prepared to start paying off their loans again on October 1. They’ve been …

2021-06-25: Book Review: The Mindful Catholic 📚 I’m planning on getting back into my mindfulness routine as the other pieces of my wellness routine fall into place. I picked this book up sometime last year and just now got around to reading it. Written by a clinical psychologist, Dr. Bottaro did an excellent job combining the …

2021-06-25: Saving for Retirement? Now You Can Bet on Bitcoin. - WSJ In a recent survey of more than 500 financial advisers conducted by the Financial Planning Association and two other organizations, 14% of the advisers said they use or recommend cryptocurrency Maybe a good time to fire …

2021-06-24: Finished reading: The Mindful Catholic: Finding God One Moment at a Time by Gregory Bottaro, Ph.D. 📚

2021-06-24: Party Controlling Executive, Legislative Branches Blames Minority Party For Everything Going Wrong - The Babylon Bee “We could have resisted Donald Trump at every turn, but we chose to take the high road and helped him make America great again,” Pelosi said. “And how do those …

2021-06-24: The start of something delicious. 🥚🧀🍄🧅

2021-06-23: Huge Spike In Americans Buying F-15s After Biden Suggests You’ll Need Them To Overthrow Government - The Babylon Bee All over the nation, American citizens were seen parking their brand-new F-15s in their driveways and garages. I almost picked one up on GovDeals, but I …

2021-06-23: Renters Could Collect Home Down-Payment Points With Credit Card - WSJ The card program also attempts to incentivize non-rent spending by increasing the rewards for rent when cardholders spend more on everything else. Mastercard declined to elaborate further on how it will profit …

2021-06-23: Afghan Government Could Collapse Six Months After U.S. Withdrawal, New Intelligence Assessment Says - WSJ The U.S. intelligence community concluded last week that the government of Afghanistan could collapse as soon as six months after the American military withdrawal from the …

2021-06-23: Biden Administration Removes Fannie, Freddie Overseer After Court Ruling - WSJ The White House decision to replace Mark Calabria as head of the FHFA paves the way for President Biden to install his own appointee to oversee Fannie and Freddie, which are regulated by the agency …

2021-06-23: Book Review: Financial Boot Camp 📚 I added the White Coat Investor Podcast to my playlist a few months ago and really enjoy the show. The content is pretty wonky in a way that’s good. Ideas and insights are offered for me to think about and very specific questions are answered completely. I decided to throw this …

2021-06-23: Fresh cut.

2021-06-23: Apple Says Allowing Sideloading on iPhone Would Expose Users to Serious Privacy and Security Risks - MacRumors Apple added that allowing sideloading would potentially force users to accept privacy and security risks, because some apps necessary for work, school, or other tasks …

2021-06-22: Finished reading: The White Coat Investor’s Financial Boot Camp: A 12-Step High-Yield Guide to Bring Your Finances Up to Speed by James M Dahle 📚

2021-06-22: The Attack on an Alzheimer’s Drug - WSJ Opinion The hostility to Aduhelm illustrates the healthcare paternalism of American progressives. They believe we spend too much money on old people. They want to put the government in charge of paying for all health care, and then put …

2021-06-21: There is a direct correlation between the amount of time I spend reading books and the amount of writing I do.

2021-06-21: Users Underwhelmed by iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, Survey Suggests - MacRumors Less than one percent of respondents thought that iMessage’s “Shared with You” feature, Health app upgrades including fall-risk metrics and data sharing, and improvements to Apple Maps with …

2021-06-21: Son built a LEGO with a flag.

2021-06-21: Today will be my 2,000th consecutive day of journaling.

2021-06-21: A Father’s Love - Catholic Husband The true measure of a man, and his success as a father, begins simply. It’s his presence. In words and deeds, on good days and bad, he’s there, ready to give his family whatever they need. ➕

2021-06-20: The Filibuster Helps Nobody, and That Means You - WSJ Opinion Eliminating the Senate filibuster would end the freedom of America’s political innocents. The lives that political nobodies spend playing, praying, fishing, tailgating, reading, hunting, gardening, studying and caring …

2021-06-20: I bought 30 cedar planks from Lowe’s on May 25th to be delivered to my house tomorrow. I paid $7.32 per board. I just checked the price: they’re now selling for $11.57 each. That’s a 58% price increase in four weeks. Buckle up, America.

2021-06-20: I woke up just before midnight with a bad dream about a home invasion. As I got back into bed and the thoughts started to cloud up, I remembered my mindfulness training and was able to quiet things down in just a few minutes. Nice tools to have!

2021-06-20: I’d set an informal deadline to publish something in September. I didn’t think I was going to make it, but all of the sudden, it’s possible again!

2021-06-20: Colorado Lets Cities Set Their Own Gun Laws, and Boulder Plans to Move Quickly - WSJ Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed legislation Saturday making Colorado the first state to repeal what is known as a pre-emption law. This is terrible. Pre-emption laws dramatically reduce the …

2021-06-19: Currently reading: The Mindful Catholic: Finding God One Moment at a Time by Gregory Bottaro, Ph.D. 📚

2021-06-19: Tips to Stop Your Kids From Using Your Credit Card on Videogames - WSJ “I thought we had an agreement with our boys that if they were interested in buying something, they’d ask us.” You mean a 10 and 12 year old didn’t do exactly as they were told? Gasp! This article should be …

2021-06-19: Treat for the summer readers.

2021-06-19: Future of U.S. Healthcare Is Playing Out in Nevada - WSJ Nevada recently adopted a law that increases the state’s role in healthcare Healthcare and health insurance are completely different things. Still not sure why over a decade later we haven’t figured this out.

2021-06-18: Book Review: Black List 📚 I was looking for something a little light as summer begins and my beach trip draws near. I forgot how dark these books can get. It was a fine read but, you know, I was looking for escapism, not dread. Would I recommend: NO ISBN: 978-1439193020

2021-06-18: Bishops Advance Effort That Could Restrict Communion for Biden - WSJ The controversial measure, which had drawn objections from the Vatican and from Pope Francis’s strongest allies among the U.S. bishops, required only a simple majority but passed with 73%, or 168, of the 229 …

2021-06-18: HUD Aims to Boost Homeownership for Buyers With Higher Student Debt - WSJ The surge in student debt over the past two decades has coincided with historically low homeownership rates among younger households. So the solution is to loan more money to people who are already having …

2021-06-17: Is There a Central Banker in the House? - WSJ Opinion Near-zero rates and asset purchases were sold as a response to the pandemic emergency. With Covid-19 fading and the economy’s health improving, shouldn’t the Fed be returning quickly to normal—or at least to a slightly less …

2021-06-17: Finished reading: Black List by Brad Thor 📚

2021-06-17: Episode 198: Dungeon An episode that almost never aired.

2021-06-17: ProPublica’s Plan for a Poorer America - WSJ Opinion ProPublica laments that taxpayers are acting “perfectly legally” in not paying a federal wealth tax, which doesn’t exist. Experts in conflation wrote that PP piece Private investment has created $32 trillion of equity wealth …

2021-06-17: I didn’t think that moving my daughter to sleep in the office would be so disruptive to my productivity. Totally worth the quiet sleep at night, tho. 🛌

2021-06-17: Supreme Court Exempts Catholic Foster-Care Agency From Nondiscrimination Law - WSJ Philadelphia prevailed in lower courts, but the Supreme Court, particularly with the arrival of three Trump appointees since 2017, has repeatedly found that secular laws and regulations must yield …

2021-06-17: Book Review: Father Brown Reader 📚 These short mystery stories were adapted from GK Chesterton’s originals. They were challenging to read at times, but overall well done. Good book to read aloud with your kids. Would I recommend: YES ISBN: 978-0976638674

2021-06-16: The California and Texas Greenouts - WSJ Opinion Millions of Texans lost power in February amid an Arctic blast that froze power plant equipment including wind turbines. Climate activists blamed fossil-fuel plants for not rescuing the state though they supplied power that more …

2021-06-16: Number of things on AppleTV+ I’d like to watch: 0. Number of dollars I’ve paid for months of access: $0. Coincidence?

2021-06-16: Global Tax Deal Holdouts Face Squeeze Under Biden Administration Plan - WSJ The Shield is closely tied to the rest of the Biden agenda. The harder it is for corporate income to escape the U.S., the easier it is for Democrats to raise the corporate tax rate without driving …

2021-06-15: Kim Jong Un Attends Ivy League University To Learn New Brainwashing Techniques - The Babylon Bee According to experts, Ivy League schools in America boast the world’s finest anti-Western propaganda and brainwashing techniques. The North Korean dictator expressed hope that …

2021-06-15: Plants are remarkably resilient.

2021-06-14: Day One was bought by Automattic, thus highlighting the impermanence of technology. You just can’t trust that a tool that you use today will be around or function in the same way tomorrow.

2021-06-14: Sprinting - Catholic Husband Long-term goals are challenging to stick with, but they tend to be the most important ones in our lives. Along the way, especially in the lonely middle, it’s tempting to get lazy or even give up. The hope for a better tomorrow starts to wane. But as …

2021-06-13: At G-7 Summit, Boris Johnson Can’t Shake Off Brexit - WSJ President Biden, while reaffirming the special relationship with Britain, made a show of striking up a close partnership with French President Emmanuel Macron and described the EU as “incredibly strong and vibrant.” …

2021-06-13: High-Speed Trader Virtu Fires Back at Critics Amid Meme-Stock Frenzy - WSJ Payment for order flow is fundamentally flawed because it poses a conflict of interest for brokers, said Tyler Gellasch, executive director of Healthy Markets Association, a trade group for institutional …

2021-06-13: People Who Ruined World’s Economies Gather To Discuss How To Fix World’s Economies - The Babylon Bee The very people who implemented anti-science policies that simultaneously did nothing to stop COVID and ruined millions of livelihoods gathered to enjoy their triumph …

2021-06-13: The Babylon Bee Guide To Crypto - The Babylon Bee You never have to worry about using your wallet because there’s no physical money to keep track of. All you have to do is remember one simple 38-character hexadecimal password, answer the bridgekeeper’s five three …

2021-06-12: Low Taxes Brought Ireland Prosperity. A Global Tax Deal Now Threatens It. - WSJ Should the G-7 reforms take effect, other, poorer countries would be barred from following Ireland’s path to greater prosperity.

2021-06-11: Currently reading: Black List by Brad Thor 📚

2021-06-11: Why We Can’t Move On From Jan. 6 - WSJ Opinion If you weren’t appalled by what happened that day, you have given up on American democracy. What an asinine thing to say.

2021-06-11: Apple Subpoenas Prompt Democratic Call for William Barr, Jeff Sessions to Testify - WSJ House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff have called for an investigation into the Justice Department’s pursuit of the communications data, first …

2021-06-10: Cryptocurrency Comes to Retirement Plans as Coinbase Teams Up With 401(k) Provider - WSJ ForUsAll Inc., a 401(k) provider, announced earlier this month a deal with the institutional arm of Coinbase Global Inc., a leading cryptocurrency exchange, that will allow workers in plans …

2021-06-10: Finished reading: The Father Brown Reader: Stories from Chesterton by G.K. Chesterton 📚

2021-06-10: The Ruthless Cyber Gang Behind the Hospital Ransomware Crisis - WSJ Hospitals now depend heavily on computers after an aggressive push in the last dozen years to digitize patient records and as manufacturers increasingly add features to connect medical devices over computer …

2021-06-10: Episode 197: Super Kids My children disappeared and there superheroes are suddenly in my house.

2021-06-10: America’s Energy Gift to Dictators - WSJ Opinion Electric vehicles would have to make up 60% of worldwide car sales by 2030, according to a recent International Energy Agency report. “You have 800 million people who do not have access to electricity. You can’t say that they have …

2021-06-09: Making Estimated Tax Payments with IRS DirectPay is really easy. They do a good job of making sure that the payments are credited properly.

2021-06-09: Book Review: Redefining Anxiety 📚 To my knowledge, this is Dr. John Delony’s first book. It was billed as a “Quick Read,” and it was. Short, to the point, pretty practical. Dr. Delony has two doctorates, one of which is in counseling. He writes about his personal experience with anxiety and then shares some of …

2021-06-09: Keystone XL Oil Project Abandoned by Developer - WSJ It is a win for environmentalists who have campaigned to block new pipeline construction as a way to limit oil consumption that contributes to global warming. We are on a bullet train to human misery with nothing but artist …

2021-06-09: SEC Pursuing Broad Review of Stock-Market Structure, Chairman Says - WSJ The Securities and Exchange Commission is considering changing rules that govern how U.S. stocks are traded, including pricing incentives that exchanges and brokers use to attract orders, Chairman Gary …

2021-06-08: Republicans Propose Vaccination-By-Mail Program - The Babylon Bee “Everyone will be able to receive the vaccine without having to miss work to travel to a vaccination site where they will wait in line for hours,” McConnell noted. “Best of all, nobody will be subjected to any …

2021-06-08: IRS Is Investigating Release of Tax Information of Wealthy Americans - WSJ ProPublica, a nonprofit news organization, published details about the reported income and tax payments of some of the richest Americans Very low class. “The big picture is this data shows that the …

2021-06-08: One of the defining features of Ancient Greek philosophy is it’s willingness to be challenged, questioned, and explored. Many of the great texts from this school are nothing more than dialogues between two or more characters debating its merits. The enduring lines of human …

2021-06-07: iOS 15 ‘iCloud Private Relay’ Feature Won’t Be Available in China, Belarus, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and More - MacRumors Courage!

2021-06-07: On the privacy front, it was good to see that Apple is still taking the fight to tracking. Last year: websites and apps. This year: email marketers.

2021-06-07: Did Louis DeJoy take over for Tim Cook because they really mailed in the updates at WWDC this year.

2021-06-07: Faith Enrichment - Catholic Husband If we want our kids to grow up into mature adults who take ownership of their faith, we need to go the extra mile in exposing them to it while they’re young. ➕

2021-06-06: Finished reading: Redefining Anxiety: What It Is, What It Isn’t, and How to Get Your Life Back by Dr. John Delony 📚

2021-06-06: The odds that Apple will roll in with iOS 15 and have food tracking and mindfulness be on par with LoseIt! or Headspace are about 0%. Look at how lame sleep tracking is on watchOS. Basically meaningless.

2021-06-06: I could not get this salad out of my head on my walk.

2021-06-05: G-7 Nations Agree on New Rules for Taxing Global Companies - WSJ For advocates, a minimum tax rate would end what they say is a “race to the bottom” in recent decades as countries engaged in competitive rounds of tax cuts to draw businesses away from each other. In other words, …

2021-06-05: Facebook’s New Trump Rules - WSJ Opinion This comes the week after Facebook was forced, in embarrassing fashion, to reverse its censorship of commentary about the origins of the coronavirus after the “expert” consensus ruling out a lab leak collapsed. Still hard to believe that …

2021-06-05: Apple Staff Complain About Plans for Return to Office Work in Letter to Tim Cook - MacRumors Without the inclusivity that flexibility brings, many of us feel we have to choose between either a combination of our families, our well-being, and being empowered to do our best work, …

2021-06-04: While Student Loan Payments Are Paused, Do These Things With the Extra Money - TIME Experts say now is the time to stop holding your breath for student loan relief and instead focus on getting your finances in order. Gasp.

2021-06-04: Morning show. 🎭

2021-06-04: Not sure why Trump shut down his blog. Judging the value of a website based on “social interactions” is a huge mistake.

2021-06-03: Nice contrast on the front door. 🦩

2021-06-03: Given the maturity of HomeKit, I still get accessories saying “No Response” way too frequently.

2021-06-02: Israel-Gaza Conflict Spurs Bitcoin Donations to Hamas - WSJ The Palestinian militant group Hamas has seen a surge in cryptocurrency donations since the start of the armed conflict with Israel last month, a senior official with the group said, exploiting a trend in online …

2021-06-01: Nice to have help on doctor appointment days!

2021-05-31: Summer is here. ☀️

2021-05-31: Team - Catholic Husband Marriage is broadly misunderstood, either as a committed friendship or some sort of business arrangement. There’s something very romantic about teamwork that’s so natural that it’s almost imperceptible. We’re a team in every sense of the word. ➕

2021-05-30: I know that I’m a long time away from being able to fully focus at Mass. So the days when family are around to help, it’s very nice.

2021-05-29: Kids are very excited about special visitors!

2021-05-28: Biden Budget Said to Assume Capital-Gains Tax Rate Increase Started in Late April - WSJ President Biden’s expected $6 trillion budget assumes that his proposed capital-gains tax rate increase took effect in late April, meaning that it would already be too late for high-income …

2021-05-28: Biden Budget Plan Would Remove Ban on Federal Funds for Abortion - WSJ The president’s budget, released Friday, doesn’t include the 1976 Hyde Amendment, which bars federal funding for abortion Unity! While this marked the first time in decades that a president sought to strip …

2021-05-28: Amazon and Walmart Have an Rx for Healthcare. The Cure Won’t Be Easy. - WSJ Artificially high costs are passed on to patients, employers and taxpayers in the form of higher premiums and deductibles. And because many Americans get insurance via their employer, those who are …

2021-05-27: It’s a Travesty to Compare the Capitol Siege to 9/11 - WSJ Opinion We are living in perilous times. When a modern democracy deploys forces of intimidation—whether government, corporate media or cultural institutions—to promote the ruling majority’s propaganda, it is time for …

2021-05-27: Facebook Now Banning Anyone Who Says Virus Wasn’t Created In Wuhan Lab - The Babylon Bee Mark Zuckerberg, may he live forever, announced the change from his royal throne today to a group of reporters gathered in his royal throne room. This total reversal is one of the …

2021-05-27: Apple Watch Series 3 Owners Now Required to Perform Restore When Updating Due to Storage Constraints - MacRumors Apple Watch Series 3 owners who update their devices to a new version of watchOS are prompted to unpair and re-pair the Apple Watch from the iPhone during the update …

2021-05-27: U.S. Won’t Rejoin Open Skies Treaty With Russia - WSJ The Biden administration has decided not to rejoin the Open Skies agreement with Russia after concluding that Russian violations of the deal and failure to take action to return to compliance undermined the pact Well, well, …

2021-05-27: The Proxy Coup at Exxon - WSJ Opinion Liberals in wealthy countries including the U.S. want to ban the internal-combustion engine. But Nigeria’s poor won’t be buying Teslas. Neither will America’s poor and middle class.

2021-05-27: Dr. Fauci Gets In Heated Debate With Seventeen Previous Versions Of Himself - The Babylon Bee “The virus was created in a lab!” present-day Fauci said indignantly, causing past Fauci to wag his finger and shake his head emphatically. “No, no, no, that’s a …

2021-05-27: New Amazon Bond Film Will Feature 007 Assassinating Small Business Owners - The Babylon Bee The franchise will also do away with “Q,” from whom Bond usually gets all his cool gadgets. Instead, he will order his spy tools on Amazon Prime to be delivered by drone, in …

2021-05-26: The Virus Lab Theory’s New Credibility - WSJ Opinion The public-health clerisy also set boundaries for allowable discussion. On Feb. 19, 2020, the Lancet published a statement by scientists condemning “conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin.” …

2021-05-26: Democrats Are the Anticrime Party - WSJ Opinion I couldn’t find a pull quote for this article. It is so off-base as to be laughable. The Trump Administration was no saint, but to attempt to conflate the massive uptick in violent crime in US cities in 2020 with Trump’s behavior is …

2021-05-26: These Apple App Store privacy labels are super useful.

2021-05-25: Ban Cryptocurrency to Fight Ransomware - WSJ It is no coincidence that ransomware attacks exploded with the emergence of cryptocurrency. I agree with this idea.

2021-05-25: I understand the necessity of check holds. But when a customer you’ve personally known for 2 years brings you a check from a national business, what are the real odds of it being fraudulent?

2021-05-24: The Leatherman Free series is amazing.

2021-05-24: Kill the Golden Calf - Catholic Husband When you strip away the rhetoric and the one-liners, we can actually find a great deal of common ground. We can take opportunities to work together, to give a little, and to agree to a compromise that takes us both closer to where we want …

2021-05-23: Old faithful.

2021-05-22: Maybe we should go on vacation to Robot City. Looks friendly enough!

2021-05-22: Rebellion in the Faculty Lounge - WSJ The academic world has become increasingly disconnected from the applied world Understatement of the millennium.

2021-05-21: Saw my first firefly of the season this evening.

2021-05-20: Currently reading: Redefining Anxiety: What It Is, What It Isn’t, and How to Get Your Life Back by Dr. John Delony 📚

2021-05-20: Overheard while wife dictates notes, ”His knee has been acting up recently. It has been that way ever since he fell out of a deer stand…” That’s rural medicine for you.

2021-05-20: Apple Shares New ‘Tracked’ Ad With Humorous Real-World Analogy of App Tracking Transparency - MacRumors This is an incredible ad.

2021-05-20: House Passes Bill Funding Security Enhancements at Capitol by One Vote - WSJ The families of the late Reps. Ron Wright (R., Texas) and Alcee L. Hastings (D., Fla.) would get $348,000 in death gratuities if the bill became law. Neither congressman died in connection with Jan. 6, …

2021-05-20: Luke Skywalker Condemned For Blowing Up Associated Press Office Located On Death Star - The Babylon Bee Footage of journalists frantically evacuating was quickly broadcast on Imperial channels around the galaxy to garner sympathy for the reporters and turn the public against the …

2021-05-19: Whenever possible, I try to buy direct from companies and not resort to the default of buying at Amazon or Walmart. I ordered a case from Otterbox 12 days ago. The last time the shipment was scanned was at my local post office 8 days ago. It’s lost, it’s never getting …

2021-05-19: Book Review: Agent Sonya 📚 Ben Macintyre is one of my most read, and favorite, authors. He writes about WWII and Cold War era espionage, subjects that I find fascinating. I learned about his latest book in the pages of The Wall Street Journal. I must confess, I did not enjoy this book. It took me months to …

2021-05-19: What an exciting, whirlwind day.

2021-05-19: Impromptu picnic at the park. 🧺

2021-05-18: Finished reading: Agent Sonya by Ben Macintyre 📚

2021-05-17: Did Biden Peak on Inauguration Day? - WSJ The sudden change in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s mask advice has undermined the administration’s claim to be governed at all times by data and facts. It has revealed to a wider audience what some of us knew all …

2021-05-17: AirPods, AirPods Max and AirPods Pro Don’t Support Apple Music Lossless Audio - MacRumors Listening to lossless audio on an iPhone will require wired headphones and it’s possible an additional dongle will be needed to get the best sound quality. It’s worth …

2021-05-17: Supreme Court Rules for Oil-and-Gas Companies Fighting Climate Lawsuit - WSJ Justice Samuel Alito didn’t participate in the case. His public financial disclosures indicate that he has investment holdings in the energy sector that would prohibit him from considering the lawsuit. …

2021-05-17: Invest Today - Catholic Husband If I want to raise those healthy, functional adults, I need to take the time to invest in my children and our relationship today. ➕

2021-05-16: Sunday afternoon storms roll through as I sit with the big kids in the living room reading books. ⛈

2021-05-16: Eight Warning Signs You Might Be Sharing Office Space With Terrorists - The Babylon Bee The tenants upstairs are constantly disrupting things with their loud footsteps and their rocket launches off the roof. - Upstairs tenants are the worst! Don’t make the same mistake …

2021-05-16: China Lands Alluring Female Mars Rover To Steal Secrets From NASA Rover - The Babylon Bee Early reports suggest Perseverance may already be smitten by the Chinese rover, as he keeps following her around and focusing his digital camera on her. ”Focus, Perseverence, …

2021-05-16: Oops! AP Reporter Forgets To Remove Hamas Headband Before Going Live - The Babylon Bee “Sorry folks, technical difficulties. As I was saying, Israel and its supporters in the United States have a lot to answer for in the deliberate targeting of the free press.” AP …

2021-05-15: Coda A three year journey, Comes to a beautiful close. The art is complete.

2021-05-15: I got this Victorinox Classic SD for my bag to take care of the kids while on the go. I hope that they enjoy the design.

2021-05-15: 1,000 Days of Haiku In the summer of 2018, we took a vacation with Alison’s family to Lake Michigan. In a beach house perched on a hill, we enjoyed an idyllic week of swimming, kayaking, sunset walks on the beach, and blueberry picking. Even in the heat of the August sun, the lake breeze kept us …

2021-05-15: Episode 196: Robot Suit Benedict has a new costume and Felicity has some very important information to share.

2021-05-14: Time Outside Outside play is loved, But running gets them all hot! Short, frequent play breaks.

2021-05-14: Why the CDC Told Fully Vaccinated Americans They Didn’t Need to Wear Face Masks Anymore - WSJ It will likely be especially difficult in public settings like stores or workplaces, health researchers say, since there isn’t an easy way to determine who is fully vaccinated. This is …

2021-05-14: U.S. Businesses Aren’t Budging on Face Masks, for Now - WSJ Federal health regulators opened the door for many Americans to take off their masks. Much of the business community isn’t quite ready to step through. When the CDC told us to wear masks, everyone said we must FOLLOW …

2021-05-14: Middle Easterners Run For Bomb Shelters After Learning U.S. Suffering Oil Shortages - The Babylon Bee “They’re running out of gasoline? We’re in danger! Ruuuun!!!” shouted one man in Syria as he grabbed his wife’s hand and urged his kids to run into …

2021-05-14: Friend of the day.

2021-05-13: Returns Getting money back, It’s a wonderful feeling. Skip “buy” next time?

2021-05-13: Benedict’s Art from yesterday. His drawings are now quite intricate.

2021-05-13: Fully Vaccinated People Can Stop Wearing Face Masks, Physical Distancing in Most Settings, CDC Says - WSJ Fully vaccinated people don’t need to wear a mask or physically distance during outdoor or indoor activities, large or small, federal health officials said, the fullest …

2021-05-13: Dick Cheney Invites Trump On Reconciliatory Hunting Trip - The Babylon Bee Cheney smiled. “No, no hard feelings. Just be careful out there.” Cheney loaded his shotgun. “Accidents happen.”

2021-05-13: White House Reminds Nation That Permission Slips To Eat A Hot Dog On The 4th Of July Are Due By Friday - The Babylon Bee With the COVID risks involved in gathering around the grill and the choking risks of eating processed meat, we ask that you please get a slip signed by your …

2021-05-13: My May edition of Magnificat arrived. Thanks, USPS!

2021-05-13: JPMorgan, Others Plan to Issue Credit Cards to People With No Credit Scores - WSJ part of a government-backed initiative to extend credit to people who have traditionally lacked opportunities to borrow. What a wonderful government program! People “lack opportunities” to borrow, …

2021-05-12: Dentist Time for some sealants. Went very quick, son did great! He still loves the place.

2021-05-12: ✔ Contacted local government about an issue that is important to me.

2021-05-12: Episode 195: Art Show The kids worked on some drawings this afternoon and are ready to feature them in a show.

2021-05-12: Thanks, Super Tinker!

2021-05-12: Carter’s is a ripoff.

2021-05-11: Spring Rains Rain came down in sheets, Whole lawn, street flooded. But then, Ended with rainbow!

2021-05-11: Stunning way to end the day.

2021-05-11: AOC Cries At Taj Mahal After Racist Travel Ban - The Babylon Bee Politicians on both sides of the aisle praised Ocasio-Cortez for her consistency on these issues, as she always calls attention to injustices on both sides and definitely doesn’t do these kinds of things to …

2021-05-11: Credit-Card Debt Keeps Falling. Banks Are On Edge. - WSJ Now, even as Americans return to spending on their credit cards, they are continuing to pay down their card balances. That signals many borrowers are faring well even during the pandemic. But many card issuers rely on …

2021-05-10: Needed to Laugh Day not going great, Jon’s podcast made me laugh. Whew. Day ended better.

2021-05-10: I can finally hide reconciled transactions on the iOS version of YNAB. Whew!

2021-05-10: Annual Enrollment was super lame. No changes from last year, except that major medical is now $17 more per month. Big miss.

2021-05-10: Biden Proposes $2 Trillion Bill To Study What’s Causing Inflation Rates To Rise - The Babylon Bee In the meantime, officials from the US Treasury as well as the CDC have advised the public to start carrying double wallets to protect their money and help slow the spread of …

2021-05-10: Episode 194: Veronica Laughs, Again Veronica is babbling and laughing all over the place, so it’s time to catch it all with a microphone.

2021-05-10: Catholic Schools Are Losing Students at Record Rates, and Hundreds Are Closing - WSJ Some secular families are turned off by the church’s opposition to abortion or same-sex marriage, said Carol Ann MacGregor, vice provost of Loyola University New Orleans. Meanwhile, more the …

2021-05-10: Backyard - Catholic Husband In those minutes that they spent in the backyard, they were whatever they wanted to be and exactly who they are. Backyards are special places. ➕

2021-05-09: Mom Always there and kind, Thanks for all that you have done. Home is where Mom is.

2021-05-09: Mother’s Day showers.

2021-05-08: Stump Removal, Part Two A few more to go, Small bushes, came out easy. Now the house is bare.

2021-05-08: Bad Dog! Major Biden Gives Nuclear Codes To China In Exchange For A Milk-Bone - The Babylon Bee Eventually, the FBI decided on a punishment, which was to stare down Major and tell him he’s a “bad dog.” Not very good at negotiating. He should have at least held out for a flying …

2021-05-08: I burnt my hand cooking lunch. Ouch.

2021-05-08: Hospitals Draw Warning on Price Disclosure Rule Compliance - WSJ The rule states that the agency ultimately can levy penalties of up to $300 a day if a hospital doesn’t comply. Some hospitals might decide the penalty is less than the cost to comply, said Heather Meade, a …

2021-05-08: 11 years ago today. What an adventure.

2021-05-07: Backyard So much to explore, Friends found on the Creature Trail. Good-byes are still hard.

2021-05-07: Friday night on the deck.

2021-05-07: The great march of mental destruction will go on. Everything will be denied. Everything will become a creed. It is a reasonable position to deny the stones in the street; it will be a religious dogma to assert them. It is a rational thesis that we are all in a dream; it will be a …

2021-05-07: GameStop Frenzy, Archegos Meltdown May Prompt New SEC Rules, Chairman Says - WSJ The House committee’s Democratic staff has circulated draft legislation that would ban payment for order flow as well as some incentives offered by stock exchanges to attract orders. Payment for …

2021-05-07: Shocking Study Finds Paying People Not To Work Makes People Not Want To Work - The Babylon Bee Amid shockingly low job numbers released today, the study suggested that some of that low unemployment was due to the government sending everyone more money than they would have made …

2021-05-07: Softy, of podcast fame, running all over little hands.

2021-05-07: Episode 193: Softy During outside play, the kids found a friend.

2021-05-07: SNL Writers Denigrate Successful African-American Businessman - The Babylon Bee According to tweets about the reported rumors, some of the cast of SNL are refusing to work with the successful immigrant inventor, and will instead stand in a nearby corner and sigh as loud as they …

2021-05-07: EDC Toolkit When out on an adventure with my four kids, I like to be ready. I used to have a pretty basic load out in my bag, primarily carrying a change of clothes for each kid. This year, I decided to take it up a few notches. My wife gave me a new backpack for my birthday. I took this …

2021-05-07: Biden’s Vaccine IP Debacle - WSJ The U.S. has spent years deploring China’s theft of American IP, and now the Biden Administration may voluntarily let China could reap profits from decades of American innovation. This is among the worst ideas. Ever.

2021-05-06: Committed Tempted to eat carbs, Stay out of way of success. I got a salad.

2021-05-06: Chick-fil-a royalty.

2021-05-06: CIA Breaks Up ISIS Plot To Use Incorrect Pronouns - The Babylon Bee “That’s literal violence,” explained CIA Agent MaKenna Wallace, a recent Gen Z hire with a degree in women’s studies. “I’m shaking right now just thinking of it.” The CIA jumped into action, though, and got …

2021-05-05: Happy Kid at Dentist This must be odd, right? Son way too happy while there. Bodes well for his teeth.

2021-05-05: Nice day.

2021-05-05: Peloton Recalls Treadmills, Halts Tread+ Sales Over Safety Concerns - WSJ Peloton’s share price fell nearly 15% on Wednesday to an eight-month low. This is why you shouldn’t play single stocks.

2021-05-05: Husband’s Binge Of ‘Executive Actions’ Leads To Shaky Poll Numbers After First 100 Days Of Marriage - The Babylon Bee “Kevin always said before we got married that he wanted us to decide things together, to compromise,” reported Ashley, Kevin’s wife. “All that …

2021-05-05: Signal Shares the Instagram Ads Facebook Doesn’t Want You to See - MacRumors it attempted to show users how much data the Facebook-owned company collects about them and how it’s used to push targeted ads. These ads are brilliant marketing. Ad targeting really is …

2021-05-04: Cool Mornings Nice to walk early, I know these days just won’t last. Summer is coming.

2021-05-04: Book Review: Patris Corde 📚 I’ve spent the past few months studying St. Joseph in preparation for my second consecration. Given that it’s the Year of St. Joseph, I thought it was a great idea to read Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter on this great saint. The letter was short, able to be completed in a single …

2021-05-04: U.S. Airlines Ditch Covid-Era Ticket Flexibility – AirlineGeeks.com Airlines are scrapping flexible travel policies and reverting to pre-pandemic rules, meaning customers will need to pay attention to fare restrictions, especially those booking basic economy. Dear Taxpayer, …

2021-05-04: Who Would Pay Biden’s Corporate Tax Increase Is Key Question in Policy Debate - WSJ The company’s share price could also be lower than it otherwise would be, hurting shareholders. Some shareholders may be ultra-weathly, but a lot are ordinary people investing in their 401k. …

2021-05-04: Got up on time. Treated to the day’s first light.

2021-05-03: Studious Had two good students, Little resistance, went well. They liked school, also.

2021-05-03: Bill and Melinda Gates to End Marriage - WSJ ending their 27-year marriage She’s a Mac.

2021-05-03: People today like to cram a lot of big words together to make themselves sound smart and important. It’s as if they have some really new and important point to make that is irrefutable. They must do it believing that it will earn them the respect and esteem of their peers. More …

2021-05-03: My wife inherited $800K. She put $300K toward our mortgage and $500K in her own bank account — after 35 years of marriage - MarketWatch Your wife has used more than one-third of this money to pay off your joint mortgage. Inheritances are not considered community property, so she …

2021-05-03: Biden Relocates 20,000 National Guard Troops To Inner Cities To Snipe Menthol Cigarettes Out Of People’s Mouths - The Babylon Bee “Listen, folks– we gotta do something about these incredibly refreshing and smooth menthol cigarettes,” said Biden.

2021-05-03: Weakness - Catholic Husband God did not make us to be strong on our own, but to be channels of His grace for our hurting world. ➕

2021-05-02: Zoo Trip Stormy morning cleared, Beautiful trip to the zoo. Toy lost, but still good.

2021-05-02: Today is my 1,950th consecutive day of journaling using Day One. Not bad.

2021-05-02: Sunday afternoon at the zoo. 🦩

2021-05-02: Biden Tax Plan Leans on Banks to Help Find Unreported Income - WSJ The proposal would require banks to report annual account inflows and outflows to the Internal Revenue Service. This is a terrible idea. Banks already automatically report any deposit over $10,000, and have …

2021-05-02: Finished reading: Patris Corde: With A Father’s Heart by Pope Francis 📚

2021-05-01: All Got Done A long list to do, Everyone worked together. Tomorrow: the zoo.

2021-05-01: Ready for action. 🎒

2021-05-01: Episode 192: Saturday Activities We’re done with our chores, so I checked in with the kids.

2021-05-01: USPS just delivered a St. Patrick’s day card, postmarked March 15th. Way to go!! 📬

2021-05-01: Civil War Soldiers Glad They Didn’t Live Long Enough To Experience Horrors Of The January 6th Capitol Riot - The Babylon Bee “Yeah, we had it pretty rough – but at least we weren’t around when a few hundred people walked around the Capitol taking …

2021-05-01: 10 Common Things Your Husband Says – And What He’s Actually Thinking - The Babylon Bee “It’s fine.” – “It’s fine.” Yup. “We can eat anywhere you want.” – ”We can eat anywhere you want.”

2021-05-01: It Will Cost $699 to Repair a Broken 12.9-Inch M1 iPad Pro Without AppleCare+ - MacRumors The $699 price applies to any damage to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro , including a broken display Stupid.

2021-05-01: The USCCB doesn’t do a lot of things right, but their online Bible is on point.

2021-05-01: Iced coffee in a clean house. The best! ☕️

2021-04-30: Rally Strange, productive day. Didn’t feel great, but got done. Better than the start.

2021-04-30: The LEGO Batman Movie 🍿🚸

2021-04-30: After weeks of searching, I finally found a pocket knife that’s safe for travel. The BladeHQ exclusive CRKT Pilar has micarta handles and D2 steel. It’s a sheepsfoot blade that measures 2.4”. It’s also cheap enough that if I lose it, I won’t care. That’ll work!

2021-04-30: Johnson And Johnson Rolls Out New ‘No More Clots’ Vaccine - The Babylon Bee A spokeswoman for Johnson and Johnson said the company worked extensively with scientists in their baby shampoo division to make sure the new COVID vaccine was safe.

2021-04-29: Sebenza, Not for Me Best production knife, Sorry, I just don’t like it. I’m a Benchmade guy.

2021-04-29: Having Stolen Everything From Your Great-Grandchildren, Democrats Move On To Your Great-Great-Grandchildren - The Babylon Bee “We wanted to spend another $6 trillion, but we ran out of everyone’s great-grandkids’ money,” said Senator Chuck Schumer, …

2021-04-29: Yellowstone Says They May Soon Let Buffalo Stop Wearing Masks - The Babylon Bee If people see them maskless, they may say, ‘I guess I don’t need one either, as I’m also a mammal.’”

2021-04-28: Gold Class Crown of collection, Great knife, pattern not quite there. Got to get this right!

2021-04-28: The robots are getting more advanced.

2021-04-28: ‘We Must Stop Eating Beef To Fight Climate Change,’ Says Scientist Who Looks Suspiciously Like Chick-Fil-A Cow In A Lab Coat - The Babylon Bee “Hey, wait a minute! That’s just a cow in a lab coat!” cried one reporter. He was then fired, canceled, …

2021-04-28: Biden Wears Mask On Zoom Call In Case COVID Has Mutated Into A Computer Virus - The Babylon Bee Doctor Fauci agreed with Biden’s assessment. “We haven’t done any studies about coronaviruses becoming computer viruses and computer viruses transferring to humans,” Fauci said, “so …

2021-04-28: Apple Explains Why ‘Allow Apps to Request to Track’ May Be Grayed Out on iOS 14.5 - MacRumors On devices with the “Allow Apps to Request to Track” setting grayed out, all apps that request to track are denied permission by default and cannot access the …

2021-04-27: Bookstore Home library changed, Now son’s bookstore. Curated, But with return date.

2021-04-27: CDC Eases Face Mask Guidelines for Fully Vaccinated People Outdoors - WSJ “The message is clear: ‘You’re vaccinated, guess what? You get to return to a more normal lifestyle. If you’re not vaccinated, you’re still in danger,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra …

2021-04-27: I’m coming up on 1,000 days of Haiku. It’s been a fun project, but I think when I hit that milestone next month, I’m going to end it. 1,000 is a nice, round number.

2021-04-27: Attempting to make keto version of McDonald’s Caramel Frappe at home. ☕️ Update: I failed.

2021-04-27: Apple’s Privacy Changes Are Poised to Boost Its Ad Products - WSJ When targeting users who have opted out of tracking, advertisers who buy ads through third-party platforms will have to wait three days for insights on their campaigns and will only receive aggregate information, …

2021-04-26: Boy Plays Alone Solo backyard play, Running around, jumping, fun. The time of his life!

2021-04-26: Elmo is enjoying the nice weather.

2021-04-26: How to Unlock Your iPhone With Your Apple Watch When Wearing a Mask - MacRumors iOS 14.5 is being released today, and a key new feature is the ability to unlock an iPhone with Face ID while wearing a mask, so long as you are wearing an Apple Watch. Apple’s biggest miss in …

2021-04-26: Currently reading: Patris Corde: With a Father’s Heart by Pope Francis 📚

2021-04-26: Acts of the Apostles is my favorite book of the Bible because it’s so relatable. The Apostles are on their own, with a huge mission, and they’re just trying to figure it all out.

2021-04-26: Two Weeks - Catholic Husband Physical health is the building block of life, and it’s something that you have to get up and fight for every single day. ➕

2021-04-25: Garden Planning A fresh and clean slate, More earth work, shutters, then plant. So many choices.

2021-04-25: Search in Evernote is so bad, I wonder why it even exists.

2021-04-25: The door magnets have finally returned. Bit of a project to make the wooden door accept magnets.

2021-04-25: U.S. Beefing Up Defenses to Aid Afghan Withdrawal - WSJ The White House on Friday approved the temporary deployment of the carrier and as many as six B-52 bombers as a way to protect American and North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces as they leave Afghanistan starting in …

2021-04-25: In Afghanistan, a Dangerous Surrender in a Misconceived War - WSJ After Saigon fell in 1975, over 200,000 Vietnamese fled by sea, with more than 100,000 resettled in the U.S. A discomfited American public will now watch a similar exodus from Afghanistan. Yikes, Syria 2.0.

2021-04-24: Door Magnets Hard with a wood door, Small metal plate and it works! Really good decor.

2021-04-24: Not Good: Test For Getting Into Heaven Will Be Whether You Can Plug A USB Cable In Properly On The First Try - The Babylon Bee At publishing time, sources had confirmed that those who repent and trust in Jesus will get to plug in a USB-C cable for the test.

2021-04-24: Repacking my go bag. Lots of new goodies for the kiddos.

2021-04-23: Rainy Walk Forecast called for light, Heavy thunderstorms instead. Got a bit wet, folks.

2021-04-23: A bit wet for a walk.

2021-04-23: Unclear What Political Party Man Belongs To Since He’s Wearing Both A MAGA Hat And A Mask - The Babylon Bee It gave people a headache just to look at him.

2021-04-22: Fresh Wax No better feeling, Running hand on fresh waxed car. Smooth and so shiny!

2021-04-22: Apple Executive Says AirTags Designed to Track Items, Not Children or Pets - MacRumors If parents would like to safely track their young children, she suggests an Apple Watch with ‌Family Setup‌ might be a better choice. And by better, she means more expensive.

2021-04-21: Washing Cars Good afternoon job, Line them up and knock them out. Feeling accomplished.

2021-04-21: I’ve found Panda Express to be very consistent. At being terrible.

2021-04-21: For all of the excitement about the “redesigned” iMac, it looks pretty much the same to me as the previous version. I understand the why behind the chin, which to me, was always the most distinctive design feature. It’s still there.

2021-04-20: Opening the Lawn The season is here, Gave the lawn a nice fresh cut. Will repeat weekly.

2021-04-20: So much beauty around.

2021-04-20: Paid podcasts? Never.

2021-04-20: What Apple Event?

2021-04-19: Knife Case Set up, organized, Easy to see all in place. Better solution.

2021-04-19: Dinner time at the Chick.

2021-04-19: Bribe | Catholic Husband Bribe - Catholic Husband I think that children should do the right thing because it’s what’s asked of them. But now and then, it’s okay to hold out a carrot and see what happens. ➕

2021-04-18: Sunday Afternoon Walmart A bad idea, So busy, slow self-checkout. Don’t do that again!

2021-04-18: Walmart replacing cashiers with self-checkout was their worst idea ever.

2021-04-18: Biden Rebuffed Commanders’ Advice in Decision to Leave Afghanistan - WSJ Mr. Biden carefully weighed the military’s input, officials say, but was determined to bring involvement in America’s longest-running war to an end by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist …

2021-04-17: Grocery Store? No point to being, If you have motor oil. Grocery stores sell food.

2021-04-17: Cool morning breeze.

2021-04-16: You Want to Invest Responsibly. Wall Street Smells Opportunity. - WSJ Investors, it seems, are more likely to put up with low returns and high fees if you enable them to feel righteous.

2021-04-16: Full Day of Play No school to be done, Went to planetarium. Built LEGOS and more!

2021-04-16: Apple Music Reveals How Much It Pays When You Stream a Song - WSJ Apple Music told artists it pays a penny per stream Huh. So an artist needs about 1,500 streams to replace a single CD sale’s gross proceeds.

2021-04-16: Felicity’s RV LEGO build.

2021-04-16: Episode 191: Master Builders It’s a rainy Friday afternoon, so we got out some LEGO sets and gave Felicity her first turn building her very own.

2021-04-15: Math Day A full week of work, Accomplished in a morning. Glad the kid likes math!

2021-04-15: Intelligence Was Limited That Russia Offered Bounties on U.S. Troops, White House Says - WSJ On Thursday, the administration said U.S. intelligence had only “low to moderate confidence” in the reports of the alleged bounty program. Election’s over, our guy won, we can …

2021-04-15: CDC Identifies Small Group of Covid-19 Infections Among Fully Vaccinated Patients - WSJ They are a reminder that even vaccinated people are at risk and should continue to take precautions such as masking and social distancing in many circumstances. Absolutely the wrong …

2021-04-15: Delta Reports Another Quarterly Loss, but Says Travel Demand Is Rising - WSJ The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a study released Wednesday that keeping middle seats open could sharply reduce the risk of exposure to the virus. The CDC’s study, conducted with …

2021-04-15: A lot of talk about running any iOS app on Mac with the M1 chip. Most devs have disallowed that option. Not great.

2021-04-15: Deleting SMS messages on Apple Watch is such a pain. 7 years, and still a garbage solution.

2021-04-14: Chick-fil-a Always there for you, Ready to brighten your day. Thanks for it all, friends!

2021-04-14: Down With Big Business, Again - WSJ Opinion The point is that corporations look out first and foremost for their own interests, and that often means collaborating with government for narrow purposes that aren’t always in the public interest.

2021-04-14: Apparently it is no longer possible to buy a razor to shave your face without making a political statement. 🪒

2021-04-14: Biden Bringing U.S. Troops Home So They Can Guard The Capitol - The Babylon Bee They will be provided with porta-potties and MREs, and will not be allowed to go inside any of the buildings or interact with the very important politicians. But what is our exit strategy?

2021-04-14: Vaccine Recalled After Two People Who Took It Fell Down A Manhole And Died - The Babylon Bee Some are criticizing the recall of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine since nearly seven million people have taken it and only two have fallen down a manhole, making the risk seem …

2021-04-13: Many Small Hands House a bit behind, Kiddos pitched in to get clean. School work got done, too.

2021-04-13: Democrats: ‘Voting Needs To Be So Easy That Even The Most Uninformed Idiot Can Do It’ - The Babylon Bee According to election law experts, voting in most states requires only the most basic human life skills to accomplish– such as having an ID, standing in a line, and …

2021-04-12: Manual Saw Sawing can be hard, Inverse: like, impossible! Took a while, but done.

2021-04-12: Baseball Says Cuba ‘Sí,’ Georgia ‘No’ - WSJ Major League Baseball says “values” compelled it to move this summer’s All-Star Game out of Georgia. But this piety doesn’t square with its long record of collaboration with Cuba’s military dictatorship, one of the world’s most …

2021-04-12: Mercy - Catholic Husband Anxiety is the body warning us. In a way, I think that the anxiety of current events and culture is an alarm that we’re forgetting to place our trust God’s love and mercy. ➕

2021-04-11: Mercy Sunday It comes once a year, A time to rejoice, reflect. Always my favorite.

2021-04-11: Two-Thirds of iPhone Users Expected to Block Ad Tracking - MacRumors As many as 68 percent of iPhone users are expected to deny advertisers permission to track them That few?

2021-04-10: Oof Went on hike first thing, Came home and crashed. All the sick, Without being sick.

2021-04-10: You’ve Got Mail 🍿

2021-04-09: Full Protection One year into this, Two weeks left for me to go. Not bad at all, tho.

2021-04-09: Amazon Workers in Alabama Vote Against Forming a Union - WSJ The number of votes against a union exceeds 1608, the total needed to reach a majority of the 3,215 mail-in ballots sent in by workers. Absolutely stunning.

2021-04-09: Biden Bans High-Capacity Assault Stairs - The Babylon Bee You know right now in America, stair manufacturers can’t be sued. That’s a fact. And anyone can buy a set of assault stairs with no background check in our country. That’s malarkey.

2021-04-09: Vaccination Passports Are New Flashpoint in Covid-19 Pandemic - WSJ The cards, which were initially sold only on less accessible parts of the internet, have started showing up for sale on mainstream websites, potentially allowing unvaccinated people to pose as vaccinated. …

2021-04-09: About That Tax ‘Race to the Bottom’ - WSJ Opinion The aim is to insulate governments such as France and Germany that find pro-growth tax reforms to be politically difficult, while making it harder for the Irelands of the world to compete with tax policy. I didn’t find Yellen’s …

2021-04-08: Back on Top A week all behind, One focused day: back on track. All ready to go!

2021-04-08: P&G Worked With China Trade Group on Tech to Sidestep Apple Privacy Rules - WSJ Facebook Inc. and ad-tech firms have been vocal critics of the Apple changes, fearing users won’t consent to being tracked. They say the flow of user data is critical to providing more tailored …

2021-04-08: Return To Normal: Texas Announces They Will Go Back To Shooting People Wearing Masks On The Assumption They’re Stagecoach Robbers - The Babylon Bee Despite Texas having a growing tech sector, the state is still primarily a stagecoach-based economy, with most people in the …

2021-04-08: The Future of Digital Ads Google announced with great fanfare that they’re going to stop selling ads based on individuals and instead will group users into cohorts for ad targeting. That’s great! Or is it? It’s important to remember that Google, Facebook, Twitter, and their friends are not technology …

2021-04-08: New U.S. Airline Avelo Enters Competitive Travel Market - WSJ Avelo and Breeze are the first new mainline airlines in the U.S. since 2007, when Virgin America was launched. A series of megamergers between 2008 and 2013 combined eight big carriers into four. Good to see some new …

2021-04-07: Amateur Plumber Several line breaks fixed, Charged the line, no leaks were seen. Totally nailed it!

2021-04-07: Facebook Apologizes For Getting 533 Million Users’ Personal Data Stolen Before They Could Sell It - The Babylon Bee “Even though hackers got your data for nothing, we find all of you users to be valuable and special!” said Stone. “We’ll be sure not …

2021-04-07: ‘Biden Never Called For A Georgia Boycott,’ Says Jen Psaki As Biden Stands Right Behind Her Holding ‘Boycott Georgia’ Sign - The Babylon Bee “We believe that voting should be so easy that it’s basically automatic,” continued the Press …

2021-04-06: Teal Door A weekend project, Fresh coat of paint on front door. Starting to leave mark.

2021-04-06: NASA Ends Mars Mission After Finding Out Planet Has No Early Voting - The Babylon Bee Mars had been controversial as a target for exploration from the onset since it is a red planet. NASA is now instead setting its sights on a blue planet, Uranus, and plans to make all future …

2021-04-06: Google’s Free Piracy Pass - WSJ Google’s strategy was to use “Android as a vehicle to collect data on consumers and deliver behavioral ads”—raking in huge profits.

2021-04-05: Butterflies School science project, First butterfly hatched and flew, The kids are amazed.

2021-04-05: All-Star Game Moved From Atlanta To Uyghur Prison Camp Yard - The Babylon Bee the game will be limited to just three extra innings, as Disney needs the space immediately after to film a documentary on Georgia’s bad voting laws.

2021-04-05: He is Not Here - Catholic Husband Faithfulness to God’s plan for our lives requires a daily dedication and an internal commitment to live as we should. While it may not lead to a life of comfort, it will lead to a life of joy, an eternal spring of the soul even in the midst of …

2021-04-04: The First Thing He rose from the dead, First task: Jesus made His bed. There’s a lesson there.

2021-04-04: Jesus Criticized For Leaving His Face Covering Behind In The Tomb The Babylon Bee “Yeah we know he’s immune to death and all that, but he could at least set an example by responsibly wearing his protective face covering,” said King Herod in an op-ed published …

2021-04-04: The Biden Baseball League - WSJ Opinion The MLB excuse is that Georgia’s elected Legislature passed, and Gov. Brian Kemp signed, an election reform law that leaves the state with more opportunities to vote than Delaware and New York.

2021-04-04: Let the hunt begin!

2021-04-04: He is not here! 🌷🌅

2021-04-03: Decorated Walls It is no small thing, To have a home with decor. Feels like we live here.

2021-04-03: What the U.S. Can Learn From China’s Infatuation With Infrastructure - WSJ The Washington-based Institute of International Finance puts Chinese debt at 335% of GDP, up from 200% in 2011. What a decade!

2021-04-03: The Vaccine Jobs Boom Arrives - WSJ Opinion The Biden Administration wants to sustain an aura of crisis to justify its spend-and-tax plans. But the March jobs report shows the economic crisis is over. The American people are getting back to work, and Congress should get out of …

2021-04-03: Shrink Your Student Loans, Invest in Bitcoin: Credit Card Points Get Creative - WSJ Fintech startup Social Finance Inc. in March launched a credit card that provides up to 2% cash back, which can be converted to pay down student loans that cardholders have with the company, …

2021-04-03: Corporate America’s ‘Big Lie’ - WSJ Corporate CEOs may think this virtue signaling will spare them the left’s boycotts or Democrats’ punitive legislative measures. That’s a sucker’s bet given this week’s Democratic plan to siphon $2.3 trillion from corporations to fund new …

2021-04-03: Facebook’s Algorithm Powers What You See. Here Are New Tools to Give You Some Control. - WSJ Except, as I argued in January, it’s hard to accept just how little we control our social-media feeds and the algorithms that power them. Then why do you still have an account, Joanna?

2021-04-03: Georgia Hangs Up ‘Welcome To Beijing’ Signs To Trick Liberal Companies Into Staying - The Babylon Bee “When these Hollywood companies, airlines, and baseball leagues see that we’re actually just the capital of a country that throws its citizens into …

2021-04-03: MLB Games To No Longer Require ID For Buying Alcoholic Beverages - The Babylon Bee “Not everyone has the same level of access to acquiring an ID and we want to create an inclusive environment.”

2021-04-03: Woman Taking Up Three-Quarters Of Bed In Obvious Case Of Wife Supremacy - The Babylon Bee He told me his wife was laying on her back with her arms and legs spread out, kind of like she was making a snow angel

2021-04-02: PVC Repair Never done before, Fixed PVC break in line. Cheaper than plumber.

2021-04-02: Biden’s Multitrillion-Dollar Gamble - WSJ I think there’s considerable tax-the-rich fervor among centrists and independents too, but I think when people imagine this they’re thinking billionaires on vast estates. Instead, it may come down to a couple with three kids in …

2021-04-02: It is finished.

2021-04-02: Apple Arcade Adds 30 Classic Games Including ‘Fruit Ninja’ and ‘Cut the Rope Remastered’ - MacRumors With the titles listed, this might be the first time that Apple Arcade is worth anything.

2021-04-01: Easter Break Done with school for week, Now we get an Easter Break! Possibilities!

2021-04-01: After Fun April Fools’ Day Of Telling Jokes, Babylon Bee To Return To Real News Tomorrow - The Babylon Bee The site published many hilarious jokes over the course of April 1, as is their tradition, but from April 2 all the way until March 31 of next year, The Babylon Bee …

2021-04-01: Woke and Weak CEOs - WSJ Georgia’s law does make it easier to vote, though it also tries to reassure citizens about ballot integrity. The state provides far more days of early voting than New York. It offers no-excuse absentee ballots, unlike Mr. Biden’s beloved Delaware. So …

2021-04-01: Man Who Carries Smartphone Everywhere He Goes Worried Government Might Track Him Through Vaccine - The Babylon Bee The device is always either in his pocket, in his car, or in his hands. He says he’s lucky he had it on him today, so that he could warn his social media …

2021-04-01: Biden Defines Infrastructure Down - WSJ Most Americans think of infrastructure as roads, highways, bridges and other traditional public works. That’s why it polls well, and every President has supported more of it. Yet this accounts for a mere $115 billion of Mr. Biden’s …

2021-04-01: Tech April Fools jokes are so played out.

2021-04-01: Biden’s $2 Trillion Corporate Tax Plan Tears Up Republicans’ 2017 Blueprint - WSJ President Biden’s corporate tax plan would tear down much of the structure that Republicans built in their tax law less than four years ago, driving up rates on large U.S.-based companies and …

2021-04-01: Here Come the Biden Taxes - WSJ Opinion The great political fakery here is that corporate taxes merely fall on CEOs and rich shareholders. But as everyone knows, corporations don’t really pay taxes. They are vehicles for collecting taxes that are ultimately paid by some …

2021-03-31: Poison Ivy My rash keeps growing, Worth the price for a fresh start. Better me than kids!

2021-03-31: Done with school, so I guess we’re on Easter break! 🐣🌷

2021-03-31: The Equality Act Is at War With Reality - WSJ Opinion G.K. Chesterton predicted more than a century ago: “Everything will be denied. Everything will become a creed. It is a reasonable position to deny the stones in the street; it will be a religious dogma to assert them. Fires …

2021-03-31: Months after the release of watchOS7, it’s clear to me that Apple’s sleep tracking is 100% useless. I wish they would do like other big tech companies and just copy what everyone else is doing.

2021-03-31: The Wuhan Whitewash - WSJ Beijing has limited independent access to information on Covid-19’s origin, much as it silenced scientists and journalists who raised doubts about the official story last year. The report’s publication was repeatedly delayed, as both sides negotiated a …

2021-03-30: Internet Pillow Just arrived on truck, Custom pillow from the web. If this fails, then what?

2021-03-30: Cable-News Viewership Falls After Trump’s Exit, Ratings Races Tighten - WSJ Fox News lost 32% of its total prime-time audience compared with the quarter ended Dec. 31, Nielsen data show. CNN and MSNBC had smaller declines of 16% and 7.8%, respectively, though each fell more …

2021-03-30: I saw that Unsplash is being acquired by Getty. Still doesn’t change my opinion of the operation.

2021-03-30: New pillow arriving shortly. 🛌

2021-03-30: Buried an irrigation line. Took about 45 minutes and now there’s no PVC showing above ground. No prior experience needed.

2021-03-30: Episode 190: Clean Plate Award Benedict has lots to share about his new toy.

2021-03-30: CDC Director Gives Press Conference While Holding ‘THE END IS NEAR’ Sign - The Babylon Bee Dr. Walensky then pulled out several scientific tools to support her hypothesis of impending doom, from tea leaves and a crystal ball to a deck of tarot cards. This is satire, …

2021-03-30: Biden’s Border Crisis, Up Close - WSJ Opinion President Biden has criticized Donald Trump’s immigration strategy as inhumane and vowed to treat migrants compassionately. Yet his policies have created perverse incentives for vulnerable migrants to enter the U.S. in dangerous …

2021-03-29: Done By 10 Had focused students, All work done by 10. Oh, wow! Now we can go play!

2021-03-29: The Bromance Continues: Biden Lets Obama Pilot Drone Into Syria For Old Times’ Sake - The Babylon Bee “Oh, Joe – you shouldn’t have!” Obama said, tearing up at the touching gesture as he beheld the Predator drone controls.

2021-03-29: Kanye West Releases New Special Edition Jesus Nikes - The Babylon Bee I even included water in the heel so everyone can walk on water just like Jesus! I’ll take two!

2021-03-29: Report Suggests Union Support Would Surge If Every Member Got One Of Those Sharp-Looking Teamster Bomber Jackets - The Onion 78% of nonunion workers surveyed said that if it meant obtaining outerwear with a sleek double-stripe design on the cuffs and collar, no amount of …

2021-03-29: Lent. Oops. - Catholic Husband We think too little of Lent, aim to do small sacrifices when, in reality, the true calling is to sacrifice everything. Our pride, our ambition, and our goals get in the way of God’s perfect plan for us. If anything, this Lent is a reminder that my …

2021-03-28: Stumps Gone Heavy, wet soil. Sixteen bush stumps removed. Gone! On to the next phase!

2021-03-28: Powell Says Now Is Not the Time to Focus on Reducing Federal Debt - WSJ “Given the low level of interest rates, there’s no issue about the United States being able to service its debt at this time or in the foreseeable future,” Mr. Powell said Thursday As long as everything …

2021-03-27: Bush Removal Not an easy thing, But a big savings for us. One bed down, still more.

2021-03-27: Angela Merkel Has Lost Her Pandemic Touch - WSJ The arrival of vaccines fundamentally changes how politicians are measured. Those leaders now face not the impossible but heroic task of holding back the tides of nature, but rather the achievable but easily botched technocratic …

2021-03-27: Progress, day one.

2021-03-27: The Filibuster And 9 Other Things We Always Considered To Be Racist But Just Didn’t Say Anything Until Now - The Babylon Bee The keto diet - The only people who ever post about doing keto are white women. So it’s racist.

2021-03-27: Gun Shop Asks For ID In Clear Case Of 2nd Amendment Suppression - The Babylon Bee “RACISM!” said VonCarlton. “You assumed I have an ID just from looking at me? Stereotype much? How are you even sure I know how to get an ID?”

2021-03-26: In-Store Shopping First time in-store. Whew! Like we’ve never done before, Kids saw things; amazed!

2021-03-26: Lawn mowing season is officially open.

2021-03-26: The Irish know how to make music. 🇮🇪

2021-03-25: Biden Lifts the Curtain - WSJ He’s been less President than Prime Minister of the Pelosi-Schumer government. Exactly as those pages predicted during the campaign.

2021-03-25: Weekend Primed Done with our school tasks, Ready for three days of work! Can’t wait to go start!

2021-03-25: Managed to knock out school for the week. Now, on to the Weekend Warrior projects!

2021-03-25: Service Stations Begin Widening Signs In Preparation For Higher Gas Prices - The Babylon Bee Sources have also confirmed that the national debt clock will be widened to prepare for Biden’s coming spending policies.

2021-03-25: On the Death of HomePod My first HomePod was a gift for my birthday back in 2018. I unpacked it, set it up in my kitchen, and turned it on. I can still remember how big the smile on my face was when it played the first song. The sound was more than good, it was incredible. I’m not an audiophile or a …

2021-03-25: Special Dollars for Dictators - WSJ More than 250 people have been killed by government security forces in Myanmar since a Feb. 1 military coup. The Biden Administration has imposed sanctions, but then why is the U.S. Treasury moving to hand the Burmese generals a fresh $785 …

2021-03-24: Bribes A well placed kid bribe, Now they eat their dinner whole. Best money I’ve spent.

2021-03-24: Finally found the right bribe to get my 7yo to eat his dinner. Watching him take a bite like a big kid is beautiful. 🍽

2021-03-24: Disaster: Your Kids Are Making Friends With Other Kids At The Park And Now You Have To Make Small Talk With Their Parents - The Babylon Bee You frantically tried to remember your child’s name and age and just barely managed to pull it off.

2021-03-23: Picnic Lunch Not on the schedule, But things just worked out. Got lunch, Ate with Mom at work.

2021-03-23: That was a rough night. ⛈

2021-03-23: New Trump Social Media Site To Include Verification Badges For People Who Aren’t Losers And Total Disasters - The Babylon Bee “It’s going to be an unbelievable experience for all of the supporters of everybody’s favorite president,” said Trump. “Never again will you …

2021-03-23: Air Force One Now Equipped With Handicap Parking Pass - The Babylon Bee The President slipped because he was hit with a hurricane-force wind burst caused by global warming. There was also some, uh, fried chicken grease left over from the Trump administration that made the steps …

2021-03-22: Irrigation System Time to water lawn, System tuned up and ready. This lawn opens soon.

2021-03-22: Russia Confirms They Participated In 2020 Election After Constantly Hearing It Most Important Election Of Lifetime - The Onion We were a little skeptical at first, because we remember getting involved in the 2016 election after people were calling that one the most important …

2021-03-22: Christian Dutifully Prays For Her Enemies, But If God Wants To Smite Them, That’s Okay Too - The Babylon Bee That means when people are unfair to me or say mean things to me online, I need to act with love and grace. Still, if God wants to start smiting those people with, like, …

2021-03-22: China’s Warning to Biden - WSJ Mr. Yang added: “So we believe that it is important for the United States to change its own image and to stop advancing its own democracy in the rest of the world. Many people within the United States actually have little confidence in the …

2021-03-22: Hospitals Hide Pricing Data From Search Results - WSJ Hospitals that have published their previously confidential prices to comply with a new federal rule have also blocked that information from web searches with special coding embedded on their websites Absolutely brilliant.

2021-03-22: Apple ‘Surprised’ By Developer Frustration With Its App Review Process - MacRumors Apple says that it’s “surprised to hear that developers have legitimate concerns about their ability to engage with Apple in the app review process” And what is this …

2021-03-22: The Family Home - Catholic Husband Our connection to the saints, is something exceptional within the theology of Catholicism. These holy men and women were people, just like us. They lived mostly ordinary lives except for their extraordinary virtue. If St. Joseph could attain …

2021-03-21: Social Find me on Facebook. Hey, follow me on Twitter! I share on my blog.

2021-03-21: Celebrating 3 years without Twitter today.

2021-03-21: Episode 189: Park Spring has arrived and the kids are outside on their new playground.

2021-03-21: Texas’ Blackouts Blew In on the Wind - WSJ According to the nonprofit Texas Public Policy Foundation, for every 39 cents the oil-and-gas industry received in federal taxpayer subsidies from 2010 to 2019, the wind industry received $18.86, 48 times as much, and the solar industry …

2021-03-21: Report: Most Popular Career Choice Now ‘Professional Stimulus Check Recipient’ - The Babylon Bee While young adults considering their futures used to prefer more traditional roles like doctor, teacher, firefighter, or satire writer, a full 92% of those surveyed said …

2021-03-21: Instead Of Traditional Warfare, Chinese Military Will Now Be Trained To Shout Wrong Pronouns At American Troops - The Babylon Bee You can’t call me the wrong pronoun – it’s literally violence! It’s against the Geneva Convention! An absolutely devastating …

2021-03-21: Putin Challenges Biden To Stair-Climbing Contest - The Babylon Bee Well, thanks to Biden losing the stair contest, we are now part of Russia. Bummer.

2021-03-20: Home Ownership A day of projects, Progress so satisfying. Did not picture this.

2021-03-20: We sure made use of the first day of Spring! 🌸

2021-03-20: Family work day. 60 and sunny!

2021-03-20: Left the lunch table to get dressed. Came back to find three year old holding my phone and laughing, “Hehehe take picture!”

2021-03-19: St. Joseph Mirror of Patience, Glory of Domestic Life, Good saint, pray for us!

2021-03-19: Brian Regan: On the Rocks 🍿

2021-03-19: I had a joyful feast!

2021-03-19: Finished reading: Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father by Donald Calloway, MIC 📚

2021-03-19: Economy Revs Up as Americans Increase Spending on Flights, Lodging, Dining Out - WSJ He expects consumer demand and trillions of dollars in built-up savings to propel economic growth “in a manner that’s going to take people’s breaths away.” This was a fun article to read.

2021-03-19: I’m excited to be celebrating the 8th anniversary of my blog, Catholic Husband, today.

2021-03-18: Girl Sits Up Something clicked in her, Now sits up unsupported. Yes, she is quite pleased!

2021-03-18: Biden Abandons Normalcy - WSJ The new reality may be that in an era of social media, the most relevant metric is having one’s ever-at-risk heart in the right place. How long until we tire of the full-time stress?

2021-03-18: Biden Unveils Ambitious Plan To Pay National Debt By Capturing A Leprechaun And Using His Gold - The Babylon Bee According to sources, Biden will be mobilizing the National Guard– which has been sitting around D.C. with nothing to do since Biden’s inauguration– …

2021-03-17: Weak Power Grid I don’t understand. Three years, no problems. We move, Nothing but trouble!

2021-03-17: Is Something Dying in Darkness at the Washington Post? - WSJ To review, the Post ran with bogus quotations attributed to President Donald Trump supplied by one anonymous source who was not even on the call. Two months later, when a Journal report revealed the quotations to be …

2021-03-17: Biden’s $1.9 Trillion Relief Plan Is More—Much More—of the Same - WSJ Once taxes and social programs are taken into account, inequality by some measures hasn’t changed since 1986. The article earlier cites that nearly 8% of GDP this year will go to social safety net programs …

2021-03-16: Swings Nothing pleases more, Than having swings in the yard. They play twice a day!

2021-03-16: Giant Cloud Of Dust Emerges From Vatican As Pope Francis Opens His Bible - The Babylon Bee Whew, it’s been a little while since I opened up this bad boy! I literally lol’d.

2021-03-16: Working on the long o sound in school. Assignment was to draw a picture of something with that sound. Son went with “T-Rex nose.”

2021-03-15: Schoolwork Done Easy to achieve, With only one day’s school work. Tomorrow, repeat.

2021-03-15: Episode 188: KitKat There’s a new critter in our house.

2021-03-15: New M1 Abrams Tanks To Come Equipped With Changing Tables - The Babylon Bee “It’s really great as a mom to have these additional features,” said Private Lorraine Hodges, though she said the tank isn’t great for small children since it’s “very noisy” and “constantly under …

2021-03-15: Vatican Rules Out Blessings for Same-Sex Relationships, Despite Calls for Liberalization - WSJ The Catechism of the Catholic Church, an official handbook of teaching, states that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered,” the inclination to perform them is “objectively …

2021-03-15: Ready for St. Joseph’s special week!

2021-03-15: Telegram App Is Booming, but Needs Advertisers—and $700 Million Soon - WSJ Messaging apps are surging in popularity, but their business models remain uncertain. Apple could really disrupt this market, and improve their bottom line, if they’d finally make Messages …

2021-03-15: Milestones - Catholic Husband When Alison and I are at Mass, and we’re simultaneously praying and wrangling four kids, I often marvel at what we’re able to accomplish. We started this project together, and together we’re raising our family. It’s my sincere hope that by …

2021-03-14: Stop Time Change A grand travesty, Why torture ourselves? Come on! Let’s end this madness!

2021-03-14: It’s been 9 months since GlaxoSmithKline restarted production of Excedrin Migraine and it’s still hard to find.

2021-03-14: White House Weighs How to Pay for Long-Term Economic Program - WSJ fiscal sustainability The only kind of sustainability that adherents of Modern Monetary Theory don’t believe in.

2021-03-13: Wireframe Worked on new website, Wow! My best work yet! But still, Long way to publish.

2021-03-13: Episode 187: Rockets Benedict launched model rockets for the first time at Troops of St. George this morning. He shares his experience.

2021-03-13: Party That Screamed About Fascism For Last Four Years Cheers As Military Attacks Journalist - The Babylon Bee “Only through getting the military to target our political opponents can we finally end fascism,” said Brian Stelter A truly bizarre episode, but really …

2021-03-13: Land On Your Feet: 7 Great Career Choices For Laid-Off Journalists - The Babylon Bee Official spokesperson for the Chinese government. You’ve got lots of experience in this already! China is probably hiring. Employers really value previous work experience.

2021-03-13: Report: Dad’s Working From Home So He’s Definitely Available For Anything You Need - The Babylon Bee Since he’s sitting right there at the kitchen table with his headphones on in deep concentration on his work, he’s certainly available if you need a …

2021-03-13: Apple Discontinues Full-Sized HomePod to Focus on HomePod Mini - MacRumors The ‌HomePod mini‌ offers all of the features of the ‌HomePod‌ in a smaller and less expensive package. This is a horrible decision. I love the Mini, but it cannot match the capability of the HomePod.

2021-03-13: Time to fuel up. 🍳🥑🦀

2021-03-12: Solo Cleaning A big job for one. Kids enlisted to help, some. Job done by dinner!

2021-03-12: I guess Meghan and Harry aren’t big Brad Paisley fans.

2021-03-12: Yes.

2021-03-12: I’m thinking about reading a book. Do I need permission from Corporate America before choosing a title? Perhaps they have an approved texts list prepared for me. China exports more than cheap manufactured goods and expensive technology these days.

2021-03-12: Today’s carry.

2021-03-12: Opinion: Lessons of the Long Covid Year - WSJ The pandemic has been a testament to American grit and resilience—but an undeserved windfall for government. We will be paying for the lockdown excesses for generations.

2021-03-11: Son Checks Mail Put on your shoes, son. Can you go get the mail, please? Had time of his life!

2021-03-11: U.S. Jobless Claims Ease as Hiring Picks Up - WSJ Worker filings for unemployment benefits dropped to 712,000 last week, nearing their lowest level since the pandemic fueled a surge in layoffs last March. Awesome! It hasn’t been signed into law yet, but the American Rescue Plan …

2021-03-11: China All but Ends Hong Kong Democracy With ‘Patriots Only’ Rule - WSJ China drew the curtain on decades of adversarial politics in Hong Kong as the national legislature approved electoral changes that would put pro-Beijing loyalists firmly in charge of the city and squeeze …

2021-03-11: ‘The End Is Near!’ Cries Crazed Left-Wing Conspiracy Theorist Predicting Apocalyptic Return Of Trump Rioters Any Day Now - The Babylon Bee After March 4th came and went with no right-wing violence at the U.S. Capitol, leftist conspiracy theorists are still expressing …

2021-03-10: Order Confusion Went to Chick-fil-a. Order hot salad; got spicy. Hot is temperature.

2021-03-10: Welcome sight.

2021-03-10: House Passes $1.9 Trillion Covid-19 Stimulus Package; Biden Plans to Sign Friday - WSJ The bill “is a force for fairness and justice in America,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) on Wednesday. The package is “one of the most transformative that I have seen in my over …

2021-03-10: Biden Finally Visits ‘On The Border’ To See Crisis Everyone’s Talking About - The Babylon Bee The media quickly praised Biden’s handling of the On the Border crisis, pointing out that Trump never bothered going to On the Border during his presidency. Fact-finding …

2021-03-10: Heroic Secret Service Agent Dives In Front Of Biden As Reporter Tries To Ask A Question - The Babylon Bee The Secret Service agent sustained minor injuries but is grateful to have saved the president from a reporter’s unwelcome question. True bravery.

2021-03-09: Cat Care Two weeks into this, Big kids play with and like her. She seems to like them.

2021-03-09: Jousting. Now there was a terrible idea. 🛡

2021-03-09: SoftBank Put $400 Million Into Greensill Months Before Collapse - WSJ The money, not previously reported, was used as a financial backstop when another Vision Fund company, construction startup Katerra, came close to defaulting on a loan to Greensill SoftBank is really keen to …

2021-03-09: ‘I Sure Am Glad I Don’t Live In One Of Those Banana Republics,’ Says Man As He Walks By Wall Indefinitely Surrounding Capitol - The Babylon Bee He then tried to go visit his representative and was tackled to the ground by the National Guard, who have been …

2021-03-08: Up On Time A first in some weeks, Woke up when alarm went off. Yup, I won this day.

2021-03-08: Man Glad He’s American So He Doesn’t Have To Pretend To Care About Royal Family - The Babylon Bee Trudeau said he is extremely humbled and grateful to have been born in the best country ever created by God, especially because it means he doesn’t have to care …

2021-03-08: Jeep Sues Cherokee Tribe To Force Them To Change Their Name - The Babylon Bee “The Jeep Cherokee has been a proud tradition for decades,” said Michael Manley, CEO of the company. “I just found out this tribe of people from the American South has been …

2021-03-08: Opinion: The Woke Chinese Communist Party - WSJ The goal of the civil-rights movement was to match American practice with its founding principles, while today’s woke activists find America fundamentally flawed. The entitled workers at Google worry more about the Pentagon than …

2021-03-08: Meghan Markle Inspires Millions Of Young Girls With Message That No Matter How Famous, Rich, And Powerful They Are, They Will Always Be Oppressed - The Babylon Bee “Oppression is inescapable,” said Markle, who is married to a prince and worth approximately $50 …

2021-03-08: One of my favorite morning routines is opening Day One and reading On This Day entries.

2021-03-08: Xi Jinping’s Eager-to-Please Bureaucrats Snarl His China Plans - WSJ Indeed, some local officials have become so focused on pleasing Mr. Xi and fulfilling party mandates that they can neglect their basic duties as public servants Keep it up, my bros!

2021-03-08: A Day of Play - Catholic Husband Work and play may be exhausting, but they can also be restorative. I’m going to try to spend more days working, playing, and praying. ➕

2021-03-07: Day Outside Went out for lunch, then Stayed out until dinner time. Lots of things got done!

2021-03-07: Remember the blue sky.

2021-03-07: I’m still waiting for the day when the garbage men knock on my door and tell me I’ve crossed the line.

2021-03-07: Collins Park is now open.

2021-03-06: Date Night First one in a while. Tried a local restaurant. It was a good night!

2021-03-06: Fence Around U.S. Capitol Should Come Down, Many Residents and Lawmakers Say - WSJ Some critics also point to the expense of the fence, which is costing the government $1.9 million a week This is emblematic of the disconnect between Washington and taxpayers. There has been zero …

2021-03-06: Opinion: Fact-Checking Facebook’s Fact Checkers - WSJ China last winter censored doctors who shared “dangerous” misinformation about the novel coronavirus on social media. Now America’s self-anointed virus experts and social-media giants are also silencing doctors with …

2021-03-06: Gone But Not Forgotten: Remembering Those Lost In This Past Year - The Babylon Bee For as long as we’ve remembered, the Land O Lakes Indian girl has been there, silently judging us as we ate entire sticks of butter at 3 am. But no longer. Eat a stick of butter for the …

2021-03-05: Furniture Three months in making, Now I have places to sit. Our place feels lived in.

2021-03-05: U.K. First Major Economy to Set Plans to Claw Back Covid-19 Costs - WSJ In a possible bellwether for other wealthy countries, the U.K. said Wednesday that it would raise taxes starting in 2023 to cover the heavy costs of the pandemic Party’s over.

2021-03-05: Short on Babies, China Wants People to Live and Work Longer - WSJ China loosened such controls in 2016, ending the decades-old one-child policy to allow all parents to have two children. Curtailing the right of married couples to mutually decide the appropriate use of their …

2021-03-05: Texas Governor Hailed As Conservative Hero For Ending Unconstitutional Mandates He Implemented - The Babylon Bee “Great job, Governor Abbott – you really ended those tyrannical edicts that you yourself put in place last year!” said one Texan as he chugged a Bud …

2021-03-05: Eric Swalwell Says He Feared For His Life During Capitol Riots, Almost Had To Use His Nunchuck Skills - The Babylon Bee When asked where he learned to use the nunchucks, he said his girlfriend showed him, but she goes to another school and you can’t meet her.

2021-03-05: Estimated 9 Billion Already Dead From Texas Mask Mandate Reversal - The Babylon Bee Scientists have followed the science very scientifically to determine this catastrophic end to all human life on Earth immediately began after Governor Greg Abbott called his press conference, …

2021-03-05: Cat nap.

2021-03-04: Dilated Eyes Strange experience, Hard to read, sun is too bright. Wore off soon enough.

2021-03-04: Pink sunset.

2021-03-04: Experts Warn Lifting Mask Mandates Could Contribute To Dangerous Spread Of Freedom - The Babylon Bee I’m worried other states will see this. People will start thinking they are supposed to take responsibility for their own health and their own decisions. And that’s …

2021-03-04: Does anyone use iOS Stocks.app?

2021-03-03: Park Arrives A big truck pulled up, Forklift dropped off the pallet. Begin assembly!

2021-03-03: The start of something exciting.

2021-03-03: Texas Governor Lifts Covid-19 Mask Mandate, Business Restrictions - WSJ “Removing state mandates does not end personal responsibility,” he said. Why is this the last line of the article? This is the crux of Abbott’s argument. People should take personal responsibility of their …

2021-03-03: Dr. Suess’s If I Ran the Zoo will no longer be published or sold. That title was a Caldecott Honor winner.

2021-03-02: Grandpa Arrives Here to build a park, But first, time to play with kids. All are quite happy.

2021-03-02: Texas Removes Mask Mandate To Scare All The Californians Away - The Babylon Bee The Governor explains that in these trying times, extreme measures must be taken to stop the spread of Californians into Texas and to scare them off from ever wanting to return.

2021-03-02: Dozens Of Bible Verses Come Forward To Accuse Joel Osteen Of Abuse - The Babylon Bee Verses from books ranging from Genesis and Exodus all the way to Jude and Revelation have spoken out, saying that Osteen abused them, exploited them, and heartlessly ripped them out of context …

2021-03-02: Report: Women In Hell Still Trying To Turn Up The Thermostat - The Babylon Bee Men have given thought to turning the thermostat down, but they’ve decided they’d rather deal with the heat than the whining.

2021-03-01: Good Students Not a daily thing, A treat to teach good students! Work gets done fast, too.

2021-03-01: I’m very excited about Ulysses.app adding support for publishing to Micro.blog. I almost switched to iaWriter when they rolled out that feature. Glad that I didn’t!

2021-03-01: Here Are The 8 Most Electrifying Moments From Trump’s CPAC Speech - The Babylon Bee The epic reading 6 weeks worth of Tweets Trump never got to send: He did this for the first 45 minutes of his speech

2021-03-01: Man Waits To Form Opinion On All Major Issues Until Corporate Brands Weigh In - The Babylon Bee At publishing time, Zwygart had begun refreshing Arby’s Twitter feed to see what they had to say about the bombing of Syria.

2021-03-01: Banks in Germany Tell Customers to Take Deposits Elsewhere - WSJ Germany’s biggest lenders, Deutsche Bank AG and Commerzbank AG, have told new customers since last year to pay a 0.5% annual rate to keep large sums of money with them. Banks really hate their customers.

2021-03-01: I Know What to Do - Catholic Husband Every time I face boredom or laziness, I know the solution. I know the steps to take to improve my physical health, and I know the steps to take to improve my spiritual health. I just need to be brave enough to take the first step, which is …

2021-02-28: Xbox Open and set up, Updates, downloads for hours. Not great. Want to play!

2021-02-28: Big day.

2021-02-28: ‘Hosanna! Hosanna!’ Trump Triumphantly Rides Into CPAC On Back Of A Donkey - The Babylon Bee Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of MAGA!

2021-02-27: Family Cleaning All hands pitch right in, House is clean and looking good. What will we do next?

2021-02-27: Proud Obama Awards His Nobel Peace Prize To Biden For Bombing Syria - The Babylon Bee Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 – the first time the prize was awarded to someone simply for existing. He then made sure all bombs and missiles had written on them, “From Nobel …

2021-02-27: Trump Promises To Give Everyone $2,001 Checks If He’s Elected President Again - The Babylon Bee Sleepy Joe promised a $2,000 stimulus, and where is it? Total disgrace. Too busy bombing people in Syria maybe, who knows! Everyone knows I would do a better job of passing …

2021-02-26: Flexible School We have a schedule. When work is done: no matter. Works well for us!

2021-02-26: Absentminded Joe Biden Accidentally Mails Stimulus Checks To Defense Contractors Instead Of Americans - The Babylon Bee Biden quickly called the defense contractors to get the checks returned, but it was too late, as they had already cashed them, purchased a bunch of bombs, and …

2021-02-26: Three Republicans Thrown Into Fiery Furnace For Not Bowing Down To Trump Statue - The Babylon Bee At publishing time, Republicans were shocked to see a fourth man standing in the fire with them: Mike Pence.

2021-02-25: St. Joseph Art Got some on Etsy, Made phone, iPad, watch background. He’s everywhere. Nice!

2021-02-25: Biden Clarifies That Stimulus Checks Are ‘Just An Idea’ - The Babylon Bee They’re more of a metaphor. You might say the real stimulus checks were just the countries we bombed along the way, Jack. The real stimulus checks, ya see, they were inside us all along. …

2021-02-25: Ben Shapiro Honors Year Of Jubilee, Frees All Of The Libs He’s Owned - The Babylon Bee It’s a hard practice to obey, but when we understand the mercy of God, we can’t help but act in obedience and pass that mercy on to others.

2021-02-24: Climbing Cat Too small for the gate, Loves to climb. Solution, please! Foil and tape. Done.

2021-02-24: The U.S. Air Force Just Admitted The F-35 Stealth Fighter Has Failed - Forbes Instead of ordering fresh F-16s, he said, the Air Force should initiate a “clean-sheet design” for a new low-end fighter. The only thing in need of a “clean-sheet design” is the byzantine military …

2021-02-24: Canceled F-35 Fighter Gets New Job At The Daily Wire - The Babylon Bee “We are disgusted by the canceling of the F-35, one of the coolest planes ever made,” said god-king Jeremy Boreing of The Daily Wire

2021-02-24: Stalk.

2021-02-23: Craigslist Cat Free kittens said post, Uh, we’ll take one I guess? Start of a journey.

2021-02-23: Lots of happy people in my house today.

2021-02-23: United Airlines Unveils New Environmentally Friendly Single-Engine Boeing 777 - The Babylon Bee There was no emergency– this was all planned in advance. We wanted to illustrate that the 777 Eco is symbolically blowing up the concept of twin-engine airliners and that we’re …

2021-02-23: Spirit Who Caught Typhus En Route To Siege Of Antioch Figures It Simpler Just To Say He Died In The Crusades - The Onion At press time, Brictric was rapidly backpedaling after an enthusiastic Flemish cavalryman who had been immolated in a torrent of hot oil at Antioch asked …

2021-02-23: El Chapo’s Wife Arrested On Drug Charges Exactly As Planned - The Onion read a statement released by the U.S. Justice Department, unaware that they had just set the wheels in motion of an intricate plot planned months earlier by the married duo, placing one foot ever-so-firmly …

2021-02-23: Texas Grapples With Crushing Power Bills After Freeze - WSJ They are offered an array of options, ranging from fixed-price long-term contracts to contracts that track the hourly fluctuations of the wholesale market. An extreme situation, but going with a variable power rate …

2021-02-22: Trash Truck Broke down right outside, Left in middle of the road. Towed hours later.

2021-02-22: A Week of Warmth - Catholic Husband St. Joseph protected his family as he walked through the desert to Egypt. He protected his family during their time in a foreign land, and all the way back home. This week, he protected my family. For his intercession, I am grateful. ➕

2021-02-21: End of Vacation Unplanned, but still fun! Tomorrow, back to business. Big plans have been made!

2021-02-21: Ford CEO Launches Electric Vehicle Push By Having Buddy Stand Watch While He Steals Battery From Parked Prius - The Onion At press time, Ford had walked back its climate plans indefinitely after the Prius’s owner appeared out of a nearby apartment building with a baseball bat, …

2021-02-21: ‘Get Me On The First Flight Outta Here’ Says John Cornyn In Hoodie, Sunglasses Banging On Bahamas Airport Desk - The Onion Avoiding eye contact as he glanced around with clear discomfort, a hoodie- and sunglasses-wearing Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) slammed his fist on a counter and …

2021-02-20: Melt Off Ice dams on the roof, No real trouble to be seen. A few days are left.

2021-02-20: Help Is On The Way: John Kerry Personally Warms Texas By Flying Private Jet Around - The Babylon Bee The Gulfstream, which emits 40 times more carbon than a commercial jetliner, lowered its altitude, belching out a trail of greenhouse gasses above the inoperable field of …

2021-02-19: Staycation How to spend our time? Home improvement projects, bro! Another good day.

2021-02-19: Episode 186: Silly Sally Lucy has a story that she’d like to read to you.

2021-02-19: Tragedy: Texas Man So Focused On Staying Warm He Has Forgotten The Alamo - The Babylon Bee Without the power of the Alamo holding Texas together, the state could fall into a hundred years of ruin and end up like a common California.

2021-02-19: We’ll Have Herd Immunity by April - WSJ scientists shouldn’t try to manipulate the public by hiding the truth

2021-02-18: Frosty Droning Drone did not like it, Nice shots of the winter scene. No mishap; good thing!

2021-02-18: Biden Announces He Will Give Up Executive Orders For Lent - The Babylon Bee Catholics across the country are giving things up for the Lent season, and Joe Biden is a really devout Catholic. He’s so devout, in fact, that he’s agreed to give up something near and dear …

2021-02-18: February (2021)

2021-02-18: The Day Facebook Went Dark on News - WSJ Some public-health experts said they worried the move would deprive people of reliable information from news outlets just as the country starts rolling out its coronavirus vaccinations. And voluminous amounts of unreliable information.

2021-02-18: Number of Immigrant Families Illegally Crossing U.S. Border Rises to Pre-Covid-19 Levels - WSJ “We came now in part because of the law change,” Mr. Chaveco said, describing the family’s decision to cross the border last week. “It seemed like there is more tolerance.” No law …

2021-02-18: Texas Spins Into the Wind - WSJ Between 12 a.m. on Feb. 8 and Feb. 16, wind power plunged 93% while coal increased 47% and gas 450%, according to the EIA. Yet the renewable industry and its media mouthpieces are tarring gas, coal and nuclear because they didn’t operate at 100% …

2021-02-17: Impromptu Vacation Scheduled by nature, Overdue projects checked off. Good use of our day!

2021-02-17: Episode 185: Snow Day It’s cold and snowy, but thankfully Mom built a fort.

2021-02-17: Branches encased in ice. One of my favorite winter scenes.

2021-02-17: ‘You Go Back Where You Came From,’ Says Texan Pointing Gun At Snowman Trespassing On Property - The Onion Now, listen here, boy, I don’t want no trouble, so you best go on and git before I put a .38-caliber hole in that big smiley head of yours

2021-02-17: Democrats Vow To Follow The Science Of Whichever Union Donates The Most Money - The Babylon Bee The results are fascinating. Grocery stores, for example, are safe from COVID because cashiers don’t make much money and aren’t politically organized. But the virus is extremely …

2021-02-17: BREAKING: Husband Wins Argument – UPDATE: Nope Never Mind - The Babylon Bee Larson did not win the argument AT ALL and in fact is in HUGE TROUBLE.

2021-02-17: Ice (2021)

2021-02-17: Texas Cold’Em: Power Outages Are Political - WSJ A coal plant might keep 90 days of fuel on hand. A nuclear plant needs refueling every two years. Gas-fired power plants have no such supply buffer. They depend on just-in-time fuel delivery. Just-in-time delivery: great for …

2021-02-17: The Political Making of a Texas Power Outage - WSJ On present trend, this week’s Texas fiasco is coming soon to a cold winter or hot summer near you. The scariest idea of all. I’m all in for green energy, but the technology must perform on the most critical of days. We aren’t …

2021-02-16: Winter Wonderland Quite tolerable, When you have power, and warms. Water is good, too!

2021-02-16: Nice to look at. Also, bright.

2021-02-15: Polar Vortex It has now arrived, Kids got to play, but briefly. Some nice views outside.

2021-02-15: People Who Moved To Texas From California Finally Feeling At Home Now That Power Is Out - The Babylon Bee “Ah… just like old Gavin Newsom used to do back in Cali,” said local resident Alice Muggins while lighting candles around the house. “I just …

2021-02-15: Bill Gates Has a Master Plan for Battling Climate Change - WSJ Bill Gates was at his lakeside compound in Seattle, gearing up for his next effort to save the planet from mass extinction. I can only assume it was spending $4.7B to take a 30% stake in the world’s largest …

2021-02-15: Lent IRL - Catholic Husband I expect to gain something tangible each day: time. I’ll seek to invest that time increasing spiritual opportunities for my kids, and doing more of the things that I’d like to do with them each day. ➕

2021-02-14: Valentines, What? Not a big deal, huh. Day passed with little notice. Should be a big week.

2021-02-14: Facebook Meets Apple in Clash of the Tech Titans—‘We Need to Inflict Pain’ - WSJ Apple also receives billions of dollars a year from Alphabet Inc.’s Google, for making the search giant the default search engine on Apple’s Safari browser. Google’s profits are largely derived from …

2021-02-13: Busy Saturday Up early, lots done. Day goes fast when starts early. What for tomorrow?

2021-02-13: Trump Now Most Acquitted President In History - The Babylon Bee According to sources, Clinton will be handing over his giant gold “most acquitted ever” trophy to Trump in Mar-a-Lago next week.

2021-02-13: 2022 Beijing Olympic Games Loom as Test for Corporate Sponsors - WSJ Some sponsors are hoping the globalized romanticism of the Games will supersede messy political realities. Yeah, just a few minor messy political issues like arbitrary detention, one million Muslims in …

2021-02-13: Slouching Toward Post-Journalism - City Journal Today, nobody under 85 would look for news in a newspaper. Objection: facts not in evidence. But the point is taken.

2021-02-12: A New Project Some inspiration, New life for old idea. Ready to start it!

2021-02-12: Disney Posts Job Ad Looking For Strong, Fierce Women Who Are Also Obedient, Submissive, And Docile - The Babylon Bee “What did she expect after using her platform to stand for what she believes in? What does she think this is? A Disney movie?!”

2021-02-12: Biden Orders Kung Pao Chicken During First Official Call With China - The Babylon Bee Anonymous sources inside the White House say Biden is frustrated after waiting for over 12 hours for his order to show up, promising to “never order from China again.” This is a …

2021-02-12: Facebook Working on Smart Watch to Compete With Apple Watch - MacRumors Facebook plans to sell the smart watch at close to its production cost Heck, they’ll pay you to know every intimate detail about you!

2021-02-11: Repairman Win Plumbers came over, Fixed for less than half! Big win! Electrician, too.

2021-02-11: Breaking: Apparently There’s An Impeachment Or Something - The Babylon Bee we’re not really sure because no one is really paying attention to it and it looks pretty lame

2021-02-11: Bernie Sanders Comes Out Against $15 Minimum Wage After Finding Out It Requires At Least An Hour’s Work - The Babylon Bee Sanders has spent his 79 years on Earth avoiding any sort of work whatsoever, which is why he was disgusted when he found out the bill he had been fighting …

2021-02-11: Progressive Pleased To Discover That Hell Has No Climate Change - The Babylon Bee They will not, however, ever have to suffer the devastating effects of slow temperature fluctuations over the span of a century.

2021-02-11: How Much Does a C-Section Cost? At One Hospital, Anywhere From $6,241 to $60,584. - WSJ The rate the hospital charges depends on the insurance plan covering the birth. At the bottom end of the scale is a local health plan that serves largely Medicaid recipients. At the top are …

2021-02-11: iOS 14.5 Beta Directs ‘Safe Browsing’ Traffic in Safari Through Apple Server Instead of Google to Protect Personal User Data - MacRumors While Google doesn’t know which specific URL you’re trying to visit, it may collect your IP address during its …

2021-02-10: Winter Weather Not quite expected, Severe weather in forecast. Reserved a hotel.

2021-02-09: Kid Won’t Eat Way off of cycle, Wouldn’t eat before errands. Held it together.

2021-02-09: Impeachment Sequel To Go Straight To DVD - The Babylon Bee Due to budgetary concerns and lack of interest, the movie will skip theatres and go straight to home video.

2021-02-09: Chet's Law Children only sleep in on days when you have somewhere that you need to be.

2021-02-09: Why Democrats Want a Trump Trial - WSJ Mr. Trump’s electoral defeats are a more compelling rebuke than a partisan ban by Congress. Strong, strong agree. The irony of this trial is that Republicans would like to move on to debating Mr. Biden’s agenda, but Democrats can’t let …

2021-02-08: Good Students Off to a great start! Done with their work before lunch. Now we can go play!

2021-02-08: For Some Single Women, Pandemic Means Rethinking Route to Motherhood - WSJ “I began looking into ways I could take control of my fertility, without a man.” She booked a consultation at a fertility clinic and plans to freeze her eggs this spring. The need for cogent, easily …

2021-02-08: CDC: ‘Just Because You Got The Vaccine Doesn’t Mean You Should Go Outside Or Ever Experience Joy Again’ - The Babylon Bee We noticed people were getting the vaccine and then just assuming because vaccines are designed to make people immune to viruses that they …

2021-02-08: I love on Internet forums when people reply to dormant threads over four years after the original post.

2021-02-08: Ready for the Polar Vortex. ❄️

2021-02-08: Building Your Domestic Church - Catholic Husband The Domestic Church may sound quaint, but it’s vitally important. It’s the training ground for saints, and the classroom of Catholicism. It may feel like an overwhelming task, but it’s the vocation that you were called to. Along …

2021-02-07: Grouchy Kids A nap does great things, If I can just wait that long. Quiet is nice, too.

2021-02-07: Conservatives Sit Down For A Relaxing Evening Of Being Insulted By Every Major Corporation In America - The Babylon Bee According to sources, millions of Americans are looking forward to taking a much-needed break from scolding about masks, social justice, immigration, and toxic …

2021-02-06: Walk with Daughter Special time for us, Rarely play alone with her. She had so much fun!

2021-02-06: Woke Capital’s Political Warning - WSJ The collapse came not among Democrats, whose skeptical views were virtually unchanged, but among Republicans. Interesting. All of their donations, photo filters, and corporate activism on behalf of progressive movements curried them no …

2021-02-06: Afternoon walk.

2021-02-06: Episode 184: Pete the Cat Benedict takes a break from his Saturday afternoon to read you a story, “Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons.”

2021-02-06: $1.9 Billion Stimulus Bill Expected To Stimulate National Debt - The Babylon Bee “We will pass this stimulus bill without Republican support,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “Doing so will help hard-working Americans and breathe fresh new life into our national …

2021-02-06: Biden Bars Trump From Receiving Intelligence Briefings, Citing ‘Erratic Behavior’ - The New York Times Ms. Gordon, one of the most respected intelligence officers of her generation, wrote that the danger of providing intelligence to a president whose business deals might make …

2021-02-05: Fudge Diet for long term, Must be supported. Made fudge, I can see this work.

2021-02-05: I’m so tired of the word “safe.”

2021-02-05: ‘So Should I Invoice You Later?’ Says Janet Yellen Trying To Secure Speaking Fee After Meeting With Regulators - The Onion Also, it’s no big deal, but I requested a veggie platter in my rider, and there wasn’t one here, so if you could just be aware of that for next time, that’d …

2021-02-05: Amazon’s U.S. Tax Costs Jumped in 2020. It Likely Would Pay Even More Under Biden Plan. - WSJ The reason Amazon pays less than 21% stems, in part, from decisions by lawmakers. Amazon reported $639 million in tax credits, which companies can get for favored activities such as …

2021-02-05: Friday breakfast.

2021-02-04: Fifteen Debate Alarm rang on time, Spent fifteen minutes in debate. Got up and I walked.

2021-02-04: Biden Administration Weighs Forgiving Student Debt by Executive Action - WSJ While canceling student debt would provide financial relief for millions, it would also raise questions of fairness for students who have already paid back their loans or avoided taking out large loans, …

2021-02-04: 8 Troubling Examples Of Toxic Femininity - The Babylon Bee Womanspreading their throw pillows all over the bed. A key element of toxic femininity is that women assert their dominance over spaces they feel they own, minimizing their man’s feelings.

2021-02-04: ‘Then You’ll Put Out A Nice Press Release Stepping Down As CEO,’ Whispers Rogue Fulfillment Bot Holding Bezos At Gunpoint - The Onion Assuring the executive that as long as he followed directions, nobody would get hurt, a rogue Amazon fulfillment robot trained a gun at Jeff …

2021-02-04: Insurrectionist Truther Doesn’t Believe He Was At Capitol - The Onion Dismissing the accusations as nothing more than the baseless attempts of a deep-state conspiracy to attack former President Trump’s supporters, insurrectionist truther Thomas Keleher declared Monday that he …

2021-02-04: The Babylon Bee’s List Of Updated Terms For Journalists, Now That Biden Is President - The Babylon Bee The nightmare is over! Now that the evil racist dictator Trump has been removed from office by the power of democracy and a 30,000-man standing army, journalists can now …

2021-02-04: John Kerry Arrives In Massive Coal-Powered Steamroller To Accept Climate Change Award - The Babylon Bee “I happen to be a very important international figure! You don’t realize how important my work is.”

2021-02-03: Picnic Dinner First one on the deck, Taco salad. Kids had fun. Many more to come!

2021-02-03: Sunset.

2021-02-03: Progressives Put the Racial ‘Equity’ Squeeze on Biden - WSJ If history is any guide, what blacks most need from the government is for it to get out of the way. Stop forcing poor black children to attend failing schools by denying them school choice. Stop increasing the minimum …

2021-02-03: After Just Two Weeks Off Twitter, Trump Becomes Monk, Achieves Total Enlightenment - The Babylon Bee “Twitter held me back from obtaining my full potential.” Congrats, Don!

2021-02-03: Businesses Launch Legal Fight to Prevent USPS Price Hikes - WSJ On-time delivery of periodicals plunged to 45% in late December versus 85% at the start of the year, according to the most recent USPS data. Totally unacceptable, but just blaming the Postmaster General for …

2021-02-03: Homeschool Moms Unionize, Demand Minimum Three Hours Sleep - The Babylon Bee As strike time draws near, husbands and children do seem to be leaning toward acquiescing to the demands, but some fear that giving in may just lead to other demands such as no whining, everyone keeping …

2021-02-03: Democrats Announce It Is Safe To Reopen Now That Federal Government Has Tested Negative For Trump - The Babylon Bee Governor Whitmer last year cast a spell on Michigan so it would be always winter and never Christmas, but she says she is canceling the spell now and encouraging …

2021-02-03: The Babylon Bee Guide To A Safe And Inclusive Super Bowl LV Party - The Babylon Bee Don’t cheer. You could instead write down your play-by-play emotions in a journal.

2021-02-03: Hard to believe that the Mac App Store is still this unreliable.

2021-02-02: Monitor Hell Hard to make a buy, Many specs, options, prices. Had to make a choice.

2021-02-02: Local Man Burns 13,000 Calories Installing Car Seat - The Babylon Bee Studies have shown that car seat installation is the main reason most parents stop having kids after only one or two. Not satire. Some studies actually do.

2021-02-01: Power Outage Oh no, not again! Power out is no fun. Geez. Came back, still not cool.

2021-02-01: Forget Myanmar: Here Are 12 Other Countries Biden Should Invade RIGHT NOW - The Babylon Bee Canada: They gave us Seth Rogan. Time to MAKE THEM PAY. Strong agree. England: Two centuries after the War of 1812, it’s time for REVENGE. 4D chess.

2021-02-01: Lincoln Distances Self From Lincoln Project - The Babylon Bee “I usually just trust God to sovereignly guide America, but even I had to chime in on this one. These guys have nothing to do with me or my values.”

2021-02-01: Why Brokers Had to Restrain Trading in GameStop Shares - WSJ Brokers facing liquidity crunches have two options: raise capital (which Robinhood apparently did) or reduce clients’ risky trading. Harkens back to the advice, “don’t invest in anything you can’t explain.” All of …

2021-02-01: Google Deletes 100,000 Negative Reviews of Robinhood App From Angry Users A Google spokesperson confirmed the tech giant has deleted the reviews and defended the move overnight, telling Gizmodo over email that it has rules against “coordinated or inorganic reviews.” Gizmodo …

2021-02-01: Facebook’s New App Prompt Will Encourage Users to Accept App and Website Tracking - MacRumors Agreeing to these prompts doesn’t result in Facebook collecting new types of data. Because we already collect every type of data on you.

2021-02-01: 1 mortgage payment down, 359 to go! 🏡

2021-02-01: Scripture Under the Stars - Catholic Husband Now, thanks to Fr. Mike and Ascension Press, the first fruits of my day can be given over to prayer. I can start my morning quietly hearing the Word and carry it with me throughout the day. ➕

2021-01-31: Walking in Daylight A special, rare treat, Walking in the sunshine. Bright, Warm, so much to see!

2021-01-31: Whew! Got the monitor working. 💻

2021-01-31: Don’t Bank on Covid-19 Killing off Cash Just Yet - WSJ fears of infection have driven an increase in contactless payments—electronic payments like Apple Pay and tap-to-pay offerings that avoid even swiping or inserting cards Except too many retailers still require you to agree …

2021-01-30: Goodbye iMac Six years of service, Turned off, put in the attic. Until next time, friend.

2021-01-30: The parallels between climate change adherents and a fanatical religious sect are striking.

2021-01-30: Banks Brace for Tougher Rules Under Biden on Consumer Protection, Fair Lending - WSJ Biden’s team will also push to establish a government-backed consumer credit firm as an alternative to the companies that create credit reports Strong dislike.

2021-01-30: Oof! New LG monitor doesn’t work property with MacBook Pro. Back to the drawing board.

2021-01-30: This is my last post from my iMac. Thank you for your 6 years of service! 🖥

2021-01-29: Boy Reads Books Not done for school work, He read two books for fun. Great! Led our story time!

2021-01-29: There’s something quite romantic and very human about walking under the stars at night and pondering creation. 🌌

2021-01-29: Robot Throws Away A Banana Peel Benedict (2021)

2021-01-29: France’s Macron Calls for Regulation of Social Media to Stem ‘Threat to Democracy’ - WSJ “Political correctness has today endangered the primacy of the citizen over the believer.” Glad I’m not French. The citizen and the believer are one in the same person. Asserting that they …

2021-01-29: FBI Lawyer Who Pleaded Guilty to Altering Document Sentenced to Probation - WSJ At sentencing, the judge said he believed that Mr. Clinesmith wasn’t lying to the court, but trying to save time and work for himself. Usually its the defendant or their attorney that tries to …

2021-01-29: McCarthy Tries to Mend Fences With Trump - WSJ House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) told reporters on Thursday that it was inappropriate that Mrs. Greene was named to the House Education Committee Fair criticism of a new GOP rep who had bizarre conspiracy theory posts on her …

2021-01-29: More Than a Dozen Apps With ‘Misleading or Flat-Out Inaccurate’ Privacy Labels Found on App Store - MacRumors Apple introduced privacy labels on the App Store, providing users with a broad overview of the data types an app may collect, and whether the information is …

2021-01-29: Repeal of State-Tax Deduction Cap Pitched for Covid-19 Relief Bill - WSJ “Folks have been moving away in droves since our state and local tax deduction was gutted,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D., N.J.) said 1) This has nothing to do with COVID. 2) I don’t think a few thousand …

2021-01-29: Another beautiful Winter sunrise.

2021-01-28: MacBook My first in 10 years, Excited to get going. Much work to set up.

2021-01-28: How hard is payroll?

2021-01-28: Disguised Amazon Drone Sneaks Into Worker Meeting To Disrupt Union Talk - The Onion “Hey guys, I don’t know about all this union stuff—doesn’t it feel like it could impact Amazon’s competitiveness in the global market?”

2021-01-28: GM Sets 2035 Target to Phase Out Gas-, Diesel-Powered Vehicles Globally - WSJ Vehicles that run on fossil fuels and emit pollution account for roughly 98% of GM’s sales today and all of its profit For the folks keeping score at home, that’s 14 years. Think about the paltry …

2021-01-28: Biden to Reverse Abortion Rule Known as Mexico City Policy - WSJ “Presidential Memorandum to protect and expand access to comprehensive reproductive health care” Calling abortion “Heath care” is perhaps the most insidious lie ever concocted. Abortion-rights advocates say it …

2021-01-28: I wish my camera would do a better job catching the vivid color of the sunrise.

2021-01-28: My new MacBook arrives today. It’s my first one since I moved to the iMac in 2010. I’m excited about the M1 chip and am planning a clean install going forward. I also maxed out the internal drive so that I can finally be done with external storage.

2021-01-28: The GameStop Short Squeeze Shows an Ugly Side of the Investing World - WSJ It is an ironic twist, or a sign of their lack of understanding, that they equate short sellers with the Wall Street establishment. So true. While some trades may be unseemly, short sellers have a …

2021-01-27: Rhythm Met blueprint for day, Everything got done as planned. Now to repeat. Gulp.

2021-01-27: Merriam-Webster Changes Definition Of ‘White Supremacist’ To ‘Anyone Who Wins In The Stock Market When They’re Not Supposed To’ - The Babylon Bee WallStreetBets has been banned from Reddit and Discord after conspiring to make money on the stock market, even though they are …

2021-01-27: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Says Apple’s Privacy Changes are Self-Serving and Anti-Competitive - MacRumors Advertisers use the random advertising identifier to serve up personalized ads and to track ad campaigns, but the ad industry expects that many people will opt not …

2021-01-27: Biden Freezes U.S. Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia, UAE - WSJ The review, the officials said, includes the sale of precision-guided munitions to Riyadh as well as top-line F-35 fighters to Abu Dhabi “Thanks!” - Iran

2021-01-27: Twitter Releases New Community-Based Tool To Find Witches - The Babylon Bee Participants in Witchwatch will receive a form on which they can write down suspected witches, supporting each accusation with evidence of witchcraft, such as unexplained illness or failing crops. If …

2021-01-27: Book Review: I Will Teach You to be Rich 📚 I like Ramit’s personality and his presentation style. I disliked his book. At some point, when it comes to your finances, you have to grow up and take responsibility. Personal finance doesn’t have to be complicated, but it also can’t be this lazy. This book is full of pandering …

2021-01-26: First Field Trip Goal of two a month. Started with the zoo. Had fun! Good to be back there.

2021-01-26: Currently reading: Agent Sonya: Moscow’s Most Daring Wartime Spy by Ben Macintyre 📚

2021-01-26: My wife and I’s first apartment was $425/month. The same unit, with literally no upgrades made in the past eight years, is now $1,000/month!

2021-01-26: Biden to Lift Some Curbs on Abortion Funding, Reopen ACA Enrollment - WSJ Mr. Biden will sign executive orders directing the reopening of enrollment on the ACA’s federal exchanges and rescinding a Trump administration policy that blocked federal funds to nongovernmental agencies …

2021-01-26: In Stunning Reversal Of Previous Administration, New Biden COVID Plan Features Mask Wearing, Vaccinations, And Travel Bans - The Babylon Bee According to sources, media outlets have already prepared their pieces declaring Joe Biden’s victory over the Coronavirus. They are …

2021-01-26: First trip to the zoo in a while. 🦒

2021-01-26: Maybe I should give up Internet consumption for Lent. Or life.

2021-01-26: Finished reading: I Will Teach You to Be Rich, Second Edition: No Guilt. No Excuses. No BS. Just a 6-Week Program That Works by Ramit Sethi 📚

2021-01-26: Trump creates Florida-based ‘Office of the Former President’ - Washington Examiner The Office of the Former President “will be responsible for managing President Trump’s correspondence, public statements, appearances, and official activities to advance the interests …

2021-01-25: Board Games Played a game with kids, Lots of suspense and surprise! We all had some fun.

2021-01-25: Trying Mr. Trump, Private Citizen - WSJ Their goal is to banish Mr. Trump from running for office again. The result may instead be his acquittal and political revival. Ain’t that the truth. We’ve said Mr. Trump’s actions—and failure to act to stop the riot as it unfolded—were …

2021-01-25: America, It’s Time for ‘Unity’—or Else - WSJ Then there was defending the larger truth about Mr. Biden’s plan to get 100 million doses into American arms in 100 days—a million a day. An ambitious goal, his team called it. An ambitious goal, the press repeated, helping to lower …

2021-01-25: Biden Announces Rollback Of All Jobs Created By Trump - The Babylon Bee Unfortunately, this measure is expected to eliminate most mainstream journalism jobs, since Trump created most of those too.

2021-01-25: The finish line from our morning game. 🏁

2021-01-25: Episode 183: More Play We’re about to go play outside, but first Benedict and Felicity want to talk about some games that we played this morning.

2021-01-25: Celebrity is largely based on occupation. Singers, athletes, actors, journalists, and the like get on their digital soapboxes and tell us how to think, act, and feel. They promulgate their moral code, which changes like the season. They prescribe the perfect politics and ideology …

2021-01-25: Apple’s Jeff Williams and Jay Blahnik Discuss New ‘Time to Walk’ Feature - MacRumors Apple Watch owners who are Apple Fitness+ subscribers to listen to audio stories from celebrities, musicians, athletes, and other influential people while they walk. Obsession …

2021-01-25: Day one, fresh start.

2021-01-25: Off the Wagon - Catholic Husband Physical health and spiritual health are two sides of the same coin. The human person is integrated, each component and system symbiotically impacting and effecting the other. To care for the physical self is to care for the spiritual self. To …

2021-01-24: Strop A dull knife edge stinks. Sharpening not hard, just strop. Slices through paper!

2021-01-24: Nice day to strop some knives.

2021-01-23: Big City Loaded the kids up, Drove into the city. Stops. Much traffic, people.

2021-01-23: Episode 182: Game of Tag The sun is setting, but we headed outside for some quick family play.

2021-01-22: Laundry Done Quick How did he do it? First load in at 5am. Done by lunch. Not bad.

2021-01-22: The miniaturization of SSDs is truly remarkable.

2021-01-22: Biden’s Executive Orders Signal Collision Course With GOP - WSJ By Friday, Mr. Biden had issued at least 29 executive orders and actions. In contrast, then-President Barack Obama issued five and Mr. Trump issued one in their first three days in office.

2021-01-22: Biden Tells Freezing Troops Sleeping In Garages To Be Patient Until He Can Get Them Shipped To Iraq - The Babylon Bee “Listen, ya bunch of dumb pony soldiers,” said Biden to a line of 3,000 soldiers waiting to use the bathroom. ”I know you people are much …

2021-01-21: Testing End of the quarter, Time for tests. He’s doing great! Real learning happens.

2021-01-21: Archaeologists Uncover Separate Team Of Archaeologists Digging Towards Them From Other Side Of Globe - The Onion “While our initial assumption was that we had stumbled on the previously unknown descendants of some ancient race of upside-down people, it turns out that this was a …

2021-01-21: 15 Ways To Cope When You Don’t Like The President - The Babylon Bee It can be tough to live in a country where you don’t like the president. Luckily, our friends on the Left have shown us how to handle this situation with grace and class over the past four years. …

2021-01-21: The Biden presidency will tell the story of Catholicism in America - Washington Examiner Where non-Biden-supporting Catholics point to abortion and the contraception mandate, pro-Biden Catholics point to his opposition to the death penalty (see the development of the …

2021-01-21: Spotted at the end of play time.

2021-01-21: White House Press Corps Wears New Cheerleading Uniforms To Press Briefing - The Babylon Bee “We will continue to go after the president like we always have– wait… Joe Biden is coming! EEEEEEEEEEE!” Acosta then began to jump up and down, shaking his …

2021-01-21: If Corporate Diversity Works, Show Me the Money - WSJ The most powerful argument against a board diversity requirement is that if it were manifestly good for companies, there would be no need for it in the first place. Successful companies can’t keep secrets quiet for long; if …

2021-01-21: Joe Biden’s Super State - WSJ If government at so many levels can’t do something this straightforward—two injections—what can it do?

2021-01-20: Biden Signs Executive Orders on Face-Mask Mandate, Keystone Pipeline, Paris Accord - WSJ Mr. Biden signed 15 executive orders and two executive actions on his first day in office, far more than any of his modern predecessors, none of whom signed more than one. President Trump …

2021-01-20: Mid-Afternoon Walk A change of routine, Walking in the daylight. Well, Fun, but need morning.

2021-01-20: Secret Service Agent Heroically Dives In Front Of Strong Breeze That Could Have Killed Biden Cole, who appeared completely unscathed by a direct hit to the chest from a breeze that came within inches of Biden and might have caused the president to lose his balance and fall, …

2021-01-20: Net Neutrality and Big Tech’s Speech Hypocrisy - WSJ Facebook and Twitter turned out to be more threatening than under threat. Broadband providers haven’t attempted to block content or competitors since the FCC repealed net neutrality. But social media, app stores and cloud …

2021-01-19: Filing System Years of PDFs, Sorting, saving, discarding. Memories now flow.

2021-01-19: Currently reading: I Will Teach You to Be Rich, Second Edition: No Guilt. No Excuses. No BS. Just a 6-Week Program That Works by Ramit Sethi 📚

2021-01-19: MLB Beginning To Suspect Pirates Just A Mob Front “It must be some kind of money-laundering operation, because they’re clearly doing the bare minimum to keep that place open,” said Commissioner Rob Manfred

2021-01-19: At this point, it’s just embarrassing how hard it is to move Apple Watches between phones.

2021-01-19: Leaving Evernote for good this year. I ended up just using it as a digital filing cabinet for PDFs, but now I can use iCloud or Dropbox. All writing heading over to Ulysses, which can be exported in the future if needed. In the end, Evernote’s poor search engine was the primary …

2021-01-18: Generic Failure They say it’s the same, My head disagrees strongly. Need new solution.

2021-01-18: Most Popular President In History To Be Inaugurated In Secret Behind Giant Wall Guarded By Thousands Of Soldiers - The Babylon Bee “This is a slight break in tradition but it’s necessary because Biden is just so incredibly popular and loved by the people,” said …

2021-01-18: Democrat States Follow The Science By Doing What Florida Did Back In May - The Babylon Bee “We must follow the science by doing what Republican states did eight months ago,” said Governor Cuomo. “Now that Biden will be our president, it is time for the pandemic …

2021-01-18: Book Review: In Praise of Walking 📚 I’m an avid reader of The Wall Street Journal, but I must admit that when it comes to the style and lifestyle articles, I’m not a good fit. WSJ is a mainstream newspaper published in New York City, and as such, many of the viewpoints of its authors are cosmopolitan. Each …

2021-01-18: These Days - Catholic Husband This is the time that we build the relationship that we’ll share for my lifetime. These are the days when they store the memories of “my dad” growing up. This is my chance to make a real impact on their formation, to set them up on a course to go …

2021-01-17: Under Cabinet Lighting Thanks to my friend Hue, Very nice kitchen lighting. Makes a big difference!

2021-01-17: Two years since I quit Google. Life is still good!

2021-01-17: Sunday evening grilling.

2021-01-17: Winter Into Spring by George Winston 🎵

2021-01-17: Ugandan Presidential Candidate Bobi Wine Says Soldiers Stormed His Home - WSJ Uganda’s government has said that America’s election crisis shows Washington doesn’t have the authority to monitor Uganda’s elections. They may have a point insofar as the myriad court-ordered rule …

2021-01-16: Weekend Warrior Project list shrinking, I’m more productive this way. Outside tomorrow.

2021-01-16: Finished reading: In Praise of Walking: A New Scientific Exploration by Shane O’Mara 📚

2021-01-16: I keep the book that I’m currently reading in this drawer. It’s always a delight to open it up at the end of the day and enjoy the cover art.

2021-01-16: This BBQ place smells sooooo good.

2021-01-16: Biden’s First Spending Blowout - WSJ The first point to understand is that this blowout has nothing to do with economic stimulus. Nearly all of the money is for income redistribution—some to people in genuine need, but most to advance long-term Democratic social policies, and to …

2021-01-15: Nation Enters New Phase Of Vaccine Distribution Where Capricorns, Gymnasts, Childless Uncles Now Eligible For Inoculation “If you are between the ages of 49 and 52, were born in Iowa but now live in Ohio, reside exactly 3.25 miles from a hospital, or have bowled a 300 game, you …

2021-01-15: Laundry Done A rare feat, indeed! Laundry done and away. Whew! Now I can go sleep.

2021-01-15: Mexico Accuses U.S. of Fabricating Drug-Trafficking Charges Against General - WSJ More than nine in 10 crimes in Mexico remain unpunished, an impunity that has driven widespread lawlessness and record homicide rates in recent years. Yeah, he’s innocent, bro!

2021-01-15: Wife Keeps Wanting To Have Conversations With Her Husband But She Doesn’t Even Listen To His Podcast - The Babylon Bee “Listen, I already covered all that in episode #31 of Raw Conversations With Brad,” said Brad after his wife asked him how his week was and what his …

2021-01-15: Smoke Signal For ‘RIGGED ELECTION!’ Seen Rising From White House Lawn - The Babylon Bee With Trump cut off from his primary means of communication on Twitter, he has been forced to find creative ways to communicate with his supporters.

2021-01-14: Evening Walk A rare occasion, Walking at moonrise. Nice view. I prefer mornings.

2021-01-14: Out-Of-Work Waitress Excited To See Congress Spend Time Impeaching Trump Again - The Babylon Bee Americans are looking forward to seeing their elected representatives put the needs of the American people first. Democrats have responded by pursuing the one thing every American …

2021-01-14: Twitter CEO Defends Trump Ban but Voices Concern Over Precedent - WSJ Mr. Dorsey wrote, adding that a ban “sets a precedent I feel is dangerous: the power an individual or corporation has over a part of the global public conversation.” But, hey, I did it anyway.

2021-01-13: First Day Back Always the hardest, First walk was in the sun, tho. Try to make a streak.

2021-01-13: Pence Rolls Out Ambitious Agenda For First 100 Minutes In Office - The Babylon Bee 10:57 to 11:00 - Take time out to spend with family, rekindle marriage It will be an incredibly consequential presidency.

2021-01-13: Beautiful evening.

2021-01-13: There are no good options for fixing the Student Loan Program, but there is a not-as-bad option. A single program, 0% interest, with lifetime maximums per degree type (undergrad/grad/professional). No forgiveness: you pay back every penny you take out. The government supports …

2021-01-12: New Monitor Thirty-two inches. 4k and ready to roll! Desk upgrade, now here.

2021-01-12: Trump Praised For Accepting Election Results 4 Years Quicker Than Hillary Clinton Did - The Babylon Bee CNN then cut to an interview from last week in which Hillary Clinton once again claimed that the 2016 election was stolen by the Russians.

2021-01-12: Trump Orders Flags Lowered To Half-Staff Over Loss Of His Twitter Account - The Babylon Bee “So we’re going to mourn – we’re going to lower our flags and remember – but we’re also going to try to move on and live our lives despite no longer having my constant wisdom …

2021-01-12: Sun streaming into the house on a cold winter’s morning. ☀️

2021-01-11: Power Returns Twenty-two hours, A long time without power. Back on, now I’m warm!

2021-01-11: Amazon Banned From Amazon Servers For Selling Trump’s Art Of The Deal - The Babylon Bee This happened after it was found that Amazon.com was selling President Donald Trump’s book The Art of the Deal, a book that financially contributes to the menace Donald Trump while also …

2021-01-11: Trump Hides Nuclear Codes In Bible Where Pelosi Will Never Find Them - The Babylon Bee At publishing time, Trump had forgotten where he’d put the nuclear codes, since he never opens his Bible either.

2021-01-11: A hot shower is the perfect end to this cold, powerless day.

2021-01-11: Apple Removes All Apps Since Any Of Them Could Be Used To Incite Violence - The Babylon Bee “Phone calls and text messages? You can plot violence. Books? You can be radicalized and then plot violence. Maps? You can navigate to violence,” said Tim Cook.

2021-01-11: The calm after the storm.

2021-01-11: Uncertainty - Catholic Husband There were others who believed that the Messiah was coming to liberate Israel and establish a new Davidic Kingdom. They thought that Jesus was coming to deliver a political solution. They were thinking small. ➕

2021-01-10: Snow Day A treat for the kids, Snow falling all day. They played, And played joyfully!

2021-01-10: Even Monkey gets to enjoy the snow day.

2021-01-10: The Progressive Purge Begins - WSJ “Don’t tell me he was banned for violating Twitter rules. I get death threats here every day for many years, and Twitter doesn’t ban anyone,” Mr. Navalny tweeted.

2021-01-10: I spent about 90 minutes inverting 11 light switches throughout my house that were installed backwards. Tedious, annoying task, but one of those satisfying improvements that I never have to do again. 💡

2021-01-10: One of my favorite winter sights.

2021-01-10: Snow in the trees.

2021-01-10: Episode 181: Snowflakes Felicity plays in the snow.

2021-01-10: Let it snow. 🌨

2021-01-10: Dreaming of a snow day ☃️

2021-01-10: Upon Becoming Richest Man In World, Elon Musk Treats Himself To Side Of Guac At Chipotle - The Babylon Bee “You know what? I’ve arrived, and I’m gonna treat myself,” he said with a smile Congrats, buddy!

2021-01-10: To Protest Siege On Capitol, Kamala Harris Helps BLM Burn Down A Target - The Babylon Bee “Next, let’s go get that Starbucks!” she cried. There is expected to be little effect on the Starbucks, though, since their beans are already burnt. Sadly, one of the …

2021-01-09: On the Move A full schedule day. Activity, work, projects. More files to move.

2021-01-09: ‘I’ve Been Selfish And Arrogant, And I Apologize,’ Says Content, Mentally Healthy Trump Minutes After Social Media Ban At press time, Trump was overheard asking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi if she had ever noticed how beautiful a simple goldfinch was, while suggesting the two of …

2021-01-09: Trump Begins Throwing Pence’s Belongings Out Of Window Onto White House Lawn - The Babylon Bee At publishing time, someone had also keyed the Vice Presidential Cadillac and TP’ed the trees at One Observatory Circle.

2021-01-09: Trump Sneaks Back On Twitter By Disguising Self As PR Rep For Chinese Communist Party - The Babylon Bee Trump is reportedly attempting to build a following by tweeting about how good Uighur concentration camps are and how nice the Chinese government is, since those things are …

2021-01-09: After Being Kicked Off Social Media, Trump Forced To Go Door To Door And Shout ‘RIGGED ELECTION!’ - The Babylon Bee “Nothing– and I mean nothing, will stop me from getting my important message out to the American people,” said Trump.

2021-01-08: Girl Tries Food A first taste for her, She seemed interested. Perhaps a foodie?

2021-01-08: Using Apple Watch for macOS administrator approval is very nice.

2021-01-08: Apple Threatens to Ban Parler From App Store as Twitter Bans Donald Trump - MacRumors We have received numerous complaints regarding objectionable content in your Parler service, accusations that the Parler app was used to plan, coordinate, and facilitate the illegal activities …

2021-01-08: Hat tip to the brave corporate leaders at Twitter! They took the bold step of banning President Trump from their platform and told the world on a Friday afternoon after markets closed for the weekend. Courage!

2021-01-08: Y’all got any Robot food?

2021-01-08: Puss in Boots 🍿

2021-01-08: Liberals Tell Everyone To Calm Down About The Siege Since The Capitol Has Insurance - The Babylon Bee “I can’t believe everyone is getting so worked up over some property damage,” said liberal pundit Howard Collier. “The Capitol has insurance, and all of that can get replaced. …

2021-01-08: WSJ reporting: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), in a tweet Thursday, accused Mrs. DeVos of quitting rather than supporting efforts to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Mr. Trump. We are in a real moment for members of both parties to assume the best in one another so we can …

2021-01-08: Pelosi Says Democrats Will Move to Impeach Trump if He Doesn’t Leave - WSJ House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), in calling for the impeachment of President Trump, also questioned Mr. Trump’s fitness for office in the letter, saying she had spoken to the Chairman of the Joint …

2021-01-08: Biden Plans to Release Nearly All Available Covid-19 Vaccine Doses - WSJ a shift from the Trump administration’s policy of holding back stock for second doses. An interesting idea, but it kind of feels like buying something on a credit card and hoping that your paycheck clears …

2021-01-08: Stop trying to make the Capitol riot into a race issue - Washington Examiner There will always be those who hijack deadly serious events to talk about the issues that are clearly more important to them. I saw this question raised with many outlets. My reading of the totality of …

2021-01-07: School Work Complete Start: not looking good. He regrouped and powered through! Three day weekend treat!

2021-01-07: The Capitol Cops and Rioters - WSJ Americans watched as far-left radicals rioted in many cities, including D.C., attacking police officers and damaging federal property. Democratic leaders were slow to condemn this violence, and progressive prosecutors have been reluctant to …

2021-01-07: Insurrection Demands Forceful Response - WSJ Some liberals appear to have shed their reservations about the use of force now that the mob carries different signs and chants different slogans. Some of the same pundits who called roughly half the country “fascists” last year for …

2021-01-07: Actions by Police Before Trump Supporters Attacked Capitol Backfired Spectacularly - WSJ In a letter to federal officials on Monday, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser urged federal law enforcement to maintain a light footprint for Wednesday’s protests, seeking to avoid the type of …

2021-01-07: Donald Trump’s Final Days - WSJ It is best for everyone, himself included, if he goes away quietly.

2021-01-07: Trump Circumvents Twitter Ban With Emergency Alert System - The Babylon Bee “The Apprentice just is not as good since I left. Very sad to see the end of a once-great show. Sad!”

2021-01-07: Trump Suspended Indefinitely From Facebook Amid Pressure on Social Media to Clamp Down - WSJ Danielle Citron, a professor at the University of Virginia Law School and longtime member of Twitter’s Trust and Safety board, has previously argued in favor of suspending Mr. Trump’s …

2021-01-07: Trump’s Trumpian Final Days - WSJ The conventional wisdom is to blame all this on Mr. Trump for making “baseless claims” about the election. A more honest assessment of the damage done during Mr. Trump’s four years in office would require everyone in politics to take a long look …

2021-01-07: South Korea Pushes Iran to Release Seized Oil Tanker - WSJ “We are not hostage takers,” Iran’s government spokesman, Ali Rabiee, said the day after the tanker was seized. I could never be a spokesman.

2021-01-07: Ignorant Republicans Riot And Don’t Even Get Any Big-Screen TVs - The Babylon Bee “One thing is clear,” said one political analyst. “These people obviously don’t know the sweet, sweet justice of lugging a 60-inch TV back to your apartment to show …

2021-01-07: Dichotomy Yesterday, as an angry mob of thousands stormed Capitol Hill, threatening the American system of government, I sat in my living room. Historically, when mobs storm seats of government, they declare a new government. Yesterday’s violence resulted in a few selfies and nothing more. …

2021-01-06: Meat Pie Keto meat pie, yum! My best yet, not sure why tho. Hope to repeat soon!

2021-01-06: Dinner is served! One of my favorites.

2021-01-06: Mostly Peaceful Protestors Breach US Capitol - The Babylon Bee some peace-loving and very non-violent protestors stormed the Capitol building in Washington D.C. and attempted to occupy it in support of Trump.

2021-01-06: Who knew that with just a decade of hard work, Twitter and Facebook could turn our country into this.

2021-01-06: The taxing authority failed its audit, resulting in a loss of $1.75M in school funding from the state, which the property owners must now bear. I’ve called them three times about a single question, and gotten three separate answers. Losers.

2021-01-06: Mandatory WhatsApp Privacy Policy Update Allows User Data to be Shared With Facebook - MacRumors Users that agree to the updated terms will have their WhatsApp account registration and phone number, transaction data, service-related information, interaction information, mobile …

2021-01-05: Play for Students What makes good student? Hours of outdoor play! Wee! Back on track, again.

2021-01-05: U.S. Postal Service Wishes Everyone A Happy Thanksgiving - The Babylon Bee “We at the United States Postal Service wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, a happy holiday season, and a pleasant, stress-free 2009 to come.”

2021-01-05: 9 Things You Need To Know About The Georgia Election - The Babylon Bee 8) Remember to wear a poncho just in case pipes start bursting as soon as Republicans start winning. Plumbing tends to explode at opportune times.

2021-01-05: Google Hasn’t Updated Its iOS Apps Since the Day Before Apple’s New Privacy Labels Requirement - MacRumors Google will surely have to update its iOS apps eventually, so it will be interesting to see what the privacy labels reveal about the company’s data …

2021-01-04: Neighbor Cat Kids playing out back, Glee! Neighbor cat visits, plays. They are so joyful.

2021-01-04: Episode 180: Veronica Laughs Nothing but laughter.

2021-01-04: My former electricity provider informed me in November that they overbilled me 42% of the time that I was their customer. They promised to send me a refund. It arrived today in the form of a prepaid debit card. The card is issued by Wirecard, a company that collapsed in 2020 …

2021-01-04: My Boker folding knife came today. Will be my EDC for a few days so I can practice sharpening on it. Forgive me, Benchmade!

2021-01-04: Julian Assange: U.K. Judge Denies Wikileaks Founder’s Extradition to U.S., Citing Suicide Risk - WSJ “The overall impression is of a depressed and sometimes despairing man who is genuinely fearful about his future,” she said, rejecting the U.S. extradition request. I hate …

2021-01-04: Congress, Confusion, and COVID Commandments Congratulations to Speaker Pelosi on her election to a fourth term. May she use her authority to serve the nation to the best of her abilities. For the vote in the House of Representatives chamber, a last minute alteration was made. The Wall Street Journal reporting: Pelosi Wins …

2021-01-04: Breakfast views.

2021-01-04: Taste - Catholic Husband If we were to make the tiniest forward motion towards God, and taste just a portion of HIs goodness, that taste would satisfy us. ➕

2021-01-03: Time Well Spent No moment wasted, Three days of productive work. Now the routine starts.

2021-01-03: Silent night, holy night.

2021-01-03: Episode 179: Backyard Welcome to Season 4! I head outside on a Sunday afternoon to talk to the big kids about our new backyard.

2021-01-03: Cushioned pews > non-cushioned pews.

2021-01-03: My son’s morning instructions, posted over his desk. He loves LEGOs.

2021-01-03: The pharmaceutical company that produces my designer migraine medication renewed their patient access program. I can get my monthly supply for $10, a savings of over $1,500 each month. There’s a lot of bashing of big pharma for their business practices, but that’s not everyone’s …

2021-01-03: Adobe Officially Ends Flash Support, Recommends Uninstalling Immediately - MacRumors Adobe’s Flash Player had continually suffered from vulnerabilities that exposed Mac and PC users to malware and other security risks that caused vendors like Microsoft and Apple to work …

2021-01-02: Hanging Art Sign of commitment, Hanging things on the home walls. I guess we’re staying!

2021-01-02: Annual state vehicle inspections are beyond dumb.

2021-01-02: I could really go for a KFC Double Down.

2021-01-02: Gorgeous winter sunrise.

2021-01-01: Strong Start Did more than I thought. Fresh start, web, and furniture. Let’s keep it going!

2021-01-01: I like the little web maintenance that a change in year requires.

2021-01-01: Biden Releases Controversial New Memoir ‘If I Rigged It’ - The Babylon Bee Critics have called the book ”a highly suspicious work that reads more like an actual confession than a memoir.” Trusted media outlets, fact-checkers, and social media have all …

2020-12-31: So Long, So Long It started with hope, Was anything but. Year gone, Now we start again.

2020-12-31: Courtesy of GoodReads.

2020-12-31: Episode 178: Christmas On The Move Merry Christmas, folks! We moved this month and are finally settled in our new home. We close out Season 3 of ChetCast and reflect on Christmas.

2020-12-31: I thought 2020 was going to be the year I stopped shopping Amazon. Maybe 2021 will be.

2020-12-31: I love the sound of rain on the skylights while reading the paper.

2020-12-31: Gun Stores Overwhelmed By People Returning $600 Guns For $2000 Guns - The Babylon Bee The bill was originally intended to provide relief for those out of work and affected by the ongoing pandemic, but after the U.S. paid hundreds of millions to other countries, $2000 per …

2020-12-31: Gazelle’s Used Device Trade-In Program to End Next Year - MacRumors Gazelle intends to focus on its in-store ecoATM kiosks, which offer instant cash for devices, although they don’t usually offer as much in return as customers would get through traditional trade-in …

2020-12-31: I can’t wait to get my new Mac and have all of my files on one internal drive. 💾

2020-12-30: All Done All came together, A rushed project done on time. Now on to Big Sur!

2020-12-30: Here I go!

2020-12-30: I’ve never written so many checks in my life.

2020-12-29: Down to the Wire Two days to deadline. Substantive changes still made. Will we get it done?

2020-12-29: Man Has A Few Days Left To Be A Disgusting Slob Before Completely Turning Life Around On January 1st - The Babylon Bee He has prepared for the big day by fishing his old gym shorts from the laundry so they’ll be ready for his first life-altering workout. Good luck, Jason!

2020-12-29: Big kids playing outside while I clean the kitchen and fold laundry. Thanks, fence!

2020-12-28: End of Visits Lots of visitors, Came through all month long. Over. Time to settle in.

2020-12-28: Airbnb views.

2020-12-28: Time Lost - Catholic Husband This year, we endured the tyranny of uncertainty. We lived through the misery of human separation, unable to spend quality time physically present with those that we love. Not only that, but we tasted the bitterness of spiritual isolation from our …

2020-12-27: Exotic Animals Drive-thru safari, Fun to see them up close. Wow! Yes, always a treat.

2020-12-27: Care for a snack?

2020-12-26: Sunny Morning Time to catch our breath. Warm sun and patio chairs. Great way to recharge.

2020-12-26: Morning after Christmas views.

2020-12-26: Toyota’s Chief Says Electric Vehicles Are Overhyped | WSJ Toyota Motor Corp.’s leader criticized what he described as excessive hype over electric vehicles, saying advocates failed to consider the carbon emitted by generating electricity and the costs of an EV transition. He …

2020-12-26: Simple pleasures. 🗞

2020-12-25: Christmas Morning A proper staircase, Perfect Christmas morning pic. A joyful morning.

2020-12-25: Christmas steak. 🎄🥩

2020-12-25: In Hoc Anno Domini - WSJ In Hoc Anno Domini | WSJ And the voice from Galilee, which would defy Caesar, offered a new Kingdom in which each man could walk upright and bow to none but his God.

2020-12-25: He found us! 🎅🏻

2020-12-24: Building Projects Poor planning by me. Long, late night building session. Will not repeat that.

2020-12-24: All is calm, all is bright. 🕯

2020-12-24: The Santa Clause 🍿

2020-12-24: Apple’s New Privacy-Focused Tracking Prompt Begins Appearing for iOS 14 Users [Updated] - MacRumors iOS 14.4 should be publicly released in January or February .4 versions too late.

2020-12-24: Trump Campaign Demands Stimulus Of 8 Million Votes - The Babylon Bee If Trump’s idea is passed, each American will get 8 million votes for them to be president, evenly distributed among the 50 states. This vote stimulus will be means-tested, though – anyone who already has …

2020-12-24: Jupiter And Saturn Fined For Not Obeying Social Distancing - The Babylon Bee The U.S. Government has tasked Space Force with collecting the fine from these two planets. The mission is expected to cost 3.2 Trillion dollars, which is the equivalent of about twelve $600 stimulus …

2020-12-23: More Home Improvement Another work day. Got a lot done. Satisfied. The list gets shorter.

2020-12-23: Clever American Disguises Self As Transgender Middle Easterner In Hopes Of Receiving More COVID Aid - The Babylon Bee Other Americans are working hard to snag some of that sweet government cash by disguising themselves as art galleries, bridge projects, and Asian carp fishermen. …

2020-12-22: Santa Comes Soon Just a few more days, I think the kids will be pleased. They are excited!

2020-12-22: Trump’s Parting Shot: A Bigger Navy? - WSJ The Pentagon has been debating and studying how to expand the fleet, and the Trump plan suggests underwriting more than 80 ships over five years at a cost of $147 billion. How wasteful is the $900B stimulus? We can grow our Navy by 80 …

2020-12-22: The long-term governmental payroll support for tens of thousands of airline jobs that no longer exist is malpractice at the highest level.

2020-12-21: Kids Free Play A fenced in back yard, Kids can play outdoors at will. A win for us all.

2020-12-21: God Compensates Job With $600 Stimulus Check - The Babylon Bee “I pretty much lost everything,” Job said. “My kids, my home, my livestock, my health, my livelihood. I lost all of it. But finding out that I’ll get $600 is pretty exciting.”

2020-12-21: I published my 800th post on Catholic Husband this morning. Will end the year with 52 posts published in 2020. Glad to see this project going after nearly 8 years.

2020-12-21: Congress Finally Reaches Stimulus Agreement: Every American Will Receive A Coupon For $5 Off At Applebee’s - The Babylon Bee In addition to bailouts, money for pet projects, and payouts to unions, Congress has authorized a very special $5 off coupon to Applebee’s. I …

2020-12-21: Waiting - Catholic Husband They may have waited for a singular day on a calendar, but we were waiting for the King! ➕

2020-12-20: Last Box Two weeks of hard work, All boxes are unpacked. Whew. Took a nap, need more!

2020-12-20: Got the last box unpacked. 📦

2020-12-19: Batched Errands Back to the city, Tons of errands done quickly. A model day trip.

2020-12-19: Apple wants you to believe that they are a great, moral company. Simply not true. Dozens of gifs of Trump, even some of him in drag. Zero of Xi Jinping. If they bowed any further to China, they’d lose their balance and fall over.

2020-12-18: Home Security New locks now installed, Security system on, And activated.

2020-12-18: Report: LeBron James To Be Appointed As Ambassador To China - The Babylon Bee Colin Kaepernick was also floated but ultimately didn’t get picked. Boom, roasted!

2020-12-18: Infographic: The Journalists’ Guide To Reporting On Politicians - The Babylon Bee researchers say they are close to making a breakthrough on triple standards Infographics by the Bee are always great.

2020-12-18: Experts Warn Further Lockdowns Could Result In More Taylor Swift Albums - The Babylon Bee “The data is clear: we must end the lockdowns to prevent this from happening.” Agree.

2020-12-18: It’s a two cup of coffee kind of day. ☕️

2020-12-18: Dad Excited To See What He Got His Kids For Christmas - The Babylon Bee “Oh man, I hope it’s a LEGO set,” he said as he shook a box under the tree labeled “To: Aiden, From: Dad.”

2020-12-17: Apple Prototyped Hundreds of AirPods Max Designs, Says Smart Case is Designed for Storage Efficiency - MacRumors Whang, who apparently oversaw design of the case, said that while many headphones come with a large, cumbersome case, the Smart Case was designed to be storage …

2020-12-17: Joel Osteen Releases New Book ‘Live Your Best Life Now By Taking Millions In Small Business Aid From The Government’ - The Babylon Bee The book will teach Christians to name and claim up to $4 million in small business aid, allowing them to use their positive mental …

2020-12-17: Inside Focus Work men here all day, So I worked inside, as well. We got a lot done.

2020-12-17: Seattle Announces Reverse Purge Where One Night A Year Laws Will Be Enforced - The Babylon Bee one special day every year where laws against things like stealing, killing, and urinating in public libraries will actually be enforced by real police officers

2020-12-16: Small Electrical Worked outside today. Many light fixtures replaced. I like this challenge.

2020-12-16: A busy day around the outside of the house. 🧰

2020-12-15: Projects List Sat down, made a list. Very long. Will it get done? One day at a time.

2020-12-15: Man Chokes In Restaurant, Dr. Jill Biden Springs Into Action To Deliver Educational Lecture - The Babylon Bee “Thank you for having me here today,” Dr. Jill Biden said as the bewildered choking man tried to call for a “real doctor,” since he was obviously …

2020-12-15: Old, Failed Idea Repackaged As New, Progressive Idea - The Babylon Bee “Wow! This will solve everything!” said an enthusiastic young liberal about an idea proven by history to make everything worse.

2020-12-15: Final Appeal: Trump Pens Letter To Santa Asking Him To Overturn Biden’s Win - The Babylon Bee I have been a good boy all year long. Many people are saying that anyway. I made peace in the Middle East, got a vaccine delivered in RECORD time, and even helped Melania in her …

2020-12-15: Chinese Spy Assigned To Date Eric Swalwell Begs To Be Sent To Labor Camp Instead - The Babylon Bee “It’s cruel and unusual punishment. Which, I guess, is allowed here, but still. It’s not a good look,” she said. An international human rights board agreed, …

2020-12-15: Man Selflessly Offers To Let Rest Of Country Try Vaccine First - The Babylon Bee Johnston had initially planned to receive the shot after watching Governor Cuomo’s Oscar-worthy performance pleading for the public to get the vaccine. However, Johnston was dissuaded when he …

2020-12-15: Homeowner Frantically Makes Figgy Pudding To Get Rid Of Carolers - The Babylon Bee Neighbors say that as of 1 am, the carolers are on their 427th round of “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” and have promised to stay in place until they get some figgy pudding. Sad!

2020-12-15: William Barr to Resign as Attorney General - WSJ Mr. Barr said he would depart Dec. 23 Not good!

2020-12-14: Big City Had to run errands, Many stops in the city. Took me three whole hours!

2020-12-14: Me: “Thanks for your help! Merry Christmas!” Apple Support: “Happy Holidays.”

2020-12-14: Today I went to Lowe’s. There was a woman sitting comfortably in a chair out front smoking a cigarette. A few minutes later, EMS showed up to evaluate her. I’m thinking she could’ve made it to the hospital of her own accord.

2020-12-14: The Biden Team Strikes Back - WSJ This has triggered a flood of media and Twitter criticism, including demands that I retract the piece, apologize personally to Mrs. Biden, ban Mr. Epstein for all time, and resign and think upon my sins. I always enjoy reading Paul’s work. As …

2020-12-14: Google Tests Dark Mode for Its Desktop Web Search Page - MacRumors Google has added belated support for ‌Dark Mode‌ to its Gmail and Search apps, but it looks like Google for desktop web could be on its way, too. My websites have more cutting edge design than Google.

2020-12-14: Carrying Too Much - Catholic Husband Advent is the time to lay down our sinful habits, big and small. It’s a call to reorient ourselves towards God, to be reminded of our identity as His children. It’s an excuse to break even the smallest of vices that keeps us from living in …

2020-12-13: More Visitors Another week so, More visitors! This is great. Help is wonderful!

2020-12-13: Made our Advent candles this morning.

2020-12-13: For One Prized Italian Tradition, Covid-19 Deals Heartbreaking Blow - WSJ For many Neapolitans, the Nativity scene, or presepe in Italian, is more the symbol of Christmas than a tree. Agree.

2020-12-13: Holy Family Arrested In Egypt For Violating Travel Restrictions - The Babylon Bee The officer explained to the recalcitrant parents that the safest way to protect their child from a murderous tyrant was to stay home, stay safe, and comply with the local laws of said murderous …

2020-12-12: Kids Tucked In Took me ten whole days, But cars now in the garage. They could use a wash.

2020-12-12: Got my workbench set up, laundry room functional, and cars parked in the garage. Good progress today!

2020-12-11: New Opener Twenty years have passed, Now I have a fancy one! High tech garage space.

2020-12-11: I strongly dislike the Office of the President-Elect moniker. Never have. It’s disconcerting that it’s becoming the norm. Even worse is that logo that is so clearly a stripped down seal of the President. I’m all in favor of building out a government and a robust transition …

2020-12-11: No matter how many times I listen to his music, I still find great beauty in Ludovico Einaudi’s art. 🎵

2020-12-10: Handyman Jobs around the house, He got them all done quite fast. I just played outside.

2020-12-10: Teachers Union Opposes Vaccine As It Might Force Teachers To Teach Again - The Babylon Bee “We’re afraid that if the pandemic ends, people will think it’s once again okay to impose a grueling five-day-a-week, nine-months-a-year work schedule on teachers who frankly have better …

2020-12-10: Brilliant Trump Annexes Greenland, Grants It 271 Electoral Votes - The Babylon Bee When confronted with the fact that nobody in Greenland was able to vote in the recent election, Trump quickly produced a thumb drive from a Dominion voting machine showing he had received 183% of …

2020-12-09: Bulk Pick-Up Five dollars a month, Huge truck hauls away my junk. Will use again, soon!

2020-12-09: Immediately After Moving To Texas, Elon Musk Announces Tesla AR-15 - The Babylon Bee The new firearm will look similar to a standard AR-15 but will in fact be a battery-powered railgun capable of firing 3 million rounds per minute.

2020-12-09: Texas Governor Announces Cowboy Hat Mandate - The Babylon Bee With this bill, anyone seen out in public without a cowboy hat will be approached by a Texas Ranger, who will say, “You ain’t from around here, are ya?” before tossing the offender across the state line.

2020-12-09: Beautiful morning.

2020-12-09: WhatsApp Protests Apple’s App Store Privacy Requirements - MacRumors WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook All you need to know.

2020-12-08: Back on Duty A week off to move, Now the help has left me. Uh, How do I do this?

2020-12-08: Idiot Family Gets Puppy - The Babylon Bee “Yeah, I was a bit cautious, but I think our kids are responsible enough to handle it,” said Jack Flenderson, the hopeful father who was about to spend the next 14 years of his life being the sole caretaker of the dog since …

2020-12-08: Newsom Issues Double Stay-at-Home Order Where You Have To Stay In A Smaller House Inside Your Original House - The Babylon Bee If staying home makes you safe, then staying inside an even smaller home inside that home would make you double-safe.

2020-12-07: Internet A week in the house, No internet, but now on. The humanity!

2020-12-07: A Prepared Heart - Catholic Husband A prepared heart is attuned to the moment. It listens to the message of the Liturgy of the Word. It follows the breadcrumbs, so carefully laid out, leading it deeper into the joy of Christmas ➕

2020-12-07: Oof. I hate seeing websites with my ad blockers turned off.

2020-12-06: Mass At Home Poor planning by me, Didn’t make it to Parish. Lovely Mass at home.

2020-12-06: Hard to stay on top of YNAB during a move.

2020-12-05: Fan Installs Intimidating, Confidence helps. Got it done. Two new fans: a go.

2020-12-05: Nothing beats a fixed blade for unpacking boxes. 📦

2020-12-04: Move Out Locked, turned in the keys. Goodbye to home of three years. Now: new adventure!

2020-12-04: DMV: “Hey, Chet, please come 90 minutes early to your appointment and we can get you taken care of!” Arrives when asked. Waits in waiting room for 90 minutes. Appointment time arrives. DMV: “Okay, your turn.”

2020-12-04: At the DMV. Several signs posted in the waiting room advising that disruptive behavior or making threats may result in arrest. Not a surprise.

2020-12-04: 138,000 Kids Suddenly Added To Santa's Nice List In Middle Of Night - The Babylon Bee After sorting kids according to their niceness or naughtiness for hours, Santa had abruptly stopped counting and gone to bed, saying he was tired and taking a break for the night, even though …

2020-12-04: A Touching Gesture: Kamala Harris Just Sent Joe Biden 17 Get Well Soon Puppies - The Babylon Bee She’s really thought of everything! Keep reading The Babylon Bee for tough coverage of her favorite Thanksgiving recipes and what kind of shoes she’s wearing!

2020-12-03: Cleaning Service Paid to clean the house, Made my life much easier. Better job than me!

2020-12-03: Trump Plans To Upstage Biden Inauguration By Jumping The Grand Canyon In A Rocket Car - The Babylon Bee Trump says he is going to be a “Good Knievel” and do the stunt perfectly.

2020-12-03: 2020 Rated Worst Year Ever, Provided You Never Lived At Any Other Time In History | The Babylon Bee While we understand it hasn’t been easy, we also found very few instances of Viking raids, Black Plague, famine, world war, using rotary telephones, needing to look things …

2020-12-02: Adulting Took the step today, The last transition to adults. What will we do next?

2020-12-02: Got that new house.

2020-12-02: Gretchen Whitmer Casts Spell On Michigan So It Is Always Winter And Never Christmas - The Babylon Bee There are whispers of an orange-haired hero who will someday return to reclaim the throne, end the winter, and bring back Christmas. Unfortunately, he has been delayed by what …

2020-12-02: Big day. 🏡

2020-12-01: Movers Hired a whole crew, Got me packed in just one day. They know what to do.

2020-12-01: Timing package arrivals and delivery addresses when moving is an art. And sometimes it really just works!

2020-12-01: Moving day is here! Trucks are on their way, house is ready to go. Now all I need is a place for them to deliver to tomorrow! 📦

2020-12-01: Frosted. ⛄️

2020-12-01: Biden’s Arm Falls Off While Trying To Open A Jar Of Peanut Butter - The Babylon Bee “Nothing to see here,” insisted a spokesperson. “Biden will be calling a lid during his 2-week recovery time and looks forward to reappearing to take charge of the country …

2020-11-30: Ready to Move A full day of work, Ready for the moving trucks. The process begins.

2020-11-30: Biden All-Female Communications Team Won’t Tell Nation What’s Wrong, Nation Should Already Know - The Babylon Bee The press has been frantically buying flowers, chocolates, and jewelry for the communications team in hopes of receiving some clue as to what the heck is …

2020-11-30: Thankful for What - Catholic Husband A grateful heart acknowledges the hardships of our days, but has the vision to see that for which we can give praise. ➕

2020-11-29: Final Day Twelve-hundred sixteen, So much change and life happened. Time to say goodbye.

2020-11-29: Still a classic! Sweatshirt from my first job.

2020-11-29: Purging my house and throwing so many things away is incredibly liberating!! 🚮

2020-11-29: First Sunday of Advent? Cue the Christmas music!! 🕯🎄

2020-11-28: All Hands All hands on deck, please. Days to go and things to do. Small hands are helpful!

2020-11-28: In Dangerous Decision, SCOTUS Rules First Amendment Can Stay - The Babylon Bee In her written opinion, which she wrote in 3 minutes without consulting any notes, ACB said: ”Yeah… so, the First Amendment includes freedom of religion and assembly. I asked my clerks to …

2020-11-28: Movers come on Tuesday. Just finished up some administrative work. Time to shut down the iMac and take apart my desk.

2020-11-28: Grey sky morning.

2020-11-28: Just upgraded to Adaptive Lighting in iOS14. Okay, this is cool! 💡

2020-11-27: Lame Black Friday Few deals to be had, Not many things to pick up. So twenty-twenty.

2020-11-27: CDC Shuts Down Thanksgiving Travel By Carrying Out Simultaneous Attacks On All Of Nation’s Airports, Train Stations “We understand the temptation to travel to see loved ones this holiday season, but it’s important to understand that the dirty bombs and chemical weapons detonated …

2020-11-27: Pro Tip: Skip Out On Black Friday Deals And Just Hold Out For The Next Peaceful Protest - The Babylon Bee One is bound to pop up before Christmas. You’ll really be kicking yourself if you spend $300 on a TV today, only for it to be 100% off the next time there is something …

2020-11-27: I have never seen this on the web. So unbelievably lucky that I see tremendous value in this brand.

2020-11-27: 21 Things We At The Babylon Bee Are Thankful For This Year - The Babylon Bee 9. Eight months of two weeks to flatten the curve. We are all safe now. I feel very safe. 14. Viewers like you. And the letter B.

2020-11-27: Pretty lame sales today.

2020-11-26: On the Move A weird Thanksgiving, Just family, prepping move. Still, a nice small break!

2020-11-26: Thanksgiving table.

2020-11-26: Episode 177: Thankful for You The big kids are in the front yard playing with me, so we took a quick break to chat.

2020-11-26: Supreme Court Blocks Covid-19 Restrictions on Religious Services in New York - WSJ Chief Justice Roberts, in dissent, said there was no need to act now because, since the suit was filed, the areas involved had been reclassified as yellow zones, which were subject to a 50% …

2020-11-25: School Power Day No work this week, yet. Yikes, let’s get focused! He did. Blasted through it all.

2020-11-25: Picture by my son.

2020-11-25: Went to the dump today. Very difficult experience.

2020-11-24: Under the Wire It was a close call, Looks like everything is done. Closing on time, yes!

2020-11-24: Just Hours After Being Placed In Cuomo’s Possession, Emmy Statue Dies Of COVID - The Babylon Bee “The Emmy was placed in a nursing home for safekeeping and almost immediately contracted the virus, passing away just hours later,” said one medical professional. …

2020-11-24: Pope Decries Plight of Chinese Uighurs as New Catholic Bishop Is Ordained in China - WSJ But the Chinese government voiced annoyance on Tuesday, after Pope Francis broke his silence over China’s treatment of its Uighur Muslim population, which the pope included in a list of …

2020-11-24: Bank Applications Get a Coronavirus Boost - WSJ Oportun’s loans, which are designed as alternatives to payday and auto-title loans, have an average term of just under three years, and the weighted-average annual percent rate of 33.3%. Wow, what a terrific service!!! “There’s …

2020-11-23: Changing Utilities A troublesome task. Turning some off, others on. I made it through, tho.

2020-11-23: Hunter Biden Arrives At White House Dressed As Turkey In Hopes Of Being Pardoned By Trump - The Babylon Bee President Trump agreed to pardon the unusually large and vocal turkey. Not the worst plan.

2020-11-23: Walmart Thanks Government For Completely Obliterating Their Small Business Competition - The Babylon Bee it’s been super great for us! No longer do we have to worry about the baker down the street or the family-owned hardware store next door taking away some of our …

2020-11-23: Cable companies are gross from top to bottom. They’re slimy when you sign up, horrible when you’re with them, and difficult to deal with when you leave.

2020-11-23: Praying As A Parent - Catholic Husband Parenting, like gardening, isn’t about efficiency. It’s about patience. The daily work of pruning ensures that my little saplings have all the nurturing and attention that they need. Nothing nurtures a child’s heart like being taught how to …

2020-11-22: Almost Ready A week til movers, Lots taken care of today. The end is quite near.

2020-11-22: Pink sunrise on an early Sunday morning donut run.

2020-11-21: Pre-Packing Movers come quite soon. Emptied attic, lots to toss. One step closer still!

2020-11-21: Nation That Hasn’t Been To Church In Eight Months Not Sure Why Everybody’s So Anxious And Worried - The Babylon Bee A survey of Evangelicals showed that 92% of them would be willing to hug a church greeter while singing “Good Good Father” if it meant …

2020-11-21: Even robots need to rest.

2020-11-21: Student Loan Losses Seen Costing U.S. More Than $400 Billion - WSJ The government lends more than $100 billion each year to students to cover tuition at more than 6,000 colleges and universities. It ignores factors such as credit scores and field of study, and it doesn’t analyze …

2020-11-20: Laundry Table Out of room on bed, Had to fold in dining room. Still not enough space.

2020-11-20: Airbnb Executive Resigned Last Year Over Chinese Request for More Data Sharing - WSJ Mr. Joyce believed most people using the platform weren’t aware of the extent of the data shared, which included phone numbers, email addresses and messages between users and the company

2020-11-20: Trump Appears To Doubting Tucker And Lets Him Touch The Fraudulent Ballots Himself - The Babylon Bee Trump smiled and patted Carlson on the head. “You have seen the evidence and believed, but blessed are those who have believed the election was rigged without seeing any …

2020-11-20: Tiny paw.

2020-11-20: ‘We Must Cancel Thanksgiving,’ Says CDC Scientist Who Looks Suspiciously Like A Turkey In A Lab Coat - The Babylon Bee “We must cancel Thanksgiving this year. It is completely off the table,” the scientist, Dr. Peck N. Gobble, said.

2020-11-19: Clean Fridge Hard to do when cold, Let it dry, then I cleaned it. Looks like it’s brand new.

2020-11-19: Episode 176: Stargazing The kids (and their friends) stargaze in the playroom.

2020-11-19: My children are masters of independent play. The morning hours that they spend happily exploring, dreaming, and using their imaginations are delightful. 🧸

2020-11-19: Got an email from Instagram about new terms. Thought I deleted my account? Oops, guess I missed one. Fixed.

2020-11-19: Modern manna.

2020-11-18: Salon My daughter grows up, Her first haircut at salon. She is beautiful!

2020-11-18: Bernie Sanders Confused After U.S. Beats Cuba To Producing COVID Vaccine - The Babylon Bee North Korea claims they have had a vaccine for years but they don’t even need it because people never get sick there.

2020-11-18: Hard-Working Plumber Looking Forward To Paying For His Neighbor’s Gender Studies Degree - The Babylon Bee successful Americans around the country are really looking forward to paying taxes to relieve the debt of people who purchased expensive yet useless college degrees.

2020-11-18: Trump Signs Executive Order To Double Debt Of Journalism Students - The Babylon Bee This move is expected to hit journalism schools especially hard, as journalism was already a fairly useless major, and now it will cost twice as much. The executive order also promises to be a …

2020-11-18: App Store Fee Cut Attracts Criticism From Major Developers Like Spotify and Epic - MacRumors The research, cited by The New York Times, states that the ‌App Store‌ fee change “will affect roughly 98 percent of the companies that pay Apple a commission… But those …

2020-11-18: Boeing 737 MAX Cleared to Fly Again, but Covid-19 Has Sapped Demand - WSJ Executives at Boeing have said they expect to deliver about half of its inventory of about 450 built MAXs by the end of next year, and the majority of those remaining the following year. They’re not …

2020-11-18: Pfizer Says Vaccine Is 95% Effective in Final Data, Will Seek Authorization - WSJ Out of 170 adult volunteers in the nearly 44,000-subject trial who developed Covid-19 with at least one symptom, 162 received a placebo, while eight got the vaccine, Pfizer and BioNTech said. …

2020-11-17: Installation A big day for him, The crowning of his career. Had to watch online.

2020-11-17: Hundreds of Companies That Got Stimulus Aid Have Failed - WSJ Mr. Clark put Waterford into chapter 7 bankruptcy to repay creditors by selling the company’s assets. Because he personally guaranteed a $1.5 million loan from the Small Business Administration last year, Mr. Clark, …

2020-11-17: UPS is surprisingly competitive on pricing. 📦

2020-11-17: Covered bridge.

2020-11-16: When It Rains When it rains, it pours. Fridge goes out, movers scheduled, So much left to do

2020-11-16: Korean Air Acquires Asiana Airlines Rival – AirlineGeeks.com Last year, Korean conglomerates Hyundai Development Co. and Mirea Asset Daewoo teamed up to bid on Asiana Airlines as they offered $2.1 billion for a 31% stake in Asiana. The beleaguered airline was expected to benefit …

2020-11-16: Modern-Day Rebels Just Plan On Celebrating Holidays Like Normal - The Babylon Bee In a leak to the press, Governor Whitmer’s network of spies revealed that the Ritterson family is planning on having brothers, sisters, and grandparents over for a lovely Thanksgiving and …

2020-11-16: Threat To Democracy: This Defeated Presidential Candidate Keeps Claiming Election Was Stolen - The Babylon Bee The deranged presidential candidate continues to question the results of the election, despite official sources all agreeing that she lost fair and square.

2020-11-16: Trump Unveils Even Bigger White House Next To Current White House - The Babylon Bee “If Biden insists on this completely fraudulent election,” Trump told the press, “then I guess he can have this dinky little fixer-upper I’m currently living in. In the meantime, I’ll be moving …

2020-11-16: Wix is terrible. Hard to believe people actually like to use it!

2020-11-16: It’s not clear to me why USPS doesn’t scan packages at every stop, like every other carrier.

2020-11-16: Lockdown fatigue - Washington Examiner Unfortunately, the U.S. enters this season with the public health community having squandered its credibility with the American public. An important viewpoint to contextualize where we are now. It’s incredible how poorly public health …

2020-11-16: What Did We Learn - Catholic Husband It’s sad to see how much a national election cycle weighs on many Americans. The government wields significant power, but that power is frequently checked. A single candidate can’t fix your life or ruin it. The biggest personal impact you …

2020-11-15: Kids Climb We went to the park, They went up the climbing wall, No problem. Go kids!

2020-11-15: Nah, I’m good.

2020-11-15: To Protect His Executive Orders From Biden, Trump Signs With Permanent Marker - The Babylon Bee “Yeah, he’s really out-smarted us this time,” said a frustrated Nancy Pelosi. “There’s nothing we can do about his executive orders now. They’re permanent!” 4D chess.

2020-11-15: Media Confused By Completely Peaceful Protest - The Babylon Bee “While we didn’t see physical violence here today, we heard violent speech, violent ideas, and violent singing. These people are basically violent,” said CNN reporter Jim Acosta. “If they are …

2020-11-14: Kitten Says Hello Out on a walk. Hey! Kitten comes up and plays, follows. Loves the kids, a first!

2020-11-14: Episode 175: Here Kitty, Kitty Benedict, Felicity, and I went for a walk to the park. We made a new friend along the way.

2020-11-14: This is a view that I’ll miss. Two and a half weeks to go.

2020-11-14: 10 Interesting Facts About The American Healthcare System - The Babylon Bee Doctors have to eat two dozen popsicles a day to get all their tongue depressors. 3 weeks after you receive care at a hospital, the billing office will just send you five random bills from their giant …

2020-11-13: Start Before Dawn Cleaning day secret: Start laundry when you get up. You’ll be done by lunch!

2020-11-13: I’d be interested to see a study in how the sales tax on state recreational drugs falls by socio-economic brackets. My suspicion is that, like the lottery, the tax disproportionally falls on the lower rungs.

2020-11-13: Evolution In Action? This Baby Was Born With A Mask On His Face - The Babylon Bee After further investigation, doctors discovered a few more mutations in little Jared Zimmerman. The newborn had self-washing hands, which washed themselves every ten minutes; the little guy was …

2020-11-13: Wow, the new iPhone boxes are crazy thin.

2020-11-13: I’ve moved 15 times in my life. About to make move #16, and this is the first time I’ve ever done a local move. 📦

2020-11-12: Little Girl Cries What do you need, girl? A new cry for everything. We got through it all.

2020-11-12: Local Man Wouldn’t Have Believed There Was Election Fraud Except Media, Big Tech Keep Insisting That There Wasn’t - The Babylon Bee But then something happened that changed his mind: Facebook, Twitter, Google, Fox News, CNN, and more giant corporations keep screaming …

2020-11-12: Episode 174: Paint Swatches The kids dream about painting their new rooms.

2020-11-12: macOS 11. Big day. 🖥

2020-11-11: Painted Rooms First in seven years, Color on the walls. Oh, wow, Could get used to this.

2020-11-11: Girlfriend Keeps Referring To Herself As ‘Wife-Elect’ Despite No Official Word From Boyfriend - The Babylon Bee “Uh, honey—” Winston could be heard starting to interject before Wendy went ahead and dialed up local caterers and contractors to make arrangements for the …

2020-11-11: Uh-Oh: Trump Seen Reading ‘Military Coups For Dummies’ - The Babylon Bee “He’s just a very curious person who reads a lot of different things, but it doesn’t mean he’s planning anything,” McEnany answered. “I mean, you saw him reading Harry Potter, but he didn’t try …

2020-11-11: On Veterans Day, I like to post service photos of my dad. Here he is in front of his A-10 Thunderbolt II. A 25 year old man, he was entrusted with an entire weapons system and charged with helping ground troops in danger fight and win. Our American warfighters are incredible.

2020-11-11: All gave some, some gave all. To the defenders of freedom: thank you! 🇺🇸

2020-11-10: Everything Wrong If it could go wrong, It did. Oh my, what a day. Hope for tomorrow.

2020-11-10: Greyhound was a very boring movie. Very little plot and a meaningless three minute love story sequence. Not sure why Apple picked it up and there’s no way it would’ve performed well at the box office. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 79% while only awarding a 61% to Happy Gilmore. As …

2020-11-10: Vatican report that absolves Francis, validates but shoots arrows at Vigano, and throws major shade on John Paul II. Still struggling to understand what is so hard about all of this.

2020-11-10: 10 Ways To Put Christ Back In Christmas This Year - The Babylon Bee When the mall Santa asks you what you want for Christmas, reply “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, AMEN.” I’m doing this.

2020-11-10: I’m really happy that Apple changed the Memoji icon in iOS 14.2. Still probably won’t use it, tho.

2020-11-09: Idiots A thought for you now: Don’t do business with dummies. Words to live by, friend.

2020-11-09: Greyhound 🍿

2020-11-09: I’m with Jeff Foxworthy: I hate stupid people.

2020-11-09: Shoutout to all of the websites in 2020 still running RSS feeds.

2020-11-09: Live Today - Catholic Husband Yesterday is gone and tomorrow will be here in its time. How will I choose to accept the gift that is today? ➕

2020-11-08: Leaves It’s fall o’ the leaf, Must mow weekly. Whew, big job. I won’t miss this lawn.

2020-11-08: PPP Was a Fraudster Free-for-All, Investigators Say - WSJ Given the limited criteria Congress set for the program, he said, “The scandal is what’s legal, not what’s illegal.” This was the risk and it was discussed at the time. Programs can ramp up quickly to get money out fast …

2020-11-08: Really hard to believe we’re moving in three weeks. 📦

2020-11-07: Joy A small thing, but great: Hard to top a child’s joy. Makes for a nice day.

2020-11-07: Tighter Municipal Budgets Shrink Retiree Health Benefits - WSJ Cities and states can’t afford to keep the same medical benefits they promised government retirees. Pensions aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.

2020-11-07: The Battle to Keep America’s Black Banks Alive - WSJ Small banks make money on the spread between what they pay depositors and what they charge borrowers. For banks to make a profit, the good loans must far outnumber the bad. Black-owned banks that cater to riskier borrowers …

2020-11-07: Sunset clouds.

2020-11-07: ‘That’s F***ed Up’: Bill Maher Slams Big Tech For Censoring Border Patrol Chief - The Daily Wire “The business model, so long as we’re the product which is the point we make in the film, we are worth more when we’re addicted, distracted, outraged, narcissistic, polarized, and …

2020-11-07: Rioters Demand A Recount - The Babylon Bee “I was all ready to do my Christmas shopping, and then Biden won,” said a dejected rioter as he stood there with an unlit Molotov cocktail. “How am I supposed to pick up a new Xbox now that Trump lost?”

2020-11-07: The Presidential Endgame - WSJ The FBI’s abuses in 2016 were a genuine scandal that the media would have called out had it been aimed at a Democrat. Instead they treated Rep. Adam Schiff’s lies as gospel. And then New York Times sages puzzle in public about why 70 million …

2020-11-06: Out of Sync I know what I need, Now I just need to do it. Two weeks til results.

2020-11-06: 69 Million Trump Supporters Take To Streets To Drive To Work And Go About Their Lives As Normal - The Babylon Bee Some got out of their cars and marched, but they were just marching into their offices and onto construction sites, the ones where they work, because they have jobs …

2020-11-06: Wife’s Side Of The Bed Obviously Gerrymandered - The Babylon Bee We see in the Harrison household that the woman has a clear advantage on the map. Look at this ridiculous map! She’s almost got the whole bed!

2020-11-06: Experts Call For 15 Days Of Counting To Flatten The Curve Of Votes For Trump - The Babylon Bee While some scientists recommended just letting the votes for Trump be counted fairly until we all achieve herd immunity to Trump, others said we need to lock down the vote-counting …

2020-11-06: Everyone Who Was Completely Wrong About Election Day Ready To Explain What Happens Next - The Babylon Bee “So now the counting is still ongoing,” said commentator Nathan Hanson, making at least one simple factual statement he couldn’t screw up – a stark contrast to his …

2020-11-05: Sisters Play For hours each day, A fun, joint activity. Happy hearts, to boot!

2020-11-05: Episode 173 - VeronicaCast A very chatty little girl.

2020-11-05: I’ve had the hardest time getting my Apple Watch to unlock my Mac. Today’s software updates fixed that. Thanks, Apple! ⌚️

2020-11-05: Germany’s Shift From Wolf to Lamb - WSJ Yet mighty Germany, the world’s second-largest exporter, won’t dispatch its frigates to safeguard the freedom of the seas. It remains what it has been while hundreds of thousands U.S. troops stood guard throughout Europe: a net consumer of …

2020-11-04: Option Expires 5 o’clock PM, The option expired. Well, I guess we’ll buy it.

2020-11-04: When you roll down his window, my son will want his airplane to take flight.

2020-11-04: Trump and Biden Go to Election Overtime - WSJ Amid fears of unrest, shops in Midtown Manhattan and other major cities are boarded up. What a sad sight to behold in the United States. Indeed.

2020-11-04: Britain Locks Down, Again - WSJ public behavior such as haphazard social distancing and fudging of current restrictions on socializing suggest lockdown fatigue is mounting. Ain’t that the truth.

2020-11-04: Confessionals Installed Outside Polling Places So Catholics Can Confess Sin Of Voting For A Pro-Abortion Candidate - The Babylon Bee “This will save a lot of carbon emissions, as voters won’t have to drive all the way to a nearby parish to confess their great sin …

2020-11-04: Fox News Calls Arizona For Biden After 1 Vote Counted - The Babylon Bee Fox News says it will wait until Trump wins at least 4 billion votes in Florida before the state is called for him, cautioning patience and reminding voters that there are still plenty of absentee ballots to …

2020-11-04: With Hispanics Leaning Republican, Democrats Begin Calling For A Southern Border Wall - The Babylon Bee “People are sneaking in through our porous southern border and doing the most horrible things imaginable, such as voting for Trump,” said Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

2020-11-04: Trump Tweet Reading ‘Good Morning, America!’ Labeled As Misinformation - The Babylon Bee “It is NOT a good morning,” said Xander Vabalooka, head of Twitter’s emergency election misinformation squad. “Our democracy hangs in the balance! There …

2020-11-03: Back to School A week off was nice, Now to get back in the groove. Will take a few days.

2020-11-03: I’m old enough to remember when Battleground States were just called Swing States.

2020-11-03: United Moves Flight Crews Away from Downtown Hotels in Anticipation of Post-Election Civil Protests – AirlineGeeks.com The action comes as many retailers board up downtown stores in anticipation of post-election protests. A sad comment on the state of our democracy. Violence is …

2020-11-03: CNN Promises Not To Call The Race Unless Biden Is Ahead - The Babylon Bee Many far-right conspiracy theorists on Fox News are planning to post some results on election day, but experts are reminding the public to ignore such dangerous misinformation until all the Democrat …

2020-11-03: Man Stands In Long Line Run By Government To Vote For Government To Run His Healthcare - The Babylon Bee The government has apologized for the long voting lines and is assuring the public that the lines for their cancer treatments and hip replacements will be much better run.

2020-11-02: Fast Move Schedule upended, Moved up two weeks. Much to do. Although, nice savings.

2020-11-02: My son has just informed me that he hopes that a Battle Droid is elected president tomorrow.

2020-11-02: Abolish Daylight Saving Time.

2020-11-02: Election Eve - Catholic Husband Be an active, faithful participant in civic life, but don’t place your hope in a transient political movement. Place your hope in the God who has always loved you, and who has never fallen short of His word. ➕

2020-11-01: We Have A Deal A suspenseful week, All terms agreed. It’s a deal. Time to start the clock.

2020-11-01: Big week! Our Nation gets to choose its destiny for the next four years. Regardless of the outcome, remember that it’s far more important what happens in your house than what happens in the White House. 🇺🇸

2020-11-01: Business Owners Boarding Up In Case Party Of Love And Tolerance Loses - The Babylon Bee “We just want to make sure our businesses will be safe from the sudden outpouring of peace, love, and tolerance,” said one frightened business owner in Los Angeles as he …

2020-10-31: Costumes Pass Down One year to the next, Costumes are passed down. So cute! Four happy kiddos.

2020-10-31: 2020 is the perfect year to use the YNAB Fresh Start option.

2020-10-31: Blessed Fr. Michael J. McGivney Pray for Us 🇻🇦

2020-10-31: Ex-Inmates Struggle in a Banking System Not Made for Them - WSJ The criminal-justice system creates a host of fines and fees for both the guilty and the merely accused. The costs imposed on accused and then acquitted individuals, or even indicted persons who have their charges …

2020-10-30: Home Inspection Nerves built all morning, House passed. Relieved at status. Do we have a deal?

2020-10-30: ACB Hangs Up Sticker Chart To Help The Justices Remember Their Daily Chores - The Babylon Bee Only a few days after her confirmation to the Supreme Court, Justice Amy Coney Barrett is already making much-needed changes to a messy and undisciplined group of 9 justices. Today, the …

2020-10-30: Chelsea Handler Patrols Polling Places To Make Sure No Black People Are Voting For Trump - The Babylon Bee “Do I need to remind you that you’re a black person? You can’t vote for Trump, black person! Don’t you know he’s a racist and you’re an …

2020-10-30: Democrats Hand Out Extra Ballots To Trick-Or-Treaters - The Babylon Bee “Hey, kids! Have you or your parents voted for Joe Biden yet?” Frump said to a witch, an Iron Man, and a mermaid at his door. “Here, take these ballots I have filled out for you. Put your …

2020-10-29: Powerhouse Woke up, my head hurt. Took some Excedrin. Let’s go! Got it all done. Boom!

2020-10-29: The anonymous ‘senior’ Trump official hyped by the New York Times is just some bureaucrat you’ve never heard of it is important to note that Taylor was not even the DHS Chief of Staff when his article published in 2018. Yet the New York Times billed him anyway as a “senior …

2020-10-29: Twitter’s Censorship Method - WSJ The dazed-looking Mr. Dorsey gave the impression he could not care less about his company’s abuse. He doesn’t care at all. In fact, his company’s arbitrary policies suit him. If there was ever a temptation for me to rejoin the platform, this …

2020-10-29: Anonymous Top-Level White House Official Revealed To Be Jussie Smollett - The Babylon Bee “Mr. Smollett approached us with this anonymous report from inside the White House, and we felt we had a duty to relay his story to the American people,” said a New York Times …

2020-10-28: Light Paycheck October surprise, Paycheck arrives, missing some. Must find lost dollars!

2020-10-28: Vote for Joe Biden? Seriously? - WSJ Forgotten by many voters is that back in mid-February, after losing in Iowa and New Hampshire, it looked as if former Vice President Biden’s listless campaign would become his third failed attempt at the presidency. C’mon man! He got …

2020-10-28: Twitter: gross.

2020-10-28: New York Governor Demands Accountability For Whoever Is Mismanaging New York - The Babylon Bee “Whoever is running this state into the ground must be held accountable for their terrible mismanagement! I promise to get to the bottom of this because I am a fantastic leader,” …

2020-10-28: We Were Warned: SCOTUS Rules 6-3 That Voting For Biden Is Unconstitutional - The Babylon Bee According to secret anonymous sources, ACB was overheard saying to a friend: “Yeah, it’s unconstitutional to vote for Joe Biden, mainly because he’s a commie. Also, the …

2020-10-27: Under Contract Signatures gathered, Payments exchanged. Official. Will this deal now close?

2020-10-27: Modern kids television programming is mostly garbage. I’ve been stocking up on classic kids television: The Jetsons, The Pink Panther Show, Secret Squirrel, and Bugs Bunny. They love it!

2020-10-27: Saving Private Biden - WSJ The best summary of the new standard in election coverage was given by Mark Hemingway of RealClearInvestigations. After a particularly fawning news conference, he relayed the assessment of a friend: Watching the press handle Joe Biden is “like watching …

2020-10-27: Justice Barrett Joins the Court - WSJ Our hope is that the new Court will seek to restore the proper understanding of the separation of powers, while continuing to guard individual liberty as understood in the Constitution. This means reining in the administrative state, while …

2020-10-27: AOC Enraged To Learn Long Line Is For Voting And Not Bread - The Babylon Bee According to sources, people are sometimes waiting up to 2 hours at polling stations, but are able to get bread within 5 minutes due to America’s evil capitalist system.

2020-10-27: Chick-Fil-A Accused Of Chicken Sandwich Suppression For Long Drive-Thru Line - The Babylon Bee “I never thought I would see this kind of suppression in America. It makes me weep to think that some people may have to wait more than 10 minutes for a mind-blowingly delicious …

2020-10-27: Holy See Moves To Washington After America Declared Catholic Theocracy - EOTT After the Vatican’s decision became official, Trump told members of the media that what he’s calling Taylor Marshall Law would take effect in just one week. He also announced that the elections would …

2020-10-26: Fall Break Instruction: nine weeks. Everyone gets a small break. Time to catch my breath.

2020-10-26: 50 Cent Appeals To New Trump Supporter Fanbase With Country Album - The Babylon Bee 50 Cent was originally going to take on a new, more patriotic name “50 States,” but after seeing the low taxes in Tenessee, he has opted for the new name “70 Cent.”

2020-10-26: Show Off Does Novena In Eight Days - EOTT Obnoxious, overachieving Catholic Lamett Erickson informed family and friends Tuesday morning that he had completed his novena a day early.

2020-10-26: Off the Reservation - Catholic Husband It’s clear that these aren’t little slips of the tongue, loose words, or errors. When Pope Francis speaks, he knows what he’s doing, and he’s doing it on purpose. Unfortunately, it’s the definition of scandal: speaking to cause confusions. …

2020-10-25: DocuDrama Technology: great! Well, when it works it is. Sigh. Should be straightened out.

2020-10-25: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown 🍿

2020-10-25: Senate aims to put Barrett closer to a final vote on Monday - WTOP At the start of Trump’s presidency, McConnell engineered a Senate rules change to allow confirmation by a majority of the 100 senators, rather than the 60-vote threshold traditionally needed to advance high court …

2020-10-24: Offer Made A year of searching, All comes down to this: the offer. Will they accept it?

2020-10-24: My kids only sleep in on days when we have somewhere to be.

2020-10-24: Israel, Sudan Agree to Normalize Ties in U.S.-Brokered Deal - WSJ U.S. and Israeli officials say they expect several other Muslim and Arab nations countries, including Morocco and Oman, to join the so-called Abraham Accords in the coming months. Besides the U.A.E. and Bahrain, …

2020-10-24: More Liberals Switching Their Vote To Trump After Realizing He’s Their Only Reason For Living - The Babylon Bee Many progressives went to the polls intending to vote for Biden and switched at the last moment, suddenly having an existential crisis. If Trump loses, they …

2020-10-24: Biden Calls A Lid Until Election Day - The Babylon Bee “Biden needs the next eleven days to prepare for his acceptance speech,” Biden’s campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon told reporters as she kept an eye on poll numbers.

2020-10-23: Too Much Laundry One day makes difference, Too much laundry or too few. Today was too much.

2020-10-23: Expensify CEO Urges Customers to Vote Against Trump - WSJ its chief executive sent an anti-Trump email to roughly 10 million users of its software, saying that “anything less than a vote for Biden is a vote against democracy.” Exactly! Democracy isn’t about weighing two …

2020-10-22: Sisters Little girl blossoms: More verbal, more play with us. She is just so cute.

2020-10-22: Mail Service Deteriorated After Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s Arrival, Watchdog Found - WSJ Mr. DeJoy has strongly and repeatedly denied that he has any agenda other than to reduce an annual deficit that is expected to top $7.6 billion this year and improve postal efficiency. …

2020-10-22: The behind the scenes clips of these highly produced and edited interviews are nasty. I didn’t like them before, and now I really don’t care for them.

2020-10-22: Progressive 5-Year-Old Claims Cookie Crumbs All Over His Face Are Part Of Russian Disinformation Campaign - The Babylon Bee His parents still grounded him, prompting him to call them “puppets of Putin.”

2020-10-22: My phone slipped out of my hands and fell face down on brick floor. Only glass protector broke. Winning!!

2020-10-22: War in Film Admittedly, I’m late to the party watching the excellent war film, Dunkirk. Christopher Nolan used his signature story telling mark to bring the viewer to the shores of France in the early days of World War II, when the Allied army was cornered and on the brink of collapse. Most …

2020-10-22: Facebook Has No Sense of Humor - WSJ Last week we posted the satirical headline: “Senator Hirono Demands ACB Be Weighed Against a Duck to See If She Is a Witch.” It’s a reference to “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”—not a particularly believable joke, nor an original one (we did …

2020-10-22: We were all privileged to live through the pontificate of Pope St. John Paul II, a man who stood up to the evils of Communism. He walked behind the Iron Curtain, spoke truth, and as Jesus did, pass through their midst. He called out the evils of a system that crushed the dignity …

2020-10-21: Wear Off Used to be a week, Got it down to two days. Good. Now maybe to one?

2020-10-21: Embarrassed Pope Suddenly Realizes He’s Been Reading The Bible Upside Down This Whole Time - The Babylon Bee “Oh, man! No wonder I’ve been getting it wrong all these years!” said an embarrassed Pope Francis, head in his hands. “I was wondering why …

2020-10-21: Pope Francis Backs Civil Unions for Gay Couples, in Shift for Vatican - WSJ The Vatican’s position on civil unions has until now been set forth in a 2003 document by the doctrinal office, then led by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI. According to that …

2020-10-20: First Quarter Testing Time for him to shine! A week to test his learning, He is excelling.

2020-10-20: Israel, U.A.E. to Allow Citizens Visa-Free Travel - WSJ It comes after both the Israeli and Emirati governments ratified the treaty they signed at the White House last month, putting the diplomatic deals into effect. What an incredible fall for US foreign affairs.

2020-10-20: Texas Passes Law Banning Californians From Voting After They Move There - The Babylon Bee Experts say this will prevent the happy and prosperous slice of heaven from sliding into the endless despair and crushing poverty of leftist policy.

2020-10-20: Have the Bidens Denied the Story Yet? - WSJ Five days after the New York Post started publishing alleged emails detailing Biden family corruption, the Bidens still haven’t claimed they’re counterfeit. Fair point.

2020-10-20: Episode 172: Mars Rovers A causal conversation about Benedict’s big plans.

2020-10-20: After breakfast playtime & brew. ☕️

2020-10-19: Voting with Kids Went to early vote. Four kids, no one let me cut. Chivalry is dead.

2020-10-19: Household Access to Banks Improved But Could Be Driven Lower by Covid-19, FDIC Says - WSJ The reason for not having a bank account most frequently cited by respondents in the FDIC’s survey was inability to meet minimum balance requirements. Many of the nation’s largest banks …

2020-10-19: Biden: ‘Parents Should Be Supportive Of An 8-Year-Old’s Choice To Stick A Fork In An Electrical Outlet’ - The Babylon Bee Joe Biden has taken a bold stance for defending the autonomy of one of the nation’s most vulnerable groups: 8-year-olds. Biden suggests …

2020-10-19: Got it done. 🇺🇸

2020-10-19: China Warns U.S. It May Detain Americans in Response to Prosecutions of Chinese Scholars - WSJ The Chinese message, the people said, has been blunt: The U.S. should drop prosecutions of the Chinese scholars in American courts, or Americans in China might find themselves in …

2020-10-19: Time to Go - Catholic Husband We may not be able to go back to the old ways, but we still have the gift of today. How are you going to spend it? ➕

2020-10-18: Car Wash Been a bit lazy, Cars got real dirty. Fixed now. Don’t want to drive them.

2020-10-18: Biden Suggests Stopping Criminals By Making Them Slip On Banana Peels - The Babylon Bee “Look, Jack, if a criminal is running toward you, you don’t have to shoot them,” Biden said at last night’s town hall on ABC. “All you have to do is pull out …

2020-10-18: Trump Shares Babylon Bee Article, Thousands Accept Jesus Into Their Hearts - The Babylon Bee Big Tech attempted to censor The Bee since they are non-Christian Democrats and are very afraid of the whole world becoming Christian. Unfortunately, all the Big Tech censors actually …

2020-10-18: Undefeated: Trump Now 2-0 Against Moderators - The Babylon Bee Sure enough, the polls reflected Trump’s victory, as he’s still polling at close to half the popular vote, while Savannah Guthrie has literally zero of the popular vote.

2020-10-18: The FICO credit score is one of the most consumer-hostile, arrogant products on the market today. Companies that you don’t do business with, vacuum up your personal information for their own profit, and then assign you an incredibly consequential score with zero consideration …

2020-10-17: Dreams Dashed Wanted to be cheap, Not going to happen. Sigh. Time to re-work plan.

2020-10-17: Michigan Court Rescinds 14-Day Extension for Receipt of Mail Ballots - WSJ The Michigan appeals court said that voting rule changes shouldn’t be left to judges, and that Michigan voters have options to ensure their ballot arrives on time, citing ballot drop boxes as one example. …

2020-10-16: Rate Shopping Many things to do, Feeling a bit overwhelmed. Start of the process.

2020-10-16: Mark Zuckerberg Pops Out Of Man’s Shower To Warn Him The Story He’s Reading Is Fake News - The Babylon Bee Waters attempted to have Zuckerberg removed from his house, but the tech CEO pointed out the section of Facebook’s terms of service that clearly lays out …

2020-10-16: Twitter Shuts Down Entire Network To Slow Spread Of Negative Biden News - The Babylon Bee After seeing account after account tweet out one particularly bad story, CEO Jack Dorsey realized he had to take action. Dorsey smashed a glass box in his office reading “Break In …

2020-10-15: Green Light Relationship builds, To this point. A good result! Time to start shopping.

2020-10-15: Big Tech Fights Election Interference By Interfering In Election - The Babylon Bee From nagging people to vote and curating their own election information as the only source of legitimate voting information for their users to squashing stories that would hurt the candidates they …

2020-10-15: You Should Absolutely NOT Read The Disgusting, Totally False Story About Joe Biden’s Son That We’ve Linked To In This Article - The Babylon Bee Since you did not click on that article, you were not horrified by all the alleged revelations about H. Biden. So your life …

2020-10-15: NBC Actors, Producers Protest Network’s Decision to Host Trump Town Hall at Same Time as Biden’s ABC Event - WSJ the group said the decision to give Mr. Trump such a platform after his refusal to debate Mr. Biden is “enabling the President’s bad behavior while undercutting the …

2020-10-15: The whole promise of the Nest Protect is that it’d never just chirp at you when there’s a problem. It would use a nice voice to let you know exactly the problem. It was a great promise, that turned into a lie last night at 11:15pm when it started chirping every 60 seconds. The …

2020-10-14: Monumental Shift Time to make a change, Take that next big step in life. But for now, we wait.

2020-10-14: Facebook’s Conservative Emergency - WSJ The censorship pressure against the company is about controlling political speech. Right-of-center sites have grown in popularity online as alternatives to mainstream news sites that have become relentlessly and almost uniformly left-wing, …

2020-10-14: Who’s Afraid of Amy Coney Barrett? - WSJ The Senate confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett may lack for political drama, but they are still instructive. They are revealing the deep fault lines over the Supreme Court, and how Democrats view it as a mini-legislature to …

2020-10-14: iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max - Apple A14 Bionic. The only thing even close was our last chip. The truest, most accurate marketing language on Apple’s website.

2020-10-14: HomePod, HomePod mini pairing, new Home Theater support coming A new feature is coming for only for the HomePod that will add an immersive home theater experience when paired with an Apple TV 4K. Wahoo!!!!

2020-10-14: Ominous Sign: Biden Spotted Fitting As Many Judges As He Can Into A Phone Booth - The Babylon Bee Some judges protested and asked why he was doing this, but Biden told them that they didn’t “deserve to know.”

2020-10-13: Crunching Leaves Kids walk neighborhood, Mostly want to crunch fall leaves. Crunch. Crunch. Shuffle, crunch.

2020-10-13: ACB Calmly Answers Questions While Typing Up Appellate Court Decision And Cooking Dinner For 9 - The Babylon Bee “That’s a great question, Senator, thank you for asking,” she responded to one line of questioning as she chopped up onions to put them in her stew. …

2020-10-13: Beautiful afternoon walk.

2020-10-12: Kids Build Fort Minimal effort, Executing their design. They are growing up!

2020-10-12: Apple sure does love its social engineering!

2020-10-12: I think I’ll move my calendars from iCloud to Fastmail today.

2020-10-12: Joe Biden on What Voters ‘Deserve’ - WSJ He added: “Now, look, I know it’s a great question, and y’all—and I don’t blame you for asking it. But you know the moment I answer that question, the headline in every one of your papers will be about that.” Yes, it’s called news.

2020-10-12: Life with Four - Catholic Husband I know how to care for an infant, a toddler, and a big kid. Now I just need to pull those pieces together to get acclimated to my new normal. ➕

2020-10-11: Last Hot Day Too hot October, Hopefully Fall comes and stays. Ice cream for now, tho.

2020-10-11: The Parent Trap 🍿

2020-10-11: Benedict let the Pigeon drive the bus.

2020-10-11: Episode 171: Pigeon Activity Book Benedict found an activity book earlier this week and has been creating up a storm.

2020-10-11: Revision mode in Ulysses is baller.com!

2020-10-11: One of the best parts about running your own blog is the ability to backdate posts.

2020-10-11: Kamala Harris Gets a Fracking Education - WSJ The International Energy Agency earlier this year reported that the U.S. “saw the largest decline in energy-related CO2 emissions in 2019 on a country basis” due to a 15% reduction in the use of coal for power generation and “US …

2020-10-10: Kids Pitch In As they get bigger, Kids help to do more chores. Nice! Next: wash cars, mow grass.

2020-10-10: Castro.app is not as great as I’d hoped on the cellular Apple Watch. It might be time for me to switch to Overcast.

2020-10-10: Your Cash Earns Zip, Zilch, Nada. Don’t Make It Worse. - WSJ Since the Federal Reserve is depressing interest rates, it seems only fair that I should depress you. So please allow me to point out that $100,000 in a savings account will earn, if you’re lucky, $220 in interest …

2020-10-10: Biden: ‘I Won’t Reveal Whether I Plan On Abolishing The Constitution And Establishing A Glorious Communist Utopia Until After I’m Elected’ - The Babylon Bee “Look, if I tell you whether or not I plan to institute a new Communist order, establishing …

2020-10-10: Dunkirk 🍿

2020-10-09: Anthem Arrives Full titanium, A beautiful pocket knife. Oh you fancy, huh?

2020-10-09: Teachers Unions Promise School Will Resume As Soon As The Teachers Are Done Campaigning For Biden - The Babylon Bee “Plus, the Biden campaign didn’t have to pay them since they are already being paid a full salary with taxpayer dollars. It was a win-win for …

2020-10-09: Conservative Activist Grabbed Trump’s Eye on Diversity Training - WSJ White House chief of staff Mark Meadows called Mr. Rufo the morning after the TV program and asked him to share his findings, saying President Trump had watched it, a person familiar with the matter said. …

2020-10-09: The Plot Against Gretchen Whitmer - WSJ Ms. Whitmer has exceeded her legal authority in the pandemic, and often in arrogant fashion. But the recourse for her critics is politics and the law, not violence and kidnapping. This plot is the responsibility of those who conspired to …

2020-10-09: White House Preparing New $1.8 Trillion Stimulus Proposal - WSJ The White House proposal increases its previous offer by about $200 billion Just keeps getting worse. Nothing like beating a dead horse, tho.

2020-10-08: Early Dinner Good to be early, Enough time to play, clean up. Now, time to relax.

2020-10-08: Kamala Harris Pulls Fire Alarm When Asked About Packing The Supreme Court - The Babylon Bee “Oh no! I really want to clear this up once and for all and give the American people a simple yes or no answer, but there’s no time! I think I smell smoke!”

2020-10-08: Episode 170: Allergies Arrive We’re back! Settling into our new routine, I wander into the playroom to learn some disturbing news.

2020-10-07: Minimum Effort Feeling zapped today, Managed to get nothing done. Perhaps tomorrow.

2020-10-07: A solid debate, indeed.

2020-10-07: Nero Surprised To Learn That All He Had To Do To Stop Christians From Gathering Was Declare A Pandemic - The Babylon Bee The infamous, oppressive ruler of Rome wasted a lot of energy trying to stop Christians from worshiping Jesus when all along, churches would apparently have …

2020-10-07: New York City’s Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Leaders Decry New Lockdown Measures - WSJ Many of the targeted areas have a high concentration of ultra-Orthodox Jews, who are in the middle of a religious holiday, Sukkot. Unconstitutional abuse of power. But what else has the past seven …

2020-10-07: Pelosi’s Taxpayer Ransom Demand - WSJ A Republican President was willing to spend an amount that was half the federal budget only a few years ago, and Mrs. Pelosi said no. Some spirit of compromise.

2020-10-07: Psst… G’Day, Australia! Just Wanted To Let You Know That We Always Liked You Better Than Those Dumb Americans - The Babylon Bee What’s up, Australia! Having a nice afternoon? Americans are all sleeping right now, so while they’re down for the night, we …

2020-10-06: Overslept Breezed past two alarms, Not a great start to the day. A nap would be good.

2020-10-06: Media Criticizes Trump For Downplaying Virus Threat By Not Dying - The Babylon Bee As the president begins to show signs of recovery, many worry that this sends the wrong message about the seriousness of the global pandemic.

2020-10-06: Woman Immediately Healed After Touching Hem Of Trump’s Suit Jacket - The Babylon Bee The story of President Trump’s miraculous healing from the deadly China Virus has spread all across the nation. This led one woman, in her desperation, to seek out the president …

2020-10-06: My son drew a cat at school today. It is very cute!

2020-10-05: Anthem Discontinued knife, Had to act fast. I got it! Can’t wait to hold it.

2020-10-05: Trump’s Hospital Room Flooded With ‘Get Dead Soon’ Cards From Democrats - The Babylon Bee Such cards have become so popular that Hallmark has added a “For Sick Presidents You Don’t Like” section

2020-10-05: Trump Briefly Leaves Hospital To Wave To Supporters From F-22 Raptor - The Babylon Bee “America!” the president cried as he flew by the ecstatic crowd, though they couldn’t hear him over the roar of the fighter jet’s engines.

2020-10-05: Apps are super slow to roll out their widget support.

2020-10-05: Trump Adds ‘Black Lives Matter’ Sticker To SUV So Media Can’t Claim He’s Spreading COVID - The Babylon Bee “Checkmate,” Trump said as he smiled and waved to reporters.

2020-10-05: Governor Whitmer Refuses To Throw Ring Of Power Back Into Fires Of Mount Doom - The Babylon Bee “Nooo! Not my precious!” Whitmer screamed as the state Supreme Court handed down the order to destroy the Ring. “Nasty, nasty Constitution! We don’t likes it! …

2020-10-05: Pope Francis Says Covid-19 Pandemic Shows Limits to Market Economics - WSJ The encyclical includes severe words about digital culture, which he says “encourages remarkable hostility, insults, abuse, defamation and verbal violence destructive of others, and this with a lack of …

2020-10-05: A Huawei Turning Point - WSJ The U.S.-led campaign isn’t about promoting American companies, as Sweden’s Ericsson and Finland’s Nokia will be the biggest winners of Huawei’s exclusion from Europe. The real concern is national security. Huawei has longstanding ties to the …

2020-10-05: Regal Cinemas Suspending Operations at All U.S. Locations - WSJ “We are like a grocery shop that doesn’t have vegetables, fruit, meat,” Cineworld CEO Mooky Greidinger said in an interview. “We cannot operate for a long time without a product.” I’d like to see this pandemic …

2020-10-05: Pandemic Confession - Catholic Husband As the reality of how delicate life truly is set in, I’ve spent a lot of time pondering how well I’m living the life that I profess. I’ve considered my track record within my vocation and as a father. Without the Sacrament of …

2020-10-04: Italian Feast Not much work needed, To create a great dinner. Thank you, Italy!

2020-10-04: An End to Michigan’s Endless Emergency - WSJ “Almost certainly,” Justice Markman wrote for the majority, “no individual in the history of this state has ever been vested with as much concentrated and standardless power to regulate the lives of our people, free of the …

2020-10-04: The World That War Has Made - WSJ The income tax, a rare and light burden in the U.S. before 1914, steadily grew, first as an emergency measure during World War I and then afterward as American governments found that they could tax more heavily without breaking the economy. …

2020-10-04: Happy Feast of St. Francis! 🦌

2020-10-03: Double Ant Attack A nice fall day out, Girls got bit by two ant hills. Benadryl for all!

2020-10-03: Party That Wants To Run Your Healthcare Roots For Political Opponent To Die - The Babylon Bee Leftists who want to manage your healthcare for your own good also think it is a good thing when their political opponents fall ill, and they’re especially excited when they die. …

2020-10-03: New Footage Shows Heroic Trump Leaping In Front Of Mike Pence To Protect Him From Sneeze - The Babylon Bee “But, quarantine isn’t so bad. I get soup and cartoons, all day. Can you believe this coyote? He’s a total failure! Hasn’t so much as laid his hands …

2020-10-03: Free, Privacy-First Analytics for a Better Web The most popular analytics services available were built to help ad-supported sites sell more ads. But, a lot of websites don’t have ads. So if you use those services, you’re giving up the privacy of your users in order to …

2020-10-02: Flu Shot Disaster Kids don’t like flu shots, So I did them all at once. What a huge mistake.

2020-10-02: What’s the Ballot Deadline? Who Knows - WSJ But it’s certainly true that, left to their own devices, judges across the country are making it up as they go.

2020-10-01: Oh Dark Thirty 430 wake up, So, so much got done today. Again tomorrow.

2020-10-01: General Motors’ Credit Card, Brought to You by Goldman Sachs - WSJ In addition to its Apple card, which had $4.5 billion in outstanding balances as of June 30 That escalated quickly.

2020-10-01: Biden Claims Communist China Is ‘Just An Idea’ - The Babylon Bee “The right wants you to think Communist China is an organized threat, but it’s just an idea,” Biden said.

2020-10-01: Enough to ruin any taxpayers’ day.

2020-10-01: ‘No Chris Wallace To Save You Now!’ Trump Ambushes Biden In Alleyway To Debate Him - The Babylon Bee “Don’t I get two minutes to respond?” Biden finally asked.

2020-10-01: October 1st, amirite?

2020-09-30: Up Too Late Up past my bedtime, I paid for it today. Whew! Time to call it quits.

2020-09-30: Americans Come Out Of Debate Excited By Their Two Great Choices - The Babylon Bee “One of those two will be running the country for the next four years? How can you not be optimistic?”

2020-09-30: Pompeo Calls On Pope Francis to Defend Religious Freedom in China - WSJ A senior Vatican official expressed irritation with Mr. Pompeo’s suggestion that the Holy See hadn’t been standing up for religious freedom in China. “We speak about religious freedom to China all the time, …

2020-09-30: Google Makes Concessions in Effort to Buy Fitbit - WSJ “This deal is about devices, not data,” Google said. lol, coming from a company that deals exclusively in data.

2020-09-30: Apple Removes RSS Feed Readers From Chinese App Store - MacRumors Fiery Feeds and Reeder both tweeted that their iOS apps had been removed in China over content that is considered “illegal” in the country. Oh Apple, that brave and moral multinational corporation.

2020-09-30: The full moon is gorgeous. 🌕

2020-09-29: Crisp Fall Air A long, hot summer. One Cold Front blows it away. Welcome back, my friend!

2020-09-29: Hello, Fall! 🍁

2020-09-29: CNN Pre-Debate Poll Shows Biden Clearly Won Debate - The Babylon Bee It is unclear if the actual debate tonight could affect the poll results, but most experts expect that it will not. Saves me 90 minutes during my evening!

2020-09-29: Ilhan Omar Seen Driving Giant Industrial Ballot Harvester Through Minneapolis - The Babylon Bee On loan from the DNC, the state-of-the-art harvester is capable of harvesting over 200 bushels of votes per hour, allowing candidates to harvest enough votes to cheat an opponent out …

2020-09-29: At the beginning of the pandemic, the retailers were unreliable. Now it’s the delivery carriers who are unreliable.

2020-09-29: Tehran 🍿 Excellent first episode, but the producers know absolutely nothing about airplanes.

2020-09-29: ‘What Is Thy Bidding, My Master?’ Asks Amy Coney Barrett To Cloaked, Holographic Pope - The Babylon Bee “I am the Senate,” snapped the Pope. “Now, do whatever I say, like a good Catholic!”

2020-09-29: Libertarian Voters Flock To Trump After Learning He Avoided Paying Taxes - The Babylon Bee “Only paying a few hundred in federal theft? This guy is my hero!” said libertarian man Murray Mickelson of New Hampshire. “If only all of us could be that smart with our …

2020-09-28: Soap Toddler’s invention, She was so proud of it all. Was soap dispenser.

2020-09-28: Amy Coney Barrett and Joe Biden: Two Catholics, One Double Standard - WSJ For this election, Democrats have pulled out all the stops to let Americans know what a swell Catholic Joe Biden is. The party’s larger message, both timely and welcome, is that it’s OK to be a person of …

2020-09-28: EPA Raises Legal Questions About California’s Plan to Ban New Gas-Powered Cars Starting in 2035 - WSJ “California’s record of rolling blackouts—unprecedented in size and scope—coupled with recent requests to neighboring states for power begs the question of how you expect to run …

2020-09-28: ACB Racing To Get Dinner Ready For Husband So He’ll Let Her Out To Overturn Roe V. Wade - The Babylon Bee When dinner was finally served and deemed “adequate,” Judge Barrett’s husband told her, “Okay, you can go do your knitting club or whatever.”

2020-09-28: AirPlay 2 and HomeKit Coming to Select 4K Roku TVs and Devices Later This Year - MacRumors AirPlay 2 will enable users to stream videos, music, podcasts, and more directly from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to a compatible Roku smart TV, with no Apple TV box necessary. And with …

2020-09-28: Reading Together - Catholic Husband Time spent reading aloud to my children is more than education, it’s bonding. It’s special time in our day when we can sit next to each other, snuggled on the couch, and explore a new world together. I hope that this simple activity builds not …

2020-09-27: Narnia Afternoon movie, Everyone watched the whole thing. Real close to the book.

2020-09-27: Evangelical Leaders Anoint Amy Coney Barrett With Cup Of Chick Fil A Sauce - The Babylon Bee “This delicious soybean oil-based nectar is the most spiritually powerful oil in the world. Its hallowed combination of honey mustard, barbecue sauce, and ranch is a holy trinity …

2020-09-27: Sad: Antifa Rioter Excitedly Runs Out To Burn Down Neighborhood Only To Realize He Already Burned It Down In The Last Riot - The Babylon Bee Tragic! This Antifa rioter was excited to go on a road trip and burn down a black neighborhood, only to discover he’d already burned …

2020-09-26: Afternoon Nap A rare, special treat, Three hour, Saturday nap. Now need to catch up!

2020-09-26: Trump and Biden Trade Barbs on Social Security but Avoid Substance - WSJ […] knows how important Social Security is to the middle-class Americans who have spent their whole lives working toward a dignified retirement […] Social Security benefits, or the scheme …

2020-09-26: The FBI’s Bad Intelligence - WSJ The bureau relied on a suspected Russian agent for the information it used to obtain a secret surveillance warrant against former Trump adviser Carter Page. Huh. I missed reading about this little nugget in other publications. Department of …

2020-09-26: Blue Health Insurers Reach Tentative Antitrust Settlement for $2.7 Billion - WSJ David Boies, a lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said, “There is no settlement until terms have been approved by the parties and the court” but added that the reported terms “would be a very good …

2020-09-25: Day One 4:45 start. Go, go, go until past two. I am beat. Weekend!

2020-09-25: Finally made it to Coffee o’clock. ☕️

2020-09-25: Big day. 👨🏻‍💻 + 👦🏼👧🏻👧🏼👶🏼

2020-09-24: Nine Weeks Off Sad to see her go! A well utilized time off. Tomorrow, I’m back!

2020-09-24: State With No Electricity Orders Everyone To Drive Cars That Run On Electricity - The Babylon Bee The order takes effect in 2035, meaning by that time, everyone in the state with no electricity will only be able to plug in their cars to the power grid that does not work.

2020-09-24: Fauci Renews Pandemic For Highly Anticipated Season 2 - The Babylon Bee Inside sources confirmed that all 365 episodes of the pandemic will be carried on all networks and streaming services starting January 1st. Fans who purchase Bill Gates’ experimental vaccine will be …

2020-09-24: North Korea Kills and Burns the Body of a Seoul Official Found in Its Waters - WSJ North Korea is thought to have issued a shoot-to-kill order at its borders as part of its Covid-19 containment measures The paranoia of this brutal regime knows no bounds.

2020-09-23: LTE Awesome A cellular watch, Total game changer for me. Can’t wait to workout.

2020-09-23: My grill game is strong.

2020-09-23: California to Ban Sales of New Gas-Powered Cars Starting in 2035 - WSJ About 2% of all new car sales in the U.S. last year for electric vehicles. In California, that figure was 5.3% What an absolute joke.

2020-09-23: City Recycling Provider: In order to reduce our Carbon Footprint and control costs for your city, we’ll be cutting our recycling pickups in half starting next month. Um, what?

2020-09-23: I hope watchOS 8 gives me a grid option for apps. The current two options are both terrible.

2020-09-23: One Senator’s Strategy for Containing Chinese Technological Dominance - WSJ “China has shown that the development and use of cutting-edge technology and economic expansion are, indeed, possible within authoritarian-state capitalism.” Mainly via theft.

2020-09-22: Watch Delivery Delayed Three days in China, Then, a one hour delay. Have to wait again.

2020-09-22: New season, new door magnet. 🍁

2020-09-22: Remaining Liberal Justices Given Pink Slips As Trump Reduces Court Size - The Babylon Bee “I heard about court-packing,” Trump told the press. “I looked into it, and it ends up you can change the number of justices on the Supreme Court! Some people say it’s bad, very bad. …

2020-09-22: Fisher-Price Releases ‘My First Peaceful Protest’ Playset With House You Can Actually Burn Down - The Babylon Bee “We need to teach our kids what democracy looks like, and there’s no better example of democracy in action than violent vandalism and arson. …

2020-09-22: Chinese Leaders Split Over Releasing Blacklist of U.S. Companies - WSJ Mr. Biden has laid out plans to increase engagement with China over regional issues such as Afghanistan, Iran and North Korea. Mr. Biden would also likely engage China in dealing with climate change. …

2020-09-22: Got that Xbox on pre-order. It’ll be my first gaming console. 🎮

2020-09-22: Apple really threw cold water on the iOS 14 release, specifically the awesomeness of widgets, when they gave devs one day to test against the GM and submit to App Review.

2020-09-22: Pandemic-Stricken World Braces For Another Francis Encyclical - Eye of the Tiber “Catholics should be preparing themselves,” one inside Vatican source told EOTT. “I cannot emphasize enough just how well prepared we need to be. With the sustained isolation many of us are going …

2020-09-22: Auditors to Stop Inspecting Factories in China’s Xinjiang Despite Forced-Labor Concerns - WSJ where human-rights activists say a police-state atmosphere and government controls make it too difficult to determine whether factories and farms are relying on forced labor. China, …

2020-09-22: Kids have been up since 5:40am. I am so screwed.

2020-09-21: Package Delays What is going on? Logistics networks are clogged. Hard to wait on things.

2020-09-21: Tomorrow is not only the first day of Fall, it’s Apple Watch Day and New Knife Day. Also, it’s going to be rainy. The perfect day!!!

2020-09-21: Trump Fires Off Giant Pink Glitter Cannon To Reveal Gender Of SCOTUS Nominee - The Babylon Bee “Of course it’s a girl! It’s a girl!” Trump said as he made an hourglass curve gesture with his hands. “Tremendous. Thank you very much!”

2020-09-21: Democrats Post Job Listing For Supreme Court Nominee Accusers - The Babylon Bee The best candidates from all applicants will be invited to a casting call in D.C. to show off their “believable accusation” ability.

2020-09-21: Giggling Trump Prank Calls Merrick Garland To Tell Him He’s Been Shortlisted For SCOTUS - The Babylon Bee “When I heard Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, I said to myself, ‘There is only one man for the job,’” Trump told Garland over the phone while barely holding back laughter.

2020-09-21: Last day of Summer. 🍉

2020-09-21: Calendar.app in iOS 14 is fantastic. Great improvements in watchOS, too. Fantastical is typically late on updates. If they don’t hit a grand slam, it’s curtains!

2020-09-21: My Apple Watch is on the way! Just left South Korea on one of UPS’ new 747-8s. Will be on my wrist tomorrow. International logistics is fascinating. ✈️📦⌚️

2020-09-21: The App Library really makes it easy to have all of the apps that you need.

2020-09-21: The New Evangelization Stumbles - Catholic Husband The New Evangelization demands that we use new methods and the technology that we have to spread the Gospel. This pandemic was the perfect excuse for us to try new things and experiment. When you try something novel and half a …

2020-09-20: Parent Teacher Conference Two adults enter. Who’s the parent? The teacher? Depends on the day!

2020-09-20: Breaking Judicial Norms: A History - WSJ What Republicans should do is let the voters know about the Democratic filibuster and court-packing plans, and make them a campaign issue.

2020-09-20: Just renewed my Micro.blog subscription for another year. Looking forward to 2.0 and beyond!

2020-09-20: Why the ‘Biden Rule’ Doesn’t Apply in 2020 - WSJ For well over a century—the last exception was Chief Justice Melville Fuller in 1888, during President Cleveland’s first term—the Senate hasn’t confirmed a Supreme Court nominee chosen in an election year by a president of the …

2020-09-20: Genius Trump Nominates Joe Biden To Supreme Court Forcing Dems To Accuse Him Of Sexual Assault - The Babylon Bee “We now believe Tara Reade,” said a somber Kamala Harris, “and we will do everything in our power to destroy this man’s life.”

2020-09-20: I’m always in awe of the resiliency of nature. 🌻

2020-09-20: Episode 169: Sunday Check In We’re home from Mass, but it’s not quite time for lunch. So I pulled out the microphone, sat down with Lucy, and hit record.

2020-09-20: I spent some time really working on my iPad Magic Keyboard this morning. It’s really well done. Feels very similar to using a MacBook Air.

2020-09-20: They later sunrise is really helping my kids sleep in and get the rest that they need.

2020-09-19: Decorated Rooms Only took three years, Kids rooms are decorated. Adds a nice touch, no?

2020-09-19: Just conducted our first budget committee in Keynote. Only took me eight years to find a great way to communicate my spreadsheet. Nailed it!

2020-09-19: Significant delays in delivery of packages from USPS. I wonder what’s going on over there.

2020-09-19: Leftists Frantically Begin Rebuilding Everything They Burned Down So They Can Burn It Down Again - The Babylon Bee As a potential SCOTUS replacement hearing looms, leftists are at their breaking point. So, they threatened to burn everything down. But oops! They already burned it …

2020-09-19: Crisp Fall morning air on my walk this morning. More, please! 🍁

2020-09-18: Deep Clean, #2 Both cars are now done. How they shine in the garage. Not allowed to leave!

2020-09-18: Whoops—We Found 1,666 Ballots - WSJ Only 47 days left to get it right. Going to be one rough ride.

2020-09-18: Man Sticks To Keto Diet For Full 12 Seconds - The Babylon Bee In an amazing display of self-restraint and discipline, the man avoided all carbs, bread, fruits, sugars, rice, beans, and pastries for the entire twelve seconds. He started out his diet by eating a hard-boiled egg. …

2020-09-18: Pennsylvania High Court Extends Deadline for Accepting Mail Ballots - WSJ Lee Moak, a Democratic appointee on the Postal Service Board of Governors, separately defended the agency, saying it is acting without political objectives. “Any suggestion that there is a politically …

2020-09-18: As Coronavirus Rebounds, Europe Rejects New Lockdowns - WSJ Mr. Goosens said he is now advising policy makers to shift their messaging and ask people not to rely on government measures but to take personal responsibility to curb the disease by adhering to social distancing, …

2020-09-18: Just-Laid-Off Minneapolis Police Officer Looks On Helplessly As Rioters Burn Down City Council Members’ Homes - The Babylon Bee Lieutenant Chris Gastelum was laid off yesterday by the Minneapolis Police Department after the city council voted to defund the police. As he …

2020-09-17: Second TV A first for me, wife. Two TV’s in the same house. Mine’s for gaming, tho.

2020-09-17: Barr Condemns Justice Department Prosecutors - WSJ “Advocating for clear and defined prohibitions will sometimes mean that we cannot bring charges against someone who we believe is engaged in bad conduct. But that is what it means to be a government of laws and not men. We …

2020-09-17: Top New Jersey Democrats Agree to Raise Taxes on Millionaires - WSJ “Gov. Murphy’s plan to raise taxes is a gift for the Florida economy and a nightmare for New Jersey,” Mr. Bramnick said in a written statement. Ain’t that the truth!

2020-09-17: The stock iOS Calendar.app’s widget is keeping it 💯

2020-09-16: Update Day Anticipation. Download, install, meh. Ok, Always feels like this.

2020-09-16: Made my favorite, but most technical, dinner tonight: a savory meat pie.

2020-09-16: Excited about the release of Safari 14.

2020-09-16: It Takes a Superspreader to Know a Superspreader - WSJ ‘Voting by mail is now common enough and problematic enough that election experts say there have been multiple elections in which no one can say with confidence which candidate was the deserved winner.” NYT, 2012. “While …

2020-09-16: CNN Criticizes Israel, Arab Leaders For Shaking Hands In The Middle Of A Pandemic - The Babylon Bee CNN and other media outlets attacked President Trump and foreign leaders this week after footage emerged of Israeli and Arab leaders standing closer than six feet apart and …

2020-09-16: Talk about a big day!

2020-09-15: Zoom Call Interruption I never get calls, Except when I’m on a Zoom. Figures, doesn’t it?

2020-09-15: The original Pink Panther show from 1969 is on Amazon Prime Video and my kids love it.

2020-09-15: I always enjoy the first time driving on a new set of tires.

2020-09-15: This Apple Event is snooze.com.

2020-09-15: Vatican Looks to Extend Church Leadership Agreement With China Despite Criticism - WSJ Under Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the country’s ruling Communist Party has steadily tightened its grip on religion, in particular Islam and Christianity. Authorities have converted mosques into …

2020-09-15: Christmas shopping in September is a wonderful thing. 🎄

2020-09-14: Migraine Day Don’t come too often, Thanks to my designer drugs. A drag, for sure, tho.

2020-09-14: Facebook Buys REI’s Elaborate New Headquarters as Covid-19 Pandemic Prompts a Sale - WSJ Facebook Inc. is buying Recreational Equipment Inc.’s custom-made new headquarters near Seattle, the latest sign that big technology companies are driving commercial real estate markets …

2020-09-14: Audience Boos As Football Game Breaks Out At Political Rally - The Babylon Bee “I come to these to be lectured and talked down to,” said Jeremy Hopkins, one of the attendees. “I don’t want to be entertained. Who thought this was a good idea?”

2020-09-14: Done with my walk, dressed for the day. Enjoying a few quiet moments in the dawn’s early light looking out into our backyard before the littles start to stir.

2020-09-14: Troops - Catholic Husband As a father of a son, I’ve found the Troops of St. George to be particularly helpful in my vocation to raise him as a man. ➕

2020-09-13: Day of Rest All my tasks are done. Truly got to relax. Nice! It’s a school night, kids.

2020-09-13: The Opioid Crisis, Already Serious, Has Intensified During Coronavirus Pandemic - WSJ The pandemic has destabilized people trying to maintain sobriety or who are struggling with addiction during a time of increased social isolation and stress, according to treatment providers …

2020-09-13: It’s amazing what a fresh coat of wax can do to a car’s paint. It dazzles in the sun!

2020-09-13: Lego Introduces New Sharper Bricks That Instantly Kill You When You Step On Them - The Babylon Bee The sharper edges in the new design will just immediately put you out of your misery, so you don’t have to roll around on the ground in excruciating pain for minutes on end.

2020-09-13: Site Icons for Micro.blog Time and again, Micro.blog proves that it’s as flexible as it is easy to use. Micro.blog takes the profile picture that you upload and distributes it in several places, making it your site’s icon and favicon. There are a few instances where, as of now, it doesn’t create certain …

2020-09-13: Bahrain to Forge Ties With Israel, Trump Says - WSJ The deal signals a monumental shift in the region, where most Arab states previously had held off on making peace with Israel so long as its long-running conflict with the Palestinians remained unresolved. How long have we …

2020-09-12: Knife Safety Course Led a course today. Hard to give to smaller kids. They did really well.

2020-09-12: A California Law Was Supposed to Give Uber Drivers New Protections. Instead, Comedians Lost Work. - WSJ Early this year, the organizers of a small Bay Area theater told Alicia Dattner they wouldn’t be able to pay her for an upcoming comedy act. The reason: A new California law …

2020-09-12: Ordered the DJI OM 4. After 10 minutes, I couldn’t figure it out. So it’s going back. For that kind of money, it needs to be much more intuitive.

2020-09-12: First meeting of a new activity with my son.

2020-09-11: Deep Clean Done Full day of projects, Accomplished with wife’s, kids help. Now, a glass of rum.

2020-09-11: Trump Carefully Composing Tweet That Should Fix Everything - The Babylon Bee Noticing all the problems the country has faced this year, from the coronavirus to civil unrest to general disunity, President Donald Trump has become determined to do something. That’s why, sources …

2020-09-11: 'Let My People Go To Church!' Bellows Bearded John MacArthur To Hard-Hearted Gavin Newsom - The Babylon Bee “Pharaoh Newsom! Let my people go… to church!” MacArthur, who had inexplicably grown a full, flowing beard, bellowed. “If you do not let my people …

2020-09-11: Oh No! The President Visited San Francisco And Now No One Can Find Him! - The Babylon Bee as soon as he stepped off Air Force One, Secret Service lost their visual on him, his soft, persimmon-hued skin blending in perfectly with the fiery hellscape around him.

2020-09-11: House deep cleaned, van washed & waxed, lawn mowed, laundry almost done. Pretty good for eight hours of work.

2020-09-10: Detailing Van Time for fall cleaning. Deep clean, full wash, and hand wax. Hard work, great result!

2020-09-10: Episode 168: Bunk Bed I sit down with Benedict after dinner to chat about some big changes in his room.

2020-09-10: A Trump-Biden Niagara Fall - WSJ Between the pandemic and protests, we have fallen into a culture of silence this year. The worst possible outcome for a liberal society.

2020-09-09: Picture Order Pictures whittled down, A final ten shots. All gold. Can’t wait to get them.

2020-09-09: California Looter Frustrated His New TV Requires Electricity To Work - The Babylon Bee prolific looter Shawndo Boogerlilly took to Twitter yesterday to express his frustration after realizing his newly acquired TV needed electricity to work properly. After a successful night of …

2020-09-09: I’m so ready for Fall. 🍁

2020-09-09: Kamala Harris’s anti-vaccine flirtation is dangerously irresponsible - Washington Examiner Democrats present themselves with tiresome repetitiveness as the party of science. It’s a false claim. And vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris seems determined to prove it …

2020-09-09: Things makes it so easy to adapt to a schedule change.

2020-09-08: Bunk Bed Ready Got the new hardware, Quick install and it’s secure. He’s ready to test.

2020-09-08: More good progress today. Tomorrow is the big project: deep cleaning the van. Should take up most of my energy for the day.

2020-09-08: U.S. Military Is Offered New Bases in the Pacific - WSJ U.S. security policy in Asia calls for a heavier presence of American forces, but on a rotational basis, whereby troops switch in and out for training and exercises. I get it, but this is a fabulous strategic opportunity. …

2020-09-08: Genius Trump Criticizes War Causing Millions Of Liberals To Sign Up For Military - The Babylon Bee The first mission for those who signed up for Space Force will be to explore the sun, Trump announced Tuesday.

2020-09-08: Disney Editing Blunder: An Uighur Concentration Camp Can Be Clearly Seen In The Background Of ‘Mulan’ - The Babylon Bee Then-CEO Bob Iger famously said in 2019 that Disney was considering leaving Georgia if the state banned late-term abortions. So, for Mulan, the …

2020-09-08: UPS Customer Service: among the worst!

2020-09-08: IKEA furniture is assembled and in place. Continuing to work on my projects list. Quickly running out of time!

2020-09-07: Six Wet Eyes Special guests just left, Wet eyes as we left airport. Very brave faces.

2020-09-07: Governor Newsom Claims Rolling Blackouts Are To Show Support For Black Lives Matter - The Babylon Bee While many thought the blackouts were due to poor planning and unrealistic green energy requirements, Newsom clarified that he ordered the blackouts as a powerful display …

2020-09-07: Check Out These 14 Beautiful Shots Of California’s Cities At Night - The Babylon Bee California is the most beautiful state in the nation. Many say California has been mismanaged, with rolling blackouts and budgetary issues, but these stunning shots of the state at night …

2020-09-07: I love coconut rum.

2020-09-07: Germany Hints at Sanctions on Russia Pipeline After Alexei Navalny Wakes From Coma - WSJ Germany signaled it is prepared to reconsider its Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project Good to see that the German government has a firm number of state-sponsored chemical weapons attacks …

2020-09-07: Lawmakers Tackle Spending Deadline, Look to Revive Coronavirus Aid Talks - WSJ “The speaker and I have agreed, we don’t want to see a government shutdown. So we’ve agreed that we are going to do a clean CR,” Mr. Mnuchin said Weak.

2020-09-07: Default to Yes - Catholic Husband I’d like to jump at these little opportunities to play with my children, to build our relationships, and to enjoy our company. I’m all too aware that these cute little ones will soon be too big and too busy for me. Besides, is what I’m working …

2020-09-07: Final push today to finish IKEA assembly. Ready to get the kids settled into their updated rooms. 🛏

2020-09-06: Veronica’s First Mass First Mass at parish, Friends all happy to meet her. A special event.

2020-09-06: Land of Free (and Fettered) Speech - WSJ Today, Americans are less worried about government censorship than about navigating the unwritten rules of socially acceptable speech. Violating those rules doesn’t bring jail time, but the prospect of losing your reputation or your job …

2020-09-06: I like to open all of the blinds early in the morning and let the soft light of dawn slowly fill the house. ☀️

2020-09-05: Swedish Sweat Shop Hours of hard work, Hands worn raw from assembly. Swedes sure do hate me.

2020-09-05: Upping The Ante: Protesters Now Attempting To Stop High-Speed Freight Trains - The Babylon Bee But, sadly, stopping traffic somehow hasn’t ended racism. So rioters are being forced to turn to a new strategy: blocking train tracks to stop freight trains in the name of …

2020-09-05: IKEA build day. I hope that my family is still together when the sun goes down. 🔨

2020-09-05: Maximum load factor. ☕️

2020-09-04: Delivery Delivery truck, Pallet of furniture, fun. Tomorrow it starts.

2020-09-04: Military Newspaper Stars and Stripes in Budget Crosshairs - WSJ Stars and Stripes, the Pentagon’s independent newspaper, has been ordered by Pentagon officials to prepare to shut down as soon as the end of this month, a move that would end a history dating to the Civil War. Not …

2020-09-04: Study Finds Moving Up Election Day Would Instantly End Pandemic - The Babylon Bee For months, Americans have assumed the lack of a vaccine was the only thing holding the nation back from opening up, but an analysis of the data by researchers confirms the only real threat is …

2020-09-04: Trump Accused Of Fomenting Violence By Hovering Over Cities In A Hot Air Balloon Chanting ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’ - The Babylon Bee Riots, arson, and shootings continue in major cities, and while many blame the left for being too tolerant of such actions in …

2020-09-04: Wife Claims $450 Salon Treatment Was A Setup - The Babylon Bee According to sources, Tracy explained to Anthony the charges were part of an intricate setup, planned for weeks by a duplicitous hairstylist.

2020-09-03: Home At Last A week on the road, Home in a rain storm, car off. A nice place to be.

2020-09-03: Apple Delays Ad Anti-Tracking Features Planned for iOS 14 [Updated] - MacRumors We want to give developers the time they need to make the necessary changes, and as a result, the requirement to use this tracking permission will go into effect early next year. Terrible!

2020-09-03: My letter carrier and I have very different ideas as to what “Hold Mail” means. 📬

2020-09-03: Another rainy travel day. Happy to be home soon.

2020-09-02: According to Plan Schedule set first thing, At the end of day, it’s done. Strange quirk of travel.

2020-09-02: Amazing that we still don’t have blanket cell coverage along interstates.

2020-09-01: Fatal Traffic Wreck Two hour delay, All lanes on the road were closed. Tough day to travel.

2020-09-01: Activision Announces ‘Call Of Duty: Obama Ops’ Where All You Do Is Drone-Strike Civilians - The Babylon Bee This new game will put you in the shoes of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Commander in Chief as he relentlessly shoots drone missiles at restaurants, libraries, and …

2020-09-01: Eight.

2020-08-31: Droning Campus Took drone to campus, Lots of great shots, a bit bright. No one said a thing.

2020-08-31: 50 yard line.

2020-08-31: Proud Mayor Lets His Entire City Burn To The Ground Just To Make Trump Look Bad - The Babylon Bee In an effort to prevent the reelection of sitting President Donald Trump, Mayor Ted Wheeler is encouraging citizens to raze their city to the ground. They hope that by desolating …

2020-08-31: Democrats Growing Increasingly Worried Biden Will Live Through Election Day - The Babylon Bee Biden is a great pick for us because he reassures middle America that he isn’t a total left-wing nutjob, while at the same time, he speaks to all the left-wing nutjobs that he won’t be …

2020-08-31: Eight - Catholic Husband The lessons that I’ve learned, re-learned, and written about in this space are the same. I need to continue to love and to serve, to put myself last, and to always defer to the needs of my wife and family. ➕

2020-08-30: Visiting My Sister Got to see new house, LEGO Store, cousins played hard. Good use of our day.

2020-08-30: United Ends Domestic Change Fees - WSJ Ancillary fees have climbed fivefold over the past decade and accounted for about 15% of sales at U.S. carriers last year Change fees being among the dumbest.

2020-08-30: Spotted in Gramma’s garden.

2020-08-30: Journalists Admit They're Supporting Biden Just So They Can Take Another 4-to-8-Year-Long Vacation - The Babylon Bee Weary of criticizing the president every second for the past four years, journalists say they just want to return to the Obama era when they didn’t have to …

2020-08-30: Daughter prays.

2020-08-29: Date Night Travelled all this way, Got to enjoy BBQ. Ice cream for dessert.

2020-08-29: Anniversary ice cream treat.

2020-08-29: In Lieu Of Convention, Republicans Just Broadcast Footage Of Riots In Democrat-Controlled Cities For 3 Hours - The Babylon Bee “It’s a far more effective strategy than if we were to get up there, open our mouths, and talk,” said an RNC spokesperson.

2020-08-28: End Leg One Two days, we made it. Flexible travel, but hard. Ready for a break.

2020-08-28: President Xi Relieved To Find Out NBA Players Just Protesting Injustices In America - The Babylon Bee Jingping breathed a sigh of relief when he was assured they were just protesting perceived injustices in the United States and not the much worse and more frequent injustices …

2020-08-28: Journalists Rush To Get Story Out Before It Can Be Ruined By The Facts - The Babylon Bee “This is a powerful narrative. Just the kind of story we want to tell! But we have to get this out before the facts come out! Hurry! The facts are closing in!” screamed a CNN …

2020-08-28: Campus in the fall.

2020-08-27: The Gang Friends since back at school, Hanging out when I’m in town. The boys are still tight.

2020-08-27: Fall sunset.

2020-08-27: Nation Shocked As Jerry Falwell Jr. Doesn't Turn Out To Be Man Of Upstanding Character - The Babylon Bee I always thought he was one of the good ones. Every indication was that he is a man of excellent moral fortitude and impeccable integrity. How could we have known that he was …

2020-08-26: Evacuation A last minute call, Getting out of the storm’s path. Three hours and gone!

2020-08-26: Back at it.

2020-08-26: America Ranked #1 Place In World Where You Can Get Rich By Writing About How Awful The Country Is - The Babylon Bee If you’re looking for a place to get rich while decrying the very system that’s allowing you to get rich, America is the place to be,” said Robin …

2020-08-26: Facebook Says Apple’s New iPhone Update Will Disrupt Online Advertising - WSJ Facebook Inc. says privacy changes that Apple Inc. has made to its newest operating system will cripple the social-media giant’s ability to serve targeted ads to iPhone users while they use outside …

2020-08-25: Down and Out Head hurt all day long. Took a nap and just laid low. Glad to have wife home.

2020-08-25: Trump Issues Emergency Order Requiring FDA To Declare Taco Salad Just As Healthy As Regular Salad - The Babylon Bee This will be a tremendous benefit to the millions of Americans who are struggling with lockdowns, trying to stay healthy, and yet still craving fried ground beef, …

2020-08-25: 14 Mostly Accurate CNN Headlines From The Last 6,000 Years Of Human History The Babylon Bee 1453 AD: Constantinople Liberated By Religion Of Mostly Peace

2020-08-24: Back in Session The new school bell rings, Students gather, pray, and learn. Now begins new year.

2020-08-24: Goodyear Announces They Will Only Sell Tires For Left Side Of Car - The Babylon Bee Technicians may rotate the two tires on the driver’s side, but may not do any work on the other side of the vehicle.

2020-08-24: Episode 167: Back to School I catch up with Benedict and Felicity as we talk about the new school year.

2020-08-24: It’s the first day back to school and this new schedule already has me beat.

2020-08-24: Answered Prayers - Catholic Husband Throughout this process, I struggled with doubt, with anxiety, and with disbelief. What is trusting God, what is testing Him? These are very human experiences with prayer. God knows our hearts, He can read us better than we even know …

2020-08-23: Last Day of Summer The party’s over. Back to school tomorrow morn, Two pupils this year.

2020-08-23: Currently reading: In Praise of Walking: A New Scientific Exploration by Shane O’Mara 📚

2020-08-23: Two Tropical Storms Pose Double Threat to U.S. Gulf Coast - WSJ It seems fitting for such an unusual twin threat to arrive in 2020, said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. “Of course, we have to have two simultaneously land-falling hurricanes,” Mr. McNoldy …

2020-08-22: Administrative Work A week of delays, Time spent on priorities. Took time to catch up.

2020-08-22: Trying out NextDNS. A bit late to the game locking down my network. Used to be a bunch of disjointed parts, trying to pull it together into a cohesive net.

2020-08-21: New Cleaning Day School year starts next week, New routine: Friday cleaning. Should be good weekend.

2020-08-21: Book Review: The Index Card 📚 As I continue to work on expanding my knowledge of the current trends in personal finance, I picked up this short book based on a video I watched on YouTube. The premise is simple: almost everything that you need to know about personal finance can fit on a 3x5 index card. The …

2020-08-20: Outdoor Cleaning Garage was dirty, Hard to keep clean with its stuff. Really love it now.

2020-08-20: Just finished updating my toothbrush’s firmware.

2020-08-20: Quite the week!

2020-08-20: Get A Load Of This Ignorant Moron Who Doesn’t Follow Politics And Is Also Really Happy With His Life - The Babylon Bee The man in question is Sam Gramley. Investigators discovered that Gramley doesn’t have a Twitter account or a Facebook account, and hasn’t …

2020-08-20: Media Criticizes Trump For Forcing Them To Tear Country Apart For Last Four Years - The Babylon Bee According to critics in the media, Trump has forced everyone in the media to sow seeds of hatred, anxiety, racial tension, and mass panic for almost four years now, and they are …

2020-08-20: Man Who Has Been In Government For Nearly 50 Years Promises To Fix Government - The Babylon Bee According to sources at the DNC, Joe Biden, a man who has been part of government since before Jaws, Star Wars, the Walkman, the NES, and the publishing of The Silmarillion, is just …

2020-08-20: I spent some time building LEGOs with my son this afternoon. This was my creation.

2020-08-19: Day of Errands Stanley Steemer came, Had to stay away while dries. Exhausting errands.

2020-08-19: Overachieving Father Knows All His Kids’ Names, Ages - The Babylon Bee He then proceeded to amaze bystanders by reciting both his children’s middle names without looking it up on his phone or texting his wife to ask her.

2020-08-19: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Writes Book on Coronavirus Pandemic - WSJ Critics on the political left and right questioned the timing of Mr. Cuomo’s volume. You mean because it’s still not over? Also, how did he find the time to reflect and form a cohesive narrative in the past …

2020-08-19: China’s Xi Jinping Tightens Grip on Domestic Security Forces in First Broad Purge - WSJ “The party always explains graft as the result of individuals becoming corrupt,” said Sheng Hong, an economist and former director of an independent Beijing think tank that shut down last …

2020-08-19: USPS to Suspend Changes Until After Election - WSJ The about-face comes as Mr. DeJoy and the Postal Service have come under heightened scrutiny from Democrats since the Republican Party fundraiser and logistics executive took the role in June. Every article notes Mr. DeJoy’s …

2020-08-19: Nancy Pelosi Goes Politically Postal - WSJ In August 2016, the USPS’s Inspector General said that “the number of collection boxes declined by more than 12,000 in the past 5 years.” Voter suppression by the Obama Administration? A rare voice of reason in our stupid news cycle. …

2020-08-18: Attic Mess One thing at a time, Place becomes a cluttered mess. Some light work, no more!

2020-08-18: The Obama-Biden Economy Redux - WSJ One signature policy was a significant extension of unemployment benefits, to 99 weeks, that paid people not to work long after the recession ended. Sound familiar?

2020-08-18: BREAKING: Trump Announces He Has Captured The Roadrunner - The Babylon Bee A manhunt is still underway for notorious border crosser and cheese thief Speedy Gonzales, who Trump claims is a member of MS-13.

2020-08-18: Democrat Mailer Promoting Mail-In Voting Gets Lost In Mail - The Babylon Bee The Postmaster General confirmed today that approximately 86 million pamphlets sent by the DNC extolling the virtues and benefits of voting by mail simply vanished.

2020-08-18: Hardcore Trump Supporter Destroys His Own Mailbox - The Babylon Bee “I’m really going to miss that mailbox. I’ll never see another Walmart ad, never get another calendar from our realtor, and worst of all, never again will I receive the previous owner of this home’s mail. Oh …

2020-08-18: U.S. Formalizes F-16 Jet Sale to Taiwan With China Tensions High - Bloomberg Taiwan formally signed an agreement to buy 66 of the latest model F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp., a move likely to further inflame tensions between the U.S. and China. Taiwan’s purchase of the …

2020-08-18: My morning happiness ☕️

2020-08-18: House Democrats Set Vote on Bill to Bolster USPS - WSJ House Democrats set a Saturday vote on a bill that would prohibit operational changes to the Postal Service until well after the election Great! The last thing the USPS needs is flexibility, as we’ve learned over the past …

2020-08-17: Kids Closet Closet overrun, Got it put back in order. It’s my great triumph!

2020-08-17: ‘Fortnite’ Creator Says Apple Is Threatening to Curb Access to Software Tools - WSJ The companies have defended their app stores’ policies, saying the 30% fee they both charge developers is justified because they provide services such as e-commerce security and user privacy, and …

2020-08-17: Trump Drives Around Playing Mailbox Baseball In Latest Voter Suppression Scheme - The Babylon Bee President Trump’s vote suppression efforts seem to know no bounds, with his main efforts focused against the USPS to stop mail-in voting. In Trump’s latest attack on …

2020-08-17: Brilliant Trump Puts Himself On All Postage Stamps, Forcing Democrats To Push For Abolishing USPS - The Babylon Bee Sources are reporting that Trump has dealt a killer blow in his ongoing war against his sworn enemy, the U.S. Post Office.

2020-08-17: State Hailed As Progressive Hub Of Technological Innovation Can’t Figure Out How To Keep The Lights On - The Babylon Bee Electricity, which first made its debut in 1882, is a luxury Californians have come to rely upon for modern indulgences such as dishwashers, laundry …

2020-08-17: Apple Threatens to Terminate Epic Games’ Developer Accounts on August 28 - MacRumors That includes Epic’s access to the development tools necessary to create software for the Unreal Engine that Epic offers to third-party developers for their games. In response, Epic …

2020-08-17: Together - Catholic Husband Therein lies the true beauty of marriage. Not perfection, perseverance. Not selfishness, unity. Not emotion, total surrender. Together we can, and we will, do anything. ➕

2020-08-16: Furniture Shopping Marathon shopping, So many options, changes. Ordered. Now we wait.

2020-08-16: The Postal Service’s Good Election Advice - WSJ “The Postal Service is asking election officials and voters to realistically consider how the mail works.”

2020-08-16: Just placed an online order with IKEA. Can’t wait to see why I bought when it arrives in 4 weeks.

2020-08-15: Late Laundry Day Uneven last week. Overrun today, late start. Towels tomorrow.

2020-08-15: Episode 166: Crash We tried to record a podcast, but the kids had a different plan.

2020-08-14: Appointments All morning in car, Check-ups for the girls. All good. Now time for a nap.

2020-08-14: President Trump is Being Misinformed About the Postal Service - National Association of Letter Carriers AFL-CIO The real reason is Congress imposed a crushing mandate on the Postal Service back in 2006, requiring it to prefund decades of future health care premiums for retired …

2020-08-14: Wow, great that so many folks are now realizing that the US Postal Service is in desperate need of structural changes! Surely these newly enlightened folks aren’t just using it as a political wedge.

2020-08-14: Nation’s Empty Churches To Become Spirit Halloween Stores - The Babylon Bee An annual reminder that summer is coming to an end is the appearance of Spirit Halloween stores temporarily taking over unused storefronts. Very clever.

2020-08-14: Harris Starting To Think This Biden Guy Is Really Dragging Down Her Campaign - The Babylon Bee Democratic strategist Benjessi Normaton was blunter, tweeting out: “It’s time for Biden to step down from the Harris campaign.” He’s a real drag on the ticket.

2020-08-13: School Prep Two weeks left to go, Time to get all organized. We’ll see how it goes.

2020-08-13: Are Voters Ready for Prime Minister Biden? - WSJ The biggest indicator, however, is that at this late date no one knows what Mr. Biden truly stands for—and, more important, no one cares. It’s now widely accepted that his administration will be the plaything of jostling …

2020-08-13: Joe Biden’s defenses of his faith ring hollow with Kamala Harris pick - Washington Examiner For a man whose faith has been his “guiding light,” Biden has run away from it publicly in the last year to please the Democratic Party, and Harris has been a driving force in …

2020-08-13: College Athlete Surprised To Learn His School Has Classes - The Babylon Bee Instead of doing what they came to the school to do, college athletes around the country will have to settle for learning things.

2020-08-13: Obama Horrified As Trump Undoes His Years Of Hard Work Bombing The Middle East - The Babylon Bee “My drone strikes – all for nothing!” he cried as he read the news on his iPhone. “This is horrible!” Poor Obama!

2020-08-12: Pictures Out the door on time, Picture session with kiddos. Might be a hard choice!

2020-08-12: Grilling buddy.

2020-08-12: REI Built an Elaborate HQ. Because of Covid-19, the Outdoor Retailer Wants to Sell It - WSJ The retailer, known as REI, was poised to open the new Seattle-area headquarters this summer after creating a unique building that reflected the company’s outdoorsy image and could serve …

2020-08-12: The abortion pill is wreaking havoc on children and women - Washington Examiner U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang stated that the “in-person requirements” posed a “substantial obstacle” to women seeking abortions. As a result, the ruling allows abortion businesses to sell …

2020-08-11: Quick Lake Trip Hot as all get out, Went to check out the lake. Huh. A bit nerve wracking.

2020-08-11: The Democrats Choose Harris - WSJ Like Barack Obama, Ms. Harris’s success is a living refutation of the left’s critique of America as an oppressive, racist land.

2020-08-11: Trump Generously Offers To Do Jobs Of Legislative And Judicial Branches Too - The Babylon Bee Congress erupted in celebration at the announcement that they no longer had to do any work. Republicans on Fox News have insisted this move is very fiscally responsible since Trump has …

2020-08-11: A little summer science project.

2020-08-10: First Podcast Slightly delayed, Girl made her first appearance. Kids were quite funny.

2020-08-10: Chicago Mayor Drives Past Looters To Arrest 7-Year-Old Having A Birthday Party - The Babylon Bee On her way back from arresting the youngster, Lightfoot pulled over to lecture a rioter who wasn’t wearing a mask. Priorities!

2020-08-10: Episode 165: Veronica ChetCast welcomes our newest co-host.

2020-08-10: Mnuchin Says White House Won’t Accept Unreasonable Coronavirus Stimulus Deal - WSJ we’re not going to go to unlimited amounts of money to get things that don’t make sense. Who is this man and what has he done with the real Steve Mnuchin?

2020-08-10: U.S. Government Contractor Embedded Software in Apps to Track Phones - WSJ “I think the average consumer doesn’t have a clue” Just a few more weeks until iOS14 opens our eyes. It’s going to be incredible!

2020-08-10: Start - Catholic Husband I don’t need a fresh start tomorrow or next week or next month. I need a fresh start right now. I need prayer to bring calm, peace, balance, and rest into my life right now, today. ➕

2020-08-09: Interior Spaces All ready to start, A week of interior, Settling our nest.

2020-08-09: Currently reading: The Index Card: Why Personal Finance Doesn’t Have to be Complicated by Helaine Olen and Harold Pollack 📚

2020-08-09: Intense heat, intense sun, intense blue.

2020-08-09: Millennials Slammed by Second Financial Crisis Fall Even Further Behind - WSJ Millennials have found it fundamentally more difficult to start a career and achieve the financial independence that allowed previous generations to get married, buy a home and have children. I’m so …

2020-08-09: New Perspective Life comes in seasons. It can be hard to notice the changes, but every once in a while, a reminder comes along. Apple announced their final update to the Intel 27” iMac last week. I’ve had my iMac for six years and I absolutely love it. It still works just fine, with a few minor …

2020-08-09: Sorry Excuse For A Man Asks For Help At Home Depot - The Babylon Bee Davis was sure he was holding the correct tool for the job. “Well what you’re holding in your hand is a tiny axe for children, so that’s not going to work,” the middle-age female …

2020-08-08: Tidying Up A week off of work, Things left to be put away. Didn’t get that far.

2020-08-08: Oh yeah!

2020-08-08: Trump Prepares Executive Actions as Coronavirus-Aid Talks Stall - WSJ House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) have said executive orders would accomplish little. In a statement, they said a reliance on executive orders by Mr. …

2020-08-07: On Our Own Our help has now left. Us and them alone at home. Trailhead; new journey.

2020-08-07: Mark Meadows Brings Harder Spending Line to Coronavirus Talks - WSJ “He’s Dr. No,” said Sen. Chris Coons Nice to have someone in the room who’s default answer isn’t “spend $3T.”

2020-08-07: Coronavirus-Aid Talks Teeter Amid Lack of Progress - WSJ Talks between Democratic leaders and administration officials were on the brink of collapse Friday, setting the stage for President Trump to potentially bypass Congress and take action on his own Stop me if you’ve heard …

2020-08-07: U.S. Sanctions 11 Chinese Officials Over Hong Kong Policy—Including Carrie Lam - WSJ The measures accuse China of undermining Hong Kong’s political autonomy. The policy changes towards China have been strong, appropriate, and long overdue.

2020-08-06: Work Day Cleaning in and out, A solid morning’s work, walk. Got a bit of sun.

2020-08-06: Democrats Say Trump’s Powers Are Limited on Coronavirus Stimulus - WSJ The quartet met again Thursday evening. If only we had two deliberative bodies, vested with legal authority, who could come up with some sort of process to craft legislation instead of four dudes in an …

2020-08-06: Biden Campaign Cancels Trip Upstairs - The Babylon Bee Biden had planned to go upstairs, get a bite to eat from the refrigerator, and return to the basement, but due to coronavirus fears, will be remaining down there indefinitely.

2020-08-06: Drone fun with my sister-in-law.

2020-08-06: U.S.-South Korea Military Exercises Stay Digital, as North Korean Threat Grows - WSJ The move to digital drills means that most rank-and-file soldiers from the U.S. and South Korea haven’t physically conducted a combined exercise for a violent confrontation with the Kim Jong Un …

2020-08-06: U.S. Jobless Claims Fell to 1.2 Million in Latest Week - WSJ The decline came as an extra $600 a week in pandemic-related unemployment benefits ended. Only a casual relation, I’m sure.

2020-08-06: When Your Favorite Companies Go Woke - WSJ The March for Life shouldn’t be brought to you by New Balance. Unlike liberals, most conservatives don’t try to bully and boycott companies that cross us. If I stopped buying products from woke companies, I’d be eating nothing but Goya …

2020-08-06: Riotous BLM Protesters Suddenly Realize They’re All White People - The Babylon Bee The protestors insisted they had some black people with them earlier, but it appeared that they had all left when the protest started to get out of hand. “It’s possible they had jobs,” …

2020-08-05: Sacrament Indelible mark, Welcomed into family. Treasure to behold.

2020-08-05: Few things sweeter than chrism on a newly baptized child.

2020-08-05: Make her a temple of your glory.

2020-08-05: Roger Marshall Defeats Kris Kobach In Kansas GOP Primary - NPR 40% - 26%. Good!

2020-08-04: Regroup Admin work undone, Lots of time at my desk. Sigh. Still more left to do.

2020-08-04: Veteran Mailman Phil R.E. Quinton Volunteers To Collect All The Mail-In Votes - The Babylon Bee A longtime USPS mail carrier, Quinton will be in charge of collecting and tabulating the votes for all the states that opt for mail-in voting. Glad to see we’ve got a real pro …

2020-08-04: From Yellowstone to Yosemite, National Parks to Get Long-Awaited Overhaul - WSJ After years in which billions worth of undone maintenance like this backed up across the National Parks system, President Trump signed a bill into law Tuesday that guarantees investment larger than …

2020-08-03: Exhausted Three nights of no sleep, Cannot escape exhaustion. Glad to have some help.

2020-08-03: Biden Says He Can’t Wait To Find Out Who He Picked For VP - The Babylon Bee Campaign aides say it’s been Biden’s most anticipated event since he found out he was running for president a few weeks ago.

2020-08-03: ADT Says Google to Invest $450 Million to Create Home Security Offerings - WSJ The partnership will combine Nest hardware and services, powered by Google’s machine learning technology, with ADT’s installation, service and professional monitoring network. Two awful companies. …

2020-08-03: Good morning! Beautiful start to a new week.

2020-08-03: Four - Catholic Husband Certainly children are a gift from the LORD, the fruit of the womb, a reward. Psalm 127:5 ➕

2020-08-02: Kids Meet Early start discharge. Quick trip home. Kids go crazy! The way things should be.

2020-08-02: Catholics Kneel In Mass Protest, Then Stand, Then Sit, Then Kneel, Then Stand = The Babylon Bee “The messaging these days is very unclear. All I know is we are protesting something,” said one devout Roman Catholic. “Like, I’m not sure if the kneeling is the protest part or if …

2020-08-02: Multiple Peaceful Protests Break Out At Hockey Games - The Babylon Bee Members of Antifa were seen entering the arena about the same time as the peaceful protest broke out. But after they saw just how peacefully the hockey players were protesting they just called their moms for …

2020-08-02: Consumers, Flush With Stimulus Money, Shun Credit-Card Debt - WSJ Fewer people are late on their credit-card payments. Consumer demand for new borrowing—through credit cards, personal loans and even pawnshops—is down sharply. May this be a lesson to consumers on the unnecessary …

2020-08-01: Relaxing Just an easy day. Two trips to the Chick. Yum, yum! Home tomorrow, yes?

2020-08-01: Democrats Propose New Debate Format Where Biden Is Tied Up Backstage With His Mouth Duct-Taped Shut - The Babylon Bee Besides, we’re trying to win here. Tying up our candidate and stuffing a sock in his mouth has been shown to improve his poll numbers significantly.

2020-08-01: Dave Ramsey Proposes New Stimulus Package Where Every American Is Just Sent A Stack Of Empty Budgeting Envelopes - The Babylon Bee Why would we send you another $1200 when you’re just gonna buy something dumb like video games or golf clubs? And then, when that …

2020-08-01: Cape Air Chosen for Manistee Essential Air Service Despite Controversy – AirlineGeeks.com They will fly an average of three-round trips per-day From the Michigan city to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport onboard their new Tecnam P2012 Traveller aircraft. I get why people …

2020-07-31: Four A bit of drama, Resolved in a few hours. Now, we must all rest.

2020-07-31: When Their PPP Loans Didn’t Come Through, These Businesses Broke Up With Their Banks - WSJ Stan Doida, managing attorney at Doida Law Group LLC in Greenwood Village, Colo., moved hundreds of thousands of dollars of business and personal deposits from Wells Fargo & Co. to …

2020-07-31: Lawmakers Urge FTC Probe of Mobile Ad Industry’s Tracking of Consumers - WSJ the mobile advertising industry’s practice of covertly tracking consumers using digital display ads All the more reason to use aggressive ad blockers.

2020-07-31: Trump Suggests Replacing Unfair Elections With New System Where Eligible Male Heir Inherits The Presidency - The Babylon Bee Congress will not be needed, of course, since the ruler will graciously take upon himself the heavy burden of making all decisions for the country.

2020-07-31: Big day.

2020-07-30: Website Redesign Hours of straight work, Prototype is now working. Wow this thing is cool!

2020-07-30: Got that jury duty summons.

2020-07-30: Episode 164: Picnic Lunch On the eve of Veronica’s arrival, we all drove down to Alison’s office for lunch.

2020-07-30: Biden To Save Taxpayers Nearly 30% By Selecting Female VP - The Babylon Bee According to calculations, a female VP would only make about 78 cents for every dollar we’d usually pay a male vice president.

2020-07-30: Freedom In an era of big tech and deeply rooted social media, why have your own blog on the Internet? What good does it do if there is little traffic? Why pay when you can get it all for free? In a word, freedom. This blog is my space. I control its design, its location, and every single …

2020-07-30: Boeing Confirms 747 End, Production Rate Reduction for Most Programs – AirlineGeeks.com The last Boeing 747 in history will leave the factory in 2022, closing a production cycle of more than 50 years. Dismal earnings call.

2020-07-30: Trump Opens Private School To Teach Kids Himself Since Public Schools Refuse To Open - The Babylon Bee The energetic Trump even goes to recess with the kids, playing kickball, tag, and tetherball, though he got into a tense verbal disagreement with one boy who continued to do …

2020-07-30: Portland Police Disperse Wall Of Moms With Air Drop Of Target Gift Cards - The Babylon Bee others said the mom wall was already crumbling when hit by the Target card airdrop. “They were getting into a huge argument about breastfeeding and what type of car seat to buy”

2020-07-29: Baby Step Something unrealized, Making it to this step. Wow! On to the next one!

2020-07-29: Shady trees, fountains, and a nice courtyard breeze on a hot summer afternoon.

2020-07-29: Visa Profit Falls on Lower Payments Volume - WSJ Credit-card payments volume dropped 20%. Debit-card payments volume rose 3%. I guess people only felt comfortable spending money they actually had, not future money at 19% interest.

2020-07-29: Things are nice in the shade!

2020-07-29: Spent the morning with some new web design tools. I wonder what things were like before responsive design.

2020-07-29: Good morning!

2020-07-29: Trump Now Wearing 178 Masks To Show He Is Most Patriotic American Of All Time - The Babylon Bee “Look at your FAVORITE president covered in thousands and thousands of the most BEAUTIFUL masks! PATRIOTIC!”

2020-07-29: Local Church Tries Innovative Growth Strategy Of Being Open On Sundays - The Babylon Bee I know this is kinda out there, but hopefully, it will grow our numbers a little bit. Best of luck!

2020-07-29: New Universal Movies Will Come to iTunes and Other Online Platforms Just 17 Days After Theatrical Release - MacRumors the theatrical window for new movies will be shortened to 17 days from the current 75 days We need more of this. Not everyone wants to go to the theater.

2020-07-28: Day Off Kids cared for at home, Errands galore on the town. A strange, odd feeling.

2020-07-28: GOP Coronavirus Relief Proposal Leaves Student Loan Borrowers In The Dust - Forbes Stupid, click-bait title. The article makes no mention of the $1,200 stimulus check already mailed. If one assumes a second check, plus the cumulative value of six months of 0% interest, student …

2020-07-28: Margaret Sanger Gets Canceled - WSJ “Some employees may believe they are helping women, but whether they know it or not, they are doing the work of white supremacists, which is eliminating an alarming number of black people before they are born.”

2020-07-28: Lonely Girls: How the Pandemic Has Deepened the Isolation of Adolescents - WSJ Emerson’s family has been more stringent about socially isolating than many of her friends’ families. Seeing her friends plan get-togethers over group texts has only magnified the loneliness. You …

2020-07-28: Food for Thought for Online Grocery Bulls - WSJ An order that is handpicked by a worker in store and collected by the shopper makes a negative 5% operating margin Sorry, Walmart!

2020-07-28: New Zealand Suspends Extradition Treaty With Hong Kong Over New Security Law - WSJ New Zealand “can no longer trust that Hong Kong’s criminal justice system is sufficiently independent from China.” Good. New Zealand faces a diplomatic balancing act because trade has boomed …

2020-07-28: Google Misled Users Over Data Privacy, Says Australian Regulator - MacRumors the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) accused Google of not explicitly getting consent or properly informing consumers of a 2016 move to combine personal information in Google …

2020-07-28: Liberals fuel cancel culture because they don’t fear getting canceled - Washington Examiner The poll also found that those who were more liberal were not only less fearful of retribution but were also more supportive of making others suffer personal and professional …

2020-07-28: Report: 10% Fewer Catholic High School Students Will Leave Their Faith Due to School Closures - EOTT “This is not our fault. Without the students here under our supervision, it’s been very difficult to drive them away from Catholicism. Even with limited hours online with them, …

2020-07-27: Trip to Airport Went to get Grandma, Watched her plane land. Excitement! Dad had fun watching.

2020-07-27: Focus - Catholic Husband While some major events naturally tend to lend focus, giving yourself a momentary pause to catch your breath and evaluate your life might be all that you need to course correct and get moving in the right direction. ➕

2020-07-26: Family Clean Everybody helps. Home all clean for visitors. Ready for big week!

2020-07-26: Episode 163: Playing in the Yard It’s a hot Sunday afternoon, but we’re still outside enjoying the sun.

2020-07-26: Sports Fans To Continue 24-Year-Long Boycott Of WNBA - The Babylon Bee WNBA players vowed to participate in more protests in an attempt to become relevant. “Whatever social movement comes along, we’re there, as long as it gets us in the news for a fleeting …

2020-07-26: Nevada Church Avoids Coronavirus Restrictions By Installing Slot Machines - The Babylon Bee “We put up the slot machines and bam – no more restrictions”

2020-07-25: Summer Lawn Any better than, A summer lawn freshly cut? I say there is not.

2020-07-25: Report: Many Chicagoans Fleeing City For More Peaceful Places Like The Middle East - The Babylon Bee “Ah, finally, some peace and quiet,” said one man as a bomb exploded down the street near his family’s new home in Damascus.

2020-07-25: Fresh cut.

2020-07-25: Dozens Gather In MAGA Hats In Hopes Washington Post Will Defame Them So They Can Become Millionaires - The Babylon Bee After Nick Sandmann settled yet another nine-figure lawsuit today, dozens of people went out in MAGA hats, gathering outside The Washington Post’s offices …

2020-07-25: Orioles Sign Dr. Fauci To Improve Bullpen - The Babylon Bee Dr. Fauci said he was thrilled to become part of the Orioles’ organization. His official projection model is that Baltimore will win aproximately 10 million games this season with his help.

2020-07-25: ‘Trump Might Not Accept The Results Of The 2020 Election,’ Says Movement That Still Hasn’t Accepted Results Of 2016 Election - The Babylon Bee The party that still believes Al Gore actually won the 2000 election, Hillary won the 2016 election, and Stacey Abrams …

2020-07-24: Refinement There’s room to improve, Tinkering for hours. Done. A nice improvement.

2020-07-24: I always forget how exhausting it is to design a website from a blank canvas.

2020-07-24: Episode 162: One Week Time is quickly running out and the kids have ambitious plans for Veronica.

2020-07-24: Book Review: The Legacy Journey 📚 It’s been over six years since I’ve picked up this book, and I thought now was a good time. Dave spends most of his time on the air talking about getting out of debt and saving for retirement. This is a totally different book in which he articulates his vision for managing …

2020-07-24: A&E Has Lost Half Its Viewers Since Dropping ‘Live PD’ - WSJ In the key demographics of adults 18-49 and 25-54, the declines are 55% and 53%, respectively. The actual viewership loss exceeds 500k in prime time.

2020-07-24: A Phase-Four Flop - WSJ Nearly all of this spending is a form of income maintenance, replacing private incomes with government payments. The goal is to keep the public feeling good about the politicians who are writing the checks. But the good feeling will expire when the money …

2020-07-24: China Fortifies Hong Kong’s Role as Financial Powerhouse - WSJ senior Chinese officials discussed how to integrate Hong Kong with the rest of China, economically as well as politically, without diminishing its role as a global financial center. Their thinking was that the lure …

2020-07-24: New Stimulus Will Just Be Postcards With Positive Affirmations - The Babylon Bee Senate Democrats say this isn’t enough. They want three cards sent to each American over the next three weeks. Senate Republicans have pointed out that this would cost three times as much as their …

2020-07-24: Protesters Clarify They’re Only OK With Secret Police In Communist Countries - The Babylon Bee Several confused bystanders asked for clarification from the protesters sporting Marxist banners and defensive explosive devices when they began decrying the use of secret police …

2020-07-24: Riot Police Unsure If Their Tear Gas Worked Since Libs Were Already Crying - The Babylon Bee Riot police used tear gas on the Portland mayor and protesters last night, which is crazy because they were just trying to warm themselves by a harmless fire they started in a federal …

2020-07-24: Religious Orders Call On MLB To Force San Diego Padres To Change Name - EOTT The letter obtained by EOTT demands the league to stop all use of “Catholic names and depictions,” and specifically asks the Padres in general to “cease all papist caricatures.”

2020-07-23: Girl Flies Plane Sits on Daddy’s lap, Touches every last button. She had a great time.

2020-07-23: Finished reading: The Legacy Journey: A Radical View of Biblical Wealth and Generosity by Dave Ramsey 📚

2020-07-23: Amazon Met With Startups About Investing, Then Launched Competing Products - WSJ In 2017, Amazon was launching an update to its Echo speakers. It told Vivint that it would only allow the company to remain on the Echo if Vivint agreed to give it not only the data from its Vivint …

2020-07-23: Non-tracking It’s been more than a month since I stopped wearing my Apple Watch. The result? I’m not living a quantified life. I’m not tracking my steps, calories burned, hours stood, food intake, water intake, sleep, or even my weight. It’s a different mindset. The old Fitbit joke was if you …

2020-07-23: Southwest and American Trim More Flying - WSJ Southwest and American also said late Wednesday that all passengers over 2 years must wear masks on board Good luck with that!

2020-07-22: New Design Levels Caught web design bug. Spent an hour going deep, Pleased with the progress.

2020-07-22: Desecration of Catholic Churches Across U.S. Leaves Congregations Shaken - WSJ Catholic institutions from Boston to Florida reported more than half a dozen attacks on church property, including statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, between July 10 and 16. A natural progression …

2020-07-22: Chicago Mayor Hires Gangs To Spell Out ‘Trump Is Bad’ With Bullet Holes - The Babylon Bee All the gang members who shot the mural into existence are now dead from gang violence, but their message will live on as a powerful reminder that Chicago will not stoop to …

2020-07-22: Federal ‘Secret Police’ Disguise Selves As Rioters So Democrat Mayors Will Let Them Do Whatever They Want - The Babylon Bee Portlanders and other citizens of Democrat-controlled cities have been sounding the alarm on President Trump’s “secret …

2020-07-22: Exclusive Interview: Trump Opens Up To The Babylon Bee On The Challenges Of Being The Smartest, Most Popular President Ever - The Babylon Bee “People just bring me all their problems, and I just solve them right away. Boom! Taken care of. Plenty of time left over to watch TV. …

2020-07-22: Just got the updated UI in the YNAB web app. Excellent upgrade.

2020-07-21: Dads Plan Fall is almost here, Time to plan activities. Good guys and good night.

2020-07-21: City took almost 3 hours to send out alert on the fraudulent emails. Not great.

2020-07-21: Got a phishing email claiming to be from the city water department. Called them up and gave them a heads up that they may be compromised. Let’s see how long until they send out an alert.

2020-07-21: My 4 year old daughter just saw the Windows logo on my computer. “Look Daddy, Windows!” Brilliant design.

2020-07-21: The main thing I miss about my Apple Watch is unlocking my computer.

2020-07-21: Mom Discussing Homeschooling Wondering How To Make It Clear She Homeschooled Before The Pandemic - The Babylon Bee “The important thing is that I need to make it clear to each person I talk to that I took the education of my children seriously before a global pandemic forced me …

2020-07-21: Not Satisfied With Just Having Summers Off, Teachers Push For Fall, Winter, Spring - The Babylon Bee Studies have shown teachers are the laziest people on the planet, only working nine months and doing absolutely nothing for three months of the year. What’s more, when they …

2020-07-20: Retail Investor Years on the sidelines, Fun to jump in with both feet. To a bright future!

2020-07-20: Perfection.

2020-07-20: Apple gets an F for Parental Controls.

2020-07-20: Episode 161: Preparations Veronica will be here before we know it! I catch up with the kids to see how they’re getting ready.

2020-07-20: Big fat disappointment: The dietary guidelines are broken, and government failed again to fix them - Washington Examiner half of all 1-year-olds drink fruit juice (fruit without the healthy part, also known as sugar), and nearly two-thirds of children drink at least one sugary …

2020-07-20: Book Review: Richest Man in Babylon 📚 Many years ago, my Dad gave me a pamphlet summary of this book. Until recently, I thought that was the extent of the book. I listened to a podcast on my morning walk last week and realized there was more to the story. So I picked up a copy. It should be noted that since the book …

2020-07-20: A Few Extra Minutes - Catholic Husband Even in the rush of morning, make sure that you have the time you need to get yourself a nice shower, fresh shave, and a comfortable outfit that makes you feel great. Then you’ll be ready to take on the world (and your kids). ➕

2020-07-19: Drone Lift Boy’s friend wants a lift. Some string, and payload is off. He was quite giddy!

2020-07-19: 10 Safety Tips For Going Back To Church - The Babylon Bee When asked how you’re doing during this unprecedented time of turmoil, just say “fine.“ Extended small talk is dangerous for your body and your soul.

2020-07-19: Kanye Promises Free Chick-Fil-A For Every American If Elected - Babylon Bee “If you vote for me, you’re gonna have that delicious number one with the lemonade” I’m in.

2020-07-19: Police Reform Wasn’t the Only Big Change in Camden - WSJ While word has gotten out about Camden’s successful police reforms, its similarly successful school reforms have received considerably less attention in the mainstream media.

2020-07-19: Sunday breakfast.

2020-07-19: Academic Project Used Marketing Data to Monitor Russian Military Sites - WSJ The researchers’ experiment underscores how the global marketing industry’s practice of collecting and reselling reams of user data, often for marketing and advertising purposes, can be turned toward …

2020-07-19: Blaze at Iranian Port Adds to String of Damaging Incidents - WSJ The fire at Bushehr’s Delvar Shipyard follows a series of incidents that have damaged facilities connected to Iran’s nuclear and missile programs and other important infrastructure. Bushehr, which lies on the …

2020-07-19: As $600-a-Week Jobless Aid Nears End, Congress Faces a Quandary - WSJ A University of Chicago study found 68% of unemployed workers who are eligible for benefits receive more in jobless payments than their lost earnings The fatal flaw. Ms. Lee said the restaurant where she …

2020-07-18: Washing in Rain No rain in forecast. Halfway through, total downpour. Made it through and clean.

2020-07-18: Summer showers while washing the cars.

2020-07-17: Getting Full New one coming soon. “Getting crowded” one told me. I’m fine up front, tho.

2020-07-17: Chicago White Sox To Drop Offensive ‘White’ From Name - The Babylon Bee At this news, gang leaders across the Windy City laid down their weapons, and all crime and oppression disappeared overnight.

2020-07-17: NBA Now Requiring All Players To Wear Masks Depicting Chinese Flag - The Babylon Bee “This is about keeping our players safe and keeping the money flowing in from China.”

2020-07-17: Trump Administration Weighs Troop Cut in South Korea - WSJ This, and the cut in Germany, is silly. The cost sharing issue is negligible. This is a whole lot cheaper than the US having to pay full price to maintain a presence overseas. The opportunity to serve (& travel!) …

2020-07-17: My two year old just appeared in the living room holding the supplies to make lunch. I guess she’s hungry.

2020-07-17: It took a 3rd party logistics company 16 days to ship a small parcel 885 miles. And that’s why companies shouldn’t look to “save money” by using non-traditional shippers.

2020-07-16: Wife Works Late Gone all day and night. Saw her in morning, not again. Quiet evening.

2020-07-16: I enjoy a good avocado.

2020-07-16: Using Our Prophetic Powers For Good: The Babylon Bee Will Now Only Write Articles About Positive Things Happening To Humanity - The Babylon Bee Over the past few years, we have noticed a disturbing trend in our satire: it comes true. In the beginning, we thought it was just …

2020-07-16: ‘This Ain’t It, Chief’ Updated To ‘This Ain’t It, Noble Indigenous Tribal Leader’ - The Babylon Bee The popular internet comment response “This ain’t it, chief,” has been rightfully seen by many as problematic for years as it …

2020-07-16: Not sure why emoji have to be part of a massive social engineering & conditioning project. You can’t even hide the ones that you never use.

2020-07-16: For the first time in 3 years, my power is out. Heck of a run.

2020-07-16: Pixelmator finally types text on a path. Why, oh why, did it take this long?

2020-07-16: Widespread Twitter Hack Reaches Bill Gates, Kanye West, Elon Musk, Joe Biden and Barack Obama - WSJ Twitter, late Wednesday, said it believed the hackers perpetrated the attack by targeting employees who had access to the company’s internal systems and tools. Not even strong …

2020-07-16: Russian Hackers Blamed for Attacks on Coronavirus Vaccine-Related Targets - WSJ U. S. and U.K. government officials said a prominent state-backed Russian hacking group is responsible for ongoing cyberattacks against organizations involved in the development of coronavirus …

2020-07-15: Meeting Off Rails Went in with one plan. Now, I’m thinking differently. Eh, this could work, too.

2020-07-15: Business Owner Charged With Hate Crime For Painting Over BLM Graffiti On His Storefront - The Babylon Bee Drake said he was just “cleaning up vandalism,” which is a well-known racist dog whistle.

2020-07-15: Hack Suspected As Biden Posts Complete, Coherent Thought On Twitter - The Babylon Bee As soon as Twitter support saw that Biden had posted several complete sentences in a tweet, they immediately locked his account down, suspecting a hack.

2020-07-14: Stair Certified Soon, two-and-a-half. Stairs: no problem. New era. Gates came down. Relief!

2020-07-14: My son put this hair on his LEGO Spider-Man as a disguise. His tradecraft is on point! 🕸

2020-07-14: Trump Demotes Doctor Fauci To Dentist - The Babylon Bee “This isn’t a reflection on Dr. Fauci’s performance, I just think he stinks, and I hate him. So now he’s not a real doctor anymore. He’s just a dentist.”

2020-07-14: Pope Michael Not Sure What To Do With $1.6 Billion Dollar Check From Government - Eye of the Tiber Michael said that since he was not-for-profit, he would take his queue from how other not-for-profits in the world handle their money, saying that he would do his utmost best to …

2020-07-14: It’s Coffee-o’clock. ☕️

2020-07-14: Why Mike Pompeo’s South China Sea statement is so significant - Washington Examiner China has “no lawful territorial or maritime claim to (or derived from) James Shoal, an entirely submerged feature only 50 nautical miles from Malaysia and some 1,000 nautical miles …

2020-07-14: U.K. Makes U-Turn on Huawei After U.S. Pressure - WSJ comes amid a broader deterioration of relations between the U.K. and China, most recently relating to China’s imposition of a new security law over the former British colony of Hong Kong. Good!

2020-07-14: One year ago yesterday, I finished the first draft of Humble Service. Immediately after finishing, I went for a walk and took a picture of the clear blue sky. That picture just showed up in my Day One feed and I can still feel those emotions of that special day.

2020-07-14: Genius Trump Wears Mask Causing Media To Question Effectiveness Of Masks - The Babylon Bee “Yes, masks seem to be effective at first blush, but do they really work?” said a CNN anchor.

2020-07-14: Famed Archaeology Professor Fired After Photos Surface Of Him Wearing Nazi Uniform - The Babylon Bee “The amount of time he apparently spends with Nazis is alarming. It seems like every time we turn around, he’s wearing a Nazi uniform, riding Nazi motorcycles, or entering Nazi …

2020-07-13: Team Big kids work upstairs. Littlest with me. Not great: Just read my journals.

2020-07-13: Here’s What’s Problematic With Each Of The NFL’s 32 Team Names - The Babylon Bee Jacksonville Jaguars - Jaguars are driven by evil rich billionaires as they run over poor people.

2020-07-13: Democracy Dies in Darkness, but Don’t Blame Trump - WSJ It’s not Mr. Trump who’s silenced them. Can you name a single person in the media who has suffered materially for saying hostile things about the president in the past four years? In fact, there’s no surer way to advance …

2020-07-13: Currently reading: The Legacy Journey: A Radical View of Biblical Wealth and Generosity by Dave Ramsey 📚

2020-07-13: China to Impose Retaliatory Sanctions on GOP Senators Over Xinjiang Penalties - WSJ The targeted Republicans include U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey and former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback Oh no! Now they can’t travel to China or conduct …

2020-07-13: Washington’s NFL Team Officially Drops the Redskins Name - WSJ The NFL’s pivot launched a newly animated effort from the league to combat social injustices. What’s the NFL?

2020-07-13: Our Responsibility - Catholic Husband Get the job done, together, and don’t begrudge your spouse when they need some time off. ➕

2020-07-12: Puzzle Two nights of building, We got the border done. Plus, We are still married!

2020-07-12: Finished reading: The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason 📚

2020-07-11: Slept In Didn’t seem like long. Woke up five hours late. Huh. Thanks for watching kids!

2020-07-11: ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ Is Having a Moment as Pandemic Changes Shopping Habits - WSJ Nick Molnar used a life lesson from the last financial crisis to build a payments company that has become one of the stock-market success stories of the current downturn. “I had just turned 18 and I …

2020-07-10: Too Far Behind Inbox piling up. Where to even begin? Hard. Push off, tomorrow.

2020-07-10: Facebook To Require Masks In All Profile Pictures - The Babylon Bee If you don’t have a mask, Facebook offers digital mask filters to give the appearance that you’re wearing one. Those who refuse the mask will be asked to delete their accounts.

2020-07-10: Father’s Only Spare Moment To Play Video Games Spent Downloading Updates - The Babylon Bee “Sometimes you just need to get by yourself, fire up the Xbox, and download 80 gigs of patches”

2020-07-10: Unable To Take Down Nuns With The Courts, Obama Turns To Vigilante Justice - The Babylon Bee “If the law is inadequate to force nuns to pay for abortifacients, then I must take things outside the law,” said Obama as he donned a homemade costume.

2020-07-09: Shoe Thief Took off shoes, relax. Daughter put them on, happy. Now I can’t find them.

2020-07-09: Not sure why Philips Hue light bulbs take an hour per bulb to download an update. 💡

2020-07-09: Former Fox News Anchor Shepard Smith Joins CNBC to Host Evening Newscast - WSJ CNBC Chairman Mark Hoffman said Mr. Smith’s show will try to be a counter to news and commentary programming. This is quite a development.

2020-07-09: Australia Suspends Extradition Treaty With Hong Kong Over China’s National-Security Law - WSJ suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and giving the city’s residents a pathway to staying permanently in response to China’s decision to impose new national-security …

2020-07-08: Thermostat Offline Power blinked, offline. Noticed when it got real hot. Left house, back when done.

2020-07-08: Supreme Court rules for Little Sisters of the Poor in long-running dispute over birth control mandate - Washington Examiner “Our life’s work and great joy is serving the elderly poor and we are so grateful that the contraceptive mandate will no longer steal our attention …

2020-07-08: Rocky Balboa Statue Goes 15 Rounds Against Rioters - The Babylon Bee The weak, sissy rioters charged the statue and started punching it, hurting their little man-baby hands and running away to cry to their parents, whom they probably still live with. A second wave came in, but …

2020-07-08: Governors Reinstate Lockdowns To Combat Recovering Economy - The Babylon Bee The governors noticed that people were happier with their lives, glad they could go back to work and reopen their businesses, and having fun outside. Unable to tolerate this kind of freedom and general …

2020-07-08: Supreme Court OKs Religious and Moral Exemptions for Birth-Control Coverage - WSJ The judgment came on a 7-2 vote Glad to see broad consensus. The government, whenever able, should provide reasonable relief to conscientious objectors. This is an excellent principle to uphold.

2020-07-08: My daughter can’t say every word clearly, but she’s mastered “chocolate.” 🍫

2020-07-07: Four Inches Not in the forecast. Two days, heavy rain. Good vibe. Four inches total.

2020-07-07: Chicago Mayor Says Fourth Of July Weekend Was ‘Mostly Peaceful’ - The Babylon Bee “Yes, there were a few run-of-the-mill murders and shootings, but hey. We just call that a Saturday here.”

2020-07-07: ‘I Definitely Wouldn’t Have Supported The Holocaust If I Lived In Nazi Germany,’ Says Woman Who Supports Abortion Today - The Babylon Bee thinking herself enlightened by the glorious morality of the current year and not susceptible to being deceived as brutish, …

2020-07-07: Ad Campaign Says Don’t Let Covid-19 Fear Delay Doctor Visits - WSJ asks patients to “stop medical distancing.” Catchy! “Stay six feet away from others, stay close with your doctor” Also good.

2020-07-07: U.S. Customs Officials Target Suspected Forced Labor From China’s Xinjiang Region - WSJ The Chinese Embassy in Washington described the allegations of mistreatment of its Uighur population and of forced labor in Xinjiang as a smear campaign and accused the U.S. of meddling in …

2020-07-07: Get Excited, Gamers! Activision Shot Down A French Plane Over Icelandic Waters To Start A New War To Set ‘Call Of Duty’ Games In After weeks of brainstorming, it was agreed that the only thing that could invigorate the series was a fresh, compelling war in a unique environment …

2020-07-06: Rainy Monday Wasn’t in my plan. Glad we got time this weekend. Kids inside for day.

2020-07-06: I’m always amazed at the difference that software updates can make.

2020-07-06: Not sure why entire days of heavy, soaking rain is so hard to forecast. ⛈

2020-07-06: States Take Aim at People With No Retirement Plan - WSJ Colorado will offer an auto-IRA. Under this type of plan, employers automatically enroll employees and set up payroll deductions. Employers must offer a plan—either a state-administered IRA or something else they set up on …

2020-07-06: Defend America’s History—and Retake Its Institutions - WSJ That was quick. At the end of the 20th century, the U.S. had won World War II and the Cold War, liberated half the planet from history’s most dehumanizing ideologies, advanced a free-market capitalism that had led more …

2020-07-06: P.F. Chang’s, Girl Scouts, Boies Law Firm Among Recipients of PPP Loans - WSJ Among the recipients the Trump administration disclosed Monday: Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, the law firm headed by antitrust litigator David Boies; Newsmax Media Inc., the media company run by Trump …

2020-07-06: Facebook, WhatsApp Suspending Review of Hong Kong Requests for User Data - WSJ The move puts the U.S. technology titan on a potential collision course with Beijing Good move by a bad company.

2020-07-06: We’re four months into this economic disruption, which means it’s no longer a valid excuse for service-based businesses to break commitments.

2020-07-06: Daily Preventative Medicine - Catholic Husband Perfection is not possible; virtue is. The path to virtue is through prayer. ➕

2020-07-05: Afternoon Outside Play Parents pray on porch, Kids play in the lawn and sun. A great weekend done.

2020-07-05: Satisfying.

2020-07-05: Currently reading: The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason 📚

2020-07-05: One week in and I’m really enjoying my new planner.

2020-07-05: Book Review: Invest Like A Pro 📚 I’ve used YNAB (You Need A Budget) for years and really like the software, the company, and the founder. We’re thinking about retirement, and so I decided to brush up on some investing strategies. I listen to Jesse’s podcast every Monday, so I decided to give this book a read. It …

2020-07-05: State Governor Mandates Everyone Wear Snorkels In Case They Fall In A Pool - The Babylon Bee “All citizens of my state will be required to wear a snorkel at all times, both indoors and out. This will prevent thousands of tragic deaths resulting from people falling in their …

2020-07-05: With Fireworks Canceled, Americans Celebrate By Firing Their Many, Many Guns In The Air - The Babylon Bee true patriots took to the streets in a show of force and fired approximately 328 billion rounds of ammunition into the clouds to stand up for real American values.

2020-07-04: Flying with Kids All caught up on stuff. Played Flight Sim with the kids. Win! They did a good job.

2020-07-04: To all of those who went overseas to give aid, never to return, so that I can enjoy this beautiful day: I salute you. 🇺🇸

2020-07-04: A North Korean Defector’s Tale Shows Rotting Military - WSJ Once he safely reached the South Korean side, soldiers barked at him: “Are you a defector?” But Mr. Roh was puzzled. He had never heard the word before. Fascinating read.

2020-07-04: Episode 160: Fourth It’s the 4th of July! I talk to the kids a few minutes before lunch about what they’re up to.

2020-07-04: Finished reading: Invest Like A Pro by Jesse Mecham 📚

2020-07-04: Buzz, buzz. 🐝

2020-07-04: Book Review: Full Black 📚 My sprint run of Brad Thor books is over. I initially wanted a series that I could sink my teeth into, and the first book that I read was one of the more recent publications. As I’ve said in previous reviews, the books are fine, but the focus on Islamic terrorism is boring. Brad …

2020-07-04: Americans Excited To Celebrate Their Liberty While Confined To Their Homes By The Government - The Babylon Bee “I sure am glad I live in a free country,” said one man in California as he checked his phone to see what the current unilateral mandates by his governor …

2020-07-04: Scholars Now Believe David Wrote Most Of The Psalms During His Emo Phase - The Babylon Bee a dark period in his life when he died his hair black, pierced his lip, and listened to lots of Dashboard Confessional.

2020-07-04: New App Reminds You To Look Up From Your Phone To Check If Your Kids Are Still Alive - The Babylon Bee There is just so much compelling content on the internet these days, kids can’t compete anymore. They’re totally boring by comparison.

2020-07-03: Sprinkler A hot summer day, Shade falls, sprinkler time! Kids play, Dad flies drone. All good!

2020-07-03: Leaving Apple Watch Two weeks ago, I took off my Apple Watch. Four years of constant wear generated massive volumes of data. But did it help? In one sense, yes. If I consider the previous four years a period of training, I gleaned insights into my behaviors and was able to test several theories. I …

2020-07-03: Hong Kong Security Law Stuns International Business: ‘It Turns Out It Is Really Bad’ - WSJ Businesses, from luxury brands to airlines, have decided to bend to China’s demands on issues such as freedom of speech rather than lose access to the market. And thus further enable the …

2020-07-03: EU Advertisers Criticize New App Tracking Privacy Controls in iOS 14 - MacRumors the group of European marketing firms said the pop-up warning and the limited ability to customize it still carries “a high risk of user refusal.” Poor advertisers!

2020-07-02: Hit the Books Time to be adult. Pull out books, check references, Going up from here.

2020-07-02: The Coronavirus Credibility Gap - WSJ If political leaders and health experts want to restore their credibility and the public’s confidence, they need to begin by acknowledging that politics rather than science has influenced important public-health decisions and by making …

2020-07-02: Currently reading: Invest Like A Pro by Jesse Mecham 📚

2020-07-01: Time to Nap Summer afternoon, Drowsy, must close my eyes now. Glad it’s her half day.

2020-07-01: Finished reading: Full Black by Brad Thor 📚

2020-07-01: FedEx Delivers Through the Crisis - WSJ as they spent the spring searching far and wide online for everything from toilet paper to Nintendo Switches, many people may have become habituated to ordering items from e-commerce sites other than Amazon’s. Winning!

2020-07-01: Hong Kong Police Make First Security-Law Arrest as Thousands Protest - WSJ Police made their first arrest under China’s new national-security law for Hong Kong, apprehending a man for waving an independence flag Good thing they stopped him! This dude almost brought down the …

2020-07-01: James Harden Still Getting Fouled Despite 6-Foot Social Distancing Rule - The Babylon Bee They tested just having him play on the court by himself, but he still got fouled over 17 times in the first 14 seconds of play. Poor James!

2020-06-30: Into Everything Daughter is now two. Closets, cabinets, shelves: in it! This, too, shall soon pass.

2020-06-30: Apple’s Virtual Event Gives Hope for Online-Only Conferences in Covid-19 Era - WSJ some participants were turned off by the slick production Me.

2020-06-30: We need an OS level ban on vertical videos. Bug, not a feature!

2020-06-30: Apple Canceling Some Apple Arcade Game Contracts to Focus on Hit Games That Will Draw Subscribers - MacRumors Apple is now looking for games that will “keep users hooked.” Noble corporation.

2020-06-30: Treat yo self! ☕️

2020-06-30: PPP Loan Window Is Closing, With $134 Billion Still on Offer - WSJ later the application window for Paycheck Protection Program loans closes Tuesday with about $134 billion in funds available as of Monday evening. Wow, what a great deal for the taxpayers! In exchange for $310B …

2020-06-30: One Man’s Supreme Court - WSJ In other words, the case he relies on as a precedent that he says can’t be broken was wrongly decided. The abandonment of logic in dealing with something as serious as law is disconcerting. In this case, the abortion providers aren’t hurt because …

2020-06-30: Children’s current mood: 🦀🦀🦀

2020-06-29: Field Notes Planner First day, new planner. Lightweight, easy to keep track. Let’s see if it sticks.

2020-06-29: Apple Launches ‘Path to Apple Card’ Program to Help Declined Applicants Get Approved - MacRumors Apple has also launched a website that has specific details on how the Goldman Sachs approval process works and how people can boost their chances of approval before …

2020-06-29: ‘We Can’t Just Overturn Precedent,’ Says Supreme Court Justice Of Nation Where Slavery Was Once Legal - The Babylon Bee Roberts suggested, though, that the country could come up with a method to overturn unjust precedents if we all put our heads together and think really …

2020-06-29: Supreme Court Rules States Cannot Place Undue Burden On Abortion Providers’ Right To Make Tons Of Money Off Killing Babies - The Babylon Bee Roberts told disappointed conservatives he was obligated to follow legal precedent since the Court never makes bad decisions like …

2020-06-29: The great irony of the Roberts Court is that the harder it tries to preserve its credibility, the more damage it does to it.

2020-06-29: Doctors Recommend Locking Down And Reopening Repeatedly Until Everyone Has Nervous Breakdown - The Babylon Bee Doctors defended the “lockdown-reopen infinite loop” strategy, citing the fact that not everyone listens to absolutely every word they say without question. …

2020-06-29: It is always a mistake for insurance companies to pick a fight with me. I read my policy documents and I have never lost.

2020-06-29: Families Go Deep in Debt to Stay in the Middle Class - WSJ In one sense, the growing consumer debt is a vote of confidence in the future. People borrowing money today expect to have the income tomorrow to pay it back. Consumer debt tends to rise when borrowers feel secure in …

2020-06-29: Opening the Domestic Church - Catholic Husband The doors to our parishes may be closed and locked, but a new Church has been opened in every home. Never before has there been such a profound opportunity to live out this idea. Our circumstances encourage us to pursue an active …

2020-06-28: Work and Rest Morning: got caught up. Afternoon: rest, quiet, play. Ideal Sunday.

2020-06-28: Episode 159: Master Builder During Sunday afternoon quiet time, I visit Benedict in his lab to discuss his latest LEGO invention.

2020-06-28: Masks Could Help Stop Coronavirus. So Why Are They Still Controversial? - WSJ When Covid-19 spread to the West in February, key health-care institutions, such as the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Surgeon General argued …

2020-06-28: Travel Bans Take Shine Off Banks’ Premium Rewards Cards - WSJ Ultra-premium rewards credit cards aren’t as rewarding these days. I love reading articles about rewards credit cards. From the outside looking in, the manipulation of the consumer is blatantly obvious. Even more …

2020-06-28: Now available, ChetCast: Season 1 (2018).

2020-06-28: The week that I stopped wearing my Apple Watch, my screen time decreased by 20%. Not a coincidence. ⌚️

2020-06-28: Kanye West to Design Yeezy Clothing Line for Gap - WSJ As recently as 2018, he had hoped to become artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear. So much gold in this article.

2020-06-27: Office Decor Her office was moved. So, we spent the day in it. Nice and cozy now!

2020-06-27: Curating an Archive I’ve been posting regularly on this blog for nearly three years. In that time, I’ve tweaked the layout and design. I ended up with a space that’s uniquely my own and one that reflects my personal tastes. Scattered among links to my favorite articles and random inter-day updates …

2020-06-27: Lots of misrouted packages crisscrossing the country. 📦

2020-06-27: My least favorite form of being sick is having a sore throat.

2020-06-26: Four Weeks Four weeks left to go, Time spent cleaning and purging, Feeling more ready!

2020-06-26: It might be time to block YouTube on my iPhone & iPad.

2020-06-26: Got my baby carrier kit all put together. Cleaned out my kitchen office cabinet. Looking forward to putting it all together tomorrow. ⌨️

2020-06-26: Dixie Chicks Change Name To ‘Three Persons Of Non-Specific Gender And Regional Background’ - The Babylon Bee I still won’t listen. Never forget!! 🇺🇸

2020-06-26: Just placed an order with IKEA. I hope they actually fulfill it! 🪑

2020-06-26: Four weeks until baby. Supplies will finish arriving today. Time to get organized! 🧸

2020-06-25: Gas Station Tacos Not my normal jam; Street Tacos from gas station. So good and real cheap!

2020-06-25: The Abolition of Man and Woman - WSJ There is no totalitarianism so total as that which claims authority over the meaning of nature.

2020-06-25: Rain and Olafur Arnolds. 🌧

2020-06-25: There are an equal number of hits and misses in the new app icons in macOS 11. Hopefully those change before the public release. I much prefer the current suite of iPad icons.

2020-06-25: Air France Will Bid Farewell to Its A380s on Friday The aircraft will take to the skies for the last time with the Air France livery on Friday, eleven years after it entered service at the company. The A380 has been an unmitigated disaster, from design to demise.

2020-06-25: Mastercard Changes Name To Equalitycard - The Babylon Bee Honestly, in 2020, there is no place in America for terms like “master.” That is not an image we want to evoke when consumers engage in financial transactions that might place them massively in debt to us, through late …

2020-06-25: Apple Revives and Refreshes Game Center in iOS 14 and macOS Big Sur - MacRumors Apple is encouraging developers to set up leaderboards, add achievements, and opt in to the Game Center challenges feature for their apps. Please don’t. Waste of space.

2020-06-24: Afternoon Errands A few last to-dos, Soon I won’t be able to. Got them done in time.

2020-06-24: It’s always good when you take your car into the shop and they can easily replicate your problem.

2020-06-24: Trump Says Those Empty Seats At His Rally Were Actually Reserved For Jesus - The Babylon Bee “We had to make sure the Jesus guy was there blessing the campaign with his tremendous blessings. Great blessings, some of the best.”

2020-06-24: First Look: See iOS 14 in Action With Home Screen Widgets, App Library, Subtle Call Alerts and More - MacRumors The Weather app includes some features from Dark Sky Hopefully one of those features is accurate weather reports.

2020-06-23: First Meeting First time together, Hard to have a social club. See you whenever?

2020-06-23: Trump Announces Attendance At Next Rally Will Be Mandatory - The Babylon Bee “My rallies aren’t optional. That’s in the Constitution.”

2020-06-23: Trump Defies Liberals By Chugging Entire Bottle Of Aunt Jemima Syrup - The Babylon Bee “Nobody cancels Aunt Jemima on my watch”

2020-06-23: macOS Big Sur Adds Battery Usage History and Brings Back Remaining Battery Estimates - MacRumors Unfortunately the battery indicator graphic is disgusting.

2020-06-22: Package Onslaught So much to keep track, Logistical slowdown clear. Hope they all make it!

2020-06-22: Worst keynote ever.

2020-06-22: Navy SEALs To Be Replaced With Social Workers - The Babylon Bee No social workers have returned from their deployments yet, but when they do, they will file a report and schedule a follow-up visit a month or so later.

2020-06-22: ‘I Think We’ve Found All The Institutions Founded By Racists And We Can Just Stop Looking For Them Now,’ Says Planned Parenthood Spokesperson Nervously - The Babylon Bee

2020-06-22: Beyond Routine - Catholic Husband Routine is more than just a cycle. Routine is your goals, broken down into daily steps, and assigned a specific time to work on them. Woven together, these days bring meaningful progress over time. ➕

2020-06-21: Father’s Day Knife Today is my day. What present is right? A knife! Thanks to my kiddos.

2020-06-21: Waiting to set up my new alarm clock because it’s downloading a firmware update. This is 2020. ⏰

2020-06-21: I don’t take advice from people less successful than me, huh. Kanye West

2020-06-21: The International 🍿

2020-06-21: I love my son’s imagination.

2020-06-21: The Credit-Card Fees Merchants Hate, Banks Love and Consumers Pay - WSJ Customers typically pay the same price whether they use cash or a card. Economists say this equates to a transfer from users of cash to users of cards. How much? On average a cash-using household pays $149 a …

2020-06-21: We all get to enjoy Father’s Day! 🍩

2020-06-20: Closet Redux Three years of clutter, Time to reorganize it. Looks good, will hang out!

2020-06-20: I’m cleaning out my closet today. I came across this shirt that my grandmother and I made for my Elmo at a Vacation Bible School that she put on for us.

2020-06-20: Companies Turn to Zero-Based Budgeting to Cut Costs During the Pandemic - WSJ One tactic they are turning to is zero-based budgeting, a technique growing in popularity. Who knew? It’s only been popular with consumers for the past three decades.

2020-06-20: Two Canadians Detained in China Indicted on Espionage Charges - WSJ Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday the Canadian government was disappointed with the decision to indict Messrs. Kovrig and Spavor and that Chinese authorities had linked their cases to legal …

2020-06-20: Welcome back, Summer! 🌞

2020-06-20: What happens in your house is a whole lot more important than what happens in the White House. Dave Ramsey

2020-06-19: Going Analog Four years Apple Watch, Going manual for now. Keep checking my wrist.

2020-06-19: I hate when retailers break up a single transaction into charges based on shipments. I get why they do it, it’s just annoying.

2020-06-19: Planned Parenthood Clarifies Black Lives Only Matter Once They’ve Been Born - The Babylon Bee Abortion provider Planned Parenthood has been confusing its supporters, claiming that black lives matter but still killing a disproportionate number of black people a day.

2020-06-18: Stocking Up Baby coming soon, Time to order supplies. Oops, Bank froze debit card.

2020-06-18: Washington Post Calls On Patriots To Change Offensive Name - The Babylon Bee This name is very offensive to austere religious scholars in other countries, liberals, and Canadians. We must call on the NFL to do better, to be better.

2020-06-17: Activists Fight Racism By Driving All People Of Color Out Of Pop Culture - The Babylon Bee “Anywhere we see a person of color, we see racism. So we must end racism by making sure people of color are not depicted anywhere”

2020-06-17: Errand Afternoon Had to make returns, Went in late afternoon. Got Dinner while out, too.

2020-06-17: New Facebook and Instagram Options Let US Users Turn Off Political Ads - MacRumors The new ability to disable political ads will apply to political, electoral, and social issue ads from candidates, Super PACs and other organizations that include the “Paid for by” …

2020-06-16: Drug Not Covered “New drug not covered!” Sent in appeal. “Okay, sure.” What a strange business.

2020-06-16: I will never understand the business model of heath insurers, pharmacy benefit administrators, and pharmaceuticals. That being said, I’ve found all three work together to the substantial benefit of the consumer.

2020-06-16: You Are I Am by Joe Zambon, this morning’s sound.

2020-06-15: New Windshield $500, Cost of a single rock strike. No deductible!

2020-06-15: I might be in for a shower with my walk.

2020-06-15: Political Groups Track Protesters’ Cellphone Data - WSJ Some argue that collecting protesters’ location data is akin to surveillance. Duh. But given the lack of rules around informed consent—protesters may not even know their data is being used—he said there is little to …

2020-06-15: I heard a report that the credit bureaus are going to offer free weekly credit reports to consumers through the end of the year. Kind of highlights how dumb this system is. They collect your information, without your consent, sell it to lenders, and then turn around and charge …

2020-06-15: I love the productivity flow of cleaning day. 🧽

2020-06-15: Safety and Stability - Catholic Husband We live comfortably, but that’s rarely the experience of Catholics. ➕

2020-06-14: Walking at Sunset Sun is nearly set, Shadows across most of path. Good time to go walk.

2020-06-14: I rejoiced when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.” Psalm 122:1

2020-06-13: Advanced Droning First time not at home, Glad to have no trees. But still, Much to learn, practice.

2020-06-13: Drone fun at the blueberry farm.

2020-06-13: Episode 158: Blueberry Farm We went on an adventure to a local farm to do some blueberry picking this morning.

2020-06-13: Saturday blueberry picking.

2020-06-13: Trump Establishes Manlier CHAD Camp Next To CHAZ Camp - The Babylon Bee An army of square-jawed bros has already blocked off three blocks and begun building an impenetrable border wall to keep out the socialists. Free outdoor gyms, keto food trucks, and selfie stations have been …

2020-06-13: Trump Enacts Tariffs, Travel Ban On CHAZ - The Babylon Bee To enforce the travel ban, the president has ordered a wall built to protect the people of America from immigration from CHAZ. The wall will be “tremendous” and will have a moat and “maybe some …

2020-06-12: Awoken Not normal event, Woke up early with migraine. Bad start to the day.

2020-06-12: My favorite kind of sky.

2020-06-12: The full catalog of ChetCast Season 2 (2019) is now available in the new organizational format. Enjoy! 🎙

2020-06-12: Now we’re talking! 🍋

2020-06-12: China Relies on Persistence in Social-Media Propaganda Push - WSJ China’s government has ramped up efforts to spread its views on some of the world’s most popular social-messaging platforms, most of which are blocked in China. Sweet, sweet irony.

2020-06-12: I’m tired of guessing my kids’ shoe sizes, and frustrated that there isn’t a local shoe store that can measure them for me. So I bought my own measuring tool.

2020-06-12: Stop Riding the Rates Roller Coaster with Banks - WSJ prolonged low-rate environments are especially punishing for banks And savers.

2020-06-12: Twitter Takes Down Chinese Government-Linked Accounts It Says Pushed Propaganda - WSJ it removed from its platform about 174,000 accounts it labeled as fake and operated by the Chinese government to push its narratives about the coronavirus, Hong Kong protests and other topics. …

2020-06-11: Watching Movies When kids watch movie, I now join them on the couch. A much better plan.

2020-06-11: No More Reading Goals The Apple Watch is supposed to be the ultimate fitness tracker, but in many ways, I find it lacking. The most frustrating aspect of its self-setting goal scheme is how it assumes I always need to improve. The algorithm only knows how to increase a goal. So if I have the best …

2020-06-11: I ordered a product direct from the manufacturer. It was the same price as Amazon, arrived one day later, and was a much better experience. There is life after Amazon.

2020-06-11: Vanguard’s New Robo Service Offers Low-Cost Financial and Retirement Advice - WSJ Vanguard plans to add a calculator this month that recommends paying the minimum monthly amount on debt with lower interest rates to free up money to more aggressively pay down higher-interest-rate …

2020-06-11: I hope that the planned Apple Watch sleep tracking feature isn’t limited to just the Series 6 and beyond.

2020-06-11: I enjoy the colors at sunrise.

2020-06-10: Late Cleaning Day Normally Monday, But it can slide a few days. Good to be all done.

2020-06-10: I love dark mode.

2020-06-10: A nice view on my walk.

2020-06-10: New Lego Sets Replace All Police With Rioters - The Babylon Bee The world is hurting right now, and everyone knows that the only thing that can heal the wound is big corporations announcing their positions on things.

2020-06-10: Dems Reach Out To Blacks With Solemn Performance Of The Cha-Cha Slide - The Babylon Bee The world is hurting right now, and everyone knows the only way to heal the wound is for politicians to pander awkwardly to various demographics.

2020-06-10: Episode 157: Friends On The Cast The children are joined by a few of their friends, at least one of which is in a real bind!

2020-06-10: Equifax Breach Affected 147 Million, but Most Sit Out Settlement - The New York Times Those seeking the cash option will receive far less than the $125 cap. More than 4.5 million people had filed claims for the cash payment as of Dec. 1. Only $31 million of the settlement was …

2020-06-09: Full Retreat Lack of fun places, Not much to do. Find something, Anything else. Please!

2020-06-09: The 787 really is a beautiful aircraft.

2020-06-09: In Braveheart Re-Release William Wallace Just Tells The Scottish To Stay Home, Stay Safe - The Babylon Bee Yeah, the English will kick us around from time to time, but the important thing is your health.

2020-06-09: The Internet is a very sad place.

2020-06-08: Streak Broken Can’t keep eyes open, Walking streak ended. Restart Tomorrow, good plan!

2020-06-08: First Communion - Catholic Husband Frequent reception of Communion can have a dulling effect on the senses. That routine can easily bring me to the point where I put more faith in Tylenol than the Eucharist. When I take Tylenol, I expect something to happen. Do I have the same …

2020-06-07: Garage Door Broken Kids up and all dressed, Shoes on, out the door on time. Door broke: false alarm.

2020-06-07: Doomscrolling: Why We Just Can’t Look Away - WSJ Negative news isn’t just getting a human boost; it’s also enabled by the underlying tech. The interfaces of social-media apps are designed specifically to get us hooked. One key metric for these companies is “time spent on …

2020-06-06: All Little Things Today was busy, No major project; small things. Oh, and drone flying!

2020-06-06: Taiwan Voters Throw China-Friendly Mayor Out of Office - WSJ Saturday’s result made Mr. Han the first municipal leader and the highest-ranking elected official to be recalled in Taiwan’s history—a dramatic reversal in fortunes: Less than two years ago he clinched the mayorship, …

2020-06-06: Politicians Shutter Churches and Synagogues, Then Tolerate Riots - WSJ Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who not long ago said keeping houses of worship shut was essential to save lives, marched on Tuesday with protesters, his mask and his lockdown suddenly forgotten.

2020-06-06: The courage of Allied forces to storm the beaches at Normandy in the face of unbelievable danger is a credit to them, their families, and their country.

2020-06-06: The New Evangelization Stumbles Getting to Mass on a weekday is hard for me. The difficulty is no handling my three kids by myself for half an hour. It’s getting everyone up, dressed, fed, and in the pew by 8:30am. Lately our parish offers weekday liturgies at 5:00pm, another challenge for parents of little …

2020-06-06: Someone put a giant trash bag in my trash can yesterday after the pickup was made. No way it was an accident. Who does that?!

2020-06-06: No pop-ups, perfect rendering, consistent font sizing, no internet connection required, enough room for only the most important stories of the day. 🗞

2020-06-06: I love the look of freshly cut grass.

2020-06-06: Weekend breakfast is a special time. 🍓🍩

2020-06-05: Oh What A Night Burst of energy! Walk, mow, wash cars. Done at dark. Man, what an evening!

2020-06-05: On the Apple Watch, Apple paired the brilliant idea of nightstand mode with the absolute worst alarm tone ever conceived. ⌚️

2020-06-05: The rising tide of corporate bankruptcies is really casting into doubt the wisdom of using debt to finance operations and capital improvements. Rising debt loads and the expense of debt service is frequently cited as a primary cause of insolvency.

2020-06-05: Grocery stores really need to figure out how to integrate ice cream into online orders.

2020-06-05: Mulan 🍿

2020-06-05: Nation’s White Women Immediately Join Riots After Learning They Can Get Free Stuff At Target - The Babylon Bee The nation’s white men are expected to hold out until Bass Pro Shops are being looted before they join arms with their oppressed brothers and sisters.

2020-06-05: Should You Tap Retirement Funds in a Crisis? Increasingly, People Say Yes. - WSJ Saving steadily for 40 years to fund maybe three decades of retirement no longer matches the life cycle of a growing chunk of the population. What a ridiculous statement. No one is exempt!

2020-06-05: Behind on Retirement Savings? It’s Not Too Late to Catch Up - WSJ These latecomers in theory can not only dedicate a greater share of their income toward retirement savings, the thinking goes, but they also have less at risk if the market declines, in comparison with those who …

2020-06-05: Still can’t get my brand of toilet paper. Ordered an alternative for pickup today. This could be one of the lasting changes that this event produces in my consumer habits. 🧻

2020-06-05: Elements by Ludovico Einaudi is pure beauty.

2020-06-04: Morning Alone Wife stayed home with kids, I went out. Quite different! Repeat occasion?

2020-06-04: I had an early morning doctors appointment without the kids. Felt really good to get dressed up and commute in.

2020-06-03: Just A Bit Further More experience, Comfortable flying far. A new fun hobby.

2020-06-03: Kiwi for snack. Kids love it! 🥝

2020-06-03: How Payday Lenders Target Consumers Hurt by Coronavirus - WSJ The CFPB has said it intends to drop a proposed lending requirement that would have been one of the first federal rules to protect borrowers using payday and other high-interest loans. Governments absolutely should …

2020-06-03: Nation’s Racists Repent After Reading Statement On Equality From Hidden Valley Ranch - The Babylon Bee White supremacists across the country said they were holding out despite hundreds of corporations declaring their support for equality on Blackout Tuesday. But finally, …

2020-06-03: Episode 156: Exhausted from Play We just came in from playing outside and the children have very little to say.

2020-06-03: Families Will No Longer Accompany U.S. Troops on Mideast Tours - WSJ U.S. officials determined those families were at risk This is a substantial policy change. Remote assignments are very rough on military families.

2020-06-03: The Science of Prayer - WSJ the research that has been done on prayer shows it may have similar benefits to meditation: It can calm your nervous system, shutting down your fight or flight response. It can make you less reactive to negative emotions and less angry. Now is a good …

2020-06-03: Three months at home made me think about the layout of our physical spaces. Fresh flowers are an uplifting addition.

2020-06-02: Never A Rest One task to the next, The mantra of cleaning day. Rest in the evening.

2020-06-02: Just switched my energy provider to a 100% renewable option. Was actually cheaper than my previous traditional power plan. It’s great when technology can deliver benefits at a lower cost. ☀️

2020-06-02: Episcopalians Confused By Strange Book Trump Brought To Church - The Babylon Bee Trump visited St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington to hold up a Bible straight toward the heavens, a completely natural way to hold a Bible, in a clearly authentic demonstration of his …

2020-06-02: The Walmart app ran for 14h52m in the background in the last 24 hours. I’ve disabled Background App Refresh. How do I get this thing under control?!

2020-06-02: Toddler Walks Back Previous Anti-Bath Comments Now That It’s Time To Get Out Of The Bath - The Babylon Bee The little angel screamed for a whole minute before suddenly having a change of heart, realizing that this was the perfect bath, prepared by the perfect parents, in …

2020-06-01: Back to Normal Full morning errands, All over town. Like old times. It felt like normal.

2020-06-01: Clever Churchgoers Avoid Arrest By Disguising Themselves As Rioters - The Babylon Bee We found that when we do this, we can meet in large groups without much interference from the local authorities. It’s been a delightful experience.

2020-06-01: My new hobby.

2020-06-01: The Protest That Ended Social Distancing - WSJ Still, the carefree encouragement of this state-sanctioned “mass gathering”—which plainly violated all of the pandemic mitigation measures that had been vigorously enforced for the previous 10 weeks—proved that concern for such …

2020-06-01: Word on Fire announced that since public Masses have resumed in California, they’ll no longer be sharing their daily Mass on YouTube. This is a disappointment. The new and expanded ministries of the Church should continue, even with things normalizing.

2020-06-01: Episode 155: Weekend Recap What a weekend! Lots of fun updates to share.

2020-06-01: This pandemic has worked wonders for retail curbside pickup. Lowe’s and Best Buy have put a great deal of thought into their process…and it’s excellent!

2020-06-01: Perfect start to my Monday!

2020-06-01: Contemplating Life - Catholic Husband I hope that I will not soon forget the gravity, mystery, and majesty of this birth. ➕

2020-05-31: 400 Feet The maximum height, My drone was high, far away. Shook my nerves a bit.

2020-05-31: I wish that the electrician had run power into my closet.

2020-05-31: Postal Package Deliveries ‘Bogged Down’ With Delays, Backlogs - WSJ tracking services have added to the frustrations, with some items appearing to get stuck at certain locations or vanishing altogether. Yep.

2020-05-30: Small Unmanned Aerial System Bought a drone today. Kids more excited than me. Picnic, then a flight.

2020-05-30: Went to Confession outside for the first time. Incredible view as I waited in line.

2020-05-30: A Tiny Lender Sorts Through the Wreckage of Americans’ Finances - WSJ A debt burden that seemed manageable when everyone had a job became unbearable in a matter of weeks. The fallacy of consumer debt, summarized in a single sentence. It’s “manageable” until suddenly it’s not.

2020-05-29: Lunch at Work A special lunch trip, Eating at Mommy’s office. It’s been a while!

2020-05-29: Beautiful Friday night.

2020-05-29: Joining the micro.blog pizza mafia tonight. 🍕

2020-05-29: It’s been 10 weeks and I still can’t find baking yeast.

2020-05-29: Trying my hand at adult coloring on the iPad. The No. 2 Apple Pencil is amazing.

2020-05-28: Need to Walk In a walking rut. Need to wake up on time, go! Meh, try tomorrow?

2020-05-28: The bank wants to borrow your money at .05% interest so that they can loan it back to you in the form of a credit card at 14.5%. That’s a great deal for them! Maybe we should get into banking…

2020-05-28: Tweet Responsibly: A Guide to Twitter in 2020 - WSJ The first rule of Twitter? Don’t use Twitter. It’s a hellhole. Opening line of the article, and all that you need to know!

2020-05-28: Words to live by. ☕️

2020-05-28: I’m getting dangerously close to needing a 4-slice toaster.

2020-05-28: It is a constant source of frustration that iCloud cross-device file sync in 2020 has not yet caught up to the speed and performance of Dropbox in 2012. ☁️

2020-05-28: China Votes to Override Hong Kong’s Autonomy on National Security - WSJ 2,878 lawmakers voted for the motion, with only one dissent. Six others voted to abstain, and one didn’t cast a vote. What a joke.

2020-05-28: Nation That Revolted Over Three-Pence Tax On Tea Now ‘Pretty Cool’ With Government Locking Everyone In Their Homes - The Babylon Bee A new poll has confirmed that the country that threw crates of tea into a harbor because they’d have to pay a little more for …

2020-05-28: Trump Rows Across Great Lakes In Surprise Attack To Liberate Michigan - The Babylon Bee “Give the people seeds and ammo, or give them death!” Trump declared, holding his saber to Whitmer’s throat.

2020-05-27: Venturing Out Went to the bookstore, Everyone in masks. Not great. Hard to talk, breathe, see.

2020-05-27: SiriusXM: Good luck cancelling!

2020-05-27: Knights of Columbus founder Fr. Michael McGivney to be beatified - Catholic News Agency the miracle recognized by Pope Francis involved an unborn child in the United States who was healed in utero of a life-threatening condition Big day! 🇻🇦

2020-05-27: Ugh, weather scrub for SpaceX. Hopefully the weather will cooperate on Saturday! 🚀

2020-05-27: U.S. Officially Declares That Hong Kong Is No Longer Autonomous - WSJ It is now clear that China is modeling Hong Kong after itself. We didn’t even get halfway through the agreement before the Chinese Communist Party reneged on its promises.

2020-05-27: Good luck to the NASA/SpaceX teams today! 🚀

2020-05-27: Currently reading: The Mindful Catholic: Finding God One Moment At A Time by Gregory Bottaro, Psy.D. 📚

2020-05-27: Episode 154: Hello, Podcast All three kids were very excited to talk about summer and our trip to the zoo yesterday!

2020-05-27: The gardeners at the zoo have been hard at work. The grounds were gorgeous!

2020-05-26: Corona Zoo Trip Finally open, Restricted crowds, paths. Not fun. Good to be back, tho.

2020-05-26: First trip to the zoo in a while.

2020-05-26: Hertz Was Already in Terrible Shape. The Pandemic Finished It Off. - WSJ I last rented from Hertz in the mid-2010s. The car was garbage and the customer service was pathetic. Also glad to see Carl Icahn take a $1.5B loss.

2020-05-25: Family Cleaning Day Different cleaning day, Mommy was home to help! Wow! Let’s do it again!

2020-05-25: The unified Walmart app is horrible. 4 hours of background activity in the past 24 hours. Background app refresh: disabled. Lazy engineering!

2020-05-25: China’s Plan to Make Permanent Health Tracking on Smartphones Stirs Concern - WSJ was considering a new, permanent version of the tool that would assign each person a colored health badge based on a collation of their medical records Who could’ve seen this coming?

2020-05-25: I prefer angel hair. 🍝

2020-05-25: House is clean. Now I don’t want to make dinner. 🍽

2020-05-25: Governor Whitmer Orders Citizens To Barbecue Indoors - The Babylon Bee Anyone who disobeys the order will be put on time-out and sent to bed without any dessert. Those who continually disobey will be grounded and have their Nintendo privileges taken away.

2020-05-25: Some Gave All - Catholic Husband These fallen heroes deserve our admiration, and their families deserve our support. ➕

2020-05-24: Watermelon Treat Summer is here. Watermelon on the back porch. Three happy campers!

2020-05-24: First gust. ⛈

2020-05-23: Long Weekend Mommy A rare occasion. Mommy home for three whole days. Excitement abounds!

2020-05-23: Beware of Moralistic Narratives of the Lockdown Debate - WSJ It’s not a simple moral story of Science versus Ignorance, of Right versus Wrong. But that wouldn’t really fit the narrative, would it? Gerry on point!

2020-05-22: Big Kids in Back Went to run errands. Van fun of big kids. What? How? They grow up so fast!

2020-05-21: No Nap Possible A bad night of sleep. Can’t nap, will ruin tonight. Rock and a hard place!

2020-05-21: China to Draft New National-Security Law for Hong Kong - WSJ a draft resolution to allow the National People’s Congress to chart legislation aimed at stopping secessionist and subversive activity, foreign interference and terrorism in the city. China, unmasked. 🇭🇰

2020-05-21: A bad night’s sleep is tough to come back from. 🌔

2020-05-20: Ice Cream Run Braved trip to the store. We needed ice cream to eat. Totally worth it.

2020-05-20: U.S. Arrests Former Green Beret, Son, in Connection with Carlos Ghosn Escape From Japan - WSJ federal prosecutors said they were acting on a request from Japanese authorities to extradite Michael L. Taylor and his son, Peter M. Taylor, for their alleged roles Oops.

2020-05-20: I think it’s time for iOS to give users control over app versions the way that macOS does. The forced-update model is harmful to users. This is especially true when apps auto-update to new versions with subscription models and no path to reversion, let alone show-stopping bugs.

2020-05-20: States Urge People To Hit The Gym, Tanning Salon Before They Go To The Beach - The Babylon Bee The brilliant glare of the sun reflecting off everyone’s newly albinoed skin is expected to cause significant disruption to aircraft passing overhead and could even scare away …

2020-05-20: First light.

2020-05-19: Post Curation Three years of blogging, Some posts needed curation. Project almost done.

2020-05-19: Just published a revamped webpage for the microcast that I record with my kids, ChetCast. Past episodes now appear in a feed for easy discovery. My thanks to Manton for his help on some of the styling. 🎙

2020-05-19: Spotify Strikes Podcast Deal With Joe Rogan Worth More Than $100 Million - WSJ His video podcasts, which will also appear on Spotify, will no longer be available on YouTube. Not a podcast anymore, tho.

2020-05-19: Pretty remarkable how few websites have dark mode support.

2020-05-19: I’m starting to get the feeling that Barnes & Noble doesn’t deserve my business.

2020-05-19: Engineer Frustrated At Inability To Tell Responsible Citizens From Train Robbers - The Babylon Bee Pearson said that the other day while transporting goods, three men on horseback with masks on and waving guns around ran up beside his locomotive. He thought he was going to get …

2020-05-19: So far today, I’ve woken up at 5:00am, drank black coffee, had an unsweetened green smoothie, ate a salad, and listened to Kenny G on Apple Music. Look what I’ve become.

2020-05-19: This k cup holder looks great when it’s fully stocked, but the empty slots really bother me as the coffee is consumed.

2020-05-19: It seems that we’ve moved into a new era of subscription model pricing. This era is marked by subscripting pricing that is outrageously high.

2020-05-18: Cleaning Flex House cleaned up and down, Laundry washed, folded, put away. All done before bed!

2020-05-18: Laundry folded and put away before the kids are in bed. 🧺

2020-05-18: U.S. Government Opens Hundreds Of Convenient Cash 4 Freedom Locations - The Babylon Bee With freedom valued at an all-time high in the eyes of power-hungry, opportunistic politicians, there’s never been a better time to give it all away.

2020-05-18: Government Announces Lockdown Of All Fast-Food Restaurants To Prevent Heart Disease - The Babylon Bee In order to save lives, states have ordered all fast-food restaurants to close until we can flatten the curve of heart disease.

2020-05-18: The 2021 Sienna is a crime against beauty.

2020-05-18: The perfect time for new art.

2020-05-18: The Lessons Learned - Catholic Husband These past two months will forever shape who we are and how we operate. May it be for the better. ➕

2020-05-17: Sixteen Hundred Four years of journal, Entry and photo each day. Treasured collection.

2020-05-17: I just ate a Chipotle salad with the “hot red” salsa. This may be my last post. 🔥

2020-05-17: Building LEGOs with my son. I like my character.

2020-05-17: I’ve gotten emails from all of the companies that I do business with about how they’re keeping me save with their new cleaning policies. No such email from my exterminator.

2020-05-17: Woohoo! I’m out of SSL-jail! 🚔

2020-05-16: SSL Blues So many settings, Trying to work with Cloudflare. Mixed success today.

2020-05-16: In my time at home, I’ve discovered how much I like owls. 🦉

2020-05-16: Day One is reporting that tomorrow will be my 1,600th consecutive day of journaling. That is pretty cool. 📙

2020-05-16: Episode 153: Done with School On a rainy Saturday morning, I check in with Benedict and see how the school year went.

2020-05-16: Starting to migrate my websites over to Dreamhost. Hope I don’t break anything!

2020-05-16: Muffin morning.

2020-05-16: Trump Appoints Angry Honey Badger As New Press Secretary - The Babylon Bee While members of the press are frightened of the new press secretary, they do say they anticipate less vicious responses than those of former press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.

2020-05-15: Walking Again Many days off trail, Hard to get back in habit. Today is day one.

2020-05-15: Website notices my ad blocker: You are seeing this message because ad or script blocking software is interfering with this page. Disable any ad or script blocking software, then reload this page. Nice try.

2020-05-15: Was about to sign up for a trial of Harry’s razors, only to find out they wanted me to kick in $3 for shipping. No thanks.

2020-05-14: Castle Fort Doors Doors made of pillows, Not great in castle design. Toddler demolished.

2020-05-14: Uber Eats Introduces Food Bazooka For Contactless Deliveries - The Babylon Bee DoorDash will soon be introducing heavy food artillery so they can just blast your meal in the general direction of your house from miles away.

2020-05-14: CNN Replaces President Trump’s Press Briefings With President Xi’s - The Babylon Bee Now, instead of rewriting Chinese press briefings for an American audience, CNN can just air the communist country’s propaganda directly, getting hours’ worth of free …

2020-05-13: Done with School A very big day, The school year is now finished! There was rejoicing.

2020-05-13: Socialism Victory! Workers No Longer Being Exploited Thanks To High Unemployment - The Babylon Bee Over twenty million people in April alone stopped being mistreated by capitalists in the evil capitalist creation called a “job.” Even more are expected to escape this shackle in …

2020-05-13: Amazon Introduces New Camouflaged Boxes So Your Spouse Won’t Find Out You Ordered More Stuff On Amazon - The Babylon Bee if your spouse discovers the box before you have the chance to sneak it inside and stash it in the closet or garage, your next order is on them.

2020-05-12: Retreat House Visit A break in routine, Went out to enjoy Spring day. All flowers in bloom!

2020-05-12: April showers bring May flowers. 🌧

2020-05-12: Made it through yesterday with zero minutes of screen time with the kids. Let’s see if we can pull it off two days in a row. 📺

2020-05-12: Texans Put ‘Welcome To Texas’ Signs Around Oklahoma So Californians Will Move There Instead - The Babylon Bee Clever Texans have implemented a new strategy to stop Californians from fleeing their terrible state and ruining Texas with the same policies.

2020-05-11: Panera to Go A sense of normal, Panera feast for dinner. A breath of fresh air.

2020-05-11: Book Review: Foreign Influence 📚 I’m finding it generally helpful to read these books back-to-back. There are many recurring characters and sub-plots, and it’s much easier to keep all of my facts straight when I’m immersed in the Scot Harvath universe. This book still had some Middle Eastern aspects, but there …

2020-05-11: Resisting Structure - Catholic Husband It feels like my routine is going to restrict or suffocate me, when in reality, it’s going to set me free. ➕

2020-05-10: Mother’s Day Beautiful Spring day, Time to say thanks to our moms. I’m always grateful!

2020-05-10: Thanks, Mom. 💐

2020-05-09: Outdoor Camp Out Starting to feel trapped, Need to do something different. Pitched the tent out back.

2020-05-09: Ready for a backyard camp out under the stars. 🏕

2020-05-08: Dark Morning Sky Morning storms rolled through, Very dark start to the day. A calming passing.

2020-05-08: Accidentally made my coffee with unsalted butter and now my day is ruined. ☕️

2020-05-08: Demand for Small Business Loans Cools - WSJ the likely biggest reason for the slowdown is that many business owners have concluded that the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program simply doesn’t meet their needs Bad idea from the start.

2020-05-08: The Pandemic Has Made Sudden Heroes of the Tech Companies—For Now - WSJ These mandatory shut-ins appear to have made us more enamored of the very same tech platforms users very recently loved to hate. No effect on me. Still do not trust.

2020-05-08: A podcast that I subscribe to just announced that they’re available exclusively on Spotify. I won’t be following them over there. That kind of decision should not be rewarded.

2020-05-07: Wall Street Journal Subscription expires, Oh no! Now what will I do? Wait until Monday.

2020-05-07: Currently reading: Full Black by Brad Thor 📚

2020-05-07: A remarkable day for justice.

2020-05-06: Open Enrollment Many do not like, One of my favorite things! Which plans should I choose?

2020-05-06: Finished reading: Foreign Influence by Brad Thor 📚

2020-05-06: The City started recycling collection again this week. I hated having to send to the dump so many containers that could’ve been repurposed. ♻️

2020-05-05: Post Office Woes Two weeks since disposed. Still trying to get claim paid. Three hours now sunk.

2020-05-05: Not sure why “Auto Brightness” is an accessibility setting in iOS and not a display & brightness setting.

2020-05-05: Man Not Sure He Can Take Another 6 Weeks Of Barely Following CDC Guidelines Bradley, who explained that the changes he had made to his personal routines, such as reducing his trips to the corner store for snacks and beverages to twice a day, had begun to take a heavy toll on his …

2020-05-05: Chinese Government Lays Off Entire Propaganda Team As American Media Doing Their Job For Them - The Babylon Bee “It seemed kinda redundant for us to have a state-run media when we have the American press,” said President Xi at a press conference Monday.

2020-05-05: Local Catholic Binge Watches Last Five Masses To Get All Caught Up - EOTT LLC The point is that I missed them and now I’m catching up so no one can spoil anything for me.

2020-05-04: Order Restored The domestic life, Clean the house, make a mess, clean. Rhythm to order.

2020-05-04: Christ, the Good Shepherd, leads us into the sheepfold, not to imprison us within walls of law but to set us free from captivity to the fear of all those predators, seen and unseen Magnificat

2020-05-04: Spent a lot of time on Friday putting together dinner. It was totally worth it.

2020-05-04: Episode 152: Wait, Wait Felicity is pretty chatty, and Benedict doesn’t feel like talking about the end of his school year.

2020-05-04: Defiant Trump Skateboards In California - The Babylon Bee Trump is reportedly now on his way to Michigan, where he plans to buy cucumber seeds in defiance of the law and then chuck them in Governor Whitmer’s face.

2020-05-04: Dive Into Something - Catholic Husband Idleness dresses itself up in the trappings of rest, but it ends up leaving me feeling empty. ➕

2020-05-03: Bike Ride A skill is mastered, Son rides his bike around block. Fun activity.

2020-05-03: This pandemic has pretty much ruined The Wall Street Journal. Every issue used to be a buffet of new and interesting stories across a wide variety of topics. Now they’re just all about the coronavirus ravaging every aspect of the known world. 📰

2020-05-03: Things I’ve used my Victorinox Super Tinker for this week: Cutting a rose bloom Cleaning my children’s fingernails Cleaning my Nike Apple Watch band Opening boxes Punching holes in a piece of paper to make a kite Repairing a chain on a cabinet door 🇨🇭

2020-05-03: Shoutout to everyone using a disk drive in 2020. 💿

2020-05-02: Out of the House Clear blue skies, warm weather. Driving with the windows down. A glimpse into past.

2020-05-02: Flowers Continuing To Bloom Beautifully In Complete Defiance Of Government Lockdown - The Babylon Bee flowers are continuing to bloom in a bright array of dazzling colors in spite of state governors’ clear instructions to shut everything down.

2020-05-02: We took a quick family trip to a scenic overlook. Beautiful day to be outside. 🌤

2020-05-02: Well that’s the last time I trust TMZ to break geopolitical headlines.

2020-05-02: Obviously Confused Amash Runs For President Even Though We Already Have Two Choices - The Babylon Bee Presidential elections are when the American public chooses between a Republican and a Democrat for president. If they choose the wrong one, it could cause the complete …

2020-05-01: Afternoon Outside Lawn, cars, and a walk. Warm, but felt much warmer. Great! Now a free weekend.

2020-05-01: Moonrise. Wish the camera could’ve captured it better. It was huge!

2020-05-01: It’s nice to know at minute 10 of a phone call hold that my call is very important.

2020-05-01: Salted butter > unsalted butter. 🧈

2020-04-30: We Did It Official right now. Ten year goal is now achieved. We did it. Go team!

2020-04-30: How to Opt Out of COVID-19 Exposure Notifications in iOS 13.5 - MacRumors Apple’s Exposure Notification feature is privacy focused and shares no personally identifiable information or location data with the public health authorities creating the apps Still should be …

2020-04-29: Picked A Rose Was outside cleaning. Noticed a rose bush in bloom. One is now inside!

2020-04-28: Pouting Girl See what Mommy has, Want. Does not get, so she pouts. Ah, now she gets one!

2020-04-28: Perfect start to my day. ⛈ 🎞

2020-04-27: Boy Writes Letter School almost over. Boy now writes letters on own. I hope that it sticks!

2020-04-27: The Tourist 🍿

2020-04-27: Do What Works - Catholic Husband So when I now find myself needing to get back to that point of health, I don’t need to struggle with developing a whole new program. I don’t need to tinker with the habits or routines. ➕

2020-04-26: Much Left Undone I’m out of service. Not great. Really quite boring. Hope this passes soon.

2020-04-26: Landing is assured. 🍾🎉

2020-04-26: Final approach. Shot four years ago. 🎞

2020-04-26: I love the cover art on this month’s edition of Magnificat. The Road to Emmaus by Pierre-Marie Dumont

2020-04-26: Currently reading: Foreign Influence by Brad Thor 📚

2020-04-25: Picnic Lunch Special weekend treat: Picnic lunch in the backyard. Good weather and food.

2020-04-25: Hitch 🍿

2020-04-25: North Korea Reports Kim Jong Un Is ‘Most Alive Person In Universe’ - The Babylon Bee All hail the glorious and most definitely living Kim Jong Un! That settles it then.

2020-04-25: The People Getting Their Steps as They Shelter in Place - WSJ Purposeful walks nationwide increased 36% during the last two weeks of March, double the increase over the same period in 2019, according to Garmin data. True in my neighborhood.

2020-04-25: Book Review: The Apostle 📚 This installment in the Scot Harvath series takes readers to Afghanistan on an off-the-books special ops mission. It was a good book, but I prefer the stories that take me to new and differing places. Almost the entire story takes place in Afghanistan. Again, these books are …

2020-04-25: Episode 151: Wild Strawberries A picnic lunch, followed by a nature hunt yielded an interesting find.

2020-04-25: Finished reading: The Apostle by Brad Thor 📚

2020-04-25: Sunroof open weather. ☀️

2020-04-25: The Lockdowns Were the Black Swan - WSJ Restarting the economy will lead to more coronavirus deaths—and more motor-vehicle deaths, more workplace deaths, even flu deaths. A thought-provoking piece. Very well done.

2020-04-25: Millions of Credit-Card Customers Can’t Pay Their Bills. Lenders Are Bracing for Impact. - WSJ Banks and other lenders that for years relied on heavy consumer spending to create big profits are preparing to struggle alongside their customers. Whomp.

2020-04-25: Gang Of Masked Bandits Steals Another $500 Billion From Your Grandchildren - The Babylon Bee this supervillain gang’s plan is more subdued but no less evil: they will simply print money, borrow money, and raise taxes until your kids and grandkids have nothing left.

2020-04-25: Pope Says Priests Should Deny Communion To People Who Drive SUVs - The Babylon Bee “I am a gracious pope and desire that none should be excommunicated but that all would trade in their SUVs for hybrids or electric cars.”

2020-04-25: Rose bushes in full bloom.

2020-04-24: Package Disposed Shipment disposed of. No return, no forward. Gone! What could have happened?

2020-04-24: Coronavirus Overtakes Ninjas As Top Invisible Enemy - The Babylon Bee What makes coronavirus even worse than ninjas, according to Trump, is that there is currently no known defense against it, while the defense against ninjas is well known (train with monks for a decade in the …

2020-04-24: Toy Story 4 🍿

2020-04-24: Simple Pleasures It’s been six weeks since the beginning of our national shutdown. In that time, I’ve left our neighborhood fewer than a dozen times. Six weeks is enough time to start to notice and miss things. This morning, I went to Walmart to pickup my online grocery order. Driving is one of …

2020-04-24: I returned a Benchmade knife that I bought via USPS Priority Mail. I checked on the tracking info this morning to see this: Disposed by Post Office Your item could not be delivered to the intended recipient or returned to sender. It has been disposed of by USPS. 📦

2020-04-23: Kids Discover Futon They thought just a couch, But wait! Folds flat! It’s a fort! There was rejoicing.

2020-04-23: April Officially Named ‘Bring Your Children To Work Month’ - The Babylon Bee The new holiday lets you work remotely as your children crawl all over you and scream in the background as you try to get some work done.

2020-04-23: Study Finds Chick-Fil-A Sauce Kills 100% Of Germs - The Babylon Bee they have no idea why it kills harmful bacteria. They also said they needed to continue studying the sauce and asked for hundreds more Chick-fil-A sandwiches, waffle fries, lemonade, and sauce to be shipped to …

2020-04-23: Amazon Scooped Up Data From Its Own Sellers to Launch Competing Products - WSJ interviews with more than 20 former employees of Amazon’s private-label business and documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal reveal that employees did just that. Oops.

2020-04-23: Not even a pandemic will stop these kids from playing. 🎞

2020-04-23: Episode 150: Morning Walk We went outside for a walk around our neighborhood. Everyone has lots to share.

2020-04-23: Gorgeous morning for a walk around the neighborhood.

2020-04-23: Just learned that my coffee doesn’t break my intermittent fast. This means two things: I don’t have to wait until 10am(!) to have my delicious drink I’ve been doing 18:6 fasts, not 16:8 ☕️

2020-04-22: Earth Day We have this treasure, A whole world to be explored. Get outside and play! 🌎

2020-04-22: Trump Threatens More Plagues Unless State Governors Let His People Go - The Babylon Bee “Let my people go!” Trump cried as he threw down a MAGA hat and miraculously transformed it into a Big Mac, which he then ate.

2020-04-22: Dear God 🍿

2020-04-21: Neighborhood Walk Beautiful Spring day. Kids go for walk around block. Added to routine!

2020-04-20: Squad Up Everybody helps. House clean from top to bottom. Even helped laundry!

2020-04-20: Facebook Puts Limits on Protest Organizers - WSJ Facebook Inc.is banning posts and groups promoting anti-lockdown protests that don’t comply with government health directives Great plan! What could possibly go wrong?

2020-04-20: Why I Microcast 🎙 I first heard about Micro.blog back in early 2017. Many of the people that I followed on Twitter were talking about this new blogging service. I was interested, but I didn’t back the project. When it went into beta later in the year, I sheepishly emailed Manton and was given an …

2020-04-20: Episode 149: ChetCast At Two We’re celebrating the second anniversary of the ChetCast microcast! Benedict and Felicity are asked about their favorite part of recording podcasts.

2020-04-20: ChetCast, the microcast I record with my kids, just turned 2. Happy Birthday! 🎂🎙

2020-04-20: The Church doors may be locked, but a Church has been opened in every home. 🇻🇦

2020-04-19: Perfect Weekend Turned off alarm clock. Nice weather and family time. As good as it gets!

2020-04-19: I love rainy mornings. ⛈

2020-04-19: Kind of a weird time to be rude to your customers. 🍩

2020-04-18: Family Walk Cool late Spring morning, We all went for a nice walk. Will do that again.

2020-04-18: Why Walking Matters—Now More Than Ever - WSJ Walking is the movement that we all profit from and have evolved for. Walk we must, and walk we should, to keep our mental and physical worlds open and to stop the walls from closing in.

2020-04-17: No More Baths Kids getting bigger, Nice to not have to do baths. All of this free time!

2020-04-16: Back to Center Some more cleaning done. The trick is to keep it clean. Let’s see what happens!

2020-04-16: Episode 148: LEGOcast Benedict invites you into his LEGO Lab to discuss LEGOs and the lunar eclipse.

2020-04-16: Beautiful view into the backyard with the sound of birds chirping while working on school. 🍎

2020-04-16: When the Stimulus Check in Your Bank Account Isn’t What You Expected - WSJ Some are finding less than they expected. Others think they are getting too much. Some say money is going into bank accounts they don’t recognize. And still others are struggling to decipher error …

2020-04-16: Uh-Oh: Wuhan Lab Changes Sign To ‘0 Days Since Accidentally Releasing A Virus’ - The Babylon Bee Xi was wearing a hazmat suit, but he claimed that was because it was laundry day and that was the only thing he had left that was clean.

2020-04-16: Stimulus Delayed As Trump Insists On Personally Delivering Giant Check To Every American - The Babylon Bee Hi, I’m President Trump, and you’ve just won $1,200 of your own money!

2020-04-15: Winding Down Projects One month stuck at home. Done with most of my projects. Ok, so, um, now what?

2020-04-15: Book Review: The Last Patriot 📚 With all of the upheaval going on in the world, I thought now was a great time to get lost in Brad Thor’s Scot Harvath series again. Something light, fast, and distracting. In this book, Thor continues his mid-2000s trope of the West vs. Islamic terrorism. That’s one of the …

2020-04-15: China Impressed By Michigan Governor’s Totalitarian Policies - The Babylon Bee We’re always looking for more ways to oppress people, and we were really inspired by Whitmer’s approach.

2020-04-14: Re-watching Movies Over one hundred, A decent library. But, Which one to watch now?

2020-04-14: Mission Impossible: Fallout 🍿

2020-04-14: Currently reading: The Apostle by Brad Thor 📚

2020-04-14: Targeting Tony Fauci - WSJ Dr. Fauci said later that week that he wished efforts to pit him against the President would stop Yes. An absolutely reckless and unconscionable campaign. Dr. Fauci is a valuable communicator and has improved public confidence in the Administration’s …

2020-04-14: Vicious Tyrant Trump Wants To Let People Leave Their Homes - The Babylon Bee By all accounts, President Donald Trump has now gone completely mad with power. In a press briefing, he laid out his insidious plan.

2020-04-14: ‘Liberal Arts Degrees’ Renamed ‘Non-Essential Worker Degrees’ - The Babylon Bee in a bid to be more honest about what exactly the course of study entails.

2020-04-13: Cool for a Change Woke up, looked at temp. Nope, too cold for me. Good night! Walked this evening, tho.

2020-04-13: Finished reading: The Last Patriot by Brad Thor 📚

2020-04-13: Episode 147: Nothing to Say I had a chatty group of kids until I pressed record.

2020-04-13: Out of the Tomb - Catholic Husband If you find yourself this Easter still trapped in sin, having failed to achieve any meaningful reform during our Lenten journey, take courage. God paid too great of a price to give up on us before the very last possible moment. He didn’t go …

2020-04-12: Easter Storms Early storm warnings, Sheltered, then clear. Now, egg hunt! A wonderful day.

2020-04-12: Easter bow tie after Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

2020-04-12: Roman Authorities Investigating Jesus For Violating Stay-In-Tomb Order - The Babylon Bee Roman authorities are investigating controversial religious leader Jesus of Nazareth for violating the Empire’s clear “stay in tomb” order. After crucifying him and laying …

2020-04-12: Heavy thunderstorms on my walk this morning. I love this shot. That’s lightning filling the sky. ⛈

2020-04-12: Winter has now passed, the rain has gone away and departed; arise, my beloved, and come, alleluia. 🌸

2020-04-11: Easy Going Saturday Early rise and shine, Food, play, and a new board game. Wonderful time shared.

2020-04-11: Here’s How Apple and Google Plan to Track the Coronavirus Through Your Phone - WSJ they will release tools for software developers to create so-called contact-tracing apps that record when smartphones come into close contact with each other. Nope. Never.

2020-04-11: Some Churches Fight to Open on Easter Despite Coronavirus Shutdowns - WSJ In the fight over whether social-distancing rules should be enforced at houses of worship—some jurisdictions have specifically exempted them; others haven’t—pastors have been legally charged and lawsuits …

2020-04-11: Sitting down to a family round of Catan:Junior. 🏴‍☠️

2020-04-11: 29 days since the announcement that Student Loan interest was suspended and my servicer still hasn’t updated my account. You’ve got to watch these people like a hawk.

2020-04-11: Taiwan’s Success in Coronavirus Fight Poses Challenge to China - WSJ Taiwanese officials, media and even ordinary citizens have repeatedly referred to the “Wuhan pneumonia” in Chinese, defying Beijing’s insistence on using Covid-19, the official name assigned by the WHO, which …

2020-04-11: Will We Forgive Amazon When This Is Over? - WSJ Weeks into America’s national experiment in only going to the store when absolutely necessary, it feels like Amazon is little better than any other retailer at getting us what we need, when we need it. I hope not!

2020-04-10: Civilization V A masterstroke game. Fun every time it is played. Trying something new.

2020-04-10: Doctors Without State Borders - WSJ Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last month signed legislation allowing primary-care nurse practitioners and advanced-practice registered nurses to operate independently. Another new law would let pharmacists test and treat common ailments like the …

2020-04-10: Episode 146: Stations of the Cross with Benedict Join Benedict as he explains the Stations of the Cross meditation.

2020-04-10: Search For The Two Best Possible Candidates For President Concludes - The Babylon Bee Donald Trump was the person selected to be president in 2016 after months of work and billions of dollars spent in search of the best American to be president. Shockingly, the American …

2020-04-10: Moonraker 🍿

2020-04-10: China Pushes Viral Messages to Shape Coronavirus Narrative - WSJ China has been buying up ads on U.S. social-media sites and adopting online tactics reminiscent of Russian disinformation campaigns in an apparent attempt to shape the story internationally

2020-04-10: Eerie Good Friday morning sky.

2020-04-09: Triduum Begins Sacred Triduum, To be home celebrated. Holiest of days.

2020-04-09: Wuhan, Coronavirus Ground Zero, Lifts Lockdown and Many Rush to Leave - WSJ Wuhan residents are permitted to leave as long as a compulsory smartphone application that tracks their movements using mobile and other data shows they are healthy and haven’t been in recent …

2020-04-09: I’m just over a week back into my evening routine. I resisted returning because I thought it was too constrictive. What I’ve found is that it’s incredibly liberating (and relaxing)!

2020-04-09: Currently reading: The Last Patriot by Brad Thor 📚

2020-04-09: Two years ago today, we took my son to a drive-thru zoo. He wanted to record a TV show about his visit, and opened every segment with, “Hello, folks! Listen up today!” I still have no idea where he got that sequence of words. Thus was born our family’s love of the saying.

2020-04-09: Now we enter the Sacred Triduum.

2020-04-08: Coffee Run First time in some weeks, Took coffee to wife’s office. Almost dropped at door!

2020-04-08: Book Review: Destroy Your Student Loan Debt 📚 This was a very quick read. In fact, I didn’t realize that it was coming out, but I picked up a copy on the day that it was released. If you’re familiar with Dave Ramsey and have been around his teaching for a while, there is nothing new here. I knew that going into it, but I was …

2020-04-08: Ordered some Brad Thor books to get caught up on my reading goal and off of the WSJ website.

2020-04-08: Finished reading: Destroy Your Student Loan Debt: The Step-by-Step Plan to Pay Off Your Student Loans Faster by Anthony ONeal 📚

2020-04-08: Episode 145: Easter Baskets We took coffee to Mommy’s office and a surprise was waiting!

2020-04-08: Fear Lingers in Wuhan as China Eases Lockdown - WSJ Epidemiologists, U.S. intelligence sources and Wuhan residents suspect that Chinese authorities substantially undercounted infections and deaths over the past several months, especially in Wuhan, in part to boost President Xi …

2020-04-08: The last day of Lent has arrived and my what a Lent this has been! ⛰

2020-04-07: Good Little Boy What a special day! Cheerful, not a complaint heard. He earned new LEGO.

2020-04-07: A refreshing sight.

2020-04-07: Civilization V is a difficult game to quit.

2020-04-07: Currently reading: Destroy Your Student Loan Debt: The Step-by-Step Plan to Pay Off Your Student Loans Faster by Anthony ONeal 📚

2020-04-07: My kids are all too young to know what’s going on. They’re still living each day happily playing, exploring, and learning. We could all learn from them. 🏃🏻‍♂️

2020-04-07: TurboTax Rebrands As ‘TurboTheft’ For Libertarian Market - The Babylon Bee A special, hardcore version of the software will always calculate your income taxes as $0, “since you never consented to taxation in the first place.”

2020-04-06: Everything is Clean Kids, clothes, and the house. Got it all taken care of. Now, it’s time to rest.

2020-04-06: Book Review: Patriotic Fire 📚 I knew very little about the War of 1812 before reading this book. I had heard about the Battle of New Orleans being a pivotal battle, but hadn’t done any research. I picked up this book in anticipation of seeing some of the battle sites during my inaugural trip to NOLA this …

2020-04-06: Tragic: Bill Gates Had A Cure For Coronavirus But It Was Erased By A Windows Virus - The Babylon Bee But just then, his monitor suddenly displayed a blue screen.

2020-04-06: Finished reading: Patriotic Fire: Andrew Jackson and Jean Laffite at the Battle of New Orleans by Winston Groom 📚

2020-04-06: My 16 hour fast is over and now I can finally enjoy this delicious mug of hot coffee. ☕️

2020-04-06: Episode 144: Baking Stories We spent a lot of time in the kitchen this weekend.

2020-04-06: Mind Your Diet - Catholic Husband If you sit on the couch all day, scrolling through the news and stress-eating, you’ll succumb to panic and anxiety. ➕

2020-04-05: Restful Sunday A day full of chill. Reading, Civ V, and light play. Ready for Monday.

2020-04-05: The Devil Wears Prada 🍿

2020-04-05: I’m so far behind on my reading goal. 📚

2020-04-04: Baking An experiment, Special breakfast, simple cook. It was a success!

2020-04-04: Mid-Saturday morning and I’m all done with my tasks for the day. Huh.

2020-04-04: A great success!

2020-04-04: Baking a Dutch Baby for breakfast with the kids while Ludivico plays his piano in our kitchen. 🥞

2020-04-03: Girl Gets Dressed Done all by herself! Matches, cute, and colorful. She is very pleased!

2020-04-03: About to refresh my iPhone & iPad app layouts. Removing Fantastical for the first time, well, ever.

2020-04-02: Restocked Grocery Store Whew, what a difference! Eight days later, mostly stocked. A big relief. Thanks!!

2020-04-02: Red Tails 🍿

2020-04-02: I’m drinking black coffee… and enjoying it! I barely recognize myself.

2020-04-02: U.S. Descends Into Third-World Hellscape Where Amazon Delivers In Three Days Instead Of Two - The Babylon Bee “If I can’t order something I decided that I absolutely need to have on a whim and have it arrive in 1-2 days, then the American dream is dead.”

2020-04-01: Late Clean Up Two days behind. Oops. Got to business and got done. Now to rest, relax.

2020-04-01: China Claims No New Deaths As Peasant Passes By Shouting ‘Bring Out Your Dead!’ - The Babylon Bee China has once again claimed no new deaths by coronavirus today, drawing praise from the American media.

2020-04-01: Wrong Kind of Red Light for Traffic Company - WSJ with so few people on the road, the number of violations has dropped, affecting the company’s liquidity. Good. I never liked the premise of photo-violations.

2020-03-31: Perfect April Fools Day joke: Delete your Twitter account. Block Twitter on all of your devices and networks. Never go back. Epic!

2020-03-31: Thirty Days Seventeen all done, At least thirty to go. Whew. This is something else.

2020-03-31: Trump: ‘Destroy This Economy And I Will Raise It Up In Three Days’ - The Babylon Bee The stunning statement came as Trump began driving out the press from the White House Rose Garden, flipping over their folding chairs and throwing rocks at their cameras.

2020-03-31: Bruce Wayne Suspected As Patient Zero In Gotham Coronavirus Outbreak - The Babylon Bee An investigation revealed that Wayne is harboring thousands of bats under his mansion.

2020-03-31: Stimulus Package Projected To Save The Lives Of At Least 85,000 Government Programs - The Babylon Bee A grateful country full of very stimulated Americans is applauding the lifesaving efforts of Congress. We believe that every government program’s life is infinitely …

2020-03-31: Pelosi: ‘We Must Flatten The Curve Of Support For Donald Trump’ - The Babylon Bee If we all do our part, we can stop Trump’s approval rating from spiking

2020-03-31: Apple Acquires Weather App Dark Sky - MacRumors The API will work through the end of 2021, but after that time, developers will need to find another solution. RIP Dark Sky.

2020-03-31: Fish tacos for lunch. 🌮

2020-03-31: Not sure how replacing a roof is an “essential” business.

2020-03-31: China’s Coronavirus Count Excluded Infected People With No Symptoms - WSJ as questions arise about its accounting of the infectious disease They’ve been dishonest from the start, so this is no surprise.

2020-03-30: Streaming Subs Added all the subs, Canceled. Too much draw to them. Enjoy what we have!

2020-03-30: Americans Excitedly Anticipate Getting Paid With Their Own Money - The Babylon Bee Sadly, by the time all the administration costs, government pet projects, and handouts were factored in, the stimulus each American was to receive became a negative amount, forcing Congress to …

2020-03-30: Taking some time to preen my internet presence. Transferring domains over to Cloudflare Registrar and beginning to migrate from my old web host to Dreamhost.

2020-03-30: A bottle of Almond Extract fell off my pantry shelf this weekend and broke on the floor. Now my pantry smells like delicious baked goods!

2020-03-30: In the Desert - Catholic Husband I will not forget the profound spiritual experience of these last few weeks. I’ve become desensitized to the lull of my modern life. ➕

2020-03-29: Hope Triumphs No darkness can win, Turmoil must always yield. Hope springs eternal. 🌸

2020-03-29: Ending my 14 day trial of Fantastical Premium. Is it worth the $40/year? Absolutely not. When you get into daily use, its many flaws come through. It needs a significant degree of refinement before it can command that price.

2020-03-29: Casino Royale 🍿

2020-03-29: In Safari on iPadOS 13.4, Apple changed “Open in New Tab” to “Open in Background.” Everyone who uses a browser understands tabs. Why the change?

2020-03-29: Spring sunrise.

2020-03-29: Done with my walk, shower, and spiritual reflection. Sitting on the couch in the morning twilight, listening to the birds chirp happily outside of a silent house. This is my ideal Sunday morning. 🕊

2020-03-28: Family Movie Morning Gathered together, Watched new Aladdin. Was great! Excellent. Five stars!

2020-03-28: According to Day One, I’m on a 1,550 day journaling streak.

2020-03-28: The Fantastical Apple Watch app is terrible. You have to relaunch the iOS app every day before it populates. It should be the best at providing situational awareness, but it’s clearly an afterthought to the developers.

2020-03-28: Aladdin (2019) 🍿

2020-03-28: Lawmakers Pack Federal Stimulus Bill With Pet Provisions - WSJ Lawmakers used the opportunity of a must-pass bill to make a slew of policy changes that had gathered dust, some for years Gross.

2020-03-27: Opening the Lawn Finally got done, Big kids helped with the weeding. Curb appeal is back.

2020-03-27: Congress Excited To Find Out What’s In Stimulus Package They Just Passed - The Babylon Bee At publishing time, members of Congress were lining up in front of network cameras to tell Americans how much they will benefit from the bill they have yet to read.

2020-03-27: Tried to do a televisit with my doctor yesterday. Their system doesn’t work on Safari. We are so far beyond the point where web tools being incompatiable with Safari is acceptable.

2020-03-27: Getting ready to join Pope Francis during his Holy Hour for the Universal Church. 🇻🇦

2020-03-27: Episode 143: Morning School Everyone is at the activity table, working on their schoolwork and art.

2020-03-27: The weather has broken and I’m going to open the lawn for the season today. Weeding, trimming hedges, cleaning flowerbeds, mowing, and fertilizing. I opened up my On This Day in Day One this morning and saw that I did the same thing on March 27, 2019 and March 27, 2018.

2020-03-27: I washed and waxed the van last weekend, and it hasn’t left the garage since. This is really my ideal clean car situation.

2020-03-27: Putin Exploits Coronavirus to Justify Centralized Russian Power - WSJ Some Russians have expressed skepticism over the veracity of the tally on social media. O, rly?

2020-03-26: Social Distancing Forts All throw pillows gone. Kids have built personal forts. We should build big one!

2020-03-26: Banks Urged to Issue More Small-Dollar Loans in Response to Outbreak - WSJ U.S. Bancorp, expanded its consumer credit offerings in response. Its short-term loans charge $12 for every $100 borrowed, to be repaid within three months. The loans have an effective annual rate of 71% …

2020-03-26: U.S. Charges Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro With Drug Trafficking - WSJ U.S. authorities unsealed a series of criminal cases in New York and Florida, as the State Department announced a $15 million bounty for information leading to Mr. Maduro’s capture. Whoa.

2020-03-26: The acorns that squirrels buried in my garden last fall are sprouting.

2020-03-26: PR Disaster: President Xi Forgets To Remove ‘Made In China’ Tags From Coronavirus - The Babylon Bee “Oh, shoot, I knew I forgot something,” the totalitarian Communist president muttered as his scientists examined COVID-19 viruses under microscopes

2020-03-25: Half-Day Wednesday Wife home after lunch. Much more popular than me. I’m cool with it, tho.

2020-03-25: Just went out to pick up a few things. My regional grocer is doing a better job than the big chains at keeping food on the shelves. That said, I did have to pay a premium for that privilege.

2020-03-24: Landscaping Next Door A whole crew showed up, Made a mess, tore up my yard. What a bunch of jerks.

2020-03-24: I’m grateful for all of the hard-working satire writers cutting the tension. It helps keep perspective.

2020-03-24: Party Of Love And Tolerance Wishes Death On Political Opponent - The Babylon Bee Nancy Pelosi’s daughter, Christine Pelosi, tweeted, “Rand Paul’s neighbor was right,” referring to an incident where Paul’s neighbor had brutally assaulted him, once …

2020-03-24: Oops: CNN Forgot To Translate Its Latest Coronavirus Update From Mandarin - The Babylon Bee

2020-03-24: I thought I had a backup Magic Trackpad, but I don’t. Pulled out my old Magic Mouse instead. I’m looking forward to trying out the new support today in 13.4.

2020-03-23: Kids Clothes Swap Too small: put away, Stored. Hand-me-downs are deployed. I don’t like this job.

2020-03-23: Renewal - Catholic Husband It was only through this crisis that I discovered the wonderful resources on YouTube, to include live-streamed Eucharistic Adoration and pre-recorded celebrations of the Mass. ➕

2020-03-23: Episode 142: Squirrel This episode features Felicity and her current plans to turn into a squirrel.

2020-03-23: Book Review: Consecration to St. Joseph 📚 Late last year, I came across the pre-order for this book. I was familiar with Fr. Calloway’s work. In particular his Marian consecration book is widely used by members of my family. I was excited to see that he was publishing a book that was targeted right at men, husbands, and …

2020-03-23: OK, Fine, Let’s All Get Back on Facebook - WSJ To make our lives better—or at least easier—will we give the tech giant a pass on its fast and loose take on privacy? I’m also finding this to be a challenge. I doubt I’ll give in, though.

2020-03-23: I normally deep-clean and wax the cars in April and October. Due to our self-isolation, I pushed it up and took care of both cars over the weekend. After hours of labor, they were spotless and shiny. My wife went to work this morning and it was raining. Typical. 🌧

2020-03-22: Wax A little more work, Both cars cleaned and waxed. So smooth! The kids are impressed.

2020-03-22: Little treats make the self-isolation much nicer. Tonight: s’mores.

2020-03-21: Cars and Kids Outside afternoon, Kids played happily, I cleaned. Good result for all.

2020-03-21: Last Holiday 🍿

2020-03-21: A Federal Response Our system of government is remarkably durable. I’m reading about the War of 1812 and it’s remarkable that the people of the United States were able to cobble together a power-sharing system between the states and federal government that continues to this day. In 1812, this …

2020-03-21: This has been an extraordinary Lent.

2020-03-21: Ran into Walmart to supplement my grocery order. This is a stark reminder that markets all over the world look like this on a regular basis. A wonderful reminder of the blessings that we take for granted in the West every day.

2020-03-21: Episode 141: Calling the Axiom We’re still at home, but that doesn’t mean that Benedict’s imagination is on hiatus.

2020-03-21: It’s been two years since I deleted my Twitter account. At this point, it’s blocked on my network. Join me.

2020-03-21: The Last Place to be Hit With Coronavirus Worries? Florida Beaches - WSJ “It’s a risk to be down here with crowds,” Mr. Aboko-Cole said. But “it’s my last spring break. I want to live it up as best I can.” The selfishness in this pandemic is disheartening.

2020-03-21: Lobbyists Pile On to Get Wins for Clients Into Coronavirus Stimulus Package - WSJ for some lobbyists, the $1 trillion stimulus package provides an opportunity to score wins for corporate clients and breathe new life into stalled policy proposals unrelated to the crisis. Red …

2020-03-21: Apple posted a PSA from the CDC at the top of the App Store Today section. First time seeing it, I’m impressed.

2020-03-20: Conference At Home Vacation canceled, No trip to NOLA. Oh well, Projects to be done.

2020-03-20: China’s Coronavirus Diplomacy - WSJ China is using coronavirus aid to whitewash its responsibility for unleashing a global pandemic. Powerful writing and a very strong argument.

2020-03-20: It is so hard to grocery shop right now.

2020-03-20: Miracle: Toilet Paper Falling From Sky Each Morning Like Manna From Heaven - The Babylon Bee God’s people have been instructed to collect only what is necessary, as any excess toilet paper they gather will turn to empty cardboard rolls at the end of the night.

2020-03-19: Finished reading: Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father by Donald Calloway, MIC 📚

2020-03-19: Spring Car Care Both cars washed and dry. In garage, ready for wax, Deep clean inside, too!

2020-03-19: COVID-19 Checklist Avoid unnecessary trips Read a good book Cook a delicious meal Spend plenty of time outside Check on a friend/neighbor Videochat with someone you love Complete tasks/projects you’ve been putting off

2020-03-19: Now, more than ever before, is the time to delete your Twitter account. Get as far away from that poison as you possibly can.

2020-03-19: I caught a break in the weather and managed to get both cars washed and in the garage. Now I can wax and clean the interiors over the next few days while the heavy weather rolls through.

2020-03-19: St. Joseph - Catholic Husband St. Joseph is humble in ways that I will never understand. He lead, protected, and provided for the Holy Family of Nazareth, but he never seeks credit or adoration. ➕

2020-03-19: It’s the seven year anniversary of my blog, Catholic Husband. I’m publishing my 760th post this morning. It’s remarkable how the simple habit of writing regularly can result in a robust body of work.

2020-03-19: Two weeks ago, March was lining up to be the busiest month of the year for me. One by one, trips, meetings, and events have fallen off of the calendar. The speed of this whole thing has been incredible.

2020-03-19: That new iPad keyboard looks so awesome.

2020-03-18: Supply Run Went out to get food. No change in traffic. Um, what? Get serious, folks!!!

2020-03-18: Netflix shows the rating of a program in the top left corner in the opening seconds. Interestingly, a rationale given for more mature ratings is if a program contains “smoking.”

2020-03-18: A community college near me announced that they’ll be back to in-person classes on March 30. To think that we’ll be over this in less than two weeks is complete fantasy.

2020-03-18: Plunging Rates Spell Opportunity for Student-Loan Borrowers - WSJ Under the measure, monthly payments won’t decrease. The benefit is that your entire payment will now count toward reducing the loan’s principal, which helps you pay off the loan faster. I like this creativity.

2020-03-18: ‘Ghost Town’ Seattle Shows How Coronavirus Shuts Down a City - WSJ “Last week we went to a coffee shop and it was packed,” Ms. Ramone, 30, said. The couple went skiing with friends over the weekend A unbelievably selfish act. Unconscionable.

2020-03-18: Walmart is really letting me down, at a time when I need them the most.

2020-03-17: Netflix Returns Canceled some months back, Subscribed for a month or two. Lots of stuff, some good.

2020-03-17: Leprechauns To Give Out Toilet Paper In Lieu Of Gold - The Babylon Bee “Ye’ll get me pot o’ toilet paper – if ye can catch me, that is!” cackled one leprechaun as he hid near the end of a rainbow.

2020-03-17: Duggar Family Found In Violation Of Ban On Large Gatherings - The Babylon Bee The family gathered for their usual evening meal, having also been visited by several of the grown children in the family and their spouses, when a police officer knocked on the door.

2020-03-17: Why does iTunes still sell SD videos?

2020-03-17: Universal to Make Theatrical Movie Releases Available as $20 Digital Rentals on Same Day - MacRumors This is a great idea!

2020-03-16: All Clean Jump start before kids, Bathrooms done while they slept. Boost! Need tomorrow plan.

2020-03-16: What is the virtue of a news article reporting new recommendations from gorvernment officials if the article doesn’t immediately tell the reader what those recommendations are?

2020-03-16: Wow, having a really difficult time putting in an order at Walmart. So many grocery items out of stock.

2020-03-16: More typos that normal in my posts today. So much going on. Fixes are ongoing!

2020-03-16: Many businesses are making special exceptions to policy and paywalls to help get information out. The Wall Street Journal, my preferred news outlet, is providing all Coronavirus news free of charge to read.

2020-03-16: For many of us, it’s day one of voluntary self-isolation. Even while we’re home, life goes on.

2020-03-16: Connecting While Isolated - Catholic Husband I feel a sense of separation, having been unable to receive the Eucharist physically. We do have to endure this physical separation for a time. ➕

2020-03-16: COVID-19 In late February, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced that Americans should prepare for major disruptions in the coming weeks. If last week was any indication, we all ought to buckle up! We’re not the first ones to take on this challenge. We have great examples around …

2020-03-16: Have you seen airfare prices?!

2020-03-16: My kids and I just spent some time in Eucharistic Adoration from a livestream on YouTube. Matt Maher led us in song. What an incredible time to be alive!

2020-03-16: U.S. Officials Urge More Action to Combat Coronavirus - WSJ the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that gatherings of more than 50 people be canceled or postponed for the next eight weeks

2020-03-15: Making A Plan Plenty of projects, Things to do around the house. This will all be fine!

2020-03-15: My Things task list is out of control. Taking time this afternoon to get caught up. I’m also to plan projects and goals for the next two weeks while we lay low around the house.

2020-03-15: Episode 140: LucyCast Lucy hosts her very own episode and is uncharacteristically quiet.

2020-03-15: Jack Dorsey’s Push to Clean Up Twitter Stalls, Researchers Say - WSJ Twitter’s leadership has talked plenty about wanting to improve civility or ‘health’ as they call it, but they’ve failed to do—or even allow others to do—the actual work. The only solution is get off Twitter.

2020-03-15: This will be my first Sunday attending Mass on TV. I didn’t realize how isolating this experience can feel. It gives me a deeper appreciation of the home-bound who rarely can make it to their local parish. 🇻🇦

2020-03-14: Orderly Containment We will do our part. Life goes on and so shall we. Each day is precious. 🌸

2020-03-14: Olympic Committee Announces Tokyo Games Will Still Go On As Planned Because True Athletes Embrace Every Obstacle That Comes Their Way - The Onion spectators should not cancel plans to purchase tickets for this year’s Summer Olympics unless they are fair-weather fans who have …

2020-03-14: Perfect time for Matt Maher to put out his new album. 🎵

2020-03-14: No Greater Love: Widow Puts Last Toilet Paper Roll In Offering Plate - The Babylon Bee the church had placed the toilet paper in the supply closet, under maximum security, and began a prayer vigil that God might multiply the roll overnight.

2020-03-14: CNN’s Ratings Collapse As Coronavirus Fears Empty American Airports - The Babylon Bee With airports completely devoid of weary travelers with dead smartphones and nothing to look at but CNN, the core of the channel’s audience has disappeared overnight.

2020-03-13: Whiplash What a crazy week. News updates constantly. The Forecast now darkens.

2020-03-13: It’s great to know that private industry, including Google, are joining the fight. All of those competitors on stage was a powerful message. I hope that there’s transparency around the data that Google will collect/retain/use on the national Covid-19 screening website.

2020-03-13: There’s something comforting about this White House press conference in the Rose Garden with the cherry blossoms in full bloom.

2020-03-13: Even in uncertainty, life goes on. 🌸

2020-03-13: Weber Grill is an amazing company.

2020-03-13: Drug Cartels Switch To Producing Hand Sanitizer - The Babylon Bee Drug cartels are quickly converting their assembly lines to pump out more and more of the hand sanitizer, saying Americans across the border “can’t get enough” of the addictive substance.

2020-03-13: Bernie: ‘We Must Seize The Means Of Toilet Paper Production’ - The Babylon Bee Sanders criticized the free market for having so much prosperity and toilet paper that people could run out and purchase hundreds of rolls they don’t even need on a whim.

2020-03-12: Well Visit Time for her check-up. No shots, so it went just fine. See ya next year, doc!

2020-03-12: Today was absolutely bonkers.

2020-03-12: My kids literally only sleep in on days when we have somewhere to be. 🛌

2020-03-12: Nation’s Nerds Wake Up In Utopia Where Everyone Stays Inside, Sports Are Canceled, Social Interaction Forbidden - The Babylon Bee All types of nerds, from social introverts to hardcore PC gamers, welcomed the dawn of this new era, privately from their own homes.

2020-03-12: NBA Suspends Season Due to Coronavirus - WSJ Only two days earlier, in an attempt to poke fun at NBA restrictions that kept players at a safe distance from reporters in media availability sessions, Gobert went out of his way to touch every microphone and recording device in …

2020-03-11: Clouds Gather We have been waiting. Announcements, cancellations. This will soon disrupt.

2020-03-11: GoldenEye 🍿

2020-03-11: The reports from those who self-quarantine all seem to point towards boredom. Might be a good idea for me to pull together a list of projects that I’d like to finish in the event I have to stay home for two weeks.

2020-03-11: The 2020 Democratic theme of “vote Blue, no matter who” reminds me of the 2012 Republican “anyone but Obama.” That uninspired message failed to resonate. Political parties need to offer voters something substantive, not just an ad hominem argument.

2020-03-11: Trump Instructs Aides To Turn Stock Market Chart Upside Down - The Babylon Bee Trump is also requesting that all time-lapse videos demonstrating the spread of Coronavirus simply be played in reverse to show how it’s now being eradicated.

2020-03-11: Podiums At Next Debate To Be Equipped With Life Alert Buttons - The Babylon Bee “Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t rebut!”

2020-03-10: Bad Cycle I’m in a bad rut. Need to get back on cycle. First thing: waking up.

2020-03-10: The Apple Pencil 2 is excellent.

2020-03-10: Putin Backs Proposal Paving Way for New Presidential Term - WSJ The Russian parliament on Tuesday adopted a proposal that would reset Mr. Putin’s presidential term count, allowing him to run again in 2024, when he is required by constitution to stand down Why even have laws?

2020-03-09: Reluctant Helpers Not reliable. Some days, love to help! Others, Inducements needed.

2020-03-09: Specter of Pandemic - Catholic Husband we are called to care about those suffering around the world. ➕

2020-03-08: Panera Was good, then went south. Seems to be turned around, great! Always friendly place.

2020-03-08: I hate traveling to big cities. The hotel parking rates are absolutely outrageous.

2020-03-08: Affluent Americans Still Say ‘I Do.’ More in the Middle Class Don’t. - WSJ Middle-class Americans are forsaking marriage amid financial insecurity, effectively making the institution more of a luxury good enjoyed by prosperous Americans. This is so dumb.

2020-03-08: Worst. idea. ever. 🕑

2020-03-07: Planetarium Bust Went for a quick show. Topic was weather. A bust! Stick to the stars, bro.

2020-03-07: Lots of visitors coming in the next month. I guess I’ll head outside and open up the lawn tomorrow. 🌱

2020-03-07: Episode 139: Busy Saturday Just back from errands and before starting dinner, I decided to record an episode. Lucy stole the show.

2020-03-07: I just went through my attic looking for my grandfather’s old pocket knife. I can picture what it looks like, but I just can’t remember where I stowed it. Frustrating.

2020-03-06: Late Night Cleanup All but surrendered, Put on podcast, got to work. Done in few minutes.

2020-03-06: Brian Williams Claimed Bloomberg Could Have Given Every American $1 Million. Fact Check: TRUE. But Not All At The Same Time - The Babylon Bee As long as Bloomberg had at least $1 million, he could have given any American $1 million. Then he could just take it back.

2020-03-06: How It All Started: China’s Early Coronavirus Missteps - WSJ But they were prevented by Chinese authorities from alerting their peers, let alone the public. Covid-19 has done a brilliant job exposing the Communist Party of China.

2020-03-06: The US Postal Service is really on top of their parcel game right now. 📦

2020-03-05: Out of Gas Went to grill dinner, Got it started, meat on. But, Flamed out way too soon!

2020-03-05: This Hitch & Timber sheath is really great. Carrying an Alox Farmer Swiss Army Knife inside today.

2020-03-05: Miracle: Coronavirus Passes Over Houses With Chick-Fil-A Sauce Smeared On Door Posts - The Babylon Bee the Angel of Coronavirus passes through each town and city every night and looks for the telltale sign that you are one of God’s elect, Chick-fil-A sauce.

2020-03-05: Nothing Better by The Postal Service 🎵

2020-03-05: What a week in politics!

2020-03-05: Episode 138: Exploring Nature Spring has arrived, though not technically, so we went on a hike to explore nature.

2020-03-04: Rainy Day Start Storms rolled in real strong, Kids really enjoyed action. I love rainy days.

2020-03-04: Figured out how to get Flight Simulator working on my computer again. This is the best! 🛫

2020-03-04: Downgrading software is one of the great problem solving tools ever employed. 🖥

2020-03-04: This is a subscription that we can all get behind. ☕️

2020-03-04: Elections are fascinating to watch.

2020-03-04: Ignorant Boomer Shares CNN Article Thinking It’s Real - The Babylon Bee Thousands of people across social media are sharing CNN stories as real despite the fact that CNN made the switch to creating political satire in 2016.

2020-03-03: Playing with Rice A bucket of rice, Small treasures buried. Digging Is their favorite!

2020-03-03: The World is Not Enough 🍿

2020-03-03: Years-Long, Multimillion-Dollar Nomination Process Narrows Field Down To Four Worst People On Planet - The Babylon Bee So, we’re proud to present the nation with the finest candidates we could come up with: a confused old man, a lying old woman, a billionaire who’s …

2020-03-03: Heading to New Orleans later this month. It’ll be my first visit. Hope the coffee is good.

2020-03-03: Episode 137: Camping Recap Benedict shares his favorite experiences from our camping trip and the girls wish to podcast forever.

2020-03-03: I have my haiku/microcast archive table links in reverse chronological order. Not sure if it makes more sense to have the months laid out in order or not.

2020-03-02: LEGO Instructions Kids love LEGO film. Wrote them instructions. Followed! Easy to relate.

2020-03-02: Tomorrow Never Dies 🍿

2020-03-02: Kids and Lent - Catholic Husband Thankfully, at the center of the teachings of the Church are simple truths. ➕

2020-03-01: Cars Washed Washing both the cars, A task deferred and delayed. Done! Taken care of.

2020-03-01: Currently reading: Patriotic Fire: Andrew Jackson and Jean Laffite at the Battle of New Orleans by Winston Groom 📚

2020-03-01: It was a cool vision of Spring on my walk this morning.

2020-02-29: Trip Ends Early No sleep last night. Ugh! Migraine starts, have to go home. Big disappointment.

2020-02-29: Getting ready to release from tow always causes my stomach to leap.

2020-02-29: Having a garage to air out camping gear is excellent.

2020-02-29: Die Another Day 🍿

2020-02-28: First Camping Trip Drive after dinner, Pitch tent, warm by the fire. He is loving it!

2020-02-28: Camping under the stars.

2020-02-28: We may have overpacked…

2020-02-28: Can’t be a pilot and not own the 737 Aileron.

2020-02-28: Going to early vote today. I’m always disappointed at the lack of information candidates put forward, especially those running unopposed. All candidates owe it to the voters to give justification for your vote. 🇺🇸

2020-02-28: Ready to start packing. I cannot believe how much I underestimated the excitement of taking my son camping for the first time.

2020-02-28: Study Reveals Most Millennials Don’t Have Kids Because Their Parents Can’t Afford It - The Babylon Bee While many of today’s Gen X and boomer parents strongly desire grandchildren, they say they just can’t imagine supporting more children on top of all the concert …

2020-02-28: MI5 Argues for ‘Exceptional Access’ to Encrypted Messages - MacRumors such a move would weaken security for everyone and simply make terrorists and criminals turn to open-source encryption methods for their digital communications Why isn’t this apparent to …

2020-02-27: School Catch-Up Marathon lesson, The boy always impresses. He loves to learn, read!

2020-02-27: Last Holiday received a 56% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and that’s about all you need to know about Rotten Tomatoes.

2020-02-27: Episode 136: After-School Report Benedict shares what he learned in school and Felicity gives heresy a try.

2020-02-27: The first picture of my EDC tools together. Apple Watch, Series 4 Hitch & Timber Bullet Slip Fisher Space Pen Bullet Goodfellow & Co. cotton handkerchief Herschel Charlie RFID Minimal Wallet in Raven Crosshatch Benchmade 535 Bugout Blue rosary

2020-02-27: I’m taking my son camping for the first time this weekend. I wonder what we’re going to do in nature with no TV or plugs. It is time, my son. 🏕

2020-02-27: I filed our taxes on Sunday and the refund arrived this morning. 💵

2020-02-26: Botox Blowout Doctor very late, Head hurting, painful shot series, Like a train hit me.

2020-02-26: Update started. There is no escape.

2020-02-26: Lent 2020 Drop what must be dropped, eliminate what must be eliminated.

2020-02-25: Kids Sit Together PBS Kids on, All three sit on couch at once. They are growing up.

2020-02-25: Zero buzz around Apple Arcade, News, TV+…

2020-02-25: The Boy Scouts’ Survival Plan: Bankruptcy - The Journal. As a Scouting insider, this podcast did a phenomenal job explaining the crisis. Outstanding reporting.

2020-02-25: My AirPods are dead, so now I’m wearing wired headphones like some animal from 2015.

2020-02-25: I get that your truck is big, but parking diagonally and riding the line like this makes parking an unnecessary hurdle for everyone else.

2020-02-25: Last shipments of gear arriving today from REI. Just a few more days before I take Benedict for his first camping trip. This is a much bigger deal than I initially anticipated. 🏕

2020-02-25: Clemency for Rod Blagojevich Came After Long Campaign Tailored to Trump - WSJ a now 38-year-old GOP consultant named Mark Vargas successfully reframed Mr. Blagojevich’s conviction for corruption into a case of prosecutorial overreach This whole story makes me uncomfortable.

2020-02-24: Best Monday Ever With the cleaning done, We were free to run and play. Great day at the zoo!

2020-02-24: Many animals playing in pairs today, but my favorite double was these two river otters.

2020-02-24: Episode 135: Hello Again It’s been too long! I catch up with the kids and talk about what’s going on.

2020-02-24: The spring-like weather at the zoo had all of the animals moving. Even the typically stationary Rhinoceros was walking around. 🎞

2020-02-24: Let Us Go to God’s House - Catholic Husband It’s time for us to wake up from our deep slumber and let that joy fill our hearts on Sunday mornings once again. ➕

2020-02-24: We got cleaning day done yesterday. Today is full of possibilities! 🧽

2020-02-23: Family Cleaning Day Done a day early, The whole team working to clean. Great week coming up!

2020-02-23: Inside the New Haven, CT Amtrak station. I took a trip there with my mom almost a decade ago.

2020-02-22: On the Go All of us in van, Driving all over the town. Made all of our stops.

2020-02-22: Finally had a “clean” tax return. Took me about 30 minutes to get it all taken care of.

2020-02-22: The giraffe feeding is always a spectacle.

2020-02-21: Meeting Mommy Unusual plan, Meeting Mommy after work. Kids thought it was cool.

2020-02-21: Benedict invited me to help build his newest LEGO set. He’s making great progress, I’m just a spectator.

2020-02-21: Google Doesn’t Trip Up Fitbit—Much - WSJ The jump in unit sales suggests that Fitbit buyers aren’t overly spooked at the prospect of having their vital signs piped to a company whose stated mission is to organize and make “universally accessible” the world’s information. Sad.

2020-02-20: Force Multiplier More hands make light work. Kids helped get house in order. They can do a lot.

2020-02-20: Sometimes, when shopping on the Internet, it’s difficult grasp the scale of the item. This rosary arrived much bigger than expected.

2020-02-20: Roger Stone Sentenced to Three Years and Four Months in Prison - WSJ Stone’s conduct displayed flagrant disrespect for the institutions of government as established by the constitution, including Congress and this court A judiciary that rises above the fray. Always inspiring.

2020-02-20: Genius: Church Introvert Wears Mask So People Will Think He Has Coronavirus - The Babylon Bee A church greeter then approached him to say hi, saw the mask, and dove behind the coffee bar instead.

2020-02-19: Big Kid Walk Hold hands and walking, Oldest and youngest have fun. A sight to behold.

2020-02-19: My son absolutely loves space. Can you spot the constellation he created on his bedroom wall?

2020-02-19: All this time and the Apple stock Clock.app is the only one with a live icon.

2020-02-19: China Expels Three Wall Street Journal Reporters - WSJ All three have reported on the Chinese Communist Party’s mass surveillance and detention of Uighur Muslims in the country’s far western Xinjiang region. Purely coincidental.

2020-02-18: Kids Cart Target is friendly, Three kid carts galore, perfect! Easy way to shop.

2020-02-18: The swirl of cream and coffee in each cup create unique pieces of oppositional art.

2020-02-18: It’s been a few days now, and I’m loving the Benchmade Bugout. The design is absolutely delightful. So easy to carry.

2020-02-18: Car Dealers Warn of Lack of Young Buyers for New Vehicles - WSJ “But we can’t discount the role that higher monthly new car payments and insurance play on lower sales.” Insightful.

2020-02-18: Teens Are Deleting Instagrams Almost as Fast as They Post Them - WSJ they are routinely culling their Instagram feeds and deleting posts just days or even hours after they go up Posts gone forever, which is incredibly sad. We aren’t teaching the proper use of the Internet.

2020-02-17: Efficiency The whole house was cleaned, Before we sat down to lunch. Way to go, teamwork!

2020-02-17: Beautiful day outside. Took the kids to the retreat center to explore the grounds.

2020-02-17: Done with cleaning the house before lunch. Not bad!

2020-02-17: Teaching Kids Why - Catholic Husband I do know that if I can spark that interest in them, they will eventually find what they’re seeking. ➕

2020-02-17: In the event that you’ve questioned the ability of Yeti ice to deliver cool results. This is 24 hours in the Hopper Two.

2020-02-16: Cleaning Date First date in a while, Spent cleaning, organizing. Office is now great!

2020-02-16: Two weeks until our first camp out and I still need to decide on which rest pad I’m going to use.

2020-02-16: Spent the afternoon sprucing up my wife’s office. Very nice transformation.

2020-02-16: Currently reading: Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father by Donald Calloway, MIC 📚

2020-02-15: Morning of Reflection Ten brothers gathered, Sharing faith, life, and the Word. A most welcome rest.

2020-02-15: Today is a very special day.

2020-02-15: I’m starting my Consecration to St. Joseph tomorrow. Really glad that Fr. Calloway took the time to develop and publish this devotional for men. My consecration date is March 19th, St. Joseph’s feast and the seven year anniversary of my blog.

2020-02-15: I spent the morning at a local retreat house. It’s nice to take some time to find balance.

2020-02-14: Valentine Lunch Made it down for lunch, Kids and Mom at her office. We should go again!

2020-02-14: Errands all morning, lunch at the office with Mom, and now a bit of school and play time. Nice Friday so far!

2020-02-14: Valentine’s morning mug of warmth.

2020-02-13: School Upstairs Change of scenery, School in office while I worked. They loved it! Do again.

2020-02-13: More of a fall than a rise. My Dad dropping a pair of GBUs at the range.

2020-02-13: I was having a really hard time connecting my bank accounts to YNAB. Then I decided to change my password to remove crazy characters. Now, I’m in Direct Import heaven! 💸

2020-02-13: The color orange brings me joy.

2020-02-13: I’m still in the hunt for making my iPhone minimalist. Time for another round of app revisions.

2020-02-13: I love the art that Ludivico Einadui creates. Apple Music makes discovery so simple and the HomePod fills my home with beauty. 🎵

2020-02-13: Something about February makes me want to work on a project. This year, the project is making my wife’s office more comfortable. Last few supplies are being delivered today and we’ve hired a babysitter for Sunday afternoon to watch the kids while we complete the updates. 🏗

2020-02-13: It occurs to me that since I don’t do business with Amazon, I shouldn’t be linking to them from my blog. Going forward, links in all of my book reviews will either go to the author’s website (always my first choice) or a non-Amazon bookseller.

2020-02-13: Book Review: Rhinoceros Success 📚 I first read this book a decade ago. On a regular basis, usually in January, I pick it up and run through it again as a refresher. It’s a great motivational book that’s a quick read. It helps me to get my head back in the game. Well written and enjoyable. Would I recommend: YES …

2020-02-12: Grease Fire Making oven lunch, One minute left. No! FIRE! Need extinguisher.

2020-02-12: I’ve slimmed down what I carry in my pockets, but this knife is one attachment that I added. It’s come in handy a number of times already.

2020-02-12: Proposed rule: stop using other people’s bad behavior as a justification for our own.

2020-02-12: Pope Rebuffs Call for Married Priests in the Amazon - WSJ he mentions other ways to relieve the priest shortage in the Amazon, including praying for more vocations and encouraging more missionaries to serve in the region. Yes! Missionaries are the right fit solution.

2020-02-11: Rainy Errands Rain pouring outside, Why not run some errands? Huh, No one else is out.

2020-02-11: West German Highway Airfield Exercise - YouTube I always thought this was a cool operational tool. It’s fun to see a stretch of highway turned into a temporary airfield.

2020-02-11: I’m working on building out my EDC kit. I picked up some plain handkerchiefs because I’ve been stranded one too many times while out in public.

2020-02-10: Deluge We were in a drought, But that all changed today. Oof. None, now there’s too much!

2020-02-10: The REI Co-op logo is a sign of fun & adventure on its way.

2020-02-10: Four Members of China’s Military Indicted for Massive Equifax Breach - WSJ A federal grand jury in Atlanta returned a nine-count indictment last week that accused members of China’s People’s Liberation Army of conspiring to steal reams of data China, our partners in …

2020-02-10: Finished reading: Rhinoceros Success: The Secret To Charging Full Speed Toward Every Opportunity by Scott Alexander 📚

2020-02-10: Hooray for being able to turn off auto-capitalization on the iPad keyboard.

2020-02-10: Preparing for Lent - Catholic Husband The spirit of Lent is not the 40 day timetable with breaks on Sunday. The spirit of Lent is the same one shared by St. Francis, constant renewal. ➕

2020-02-09: Web Design Relief A strange thing happens, Migraine stops while designing. Noodling is good!

2020-02-09: Had a lull in my web design project, so I went for a walk.

2020-02-08: Coffee with Friend A country diner, Coffee and two hour chat. Time very well spent.

2020-02-08: Street tacos for dinner. 🌮

2020-02-08: My favorite contrast in nature.

2020-02-07: Library Fun Ours is not too good, So we tried a new one. Great! The kids had a blast!

2020-02-07: I ordered some flashlights by Anker, one of my favorite tech companies. These things are BRIGHT! 🔦

2020-02-07: FedEx marked a package as left at my door… except that it wasn’t. I’m expecting to see one of my neighbors with it around dinner time.

2020-02-07: I prefer to view the world from up above.

2020-02-07: A rare logistics day. Deliveries will be arriving from FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, UPS, and the US Postal Service. 📦

2020-02-06: Science Museum First option canceled, Pivot to Science Museum. No protest from kids.

2020-02-06: Just about the only plant in bloom this time of year.

2020-02-06: What is the virtue of paying for an annual membership to a children’s museum when they close without notice for a field trip? Sternly worded letter to be sent.

2020-02-06: In the week since it’s release, Fantastical has fallen to 2.9 stars (from the mid-4s) and #127 (from the top 20) in the Top Paid Productivity app ranking. That’s what we like to call the market speaking.

2020-02-06: I wish that all financial institutions put as much thought and creativity into their credit/debit card designs as REI did. These cards are always with us, and a little bit of delight goes a long way in brightening your day.

2020-02-06: App subscription fatigue is real and reaching a breaking point - iMore But I can understand those who feel a bit…betrayed. Thoughtful analysis on where we are in the app ecosystem today.

2020-02-06: Bernie Madoff Says He’s Dying, Requests Early Release From Prison - WSJ Mr. Madoff, who has served the first decade of a 150-year sentence, has chronic kidney failure and 18 months to live No.

2020-02-06: James Madison 1, Nancy Pelosi 0 - WSJ Opinion In the bitter end, what has all of this accomplished? The House has defined impeachment down to a standard that will now make more impeachments likely. “Abuse of power” and “corrupt motives” are justifications that partisans in both …

2020-02-05: Back in the Swing Complete and defer, Clear off the desk. Got it done. Back on top, baby!

2020-02-05: Couple On Keto Plunged Into Sin After Tasting Forbidden Bread - The Babylon Bee We may eat of everything the Lord has given us – cheeses, meats, eggs and very limited carbohydrates, but if we eat bread, we will surely die. Or at least gain weight or something

2020-02-05: I ended up switching my hosting over to Dreamhost. Their support of the Micro.blog Kickstarter is what helped me make up my mind.

2020-02-05: The neighborhood hides in a heavy thunderstorm. ⛈

2020-02-05: Shopping for girls clothes from the Spring Collection is always fun. 🌼

2020-02-04: Attempted Tent Sleeping Big kids put in tent. Hours chatting, giggling. Well, up to bed then!

2020-02-04: Juan Guaidó at the State of the Union was pretty cool.

2020-02-04: After cooking with gas for 2.5 years, I would find it very difficult to go back to an electric stove.

2020-02-04: REI - A Breath of Fresh Air: 5 Minute Nature Meditation Brilliant!

2020-02-04: Took the kids to our favorite coffee spot this morning. ☕️

2020-02-04: Privacy by default with Brendan Eich from Brave - 1Password Your data belongs to you, and you should control who can access it. Brendan’s contributions to the open web are incredible. We’re all better for his life’s work.

2020-02-04: Somewhere in America, a group of people in a room designing the Super Bowl halftime show agreed on two things: it is art it will entertain That is a very depressing reality.

2020-02-03: Playing in Nature Went to wash the car, Kids played in the yard, happy. Nice being out there.

2020-02-03: I love the reflection off my car’s paint when it’s nice and clean, but then I don’t want to drive it when it’s wet outside.

2020-02-03: Rich Sales Boost Coffee Creamers - WSJ They don’t like black coffee. They like coffee milkshakes. Nailed it!

2020-02-03: I had so much fun driving to REI yesterday and picking up some camping gear. Shopping in store is so much more satisifying than online. 🏕 Bonus: the store was empty because everyone was getting ready for the Super Bowl.

2020-02-03: Consistency - Catholic Husband Being consistent as a parent is the hardest thing to do, but it’s the most important thing to do. ➕

2020-02-02: Super Bowl Shopping Trip to the city, Roads and stores are empty. Nice! Enjoy the game, folks!

2020-02-02: We’ll be able to see some wonderful sights on our outdoor adventures with our new gear.

2020-02-02: U.S.-European Friction Over Wiring Is Latest Complication for 737 MAX Return - WSJ highlights the emergence of a series of new technical challenges and delays confronting the Chicago plane maker as it strives to get the MAX back in the air world-wide. Perfect isn’t safety.

2020-02-01: A New Tradition Just father and son, He’s excited for this troop! He starts down the trail.

2020-02-01: Went to a home build site this morning with my son’s scouting group. The roof is still under construction. That’s what I’d call open.

2020-02-01: While Brexit and the Impeachment were difficult to experience, the wonderful thing about both is that a political process was used to resolve disputes, not weapons and violence. Election seasons can be equally annoying, but the process is inspiring.

2020-02-01: Best of luck to the people of the UK! 🇬🇧

2020-01-31: Quiet Day Kids play together, Happily build forts through rain. What a nice, small treat.

2020-01-31: Apple’s Carpool Karaoke is a colossal waste of money.

2020-01-31: The folks over at Flexibits must be feeling pretty down. They work really hard on version 3 of their flagship app, botch the release, and watch their hard-earned rankings and ratings tank in just 24 hours.

2020-01-31: The Bee Explains: Coronavirus - The Babylon Bee How many calories does the coronavirus have? Coronavirus Extra has 149 calories, while Coronavirus Light has only 99 calories with the same delicious symptoms.

2020-01-31: Flexibits released an update that stops most of my accidental Fantastical Premium invocations, but the menus are littered with the little red stars indicating premium only options. Still feels cheap.

2020-01-31: Here’s Buzzer, the robot Benedict built this morning.

2020-01-31: Episode 134: Chatty Kids In a departure from our normal recording, all three kids wanted to talk and they each had plenty to share.

2020-01-31: The best part about payday is getting to play with YNAB.

2020-01-31: Walmart has quietly taken away many of the consumer-friendly policies they had for Grocery pickup when they first rolled out. I’m souring on Walmart, again.

2020-01-30: Back to Zero Sick kids all this week, Fell behind on everything. Evening to catch up.

2020-01-30: I know I said people should cash checks immediately, but the sole exception should be rent checks. Those should be held until the 1st.

2020-01-30: The IRS released the 2020 W-4 form and it looks like it might make withholding actually correlate to projected taxes owed.

2020-01-30: Apple’s App Store still limits developers’ options for how to make money - The Verge if you see an app switch to a subscription model, it’s not necessarily doing so because it’s the trendy thing to do — instead, there may not be any other real choice. Important to note.

2020-01-29: Nap Time Lay her in the crib, Cover with blanket. Oh my, Looks so cozy. Join?

2020-01-29: If you get the impression that most new cars look alike, you’re right! I’ve been learning about how government regulation and consumer safety demands have boxed in designers.

2020-01-29: I just realized that Reeder.app allows me to choose a custom icon on iOS. This is one of my favorite iOS features and I wish apps were more vocal about this option being available!

2020-01-29: Arab Leaders’ Support for Mideast Peace Plan Marks a Regional Shift - WSJ The U.A.E., Bahrain and Oman all sent their U.S. ambassadors to the White House on Tuesday This is really unexpected. One of those lingering global disputes that deserves resolution.

2020-01-29: Offering v2 customers the same features in Fantastical 3 sounds like a good idea. Until every three taps I inadvertently try to do something “premium” and it prompts me to upgrade.

2020-01-29: Fantastical Unifies Its Mac, iOS, and Apple Watch Calendar Experience With Weather, Tasks, Meeting Proposals, and More - MacRumors Fantastical is transitioning to a premium subscription model Ummmmmmm….. this is weird.

2020-01-29: I don’t understand why all checks aren’t cashed immediately.

2020-01-28: Now the Smallest It must be her turn, Smallest is now the sick one. Poor baby, rest love.

2020-01-28: German Bishops Rethink Catholic Teachings Amid Talk of ‘Schism’ - WSJ Ludwig Ring-Eifel, head of the German bishops’ news agency, estimates that around two thirds of the bishops—the threshold for passing a resolution—support the ordination of married men and women deacons and …

2020-01-28: Harvard’s Chemistry Chair Charged on Alleged Undisclosed Ties to China - WSJ a researcher at Boston University was also charged with failing to disclose her affiliation with China’s People’s Liberation Army while working at the university. It’s the little details.

2020-01-28: Rainy mornings are the ideal start to my day. 🌧

2020-01-28: It appears that I’m in need of a new web host.

2020-01-27: Girls Help Clean Cleaning at nap time, Thought was the only time. No! Girls love to help me!

2020-01-27: Currently reading: Rhinoceros Success: The Secret to Charging Full Speed Toward Every Opportunity by Scott Alexander 📚

2020-01-27: Oh, how one errant comma can wreck an entire block of CSS.

2020-01-27: I love the way that heavy cream swirls through a tall glass of cold brew coffee. ☕️

2020-01-27: Your Wife Claimed She Was ‘Fine’ And That ‘Nothing Is Wrong.’ Fact Check: FALSE - The Babylon Bee Our research indicated that you did something to upset her, but honestly, dude, we have no idea what that might be. You probably said something dumb.

2020-01-27: Book Review: Free to Focus 📚 I really wanted to enjoy this book. Michael Hyatt regularly writes and speaks on topics that interest me, but for some reason they just don’t click with me. Perhaps it’s because he’s pivoted to focusing on “high performers” and I’m just a stay-at-home dad, but it’s disappointing …

2020-01-27: As it turns out, my girls love to help me clean!

2020-01-27: Another day of sick kids.

2020-01-27: Normalcy - Catholic Husband If you can only build the better version of yourself when things are normal, that better version will always be out of reach. Get the work done, even if it’s imperfect and even if it’s not on schedule. ➕

2020-01-27: Finished reading: Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less by Michael Hyatt 📚

2020-01-26: Small UAS A short refresher. Unmanned aerial system, Licensed and ready.

2020-01-26: Episode 133: Alonecast Benedict & I snuck away on a sleepy Sunday afternoon to discuss a few of his favorite things.

2020-01-26: Sometimes I start writing a blog post with just a simple idea and finish with something profound.

2020-01-26: In Major Deal, The Babylon Bee Purchases Competing Satire Site CNN - The Babylon Bee The Babylon Bee has been the world’s best satire site for thousands of years, spawning dozens of secular knock-offs that just aren’t quite as good.

2020-01-25: Saturday Recovered Lazy Saturdays, Too many in a row. No, Not today! Lots done.

2020-01-25: I’m working my way through aviation safety training with the WINGS program. I forgot how fun all of this stuff is.

2020-01-25: A treat at the end of a good Saturday.

2020-01-25: Finally got our Christmas decorations put away.

2020-01-24: Errands While Sick I took a big risk, Ran errands with two sick kids. Pulled it off; donuts!

2020-01-24: Getting into Unmanned Aerial Systems is not cheap.

2020-01-24: Episode 132: Sick January We’ve been traveling and sick. Hello again, folks!

2020-01-24: I put in an order at Sporty’s for some flying gear. I’m excited for my upcoming trip!

2020-01-24: Waiting for a Moderate Democrat on Abortion - WSJ Opinion Those who march come together to stand against abortion, the most significant human-rights abuse of the modern era. Truth is a powerful thing.

2020-01-24: Saudi Crown Prince Calls Jeff Bezos To Casually Ask Him About His First Pet, Mother’s Maiden Name, And The Street He Lived On As A Child - The Babylon Bee “So, anyway, I know you’re busy, just wanted to chat for a few minutes. By the way, what was the name of your …

2020-01-24: New Figures Suggest Apple’s Location Privacy Controls in iOS 13 Are Working - MacRumors Since the launch of iOS 13 last fall, third-party access to users’ background location data has reportedly declined by 68 percent Great! More of this.

2020-01-24: Isn’t it terrible that so many business owners think a Facebook page is a suitable replacement for an actual website? Trying to figure out what a local LEGO shop offers, but can’t cobble together an idea based on their feed.

2020-01-24: I love the sound of the Keurig warming up in the morning.

2020-01-23: Bird Gets Wings Long been a penguin, Now back to a bird that flies. Taking to sky, soon!

2020-01-23: I’m thinking about buying a drone.

2020-01-23: Russia’s Parliament Passes Putin’s Constitutional Plans on First Reading - WSJ All 432 lawmakers were in favor of the bill and the vote was followed by a standing ovation. The only real way to demonstrate a healthy democracy.

2020-01-22: Super Sick Kids Started real early, Two of three out of play, ouch. Low key kind of day.

2020-01-22: Quitting Amazon has done wonderful things for my spending.

2020-01-21: Drive Thru Errands Four errands to run, Kids stayed in seats the whole time. This is the life, friends!

2020-01-21: Media Offers Thoughts And Prayers That Someone Would Start Some Violence At Gun Rights Rally - The Babylon Bee Reporters expressed their grief and condolences as the violence they hyped has so far failed to materialize.

2020-01-21: New, Deadlier AR-16 Introduced Which Is An AR-15 Wearing A MAGA Hat - The Babylon Bee knowing a gun is a supporter of Donald Trump makes it even more terrifying

2020-01-21: Closed my account with the Cash app by Square. I was one of the first people in the door, but in the end, it’s not a good service. No insurance over loss of funds if the company closes, subpar support, and little discernible effort to combat fraud.

2020-01-21: Apple Reportedly Dropped Plans for End-to-End Encrypted iCloud Backups After FBI Objected - MacRumors the company did not want to risk scrutiny from public officials for potentially protecting criminals, or promote new legislation against encryption What a cowardly mistake.

2020-01-20: Men at House A weird schedule, Three service men came to house. I felt productive!

2020-01-20: Safelite was here to repair my windshield. The tech also cleaned all of my glass and vacuumed my interior. An unexpected, and nice(!), touch.

2020-01-20: Flu-like symptoms have been at the gate of our home, but the flu shot seems to be doing its job keeping symptoms on the mild side.

2020-01-20: My son is watching Apollo 11. Liftoff was at 9:32am and I’m shocked at the number of men captured in the footage drinking beer that early in the morning.

2020-01-20: Cherish Your Children - Catholic Husband If I cherish my children, and I want there to be no doubt of my love in their little minds and hearts, then I need to arrange my life to communicate that. ➕

2020-01-19: Sickness Rolls In Aches in the morning. Fever by the afternoon. The flu now cometh.

2020-01-19: Richard Gere is great.

2020-01-19: I don’t understand the fraud in the Cash App with random people sending me money, but it’s annoying.

2020-01-19: As it turns out, I’m getting sick.

2020-01-19: There’s a very fine line between tired and totally relaxed.

2020-01-18: Go Go Go Four hour meeting, Errands and then confession. Dinner, baths, and bed!

2020-01-18: Now that I have clothes that fit me and my style really well, I’m noticing that I’m more comfortable in public. It’s the little things.

2020-01-18: It’s nice to be a part of something bigger.

2020-01-17: New Strategy Long migraine attack, Back to basics, lifestyle. I cannot be beat.

2020-01-17: Just estimated our taxes for 2019. We’ll be getting a refund of less than 2% of our total tax bill. I’ve never gotten this close before!

2020-01-17: It’s my one year anniversary of leaving Google and getting my iPad Pro. No regrets on either account!

2020-01-16: New Dentist New dentist for girls, Good report cards for all! Yay! Keep up the good work.

2020-01-16: Panel Clears 737 MAX’s Safety-Approval Process at FAA - WSJ the plane wouldn’t have been safer if it had been scrutinized as an all-new aircraft, according to an independent panel It’s really encouraging when these types of panels can take the heat to render sound judgements.

2020-01-16: ‘I’m The Student Loan Fairy And I’m Here To Pay Off Your Debts!’ Cries Elizabeth Warren While Dangling On Wires Above College Kids - The Babylon Bee Todd Freeman, a Canadian Studies major, was eating a deconstructed avocado sandwich when he looked up to …

2020-01-16: iMessage Stickers, well that was a bust.

2020-01-16: My kids don’t always sleep in, but when they do, it’s on the rare day when I need them up early.

2020-01-16: Just a rainy day. 🌧

2020-01-16: Man Afraid He’ll Seem Vulnerable If He Reaches Out To Fire Department For Help I don’t know if I can humiliate myself by asking another grown adult to drive a fire truck over here.

2020-01-15: All Caught Up A week on the road, Finally back on the horse. A weight is lifted.

2020-01-15: Florida toll roads, with their multitude of agencies, policies, payment options, and penalties, are beyond stupid. How does a State so dependent on tourism allow such a convoluted system to be implemented?

2020-01-15: ‘Megxit’ Causes Global Uproar. Canada Shrugs. - WSJ Queen Elizabeth II is Queen of Canada Lamest title ever.

2020-01-15: During his reading lesson, my son asked if he could learn “the pirate way.” The premise is simple. When he reads a word, he uses it in a sentence that pirates would say. Word read: “When” Sentence: “When do we hit the treasure, mateys?”

2020-01-15: Target was abandoned this morning. I guess Christmas is over.

2020-01-15: The Case of Bill Barr vs. Apple - WSJ Opinion If American tech companies offer backdoors for U.S. law enforcement, criminals would surely switch to foreign providers. Oh, really good point.

2020-01-14: Slow Unpacking Unload and reset, Always a big job to do. I did not finish.

2020-01-14: Just learned that our health plan pays the administrator extra for better trained customer service reps. Oh you fancy, huh?

2020-01-14: There’s nothing quite like coming home from a trip and sleeping in your own bed.

2020-01-13: Delay Avoided Crash, highway shut down. Quick, take exit, surface streets! Serious time saved!

2020-01-13: Full size replica of the Lunar Module. Way bigger than I imagined.

2020-01-13: Stopped at a NASA Visitor’s Center on the return trip. My son is very excited.

2020-01-13: Seeking Rest - Catholic Husband Rest is something deep; it’s finding a sense of peace. You can only get that peace when you fulfill your responsibilities and take care of your physical needs. ➕

2020-01-13: Taxes on hotel rooms are really crazy.

2020-01-12: Return Trip Days out on the road, Energy depleted, yawn. At least good weather.

2020-01-12: Geez, ads make the Internet ugly.

2020-01-11: Wedding Day Clear skies and a breeze. Happy people all around. The day is now here.

2020-01-11: Gorgeous January day.

2020-01-11: Beautiful weather in Miami. It feels refreshing, like the first warm-up of spring.

2020-01-10: Festivities Begin Rehearsal, then food. Miami dinner in tent. Friends, family, enjoy!

2020-01-10: Love the view from my hotel room… right at the end of a runway!

2020-01-10: Trump’s Approval Rating Among Terrorists Hits All-Time Low - The Babylon Bee just half said they would like to see the president dead. The others claimed they would be perfectly happy with a pallet full of cash

2020-01-10: Everyone On The Internet Awarded Honorary Degree In International Affairs - The Babylon Bee the institutions wanted to honor those people who are suddenly experts on the Middle East, terrorism, and the intricacies of Iranian government

2020-01-09: Hello, Family All arrived today. Hotel full of family! First time in a while.

2020-01-09: Feels like spring.

2020-01-08: Easy Travel Prep was not that great, But the travel was real smooth. Car travel is great!

2020-01-08: I called the property management company yesterday at noon about a major water leak in the yard. Still haven’t heard back.

2020-01-08: CNN Attacks Babylon Bee: ‘The Internet Is Only Big Enough For One Fake News Site’ - The Babylon Bee Reporters at the media outlet also pointed out that their news was “much faker” than The Babylon Bee’s.

2020-01-08: Iran Announces They Will Stop Pretending To Follow Nuclear Deal - The Babylon Bee Iranian officials then revealed that their National Center to Help Children and Orphans and their Department of Puppies and Candy were actually nuclear facilities in disguise this whole time.

2020-01-08: Warren Proposes Bankruptcy Overhaul in Return to Signature Issue - WSJ “Our research ended up showing that most of these families weren’t reckless or irresponsible—they were just getting squeezed by an economy that forced them to take on more debt and more risk to cling to their …

2020-01-07: So Far Behind Needed to get done, Just couldn’t pull it off. But, Wife came home and helped!

2020-01-07: The two dumbest automotive regulations in the United States: Mandatory front license plates Annual inspections

2020-01-06: Water Turned Off Repair down the street, Turn on faucet, no water! Angry call ensued.

2020-01-06: United Methodist Church To Split Over Whether Or Not To Be Christians - The Babylon Bee a tentative plan to split the church over differences on whether or not Methodists should be Christian or some sort of social group with a vague deist motif that makes up morality based on …

2020-01-06: So much to do today, I really should get started.

2020-01-06: Twenty Twenty Focus - Catholic Husband Distractions and thoughts percolate, but when I’m meditating, I have permission to not act. ➕

2020-01-05: Cars Needed Washed I didn’t want to, Been weeks, had to get it done. Now they look quite nice.

2020-01-05: Iran Lacks Allies in Confronting the U.S. - WSJ Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a phone call Friday with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the killing “grossly violates the norms of international law” and urged Washington to “solve all problems at the …

2020-01-05: Iraqi Parliament Votes in Favor of Expelling U.S. Troops - WSJ BREAKING: Iraqi Parliament votes to expel U.S. troops from the country, after airstrike that killed top Iranian military leader Incredible. Iranian-backed lawmakers pushed this through under the guise of protecting …

2020-01-04: Resisting Naps Not the easiest, Resisting the weekend nap. I failed, but I won.

2020-01-04: I sometimes don’t want to take the time to sit down and write a blog post, but usually walk away satisfied for having done the work.

2020-01-04: I could really go for a nap.

2020-01-04: Episode 131: Buzz In Space Benedict has some plans.

2020-01-04: Enjoying a slow start on a cold Saturday morning. A hot mug of one of my favorite blends of coffee, music on the HomePod, and a cinnamon coffee cake in the oven.

2020-01-04: Book Review: The First Commandment 📚 As the Scot Harvath series matures, I’ve found that many of the plot elements to be disturbing. Thor has a dark side, and he doesn’t mind trodding it out. Many of the attacks and interrogations in this book made me quite uncomfortable. That being said, the books continue to read …

2020-01-03: Major Restoration Hard to believe it’s done, Entire house is picked up. Now, weekend ready.

2020-01-03: Ludovico Einaudi: Apple Music Live from the Steve Jobs Theater. 🍿🎵 I’m glad that Apple spent the money to record this concert. Ludovico creates truly beautiful music.

2020-01-03: Jingle All the Way 🍿

2020-01-03: Reaction to U.S. Strike Killing Iranian Military Leader Falls Along Party Lines - WSJ In a statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) warned against “engaging in provocative and disproportionate actions” The United States takes out a key leader in a designated terrorist …

2020-01-02: Out of Service Head pain took me out, Nothing got done today. But, Girl liked to cuddle!

2020-01-02: One-Year-Old Girl Can Be Removed From Life Support, Texas Court Rules - WSJ “Tinslee Lewis is terminally ill and tragically there is no chance she will recover,” he said. “The pro-life position does not mean the law must require physicians to use medical interventions that are …

2020-01-02: I love delicious recipes that only require me to combine raw ingredients and cook for hours. Tonight’s stew is going to be excellent.

2020-01-02: Get Smart 🍿

2020-01-01: A Decade Dawns From a humble start, Resting all throughout the day. Here we go again.

2020-01-01: Finished reading: The First Commandment by Brad Thor 📚

2020-01-01: New Year, YNAB fresh start! 💵

2020-01-01: MAX Crashes Strengthen Resolve of Boeing to Automate Flight - WSJ Executives at Boeing and Airbus have said they are also designing flight-control systems tailored for younger pilots, who generally have less flying time in their logbooks—and a more innate familiarity with …

2020-01-01: FDA to Ban All E-Cigarette Pod Flavors Except Tobacco and Menthol - WSJ The action is seen as a compromise between Trump administration officials who want to address a rise in teen vaping and those concerned about the impact on small businesses and the possible political fallout …

2020-01-01: The Interconnectedness of Faith and Reason - Applied Bioethics To reject either faith or reason is to reject essential components of humanity. They are connected in their essence, building upon one another to the benefit of humanity. ⚕️

2020-01-01: Hello, 2020.

2019-12-31: 500th Haiku Two years of writing, End year, decade milestone. Now, five hundred more!

2019-12-31: According to Day One, I’m on a 1,462 day journaling streak.

2019-12-31: 2019 The last week of the year is one of my favorites. I always get a renewed sense of energy as the opportunity and hope of a new year arrives on the horizon. I spent the past week enjoying the joy of Christmas and wrapping up some long overdue projects. By every measure, 2019 was a …

2019-12-31: Episode 130: Year In Review I take a few minutes to talk to the kids about how their year went.

2019-12-31: Lots of end of year administrative tasks to get done today. Plus, getting ready for a YNAB Fresh Start tomorrow!

2019-12-31: Dawn breaks at the end of the decade.

2019-12-30: Zoo to Ourselves A chilly morning, Not too many folks at zoo. I like it that way.

2019-12-30: Bad experience with Shutterfly this year. Might be my last.

2019-12-30: 2 out of 3 of my children’s favorite attractions are closed on Mondays. That makes for an excellent cleaning day. 🧽

2019-12-30: Just received my final Amazon order. 📦

2019-12-30: A Remarkable Year - Catholic Husband In the past fifteen years of my life, none have been as categorically successful as 2019. ➕

2019-12-29: Tables Turned Monday cleaning day, But I finished on Sunday. Starting off ahead!

2019-12-29: I’m using the Focus planner in GoodNotes. I didn’t think I’d enjoy it as much as I am. The coolest feature is the ability to print out completed worksheets with my handwriting on it!

2019-12-29: Sunday morning, rain is falling. ⛈

2019-12-29: Small-Town America Fights for Its Life - Washington Examiner More couples meet because of Emerald Isle, and more people get married because of St. Patrick’s. Raising children still isn’t the economic boon it was for the farmers of 60 years ago, but it’s less daunting …

2019-12-28: Wrapping Up End of year is near, Spending time clearing the decks. Best week of the year.

2019-12-28: I told Alison that dinner would be at 6:30pm. It’s coming out of the oven at 6:27pm. Nailed it.

2019-12-28: A Unicorn Lost in the Valley, Evernote Blows Up the ‘Fail Fast’ Gospel - The New York Times Evernote has a different, more mature goal. It expects to reach positive cash flow this year, with annual revenue of nearly $100 million. I’m glad to see this story. I was really spooked …

2019-12-28: Cooking my favorite meat pie while the kids pick up their toys and Olafur Arnalds plays on the HomePod.

2019-12-28: Episode 129: Underwater Batman Benedict brings you this interview from an underwater reef.

2019-12-28: I love this week between Christmas and New Years. So much productive energy to check long overdue projects off my list.

2019-12-27: Lots of Errands Lots of time in car, Some stores hit twice. Kids were good. Lots of folks out there.

2019-12-27: I enjoy a nice scented candle.

2019-12-26: Christmas Recovery Lots of emotions, Wear out the little ones. Sigh, A day spent resting.

2019-12-26: Incredible album, all these years later.

2019-12-26: Pre-tied bow ties are so weak.

2019-12-26: Banks Own Thousands of Railcars but Don’t Know What to Do With Them - WSJ nearly 400,000 railcars are in storage Whoa.

2019-12-26: I found some presents this morning that Santa forgot to put under the tree. He must’ve been up very late this year.

2019-12-26: Excellent present!

2019-12-26: I think Apple should get with Goldman Sachs and issue a physical debit card tied to Apple Cash. It’d be nice for them to go head-to-head with the other fintechs doing the same.

2019-12-26: I’m still delighting in the new glyphs in iOS 13.

2019-12-25: Glory to God With Us Weeks spent preparing, The birth of the Savior comes! A season of Joy.

2019-12-25: Miss Congeniality 🍿

2019-12-25: Christmas was born, your kingdom come, glory to God with us! Angels adore, bow down before, glory to God! Born on that Day by Matt Maher

2019-12-24: Cleaning for Santa Whole crew enlisted, Preparing home for Santa! This is a great day.

2019-12-24: Are we sure that DHL isn’t secretly run by the French? Or perhaps the Italians?

2019-12-24: The economics of eating at home are absolutely crazy.

2019-12-24: Watching a squirrel meticulously bury a nut in my backyard is satisfying. 🐿

2019-12-24: 10 years ago today. It was cold, but beautiful to see all of that snow-covered landscape from the air.

2019-12-23: Rocket Scientists Kids got out the kit, Built their own rockets. So proud! Good together play.

2019-12-23: I’m considering removing my feed from the social side of Micro.blog. If you want to keep following along, including my daily haiku(!), my RSS feed link features prominently on my site.

2019-12-23: The Joy of the Season - Catholic Husband What better way to crown the year than with the joy of Christmas. ➕

2019-12-22: A Day of Rest Nice day, went for walk. Got all of my Things done. Ah. View into future.

2019-12-22: O Come, o come, Emmanuel!

2019-12-22: ‘Amazon’s Choice’ Isn’t the Endorsement It Appears - WSJ The Journal identified dozens of products that fail to meet safety standards, banned items, and listings falsely claiming official safety certification. Hard to say who’s had more scandals this year: Amazon or Facebook.

2019-12-22: Pilots, Not the Plane, Keep the Boeing MAX Grounded - WSJ Afoot in global regulatory circles already was a tendency, now accelerated, to reduce expectations about what pilots must know and do from memory. Bingo.

2019-12-22: Looks like Apple Maps made their deadline.

2019-12-21: Christmas Cookies The dough was prepared, Baked to perfection. Now there’s Plates full of cookies!

2019-12-21: Episode 128: The Polar Express I talk to a few passengers from last night’s ride on The Polar Express.

2019-12-21: Just realized I can right click on a blog in MarsEdit and grab the URL. What a great feature!

2019-12-20: Polar Express A new tradition, Night train ride to the North Pole. Always a good time.

2019-12-20: At the North Pole. 🎞

2019-12-20: All aboard The Polar Express!

2019-12-20: The Polar Express pulling into the station. 🎞

2019-12-20: Currently reading: Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less by Michael Hyatt 📚

2019-12-20: Watching the birds struggle to find lift on a cold winter day reminds me of the joy of soaring.

2019-12-20: The best thing I can do when I have a migraine: eat a good meal. The thing I least want to do when I have a migraine: prepare a good meal.

2019-12-19: Almost Missed Trash Busy week for trash, Almost forgot to put out. Made it just in time.

2019-12-19: So much cardboard! 📦

2019-12-19: I don’t mean to brag, but I have a ticket on the Polar Express tomorrow evening. I’m traveling to the North Pole and expect to see Santa there. 🎅

2019-12-18: Plans Change A whole big schedule, Changed in an instant, sick kid. Instead we hung out.

2019-12-18: Trump Administration Weighs Plans to Reduce Student Debt - WSJ White House and Education Department advisers think a program to cancel a large portion of student debt would be unfair to taxpayers Ya think? Also, why has no one proposed ending this debt trap program?

2019-12-18: I mailed a package USPS today for $29. The shipping included $50 in insurance. I told the postal clerk if they lost the package, I’d double my money!

2019-12-18: I’m constantly reminded of the importance of knowing the specifics of my insurance benefits. The doctor’s office can help, but it’s not their responsibility. Mistakes are made all of the time and I’ve saved thousands in out-of-pocket expenses catching …

2019-12-18: Apple, Amazon, Google, and Zigbee Alliance to Develop Open Standard for Smart Home Devices - MacRumors For consumers, this should ultimately lead to more smart home accessories that support multiple platforms like HomeKit and Alexa This is a great idea for 2014!

2019-12-18: I updated my page of Haiku to make navigation a bit easier. As of today, I’ve written 485 poems summarizing each day since August 20, 2018. I love how long-term habits come together to form a beautiful body of work.

2019-12-18: Apple’s Steve Jobs Takes Gamble on New iPad - WSJ For Mr. Jobs, it is an attempt to convince consumers they need yet another gadget—one between their mobile phones and laptop computers. I read this on my iPad. Thanks, Steve!

2019-12-17: Big Brother Helps Time to run errands, Brother helps girl put on shoes. Daily growth adds up!

2019-12-17: Secretive Surveillance Court Rebukes FBI Over Handling of Surveillance of Trump Aide - WSJ The court ordered the government to explain to the court by early next year what steps it was taking to prevent such lapses in the future. Embarrassing, but democracy is working!

2019-12-17: I have a full list of my daily haiku going back to August 2018. I currently have them sorted by month. I’m wondering if it’s time to take another look at organizing all of that poetry.

2019-12-17: A few more changes KonMari-ing my dresser, and this is the final result: my base layer drawer. This picture is so satisfying.

2019-12-17: Congress just authorized the creation of the US Space Force in the 2020 NDAA. All of this was done without articulating why this massive new expenditure is necessary or entertaining any substantive public debate. Was there even discussion about a better name?

2019-12-17: Looks like this morning’s blog post about why I’m quitting Amazon came out just a little bit too early. Another damaging investigation into Amazon’s business: You Might Be Buying Trash on Amazon—Literally - WSJ.

2019-12-17: I wonder if Apple is going to reach their 12/31 deadline to roll out Apple Maps to all of the United States.

2019-12-17: Goodbye, Amazon On November 10, 1999, I placed my first order on Amazon.com. I had a copy of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler shipped to my house overseas for some pleasure reading. In the past twenty years, Amazon.com has grown from an online bookseller into the World’s …

2019-12-16: Full Cleaning Day First time in a while, Laundry, cleaning, all one day. Little hand sure helped!

2019-12-16: US Justice Department to review Google’s deal for Fitbit, sources say have urged antitrust enforcers to block the deal on the grounds that it will give Google even more data about American consumers Weak argument. People know this and still use Google services.

2019-12-16: Amazon Blocks Sellers From Using FedEx Ground for Prime Shipments - WSJ sellers now account for more than half of the merchandise sold on Amazon’s website, including many items listed as eligible for Prime Amazon’s dirty secret.

2019-12-16: A consolidated laundry/cleaning day once a week is clearly the best way to go. 🧺

2019-12-16: Episode 127: Cleaning Day Kisses This episode was supposed to be about LEGOs, but we ran out of time cleaning.

2019-12-16: It’s Not You. Clothing Sizes Are Broken. - WSJ There are no standard clothing sizes This needs to be a 2020 plank. Standard Sizing for All!

2019-12-16: Hoping to get our Christmas card photo back today so I can get those ordered. I love that Christmas is a season, not just a day. Too much joy to be stuffed into only 24 hours. 🎄

2019-12-16: Not from Scratch - Catholic Husband Perfection is mythology; don’t need to reinvent the wheel just to do something nice for your family. ➕

2019-12-15: Rest on Sunday Supposed to each week, Haven’t been resting Sunday. A goal for next year.

2019-12-15: I shall respect Rex I shall never misuse Rex Kwon Do I shall be a champion of freedom and justice Rex Kwon Do Honor Code

2019-12-15: Napoleon Dynamite 🍿

2019-12-15: I bought a shirt at my favorite coffee shop while visiting Cape May. They stored the shirts on open shelves right behind the coffee machines. Even after bringing it home and washing it, the shirt is still infused with the smell of coffee. Delightful!

2019-12-14: Evening Off Everything got done. Watched Jack Ryan this evening. And that was that.

2019-12-14: When I take a hard look at my list in Things, only about 5% of my tasks really need to be done today. I’ve started deferring the 95% over a longer period of time. They need to get done, but not all of them right now. This strategy leaves more time for rest and play.

2019-12-14: My 2019 Year in Books from Goodreads. Another great one!

2019-12-14: A little treat for the family when they climb out of their warm beds on a cold December morning.

2019-12-14: Study Finds Correlation Between Judging Parents With Misbehaving Kids And Never Having Been A Parent - The Babylon Bee The groundbreaking research also showed that the vast majority of careful plans and strategies people have for raising their future children are immediately …

2019-12-14: Surprise blueberry muffins come out of oven. 6 year old suddenly appears in the dark, “Daddy, what’s that smell?”

2019-12-13: Loose Ends Tied Long term web project, Tying off in a nice bow. Great way to end year.

2019-12-13: Episode 126: Lucy’s Feast Day We’re celebrating today and Lucy feels quite chatty. Enjoy!

2019-12-13: Moved my Hofler&Co. cloud typography link from the footer to head.html and now the fonts render on initial page load. I feel like I should’ve figured that out sooner.

2019-12-13: Micro.blog is brilliant in the way that it scales. Looking for a simple, fast way to get your thoughts onto your blog? 👍🏻 Want to dive in deep and customize the look and feel of your site? 👍🏻 Need a sandbox to play? 👍🏻 Remarkable progress in just two short years.

2019-12-12: Footer Refresh, Deux Back to start from scratch. Simplify, standardize, done. Good use of hour.

2019-12-12: Top Lawmakers Say Bipartisan Spending Deal Reached - WSJ There’s a meeting of the minds Spoiler alert: everyone joined hands and decided to spend truckloads of money! 💸

2019-12-12: I updated my footer with the new Font Awesome Micro.blog icon. Will be rolling out updates to all of my sites in the coming weeks.

2019-12-12: In 2019, I finally achieved many goals that I had worked on for years. I guess that means I’ll need to spend serious time planning my brand new 2020 goals.

2019-12-12: All of those Target moms with their one kid in the cart are so cute. They can’t hang with me and my crew.

2019-12-11: Day of Change Always once the same, Ready to make a change. Wow. This will take some time.

2019-12-11: Wahoo! Micro.blog is now a part of Font Awesome 5!

2019-12-11: The die is cast.

2019-12-11: Vatican Uses Donations for the Poor to Plug Its Budget Deficit - WSJ Only 10% of donations to the Peter’s Pence collection go directly to charitable works Guys, get it together!

2019-12-11: I’m really tempted by Shawn Blanc/The Sweet Setup’s 2020 iPad planner. It looks like using my Apple Pencil/iPad Pro would be awesome. My track record with planners, however, says I should pass.

2019-12-11: Aviation geeks like to use the abbreviation IFE for “in-flight entertainment.” Pilots know that IFE always means “In-Flight Emergency.” Great memories of the excitement of my solo cross-country IFE. America has a fantastic procedure for helping pilots in distress.

2019-12-11: Wise Man Who Brought Myrrh Thought They All Agreed On A Spending Limit - The Babylon Bee That’s why I distinctly remember us setting a denari limit on the gifts. What happened

2019-12-11: Wife Delivers ‘State Of The Household’ Address As Soon As Husband Gets Home Each Day - The Babylon Bee Andrea has a lifetime term in the position and has very high approval ratings in the polls when polling data excludes little Bobby, 3, when he is sitting in timeout …

2019-12-10: Long Meeting Usually done quick, Tonight’s went twice as long. Sigh. Need better planning.

2019-12-10: I think the greatest life skill that a parent can teach their child is the ability to work/play independently.

2019-12-10: Finished folding my dresser clothes KonMari style. Where has this method been all of my life?

2019-12-10: I just priced three items between Target and Walmart, and Target was cheaper each time. Impressive.

2019-12-10: Special thanks to all of the delivery workers with FedEx, UPS, and the United States Postal Service who are out there making it happen!

2019-12-09: Go, Go, Go Started up at dawn, Errands, chores, run, run, run! Man, I’m straight worn out.

2019-12-09: Episode 125: Oatmeal The Snowman We’re back! After a trip, recovery, and a week of sickness, I catch back up with the kids to see what they’re up to.

2019-12-09: Myanmar Leader’s Genocide Defense at U.N. Court Rallies Supporters at Home - WSJ Ms. Suu Kyi’s office has accused the large numbers of international groups and journalists that have been gathering evidence of bias. Maybe the Nobel Peace Prize should be awarded posthumously.

2019-12-09: China Says Students at Xinjiang Detention Centers Have All ‘Graduated’ - WSJ drawing broad skepticism from human-rights activists Congratulations to the Class of 2019! Go out there and don’t make trouble for your benevolent governerment!

2019-12-09: My thoughts are turning towards my New Year goals/lifestyle adjustments.

2019-12-09: Everybody Helps - Catholic Husband We can’t all do the same thing, but we can all do something. ➕

2019-12-09: Swiss Fiber TV Service ‘Salt’ Launches Alternative Apple TV 4K Remote Control for Frustrated Customers - MacRumors I don’t mind the Apple remote, but yeah, this one looks much better.

2019-12-08: Back in Saddle Hard work afternoon. Checking things off, getting done. Ready for the week.

2019-12-08: Book Review: Takedown 📚 I took this book in my bag to the beach over Thanksgiving for some recreation reading. It served its purpose. I breezed through it in a few days, with lots of enjoyment. It would’ve been better if I knew New York City geography. Even without that knowledge, this was a solid …

2019-12-08: So much to get done today. I’m going to see if the kids will be my helpers again. There’s a cash reward involved, so I feel good about my chances. 💵

2019-12-08: The new version of Clear to do is getting long in the tooth.

2019-12-07: Making Progress Help from wife and kids, Getting house back in order. Another day, two.

2019-12-07: I replaced a dead light switch in my dining room. After getting the switch out, I noticed that the electrician ran a ground line to the box, but no one ever grounded the switch. Wow.

2019-12-07: Nice paint job, bro.

2019-12-07: House Passes Bill To Limit Robocalls - The Onion American Voices Just make it punishable by death. How hard is that? Agreed.

2019-12-07: I’m not a guy who likes chapstick, but Burt’s Bees Vanilla Bean is on point.

2019-12-06: Overwhelmed Long trip, messy house. Need to clean up, energy. One day at a time.

2019-12-06: Trump Administration Weighs Putting Amazon Foreign Sites on ‘Notorious Markets’ List - WSJ The Notorious Markets list names and shames companies and countries that allegedly don’t take steps to stop counterfeiters. Amazon is getting absolutely hammered this year.

2019-12-06: Currently reading: The First Commandment by Brad Thor 📚

2019-12-05: In-Person Web Design Client came to town, Months of backlog done in night. Easier when here.

2019-12-05: Google Management Shuffle Points to Retreat From Alphabet Experiment - WSJ I will continue to be very focused on Google and the deep work we’re doing to push the boundaries of computing and build a more helpful Google for everyone Please don’t.

2019-12-05: Anker makes a great product.

2019-12-05: Once a Tool of the Elite, Metal Credit Cards Now Turn Up Everywhere - WSJ It really did make me feel important instantly. … Corey Beverly of Greensboro, N.C., polishes his Apple card every six weeks Okay, now we’ve really lost it.

2019-12-05: Document signing in Apple Preview is the best.

2019-12-05: I really should’ve started taking Flonase a few days before mulching leaves.

2019-12-05: I’m really enjoying my new iPhone wallpaper.

2019-12-05: Experience the power of a bookbook™ - YouTube The best!

2019-12-05: Who Does What at Home? Try Using Business Titles to Divide Chores - WSJ David Gartner, San Francisco I’m chief creative officer, and my wife, Liore, is chief operations officer. We’re both co-CEO and director of growth. Or just, you know, work together and get it done.

2019-12-04: Handyman Mess It comes no surprise, Handyman left mess in wake. Most of day cleaning.

2019-12-04: Bombshell Testimony Reveals Some People Do Not Like President Trump - The Babylon Bee they all confirmed the startling revelation: some of the country does not care much for Trump and wants him to be impeached

2019-12-04: My father-in-law is coming for a visit and my kids are really excited. So excited, in fact, that they kept asking for jobs to help me get the house ready. Very nice!

2019-12-04: How hard would it be for iOS to display potential new wallpapers with your current app layout on top of it? Showing you the preview, with no apps, is great for the lock screen, not so great for the home screen.

2019-12-04: The best way to wipe a child’s nose is to sneak up behind them like a ninja.

2019-12-04: I got my class ring resized. Feels great to have clothes (and rings!) that fit.

2019-12-04: I love using my Feedbin newsletter email address to get free resources from blogs. Great way to get the bonus and then burn when the content doesn’t pan out.

2019-12-04: Hospital Groups Sue to Block Price-Transparency Rule - WSJ Administration officials have said they are on solid legal ground and that the rule will drive down prices by making consumers wiser shoppers. Certainly for self-pay, maybe not such a slam dunk for commercially insured.

2019-12-03: Digital Recovery I let some things slide. Hours of digital work. Still behind the curve.

2019-12-03: I recognize only one of the Apps of the Year. How much things have changed.

2019-12-03: Got everything put away from the trip, but still really behind on digital tasks. Errands and restocking the house on the docket this morning.

2019-12-03: A nice memory from Cape May.

2019-12-02: Leaves Have Fallen Returned from my trip, Massive leaf piles in yard. Two hours to mulch.

2019-12-02: Ordering shoes online is the worst.

2019-12-02: Unpacking after a trip is almost as overwhelming as packing.

2019-12-02: Some people get excited for Christmas music. I get excited for Christmas dishes. 🎄

2019-12-02: I took two weeks off of my strict diet and food logging over my vacation. I gained 1.8lbs, well within my normal fluctuation. I feel really great about my progress this year!

2019-12-01: Home At Last The last leg of trip, Always the hardest. Traffic, Tears. Let me get home!!

2019-12-01: Is this trip over yet?

2019-11-30: Thanksgiving Road Traffic Felt smart, early start. Great beginning, but wait, worse! So many people!

2019-11-30: ‘Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ Cast Members Clock Into Amazon Warehouse For Mandatory Black Friday Overtime Shift John Krasinski had been written up for failing to scan 300 warehouse items per hour, causing Amazon to fire him from his starring role in Jack Ryan.

2019-11-30: Drivers of the American Northeast: learn some manners.

2019-11-29: End of Trip Friday night packing, The fun has come to an end. It was a nice trip!

2019-11-29: Atlantic dawn.

2019-11-28: Thanksgiving Beach House Little kids running, Tables full of food, people. Thankful at the beach.

2019-11-28: Another stunning sunset.

2019-11-27: Coffee Shop Fun Local coffee shops, Fun to check them all out, drink, All the local brews.

2019-11-27: Just finished my 40th book of 2019. 📚

2019-11-27: Beach & Brew.

2019-11-27: Finished reading: Takedown by Brad Thor 📚

2019-11-27: Humble Service: Leading Your Family as a Stay-at-Home Dad is now available.

2019-11-26: Family Photo Session Eight kids in photo, Hard to get all smiling. One should turn out, tho.

2019-11-26: Afternoon at the beach.

2019-11-26: Out for a walk in town.

2019-11-26: Black Friday on the App Store used to be insane. Those were the days.

2019-11-26: Bloomberg No News - WSJ per a memo Sunday from John Micklethwait, Bloomberg’s editor in chief. “We will write about virtually all aspects of this presidential contest,” he said, adding that a Bloomberg reporter has already been assigned to Mr. Bloomberg’s campaign. But “we will …

2019-11-25: Walk in Town A nice night out there, Went for a walk in town. Dark, Quiet streets. Lovely!

2019-11-25: I enjoy walking the sleepy streets of beach towns.

2019-11-25: Dreamsicle sunset.

2019-11-25: The day is nearly done.

2019-11-25: Big day tomorrow. A few last tasks to check off my list.

2019-11-25: Y’all got any peacock food?

2019-11-25: Pope Offers Nuclear-Power Caution After Meeting With Victims of 2011 Japan Disaster - WSJ Never has humanity had such power over itself, yet nothing ensures that it will be used wisely, particularly when we consider how it is currently being used

2019-11-24: Always Messy Kitchen House full of people, The kitchen is never clean. Easier at home!

2019-11-24: By the Numbers 0%: the amount of influence that Twitter, Facebook, and their advertisers have on me. 0%: the odds of foreign governments influencing me via social media. No accounts, no problems!

2019-11-24: How a Facebook Employee Helped Trump Win—But Switched Sides for 2020 - WSJ Mr. Barnes said he remains supportive of Facebook’s mission but is uneasy about the company’s influence on political discourse. TL;DR: The platform is a weapon pointed at you. Delete your account.

2019-11-24: Beach town sunset.

2019-11-24: I’m glad that I discovered the SSL issues on my book’s website two days before launch. Now I have time to fix them!

2019-11-24: Amazon is ticking me off.

2019-11-24: Episode 124: Spooky Story Felicity tells a spooky story and talks about her adventures at the beach yesterday.

2019-11-23: Saturday at Walmart Do you need some things? Best to not try Saturday. That was my mistake.

2019-11-23: Currently reading: Takedown by Brad Thor 📚

2019-11-23: Made it to the sea.

2019-11-22: Traffic Design Far from perfect plan, Too much traffic, too few routes. Someone please fix this.

2019-11-22: I love when clouds do this.

2019-11-21: Tough Travel Day It’s never easy, Traveling with little kids. Today was just that.

2019-11-21: Nice day.

2019-11-20: Ready to Roll The van is all packed, The house is neat and tidy. Let’s go to the beach!

2019-11-20: I made it through 15 minutes of the first episode of The Morning Show. Apple TV+, like News+ and Arcade, are just not for me.

2019-11-20: I’m glad that Congress passed a bill in support of Hong Kong today. The international community really needs to step up to the plate and back the pro-democracy movement. 🇭🇰

2019-11-20: The NASA computer from today’s podcast.

2019-11-20: Episode 123: Space Computer I talk to three very happy children about what they’re playing with this morning.

2019-11-20: I’ve just learned about the existence of the organization National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance.

2019-11-20: I can’t get apps from the Mac App Store to update on macOS Catalina. The download circle shows up, and hangs at 0% progress.

2019-11-20: Former U.K. Consulate Employee Says Chinese Secret Police Tortured Him - WSJ He was told to say “master” any time he wanted to speak and was slapped in the face if he forgot, he said. The real China. How many people are daily subjected to arbitrary detention & torture?

2019-11-19: Garage Work More work on the car, Kids helped, played for three hours. That was really fun.

2019-11-19: How does iExit not have a CarPlay app?!

2019-11-19: What’s the best way to post to @Blot on iOS/iPadOS?

2019-11-19: Now that Castro will sync podcasts to my Apple Watch, I’m ready to get a cellular model.

2019-11-19: Chick-fil-a’s Philanthropy The Chick-fil-a Foundation announced a change in giving strategy for next year, which has sparked considerable discussion around the beloved restaurant. According to their Form 990, the CFA Foundation gave about $15.7M in gifts in 2018. That total is separate from any local …

2019-11-19: Hundreds of Protesters Released From Besieged Hong Kong University: ‘I Feel Lucky to Get Out’ - WSJ “If we don’t do anything the world will forget us.” We must confront brutal regimes wherever they are. When citizens are brave enough to face them down, we must help. 🇭🇰

2019-11-19: Jesus Never Said ANYTHING About Felony Home Invasion - The Babylon Bee These words imply that, if anything, Jesus was in favor of felony home invasion.

2019-11-18: Fonts I love CSS. A bit of work, uniform. Go consistency!

2019-11-18: Poverty - Catholic Husband Donating to a food pantry, or making a financial contribution to a charity working with migrants and the displaced, makes a difference. We have the power to ease the suffering of our neighbors. ➕

2019-11-18: Moon shot.

2019-11-18: Fonts are fun.

2019-11-18: Nurse at my appointment, like she’s doing me a favor: “I’m going to see if I can get the doctor to see you a little bit faster.” Me in my mind: My appointment was supposed to start 32 minutes ago.

2019-11-18: Now that I’ve standardized footers across my websites, I’m turning my attention to my web fonts. I’d appreciate any feedback you might have on my demo site. Once I’m happy with the fonts there, I’ll roll them out everywhere.

2019-11-17: Ahead of Schedule Only the first time, Two days ahead of schedule. Very impressive.

2019-11-17: More EU Nations Seek to Expand Aviation Taxes - AirlineGeeks.com the European Commission specifically refers to passengers as “polluters” implying that this tax is mainly to be a punitive measure Disgusting.

2019-11-17: U.S. Struggles to Crack Down on Chinese Efforts to Recruit Scientists - WSJ While association with a (Chinese) Talent Program is not illegal, it can create incentives to steal, violate export controls, or (at a minimum) conflicts of interest Agreed.

2019-11-17: It’s interesting to see all of the backlash to the current smoking public health emergency. I’m not sure what’s upsetting folks. My read: people are getting seriously hurt, the medical community isn’t sure why, so let’s pump the brakes.

2019-11-16: New Babysitter Old one went to school, First time with the new. Kids love, Will hire again.

2019-11-16: What’s the rule on hot fixes in production? Oh, right, never try it on your secondary computer when you have to leave for an appointment in less than 30 minutes. I managed to completely wreck a site and then fix it just in time.

2019-11-16: After over two years of no analytics on my websites, I’ve decided to go with Fathom. I like that they respect user privacy and I’m confident that the code is light enough to not cause performance issues. As an added bonus, by using Fathom, I’m not feeding the Google machine.

2019-11-16: Walmart Grocery is starting to make me take most of my stuff back to the store when there’s an issue. The whole point of pickup/delivery is for me to not have to go into the store. The process is a thorn in my side.

2019-11-16: Taking a look at web fonts again. Nice to see that Hoefler & Co. have made some value-added changes to their service since I last used it.

2019-11-15: Busy Weekend Ahead So much to get done. Will need to enlist my kids. Should be a good time.

2019-11-15: Walking in the Cold My early morning walks are always tested by the heat of summer and the cold of winter. I think that winter presents a bigger challenge to me because I have to get out of the comfort of my warm bed. Either temperature extreme can be difficult to deal with, especially when I think …

2019-11-15: I used to be a double Windsor man, but have apparently transitioned to a single. It must have something to do with the width of my ties. 👔

2019-11-15: Browns Star Myles Garrett Attacks Steelers Quarterback With Helmet - WSJ “I made a mistake,” Garrett said after the game. “I lost my cool, I regret it.” Quite the mistake, ripping a man’s helmet off and bludgeoning him with it.

2019-11-15: Lawmakers Ask Watchdog to Probe Case of FBI Source Found Dead Overseas - WSJ “We continue to have serious questions about Billy’s disappearance and death,” Ms. Stabenow said. Great development. The FBI clearly needs help.

2019-11-15: Episode 122: Sharks It’s Friday morning, and if you were looking to increase your knowledge about sharks, you’ve found the right podcast!

2019-11-15: U.S. Presses South Korea to Pay More for Military Alliance - WSJ North Korea said… Washington “had better behave itself” I’m with the DPRK on this one.

2019-11-15: Elizabeth Warren’s Tax Plan Would Bring Rates Over 100% for Some - WSJ investors would also pay a deferral charge to compensate for the financial benefit of not having to pay tax over the entire holding period. The real beneficiaries? Tax attorneys and professionals.

2019-11-14: Home Improvement A two year issue, Will take two weeks to fix up. I miss my bathroom!

2019-11-14: Amazon Returns at Kohl’s Accepting Amazon returns in store is a brilliant business move by Kohl’s. Their CEO, on a recent earnings call, reported that in-store traffic and sales are on the rise as a result. I made my first in-store return yesterday, and I hated every minute of it. At my local Kohl’s …

2019-11-14: Whistleblower Alerts Adam And Eve That God Withholding Knowledge Of Good And Evil From Them - The Babylon Bee Critics claim the whistleblower has an ulterior motive in reporting this possibly faulty information since he was reportedly thrown out of heaven after an unsuccessful …

2019-11-14: Few smells in the kitchen are as good as butter and onions sautéing. 🧄🧈

2019-11-14: I guess the team at Logi reads my blog. Getting HomeKit Secure Video enabled now.

2019-11-14: Google Analytics Alternative - Fathom Analytics Giving you access to this service means that they (Google) have access to your visitors’ browsing data. It’s funny to think about, but website owners who use Google Analytics are actually part of the problem.

2019-11-14: The Banality of Impeachment - WSJ they are turning impeachment into a routine political weapon, and future Presidents of both parties will regret it. I already regret it.

2019-11-14: Chick-Fil-A Employee Throws Down Staff Which Turns Into Snake Eating Popeyes’ False Serpents - The Babylon Bee “Well at least I’m open on Sundays,” said the dejected Popeyes employee, gathering his trick-staffs from the ground. Reciprocating with a smug, “So is Hell,” …

2019-11-13: Errands Close Together Four stops of errands, Most across street from other. Annoying car seats!

2019-11-13: The 1905 Collection at Jos. A. Bank is excellent.

2019-11-13: My barber spent more time talking to me about my weight loss at my haircut than my doctor did at my physical.

2019-11-13: Amazon returns at Kohl’s makes me mad at Amazon AND Kohl’s.

2019-11-13: My son’s pumpkin had an Easter egg on the back this year: an angry robot that he designed.

2019-11-13: Wipr FAQ Recent versions of Safari have Intelligent Tracking Prevention, which is a cool but relatively conservative way to limit tracking. Wipr is ruthless. This dev knows how to FAQ.

2019-11-13: Next in Google’s Quest for Consumer Dominance—Banking - WSJ The company will have to convince a public that is increasingly wary of how tech companies are using personal data that it can be trusted with people’s finances. Spoiler alert: they can’t.

2019-11-13: Book Review: No-Drama Discipline 📚 I really enjoyed reading The Whole Brain Child last year by these authors. In many ways, I treat parenting books as a la carte. I take the bits that I think are useful, and leave the rest. The same is true for this book. Honestly, I got some really good insights. But overall, I …

2019-11-13: The Ordinary People Who Brought Down the Berlin Wall - WSJ He gathered his men and said, in effect, that either they were going to start shooting or they were going to open up. In a moment that changed history, Jäger decided to open up

2019-11-12: Blood Draw Son had some blood drawn. Quiet, pale, flush, then sick. Yikes! He got over it.

2019-11-12: Finished reading: No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel, MD and Tina Payne Bryson, PhD 📚

2019-11-12: Biggest U.S. Milk Company Dean Foods Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy - WSJ consumers’ decadeslong move away from traditional cow’s milk, as beverage sales shift toward bottled water, fruit juices and milk alternatives made from soy and oats. Not me!

2019-11-12: Nice to be in the library. 📚

2019-11-12: It’s the middle of November and I’m still waiting on HomeKit Secure Video and HomeKit routers.

2019-11-12: Bug in Facebook App Accesses the Camera in the Background - MacRumors Facebook vice president of integrity Guy Rosen this morning said that it “sounds like a bug” and that Facebook is looking into it, but Facebook has not officially commented on the issue. Bug or …

2019-11-12: It took FedEx SmartPost six days to move a package 200 miles. It passed within five miles of my house on its first night in transit. What a joke.

2019-11-12: I spent quite a bit of time on my retreat this weekend thinking about the best way to use my devices. I’m currently going through and reorganizing my iPhone and iPad.

2019-11-12: Lazy Journalism I can’t stand lazy journalism, especially when it fails to provide consumers even the least bit of context. As a pilot, I notice this laziness frequently in aviation reporting. CBS News ran a segment about “dozens” of 737NGs being pulled from service “worldwide” due to cracks in …

2019-11-12: How to Have a Recovery Day With the Apple Watch – Shawn Blanc Play, Mind & Body, Flexibility, Climbing, Indoor Cycle, Core Training, and Strength Training Wow! I need to investigate these “other” workouts.

2019-11-12: Indoor climate control is a wonderful thing.

2019-11-11: Veterans Day Scourge of global war, A day to thank those who fought, For a noble peace.

2019-11-11: Google’s Secret ‘Project Nightingale’ Gathers Personal Health Data on Millions of Americans - WSJ Neither patients nor doctors have been notified. At least 150 Google employees already have access to much of the data on tens of millions of patients I can’t believe this news.

2019-11-11: Service It’s troubling that many merchants and employers no longer follow the Federal Government in closing on Veterans Day. It’s true that many Americans fail to observe the day in any meaningful way, but the significance of the memorial cannot be understated. Our global community has …

2019-11-11: Apple Arcade is not for me.

2019-11-10: Return to Home A nice, restful break. Recharged, now ready to serve. Hello, family!

2019-11-10: Retreat Experience This past weekend, I went on a retreat at a local retreat center. It was my first private retreat in twelve years. I left all of my devices at home. I didn’t read a book, I just existed. I dove into my thoughts, walked the retreat center’s grounds, and relaxed. It was a deeply …

2019-11-09: A Time Apart No screens to distract, No responsibilities. The peace of retreat.

2019-11-09: 2019: A Banner Year By almost every measure, this has been a fantastic year for me and my family. It seems that so many of my multi-year goals/projects all came to completion this year. It’s a new feeling to me, but one that’s deeply satisfying. I hit my weight goal (Eight years of work) My dad got …

2019-11-08: Start of Journey Set off into dark, A quiet time for myself. The retreat begins.

2019-11-08: On Retreat It’s been eight years since I made my last silent retreat. At a retreat house on the banks of the Potomac River, I took a few days to do nothing but focus on myself. Last Christas, Alison gave me the gift of a private retreat, which I’ll be making this weekend. 46 hours of a …

2019-11-08: YouTube video title by Business Insider: Why Coca-Cola Invented Fanta in Nazi Germany. Desperate.

2019-11-08: Blackouts, Fires, High Gas Prices: Who Wants to Live in California Today? - WSJ Long known as the home of easy living, with its beaches and year-round sunshine, California is increasingly seen as a perilous and unlivable place where the government and corporate institutions …

2019-11-08: Parents: If you’re in need of a digital thermometer that actually works and is consistent, I can vouch for this one. I don’t understand why it’s so hard to make a thermometer, but apparently it is. I’m glad my wife found it.

2019-11-08: HVAC installers will be here to put in a new furnace. They were supposed to be doing an installation on new construction today, but rescheduled since we have no heat and cold weather in the forecast. I really appreciate when companies are run by humans.

2019-11-07: Space Birthday Cake A popular treat, Chocolate cake, made like space. Makes a nice breakfast!

2019-11-07: I need to get groceries tomorrow, but HVAC installers will be here early putting in a new furnace. This is the kind of situation that grocery delivery was made for!

2019-11-07: Store intentionally puts light-up toys and candy by the cash register, only for the manager to complain that kids don’t move out of his way because they’re too distracted to hear him. That’s on you, bro.

2019-11-07: Road Rage I love that I can go out and run errands while everyone is at work and school. No one likes traffic, and the fact that I can be out and about when traffic volume is light is wonderful. I move quickly and efficiently. Yesterday, I had to go across town on one of the busier streets …

2019-11-06: Car Windows Down Beautiful fall day, Drove around with windows down. Nice experience!

2019-11-06: UPS delivered the final paperback proof of Humble Service this afternoon. Everything looks great! The cover design is the trickiest element, but it came out as I planned. I’m so happy with the way that this idea progressed into its final, beautiful form.

2019-11-06: I’ve been having issues with iCloud Drive for the past day or so. It’s great when it works, and annoying when it doesn’t!

2019-11-06: Episode 121: Last Day We go outside to blow bubbles and discuss why today is a special day.

2019-11-06: I don’t think that Starbucks coffee is all that unique. When consumed without sweetener, it’s a bit generic and has little personality. I think that explains all of the flavor options.

2019-11-06: Annual Wellness Visit I went in today for my annual wellness physical. I don’t think it’s common for men of my age to participate in routine healthcare, but the visit is included in my health insurance plan. I have nothing to lose. Since I go in every year about this time, I was very excited I …

2019-11-06: Why did they make Snoopy in Space into 12 small episodes? Each episode is only eight minutes long. Frustrating!

2019-11-05: Crazy Day I like early starts. Plans came together, then broke. Never boring, though.

2019-11-05: Now that I’m done with my book, I can move on to some other projects. I started with my site footers and now I’m going to loop back and make some improvements to a client’s site.

2019-11-05: ‘The Onion’ Announces New Nationwide Literacy Program Encouraging Kids To Read ‘The Onion’ For An Hour A Day just one hour a day of reading The Onion is directly correlated with higher lifetime earnings, admission in Ivy League colleges, higher testosterone levels

2019-11-05: Visa Introduces New Preloaded Debt Card - The Onion The debt card offers something for all our customers, whether it’s young people who haven’t had a chance to go into the red yet, or families who could use a little help toward losing their home.

2019-11-05: 4 Times Mark Cuban Begrudgingly Offered A Contestant A Deal On ‘Shark Tank’ Because The Contestant’s Sob Story Was About The Time He Hit Them With His Car I’ve been feeling really awful since Mark Cuban drove his car into me while I was walking into the studio this morning.

2019-11-05: Medicare-For-All Worries Seniors Who Want To Keep Medicare’s Quality And Efficiency All To Themselves - The Babylon Bee With Medicare, I get high-quality, cost-efficient, problem-free healthcare whenever I want, with no restrictions or rationing at all.

2019-11-05: iCloud/Apple is so bad at contact photos. I spend so much time aligning and arranging the photos, only for iCloud to screw it all up.

2019-11-05: Daughter just crashed with a fever at 102. Poor little girl. Kids are so cute when they’re sick.

2019-11-05: I bought a FontAwesome 5 license during their Kickstarter back in 2017. I finally got to use that license on my footer project yesterday. I love these icons. FontAwesome marked the Micro.blog icon as “in progress” four days ago. Perfect timing. 👍🏻

2019-11-05: What a crazy morning. I feel really behind/overwhelmed. Busy afternoon, too!

2019-11-05: One Bucket I love to budget, or at least I love managing my budget. For years, before YNAB, I’d budget by using accounts. I had many accounts spread across several banks. It was a lot to manage, but it kept everything very clear to me. With YNAB, I keep everything in a single checking …

2019-11-04: Footer Delight A goal now achieved, Unified footers on all! I am now at peace.

2019-11-04: I am the king of my footer.

2019-11-04: Dealing with 3rd Party sellers in the Amazon Marketplace is just the worst.

2019-11-04: California Incredible news coming from the Pacific Coast. The massive, extended rolling blackouts, wildfires, over a decade to fix utility infrastructure, yikes! It’s hard to believe that a single utility company bears so much responsibility for these woes. The Editorial Board of The Wall …

2019-11-04: Photos in iOS13 is great. I love how it surfaces old memories, like the time I took Alison flying in a glider.

2019-11-04: Middle daughter woke up sick. There goes today’s schedule! I write about this kind of thing extensively in Humble Service.

2019-11-04: This picture of newly-built 737 MAX aircraft on the ramp by Lindsey Wasson for Reuters is really cool. I love seeing all of the liveries together. It’s also cool to see the old and new United liveries next to each other.

2019-11-04: AirPrint is one of the best utilities ever.

2019-11-04: Eight years of tracking, over just like that.

2019-11-04: Roger Stone Trial Likely to Be a Spectacle - WSJ Contacted for comment, Bruce Rogow, Mr. Stone’s attorney, said: “I enjoy reading the WSJ and will look forward to your article. It will be an interesting trial.” A much better reply than, “No comment.” Well done!

2019-11-03: Afternoon Shopping Eight stops today, Getting supplies for our trip. Fun time together.

2019-11-03: Cool clouds as we ran errands this afternoon.

2019-11-03: Just witnessed OfficeMax charge a really old man to scan and email two sheets of paper. No class!

2019-11-03: Book interiors of Humble Service have been delivered to Apple and Amazon. I ordered one more paperback proof to verify layout with the final page count. Digital versions will release at midnight on November 26th. I expect the paperback edition to be available in the afternoon.

2019-11-03: I love when Apple breaks their own software with OS releases and then doesn’t fix it. iTunes Producer 3.1.1 doesn’t work in Catalina. I installed it on my MacBook Air running Mojave and got a certificate expired warning. Classic!

2019-11-03: Standing Behind Your Product We bought a new set of flatware in late August. We really like the set, especially the weight and the design. Frustratingly, rust spots have started to develop on the handles of the knives. The flatware is made of the same material, with the same finish, but the spots only appear …

2019-11-02: Ready to Publish Book finally done! Ready to be released, soon! Feels just like it should.

2019-11-02: Just complied the files of the First Edition of Humble Service. Six months of work, five rounds of edits, and 40,000 words. What an incredible feeling. Can’t wait to release this book on November 26th with my family at our annual Thanksgiving vacation. 🎉

2019-11-02: Fitbit will give you all of your data in CSV format, but only in 31-day increments. What a bunch of tools.

2019-11-02: I hit my weight goal. Now what? It’s been nearly nine years since that cold, winter morning when I stepped on the scale and saw a number that scared me. I was six months out of college, living on my own, and in the worst physical condition of my life. That weigh-in set me on a journey. Today, all these months, …

2019-11-02: Mixing cream is delightful to watch. ☕️ 🎞

2019-11-02: I have a two week vacation coming up at the end of the month. Once I finish up Humble Service and get it uploaded this weekend, I might take a break and start my Apple Arcade trial. 🕹

2019-11-02: Alternate heating source.

2019-11-01: No Heat for Days Bad news for us, folks. Heater broken til Thursday. Time to bundle up!

2019-11-01: Just a bit further now.

2019-11-01: For three books, I’ve been doing my editing all wrong. Now I know for #4!

2019-11-01: Recipe Behind Coca-Cola’s Milk Success: Less Sugar, More Protein - WSJ While regular milk has 8 grams of protein and 12 grams of sugar per 8-ounce serving, ultrafiltered Fairlife and Organic Valley Ultra each have 13 grams of protein and 6 grams of sugar. Fairlife rocks.

2019-11-01: I went into BestBuy to get new AirPods. They rang me up at full price, so I had to price match them with… BestBuy.com. They don’t have the same prices in-store and online. Unreal.

2019-11-01: Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party Fires Election Warning at Boris Johnson - WSJ described British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s divorce deal with the European Union as a “sellout” I don’t know about UK politics, but this makes Farage look like he’s secretly trying to prevent Brexit.

2019-11-01: Goodbye, Fitbit After rumors swirled last week, Google announced today that it will be acquiring Fitbit in the coming months. My relationship with Fitbit goes back to January 2011, when I purchased my first tracker. The company had a compelling offer to consumers over the next few years. Decent …

2019-11-01: Apple Watch Competition to Grow as Google Plans Its Own Wearables Following Fitbit Acquisition - MacRumors Fitbit health data will not be used for Google ads Okay, sure, I believe you.

2019-10-31: Super Busy Day Heater, internet, Both out. Deliveries, food, Workmen stopping by.

2019-10-31: Grilled to perfection. 🔥🥩🔥 🎞

2019-10-31: Looking good. 🥩

2019-10-31: Cooking up a little red wine butter for tonight’s ribeyes. 🍷🧈🥩

2019-10-31: Boy Scouts to boost annual youth fees by more than 80% - CNBC As of Jan. 1, the annual membership fee for 2.2 million youth members will rise from $33 to $60 RIP

2019-10-31: Book Review: Humble Service 📚 This is my latest book, I’m currently wrapping up my final round of edits. It’s a guidebook for stay-at-home dads and for men who are preparing to transition into this life. I’ve been writing since 2013, and my six years of practice really comes through in this book. I’m …

2019-10-31: Walmart Grocery Delivery is not ready for prime time.

2019-10-31: Halloween trick-or-treating at Mommy’s office was a great success.

2019-10-31: Still on hold. 50 minutes later, ISP is only now reporting an outage.

2019-10-31: The ISP hold music pauses every few minutes to remind me that I’m a valued customer. After 37 minutes of holding, I’m glad to have this distinction! I’d hate to find out how long non-valued customers have to wait on hold.

2019-10-31: When is my ISP ever NOT experiencing unusually high call volume? 25 minutes on hold and counting…

2019-10-31: Tim Cook says AirPods Pro are complementary to AirPods, not replacements I would guess that one, particularly in the early going, will be people that have AirPods today and want to also have a pair for the times they need noise cancellation. It’s nice to have dreams.

2019-10-31: Downstairs heater is broken. Got down to 65 degrees last night. 🧊

2019-10-30: Final Read Five rounds of edits, One last read through for typos. Can see light at end!

2019-10-30: Finished reading: Humble Service: Leading Your Family as a Stay-At-Home Dad by Chet Collins 📚

2019-10-30: Twitter to Ban Political Ads - WSJ Paying to increase the reach of political speech has significant ramifications that today’s democratic infrastructure may not be prepared to handle. It’s worth stepping back in order to address. This is dumb.

2019-10-29: Apple Watch Sleep Watch as sleep tracker, Have a plan, app to record. Need to get past bulk.

2019-10-29: I guess tonight’s the night I upgrade to Catalina.

2019-10-29: Very close to finishing my final round of edits. Down to the wire with release four weeks away. This is my least favorite part of writing a book, but honestly, the refinements I’m making are going to add significant polish to the final product. 📖

2019-10-29: I’m glad this Fitbit/Google rumor came up now. I got a Fitbit tracker just a few weeks ago after over a year without one, so I’m still in the return window. Since I don’t do business with Google, this rumor is enough for me to return the tracker.

2019-10-29: Texas Luring Jobs Away From California With Promises Of Electricity - The Babylon Bee Newsom was also dismissive of the Lone Star State’s other claims, such as affordable housing, plenty of water, cheap gas, plastic straws, and not constantly being on fire.

2019-10-29: Episode 120: BenedictCast Benedict takes over as host in today’s episode.

2019-10-29: There are very few solid road trip planning tools out there these days. 🗺

2019-10-29: It’s the most important meal of the day. ☕️

2019-10-29: Book Review: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold 📚 Wow. What an incredible book! Written in 1966, at the height of the Cold War, spymaster novelist John le Carré spins a web of intrigue and suspense. Following a former agent of the British intelligence services starting from a dismal end of his career, all the way to rock bottom. …

2019-10-28: Caught Back Up Diligent work day, Things app is empty. Success! Now to enjoy week.

2019-10-28: Music handoff to HomePod is awesome.

2019-10-28: Google is reportedly trying to buy Fitbit - The Verge Google and Fitbit declined to comment to Reuters on the report. I hope this doesn’t go through.

2019-10-28: Two Hours of Peace Since finishing Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism this summer, I’ve been thinking a lot about my digital life. So much of what I consume digitally affects my mood and wellbeing. I want to be proactive in only consuming things that improve my mood. My morning routine very clearly …

2019-10-27: Exhausted Nine hours of work, Wore me out! Slept in, took nap. Yikes, now I’m behind!

2019-10-27: Spooky. 🎃

2019-10-27: Trump Moves Closer to Ending Another Post-Cold War Treaty - WSJ President Trump has signed a document signaling his intent to withdraw the U.S. from the 1992 Open Skies Treaty Very bad idea.

2019-10-27: Islamic State Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Is Dead, Trump Says - WSJ Baghdadi Killed Some of His Children in Suicide Vest Blast, Trump Says The end of another dark chapter in human history.

2019-10-27: Happy Sunday!

2019-10-26: Fall Car Detailing It comes twice a year, Full car clean and wax. Hard work, Stunning results. Wow!

2019-10-26: I mean, who’s going to give Kevin an award? Dunkin Donuts? Michael Scott 🍩

2019-10-26: Finished reading: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré 📚

2019-10-26: Bishops Ask Pope Francis to Allow Married Priests in the Amazon - WSJ the bishops asked the pope to establish criteria and procedures for the ordination as priests of “suitable and esteemed men of the community … having a legitimately constituted and stable family.” Disaster.

2019-10-26: That’s a mirror finish.

2019-10-26: Nine hours of work and both cars are back in service. I did full exterior and interior detailing while Alison watched the kids. It was nice to be able to move fluidly from task to task. The perfect fall day to get this done and I love having a garage! 🚐

2019-10-26: Three hours in and the van is compounded, polished, and waxed. Now to turn my attention to the interior.

2019-10-25: Head Hurts Need to clean the van, But head hurts. Shoot, will do soon. Long day tomorrow.

2019-10-25: Apple Pay at the gas pump is awesome. ⛽️

2019-10-25: Closed on Sunday, You my Chick-fil-a From Closed on Sunday by Kanye West

2019-10-24: School During Day Not finished, girls up! Had to do school with all up. Actually went well.

2019-10-24: I’m taking the van out of service this afternoon for it’s semi-annual deep cleaning & wax. A big job that’s always satisfying when complete. 🚐

2019-10-23: Afternoon Swim Afternoon lessons, Play while the other one learns. Baths, dinner, then bed!

2019-10-23: Ghost Town 🍿

2019-10-23: Twelve years since I published the first episode of my first podcast, ChetRadio. The podcast is long over, but it started me on this digital journey all of those years ago.

2019-10-22: Morning Adventure Not too hard to do, A few errands, morning gone. A nice change of pace.

2019-10-22: Diplomat Draws ‘Direct Line’ Between Ukraine-Aid Holdup, Trump’s Push for Probes - WSJ Except I can’t actually read what he testified. This modern trend of closed door testimony with biased political commentary is no way to run a government. Both parties are guilty of it.

2019-10-22: Apple and I have very different ideas of what “pine green” looks like.

2019-10-22: Episode 119: Splashbot Benedict has lots to say today, especially about the robot he just had delivered.

2019-10-22: It’s hard for Russian trolls to deceive you when you get your news from accredited news organizations and aren’t on any social media sites.

2019-10-21: Teeth Cleaning Semi-annual, Scraping teeth clean. Not much fun. Maybe I’ll floss now.

2019-10-21: Afternoon.

2019-10-21: Small Island Of Uncultured Savages Rejects America’s Gracious Attempt To Introduce Them To Good Food - The Babylon Bee Chick-fil-A aid workers said that though they were chased off, they are still praying for the conversion of the natives and say it is their pleasure to …

2019-10-21: Reaching A Goal - Catholic Husband I was six months out of college, living on my own, and suddenly in the worst physical condition of my life. How did it come to this? I was still learning how to live, but something needed to change. ➕

2019-10-20: Busy Weekend Adventures yester, To-dos today. In motion! Ready for Monday!

2019-10-20: Episode 118: Sunday Fort The kitchen has turned into a construction zone.

2019-10-20: Editing is my least favorite part of the process. I know I’ll treasure the work more if I go through this last round of refinements.

2019-10-19: Fake Pumpkin Patch It was pretty fake, Hay ride to pumpkins, in corn. Oh well, kids were glad.

2019-10-19: Hanging out in the pumpkin patch.

2019-10-19: Saturday morning breakfast is a special time. 🍳🥓☕️

2019-10-19: So many more edits to make on my new book. Way more work than I was expecting, but I need to get this right. Just over a month to release.

2019-10-19: Florida’s Reform Momentum - WSJ Opinion The first cohort of voucher recipients is 71% black and Hispanic, according to state data. Eighty-seven percent have household incomes at or below 185% of the poverty line This distribution of school vouchers is interesting.

2019-10-18: First Quarter Kindergarten In blink of an eye, First quarter is over. Wow, So much growth is seen!

2019-10-18: Goodnight, Sun.

2019-10-18: Super Size Me 🍿

2019-10-18: Another friendly robot by Benedict, along with the sun and moon. Also, those extra dots on the moon aren’t eyes, they’re craters.

2019-10-18: Episode 117: Let’s Catch Up It’s been a disruptive month. Let’s get you back up to speed.

2019-10-18: Done with Benedict’s first quarter of Kindergarten. Time to fill out his report card, which seems silly to me. ✏️

2019-10-17: Naps for All They deserved spankings. Instead, they were given naps. Peaceful afternoon.

2019-10-17: Happy International Credit Union Day! 💵

2019-10-17: Youth Suicide Rate Increased 56% in Decade, CDC Says - WSJ Some mental-health experts suggest that social-media use among teens might be fueling the increase in mental-health conditions and leading to greater suicide risk, and some early studies have linked smartphone use to …

2019-10-17: I had to send my wedding ring off to be resized. Feels weird after seven years oFelicity continuous wear.

2019-10-17: When all three kids end up in time out at the same time, you know an afternoon nap is in order.

2019-10-17: Currently reading: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré 📚

2019-10-17: LeBron James Says Rosa Parks’s Bus Protest ‘Could Have Waited A Week’ - The Babylon Bee When Rosa Parks started the bus boycott by refusing to give up her seat, I guess there were some sporting events scheduled that week in downtown Montgomery that lost a lot …

2019-10-17: Oppressed Chinese Citizens Apologize To NBA Players For Disrupting Their Difficult Week - The Babylon Bee Oppressed Chinese citizens admitted that their constant fear of being punished by their corrupt Communist government is nothing compared with the concerns of tweeting a …

2019-10-16: Phone’s Primary Use Back to drawing board. I think health, fitness, some comms. Let’s see how this goes.

2019-10-16: I need to seriously buckle down and do the final read through of Humble Service and get it off to the printers. November 26th will be here before I know it!

2019-10-15: Leaky Shower Plumber came, found leak. Extensive water damage. Not my problem, tho.

2019-10-15: Blank by Cotton Bureau is a great shirt. It’s too bad the business line didn’t work out for them.

2019-10-15: LeBron James Spoke Carefully—Until the NBA’s Crisis in China - WSJ said Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey was “misinformed” when he put out a since-deleted tweet in support for Hong Kong’s anti-government protesters I don’t buy suits from a tire shop.

2019-10-15: In all of e-commerce outside of Amazon, Jos. A. Bank stands apart in their ability to fulfill and deliver an order quickly. I’m impressed!

2019-10-14: Cold, Grey Day Area showers, Grey clouds hanging low in sky. I love October.

2019-10-14: I don’t find Slack to be particularly intuitive.

2019-10-14: The International 🍿

2019-10-14: Interest Rates Are Falling—but Your Credit-Card Rate Could Be Going Up - WSJ rates on private-label credit cards, which can be used only in certain stores, also are rising. The average APR on these cards reached 27.5% ‼️

2019-10-14: I love October.

2019-10-14: I forgot how wonderful it is to climb into a super-cooled bed on an autumn evening.

2019-10-14: The Importance of Self-Care - Catholic Husband Opening up that time has been critical to my success and stability as a stay-at-home dad. ➕

2019-10-13: Backlog Worked hard through the day. Every task, checked off, done. Ready for Monday!

2019-10-13: Book Review: Start with Why 📚 I found Simon Sinek’s TED talk back in the early 2010s engaging. I was slow to pick up this book, but I finally read it. I was deeply disappointed. I have first-hand knowledge of one of the examples that Simon uses as a showcase of leadership. My knowledge directly contradicts …

2019-10-13: Workout buddy.

2019-10-13: Finished reading: Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek 📚

2019-10-12: On the Road Gone from home all day, Events, errands. Now I’m tired. Long to-do list. Sigh.

2019-10-11: Shots Not quite kid approved. Flu shots for the lot of them. It’s better this way.

2019-10-11: The FBI Lost Our Son - WSJ Agent Waters asked the Reillys to persuade the Journal not to print anything about the FBI. Incredible, thorough, hard-hitting journalism. Every Agent’s name and conduct is documented. A master class in holding public institutions to account.

2019-10-11: Gripen - Always combat ready - YouTube I’ve always admired the way that European air forces can operate from tiny airfields, even temporary ones on roads. It’s a neat capability.

2019-10-11: World War II Drama ‘Masters of the Air’ Will Be Apple’s First In-House Apple TV+ Series - MacRumors The new show will follow the true story of the American bomber boys in World War II For this, I would subscribe.

2019-10-11: Kids playing, cold weather outside, heavy rain all morning, Olafur Arnalds playing on the HomePod, coffee and iPad at my kitchen desk. This is awesome. ☕️🍂🌧

2019-10-11: Made it through flu shots for all three kids. The relational damage done is yet to be determined.

2019-10-11: Nothing is more empowering for a reader than setting down a bad book, unfinished, never to return.

2019-10-10: Difficult Errands Clothes shopping with kids. Prefer to do with wife. But, I can do alone.

2019-10-10: Dealing with Amazon is necessary in order to get my books printed and in the market. But like any social network, I have to play by their rules, even if those rules makes things much more confusing for my customers.

2019-10-10: Book Review: The Millionaire Next Door 📚 As a Dave Ramsey listener of eight years, I’ve heard time and again the statistics that Dave uses when talking about the “typical” millionaire. It took me long enough, but I finally read the book that serves as the research basis for so much of Ramsey’s philosophy of money. …

2019-10-10: I reported a street light out yesterday online and got an email today saying that it was fixed. I’m impressed with the automation of that reporting system. 💡

2019-10-10: There are very few situations as a stay-at-home dad that get me frazzled. Taking three little kids into a public bathroom does it every time.

2019-10-10: Apple Pulls Hong Kong Protest App From App Store Following Chinese Criticism - MacRumors Apple approved HKmap Live last week after reviewing its decision to initially reject the app from the App Store  Apple’s courage is limited to headphone jack removal.

2019-10-09: Dual Karate Daughter wanted try, Giddy the whole time. Bro liked. Might make this a thing.

2019-10-09: There’s an option in Safari 13 on macOS to not print headers/footers on a website. I can’t believe I never noticed that option before. Perfect!

2019-10-09: Hello again, morning chill. 🍁

2019-10-08: Goodbye, Lizard Out of fireplace, Living on mantel. Nope. Trapped, Released into wild.

2019-10-08: PG&E to Cut Power for Nearly 800,000 Customers Due to Wildfire Risk - WSJ The shut-offs are set to start shortly after midnight Wednesday and could last for multiple days and cover parts of 34 of California’s 58 counties Unreal.

2019-10-08: Cleaning day is a busy one.

2019-10-08: I have a hard time accepting that Purdue Pharma is solely culpable for the opioid epidemic in the same way that I’d have trouble accepting that Anheuser-Busch is solely culpable for DUI highway deaths.

2019-10-07: Lizard Visitor Once in fireplace, Now lives on mantel. Kids watch, Report. A free pet.

2019-10-07: Crazy year for Apple releases.

2019-10-07: Read A Book - Catholic Husband Many of us haven’t read a single book since our formal schooling ended. That’s a huge mistake. ➕

2019-10-07: Fall may have started a few weeks ago, but it has only just arrived. 🍁

2019-10-06: Raccoon Visits Grill Grill grease trap, undone. A tempting target, raccoon. No damage, now clean!

2019-10-06: The Bourne Ultimatum 🍿

2019-10-05: Thirty-Five Books An ambitious goal, Accomplished today. Books read, Ideas and fun.

2019-10-05: The Bourne Supremacy 🍿

2019-10-05: Book Review: Saint Francis of Assisi 📚 I’ve read quite a few books about the life of St. Francis of Assisi in the past two years. These books happened to be in my reading backlog, which is quickly clearing out. This book was special because it’s about St. Francis and was written by renowned British journalist and …

2019-10-05: I completed my 2019 Goodreads Reading Challenge with 35 books read. A full list with links to my reviews is up on my website. I’ve read 65 books in the last 22 months, and my backlog of “to read” books on my bookshelf is almost finally empty!

2019-10-05: Episode 116: Swimming Lessons We’re back from Benedict’s swimming lesson, with Felicity scheduled to start next week. I talk to him about how things went.

2019-10-05: Currently reading: No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel, MD and Tina Payne Bryson, PhD 📚

2019-10-05: Incredible Devotion: This Tibetan Monk Remembers To Do His Meditation App Almost 5 Days A Week He recently offered a discount code he received through the app to several of the younger monks in his hermitage as part of his commitment to helping them grow in their faith

2019-10-05: Finished reading: The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Dank 📚

2019-10-04: Dishes Overflow Counters and sink, full. Running out of kids plates. Well, Need to run a load.

2019-10-04: Dreamsicle sky.

2019-10-04: I just found an Apple Music exclusive concert with Ludovico Einaudi. Video discovery in Apple Music is not easy, but I’m really looking forward to this one! 🎧

2019-10-04: Another day, another robot. Meet Typebot. 🤖

2019-10-04: I just blew my kids’ minds with a timber hitch knot. All these years later, I’ve still got it.

2019-10-04: Eight and a half years since setting the goal, I’m now 12 days away from hitting my target weight.

2019-10-03: Morning Coffee Time After breakfast time, Kids play. I drink coffee, work. Great routine to start.

2019-10-03: The Bourne Identity 🍿

2019-10-03: Finished reading: Saint Francis of Assisi by G.K. Chesterton 📚

2019-10-03: The Red Meat Rethink - WSJ | Opinion Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health warned that the conclusions could “erode public trust in scientific research.” I disagree. Our body of knowledge is always growing. Updating based on new evidence strengthens trust and credibility.

2019-10-03: Book Review: Mutiny on Board HMS Bounty 📚🚸 This was one of my favorite books growing up, so I was glad to share it with my kids. I read it aloud to them over meals and afternoons on the couch. When I finished the book, my five year old summarized it in this way, “That was a cool book.” Would I recommend: YES ISBN: …

2019-10-03: It’s import to thoroughly wash shrimp before eating.

2019-10-03: The Chaos of Weather Forecasts - WSJ If the weather forecast is wrong, we might be tempted to blame the meteorologists, but it could be the fault of the mathematics. A nice primer, but I could go for a deeper dive into the subject.

2019-10-03: The dense app grid on iPadOS is too much for me, but you can’t get Today View on the home screen without it. That doesn’t make sense to me.

2019-10-03: Episode 115: Evil Block Villain As I wrapped up breakfast, Benedict called me into the playroom to record this episode.

2019-10-03: Currently reading: The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy by Thomas J. Stanley & William D. Dank 📚

2019-10-02: Final Publishing Stage Final layouts, done. One more proof to check, ordered. Then, send to market!

2019-10-02: Book Review: The Art of War 📚 I’m not a military scientist or historian, but I do enjoy reading military history. The Art of War is a notable work and I finally sat down to read it. The book was short, straightforward, and shockingly modern. Tzu’s advice has stood the test of time because he focused on …

2019-10-02: Copy edits complete. Time to compile and get another proof. Just a few more things to do before I’m ready to send all of the files to the cloud.

2019-10-02: Naps are on the agenda for the afternoon.

2019-10-02: Is there a better team than Micro.blog & MarsEdit?

2019-10-02: Finished reading: The Mutiny on Board HMS Bounty by William Bligh 📚

2019-10-02: Winter will be here before we know it. ❄️

2019-10-02: Finished reading: The Art of War by Sun Tzu 📚

2019-10-02: The fog descends.

2019-10-02: My neighbors waste no time decorating for Halloween. 🎃

2019-10-01: Massive Clean Up So much left undone, Kids engaged. Clean up squad, go! Done before dinner!

2019-10-01: Slow cooker recipes are perfect for cleaning day. 🥘

2019-10-01: Lunch time and the first load of laundry is just now coming out of the dryer. Not great. 🧺

2019-10-01: Episode 114: Time to Get Cleaning We interrupt the cleaning day already in progress to bring you this podcast.

2019-10-01: Piling On: Lysol Is Following Microsoft’s Lead With A Series Of Ads Absolutely Dunking On MacBooks - Clickhole One ad depicts a smiling mom wiping down a sticky counter on one side of the screen, while on the other a disheveled, unhappy-looking mother drags a MacBook across a …

2019-10-01: I love how iOS 13 lets me save screenshots to Files.app, and by extension, my desktop. Having access to my desktop from mobile is perhaps the best feature of iCloud Drive. I used screenshot webpages that I need to fix and email them to myself. This is a much better workflow.

2019-10-01: I got my copy edits back in the mail yesterday. Just a little bit more work to get Humble Service across the finish line.

2019-09-30: Sick Day Dad is sick today, Not a good situation. Kids were quite sweet, though.

2019-09-30: Self-Awareness - Catholic Husband Curiosity is a wonderful gift, and a strong sense of self-awareness is a trustworthy guide. ➕

2019-09-29: Day One Journal Six months passed again, Time to print up my journal. Life preserved, in print.

2019-09-29: Jack Reacher 🍿

2019-09-29: Before 737 MAX, Boeing’s Flight-Control System Included Key Safeguards - WSJ Pilots of the (KC-46) tanker can override MCAS by simply pulling back on controls An odd feature to remove.

2019-09-29: Currently reading: The Art of War by Sun Tzu 📚

2019-09-29: The California and Meridian watch faces on Series 4 are really excellent.

2019-09-29: Book Review: Rebel Yell 📚 Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was a significant leader in the Confederate Army in the opening years of the American Civil War. In many respects, his death as a result of friendly-fire was a turning point in the conflict. His brilliance as a tactician is astounding, even to this day. …

2019-09-29: This mug makes me happy.

2019-09-28: Driving in Silence Rare to drive alone, Classical music, quiet! A nice change of pace.

2019-09-28: I’ve been playing endlessly in my test-blog sandbox. There are so many great features that I can build into my website. Yet I am reminded of a core design principle: all that can be added should not be added. I want my site to be usable, but always simple and beautiful.

2019-09-28: I always think that I should do my physical jobs for the day first, followed by my office work. Invariably, I get to my desk too tired to work.

2019-09-28: A nice sunrise to start the weekend.

2019-09-27: Fading Daylight Used to wash cars, mow. Less light now after dinner. Winter is coming.

2019-09-27: There’s really not a good emoji for Haiku.

2019-09-27: My house smells like the Hershey’s Chocolate factory tour. 🍫

2019-09-27: Won’t be long now.

2019-09-27: I feel a chocolate torte coming on. 👨🏻‍🍳

2019-09-27: Currently reading: Saint Francis of Assisi by G.K. Chesterton 📚

2019-09-27: Transformation - Catholic Husband The same elements that contribute to an improvement in physical health are required for the improvement of spiritual health. ➕

2019-09-26: Size Small Ordered new jacket. Swam in a medium. Huh? Guess I’m a small man.

2019-09-26: On this day last year, I had finished reading my 22nd book of 2018. Today, I just finished my 31st. I give full credit to IndieBookClub and Goodreads for my success. I love tracking my progress and creating a permanent record on my blog.

2019-09-26: Finished reading: Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson by S.C. Gwynne 📚

2019-09-26: Hitting your reading goal is attainable if you can budget an hour per day to it.

2019-09-26: I am thoroughly convinced that standard clothing sizes have gotten bigger over the past decade.

2019-09-25: Book Proof Have proof of new book, All work, bound and printed. Nice! Time to finish up.

2019-09-25: The paperback proof of my new book just arrived. I always love the experience of seeing my work in print for the first time.

2019-09-25: My autumn magnet game is strong.

2019-09-25: Okay, Audio Sharing is really cool.

2019-09-25: Bad week to be a CEO WeWork’s Adam Neumann Steps Down as CEO The company’s founder will remain nonexecutive chairman but cede majority control Juul CEO to Exit and Philip Morris, Altria End Talks as Vaping Scrutiny Intensifies The chief executive of e-cigarette startup Juul Labs Inc. …

2019-09-24: Backyard Rainbow Afternoon storm rains, Brought a low rainbow in yard. Kids! What a cool sight!

2019-09-24: Real estate photographers are misleading.

2019-09-24: We had the luck of a little rainbow appearing low over our backyard during a thunderstorm.

2019-09-24: Episode 113: School Day We just finished our school day, but this podcast was interrupted by an impromptu nap.

2019-09-24: Feedbin now offers read later capabilities called Pages. The official app also has a built in share extension in iOS. Absolutely killer.

2019-09-24: Big day.

2019-09-23: Trial and Breakthroughs CSS galore, Problems finally resolved. Total perfection!

2019-09-23: Whenever I finish a big customization with my Micro.blog design, I like to write up a blog post and share it with the community. That little act of sharing paid off today! I overwrote the customizations to my podcast feed, so I pulled up my written instructions and I’m back …

2019-09-23: Ummm, where did iCloud Tabs go in iOS 13/Safari 13?!

2019-09-23: Changing Your Site Logo in Dark Mode: A Better Way A few weeks ago, I wrote about a method that I used to swap out my site logo in dark mode. In that post, I wrote about you can use some custom CSS to display a different logo when a browser was in dark mode. It wasn’t a very elegant method, but it got the job done. There …

2019-09-23: Currently reading: Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson by S.C. Gwynne 📚

2019-09-23: Sometimes, the best solution is the simplest. I had no idea that I could class specific links. That technique fixes all of my light mode/dark mode image link issues.

2019-09-23: I had an idea this morning while getting ready for the day. What if I used a custom div and the CSS display property to swap out images between light and dark mode? BOOM! It works!!!

2019-09-23: Almost a week of unsweetened coffee. I was missing a real treat! ☕️

2019-09-23: I have two HomeKit garage door openers. Siri in iOS 13 CarPlay always helpfully offers me the wrong one.

2019-09-22: Goodbye, Summer It went by so quick. Ready for my favorite! I prefer the cool. 🍂

2019-09-22: Book Review: How to Talk so Kids will Listen & Listen so Kids will Talk 📚 We bought this book last year, along with the Whole Brain Child series. The title is tantalizing, yet the content was severely lacking. The first edition was published in 1980, with a second edition published in 2012. Regrettably, the authors did not take the time to update their …

2019-09-22: Nice day for a walk in the park.

2019-09-22: One of my favorite weather phenomena.

2019-09-22: Finished reading: How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish 📚

2019-09-22: I got a new bow tie with a logo in the print. Apparently they didn’t have anyone who knows how to tie them, because the logo is upside down when the knot is finished. I did solve it by tying the tie inside out. You can only tell if you look under my collar. Still funny.

2019-09-22: Matt Maher on the HomePod while we eat breakfast and get ready for Mass. This is a fantastic Sunday routine. 🎵

2019-09-22: Good morning.

2019-09-21: A Picture is Worth A year’s worth of work, Healthier than five years past. The pic says it all.

2019-09-21: Whenever a website asks me for my Twitter or Facebook URL, what’s to stop me from just putting my Micro.blog link?

2019-09-21: Might be the Best iOS 13 feature.

2019-09-21: Kiko Footer I spent some time this week tweaking my footer. I want to spread the word about Micro.blog, but in a way that suits my style. A few folks asked for the code that I used, so here it is! The first link is to the Micro.blog homepage, while the svg Micro.blog icon links directly to …

2019-09-21: There’s a ton of health information on the Internet, but much of it is spurious. It’d be great if a big research hospital funded a consumer-focused health information website.

2019-09-20: Blog Hacking So many changes, Refining a great look, feel. Fun to solve puzzle.

2019-09-20: I’m pleased with my updated footer.

2019-09-20: It’s been five days since I implemented my iCloud Mail spam rule. Not a single spam email has made it to my inbox, and there have been seven attempts in the last twelve hours. I’m feeling smug.

2019-09-20: The bottom toolbar for email in Mail.app on iOS 13 makes zero sense.

2019-09-20: I was expecting a slew of news releases from companies about HomeKit routers & secure video yesterday. Very quiet.

2019-09-20: iOS 13, Apple’s Latest iPhone Update, Is Out—Just Be Cautious - WSJ This article was published four hours after the release. It should’ve come out a day earlier.

2019-09-20: At this point, I really should be more thorough in testing web design on multiple platforms. Fixed my blog’s logo size on mobile in dark mode.

2019-09-20: The Activity rings complication on watchOS 6 moving beyond completion is throwing me for a loop.

2019-09-19: Apple Update Day A brave explorer, Updating on day one. Fine, But no parity.

2019-09-19: Buying shoes online is stressful.

2019-09-19: FedEx Pilot Detained by Police in Southern China - WSJ The pilot, a former U.S. Air Force pilot named Todd A. Hohn, was detained a week ago while waiting for a commercial flight to his home in Hong Kong Talk about escalation.

2019-09-19: I’m still waiting for Messages in the Cloud for Apple Watch. Is that a thing yet?

2019-09-19: FAA chief says he won’t certify the 737 Max until he flies the plane himself I’m the final signoff authority in the U.S., and I’m not going to sign off on the aircraft until I would fly it myself Nice to have an Administrator who’s a licensed pilot.

2019-09-18: Private Planetarium Show Only ones at show, Private lesson, full control. My preferred method.

2019-09-18: Book Review: Church of Spies 📚 This is my second time reading this title. I love WWII/Cold War espionage, and Mark Riebling tells a riveting tale. There’s a common misconception that Pope Pius XII’s public silence during the Holocaust was somehow a tacit approval, or at the very least, a moral failure. With …

2019-09-18: After Hours-Long Search Through Old Tweets And Podcasts, Activist Successfully Offended - The Babylon Bee “Bigotry is getting harder and harder to find,” Bridges said, “but I will find it. That’s how much I care.”

2019-09-18: Currently reading: How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish 📚

2019-09-18: After my positive experience with the Beats Solo 3, I decide to replace my dying first gen AirPods with a pair of Powerbeats Pro.

2019-09-18: The Postal Service changed their routes and I now have a letter carrier with a personality. And she comes four hours earlier than before. Awesome! 📬

2019-09-18: Paralyzed Man Lowered Through Hole In Roof Of Chick-Fil-A In Hopes Of Being Healed - The Babylon Bee he had his friends cut a hole in the roof of the restaurant and lower him down, allowing him to bypass the massive crowds and lengthy line so that he might be healed.

2019-09-18: Ready for the planetarium!

2019-09-17: Unsweetened Coffee New experience, Coffee, with no sweetener. Bitter, then quite smooth!

2019-09-17: 📦 FedEx SmartPost Delivery Times: Origin 2 hours from my house: 4 days Origin 3 hours from my house: 8 days

2019-09-17: Apple Arcade looks soooooo good! 🕹

2019-09-17: After three months of trials, I’ve determined that coffee has little to no impact on my migraines. So, cheers! ☕️

2019-09-17: It’s always disappointing when an app’s website doesn’t list pricing.

2019-09-17: It’s hard to buy shoe polish these days.

2019-09-17: I found a vulnerability in Apple’s iCloud spam filters. The technique uses a deprecated Python parser and the spam is sent directly to the inbox. I asked Apple Support if they wanted me to send it to the engineers for analysis. Their response, “Naw.” Nice work, …

2019-09-17: Grandpa Asks Server If They Can Break A Two - The Onion This is me. I love the $2 note.

2019-09-16: Cardboard Rocket Just a few days left, All three played inside all day. A nice toy for them.

2019-09-16: 120 Days of Keto Keto diets are all the rage this year. At least they were back in December when I was shopping for a new diet. I needed to lose weight and get healthier, but that’s not why I went with Keto. I was looking for a clearly defined diet that would guide my menu planning and snacking. …

2019-09-16: Finished reading: Church of Spies: The Pope’s Secret War Against Hitler by Mark Riebling 📚

2019-09-16: Can’t wait to see who ends up buying this house. That’s about a 9’ drop on a grade that’s going to be a nightmare to mow.

2019-09-16: For some reason, iCloud sending spam to my inbox that has a random string attached to my correct email address. So, it looks like this: svra43?johnnyappleseed@icloud.com Not sure why iCloud would deliver that in the first place. Also, hard to write a Rule against it.

2019-09-16: ‘Sign In With Apple’ Is Way Better Than Passwords—If You Can Find It - WSJ I’m taking Joanna’s advice and creating an alias to use on the web. Not much use for current services, but will be when I sign up for new ones using the Apple relay.

2019-09-16: Episode 112: Cactus Puzzle The laundry is running and the folding is done, for now. I took a break from my Cleaning Day chores to see what the kids are playing with.

2019-09-16: The Apple Support chat is great, but if you don’t respond in five minutes, it ends. Not very customer friendly to make me wait on Support to take their sweet time responding but if I don’t reply right away, I’ve got to start all over.

2019-09-15: Winter Clothes Wardrobe Pulled out winter clothes, To my delight, they all fit! Ready for Winter!

2019-09-15: The designers over at Zero do an excellent job.

2019-09-14: 50 Things Done A crazy backlog, Things groaned this morning. Worked hard, Now Today is clear!

2019-09-14: Episode 111: Botley Benedict shows off his robot. The girls are grumpy.

2019-09-14: How bad is iCloud spam filtering? An email from 541irvv@avb2mfhg82h20.com with only an image in the body landed in my inbox. This happens at least five times a day

2019-09-14: I saw the International Space Station on my walk. That was pretty cool. 🛰

2019-09-14: It’s so hard to capture the beauty of the moon.

2019-09-13: Healthy Weight Four years since last done, Back to my healthy weight. Yes! A bit more to do.

2019-09-13: For the first time in five years, I’m not overweight. 🎉

2019-09-13: Moderator Jorge Ramos Asks Candidates How They Would Help Struggling Media Companies With $7.5 Billion Of Debt No one—not one of you—has told the American people how you would save hardworking broadcast networks who sold themselves out to private equity firms

2019-09-13: I had a nightmare last night that my phone auto-updated to iOS 13.

2019-09-12: Dizzy As A Top Standing still, but wait, Rushing sensation. Hold on! But there is no fix.

2019-09-12: A Most Wanted Man 🍿

2019-09-12: Given my recent weight loss, I’ve ordered a new wardrobe. The first items are arriving today and I’m very excited.

2019-09-12: I love how Canada can start an election campaign just over a month before the Election Day. The 18-24 month campaign in the United States is way too much.

2019-09-11: Naps Are Wasted I like to take naps. But then, I can’t fall asleep. Naps wasted on young.

2019-09-11: Apple is right to delay headline features that aren’t done. The problem is that it seems that the entire iOS 13/iPadOS release should be pushed, but they won’t do it. This piecemeal approach runs the risk of blowing up and leaving customers stranded.

2019-09-11: HomePod Gaining New ‘Ambient Sounds’ Siri Feature This Fall, Radio Station Support Launching September 30 - MacRumors Additional HomePod features, including multi-user support and music handoff, will not launch until “later this fall.” Another day, …

2019-09-10: Lame Apple Event Nothing to see here, Spec bump, better pics, that’s all. Just a waste of time.

2019-09-10: The super disjointed OS rollout schedule has me spooked. I’ll be taking a very cautious approach to updating devices this Fall.

2019-09-10: Take a moment to send a thought to Apple employees everywhere who haven’t slept or seen their families in weeks, all for that show. What a waste!

2019-09-10: Dang, I watched the wrong event! I was looking for, “By Innovation Only.”

2019-09-10: Huh, just got a low heart rate alert on my Apple Watch.

2019-09-10: Nice change to the iPhone preorder time. Hard to manage a global rollout that’s convenient for everyone.

2019-09-10: Just a little bit of sacrilege for your Apple event viewing pleasure. One of the characters in the Pascal’s Wager game demo was using a monstrance as a weapon. So weird.

2019-09-10: Tim just announced a year of free AppleTV+ with any hardware purchase. I’ve never seen a group of people so excited to get a $60 value.

2019-09-10: Is anyone else having problems with their Cotton Bureau shirts? I ordered a few of their “on demand” ones and the ink isn’t holding up like the more traditional short run ones.

2019-09-10: I wonder what the best iPhone Apple has ever made will be like.

2019-09-10: I’ve had beautiful clear skies during my morning walks. If you look closely, you’ll see Orion standing guard.

2019-09-10: The smell of fresh cut sweet strawberries in late summer, with the music of Ludovico Einaudi in the background, and the kids playing happily together while I make breakfast. This is how I’d like to start every morning. 🍓🍳

2019-09-09: Apple Event Eve Not likely to watch, Kids have other plans. But still, Excited to see.

2019-09-09: Take a moment to send a thought to Apple employees everywhere who haven’t slept or seen their families in weeks and are down to the wire before tomorrow’s big show.

2019-09-09: You are most welcome here, afternoon rain! 🌧

2019-09-09: Almost time for app update-apocalypse.

2019-09-08: Old Navy Clearance Still real hot outside, Old Navy selling winter. Wow, what a mismatch!

2019-09-08: PSA: The LATCH system only works for kids who weigh less than 40 lbs.

2019-09-08: I’m always struck by the beauty of the night sky.

2019-09-07: Book Finalization So many small tasks, The final touches before, The official launch.

2019-09-07: Spectre 🍿 Relaxing on a quiet movie night.

2019-09-07: Now that revisions are complete, I’m excited to announce my new book: Humble Service: Leading Your Family as a Stay-at-Home Dad The book will be released on November 26th, with pre-orders starting today.

2019-09-07: Beats Solo 3 - One Month Later 🎧 Back in July, I got a pair of Beats Solo 3 headphones with our new iPad Air. I wrote a quick 24 hour review and I didn’t have nice things to say about the comfort factor. I stuck with it, and a month later, they’re my primary headphones in the house. In fact, I’m wearing them …

2019-09-07: Saturday morning means swimming lessons. 🏊🏻‍♂️

2019-09-07: The team over at Lose It! do a great job iterating. Frequent updates with noticeable tweeks.

2019-09-06: Adoration An hour, quiet. Meditate, rest, and relax. Perfect end of week.

2019-09-06: The Distraction-Free Phone – The Sweet Setup It’s about only having things on your smartphone that are in alignment with your vision and values about how you want to use your device. My weekend project.

2019-09-06: Episode 110: Another Fort Benedict and Felicity worked all morning to build a fort for themselves in the office. I sat down to ask them about it.

2019-09-06: Apple Music on the web is so cool.

2019-09-06: I reactivated my iCloud email address (that I’ve had since the .Mac days). I switched my primary over to Fastmail in November. I came back so I could be ready for Sign in with Apple. There were 840 new emails, 347 of which were spam. Thus why I abandoned it in the first …

2019-09-05: More Dark Mode Two weeks left to go, Plenty of CSS fun. Site is looking nice!

2019-09-05: a:text-decoration vs. a:bottom-border. Duh.

2019-09-05: As a reward for picking up all of their toys, my children were each given some bubble wrap to play with.

2019-09-05: Changing Your Site Logo in Dark Mode Update: I’ve found an easier implementation that preserves the link function for the dark mode version of your logo. With iOS 13 just weeks away, I’ve been busy making sure that all of my websites are dark mode compatible. I should’ve been working on this over the past …

2019-09-05: CSS is incredible.

2019-09-04: Vellum App Just heard of Vellum, Mac app that formats your books. So much time is saved!

2019-09-04: Beautiful evening for a walk.

2019-09-04: Two news stories I’m tired of hearing about: Brexit 737 MAX

2019-09-04: Dishes, like laundry, can only be neglected for so long.

2019-09-04: Episode 109: Lucy Speaks The kids are playing in the playroom and Lucy really wants to join in on the podcasting.

2019-09-03: So Drowsy Cannot stay awake, A nap should be in order. Kids can’t be trusted.

2019-09-03: Apple Watch sleep tracking revealed: sleep quality, battery, more - 9to5Mac When wearing the Watch during bedtime, if the user wakes up and starts their day before their alarm goes off, it will automatically turn off the alarm. The alarm will also play only on Apple Watch, using …

2019-09-03: The state of gaming on macOS is really sad. Almost every game that I bought on the MAS in the last four years is no longer available, even for redownloading. Not sure if Apple Arcade can rise to the challenge, but I’ll keep an open mind.

2019-09-03: White Supremacy and Abortion Bill McGurn, writing for his Main Street column in The Wall Street Journal. the clarity of the pro-life proposition—the insistence that each of these lives is no less precious than any other human life I’ve been spending a lot of time lately thinking and writing about the …

2019-09-02: Goodbye, Summer Labor Day is here, Summer break draws to a close. I prefer Autumn.

2019-09-02: Holding a physical book while reading is deeply satisfying.

2019-09-02: The Fitbit data export is completely useless. What a lousy company.

2019-09-02: Currently reading: Church of Spies: The Pope’s Secret War Against Hitler by Mark Riebling 📚

2019-09-02: I wish I knew how to get my Micro.blog to swap out my logo when a user is in dark mode. I have most of the pieces, I just don’t know how to make them fit.

2019-09-02: Quiet afternoon on the prairie.

2019-09-02: Book Review: Blowback 📚 When I finished editing my newest book, I bought myself the next book in the Scot Harvath series. This one focused heavily on bioterrorism and the military history surrounding Hannibal. When compared to the other books in the series, I didn’t find this one to be very engaging. …

2019-09-02: A delightful sunrise to start my day.

2019-09-01: Seven Seven year marriage, Just the opening chapter. Eighty more to go!

2019-09-01: I have a package coming via FedEx SmartPost. It’s origin was 90 minutes from my house. It was picked up on Thursday at 5:24am. It’s scheduled for delivery by 8:00pm on Tuesday. Nothing is more damaging to the FedEx brand than SmartPost.

2019-09-01: Finished reading: Blowback by Brad Thor 📚

2019-09-01: My 5 year old just came in and asked if he could watch Apollo 11.

2019-09-01: Episode 108: Patterns The girls are napping, so I caught up with Benedict at the activity table to see what he was up to.

2019-09-01: I still have the bow tie.

2019-09-01: Celebrating seven years with Alison.

2019-08-31: All Jobs Done Lawn, cars, bath, kitchen, All cleaned in one morning. Thanks, Alison! Great help!

2019-08-31: Watering the flowers by Benedict

2019-08-31: Moana 🍿 Family Movie Night.

2019-08-31: I’m teaching my son how to take pictures. We’ve been learning about framing and the rule of thirds. I took him around out neighborhood to practice his new skills.

2019-08-31: I clean my washing machine once a month using Oxiclean. I love the smell that it releases.

2019-08-31: I really like my signature.

2019-08-30: Websites Ready Testing is complete, Ready to hit publish. But, I’ll do it later.

2019-08-30: My son drew this delightful picture. The friendly little robot sparks joy.

2019-08-30: Iranian Tanker Prepares to Offload Oil to Syria-Bound Ships - WSJ the tanker was released Aug. 18 after Iran pledged that the tanker’s 2 million barrels of oil wouldn’t be delivered to Syria gasp

2019-08-30: Exclusive: Apple’s Tile Competitor Will Include ‘Items’ Tab in iOS 13’s Find My App and Much More - MacRumors The internal build of iOS 13 includes an asset for a 3D red balloon that could help a user pinpoint a lost item after scanning a room with their …

2019-08-30: Preparing major updates to my websites this weekend.

2019-08-30: Episode 107: Long Weekend The Labor Day weekend is getting ready to kick off. I talk to the kids about their plans for the weekend.

2019-08-29: Carpet Cleaning Necessary job, Wet carpets and kids don’t mix. Let’s run some errands!

2019-08-29: Report: Judas Iscariot Was Seen At Popeyes Shortly Before Betraying Christ - The Babylon Bee Satan may have entered Judas Iscariot as he bit into the Popeyes chicken.

2019-08-28: Pre-Sale Begins 90 days to launch, Finishing the edits, site. This is the best part!

2019-08-28: Improving Siri’s privacy protections - Apple We hope that many people will choose to help Siri get better, knowing that Apple respects their data and has strong privacy controls in place. Except for that time way back in July when we got caught not respecting your data and …

2019-08-28: I didn’t realize that Hallmark owns Crayola.

2019-08-28: I’m adding Structured Data to my websites. Under “Social,” I’m just putting my Micro.blog URL. It can be a little awkward not being on any of the major social networks, but this is the right values alignment for me. Plus, this blog is the best place to …

2019-08-28: Episode 106: Castle Storms are on their way to our house. Don’t worry though! We’ve just finished construction on our castle.

2019-08-28: Deliveries scheduled today from all three major carriers: UPS, FedEx, and the United States Postal Service. I enjoy days like today! 📫

2019-08-28: Big storms to the South lighting up the sky on my walk this morning. Clear skies over me. I could see Orion standing guard while the storms built in the distance.

2019-08-28: Never cancel on a forecast.

2019-08-27: Keto 100 A strong keto streak, Low carbs, almost no sugar. Now I’m in the groove.

2019-08-27: There’s no such thing as too much goat cheese.

2019-08-27: Firefox is a dream when messing with CSS.

2019-08-27: Few things are more delightful than working on some mundane task only to look up to see an 18 month old walk by with confidence and purpose in their step.

2019-08-27: We had an October sky today. It reminded me that cooler times are on their way! 🍂

2019-08-27: Bit of a traffic jam out there.

2019-08-27: It’s a quiet morning before the storms roll in. ⛈

2019-08-26: Afternoon Play Two tired kiddos, Struggled this morning. But then, They played together!

2019-08-26: Book Review: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe 📚🚸 This was our second read aloud book that we did in the car. I think I was assigned this book to read in 8th grade, but for some reason I feel like I didn’t actually do the work. Even if I had, so much of the beauty of the work would’ve been lost on my adolescent mind. This is the …

2019-08-26: Episode 105: Batman Day It’s Monday morning. I catch up with all of the kids in the playroom to see what they did this weekend.

2019-08-26: I woke up my son, and there was a LEGO brick on his face. I have a few questions.

2019-08-26: Construction crew was out at 5:15am pouring a driveway. Seems a little too early for that.

2019-08-25: Author Site Six years without one. Finally started to build. Can’t wait to publish!

2019-08-25: Besides its users, having no edit button is probably the worst thing about Twitter.

2019-08-25: Productive afternoon. Finally taking the time to build out my author website. All of the effort that I’ve put into previous web design is really coming through.

2019-08-25: It would be nice if Apple had author pages like Amazon.

2019-08-25: If it could go wrong, it has gone wrong.

2019-08-25: A little CSS to start my Sunday morning.

2019-08-24: Errands All Morning Strap in your seats, kids! Errands all over town. Whew! It wasn’t that bad.

2019-08-24: Currently reading: Blowback by Brad Thor 📚

2019-08-24: It should not be allowed to rain the day after you wash your car.

2019-08-24: It’s great that my phone labels some callers as Spam Risk or Telemarketer, but why would iOS still let it ring? Who sees those labels and answers?

2019-08-24: Finished reading: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis 📚

2019-08-24: I love two clean cars sitting in a freshly swept garage.

2019-08-24: Book Review: Things Fall Apart 📚 I first read this book as a summer reading assignment in high school before starting my sophomore year. It was again assigned as I began my senior year. The enduring message of the book has always stuck with me. In Part One, the reader is introduced to a proud man in a …

2019-08-23: Up Too Early Body clock mistake, Woke up half hour too soon. Well, I guess I’m up.

2019-08-23: Like their customer support, Tapbots’ release notes leaves so much to be desired.

2019-08-23: Finished reading: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe 📚

2019-08-23: I needed to pick up a new garden flag to mark this Back to School season.

2019-08-23: Episode 104: Field Trip Benedict talks about his first field trip of the school year.

2019-08-22: Futile Resistance Why did I avoid? This book is very good work. How long til release?

2019-08-22: Horrified Trump Learns What Happened To Last Guy Who Called Himself King Of The Jews - The Babylon Bee “Complete and total disaster,” he muttered to himself as he read about Jesus’s crucifixion for claiming to be God and the rightful ruler of the Jews.

2019-08-22: News Corp Readies News App to Address Publishers’ Concerns About Google and Facebook - WSJ The service, currently called Knewz.com Great idea, atrocious name. I will never go to a website called Knewz. The service will aim to promote original news reports rather than those …

2019-08-22: Oh, wow. Taylor Swift is still around?

2019-08-22: My ISP is offering new customers 2x my internet speed for $25 less per month, permanently. This is everything that’s wrong with most Americans only having one ISP option.

2019-08-21: Editing on iPad Text selection: hard. Multi-sentence selection: Hard. Stick to the Mac.

2019-08-21: Writing on the iPad is a much easier task than editing on the iPad. iPad OS may change this reality, but I’m dubious.

2019-08-21: How to clean your Apple Card - Apple Support Place your card in a slot in your wallet or billfold without touching another credit card. Doesn’t play well with others. I guess we now need a range of 3rd party cases for Apple Card.

2019-08-21: I’m deleting YouVersion from my phone. I hate how every devotional for dads or men takes on the same tired caricature of the modern man.

2019-08-21: Ludovico Einaudi creates the most beautiful and inspiring music. Another great find thanks to Apple Music. 🎧

2019-08-21: Episode 103: Benedict Learns I catch up with Benedict during his third day of Kindergarten. He shares so of the things he’s learning and we play a reading game.

2019-08-20: Year of Haiku From a humble start, A year of life though haiku. Pause, begin again.

2019-08-20: It’s my Haiku-iversary! On this day last year, I composed two haiku about cleaning my house and I haven’t stopped yet! 🎉

2019-08-20: It’s such a relief when a technical hurdle that slowed me down for days is resolved. Finished up a big project that clears the way for me to get back to editing.

2019-08-20: $5/month for Apple Arcade is a decent price point. Much better than I was expecting.

2019-08-20: NetNewsWire 5 for Mac Help: What is RSS? What are feeds? The good part is the part in the middle — that’s the part with the news. The best article description of what RSS is. Will be sharing this article widely when talking to people.

2019-08-19: First Day of School Today was the day, Son has fantastic teacher! The guy’s a real gem.

2019-08-19: New Evidence Suggests the Real Reason St. Peter Denied Jesus Was Because Christ Healed His Mother-in-Law - Eye of the Tiber That’s nice–I am getting out of here. Always good for a laugh.

2019-08-19: The boy is up, let the adventure begin! ✏️

2019-08-18: End of Summer Freedom is fading, School starts in the morning. Well, Those five years went fast.

2019-08-18: Hong Kong is giving the World a master class in how to stand up totalitarianism. 🇭🇰

2019-08-18: Apple Music has a playlist called Classical A.M.. Yes, please! 🎧

2019-08-18: Episode 102: Twas the Night Before School Tomorrow is the big day! I sat down with Benedict to capture his thoughts before he begins his education in the morning.

2019-08-17: Lawn Crew Sun Mowed the lawn a church. August is not a fun month, But we got it done.

2019-08-17: I like to support small software developers. It is, however, painful when you need technical support to keep working on a project, and wait you must!

2019-08-16: Editing Hell Do not like edits, Finished the race, now go run! Publishing is nice.

2019-08-16: Woohoo! First chapter of the book is ready to be copy edited. Nice to hit this milestone. Five more chapters to go… 📖

2019-08-16: Trump Administration Prepares Sale of F-16s to Taiwan - WSJ sends a strong message about the U.S. commitment to security and democracy in the Indo-Pacific. Good move, great timing, and an awesome jet!

2019-08-16: I’m working at our dining room table on a laptop. I just pulled my daughter into my lap, and she’s now pretending to type on the table with her tiny fingers.

2019-08-16: Baby toad. Spotted outside of my garage.

2019-08-16: Episode 101: Breakfast Songs It’s a slow start to our day. I pulled out the microphone at the breakfast table and the kids decided they wanted to sing for you.

2019-08-16: Journalists of America, please continue your in-depth reporting on back bench freshmen Members of Congress and their travel plans. Daily, if not hourly, updates are urgently needed by your readers.

2019-08-16: Cathay Pacific CEO Resigns After China Backlash Over Hong Kong Protests - WSJ there would be disciplinary consequences for employees who support or participate in illegal protests. These consequences may include termination of employment. Hogg resigned, but for the wrong …

2019-08-16: School starts Monday. ✏️

2019-08-15: No Dinner Options Chicken is spoiled, Grill is out of gas. Well, shoot. Need to go shopping.

2019-08-15: ECB Takes Hacked Website Offline - WSJ contact information of 481 subscribers of the site’s newsletter may have been obtained What an embarrassing admission.

2019-08-15: Israel Blocks Visit by Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib - WSJ President Trump, who said allowing them entry “would show great weakness.” This is a mistake. A missed opportunity for opening new lines of dialogue.

2019-08-15: For the current disaster that is the Rap/Country mash-ups, I assign full blame and responsibility to Florida Georgia Line. If you want to hear a good combination of Rap and Country, listen to Cowboy Troy. Get you some of that! 🤠🎧

2019-08-15: I’ve been informed by the staff at our local planetarium that we no longer need to display our membership cards for admittance. We’ve been so frequently that they just recognize us. 🌔

2019-08-15: The Onion continues to cover the Hong Kong protests with great journalism.

2019-08-14: Web Design Wednesday Web projects due soon, Need to finish before school. Lots of work, and fun!

2019-08-14: Higher Love by Kygo & Whitney Houston 🎧

2019-08-14: What’s up PHP 7.2?

2019-08-14: Implementing rich SEO meta data is incredibly time consuming.

2019-08-14: What a welcome sight in mid-August.

2019-08-14: Hello, rainy morning! 🌧

2019-08-13: Overwhelm Tons of projects now, Need to sort and organize. Space and time needed.

2019-08-13: Facebook Paid Contractors to Transcribe Messenger Voice Chats - MacRumors Facebook says that while it had indeed been transcribing audio, it no longer plans to do so. “We paused human review of audio more than a week ago” Wow! That long ago?!

2019-08-13: Spending time implementing Dark Mode support on my websites feels like a very good use of time.

2019-08-12: Botox Again Botox injections, Drain me for the rest of day. Will clean tomorrow.

2019-08-12: I used to think that background noise was helpful while meditating. As a dad of three kids, I now realize my preferred background noise while meditating is silence.

2019-08-12: The Apple W1 chip makes a huge difference for multi-device headphone usage.

2019-08-12: Way to go, Hong Kong! 🇭🇰

2019-08-11: Afternoon Nap I needed a nap.  I slept well, day wasted though. It is what it is.

2019-08-11: A robot my son and I made this morning.

2019-08-11: It’s a delight to wake a little kid up in the morning. ☀️

2019-08-10: Errands Errands run today, Inefficient pattern. Oops. Need better planning.

2019-08-10: I wish my iPhone could adequately take a picture of the moon during the day.

2019-08-09: Beats On Correctly Too tight to have on, Frustrated. Wait a minute! Turned around. Perfect!

2019-08-09: I So Hate Consequences (Live at Capital Studios). 🎵 An absolute treasure to have this song recorded acoustically.

2019-08-09: Band of Brothers 🍿

2019-08-09: Revamped Apple Maps Now Available in Texas, Louisiana, and Southern Mississippi - MacRumors Thanks, Trevor K. and Chet C.! You’re welcome!

2019-08-09: 10-day email unsubscribe wait periods are garbage.

2019-08-08: Clean Up Day All day spent cleaning, A fair amount of play, too. Back in control, now.

2019-08-08: Book Review: Keep Going 📚 Austin Kleon is an artist who has a real talent for writing. His books are small, short, quick reads. But every single paragraph sparks something in me and leads me to three or four new ideas. Half of the book is text while the other half is full of his art. I’m as inspired …

2019-08-08: There’s never a space under paintings in a gallery where someone writes their opinion. -Natalie Dee

2019-08-08: Episode 100: Confetti I talk to three very tired children about the ChetCast journey thus far. 🎉

2019-08-08: Currently reading: The Mutiny On Board HMS Bounty by William Bligh 📚

2019-08-08: I didn’t know that you can mute feeds in Feedbin. What a nice feature.

2019-08-07: Never Give Up Even in the dark, Hope springs eternal. Darkness is consumed by Light.

2019-08-07: Finished reading: Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad by Austin Kleon 📚

2019-08-07: Thanks, Austin Kleon.

2019-08-07: I tried to build a meditation habit, but it didn’t really click until I connected meditation to my spiritual life. I think Hallow App is doing a great job.

2019-08-07: I need a day at home, with no errands to run, to get our life back in order.

2019-08-06: Rush Hour Error Had to make some stops, I’m never out then. The cars! Will not soon repeat.

2019-08-06: Building.

2019-08-06: Everyone’s excited about the rollout of Apple Card and I’m like, who signs up to borrow money at 13%?

2019-08-06: There are a couple of really great patient assistance programs from major pharmaceuticals out there. If you take speciality medications, it’s worth your time to see if there’s one out there for you.

2019-08-06: Just now coming to “hand me down” clothes territory. This is very nice.

2019-08-05: So Much Undone Lost all of my steam. Laundry, dishes await me. Tomorrow is jammed.

2019-08-05: John Hickenlooper Drops Out Of 2020 Presidential Race One Assumes An informed populace is crucial to democracy, so feel free to investigate yourself, but do not attempt to contact this newspaper or its employees, as we do not care.

2019-08-05: The Evil Emperor Zurg has arrived. I guess I always figured he would have his own transportation and not have to hitch a ride in a box with UPS.

2019-08-05: I always feel a sense of sadness when I have to put a case on my Apple device.

2019-08-05: Episode 99: Zurg Benedict has a new action figure arriving today and I talk to him about his new jobs. Felicity is an elephant and I have no idea what she has to say.

2019-08-05: I reassigned household jobs for the kids. My oldest was assigned to empty the bathroom trash cans. He was very pleased with his new job because he felt like a garbage truck.

2019-08-05: Olafur Arnalds on my HomePod is one of the most effective treatments for my migraines.

2019-08-04: Sprinklers Need Adjusted Partial lawn mowing. Some areas lush, some dry. Sprinkler adjustments.

2019-08-04: I love the way the afternoon sun hit this cloud.

2019-08-04: If a blog doesn’t have an RSS feed, is it really a blog?

2019-08-03: Sleeping In Problem I like to sleep in, Then I feel behind all day. Best to keep to plan.

2019-08-03: Notifications on macOS are such a mess.

2019-08-03: Currently reading: Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad by Austin Kleon 📚

2019-08-03: First day of swimming lessons. The boy is excited. 🏊🏻‍♂️

2019-08-03: Facebook Shows Who’s Boss by Adding Its Name to Instagram, WhatsApp - WSJ A recurring conclusion of Facebook’s marketing research was that Instagram and WhatsApp were harmed by their association with Facebook’s brand I wonder why? lol

2019-08-02: Jack Ryan Did not like at first, The show, that is. It’s not bad. All thanks to Brad Thor.

2019-08-02: Book Review: State of the Union 📚 I was feeling weighed down by the content in my bioethics book, so I decided to hit pause and get back into the habit of reading. I picked up Book #3 in Brad Thor’s Scot Harvath series. I’m torn about this book. I felt it was very good, well written, but there seemed to be more …

2019-08-02: Apple Suspends Program That Lets Employees Listen to Siri Recordings for Quality Control, Opt Out Option Coming - MacRumors I’ll be opting out on day one. I’d rather have an imperfect assistant than one who passes my recordings along to strangers without my knowledge.

2019-08-01: Hobby Lobby Review A successful store. Really bad tech, few cashiers. Returns are the worst.

2019-08-01: My 24 hour review of my new Beats Solo 3: QA only tested these on people with small heads or they totally missed the boat on comfort. Great sound, viselike grip.

2019-08-01: FTC Says ‘Overwhelming’ Number of Equifax Claims Means Consumers Likely Won’t Get $125 - WSJ you will be disappointed with the amount you receive and you won’t get the free credit monitoring Garbage. I don’t want monitoring from the bozos who let a hack go on for months.

2019-08-01: Finished reading: State of the Union by Brad Thor 📚

2019-08-01: Stacks 4 for RapidWeaver is out. Indispensable tool for what is already great software.

2019-08-01: It’s nice to have a laser printer.

2019-08-01: Episode 100 of ChetCast & the completion of a year of haiku. This is a big month for my micro.blog account!

2019-08-01: Episode 98: Elephant Parade I was just cleaning the kitchen when I noticed something strange.

2019-08-01: The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be. Matthew 6:22-23

2019-07-31: Balanced Tires Subtle vibration, Need to balance the tires. Now it’s smooth as glass.

2019-07-31: Fitbit Shares Tumble After Company Lowers 2019 Revenue Outlook - WSJ Smartwatch revenue declined 27% in the second quarter as the average selling price of devices dropped 19%. I stopped using mine because of no Apple Health integration. I wonder how many others are like me.

2019-07-31: My 5 year old and 3 year old are currently in my bedroom, pretending that it’s our local planetarium. All their idea. 🌔

2019-07-31: I wouldn’t go out and buy a pair of Beats headphones. But these were free of charge, so sure, I’ll try them.

2019-07-31: Delivery services always come later in the day when they’re delivering a package I really want to receive.

2019-07-30: New Schedule Coming Time to hash this out, New routine for the school year. Goodbye, carefree days!

2019-07-30: It takes FedEx Smart Post 8 days to move a package along a route that takes 12 hours to drive. And that’s about all that you need to know about FedEx Smart Post. 🐢

2019-07-30: Cuban burgers for dinner. Yum.

2019-07-30: I need to take a few hours, sit down, and figure out my priorities. Too many projects with too little clarity.

2019-07-30: Episode 97: Special Adventures We forgot to podcast with Gramma and Grampi! I catch up with the kids about all of the fun adventures they had with their grandparents last week.

2019-07-30: On Safari My parents were in town this past weekend, and we decided to load up and go to the drive-thru safari. It’s a huge preserve with driving trails snaking through the pastures. The animals travel in groups and are largely permitted to wander at will. It was a hot day, so many were …

2019-07-29: Sad Kids The guests have now left, And the children are sad. No, Nothing can soothe them.

2019-07-29: App organization is a delicate art.

2019-07-29: Remixes Propel Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’ to Billboard Chart Record - WSJ Country-rap hit “Old Town Road” became the longest-running No. 1 song in Billboard chart history on Monday. The end is near.

2019-07-29: Siri on HomePod can’t give basic flight information. What’s up with that? 🛫

2019-07-29: Equifax Says Cultural Changes Since Breach Make It a Security Leader - WSJ Equifax Inc. wants to teach other companies how to secure data. Step #1: Don’t let massive breaches go unnoticed for months, lol.

2019-07-29: I heard on the WSJ Instant Message podcast that the iPhone is the most personal computer ever created. As a result, it’s a reflection of its owner. I’m going to make some more changes so it reflects the person that I want to be. 📱

2019-07-28: Drive-Thru Safari Let’s load up the van, Drive thru safari. Hello! Fun time had by all.

2019-07-28: Bank deposit rates are embarrassing bordering on offensive. 🏦

2019-07-28: What a lovely bow tie display.

2019-07-28: It’s nice that all of the Avery templates can be downloaded in Apple Pages format.

2019-07-27: Back to School Shopping The cart is laden, All the supplies that we’ll need. That was really fun!

2019-07-27: When product websites feature the logos of publications that have talked about them, I always click the logo hoping it’ll link to the review article. It seldom does.

2019-07-27: The ecobee is far more complicated than the Nest. I don’t like the forced use of a schedule and the crazy way you program the sensors. More work is required than should be necessary, especially for a mature product.

2019-07-27: I’m deploying some changes to my network via OpenDNS to block many of the Big Tech tracking domains/IP Addresses. Thanks to Lockdown for pulling the list together.

2019-07-27: Time for some Back to School shopping. ✏️

2019-07-27: Six months of shopping left until Christmas. Don’t worry! Hobby Lobby has you covered for all of your Christmas in July needs.

2019-07-26: McDonald’s Breakfast McDonald’s breakfast, A special treat with Grampi. Kids sure eat a ton!

2019-07-26: At a department store. It’s midday on a weekday, but employees are outnumbering shoppers at least 3:1.

2019-07-26: Salmon omelet with harvarti cheese on the menu for breakfast.

2019-07-26: The US Postal Service doesn’t have the most granular tracking, but they’re getting very efficient. Recent packages have been arriving a day early.

2019-07-25: Currently reading: State of the Union by Brad Thor 📚

2019-07-25: Play at the Park Just an open field, A great park to throw a ball. The shade was a treat!

2019-07-25: Many of my neighbors have lawn irrigation systems that water the street and not their lawns. Incredibly wasteful and such a solveable problem.

2019-07-24: Ready for Guests Three days full of work, House is in complete order. I love this feeling.

2019-07-24: My parents are on their way right now for a visit and my son is so excited. I’ve never seen him more focused and engaged at karate. 🥋

2019-07-24: It’s hard without a before shot, but there’s room for both cars, full access to all cabinets, and nothing to trip over.

2019-07-24: I love the Summer sun. ☀️

2019-07-24: I need a self-cleaning microwave.

2019-07-24: How satisfying is this?

2019-07-23: Garage Order Restored Everything off floor, Mounted and hung on wall racks. A nice difference.

2019-07-23: I’m feeling pretty smug.

2019-07-23: I really should get into the habit of taking before & after pictures for major projects.

2019-07-23: Episode 96: Moon Day and Football I catch up with Benedict about our Moon Day festivities and chat with the kids about our playtime outside yesterday.

2019-07-23: Pixelmator Pro is a fantastic app. I’m a bit perplexed that they don’t have type on a curve yet.

2019-07-23: Poll: 97% Of Americans Support Taking People Who Violate Express Lane Limits And Launching Them Into The Sun - The Babylon Bee people who try to sneak into the fast lane should meet the sun at a high rate of speed.

2019-07-23: 3M is an incredible company.

2019-07-22: Garage Organization Bike rack, tool rack, Bring some order to garage. Two hours, big change.

2019-07-22: Working in the garage into the late evening is a lot of fun.

2019-07-22: Customizing Your Hosted Podcast Title and Artwork Micro.blog offers a podcasting plan to add on to your blog subscription. This is a great feature that I’ve been using for over a year. I record a weekly podcast featuring my three children called ChetCast. I love how my short posts, pictures, long posts, and podcasts all flow …

2019-07-22: Just getting a letter from the IRS causes my heart rate to spike. Even if it’s good news, I still don’t like the experience.

2019-07-22: Glad to see that they’re still making these.

2019-07-21: School Prep One month to go, yikes! Afternoon getting ready, Productive Sunday.

2019-07-21: I guess I’m building shelves this afternoon.

2019-07-21: Email aliases on your own domain are amazing.

2019-07-21: Just a month until my son starts school. So much to get done! 🎓

2019-07-20: Moon Landing Capture my son’s mind, He really likes Neil. A friend. Growing scientist?

2019-07-20: “Daddy, Neil Armstrong has never been to the moon before. Do you think he’s afraid?” - My 5 year old after watching the Apollo 11 launch scene.

2019-07-20: Apollo 11 🍿

2019-07-20: Happy Moon Day! 🌖 🇺🇸

2019-07-19: Push Mower Mowed the lawn at church. Had to use a push mower. What a punishment!

2019-07-19: Just placed my first Field Notes order.

2019-07-19: My kids are loving the fruits of summer. 🍓🍉🍑

2019-07-19: When It Comes to Taxes, Sometimes It Pays to Say ‘I Don’t’ - WSJ But they aren’t married and say one reason is taxes. Dumb.

2019-07-18: Overdue Car Wash Three weeks with no wash, Plenty of dust, dirt, and bugs. Repeat every week.

2019-07-18: Mussels at home is about $2.50 per plate. Economical eating right there.

2019-07-18: Book Review: The Magician’s Nephew 📚🚸 I believe that I read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in 8th grade, but I’ve never read the full Chronicles of Narnia. I thought it would be a good series to go through with them, and this book was a delight. Well crafted, easy to follow, and distinctly beautiful. Imagining …

2019-07-17: Outside Toys New toys to play with, Running all over the yard. Need new storage things.

2019-07-17: Currently reading: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis 📚

2019-07-17: I’ve settled on using OpenDNS for network content filtering with iOS parental controls for redundancy. Hard work to keep the Internet safe for the kids.

2019-07-17: My new default activity when I’m waiting (car mechanic, kids activities, etc) is reading. Much more enjoyable than mindlessly surfing on my phone.

2019-07-17: El Chapo Sentenced to Life in U.S. Prison - WSJ Mr. Guzmán spoke at length to the judge for the first time since his extradition in 2017. He expressed no remorse for his crimes and instead spent most of his statement comparing his conditions of confinement to torture… …

2019-07-17: Episode 95: Play Ball! The kids and I go outside to play with some new toys.

2019-07-17: 5 Ways to Get Around Parental Controls on the Internet - wikiHow Though your first choice should always be to talk to your parents about having the controls lifted, there are a few ways to bypass parental controls Wow.

2019-07-16: Prime Day It’s Prime Day. Oh yeah? Not really, though. It’s two days. I don’t really care.

2019-07-16: Finished reading: The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis 📚

2019-07-16: The Treasury Department issues beautiful checks. Excellent design work.

2019-07-16: Apparently using Unsplash isn’t as bulletproof as I once thought.

2019-07-15: Covered Playground Went to a new park, Had a sun shade all over. Install everywhere!

2019-07-15: I need to figure out the best macOS program to teach my kids how to type.

2019-07-15: I had all three of my kids up, dressed, fed, and across town in time for an 8:00 am appointment this morning. I’m giving myself this award: 🏅

2019-07-14: Change of Plans? A deadline looms near, Should we just throw it all out? Let’s decide this week.

2019-07-14: Dave 🍿 Date night.

2019-07-14: Let the editing commence.

2019-07-14: Book Review: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 📚 This was our first book reading aloud with the children. They did great, but at the end, they were ready to be done. I received reports that my reading hurt their ears. I used the Great Illustrated Classics abridged edition of the book, which was a great choice for them. It had a …

2019-07-14: Episode 94: Art Museum I travel to a local art museum and speak with the curator/artist about their collection.

2019-07-14: I love the On This Day feature in Day One. This morning, I began writing an expanded second edition of my first book, The Transition. When I finished writing, I opened Day One and saw that on this day six years ago I started work on the first draft!

2019-07-13: First Draft Done Longest book to day, First draft in five years. Big win! Can’t wait to share it!

2019-07-13: Civilization V > Civilization VI

2019-07-13: Perfect morning weather for my celebratory walk.

2019-07-13: I just finished the draft of my first new book in five years. 40,000 words, all written in Ulysses, almost completely written on my iPad. This is my longest book to date, and it feel so gratifying to reach this milestone.

2019-07-12: First Read Aloud Finished our first book. I think it went well. Some sighs. Will happen again.

2019-07-12: It would be nice if the iPad FaceTime app only showed a history of FaceTime calls like the iPhone one does. I don’t need my full call history when I’m trying to make a FaceTime video call.

2019-07-12: Finished reading: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain 📚

2019-07-12: Finishing up small tweaks and testing on dark mode support for my websites. Planning to roll those updates out next week.

2019-07-12: I’ve updated my Books page to include a listing of books that I’m currently reading. I also made a notation of books that I’ve read aloud with my children. Can’t wait to see my list grow with those titles!

2019-07-12: Busy weekend ahead, but ahead on my task list. That may be because my daughter was playing with my watch and checking off items in Things.app.

2019-07-12: Brilliant sunshine pours into the kitchen as the aroma of coffee fills the air.

2019-07-12: Marie Kondo was right. It’s nice to have pajamas that were bought for that purpose. So much more relaxing that simply being old shirts that are no longer acceptable to wear in public.

2019-07-11: Web Dark Mode Just some CSS, Given by community. Viola! Dark mode, on!

2019-07-11: The Shawn Blanc writing playlist.

2019-07-11: So close to done, and so ready for it to be over.

2019-07-11: Mailchimp’s free tier is significantly less valuable after their recent feature reorganization.

2019-07-11: Episode 93: Benedict’s Feast Day Everyone’s in a good mood, in spite of some troubling events happening at home. Plus, we celebrate a special day for Benedict!

2019-07-11: Now I’m hooked! Setting all of my sites up in Dark Mode!

2019-07-11: Dark Mode in Kiko Theme Special thanks to Andy over at The Dent! After about 20 minutes of work, my site is ready for Dark Mode using the Kiko Theme on Micro.blog. @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) { body { color: #fafafa; background-color: #1a1a1a; } .masthead-title a { color: #ffffff; } …

2019-07-10: The Van Returns Home, out of the shop. A bit more work, done next week. All will be well, soon!

2019-07-10: Cotton Bureau makes nice things.

2019-07-10: Controlling My Presence The IndieWeb Summit was held at the end of June in Portland. I didn’t attend, but through my involvement with Micro.blog, I’m familiar with the ideas and tools of the IndieWeb. The Internet has a tremendous capacity for open communication, and it’s available to anyone who wants …

2019-07-09: Jury Duty Serendipity Jury Duty ends, After 30 minutes. Hello, Wife! Come on home, please!

2019-07-09: It makes ZERO sense to give the second factor to the device trying to access the account. No way this is expected behavior.

2019-07-08: Car Repair Fumble 7AM slot, Wasn’t touched until 5. Oops. Poor experience.

2019-07-08: Currently reading: Catholic Bioethics for a New Millennium by Anthony Fisher, OP 📚

2019-07-08: A quick afternoon redesign on two of my pages. Nice to knock out a quick project with a big visual payoff.

2019-07-08: Book Review: Last Days of the Concorde 📚 It was good to pick up this book in light of the recent 737 MAX incidents. Through the lens of the tragic loss of Air France 4590, readers are treated to an inside look at the world of aviation accident investigations. Starting on that fateful summer day in 2000, and tracing the …

2019-07-08: For its 130th anniversary, The Wall Street Journal published a digital edition of their paper that features some of the biggest stories that they’ve covered. Really cool journalism and digital media.

2019-07-08: Seeing the 737 MAX with its wings clipped is sad. I do, however, love the group shots with all of the different liveries. There’s some real art flying in the sky.

2019-07-08: Finished reading: Last Days of the Concorde: The Crash of Flight 4590 and the End of Supersonic Passenger Travel by Samme Chittum 📚

2019-07-08: I don’t think that all of this criticism of Cook should get under his skin. He has strengths. Those strengths help him manage a global corporation. Product & design are not among them. That’s okay. Build the team to deliver and let them run.

2019-07-08: Episode 92: Woody and Misty My children have been transported to the Wild West.

2019-07-08: Reaching page 100 in a book is always a satisfying milestone.

2019-07-08: Good morning, World.

2019-07-07: Flight Simulator Final flight of day, Preparing to land with son. Joystick disconnects.

2019-07-07: It’s okay to cancel a few items in Things.

2019-07-07: Music Albums Over the last decade, Apple has packaged music services in different ways. From listening to their explaining in the marketing to watching the Keynote presentations, I’ve never really understood them. iTunes Match, Music in the Cloud, even Apple Music: these are all complicated …

2019-07-06: Sixteen Bags A day in the sun. Sixteen bags of mulch put down. Good curbside appeal.

2019-07-06: Murder Mystery 🍿 Netflix date night.

2019-07-06: Fire this designer.

2019-07-06: Big outdoor yard work day. All kids loved the hours in the sun!

2019-07-06: It would be nice if there was an AppShopper for Apple Books.

2019-07-05: Many Ideas, Little Time Project list grows long. Check one off, three more show up. That’s the way things go.

2019-07-05: The more that I read, the more that I wish to write.

2019-07-04: Errands, All Day Not the plan to start, In the car all over town. Lots of time with kids!

2019-07-04: Episode 91: Happy Birthday, America Benedict sits down to fill you in on his adventure last night watching fireworks.

2019-07-04: Happy Birthday, America! 🇺🇸

2019-07-03: Fireworks Can’t say I’m a fan, Wife and son went together. Had fun. Excellent!

2019-07-03: Currently reading: Last Days of the Concorde: The Crash of Flight 4590 and the End of Supersonic Passenger Travel by Samme Chittum 📚

2019-07-03: It bothers me that parents take pictures and record video during activities and events. I don’t think that they consider the larger issues and I’m not sure of the right way to handle this. I’m always intentional to not capture another kid’s face.

2019-07-03: Terminology by Agile Tortise is one of the most useful apps I’ve ever downloaded

2019-07-03: Currently reading: The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis 📚

2019-07-03: Book Review: Hero 📚 This is the third book that I’ve read by Meg Meeker this year. I guess my parenting game is getting pretty strong. While her book on raising boys let me down, Hero delivered. Meeker shares her best advice and insights with fathers who are looking for their place in their …

2019-07-03: I detest fake windows.

2019-07-02: iCloud Drive Problems New features to use, Sync services seem to break. Local storage, then.

2019-07-02: Finished reading: Hero: Being the Strong Father Your Children Need by Meg Meeker, MD 📚

2019-07-02: Episode 90: The Chief We’ve had a busy day disrupting the plot of escaping HQ agents. I caught up with the kids before dinner to go over the day’s events.

2019-07-02: I’m so glad that RapidWeaver continues to maintain support for RSS feeds.

2019-07-02: Currently reading: Hero: Being the Strong Father Your Children Need by Meg Meeker, MD 📚

2019-07-02: Deleting SMS messages on Apple Watch is a pain.

2019-07-02: My iMac is four years old, but you’d never know it. A great machine. Bit of a disappointment that sidecar won’t run on it, but glad to have that technology for use with our MacBook Air.

2019-07-02: Book Review: The Read-Aloud Family 📚 One of the many benefits that comes with adding a brief review of each book that I finish is that, while I read, I start to formulate my conclusions. I consider how the book impacts me and engage more with the content. I picked up The Read-Aloud Family on Apple Books during one …

2019-07-01: Working Together Everybody helps, A rule for our home this year. Today, they did! Thanks!

2019-07-01: Nike Nixes ‘Betsy Ross Flag’ Sneaker After Colin Kaepernick Intervenes - WSJ Nike Inc. is yanking a U.S.A.-themed sneaker featuring an early American flag after NFL star-turned-activist Colin Kaepernick told the company it shouldn’t sell a shoe with a symbol that he and others …

2019-07-01: Finished reading: The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids by Sarah Mackenzie 📚

2019-07-01: Apple CEO Tim Cook Calls Recent WSJ Report About Jony Ive ‘Absurd’ - MacRumors The story is absurd. Now I believe the reporting even more.

2019-07-01: Vatican Hits Back at Attempts to Break Confession Secrecy - WSJ saying the seal of confidentiality is inviolable and quashing suggestions there might be scope for compromise or exemptions. 100% yes. Rocca does a great job unpacking the issue.

2019-07-01: Episode 89: Stitch Comes to Town Cleaning day is in full swing, and a Disney character stops by to play.

2019-07-01: Jony Ive Is Leaving Apple, but His Departure Started Long Ago - WSJ But people in the design studio rarely saw Mr. Cook, who they say showed little interest in the product development process—a fact that dispirited Mr. Ive. Great reporting by Tripp. Things make more sense now.

2019-06-30: IndieWeb Summit Didn’t go, but hacked! Updated six years of blogs. Good use of weekend!

2019-06-30: It took hours, but I’ve completed my hack weekend. I’m really excited to roll out this project later this week that I’ve been working on since August.

2019-06-29: Outside Bliss Went on an errand, Met family at the park. We played: smiles, fun!

2019-06-29: Making good progress on my weekend hack. Still several more hours to go before I’m ready to roll out the updates. 335/726 blog posts will be sporting their new featured images in the coming days.

2019-06-29: Episode 88: Zachbot Army A nice Saturday morning takes a turn for the worse.

2019-06-29: I’m not attending the Indie Web Summit this weekend, but I am participating remotely! I have on my Indie Web Camp shirt and will be hacking away on my oldest blog, updating all of my posts form 2013-14 with new photos.

2019-06-28: Day Disrupted Morning: son wakes up. Oh, my. Time to call doctor. Whew! Not a big deal.

2019-06-28: It’s annoying that seeing full reviews in Apple Maps requires you to have the Yelp app. I refuse to give in.

2019-06-28: Pharmacists love staples.

2019-06-28: The point of having primary care is so that they can help you avoid unnecessary Urgent Care/ER visits. Not very useful when you need to be seen, and instead of talking to a scheduler, you’re asked to leave a… voicemail. I’m sure I’ll be hearing from them very soon.

2019-06-28: A key to a healthy reading habit is to be curious enough to read a variety of subjects and genres, but discerning enough to put down books that aren’t enjoyable.

2019-06-28: Book Review: Path of the Assassin 📚 My enjoyment of Brad Thor’s Scot Harvath series continues. I picked up this book and finished it a day later. To call the books in this series “thrillers” is an understatement. I particularly enjoy how Thor rips current events from the headlines and weaves his story into them. …

2019-06-27: Just A Slab Day started with slab, Now there’s a framed house next door. Impressive craftsmen!

2019-06-27: Architects of the world: a residential structure requires more than one window per side of the house. 🏡

2019-06-27: Mission Impossible: Fallout 🍿 No matter how many times I watch it, it’s still a great experience.

2019-06-27: I love that my daughter’s default facial expression is to smile.

2019-06-26: Afternoon with Mom Mom came home early, Off to park, errands, the Chick. Daddy took a nap.

2019-06-26: Currently reading: The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids by Sarah Mackenzie 📚

2019-06-26: Book Review: Lions of Lucerne 📚 After finishing Spymaster, I had a plan to go back to my nonfiction backlog. But I couldn’t stop reading. So I went back to the first book in the series, The Lions of Lucerne. The book was fine, if not a bit overdone. Thor’s novice status in this, his first book, was evident. He …

2019-06-26: Finished reading: Path of the Assassin by Brad Thor 📚

2019-06-25: Reading Too Fast Finished my new book, In one day. Engaging, fun! Now, time to slow down.

2019-06-25: Book Review: Spymaster 📚 Most of the books that I read are nonfiction. I like to spend my reading time exploring new thoughts and interacting with new ideas. That being said, many nonfiction books can be quite boring. Reading them one after another can take a toll. I remember in middle school how my mom …

2019-06-25: Episode 87: Three Special Guests Benedict welcomes three of his friends to the podcast. Things take a dark turn.

2019-06-25: Currently reading: Path of the Assassin by Brad Thor 📚

2019-06-24: So Tired Middle of the day, Hard to keep eyes open. Great, Hours until bed.

2019-06-24: Finished reading: The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor 📚

2019-06-24: Andrew McMahon is a remarkable storyteller. 🎵

2019-06-23: Website Security Policy SSL is great, When it works. When broken, ugh. Much time lost today.

2019-06-23: Currently reading: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain 📚

2019-06-23: When mailing a letter, I always choose a stamp based on the recipient.

2019-06-23: Book Review: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up 📚 I was first introduced to Marie Kondo on The RapidWeaver Show. Ben, one of the Realmac bros, brought up the book on the topic of minimalism. I’ve come around to Ben’s way of seeing things and finally got into this book. It lived up to the hype and gave me a different perspective. …

2019-06-22: Book Shopping Went to a bookstore, It was full of people. Great! Best way to book shop.

2019-06-22: Currently reading: The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor 📚

2019-06-22: Episode 86: Pigeon Puppet Benedict built a puppet while Felicity & I ran an errand. The kids tell you all about it.

2019-06-22: I spent part of my Saturday morning at a local bookstore with my daughter. We walked through the stacks, I picked a book off of the shelf, and bought it with cash. The ultimate reading experience. 📚

2019-06-22: Finished reading: Spymaster by Brad Thor 📚

2019-06-22: This magnet board sparks joy.

2019-06-21: Friday Night Chores Summer Friday nights, Mow lawn, wash cars. Then, relax. Done for the weekend!

2019-06-21: Finished reading: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo 📚

2019-06-21: Welcome back, Summer. ☀️

2019-06-20: Morning Errands Loaded the kids up, Drove all over town. Four stops, Home in time for lunch.

2019-06-20: In the last 30 days, I’ve consumed a total of 190 grams of sugar. A 20oz glass of Coke has 65 grams of sugar in it. Pretty incredible.

2019-06-20: Episode 85: New Car Seat Felicity’s new car seat arrived today, so I caught up with her to get her thoughts on this milestone.

2019-06-20: Book Review: Boys Should Be Boys 📚 A few months ago I read Meg Meeker’s Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters. I found that book incredibly helpful in understanding my daughters better, and how to apply that knowledge to my parenting. I picked up Boys Should Be Boys with the same intention, only for my son. This book …

2019-06-19: A Short Story My son wrote a book, He is creative and proud! Bonus: a good plot.

2019-06-19: Currently reading: Spymaster by Brad Thor 📚

2019-06-19: It took me too long, but I finally registered chetcast.com. Much easier to say and, one year in, I think this show is going to be around for a while.

2019-06-19: Google is Gone Seven months ago, I wrote about my intention to delete all of my Google services. Without a doubt, Google creates some incredible and easy-to-use products. However, their corporate positions on human rights, national defense, and privacy outraged me. I pledged to delete all of my …

2019-06-19: Deregulated energy is confusing for newcomers. But once you get the hang of it, it’s awesome. Switching providers this upcoming year saved me 22% on my bill.

2019-06-19: Sometimes life with your credit frozen is a little weird. Changing utilities and couldn’t figure out why they kept asking for maximum deposits. Oh, right.

2019-06-19: In technology, users often have to sacrifice product quality & usability for privacy.

2019-06-19: Currently reading: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo 📚

2019-06-18: Goodbye, Google Nest account is gone, No more Google in my house. Privacy. Freedom!

2019-06-18: Finished reading: Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons by Meg Meeker, MD 📚

2019-06-18: Episode 84: Constellations Another day, another trip to the Planetarium. The kids share what we learned about today.

2019-06-18: One More Light by Linkin Park is a remarkable song in its defense of the dignity of the human person. We lost a great artist in Chester. 🎵

2019-06-17: Fast and Furious Go, go, go, go, go! On the move cleaning all day. House looks really nice!

2019-06-17: The people of Hong Kong are an inspiration to us all. 🇭🇰

2019-06-17: With the addition of MarsEdit and PDFPen, Setapp’s value proposition is getting very strong.

2019-06-17: Currently reading: Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons by Meg Meeker, MD 📚

2019-06-17: Crazy busy cleaning day. Amazing at how much I can get done when constantly in motion.

2019-06-17: Book Review: Digital Minimalism 📚 This book caught me at the perfect time. Cal Newport’s latest offering is the antidote to the quick glance, mindless scrolling, and trying to fill every down second of our life with something digital. In a way, Newport met me right where I’m at. I’m more skeptical than ever of …

2019-06-16: Father’s Day Kids in a bad mood, Quiet time for all. I read. Good use of my time!

2019-06-16: Finished reading: Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport 📚

2019-06-16: The perfect way to start a Sunday morning. 🎞

2019-06-16: I prefer writing to the sound of rain to any music.

2019-06-16: I’m a repeat past-tense offender.

2019-06-15: Site Launch Day Lots of lead up work, Finally got to “publish.” Nice to see it live.

2019-06-15: I’m so grateful to the thousands of talented photographers who donate their art to Unsplash. It makes the Internet a more beautiful place.

2019-06-15: Nice day for a swim. 🎞

2019-06-15: It’s a wonderful day to be at the zoo. Warm with a nice breeze. 🦒🦓🐘🦏🐅

2019-06-15: The sky is a magnificent canvas.

2019-06-14: MacOS Dark Mode Turned on for first time, I have been missing out! Whoa! How long till 13?

2019-06-14: Logitech plans to support HomeKit Secure Video with Circle 2 Wired later this year - 9to5Mac Circle 2 Wired Cameras will support HomeKit Secure Video with a free firmware update later this year – stay tuned for more details. Sweet.

2019-06-14: Launching a new website tomorrow. That brings my personal total to four. Launched a client one last week and just got a request for two more. Whew!

2019-06-14: Dark mode: why was I so skeptical?

2019-06-14: Happy Flag Day 🇺🇸

2019-06-14: Episode 83: Dinosaur Invasion While working on a morning project, I was unnerved by a development in the playroom.

2019-06-14: I’m two days into my digital minimalism detox and my thoughts have much to say. Not sure if I should be excited or anxious for my three hours of outdoor chores this evening. (During the detox I’m not going to listen to music or podcasts while working outside, as I usually do).

2019-06-14: Sky at first light.

2019-06-13: Pony Tail Girl has long hair now. I did my first pony tail. I would say, decent.

2019-06-13: The afternoon snack menu for the kids: cucumber slices and lemonade. Tastes like summer! 🥒🍋

2019-06-13: Speculators who park domains in hope of a payday make the Internet so much worse.

2019-06-13: Pixelmator is an excellent application.

2019-06-13: A wet/dry electric razor. I had no idea!

2019-06-12: Digital Clean Slate iOS restore, Both devices. A fresh start. This feels like it should.

2019-06-12: It would be nice if iCloud Drive put all of the application data folders into an “Apps” folder like Dropbox. Makes it look very cluttered.

2019-06-12: PBS CEO warns App Store crackdown on content for kids forcing it to pull apps these changes will prevent PBS from tracking what features are working in its apps, as well as to know what features to change and improve for the end-user. I’m dubious.

2019-06-12: I just finished decimating my installed iPhone/iPad apps. I always forget how much work is involved restoring an iOS device.

2019-06-12: Digital Detox My quest for digital minimalism has been ongoing for a number of years; Cal Newport just gave it a name. I’ve gone through several rounds of app removal, website blocking, and social media curtailing. In fact, it’s been over a year since I left all social media. Yet, as Newport …

2019-06-11: Let’s Go Outside 75, sun. A beautiful day at park. Let’s do it again!

2019-06-11: Getting ready to sit down and outline my digital detox a la Cal Newport.

2019-06-11: Having your own website is so liberating. I can change the design or any feature whenever I want. So much fun.

2019-06-11: Kids at the park: 🌳🏃🏻‍♂️🧗🏻‍♂️🤸🏻‍♂️🌳 Parents at the park: 📱

2019-06-11: In the pantheon of great song titles, Okay, I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t is certainly up there. 🎵

2019-06-11: Writing is difficult, but I find it easier to accomplish early in the morning, right after my walk, and while the house is still silent.

2019-06-10: Cleaning Crew Play, then work. Sound fair? Good helpers, many hands, clean. Thanks to my small crew!

2019-06-10: Episode 82: Creative Play The kids had a lot of creative play time today… and I’ve got some serious parenting to do.

2019-06-09: Sprinkler Maintenance Lawn watering time. Check sprinklers. Adjustments. I am very wet.

2019-06-09: Time to check the sprinklers.

2019-06-08: Keto Pizza It’s not quite pizza, More like cheesy bread. Oh well. Fat is delicious.

2019-06-08: Civilization V is so great. Hard to understand how they went so wrong on VI.

2019-06-07: Outdoor Chores In the summer heat, Lawn; cars washed on Friday evening. Exhausting!

2019-06-07: One lonely Google device remains in my house. It’s scheduled to be removed next month. I’m so close!

2019-06-06: Big News Six years in making, We got some wonderful news! New adventure starts.

2019-06-06: I hope that Sign in with Apple will let you forward emails to an address other than your Apple ID.

2019-06-06: Episode 81: Space Roller Coaster We went to the planetarium this morning and there was a small surprise after the movie.

2019-06-06: 75 years since the Allied amphibious invasion at Normandy. So many young men who gave their lives for the sake of a peace that they would never enjoy. A testament to the shared values and ideals of our nations. 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇨🇦🇫🇷🇵🇱🇳🇱🇧🇪🇩🇰🇳🇴🇦🇺🇳🇿🇱🇺🇨🇿

2019-06-05: HomeKit Garage Openers Home App: No Response. Ignored, then new batteries. Now they work! Ah, bliss!

2019-06-05: Got my HomeKit garage door openers working again after they were out of service for two months. Should’ve thought to replace the sensor batteries sooner.

2019-06-05: The omelette is the canvas upon which I create my morning art.

2019-06-05: The Apple Support app is excellent.

2019-06-04: Dealer Service Hell Recall appointment. Thirty minutes of work; nope. Took them three hours.

2019-06-04: Hard to believe that people go to dealership service departments voluntarily.

2019-06-03: Keynote with Kids Hard to listen to, Kids had plenty of comments. Not quite ideal.

2019-06-03: Good things come to those who wait! The .COM TLD for my six year running blog just came available, and I got it!

2019-06-03: Can iTunes do even more? What a great bit!

2019-06-03: A 32” display without a stand? That’s called a TV.

2019-06-03: Book Review: The Theft of a Decade 📚 I’ve followed the work and writing of Joseph Sternberg on the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board for several years now. I find his insights to be helpful, particularly in understanding political movements in Europe, where he’s based. When I heard that he was writing a book, the …

2019-06-03: I’m ready to open all of my new WWDC keynote goodies. 🎁📱⌚️🖥

2019-06-02: Behind the Power Curve Set big reading goal, A bit behind. June, oh no!! Time to play catch-up.

2019-06-02: Episode 80: Volcanoes Are Coming In what may be our final episode, Felicity reports the impending attack of volcanoes on our house. Also, Felicity draws you a picture!

2019-06-02: Currently reading: Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport 📚

2019-06-01: Foggy Morning Walk Early start to day, Fog rolled in thick. Heavy air. Neighborhood looked cool!

2019-06-01: Finished reading: The Theft of a Decade: How the Baby Boomers Stole the Millennials’ Economic Future by Joseph C. Sternberg 📚

2019-06-01: If you’re concerned about your iOS apps spying on you, a good first step is to delete all of the ones you never use. It can’t steal your data if it isn’t installed. I had more of those unused apps than I realized.

2019-06-01: Italian sausage, garlic, and tomato base to my quiche. Smells as good as it looks. 👨🏻‍🍳

2019-06-01: Ex-Wall Street Lawyer Is Behind Plan to Have Post Office Compete With Banks - WSJ She contends that private banks have failed to address the needs of millions of households and that a government-backed option can close the gap. USPS Bank, lol. Have they heard of Credit Unions?

2019-06-01: iPhone Privacy Is Broken…and Apps Are to Blame - WSJ Most are littered with secret trackers, slurping up your personal data and sending it to more places than you can count. Apple losing consumer trust may be a bigger problem than losing their 30% cut.

2019-06-01: Fog rolls in.

2019-05-31: The Baking Secret I’m new to baking. All you need is: recipe, Dash of confidence.

2019-05-31: At this point, I’m the baker version of an experienced actor going behind the camera. 🧁

2019-05-31: I made a torte for the first time this week.

2019-05-31: Apple should add previous versions of their icons to their iOS apps as alternate icons.

2019-05-30: SXM Spa Channel Soft, melodic sounds, Soothe a pounding head. Relief. Kids don’t like it, tho.

2019-05-30: It’s nice to see all of our nature friends, back in our yard after a winter away. 🐾

2019-05-30: The Spa Channel on SiriusXM is the perfect soundtrack for a migraine.

2019-05-29: Mommy’s Party Repair men at house, But Daddy, we must prepare! Mom’s party tonight!

2019-05-28: Four Day Week What day is it now? I’m so confused. Wife at work, Chores done. What to do?

2019-05-28: WWDC peak leak season is upon us. My kids won’t let me watch the keynote, so I resent them less this year.

2019-05-27: Memorial Day To all families, Who gave in the name Freedom, Our eternal thanks. 🇺🇸

2019-05-27: This water looks cool and very inviting.

2019-05-27: Apart from the neighbor’s HVAC unit, it’s a lovely morning. 🎞

2019-05-26: Science Museum Sunday afternoon, No school groups, just families. Perfect visit. Fun!

2019-05-26: Episode 79: Family Work Day I catch up with Felicity to chat about how she participated in our family work day yesterday.

2019-05-26: Quintessential 2019 Problem: I’ve lost the USB cable to charge my soap dispenser.

2019-05-26: Hamburger Hill Veterans Find Peace on Battlefield - WSJ Veterans of both armies shook hands and smiled for photos together. These stories, old enemies now friends, are a tribute to the humanity of us all.

2019-05-26: Huawei’s Yearslong Rise Is Littered With Accusations of Theft and Dubious Ethics - WSJ Along the way, Huawei has been dogged by allegations that its gains came on the back of copying and theft. A review of 10 cases in U.S. federal courts, and dozens of interviews with U.S. …

2019-05-26: I watched an owl swoop around my neighborhood on a pre-dawn hunt. Majestic bird. 🦉

2019-05-25: Work Day Garden weeds cleared out, Cars washed, kids played. Hours of fun! Successful work day!

2019-05-25: Busy day filled with accomplishments. Time to light the grill. ⏲

2019-05-25: Stunning start to summer. Great morning with the whole family working and playing outside.

2019-05-25: My omelette game is strong.

2019-05-24: A Whirlwind Day Errands in morning. Chores in the whole afternoon. Awards in the evening.

2019-05-24: So proud of my son tonight. He earned his first belt promotion in taekwando. He’s over the moon. 🥋

2019-05-24: Bike shops have excellent employees. 🚲

2019-05-24: I love the look of a fresh cut lawn.

2019-05-24: We’re living in a golden age of cheese. 🧀

2019-05-23: Big Outdoor Plans Lawn mowed, yard ready. Big outdoor weekend plans. Fun! Nice to be family.

2019-05-23: Military Chain of Command Under New Scrutiny in Assault Cases - WSJ “Ultimately commanders need to own it. They need to be more prepared, more accountable, more equipped, but they still need to own it,” Ms. McSally told reporters earlier this month. “Stripping that away from …

2019-05-23: If shipping takes more than 2 days, then it isn’t Prime. So stop calling those items Prime, Amazon!

2019-05-23: I just emailed a local government representative about an issue covered in our newspaper. It’s important (and easy!) to let your leaders know your thoughts, at all levels of government!

2019-05-23: There was a considerable fight over who would get to hold these while shopping at Walmart. Many requests to use them upon our return home.

2019-05-22: Garbage Disposal Phoenix Removed sink cover, A jammed spoon. Removed, turned on. It works! I am saved!

2019-05-22: Lunch with Mommy at work. Always a hit.

2019-05-22: My teaspoon measuring spoon made its way into the garbage disposal and got jammed. Didn’t know the disposal has an automatic shutoff. Great feature!

2019-05-21: Garbage Disposal Death A small convenience, Stops working. Oh no! Now what? Hope they fix it soon!

2019-05-21: Coconut milk isn’t an ingredient that I normally cook with, but I do enjoy the rich, deep flavor. 🥥

2019-05-21: A bit wet out there. 🎞

2019-05-21: The flower from today’s podcast that drives the Hummingbirds wild. It’s known as a Black and Blue.

2019-05-21: Storm Season is Here. Prepare Now. Storm season is upon us, and many communities across the United States have been inundated with severe weather in this Spring. My local news stations have done a great job keeping us informed about developments, but in a recent outbreak of storms, I found myself unaware of a …

2019-05-21: Episode 78: Birds Our morning broadcast, featuring a rare appearance by Lucy, was interrupted by our first sighting of a hummingbird of the season!

2019-05-21: I find the iOS Bedtime feature to be most useful when it makes an audible chime while going off. iOS 12.3 has not been kind to Clock.app alarms on my phone.

2019-05-20: Storm Prep A few new items, To keep my kiddos storm safe. Radio a hit!

2019-05-20: American Airlines Sues Mechanics Unions - WSJ The world’s largest airline by traffic said in a court filing that the unions are coordinating action to slow repair work on its fleet of 950 planes in an effort to gain leverage in talks over a new contract that have dragged into …

2019-05-20: Judge Rejects Trump Request to Block Subpoena for Accounting Records - WSJ “It is not unreasonable to think that the Mazars records might assist Congress in determining whether ethics statutes or regulations need updating to strengthen Executive Branch accountability, promote …

2019-05-20: Parents of dead West Point cadet can use his sperm, judge rules Supreme Court Justice John Colangelo says in a decision dated Thursday the parents of Peter Zhu haven’t decided whether to attempt conception with a surrogate mother. But he ruled it’s their decision to …

2019-05-20: I don’t trust ground meat packaged in a roll.

2019-05-20: A delightful comic by my son (& Mo Willems)

2019-05-20: The beginning of something beautiful.

2019-05-20: When you fail to put $30 worth of products into your Walmart Grocery Pickup cart, you must go inside the store and do your own shopping. Oh the humanity!

2019-05-19: Tremendous Weekend Play, travel, weather, It was a great weekend! So, Let’s do it again!

2019-05-19: Currently reading: The Theft of a Decade: How the Baby Boomers Stole the Millennials’ Economic Future by Joseph C. Sternberg 📚

2019-05-19: Book Review: Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters As the father to two little girls, this book made it on my reading list a few months back. Now that my eldest is moving beyond her toddler years, I thought it was a good time to read it. The book is a challenging read. Every chapter is full of dozens of pieces of practical advice …

2019-05-18: Saturday Adventure Planetarium, A Saturday family trip. We should do more things!

2019-05-17: Migrating Hosts Time to move web hosts, Not for me, for a client. Hope I don’t break it!

2019-05-16: Crowded with Kids A trip to the zoo, Overrun with school kids. Yikes! Kept all of mine, tho.

2019-05-15: Siblings Play The end of nap time, Oh no! I must have a break! Oh, they’re playing. Nice!

2019-05-14: Building Together Girl destroys his things, He doesn’t let her play now. Let’s build together!

2019-05-13: Laundry is Done The day is now done. Oh, look, I finished my work! What to do this week?

2019-05-12: Mother’s Day So many mothers, Thank you to them all. You’re great! One day not enough.

2019-05-11: Sleeping In Should be up at five, I got up at nine. Oh well. Nice while it lasted.

2019-05-10: Dermatology Nice waiting room, staff. Got a shot, not kid approved. We got over it.

2019-05-09: The Mess Can Wait Not feeling too great, The house is a mess. But wait, Monday’s laundry done!

2019-05-08: Botox Day Three months goes too fast, Glad the girls are so patient. See you in August.

2019-05-07: Selfie Smiles Toddler loves selfies, Races over to see self. It’s elemental.

2019-05-06: The Sound of Play No greater delight, My kids playing together. May it last decades!

2019-05-05: Not Great at Church Kids not great at Church, I’ll keep bringing them. It’s good, Planting the seeds now.

2019-05-04: Brunch How great is brunch? Yum! I could eat breakfast all day. Nothing stopping me.

2019-05-03: Son Comes Home Two day delays. Sad! He landed, he’s really here. Welcome home, my son!

2019-05-02: Waiting for Son Woke up, checked phone. Bad! Son’s flight cancelled. Tomorrow? This cannot last, right?

2019-05-01: Where Is He? Son’s flight home cancelled. They said weather, it was fine. Never trust forecasts.

2019-04-30: Errands with Two Errands with two kids, So easy, don’t have to try. I’m a pro, people

2019-04-30: Wrapped Around Her Finger The job of being a father is under appreciated today. Our society spends too much time attacking people that we’re envious of. A by-product has been the sidelining of men writ large. We’ve chipped away so much at the essence of masculinity that men find little direction in their …

2019-04-29: Transformation Complete Son on vacation, Project time: reorganize. Mission accomplished.

2019-04-28: Sick Kids, Redux Kids sick all month. What? This is madness, it must end! Not today, I guess.

2019-04-27: Lakeside Afternoon Work party by lake, Daughter really wanted in. Full lifeguard duty.

2019-04-26: Goodbye, Son Boy is off on trip, See you next week. Now, to work! So much to get done.

2019-04-25: Can You Help? I work alone. But, Kids can be great helpers. Huh. Never would have guessed.

2019-04-24: Sorry, Buddy Grampi’s flight cancelled. Sorry, buddy. Tomorrow? He got over it.

2019-04-23: Packing Error Five year old packs things, Not good at planning. LEGOs, Friends, toys. No clothes. Oops.

2019-04-22: Menu Planning Hard to plan meals, shop. Takes time. Better use service. eMeals and Walmart!

2019-04-22: Purple Heart Dotted across our nation are monuments, trails, and highways dedicated to recipients of the Purple Heart. The United States Postal Service has a Purple Heart forever stamp in regular production. The Purple Heart is a military decoration awarded to service members who sustain …

2019-04-21: Easter Late Easter, now here. Steak for dinner and party. Nice celebration.

2019-04-20: New Lawnmower My first time buying, A new lawnmower. It starts! Stores upright, too. Cool.

2019-04-19: Dominos Opens New delivery, Dominos opens nearby. Third customer. Hello!

2019-04-19: Episode 75: Playdough It’s the one year anniversary of ChetCast! I caught up with all three kids at the breakfast table to talk about a year of podcasting and their playdough creations.

2019-04-18: Panera Not sure how happens, Panera is not cheap. Kids, Here, have my baguette.

2019-04-17: Toddler Explores Inflatable pool, It’s a makeshift ball pit. Fun. Toddler likes climbing.

2019-04-17: North Korea Says It Test-Fired New Tactical Guided Weapon - WSJ Mr. Kim visited an air force unit where he instructed pilots to “take off and perform difficult and complicated air combat actions,” state media said. This makes Kim look cartoonish. He’s anything but.

2019-04-17: Drafts app is the perfect cross-platform app. Fast enough to catch an idea before it slips away.

2019-04-17: Seriously, what is wrong with the Toyota design team?

2019-04-16: Sickness Continues Is sick new normal? Run circles through home. Not great. Someone cure us, please!

2019-04-16: Flowers in bloom at Monticello

2019-04-15: Tylenol Kids now ask by name, They think it’s delicious. Cherry. Powerful branding.

2019-04-15: Another beautiful evening.

2019-04-15: We want news fast, but for some stories, fast answers aren’t possible. Aviation accident investigation is a complex process that examines multiple causes and factors. There’s so much reckless journalism surrounding the 737 MAX story. It’s a disservice to the flying …

2019-04-15: I love the alternate app icon feature in iOS.

2019-04-14: Clean Cars Two weeks since last wash, So much pollen to remove. Now they really shine!

2019-04-14: I love Spring evenings.

2019-04-14: On my iPad, I just downloaded a zipped beta build of software to my iMac desktop using iCloud Drive. Now that’s the future.

2019-04-14: Beautiful day, clean cars. Feels good.

2019-04-13: Heavy Rains Darkness relaxes, Especially in the day. No nap, though. Just watched.

2019-04-13: Feedbin really is excellent. Can’t wait for Reeder 4.

2019-04-13: Episode 74: Weather Station Future meteorologist Benedict sits down to talk to me about his new weather station.

2019-04-13: The Human Limits of Autonomous Cars My recent road trip to Chicago was my first in a vehicle that had the complete current suite of driver assistance technologies, namely adaptive cruise control with autonomous braking, lane departure warning with lane keep assist, and blind spot monitoring. To be honest, it make …

2019-04-13: Playing Flight Simulator with my son is fun.

2019-04-12: Early Bedtime Off to bed early, Three hours of quiet. Great! Now what do I do?

2019-04-12: The Netflix auto-play preview while browsing is a crime against humanity.

2019-04-12: Watching Jack Ryan. Haven’t heard much about this show since the release last year.

2019-04-11: Library Parking Visit new library, On busy street, small spots. Thats a bad job, guys!

2019-04-11: Running shoe inserts are a joke.

2019-04-10: Dentist with Kids Getting my teeth cleaned, Makes it hard to control kids. Thanks, dental helpers!

2019-04-10: Apparently teachers don’t want to work during the months of April and May. All of my normal hangouts are overrun with field trips!

2019-04-10: I 100% agree with the new WSJ policy of comments only on a few select articles. To be honest, I’d like for them to kill comments entirely. This is a good start.

2019-04-09: Site Work Starts Diggers right next door, Pulling entire trees down. Construction begins.

2019-04-09: I’m in favor of ordinances that restrict builders from clear-cutting raw land during site development. A percentage of trees (50%?) should be incorporated into the lot design. So much waste for little gain.

2019-04-09: It looks like The Wall Street Journal has turned off almost all commenting on articles. Good for them!

2019-04-08: Clean Nest Late start, messy house. Cleaned, dusted, rearranged rooms. Can’t believe it’s done!

2019-04-08: Episode 73: Train Ride It’s cleaning day. I took a break from my chores to go on a train ride with three very chatty little ones.

2019-04-07: Weekend Off “No, I want Mommy!” I can see I’m not needed. Be back on Monday.

2019-04-07: Brave Browser on iOS finally supports bookmark syncing. I visited 3 websites and it blocked 239 ads and trackers. Brave is my new default web browser.

2019-04-07: The sound of thunder is incredible.

2019-04-06: Small Hands Help Three tiny humans, Toys covered the land. Too much. Major pick-up. Clean!

2019-04-06: This Meg Meeker book is all that it’s cracked up to be.

2019-04-06: Podcast Ads My normal routine is to get up early in the morning and walk while my family sleeps. I spend my walking time listening to various podcasts. I didn’t do very much walking in the past six weeks, and my backlog of podcasts is longer than it’s ever been. At times, I was tempted to …

2019-04-05: Google’s Advisory Board Crash and Burn - WSJ Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Joseph Dunford, who is usually circumspect in public, last month said Google’s work “indirectly benefits” the Chinese military. AI in China, he said, will “help an authoritarian government assert …

2019-04-05: Slept In, By Choice Alarm goes off, up. Out of bed, should I go back? I did. Major fail.

2019-04-05: Book Review: Killing the SS 📚 I’m no stranger to the Killing series. Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard have written eight books detailing the final days and events surrounding the deaths of famous characters in history. So far, I’ve read about Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Jesus and George Patton. In the …

2019-04-05: Currently reading: Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know by Meg Meeker, MD 📚

2019-04-05: The Human Limits of Autonomous Cars My recent road trip to Chicago was my first in a vehicle that had the complete current suite of driver assistance technologies, namely adaptive cruise control with autonomous braking, lane departure warning with lane keep assist, and blind spot monitoring. To be honest, it make …

2019-04-04: New Routine Tomorrow Something needs to change, New schedule and new watch face. Thanks, Reminders app!

2019-04-04: I’ve been so busy this year that I haven’t had the time to make my March Madness bracket. I think I’ll have to sit down on Sunday afternoon and knock it out. 🏀

2019-04-03: Pope Francis sure took his time, but Archbishop Gregory is a great pick to lead Washington.

2019-04-03: Back to Karate One month, no practice. I don’t recognize people. All new. Right place? Huh.

2019-04-03: People Behind the News My family has been close to Dr. Heather Wilson since she and my dad attended college together. They served together in the Air Force and have remained close friends since. I have met her and her husband several times throughout my life. You may have heard her name recently or …

2019-04-03: The HOA had some trimmers out today cutting down dead trees. These guys were old school, climbing up the tree with a chainsaw and cutting it down in pieces. Very intense.

2019-04-03: A delicious afternoon treat.

2019-04-03: Episode 72: Dinosaur on My Head The kids are both chipper and downcast as we discuss dinosaurs.

2019-04-02: New Construction Empty lot next door, Now filled with markers and men. Lousy summer soon.

2019-04-02: Just going through my olds posts and realized I’ve been off Facebook for over a year. Can’t say I’ve missed it one bit. But, geez, that was like 82 Facebook scandals ago.

2019-04-02: Report Reveals Jesus Christ May Have Benefited From Father’s Influential Position To Gain High-Powered Role As Lord And Savior “God likes to claim He moves in mysterious ways, but there doesn’t seem to be too much mystery here at all,” Baxter continued. “This looks like blatant …

2019-04-02: I’m still waiting for Pixelmator to add type on a curve. This is, from my perspective, the only major feature missing when compared to Photoshop. Seems like a major oversight at this point, unless its technically very difficult to implement.

2019-04-01: April Fools A few corporate jokes, I preferred the real tech news. Cloudflare is at it!

2019-04-01: Finished reading: Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History by Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard 📚

2019-04-01: My son just asked me if he could watch Jingle All the Way. I’m so proud!

2019-04-01: I’m all for bank security to protect against losses from fraud. However, if we can’t trust that the actual customer has control of their online account, maybe we should increase security or just not offer that service.

2019-04-01: Episode 71: Joke Day We’re back at home, the kids are with me, and in honor of April Fools, we have some jokes for the folks!

2019-03-31: Apple Music Albums New experience, Listening to whole albums. Thanks, Apple Music!

2019-03-31: That moment when you’re reading a bedtime story to your five year old, and he interrupts you to explain the paschal mystery.

2019-03-31: Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program Stats from Student Loan Hero: PSLF borrowers: 890,516* (Total number of borrowers who have one or more approved PSLF Employment Certification Forms) Borrowers who attempted to certify for PSLF: 1,173,420 Borrowers who submitted forgiveness applications: 19,321 Borrowers who were …

2019-03-31: I don’t think that Apple News is all that great.

2019-03-30: Correcting Paint Scratches on the hood, A big annoyance. Polish, And it’s all gone! Sweet.

2019-03-30: Apple Maps in the City Apple Maps continues to suffer from its false start. iOS users download alternatives like Google Maps and Waze to fulfill their navigation needs. Yet, if you look at the three products, they each have a competitive advantage. Nothing can touch Waze when it comes to beating …

2019-03-30: It is easy to correct auto paint.

2019-03-29: Account Consolidation Too many accounts. Too much to manage, closed most. Ah! Instant relief.

2019-03-29: Spring evening.

2019-03-29: The Mighty by O.A.R 🎵

2019-03-29: Website Diet Alison went to a lecture recently on fad diets. She showed me the slides, and they were pretty much what you expected. What was incredible is just how many fad diets are out there. It’s easy to get busy, lose track of your health, and not focus on eating the right foods. Plus, …

2019-03-29: Just discovered that WSJ didn’t stop using RSS, just moved the feeds. Looking forward to Reeder 4

2019-03-29: The AirPower announcement would’ve been nice immediately before the AirPods 2 release. My guess is a good chunk of orders for the wireless case were customers who planned to use it with AirPower.

2019-03-28: More Yard Work Pollen everywhere, Clearing weeds and yard debris. Allergies pending.

2019-03-28: Currently reading: Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History by Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard 📚

2019-03-28: News I'll Never Read Following up on my blog post on paying for news, I checked out a few major news sites to grab some headlines that I will never see from The Wall Street Journal. All of these articles were on the main page, some prominently so. Meghan Markle's rumored new nickname will reportedly …

2019-03-28: This guy is always having a good time.

2019-03-28: I want to do a fresh start in YNAB, but I want to do it on the first day of the month. April 1st seems like a poor choice.

2019-03-28: Book Review: The One Thing 📚 I received this book as a gift from a speaker at my parish. He distributed them after giving a talk on the importance of praying as a family. This is not the first book that I’ve read by Matthew Kelly, and, like his other work, it did not disappoint. It’s a short book that tells …

2019-03-28: The Angel 🍿

2019-03-28: Finished reading: The One Thing: Passing Faith Onto Children by Matthew Kelly 📚

2019-03-28: Is it just me, or is the layout off in Safari and Mail in 12.2?

2019-03-28: So much delicious food in my pantry, so little time.

2019-03-28: Chicago, Illinois I did a pretty good job of documenting my adventures on my trip to Chicago. Lots of pictures, a few short updates, and five podcast episodes covered my movements though-out the city. I wanted to sit down and reflect on my overall experience. My time was mostly my own, and the …

2019-03-28: Paying rent is very different when you physically write a check as opposed to letting Bill Pay handle it.

2019-03-27: Opening the Yard Spring is here, and weeds. Worked to clean the garden beds. Hello lawn season!

2019-03-27: Currently reading: The One Thing: Passing Faith Onto Children by Matthew Kelly 📚

2019-03-27: Lord of War 🍿

2019-03-27: The FAA & the 737 As a pilot, and a lover of Boeing jets, I’ve been following the 737 MAX stories very closely. Aviation can be a difficult beat for any reporter to cover, but in times like these, it’s important that the flying public is given an accurate view of the situation. The Department of …

2019-03-27: Wahooo!!! Cardhop for iOS is out! Just a few minutes ago I went upstairs to my iMac to use Cardhop to look up a few addresses instead of using contacts on my phone. This is really great news.

2019-03-26: Recovery A week of travel, Kids are tired. Also, me. Let’s just chill today.

2019-03-26: I love steam in bag vegetables.

2019-03-25: Clean Cars Clean Easily Caught lots of road bugs, On my bumper. Came home, washed. Easiest car wash!

2019-03-25: I spent all day traveling, unpacking, and cleaning the car, so I haven’t seen any of the Apple updates. So I’m going to read about them on the Apple website, which is a first for me.

2019-03-25: The only time we ran into traffic on our entire road trip was in the last 4 miles before our house.

2019-03-24: Cracker Barrel Menu The CB menu, Has more than just breakfast. Huh? It’s all I order.

2019-03-24: These kids working on this Sunday morning coffee shop team are hustling!

2019-03-23: Hello, Aunt Jill She started haiku. Now she’s sitting next to me, As I write this. Hey!

2019-03-23: When it’s quieter in the Narthex before Mass than the Sanctuary, it’s time to leave.

2019-03-23: Paying for News in 2019 Apple is primed and ready to announce their new paid news and television subscription(s?) next week at a media event. There have been a flurry of reports on publishers joining the service, including The Wall Street Journal and Vox. The big question surrounding the offering is the …

2019-03-23: A last view of 875 N Michigan Avenue

2019-03-23: NBC Tower

2019-03-23: Wrigley in sun

2019-03-23: Park outside of NBC Tower

2019-03-23: Finished reading: You Need a Budget: The Proven System for Breaking the Paycheck-to-Paycheck Cycle, Getting Out of Debt, and Living the Life You Want by Jesse Mecham 📚

2019-03-23: Current iPad Pro Status: Giant battery pack.

2019-03-23: The Chicago Tribune building, by request.

2019-03-23: Book Review: Democracy, Inc. 📚 I saw this book on sale on the iBooks Store and was immediately drawn into the content. We’ve heard stories over the years of Members of Congress increasing their personal net worths over their terms in office, and so my expectation was that this book would explore that topic. …

2019-03-22: A Quick Vacation Trip is now over. A break from my little ones. I will hug them soon!

2019-03-22: Columns are awesome.

2019-03-22: Cancer Survivor Park section of Millenium Park.

2019-03-22: Episode 70: Grant Park Is Closed I headed down to check out Grant Park, but it was closed for event preparations. So I took a stroll in Millennium Park seeing the parts that I missed this morning.

2019-03-22: Brexit. Oof.

2019-03-22: Finished reading: Democracy Inc.: How Members Of Congress Have Cashed In On Their Jobs by The Washington Post 📚

2019-03-22: Sun soaked.

2019-03-22: Extreme Content on Social Media Last week’s attack in New Zealand was repugnant. Even worse, the terrorist’s use of social media was representative of a new breed of horror. We’ve lived with two decades of jihadists beheading hostages and posting the video on the Internet, but this new era of live-streamed …

2019-03-22: Nice view for coffee and a dash of writing.

2019-03-22: Can’t get over the blue sky.

2019-03-22: Made it to the end of the pier!

2019-03-22: Shoreline view.

2019-03-22: Very walkable.

2019-03-22: Complex interchange.

2019-03-22: Navy Pier.

2019-03-22: Episode 69: Lakefront Trail I’m exploring the Chicago city public parks this morning.

2019-03-22: I made it to the Lake!

2019-03-22: Brilliant sunlight.

2019-03-22: Fewer tourists at 8am.

2019-03-22: City parks are so fun.

2019-03-22: Beautiful sunrise in the city this morning. I love that blue sky!

2019-03-21: Pigeons Take A Bath Water by the curb, Pigeons fluffed taking a bath. Best sight of the day!

2019-03-21: Episode 68: Catching Up On Reading I spent the afternoon in the hotel reading. It was nice, but not as satisfying as when I read to relax.

2019-03-21: Clouds have moved out of the area. Nice to be able to see Lake Michigan.

2019-03-21: Currently reading: Democracy Inc.: How Members Of Congress Have Cashed In On Their Jobs by The Washington Post 📚

2019-03-21: Made it back to the hotel for an afternoon of reading.

2019-03-21: Obligatory visit to the Bean. These tourists totally photobombed my shot, tho.

2019-03-21: Big city amenities: tokenized bathroom doors.

2019-03-21: Failure of Leadership The much trumpeted Vatican summit on sexual abuse came and went without a single step in the right direction. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops were prepared to bring accountability standards for bishops in line with the clerical reforms from the early 2000s, …

2019-03-21: You can forget what I just said less than an hour ago on the podcast. So much coffee, so little time!

2019-03-21: Episode 67: Apple Store Recording from inside the Michigan Avenue Apple Store, I recap my morning so far and reflect on the differences of recording a solo podcast versus one with the kids.

2019-03-21: There’s never a movie that I want to see in theatres when I have the time to go.

2019-03-21: The clock tower: a public service from a bygone era.

2019-03-21: Spring in Chicago. I love when the high rises disappear into the clouds.

2019-03-20: Enjoying the City A leisurely stroll, Seldom appreciated, By those behind me.

2019-03-20: Excited to hear The Wall Street Journal signed on to Apple News. If that gets subscribers full digital access, that could make the deal work for me.

2019-03-20: The Apple Support app is brilliant.

2019-03-20: Based on the color options, I’m guessing Apple’s research says very few men buy their phone cases. The color cases for men are still basically blue and black. Disappointing.

2019-03-20: Time to try out this UberEats.

2019-03-20: A view from the workspace at the Michigan Avenue Apple Store.

2019-03-20: I’ve drained my battery tethering my iPad today. Guess its time to head back to base.

2019-03-20: After Mass Detentions, China Razes Muslim Communities to Build a Loyal City - WSJ In this old Silk Road city… a state security campaign involving the detention of vast numbers of people has moved to its next stage: demolishing their neighborhoods and purging their …

2019-03-20: Inside U.S. Airlines’ Decisions to Keep Flying the 737 MAX - WSJ Southwest’s Mr. Kelly says his internal, independent safety team was telling him that data collected from the MAX, which Southwest has been flying since 2017, showed no problem. Good reporting by Scott, per usual.

2019-03-20: Hotfix in production while eating a cupcake.

2019-03-20: The gig economy is alive and well.

2019-03-20: This place really gets me.

2019-03-20: I’m really enjoying the ability to post links, text, photos, and podcasts while moving through the city. Micro.blog is excellent.

2019-03-20: Episode 66: Morning Review Broadcasting from the plaza outside of the Michigan Avenue Apple Store, I recap my morning adventures.

2019-03-20: My first visit to an iconic Apple Store. Not super impressive.

2019-03-20: I love all of these monuments dotting the city. Small spaces to tell big stories.

2019-03-20: City Hall

2019-03-20: I really thought Apple Maps would be better for walking directions in the city. GPS is having a heck of a time keeping up.

2019-03-20: Swung by the Chicago Fed and checked out their museum. Pretty wonky, but fun!

2019-03-20: Historic financial district. I love the ornate lobbies in all of these buildings.

2019-03-20: Great visit to St. Peter’s. So cool to have a parish in the middle of the cityscape.

2019-03-20: Cold, wet start to the day.

2019-03-20: Trump Administration Proposes Borrowing Limits for Some Student Loans - WSJ “The White House’s proposal is a feeble attempt to claim the Trump Administration is helping students by identifying one symptom of rising student debt, while completely ignoring the root cause—that …

2019-03-20: Chicago My life as a stay-at-home dad is not particularly strenuous. I have three little ones under five in my charge, and while they do require significant maintenance and attention, I’m not subjected to the regular stresses of office life. That being said, my life is more of a constant …

2019-03-20: Starting my day with some work at a Cupitol. Nice space, impatient staff.

2019-03-19: Episode 65: Hello, Chicago The kids are on vacation and I’m in Chicago with Alison. I talk about what we did this afternoon and preview the next couple of days.

2019-03-19: The Windy City City afternoon, Some walking, some Uber rides. Nice to take a break!

2019-03-19: Nice treat!

2019-03-19: Dessert at Molly’s Cupcakes.

2019-03-19: Tapas time. I may be in the big city, but I still prefer to not have a bunch of people around me.

2019-03-19: Obviously had to make a stop at Amazon Go. Very promising, needs more grocery items.

2019-03-19: Chicago Flagship McDonald’s Review: Same food, better packaging.

2019-03-19: Hello, Chicago.

2019-03-19: I downloaded Tropico on my iPad Pro yesterday. It’s as good as the macOS version. The speed on that iPad makes all the difference.

2019-03-18: Local Car Wash Five years of washes, Same faces, same great car care. I appreciate!

2019-03-18: Checking out the butterflies.

2019-03-18: Episode 64: Pianos We’re on the road today from Michigan. The kids want to show off their new piano playing skills. Enjoy Benedict and Felicity in concert!

2019-03-18: I’m in an empty waiting room sitting on a three seat bench on an outboard seat. Lady walks up, sets her stuff on the other outboard seat and sits down next to me. Um, what? I guess I have a friendly face.

2019-03-17: Sports All Day Not a quiet day, Basketball win, NASCAR loss. I learned some new things.

2019-03-17: Go my favorite sports team!

2019-03-17: Sunday flurries

2019-03-16: Road Trip Fun America’s roads, The perfect way to travel. Safe, quick, and easy!

2019-03-16: Drivers in Illinois drive at two speeds: 50mph or 90mph.

2019-03-16: I really appreciate it when businesses/restaurants/gas stations offer hand sanitizer in addition to hand soap.

2019-03-16: In-car WiFi is okay by me!

2019-03-16: It’s very difficult for a family of five to sleep in the same room at a hotel.

2019-03-15: Clean the House House is nice and clean, Will it stay before the trip? Nice to come home to.

2019-03-15: I love road trips.

2019-03-14: Men’s Hair Care Every last bottle, Shampoo plus conditioner. Two products, not one!

2019-03-14: Just renewed my YNAB subscription. A great product from some great people.

2019-03-13: Rain Ruins Stuff I love rain showers, But they ruin my clean car. Wash, rain, and repeat.

2019-03-13: It’s been five months since Cardinal Wuerl resigned and was immediately appointed as administrator of the Archdiocese of Washington. Still no replacement. Guys, come on!

2019-03-12: Bond Character Confusion Joe Baker is killed, Then returns as CIA. What’s up with that, guys?

2019-03-12: Played around with the Reeder 4 macOS beta. Very nice improvements! Now to find more feeds…

2019-03-12: Second Wave of U.S. Shale Revolution Is Coming, Says IEA - WSJ The U.S. is on track to become a net petroleum exporter by 2021 and will soon after surpass Russia and rival Saudi Arabia, currently the world’s largest oil exporter Whoa.

2019-03-12: Hard to believe people still do business with Wells Fargo.

2019-03-12: I’ve almost finished listening to every episode of Timetable. It’s been kind of fun learning the oral history of Micro.blog in this format.

2019-03-12: Book Review: 8 Minute Meditation 📚 One of my goals for this year was to expand my meditation practice. I picked this book up on special in early January and dove right it. I didn’t find it particularly helpful, and most of the text seemed to be there solely for the purpose of filling pages. Others may appreciate …

2019-03-12: Episode 63: Ball Pit On a gloomy morning, I check in with the kids who are gleefully playing together in the playroom.

2019-03-11: Scheduling Error Doctor appointment, Had to wake kids up early. Terrible timing!

2019-03-11: Rural Sheriffs Defy New Gun Measures - WSJ …in New Mexico, 30 of 33 county sheriffs have signed a letter pledging to not help enforce several gun-control measures supported by Democrats in Santa Fe… This is just as wrong as sanctuary cities. We need to stick to …

2019-03-10: Daylight Savings, Redux I’ve said it before, And I’ll say it now again: This is so stupid.

2019-03-10: Fox Books Files For Bankruptcy “This place was all about giving our customers the Fox Books experience,” the shrewd yet thoroughly likable and charming Fox continued. “You could sit and read for hours and no one would bother you. We had 150,000 titles. It was a place where …

2019-03-10: You’ve Got Mail got a 68% on Rotten Tomatoes, and that is about all you need to know about Rotten Tomatoes.

2019-03-10: A little treat also sprang forward last night.

2019-03-10: Finished reading: 8 Minute Meditation Expanded: Quiet Your Mind. Change Your Life. by Victor Davich 📚

2019-03-10: Hard to wake up this morning, but at least the view was nice!

2019-03-10: May George Hudson, the man who first proposed daylight saving, suffer for his crimes against humanity.

2019-03-09: Car Care Day To make our cars last, I hand wax three times per year. Took me five hours.

2019-03-09: Gorgeous evening to grill outside while the kids play in the yard.

2019-03-09: There’s nothing quite as good as a nice hand wax.

2019-03-08: One Year Past Amazing how fast, A little one’s year goes by. Enjoy the moments!

2019-03-08: It’s nice when Netflix has some classic James Bond movies available. I’ve been catching up on a few that I’ve missed.

2019-03-07: Tire Stores A volume business, Little customer service. I won’t be back here.

2019-03-07: The RSS feeds I was using to follow The Wall Street Journal have gone dormant. This is really frustrating.

2019-03-06: Fasting I’m never hungry, Except on fasting days. Well, I think that’s the point.

2019-03-06: Driving Like A Jerk There was a bit of culture shock when we first moved. We left an aggressive driving culture and found ourselves in an area where people drive, well, maybe meander is a better word. It’s not uncommon to be stuck behind drivers going five or ten miles under the speed limit. For …

2019-03-05: New Teeth Once every hour, The baby cried. Up since four, Today was not fun.

2019-03-05: Taco Tuesday 🌮!

2019-03-05: My baby alarm went off at 4:40am. Today will not be a very good day.

2019-03-04: Not So Sweet No sugar since Christmas, Had a milkshake at dinner. Not really worth it.

2019-03-04: PSA: You can still buy CD cases from Case Logic.

2019-03-04: Got around to cleaning out my garage. Filled up the trash can and things are looking really good!

2019-03-04: About to publish updates to 70 blog posts back in 2016. Enhanced the metadata. It feels great to control my own site and manage how people experience it, even three years after the initial publishing.

2019-03-04: Episode 62: Morning Activities Cleaning day is in full swing. I take a break and catch up with the kids who are working on various morning activities.

2019-03-03: Wanted to Nap Sunday naps are nice, But I didn’t get one. Shoot. Maybe next Sunday.

2019-03-03: Chompers is an incredible podcast.

2019-03-02: Not According to Plan So many big plans, All cast aside. It happens. Will catch up Sunday.

2019-03-02: I’d like to try a real King Cake.

2019-03-01: Meteorological Spring First day of Spring, yes? Weatherman said, but not quite. Welcome, anyway!

2019-03-01: Children: they’re always listening.

2019-02-28: Too Much YouTube Downloaded the app, Watching way too much. Boring. Delete, goodbye app.

2019-02-28: If you’re going to put yourself out there as a product reviewer, please be real enough to render an opinion.

2019-02-28: Time for some end of month YNAB-ing.

2019-02-27: Master is Absent No Master tonight, Students led son’s karate. Impressive kids. Wow!

2019-02-27: This massive flock of black birds gives me the creeps.

2019-02-27: Book Review: Hunting El Chapo 📚 I came across this book a few weeks ago, as the trial of El Chapo wound down in a New York Federal Courthouse. Having read about the hunt for Russ Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, I was up for another modern crime story written by the federal agent who lead the chase. Andrew …

2019-02-27: I don’t like the garden variety of news sources shown by default in Apple News. I’d prefer being offered a menu and selecting the sources that I’d like to see in my feed.

2019-02-26: Two Night Meetings Two nights in a row, At a meeting, kids in bed, When I get home. Nice.

2019-02-26: Finished reading: Hunting El Chapo: The Inside Story of the American Lawman Who Captured the World’s Most Wanted Drug-Lord by Andrew Hogan 📚

2019-02-26: Cameras in the in-flight entertainment? No thanks. I guess I need to bring some webcam covers when I fly now.

2019-02-25: Back to Reading Four books a month goal. I am far behind. Lazy. Time to get to work.

2019-02-25: Pie style, jack!

2019-02-25: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Asks: Is It Still OK to Have Kids in Face of Climate Change? “There’s scientific consensus that the lives of children are going to be very difficult. And it does lead young people to have a legitimate question: Is it OK to still have children?” Yes. And …

2019-02-25: Supreme Court Voids Deceased Judge’s Vote - WSJ The Ninth Circuit’s action “effectively allowed a deceased judge to exercise the judicial power of the United States after his death. But federal judges are appointed for life, not for eternity.” I do love SCOTUS wit.

2019-02-24: Quiet Start Walk, shower, read news. A quiet house, great morning. Perfect way to start!

2019-02-24: Buds.

2019-02-24: I really hope the Apple News subscription bundle includes The Wall Street Journal.

2019-02-23: Bed by Six Tired little ones, Grouches all day. Dinner, baths, Story, off to bed!

2019-02-23: Saudi Crown Prince Courts China as Counterweight to Critical West - WSJ President Xi Jinping told Prince Mohammed that Beijing opposes any effort to interfere in Saudi Arabia’s internal affairs, while the crown prince said his government supports Beijing’s efforts to fight …

2019-02-23: I have easy to find RSS links on all of my blogs. Too few people take advantage, but I think it makes a strong statement.

2019-02-23: Benedict passed his first belt test! Our first Saturday kids activity. Many, many more to come over the next two decades.

2019-02-22: Walking at Night On days I sleep in, I must walk at night. Bad plan, Quite inefficient.

2019-02-22: That moment when you get home and realize that Chick-fil-a only gave you half of your order.

2019-02-22: Nap time, classical music on, and my favorite kind of weather. So peaceful.

2019-02-22: Apple Plans to Close Stores in Eastern District of Texas in Fight Against Patent Trolls To continue to serve the region, Apple plans to open a new store at the Galleria Dallas shopping mall in Dallas, just south of the Eastern District of Texas border. This is pretty …

2019-02-22: Episode 61: Gloomy Friday Foggy, overcast, and storms on the way set the stage for a relaxing day inside.

2019-02-21: Jokes Galore Five year old has jokes, Not sure where he picked them up. A full stand-up set.

2019-02-21: Kids clothes fit. Nailed it!

2019-02-20: Belt Test Practice Two days to son’s test, Watched him work hard at practice. He’s ready. Proud dad!

2019-02-20: I love Orange Vanilla Coke.

2019-02-20: I love the dual-monitor wallpaper that Twelve South puts out.

2019-02-20: When all three kids need new clothes at the same time, and the order is delivered, I call it Clothesmageddon.

2019-02-20: Episode 60: Storm Alert During morning playtime, the kids warned me of a coming storm. While they took shelter, I recorded a microcast.

2019-02-20: It’s incredible how different car culture is in different regions of the country.

2019-02-19: Ungrouped They put loans in groups, Confusing, no sense. Ungroup. Now that’s a snowball!

2019-02-19: 5 AMBER Alerts That Were Sent Out That Were Clearly More Focused On How Sweet The Car Was - Clickhole This AMBER Alert manages to convey some identifying details about the car, but for most people, a license plate would have helped a lot more than conjectures about the car’s …

2019-02-19: Applying parental controls on iOS 12 is not all that straightforward. More work to be done to make it easier for parents to keep their kids safe.

2019-02-19: Apparently you have to give your date of birth to buy bathroom mold killer. Kids these days!

2019-02-19: There’s a big difference between the total of your tax bill and the relative size of your refund/payment.

2019-02-18: Spring Upgrade Many boxes come, Filled with new car care supplies. My big spring project.

2019-02-18: I love days when I’m always on the move, finishing one job and moving on to the next. The collective result st the end of the day is deeply satisfying.

2019-02-18: Monday morning, cleaning day. Game on, baby!

2019-02-17: The Secret to Balance Wanted to take rest, But now I’m behind again! Catch up, then maintain.

2019-02-17: A Year of Walmart Grocery Late last summer, I was watching a video on YouTube about how to save money on your monthly grocery bill. I was new to town and hadn’t yet settled on a grocery store to use. The one closest to my house is small, with over a third of shelf-space dedicated to non-grocery items. …

2019-02-16: Pizza Dinner Went out for pizza, Kids were fun to hang out with. Sleep does some wonders!

2019-02-16: Currently reading: You Need a Budget: The Proven System for Breaking the Paycheck-to-Paycheck Cycle, Getting Out of Debt, and Living the Life You Want by Jesse Mecham 📚

2019-02-15: Better Driver Lighter on the gas, A more comfortable ride. Much more fun to drive.

2019-02-15: There’s a special bond between a man and his barber.

2019-02-15: I don’t like the word “infotainment.”

2019-02-15: Bought a gas blower and trimmer today. I’m big time!

2019-02-14: Moonlight A slight glow below, As I walk the neighborhood. Moonlight is special.

2019-02-14: Cauliflower is life.

2019-02-14: Airbus to Retire the A380, the Superjumbo That Never Quite Took Off After billions of dollars of investment, Airbus is retiring a plane it had hoped would supplant Boeing’s 747. If the design had been more beautiful, would things have been different? It’s so ugly.

2019-02-14: Episode 59: Windy Day at the Sandbox While playing in the sandbox out back, both Benedict and Felicity requested that we record a podcast. It was a bit windy, so I hope the wind guard on the microphone preserved the audio for you.

2019-02-14: The Pope and a Trusted U.S. Cardinal Clash Over Sex-Abuse Crisis - WSJ The dominant view in the Vatican was that the Americans were going too far in tackling sex abuse. When Cardinal O’Malley called for the world-wide adoption of the U.S. practice of publishing accused priests’ …

2019-02-14: Happy Valentine’s Day!

2019-02-14: YNAB I used to have a very large number of apps on my phone, constantly downloading and trying out new ones. Those were in the golden early days of the App Store. Nowadays, it’s rare if I add a new one every month. As a part of this change, many developers have moved over to …

2019-02-14: How great is it that Micro.blog makes a separate RSS feed for microcasts? I just started listening to @nathanrhale’s new microcast, and I subscribed to the feed in Castro. No other services needed. The best!

2019-02-14: Episode 58: Valentine’s Day We’re enjoying a wonderful Valentine’s Day! The kids take a break from playtime to chat about their valentines.

2019-02-13: Podcast Ads I get it, I do, But they still mostly annoy. I should skip ahead.

2019-02-13: It’s nice when the kiddos help out with the chores.

2019-02-13: Episode 57: Car Seats I sat down with all three kids to discuss their new car seat configuration in the van.

2019-02-13: I’ll never get over that blue.

2019-02-12: Car Seat Buddies Two kids in the back, Side-by-side, all smiles for now! No way this can last.

2019-02-12: Medium rare ground beef tastes so good.

2019-02-11: Laundry Overload Got the laundry done, Now its folded on table. Won’t make it to drawers.

2019-02-11: Working into the evening with rain providing the soundtrack.

2019-02-10: Did it All Up since four-thirty, Did everything on my list. A good week ahead!

2019-02-10: Spent about an hour out in the garage reconfiguring the van. Moved seats around for better loading and unloading, purged napkins and old materials, refreshed kids books, and reorganized technology. I ordered in a wireless charging pad to install later this week. A nice refresh!

2019-02-10: Car seats are complicated.

2019-02-09: So Many Errands On the go all day. Here, there, everywhere in town. Felt good, productive.

2019-02-09: I love the soft sound of rain.

2019-02-09: My children will regularly pick up random objects and begin podcasting. Felicity is currently podcasting from a night light and complimenting Lucy’s smile.

2019-02-09: At the Home Depot paint desk on a Saturday. Rookie move.

2019-02-08: Fort Collins Used some old boxes, To build a nice little fort. Too bad I can’t play.

2019-02-08: Episode 56: Fort Collins Benedict and I built a box fort during nap time. The kids are over the moon!

2019-02-08: This afternoon’s construction project.

2019-02-08: Busy weekend ahead and lots to get caught up on. Will be feeling pretty great this evening when the work is done.

2019-02-07: That Went Well Botox without pain, Unpleasant, but doable. That went rather well!

2019-02-07: I love when school districts post announcements with typos.

2019-02-07: Rainy Thursday morning. At the breakfast table with the kids, listening to slow music on the HomePod. This is a very relaxing start to the day.

2019-02-06: Missed Opportunity Nice warm up this week, But I’m inside with migraine. Oh well, I’ll just freeze.

2019-02-06: Virginia. Whoa.

2019-02-06: Episode 55: Felicity in Concert Felicity joins this episode to sing some of her favorite songs for the folks.

2019-02-05: Slowing Down Losing my powers, Two days until Botox shots. Can’t wait, but I can.

2019-02-05: We underestimate the value of nutritional labels. They can be a very powerful tool for making wise choices.

2019-02-05: The kids are really enjoying breakfast while watching the squirrels in the backyard digging for acorns.

2019-02-04: All Fixed A lot of car stress, Turned out to be nothing big. Fifty bucks. All set!

2019-02-04: Authors, for the love of all that is good, please have a personal website!

2019-02-03: Jump at Church Load up after Church, Push to start, nothing. Well, shoot. Do you have cables?

2019-02-03: Book Review: Spies in the Family 📚 Cold War espionage continues to be among my favorite topics to read. Spies in the Family is a terrific book written by the daughter of a CIA case officer whose postings included Berlin, Mexico City, Rome, and New Delhi. This book revolves around the case of Dmitri Polyakov, a …

2019-02-02: Battery Do-it-Yourself Can we install that? Nah, I’ll do it myself, thanks. It works. Not too bad.

2019-02-02: Currently reading: Hunting El Chapo: The Inside Story of the American Lawman Who Captured the World’s Most Wanted Drug-Lord by Andrew Hogan 📚

2019-02-02: Got that Jury Duty.

2019-02-01: Dead Battery Went to start the van, Nothing. Roadside assist, please! Got a new battery

2019-02-01: Coke Zero: why?

2019-02-01: Chick-fil-A: always busy.

2019-02-01: Student loan “groups” make almost zero sense.

2019-02-01: Roadside assistance is never fast.

2019-01-31: Finished reading: Spies in the Family: An American Spymaster, His Russian Crown Jewel, and the Friendship That Helped End the Cold War by Eva Dillon 📚

2019-01-31: Accepted An email arrived, My son’s education starts. He will miss Thomas.

2019-01-31: Episode 54: End of Month I’m very busy this morning with all of my end of month administrative tasks, but I’m not the only busy one under this roof. The three kids take a break to share what they’re building and playing with today.

2019-01-31: I love being able to save documents on my iPhone/iPad to my computer desktop through the Files App and iCloud Drive. Really great technology.

2019-01-30: Walking under the stars at night is something incredible to experience.

2019-01-30: Twelve Weeks Almost time for shots, New round of Botox next week. Still feeling great. Win!

2019-01-30: I’m not sure why we don’t always just report the “Feels like” temperature. It’s the only measurement that matters.

2019-01-30: Google Also Exploiting Enterprise Certificates to Bypass iOS App Store for Data Collection - MacRumors Oh, look, another company that I don’t do business with.

2019-01-30: Customer Service Rep: “Sir, there’s no sensitive information on this account.” Me: “You mean like my full name, address, and date of birth?”

2019-01-30: When it’s cold outside, I bake cookies.

2019-01-29: Sick Infant Now baby is sick. Hard to help her feel better. Cuddles do the trick.

2019-01-29: I love it when a plan comes together.

2019-01-29: Facebook Paying Teens to Install Data Harvesting VPN App Facebook has been secretly offering people… $20 per month… to sideload the Facebook Research app using an enterprise certificate. Enterprise certificates… give full root access to a device. Let’s be …

2019-01-28: Clean Couch, Again One week since cleaning, Stanley Steemer was back here. Kids, what can I say?

2019-01-28: Stanley Steemer is excellent.

2019-01-28: Today is a very good day for a YNAB fresh start.

2019-01-28: I still don’t understand why multiple brands of American auto makers build the same car. Chevy Traverse/Buick Enclave, Chevy Tahoe/GMC Yukon, etc.

2019-01-28: I hate when you set up Bill Pay to send payment on the 1st and they cut a check a few days before (good!), but then immediately debit your account. What other check is processed like that? None!

2019-01-28: Pope Tries to Dial Down Expectations for Sex-Abuse Summit The pope said the meeting would aim to raise awareness of sex abuse and educate bishops in the procedures for preventing and punishing it. Unacceptable. Honestly, this is not hard.

2019-01-28: I love to watch planes fly overhead and seeing on FlightRadar where they’re heading. It’s amazing to think about the hundreds of people miles above me, sitting in their seats, oblivious to their passage through my neighborhood.

2019-01-27: All Done Twenty-five to-dos, All done before bedtime. Yay! Things check mark, all done!

2019-01-27: YouTube to Curb Its Referrals to Conspiracy Theories and Other False Claims YouTube said it will stop recommending as many videos that feature conspiracy theories and other false claims So you’re saying some are still recommended?

2019-01-27: Nice day to play at the neighborhood park with my son.

2019-01-27: Really interesting and exciting news coming out of Venezuela. Following the news closely and hope to see success for the Guaido government.

2019-01-27: Episode 53: Odd Squad The kids join me at the end of lunch to talk about their latest favorite show on PBS Kids. Plus, a special visit from Lucy!

2019-01-26: Sick Kids, Again Second time this month, The family is sick. Ugh. I’m not sick, for now.

2019-01-26: Currently reading: Spies in the Family: An American Spymaster, His Russian Crown Jewel, and the Friendship That Helped End the Cold War by Eva Dillon 📚

2019-01-25: Good Tenant Lots of cooking grease, I pour in bucket, not drain. Tenant of the year?

2019-01-24: Warby New glasses arrived. From Warby Parker. Look great! Am I a hipster?

2019-01-24: Google Chrome changes could ‘destroy’ ad-blockers Others said the update would make it far harder for users to stop firms tracking them online and make it easier for them to be bombarded with ads. Google says the change is for security and privacy. lol

2019-01-24: It’s great that Office is coming to the Mac App Store, but honestly, I’m all in on iWork. There was a learning curve, but now I like it more than I ever liked Office.

2019-01-24: Cleaning a high chair is a lot like washing your car. No matter how clean you get it, within a few hours, there will be a thunderstorm that makes it dirty again.

2019-01-23: One Month Clean Doc: “No stimulants.” No coffee in a whole month. Compliant patient.

2019-01-23: Benedict is at karate practice and I’m on the sidelines ordering groceries for pickup tomorrow. 2019 is nice.

2019-01-23: Currently reading: 8 Minute Meditation Expanded: Quiet Your Mind. Change Your Life. by Victor Davich 📚

2019-01-23: I love when minor iOS updates fix super annoying bugs.

2019-01-22: Empty Zoo Just us at the zoo. I prefer it that way, though. People ruin things.

2019-01-22: On track to have all of my tax docs in hand by the 31st. This is so uncommon. Perhaps this will be an easy filing season.

2019-01-22: Book Review: Smart Money, Smart Kids 📚 This book has been in my reading queue for some time. Now that my kids are getting old enough to start absorbing some of the lesson around money, I thought it was a good time to dive in. If you’re a Dave Ramsey fan, or have followed his work to any degree, there are huge chunks …

2019-01-22: I love when we’re the only ones here.

2019-01-22: Episode 52: Another Zoo Adventure We’re wrapping up breakfast and getting ready to enjoy the nice weather at the zoo.

2019-01-22: I wish that all credit bureaus were as easy to interact with as Innovis.

2019-01-21: Instapot Fail “Must have Instapot,” They all said. Well, I got one. Not good slow cooker.

2019-01-21: Finished reading: Smart Money Smart Kids: Raising the Next Generation to Win with Money by Dave Ramsey & Rachel Cruze 📚

2019-01-21: Ribs and homemade BBQ sauce on the menu for dinner. Not a good idea to try to pull this off on cleaning day!

2019-01-20: Eclipse The moon rises large, The kids love it! “Hi Luna!” Enjoy the view, folks!

2019-01-20: Grilling burgers for dinner. Reminds me of winter camping with the Scouts growing up.

2019-01-20: Baking muffins from scratch in the kitchen on a cold winter’s Sunday morning. Love watching the sun coming up through the kitchen windows, listening to Olafur Arnalds, all while the family sleeps.

2019-01-19: Reading by the Fire Kids in bed, work done. Arctic wind outside, fire on. A nice place to read.

2019-01-19: I’m really pleased with Lose it!

2019-01-19: The start to any great meal.

2019-01-18: Clean Couches Called Stanley Steemer, They came right over and cleaned. Pretty impressive.

2019-01-18: BuzzFeed News has a long way to go.

2019-01-18: I’m not sure why you’d go to print on a story that’s sourced through anonymous sources with no one on the record.

2019-01-17: Find Me at Me Look me up on (blank), Sorry, I’m not there. I quit. Find me on my site.

2019-01-17: Find me on: Google Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn

2019-01-17: Apple has really slacked off when it comes to special events activity badges.

2019-01-17: That’s the last time I whip eggs whites by hand.

2019-01-17: Goodbye, Google.

2019-01-17: The majesty of the Christmas tree is dramatically reduced when it’s cut in half, waiting at the curb for disposal. 🎄

2019-01-17: Today is the day that I quit Google.

2019-01-16: Annual Eye Exam Went to get eyes checked, Better one or two? Or three? Didn’t matter. Same.

2019-01-16: FedEx Home Delivery really is terrible. Two packages, from the same shipper, sent at the same time, using the same level of service, arrive at my house on two different days.

2019-01-15: Less Laundry Small laundry this week. Helped that I washed everything, Four short days ago.

2019-01-15: Episode 51: January Concert We were sick last week, but we’re feeling better now! Felicity has a little treat for our listeners in today’s episode.

2019-01-15: Three years of my life, journaled, printed, and preserved for posterity.

2019-01-15: Having a garage and not having to scrape the windshield before driving is just the best.

2019-01-14: Kids Play Together Nice morning playtime, All three building together. Proof is in the pics!

2019-01-14: I can’t think of a positive experience buying glasses. Amazing that the process is so bad considering the number of people who need glasses.

2019-01-14: Crispy 🥓 > Chewy 🥓

2019-01-13: Burn Notice is an excellent show.

2019-01-13: Bad Goals Week Not a good goals week. Being sick will slow things down. Kept the rings closed, tho!

2019-01-13: I predict dark storm clouds and a visit from the insurance adjuster for the driver next to me playing with tarot cards while driving.

2019-01-13: Babies make very cute noises, even when I’m trying to fall asleep.

2019-01-12: Fonts Looking for new fonts, Expensive ones are perfect! Accounting said no.

2019-01-12: Currently reading: Smart Money Smart Kids: Raising the Next Generation to Win with Money by Dave Ramsey & Rachel Cruze 📚

2019-01-12: Best Buy is terrible.

2019-01-12: 15 years ago today.

2019-01-12: Walmart Grocery was out of macadamia nuts, so they substituted corn nuts. Um, what?

2019-01-12: Breakfast is ready.

2019-01-11: Order Restored The sickness is passed, The house is clean once again. Perfect mood at home.

2019-01-10: Big Grocery Order More in the order, Bigger grocery pick-ups. Things are forgotten.

2019-01-10: My first purchase from Amazon was on November 10, 1999. It was a paperback copy of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler.

2019-01-09: Major Clean-up Everyone better. Laundry machine hard at work. This will take two days.

2019-01-09: Gorgeous afternoon for a walk in the neighborhood.

2019-01-09: Everyone is feeling better, and I have a laundry room overflowing with clothes, towels, and blankets that need to be washed.

2019-01-08: Sick Daddy First the kids, now me. Laundry piles up, no food. It’s a bad scene, here.

2019-01-08: Before last week, I’d never used Apple’s TV app. I’m actually impressed with how easy it makes it to watch my content.

2019-01-07: Sick Kids Kids and mom are sick. Work cancelled, time to take care. Glad to have the help.

2019-01-07: Book Review: Bad Blood 📚 Disgusting. Outrageous. Criminal. Bad Blood is the result of the high-caliber reporting by John Carreyrou of The Wall Street Journal. Carreyrou is an investigative reporter with the paper who has an extensive background in healthcare fraud investigations. Bad Blood tells the …

2019-01-06: Bike Ride to the Park Come on son, let’s go! A bike ride to the park. Wait, Scared of the hill. No.

2019-01-06: Borrowing money today is negotiating a pay cut with your future self.

2019-01-06: Finished reading: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou 📚

2019-01-05: Sunny Day Sixty-six degrees, Full sun, no clouds in the sky. Nice January.

2019-01-05: 66 and clear skies for this evening’s grill time.

2019-01-05: The tree is down and outside. Most of the mess is cleaned up. Got out and cleaned both cars. Beautiful day!

2019-01-04: A New Routine Now settling in, A new routine. Two weeks down, A lifetime to go.

2019-01-04: USCCB’s For Your Marriage project review of my book: The Transition: A Practical Guide to Engagement for the Catholic Man reads like getting advice from a good friend who passes on insights and suggestions gleaned from his own recent experience of being engaged and …

2019-01-04: All bacon is not created equal.

2019-01-03: Lunch with Mommy A rainy day treat, Lunch at the office with Mom. Good time had by all.

2019-01-03: Judy Greer is tearing it up on the kids programming voiceover circuit.

2019-01-02: Sick Boy “Dad, my tummy hurts.” Bad start to the day. Then said, “Watch TV all day?”

2019-01-02: Few things are more pleasant than reading a good book in a quiet house with the sound of rain coming in through the windows.

2019-01-02: The Partisan Problem For these members of his Cabinet who remain and try to defend him, they’re not going to be able to go to a restaurant, they’re not going to be able to stop at a gas station, they’re not going to be able to shop at a department store. The people are going to turn …

2019-01-02: When it’s pouring rain at 5am, and I go for a 4 mile walk anyway, that’s how I know I’m going to win.

2019-01-01: A Solid Start A wonderful day. Mass, play outside, some errands. Here’s to many more!

2019-01-01: Nation’s Fathers Engage In Time-Honored Ritual Of Telling Their Kids They Haven’t Seen Them Since Last Year - The Babylon Bee Millions of other fathers all over America partook in the tradition as well, dutifully reciting the joke, which relies on the conflation of …

2019-01-01: Book Review: Your Best Year Ever 📚 I’ve been following Michael Hyatt for over seven years now, and this book is based on a five-part video course that he had put out a few years ago. The book came out in early 2018 and, while I had pre-ordered it, I cancelled that order before it shipped. For some reason, I …

2019-01-01: Episode 50: Happy New Year, Folks From our breakfast table to yours, welcome 2019!

2019-01-01: House Democrats Lay Out Plan to Reopen Government by Carving Out Wall Fight - WSJ For example, the most recent bill funding DHS, which oversees the border, included money for fencing, bollard fencing, levees and technology, but not a concrete wall. Republicans have said those …

2019-01-01: Finished reading: [Your Best Year Ever: A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals](https://micro.blog/books/9780801075254) by Michael Hyatt 📚

2019-01-01: New Year, new shoes.

2018-12-31: Twenty-Eighteen The end of a year. Time is always passing us. Pause, reflect, go forth!

2018-12-31: Currently reading: [Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup](https://micro.blog/books/9781524731656) by John Carreyrou 📚

2018-12-31: Stunning sunset to end 2018.

2018-12-31: I guess every season is election season now.

2018-12-31: 2019 Goals In years past, I’ve set a variety of goals across different categories. I’ve decided to cast that method aside and focus on one area of my life: better compliance with my migraine management. There are certain things that I can do every day to reduce the incidence and severity of …

2018-12-30: Planning Day Lots of thinking done, Twenty-Nineteen activity. Fun to think quite big!

2018-12-30: Maybe I shouldn’t get on the scale at all. If I close my Activity Rings every day and keep a food journal, is it even necessary?

2018-12-29: Slow Saturday Not much to report, A little of this and that. And now it’s over.

2018-12-29: This is America There’s a lot of talk about how our nation is more divided than ever. As Americans, we face a problem that many nations do not have to confront. We’re a non-homogenous people, with only our patriotism, freedom, and Constitution binding us together. Many people have a perturbingly …

2018-12-28: The perfect background music while reading on a Friday evening. 🎵

2018-12-28: Water Back to just water. Two-hundred ounces today. Might be a long night.

2018-12-28: Picked up the new Mission Impossible and all of the Bourne movies on sale today on iTunes. Glad that I waited!

2018-12-28: Episode 49: Daddy’s Robot The kids join me for a recap of Christmas and we introduce a new regular on the show.

2018-12-27: Night Sky Brilliance Stars in the night sky, Wish I could take a picture. Save the memory.

2018-12-27: I love the woody aroma of fresh lavender.

2018-12-27: Advent calendar that my Mom made for us.

2018-12-27: Barely made it to recycling day. Now I have to hold on for two more days with a very full trash bin.

2018-12-26: Christmas Clean-Up New things put away, Many needed a new home. All I do is clean!

2018-12-26: Finally getting the house put back together.

2018-12-26: Coming up to the finish line of three years of daily journaling in Day One. Looking forward to getting them all printed in the New Year!

2018-12-25: My First Robot Waiting under tree, A robot vacuum for me! Get to work, robot!

2018-12-25: Currently reading: Your Best Year Ever: A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals by Michael Hyatt 📚

2018-12-25: There’s a robot vacuuming my floor. This is the best.

2018-12-25: Remarkably calm in the neighborhood this morning.

2018-12-24: Christmas Eve Stress So much secrecy, Putting presents out at night. Glad I wasn’t caught!

2018-12-24: China Applies Xinjiang’s Policing Lessons to Other Muslim Areas - WSJ China’s aggressive policing of Muslims in its western region of Xinjiang is being replicated in other parts of the country, particularly in areas with other Muslim communities. The camps aren’t far behind.

2018-12-24: My wife is either legitimately at work, or she is frantically driving all over town trying to find a Turboman.

2018-12-24: Episode 48: Christmas Eve The kids are very excited about Christmas tomorrow.

2018-12-23: Sunday Nap Sunday naps were forced, When I was a lad. Now a Very special treat!

2018-12-23: I love this time of evening.

2018-12-22: Date night.

2018-12-22: HomeKit Garage Doors Merry Christmas, Chet! Now your garage is HomeKit. “Hey Siri, open.”

2018-12-22: Just put my garage on HomeKit with the Insignia WiFi plug. Product reviews were inconclusive, so I’m hoping things work out with my mesh network and HomePod home hub.

2018-12-22: Apple’s Dan Riccio - MacRumors Relative to the issue you referenced regarding the new iPad Pro, its unibody design meets or exceeds all of Apple’s high quality standards of design and precision manufacturing. Thanks for all of the cash, enjoy your bent iPad!

2018-12-21: Chinese Robocall Strange area code. I answer. “Ni hao," they say. Not a call for me.

2018-12-21: Christmas lights at the civic gardens.

2018-12-21: First time getting a Chinese robocall.

2018-12-20: She Got Cricut Wife got a cricut, Started working right away. Well, she will be missed.

2018-12-20: Crazy reporting in the Journal over the past few days about review scams on Amazon. Now I don’t know what to believe.

2018-12-20: Airpower.

2018-12-20: What is the design process for a minivan that results in 3 LATCH positions instead of a more reasonable 4?

2018-12-19: Karate Master Boy was good tonight, Great form, good effort. It’s clear, he’s learning quickly!

2018-12-19: NYT: Facebook allowed Microsoft’s Bing search engine to see the names of virtually all Facebook users’ friends without consent, the records show, and gave Netflix and Spotify the ability to read Facebook users’ private messages. Another day, another scandal!

2018-12-19: Episode 47: Rainy Day Visitors We have some very special visitors on their way to our house. I sat down with Felicity to get her thoughts.

2018-12-19: Just found the website of Freedom from Facebook, which wants the FTC to break up the company. I don’t think we need government intervention, we need user intervention. Delete your account, and if you hold the company’s stock, sell.

2018-12-18: WSJ: The free service, called Experian Boost, will be used by consumers who opt in and link the bank accounts they use to pay their phone and utility providers to Experian, allowing the company to track their monthly payments. Never.

2018-12-18: America: after dark, Sonic etiquette requires that you turn off your headlights while parked in the stall.

2018-12-18: Cleaning for Visitors A fun little trick, Cleaning up for visitors. Yes, always this clean!

2018-12-18: The Verge on Facebook’s data download strategy: In the meantime, Facebook’s data protection tools mostly serve to distract users from the more aggressive data collection happening behind the scenes.

2018-12-18: It’s so refreshing to encounter the work of quality journalists.

2018-12-18: It’s a bit foggy out there.

2018-12-17: A 180 I used to be tech, Now I’m skeptic. Keep the good, Dump ALL of the rest.

2018-12-17: How slammed is UPS? I just saw a driver in a golf cart with a trailer making deliveries.

2018-12-17: Fresh dill smells amazing. One of my favorite kitchen aromas.

2018-12-17: A few of the books that I read this year. I also managed to post a full review of each title. 📚

2018-12-16: Sunday Nap Tired as of late, One hour late to bed, fail. Naps can be great, though.

2018-12-16: Stunning sunrise. Happy Sunday!

2018-12-15: Messy Saturday A new trend emerged, Big projects on Saturday, Sunday spend cleaning.

2018-12-15: Benedict’s cookie game is strong.

2018-12-15: Episode 46: Christmas Cookies I just got home from running errands to find the kids at the kitchen table decorating Christmas cookies. We talk about their designs and our ride last night on The Polar Express.

2018-12-14: All aboard, The Polar Express!

2018-12-14: Emergency Call Accident with kids. Call EMS? No, call Mom, Doctor direct line.

2018-12-14: Book Review: Grant Us Peace 📚 Grant Us Peace was the second book that I wrote in 2014. I was in the groove and, at the time, feeling a bit spiritually dry. I wrote an entire first draft, and immediately trashed it and started from scratch. I’m very proud of the work that I was able to ship. The goal of the …

2018-12-14: iMac is semi-operational. Restored from Time Machine backup, but most preferences weren’t saved. Oh well.

2018-12-14: My 2014 iMac on the lastest release of Mojave keeps freezing and restarting. Disk Utility can’t repair the corruption. Looks like I’ll be spending the day reformatting my hard drive and restoring from backup.

2018-12-13: Candlelit dinner to celebrate the Feast of St. Lucy.

2018-12-13: iMac Crash Four year old iMac, Crashes randomly. No fix. Guess I’ll do fresh start.

2018-12-13: Mail carrier leaves a postage due notice in the mailbox. He came to my door to do a pickup and didn’t even ring the doorbell (I was home). I wish I could say this degraded service is a result of the holidays.

2018-12-12: Nice little celebration for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Street tacos for dinner!

2018-12-12: Cancelled Plans A trip to city, Cancelled by sick little boy. Well, nevermind then!

2018-12-12: WSJ reporting: The Boy Scouts of America is considering filing for bankruptcy protection as it faces dwindling membership and escalating legal costs related to lawsuits over how it handled allegations of sex abuse. Hard to stay relevant when every move alienates more people.

2018-12-12: On my list of services to shut down today: Google Domains Google Maps API Google Wifi

2018-12-12: It was a good year for books. Maybe my best yet.

2018-12-12: Finished reading: Grant Us Peace by Chet Collins 📚

2018-12-11: It’s so nice to walk around the neighborhood in the evening and enjoy all of the Christmas lights.

2018-12-11: Planetarium Planetarium, A fun trip for the kids, too! Will have to go back.

2018-12-11: Changing the 529 rules to allow for accounts for expected children seems like an odd hill to die on. I’d much rather see a discussion around merging HSA, 529, and other tax-favored accounts into a universal savings account.

2018-12-11: Episode 45: Ready for Adventure We’re finishing up breakfast and getting ready to head to the local planetarium for a kids show.

2018-12-10: Things Kids Say My little girl says, She has a tarantula. Thanks, PBS Kids!

2018-12-10: The state of iOS is really sad. There’s almost no more need for sites like The Sweet Setup. I guess this is what happens when customers aren’t willing to pay and indie devs can’t afford to create amazing apps.

2018-12-10: Ordered new routers today. Replacing Google WiFi very soon. 🎉

2018-12-10: Book Review: Command and Control 📚 As I mentioned in my previous review, my first encounter with the reality of nuclear weapons happened in high school. My AP World History teacher assigned the book, Hiroshima, for our summer reading. I bought this book on a whim. While on the Apple Books store, I was drawn in by …

2018-12-09: iMessage image search is terrible.

2018-12-09: Kids Clothes Shopping Sizes always change, Trying to fit in the store. Someone disrupt this.

2018-12-09: Finished reading: Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety by Eric Schlosser 📚

2018-12-08: Dogs Running Together What day is today? Sunday? Friday? Saturday? Never figured out.

2018-12-08: I went to the Apple Store to look at the new Watches and iPads. That was a poor decision.

2018-12-07: Math is Hard Start next year tax work, Trouble somewhere in numbers. Fixed it, took too long.

2018-12-07: Did anyone bother to watch House of Cards season 6?

2018-12-07: Walmart is doing an excellent job earning my business. The best prices, free grocery shopping/pickup, automatic refunds for recalled items, free upgrades for out of stock items. The best!

2018-12-07: Google's Great Quibble We use data to make Google products like Search and Maps as useful as possible. We also use data to serve more relevant ads. While these ads help fund our services and make them free for everyone, it’s important to clarify that our users’ personal information is simply not for …

2018-12-06: Call of Duty 2 Surprised that it works, on Mojave. Way to go, game developer!

2018-12-06: Microsoft Edge coming to Mac next year: We also expect this work to enable us to bring Microsoft Edge to other platforms like macOS. Don’t waste your time.

2018-12-06: I wrote this back in March as I deleted my social media accounts: There’s something very powerful about the concept of a social network… The problem comes when these networks have revenue targets to hit and shareholders to please.

2018-12-06: I don’t go on BuzzFeed often, but when I do, I fail their quiz about “important” events that happened this year and I’m validated in my life choices.

2018-12-06: Emoji + Things App = 👨🏻‍💻

2018-12-06: Episode 44: St. Nicholas and Batman The kids found some treats in their shoes this morning and have found the perfect song to enjoy while dancing.

2018-12-06: Happy Feast of St. Nicholas!

2018-12-05: Up Late Should have been in bed, Instead, up much too late now. Will pay tomorrow.

2018-12-05: I hate when big box hardware stores close entire aisles during business hours.

2018-12-05: Got all of the leaves mulched before the heavy rains. Feels good to get the lawn back into shape.

2018-12-05: One of the things that I miss about Twitter/Instagram are the digital friends that I made. I wish there was an easier way to keep in touch with them, but I’m not sure that I’m willing to recreate those accounts just to stay in touch.

2018-12-05: Merry muggin’

2018-12-05: Owning My Content Manton likes to talk about how owning your domain means that you own your own content. In fact, that’s the major selling point behind Micro.blog. I completely agree with him. When I post to a blog at a domain that I own, I control the content, and how it’s presented, from here …

2018-12-04: RapidWeaver Heartbreak An elusive bug, Breaks my version 8 workflow. Time to roll it back.

2018-12-04: Episode 43: Christmas Tree Benedict and Felicity had much to say as I struggled to keep the conversation on topic. The Christmas decorations are up and ready for us to enjoy!

2018-12-04: Hulu/AT&T plans for ads in 2019: Streaming TV services offered by companies like Hulu and AT&T are testing the waters for a new type of advertising called “pause ads” The idea… ads that play when they choose to pause a show… Nope.

2018-12-03: Fall Yard Work Mower back from shop, Mulching leaves with simple ease. Nice tool to work with.

2018-12-03: I did three different 2018 tax calculators (Turbotax, eFile, H&R Block). The same numbers gave me three answers with a huge swing. I guess we’ll just wait and see what happens!

2018-12-03: It’s that wonderful time of year again when the soft glow of the Christmas tree fills my home with light early in the morning.

2018-12-02: Sunday Catch Up Yesterday was tree, Way behind on to do list. Got my girl to help!

2018-12-02: Sky clear.

2018-12-01: Christmas Cards Today is the First. Christmas cards put in the mail, Way too much winning.

2018-12-01: To the scientists who gave us contact lenses: I salute you!

2018-12-01: My spot in line to move domain registrations to Cloudflare opened up this morning. $8/year for .com with free WHOIS privacy. Easy decision.

2018-12-01: Hello, December! 🎄

2018-11-30: 2018 Draws to a Close End of the month tasks, Next time will be end of year. Admin work is fun!

2018-11-30: “Free shipping” that delivers in 7-10 business days is just as off-putting to customers as paid 3-5 business day shipping.

2018-11-30: Lots of stuff in the pantry and refrigerator. Going to work over the next few days to eat all of these extras and get a fresh start.

2018-11-30: I love the last day of the month and all of the financial reconciliation that I get to do.

2018-11-29: Complaint Machine Complaints here today, Nothing in particular, Just a few pet peeves.

2018-11-29: There’s nothing smart about FedEx SmartPost.

2018-11-29: Parental controls on iOS12 are way too complicated to set up.

2018-11-28: Apple Watch Setup Crazy slow process, Hard to back up, long load time. A bad job, Apple.

2018-11-28: The Apple Watch has the worst onboarding experience of any products in their lineup.

2018-11-28: How bad is Siri? She can’t figure out that when I ask for “PBS Kids Songs for the Holidays,” I am talking about the album “PBS Kids Music for the Holidays.” Sad!

2018-11-28: The way that the free market punishes companies for misbehavior is by starving them of business. So if you don’t like what Google or Facebook or Twitter are doing, punish them by deleting your account.

2018-11-27: Hacking Web Fonts Leaving Google fonts, Created my own font kit. Love to learn new things!

2018-11-27: The Google Alternatives At every turn, I find another Google product or service that I’m using, which really shows how deep they are in the market. I used Google’s Product page to make sure that I had remember all of the services that I used at one point or another. I must say, every passing day, Google …

2018-11-27: I used to pass Lordstown all the time driving the Ohio Turnpike. I’m pretty sure that plant is all that’s there.

2018-11-27: How does Pixelmator still not have type on a curve?

2018-11-27: I finally took some time to set up shortcuts and sync in Transmit 5. Can’t believe it took me this long to make my life easy.

2018-11-26: Biceps Tendonitis Hurt from all my play, Limited range of motion. I’m now an old man.

2018-11-26: It’s been a month since Pope Francis accepted Cardinal Wuerl’s reisgnation. Perhaps he should ask Xi Jinping whom to appoint as the next archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington

2018-11-26: Episode 42: BenedictBot 3000 Benedict has a robot that he would like for you to meet.

2018-11-26: Do I have to say a blessing before eating leftovers?

2018-11-26: UPS is absolutely slammed right now. Lots of packages delayed due to “operating conditions.”

2018-11-26: Google’s privacy quibble: We do not sell your personal information to anyone. We use data to serve you relevant ads in Google products, on partner websites, and in mobile apps. While these ads help fund our services… your personal information is not for sale.

2018-11-26: Every year I think that our taxes are going to be uncomplicated, but it never turns out that way. There’s always something that requires special treatment.

2018-11-25: Fresh Balsam Candle Burning Into the attic, Pulling out Christmas decor, Candle until tree.

2018-11-25: Many thanks to the folks in retail distribution for their hard work in getting my orders out the door!

2018-11-25: Enjoying my coffee this morning and reminiscing about our time on Lake Michigan.

2018-11-24: Clean Kitchen, Again Thanksgiving wrecked it, Several full loads of dishes, Finally all clean.

2018-11-24: Perfect way to end a great day.

2018-11-24: Gorgeous Saturday to enjoy the great outdoors

2018-11-24: The thing about games like Reigns is that while it shows you how much a particular choice will influence a group, it doesn’t say if it’s positive or negative. Frustrating.

2018-11-23: Full Moon Pure white brilliant glow, Casts mystical soft blue light, A monthly delight!

2018-11-23: Beautiful evening for a walk in the neighborhood under the light of a full moon.

2018-11-23: This iPad Pro abuse video was one of the most difficult things I’ve watched in years.

2018-11-23: It’s in the mid-50s and this lady is walking her dog bundled up like she just got off the Moscow Metro in February.

2018-11-23: Accepted Apple’s Give Back offer four days ago. They process it as a refund to the card used to make the purchase. Still no refund. Unbelievable. Seriously, do no use Apple Give Back.

2018-11-23: Not ashamed to admit that Christmas music is now playing on the HomePod. Love this year’s Matt Maher release.

2018-11-23: Made some more CSS changes to my hosted blog. I love the simplicity with pops of bright orange.

2018-11-23: This is a good time of year to have the Deliveries app.

2018-11-22: Thankful Thankful for my wife, my kids, and my life. A pause, to count my blessings.

2018-11-22: Wasn’t pardoned.

2018-11-22: Walmart Grocery is automatically refunding me for all of the salad that I’ve bought recently. This is a huge advantage: auto-refunds for recalled items.

2018-11-22: Watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade reminds me why I don’t watch TV. More ads than content and ad naseum promotion of NBC programs.

2018-11-22: Episode 41: Thanksgiving It’s a slow start on Thanksgiving morning. I catch up with the family as we start our celebrations.

2018-11-22: A Grateful Nation I love that the United States has a national holiday dedicated to gratitude. As a nation, today’s celebrations go back to a singular event that would come to define who we are as a people. To be an American is to be generous. To be generous, one has to have a profound sense of …

2018-11-21: Dad the Builder I’m not that handy. I did cut wood for shelves, tho. Legend in my mind.

2018-11-21: Geeze, when will these government workers get the message that they need to stop using personal email at work?!

2018-11-21: Made some closet shelves today. Not bad.

2018-11-20: Brisk Zoo Adventure Brisk late Fall morning, Animals were out playing. Result: happy kids!

2018-11-20: Gorgeous Fall day at the zoo

2018-11-20: Apple 2FA is really weird. Why on earth would it offer the 2nd factor authentication code on the device that’s trying to log in?!

2018-11-20: Episode 40: Inventions I catch up with Benedict in the play room before the girls wake up to talk about all of his latest LEGO inventions.

2018-11-19: Dead Microwave Loud noise, burning smell, Microwave quits on bad week. Time to call landlord.

2018-11-19: The iPad Pro should be my next computer? Ha, okay. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

2018-11-19: Apple Give Back: very slow process, zero communication, and final offer 17% below estimate with no explanation. Will not do that again.

2018-11-19: Changing my iCloud password today. Send some thoughts my way.

2018-11-18: Poetic Justice Tailgater behind, Passed in a big hurry. Then, busted by a cop.

2018-11-17: Fall Cleanup Hedges trimmed, leaves swept, Cars washed, sticks picked up. Great day For a Fall clean-up!

2018-11-17: Out grilling for an early dinner so that I don’t have to work in the dark!

2018-11-17: It’s a beautiful Saturday, so I got outside with my son and took care of our fall yard clean-up. Hedges trimmed, plants cut back, both cars washed, and a lovely four mile walk in the sun. Burgers on the grill for dinner.

2018-11-16: Seasonal Allergies I’ve never had them, Before last year. Allergies, Ruin great Fall fun!

2018-11-16: Apple’s Give Back program is ridiculously slow.

2018-11-16: Deleting Google This is a time of great upheaval in American technological culture. For the past twenty years, technology companies have taken up an ever increasing presence in our lives through hardware and software. These technologies, like so many before them, changed the way we do business …

2018-11-15: Greg Ip for The Wall Street Journal, The Unintended Consequences of the ‘Free’ Internet: The zero-price business model is a source of many of the problems plaguing the Internet. It’s no coincidence that Google, Facebook and Twitter Inc. —which garner more than 80% of their …

2018-11-15: Technology Changes Changes to home tech, Take quite a bit of my time. Feels good when all done.

2018-11-15: Medal of Honor: Allied Assault was a great game.

2018-11-15: Realizing how deep my relationship with Google goes. Waze, YouTube, Google Voice. A twelve month transition away feels like the right amount of time to wrap things up.

2018-11-15: Hierarchy of domestic shipping: UPS FedEx Express United States Postal Service UPS SurePost FedEx Home Delivery DHL

2018-11-14: Karate Joy So much fun to watch, Five year old do karate. He is full of joy!

2018-11-14: I love when the sunset paints the upper branches with that warm gold.

2018-11-14: I wish that Apple had a really good iOS/macOS way to clean up “Recent Contacts.” So annoying.

2018-11-14: Currently reading: Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety by Eric Schlosser 📚

2018-11-13: Road Construction Crews outside my house, Tearing up the neighborhood. Hope they leave nice roads!

2018-11-13: Book Review: American Kingpin 📚 American Kingpin is the true story of the infamous Silk Road, its founder Ross Ulbricht, and the law enforcement agents of the United States and their hunt to bring down Ulbricht. In many respects, Silk Road was a revolutionary website and the epitome of the logical ends of …

2018-11-13: Oh, Amazon. DC and NYC for HQ2? How original! How brilliant! How imaginative! What a colossal waste of everyone’s time.

2018-11-12: iMac Upgrade Woes Hard drive not replaced, Tech said not possible now. Here comes external!

2018-11-12: Finished reading: American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Nick Bilton 📚

2018-11-12: Episode 39: Monday Morning Breakfast Benedict requested a podcast this morning, so we sat down at the breakfast table and hit record. He shared a random fact and Felicity is now a puppy. This episode can best be summed up by Felicity’s off-mic review once we wrapped, “That’s a great ChetCast!”

2018-11-11: I’m so disappointed in this season of Last Man Standing. They really lost their juice between networks.

2018-11-11: Ready to Go Busy week ahead, House is neat and tidy, tho. New a new topic.

2018-11-11: Date night.

2018-11-11: I’m so close to app and preferences parity between my iMac and MacBook.

2018-11-11: It’s cold, overcast, and quiet outside. It feels like snow.

2018-11-11: Special thanks to all of our American warriors who have served our common defense and for the families who have stood behind them, sacrificing time and memories for our freedom.

2018-11-11: I love a soft, fresh doughnut from Dunkin’.

2018-11-10: Twenty Nine Degrees Woke up to go walk, CARROT said it was quite cold. Read the news instead.

2018-11-10: Made some new friends today.

2018-11-09: This is still a delight.

2018-11-09: French president Emanuel Macron in comments leading up to the centennial of Armistice Day: We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America.

2018-11-09: A Messy House Thirty minutes flat, Is all that it takes to make, A messy house, clean.

2018-11-09: I need to upgrade my iMac internal hard drive, but I think I need to hire someone to do it.

2018-11-09: Mixed content is my worst nightmare.

2018-11-09: I’m starting to get my Botox super powers back.

2018-11-09: I could eat the same thing for each meal for weeks on end. I’m trying to work harder on adding more variety to my childrens’ diet. This morning we’re going to enjoy some fresh cut strawberries.

2018-11-09: Say what you will about Tom Cruise, he is very serious about his craft.

2018-11-08: Botox Botox sure sounds great. Except for the thirty shots, To the head, face, neck.

2018-11-08: I think that explicit lyrics are a net negative to the art of music. It limits the scope of audience and offers no tangible benefits. If the intent is to emphasize strong emotions, use the scoring or develop a deeper, more personal lyrical narrative.

2018-11-08: George knows how to play. So relaxing on a rainy autumn afternoon. 🎵

2018-11-08: It’s been over a month since I’ve worn my Fitbit. I haven’t missed it for a moment.

2018-11-08: It’s a bit wet out there.

2018-11-08: I woke up with a sense of dread. Oh, yeah, Botox day.

2018-11-08: Episode 38: Birthday LEGOs I catch up with Benedict early this morning to chat about his birthday and plans for the day.

2018-11-07: Midterm Elections The most important Election is over now. 2020 next.

2018-11-07: I love a good grapefruit.

2018-11-07: We now return to our regularly scheduled broadcast.

2018-11-06: Sunset 530 sunset, It must be a grave error. Who will end this game?

2018-11-06: I love watching election results.

2018-11-06: I miss Timetable.

2018-11-06: I’ve decided to migrate my business away from Alphabet/Google. Already switched search engines and will move domains over the next 12. Switching out my hardware will take longer.

2018-11-06: Episode 37: Halloween and the Lizard Felicity joins me on the mic to talk about her Halloween experience and a new critter friend. She’s quite chatty.

2018-11-05: Cleaning Day Hack Never clean bathrooms, On laundry day. Too much work. Do the day before!

2018-11-05: I’m so looking forward to Wednesday morning. No more talk about 2018 and these midterms; only wall-to-wall coverage of 2020.

2018-11-05: Oh wow! I just got a text message. Did you guys know that there’s an election tomorrow?

2018-11-05: I’ve become that maniac that listens to Christmas music right after Halloween.

2018-11-04: App devs: please write better release notes.

2018-11-04: Daylight Savings Time What a stupid joke, Changing my clocks twice a year. Complete waste of time.

2018-11-04: No, sun, please don’t go away! It’s too early!

2018-11-04: Netflix should have done the right thing and cancelled House of Cards last year.

2018-11-04: Good Morning!

2018-11-03: Currently reading: American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Nick Bilton 📚

2018-11-03: Thirty Eight To Dos Been a bit behind, Thirty eight things on my list. Managed to get done!

2018-11-03: When are we going to turn off Internet comments?

2018-11-02: Annual Physical Had my physical, A mostly pleasant affair. See ya next year, doc!

2018-11-02: Just participated in a national poll. I’m a bit surprised at the middle of the road views I actually hold. Seems to me that the only people who are full throttle one way or the other make their living off of politics.

2018-11-01: Jazz Revival Listening to Jazz, Saw Kenny G in concert, Nineteen years ago.

2018-11-01: What’s up, Kenny G?

2018-10-31: Rainy Halloween Not the best weather, A rainy Halloween day. Got the kids out, tho.

2018-10-31: At least this Halloween evening actually feels like October.

2018-10-31: Halloween is going to be a bust with all of this rain

2018-10-31: CAPS LOCK IS CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL.

2018-10-30: Dusting Got out the duster, Really has been way too long. Sure does a nice job.

2018-10-30: No iPad Pro in my near future. Maybe in the next 12 months I’ll replace my Air 2.

2018-10-29: End of Treatment Twelve weeks between shots, Botox wears off at week ten. Migraines incoming.

2018-10-29: The Babylon Bee: ‘I signed up to occupy Afghanistan, not defend the country,’ said one soldier. ‘When I said I’d defend Americans’ freedoms, I meant I’d defend them abroad, not defend them at home.’ They really knocked this one out of the park. It may be their …

2018-10-28: Family Fun Day A beautiful day, For family fun in the sun. A great day, well spent.

2018-10-28: Visited this old neighborhood treehouse on a Fall afternoon. That brilliant blue sky never gets old.

2018-10-28: Book Review: Getting Things Done 📚 This is a book that needs no introduction. It was my first time reading it all the way through, having scavenged it before. It was as good as people said. I did have a hard time getting through the book. The system works just fine for me as a stay-at-home dad, and clearly the …

2018-10-28: Michael C. Bender for The Wall Street Journal: In Indiana and Illinois appearances, Mr. Trump said he was inspired to keep his schedule in part because he remembered the New York Stock Exchange reopened the day after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The NYSE and Nasdaq …

2018-10-27: Finished reading: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen 📚

2018-10-27: Bike Benedict’s new bike, Training in the parking lot. He did really great!

2018-10-27: 55 degrees is my ideal temperature.

2018-10-26: Credit Bureaus They take my data, Without my consent. Quite rude. They are terrible.

2018-10-26: I sent three identical requests to the three credit bureaus to freeze my three children’s credit a month ago. 8/9 requests came back just fine, but Equifax lost or didn’t process one. In order to find out if they did, I have to send another request, with all of the …

2018-10-26: It’s remarkable just how much light the moon can cast on the ground

2018-10-25: A Huge Milestone Sixty-four percent, Of pay to our student loans. A big, huge, success!

2018-10-25: I love currency.

2018-10-25: My kids fight over vitamins and Zyrtec.

2018-10-24: Big Day A cold, rainy day. A new bike, karate practice, Turned out to be fun!

2018-10-24: Cold, rainy October days are the best.

2018-10-23: iCloud Outage iCloud out is strange, So many things left undone. Hope it gets fixed soon!

2018-10-23: The new UPS Follow My Delivery feature is nice, but completely meaningless. They show the truck’s location, but not the route. They need to add your delivery’s location on the driver’s route. Example: 35 more deliveries until yours.

2018-10-23: Apple’s one year warranty for accessories is actually pretty good. In the cases where I’ve had a problem, they next day air me a replacement product. It’s great that they stand behind their warranty with such great service.

2018-10-22: Home Construction A leaking shower, Door twice replaced since last week. Hope this new one works.

2018-10-22: Mac App Store games do a terrible job updating to the new OS. Most of my past purchases crash on load. No updates in sight.

2018-10-22: Can we all agree that unsolicited text messages from political campaigns are gross?

2018-10-21: Having trouble making it through Getting Things Done. Keep stopping to add to-dos to Things.

2018-10-21: Blue Skies Ahead After all the rain, A clear, blue sky afternoon. Took a walk. Very nice!

2018-10-21: I will never get over my love for a deep blue sky

2018-10-21: I am the danger.

2018-10-21: Happy Sunday!

2018-10-21: Just had an entire conversation with my 4 year old. He woke up and apparently believes it’s still last night.

2018-10-20: Ride at Sunset A cool, Fall evening, Riding my bike at sunset. I’ll sleep well tonight!

2018-10-20: Nice night to ride.

2018-10-19: Life without my Fitbit is way better than I could’ve imagined.

2018-10-19: Chick-fil-a At Dinner Drive thru, full of cars, Wrapped around the building, twice. Totally worth it.

2018-10-19: Accepting Cardinal Weurl’s resignation and then appointing him apostolic administrator, in an archdiocese with three auxiliary bishops, shows the complete lack of seriousness with which the Vatican approaches this moment of paramount importance. I’m not leaving the Church, …

2018-10-19: Rainy morning commute

2018-10-19: Episode 36: Science Museum We’re starting our day, getting ready to go to the Science Museum. Benedict and Felicity catch us up.

2018-10-19: Children’s activity venues should open at 9am, at the latest!

2018-10-18: School Tour Went on a tour, Checking out school for my boy. My, time sure does fly.

2018-10-18: Why has Pixelmator still not learned how to type on a curve?

2018-10-17: The amount of typos in news articles published online by major news organizations is embarrassing.

2018-10-17: Men at Work Repairmen are here, Fixing a leaky shower. Will be nice when done!

2018-10-17: Writing down a record of my life each day with a picture in Day One is one of my most beneficial habits. I love looking at On This Day entries.

2018-10-16: Nest Heat Cool A great mode on Nest, Perfect for in between times. Heat/Cool, just perfect!

2018-10-16: Have my leeks cooking in a base of pasture butter. Going to be making a delicious broccoli and spinach soup for this cold October night.

2018-10-16: I think I’m going to do NaNoWriMo. It’s been four years since I’ve published a book, and I really enjoy the process. It’s not a novel, but my concept is a book about my experiences as a stay-at-home dad.

2018-10-16: Currently reading: Grant Us Peace by Chet Collins 📚

2018-10-16: I’m thankful for a two car garage on a very wet morning. So nice to load/unload the kids under shelter.

2018-10-16: It’s pretty unprofessional for a news website to not have an RSS feed.

2018-10-15: Relaxing on the couch, reading a good book, while enjoying a symphony in the background of rainwater and Ólafur Arnalds.

2018-10-15: Done By Lunch Got started early, First load of laundry at 5. Done by lunch, not bad!

2018-10-15: Driving is a joy and a pleasure, a skill to be honed and practiced. Maybe it’s just the pilot in me, but autonomous vehicles aren’t appealing. I prefer safety systems to augment my driving and to serve as a redundancy.

2018-10-15: Currently reading: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen 📚

2018-10-15: Microcasting is one of the best parts of Micro.blog.

2018-10-15: Episode 35: Hello, Fall A very chatty Benedict brings special guest Baby Black Nose to the podcast this morning. We talk about the arrival of Fall, his very first LEGO set, some strong storms, and his plans for his Halloween pumpkin carving design.

2018-10-15: Book Review: The Spy and the Traitor 📚 Earlier this year, I read A Spy Among Friends, the story of KGB mole Kim Philby and his espionage against his native Britain and the MI6. As a Westerner, I approached Philby’s betrayal with a great sense of indignation. Reading Macintyre’s latest book, I met the man Oleg …

2018-10-14: Give Me Wisdom The Book of Wisdom was written in a confusing time for the people of Israel. They had come into contact with the Greek culture for the first time, which brought a groundswell of new ideas. Among them, was a dependence on the human intellect and language. Why need god when we can …

2018-10-14: LEGO Kit His first LEGO kit, “My dream came true,” he exclaimed. So much Dad winning.

2018-10-14: Autocorrect gets more wrong than right.

2018-10-14: Finished reading: The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre 📚

2018-10-14: About to build Benedict’s first LEGO set with him. He’s very excited!

2018-10-13: I’m not okay with the new Mandy. She’s trying way too hard. Wish she’d make the role her own.

2018-10-13: Having the Home app on macOS is so nice.

2018-10-13: Hand Wax Hand wax twice a year, To keep your car in top shape. Nothing can beat it!

2018-10-13: What crime against humanity was not committed under the banner of progress? What great human achievement was not brought to completion under the same banner? Progress is a poor moral guide. Believing itself to be supreme, it seeks to enslave the human person to whatever ends it …

2018-10-12: Too Sleepy Too hard to stay up, Spent most the day asleep. Now time to repeat.

2018-10-12: The essential ingredient to the formation of a human person is answering the question: who is man? Too few of us even bother to spend a moment pondering.

2018-10-11: Baby Crawls A sudden lurch fore, Mechanical-like movements. Never be the same.

2018-10-11: I bought Nicomachean Ethics on Apple Books today. That great work of Aristotle commands a list price of $.99. You know that ain’t right.

2018-10-10: I’m very concerned about the Google+ data breach now that all of this personal information may now be compromised.

2018-10-10: Building A Tent Built a lovely tent, For the boy and I to hide. We surprised Mommy.

2018-10-10: Nice park.

2018-10-10: Hello, my favorite pair of jeans.

2018-10-09: Rainy Walk I went for a walk, Leisurely stroll in the road. Glad I was not struck.

2018-10-09: I love rainy days.

2018-10-08: Grocery Pickup I order online, I pull up, out comes my food. Thank you, Walmart friends!

2018-10-08: Google on Google+: The consumer version of Google+ currently has low usage and engagement: 90 percent of Google+ user sessions are less than five seconds. lol.

2018-10-08: Few things are as satisfying as pressing “Publish” in RapidWeaver.

2018-10-07: America A tremendous gift, Life in this free Republic, The Greatest Nation.

2018-10-07: Christ, Everywhere Last week we celebrated the Feast of St. Francis, and today’s First Reading brings to us the story of creation of woman and a short discourse on marriage. We are all created in God’s image and likeness, and we are all His children. It’s easy to see God in my seven month daughter, …

2018-10-07: I find iOS 12’s Screen Time to be completely useless.

2018-10-07: For a society that claims to deny the existence of a right to another person, we sure do espouse a lot of ideas that are based exclusively on that right.

2018-10-06: Grill Time Get excited, kids! Dad is outside at the grill. Filet mignon, yum!

2018-10-06: Washed, waxed, and ready for winter.

2018-10-06: In the early morning hours, I contemplate the depths of Your love.

2018-10-05: A Day Concluded The day is now done, Mostly spent on shopping trip. Hello, Fall weekend!

2018-10-05: I refuse to buy International Delight Coffee Creamer until they bring back Wayne Brady.

2018-10-04: Went to a local brewery with Alison for date night. I had a root beer and street tacos, which were delicious.

2018-10-04: Breakthrough: I’ve discovered how to not display dates on blog posts in RapidWeaver.

2018-10-04: Day One An entry per day, A printed record of days. A simple delight.

2018-10-04: Fitbit Last night, I took off my Fitbit. I’m not planning on putting it back on. I’ve worn a Fitbit almost every day since 2011. I started with the Ultra, moved over to the One, and for a very short time, wore the Charge HR. I ended up having that nasty rash everyone was talking about. …

2018-10-04: Walmart is killing Amazon on pricing.

2018-10-04: I just played around with Shortcuts, and it’s as disappointing as Workflow. This is not an OS feature that will be easily adopted by normal iPhone users because it’s so unintuitive.

2018-10-03: Currently reading: The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre 📚

2018-10-03: Karate First activity, Martial arts with other boys. He played joyfully!

2018-10-03: Book Review: Hiroshima 📚 I first read this book as a sophomore in high school for my World History class. When it came up in Apple Books as suggested reading, I thought it was a good time for me to revisit this text. Hiroshima was originally published as a long form article in a periodical in 1946. …

2018-10-03: Day One Journal I’ve written about my activities and included a photo in Day One Journal every day since January 1, 2016. Today I received my first printed version, which was entries from the first six months of 2018. I’m delighted at the product and the historical record I’ve left for myself. …

2018-10-03: Dental cleanings are usually uncomfortable. Although there was a lot of descaling to do, I really enjoyed watching my children play and read books in the mirror above the dental chair.

2018-10-02: Finished reading: Hiroshima by John Hersey 📚

2018-10-02: A Sick Toddler All is well at lunch, Then comes a sudden illness. I’m sorry, sweetheart!

2018-10-02: Alexis de Tocqueville: (The United States) is the product… of two perfectly distinct elements that elsewhere have often made war with each other, but which, in America, they have succeeded in incorporating somehow into one another and combining marvelously. I mean to …

2018-10-02: Episode 34: Solar System The kids demanded a podcast, and then refused to participate. So, I bring you up to speed on our latest projects and adventures.

2018-10-01: Hiroshima Reading book again, Story of Hiroshima. Unbelievable.

2018-10-01: Currently reading: Hiroshima by John Hersey 📚

2018-10-01: Postal Service Problems I’m fascinated by logistics. More specifically, with the operations of services like UPS, FedEx, and the United States Postal Service. It’s amazing to me how letters and packages make it from their origin to their destination, and in such short order. Many people are frustrated …

2018-09-30: Book Review: The Screwtape Letters 📚 What can I say about my 24th book of the year? A classic, Lewis’ insight proves to be a timeless treasure. The same temptations that Screwtape and his nephew Wormwood were working with still stand today. Lewis showed a particularly keen understanding on a wide range of elements …

2018-09-30: Twenty-Four A lofty book goal, Twenty four in a whole year. Finished in nine months.

2018-09-30: Finished reading: The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis 📚

2018-09-30: The Blind Faithful During today’s homily, our priest supposed that were we to follow this Gospel literally, we would all be blind. Sin touches each of us, and each of us face our own set of temptations. This truth dovetails nicely as I read the plotters correspondence in The Screwtape Letters. I’m …

2018-09-29: Bike Ride Bike back from the shop, Took it out for a quick spin. Now I’m exhausted.

2018-09-29: C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape on not relying on feelings of hatred: In his anguish, the patient can, of course, be encouraged to revenge himself by some vindictive feelings directed towards the German leaders, and that is good so far as it goes. But it is usually a sort of melodramatic …

2018-09-28: Beautiful Fall evening for a walk.

2018-09-28: Book Review: Spectre Origins 📚 I’ve read almost exclusively nonfiction books this year. That’s normal for me, but I’m finally starting to feel the wear. I did read Rainbow Six, which, though long, I found to be a nice break. I came across the author CW Lemoine on YouTube. I’m not sure what I wanted to surface …

2018-09-28: Finished reading: Spectre: Origins by C.W. Lemoine 📚

2018-09-28: Attention, Drivers Two words to help all, Zipper merge. Each takes their turn, Much better for all.

2018-09-28: Currently reading: The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis 📚

2018-09-27: Morning Walk No rain in forecast, Radar clear, cool fall morning. It poured, I am soaked.

2018-09-26: Book Review: The Enthusiast 📚 After completing the previous book on the life of St. Francis, I decided to pick up this story. Alison also gifted this book to me last Christmas, and since I was fresh on the life and characters of St. Francis, I thought it was a good opportunity to read about this next chapter …

2018-09-26: A Special Treat Lunch at work with Mom, Always special for the kids. Great for Daddy, too.

2018-09-26: Episode 33: Errands, Folks We’re getting ready to head out on a few errands, but first Benedict wanted us to record a podcast.

2018-09-26: Finished reading: The Enthusiast: How the Best Friend of Francis of Assisi Almost Destroyed What He Started by Jon Sweeney 📚

2018-09-26: I’ve been reading a lot about the life of St. Francis. I’m convinced, now more than ever, that if we truly want to live in the society that we all claim to want, it’s going to require a radical, top-to-bottom conversion that few of us have the courage to …

2018-09-25: I went through self-checkout this morning at Walmart to buy three items. It took me so much time to go through the steps to use Walmart Pay that the associate came over and asked if I needed help with something. lol

2018-09-25: Activity Season A brand new school year, So many things for a boy. Let’s try something new!

2018-09-24: David Wallace was a fantastic character.

2018-09-24: Trip to the Zoo So many creatures, Animals from far off lands. Totally awesome.

2018-09-24: Analysts are reporting that Apple’s cost for storage is $.25/GB on this year’s iPhones, while they mark it up to $.78/GB. This is my main objection to the horrible pricing this year: a 212% mark-up on storage. But don’t worry, that 5GB of iCloud storage is still free!

2018-09-24: QR payments vs NFC payments… they’re not even close. QR is sooooo bad.

2018-09-24: Large red sign on refrigerator in snake exhibit at zoo: “ANTIVENOM INSIDE”

2018-09-23: Intelligence Lost Many young people, Cannot be bothered to think. A loss for us all.

2018-09-23: Thanksgiving preparations have begun.

2018-09-23: The Children We’ve been members of our current parish for over a year now. One of the biggest differences that I’ve noticed is just how warm and welcoming the people are. There are a few young families that go to our regular Mass, and the children are all loved and appreciated. This stands in …

2018-09-22: Hello, Autumn Welcome back, old friend. Your cool presence has been missed. Let’s open windows.

2018-09-22: It’s early on a Saturday morning. Benedict is cheerfully building train tracks upstairs, I have my coffee, and it’s pouring rain outside. Welcome, Fall!

2018-09-21: Currently reading: The Enthusiast: How the Best Friend of Francis of Assisi Almost Destroyed What He Started by Jon Sweeney 📚

2018-09-21: Last Day of Summer Goodbye hot summer, Days of 100 plus temps. I prefer the cold.

2018-09-21: A really great tool for finding lighter/darker shades of a color for web design.

2018-09-21: Book Review: When Francis Saved the Church 📚 I love when I approach a book with preconceived notions about the subject matter and end up walking away pleasantly surprised. Alison got me this book for Christmas and, based on its title, I figured it was a biographical account of the life of St. Francis. I’m familiar with some …

2018-09-21: I love ordering new stamps.

2018-09-21: My children call the song Mrs. Hippopotamuses’ by Relient K the “Cat in the Hat song.” I can’t help but think this is high praise for Matt Thiessen and company. 🎵

2018-09-21: My favorite season is fall and my favorite type of weather is rain. Forecast says I’m in for a very good weekend!

2018-09-20: Finished reading: When Saint Francis Saved the Church: How a Converted Medieval Troubadour Created a Spiritual Vision for the Ages by Jon Sweeney 📚

2018-09-20: One Month One month of haiku, A delightful way to share. Shall I continue?

2018-09-20: Oh, Google. You still don’t get it.

2018-09-20: Completing online surveys for restaurants, businesses, and even doctor’s offices can be an inconvenience. But, they’re also a great act of mercy and just might earn someone a much needed promotion and raise.

2018-09-19: The Worst Kind of Day Head is volcano, Migraine ruined my whole day. Sorry I can’t play, kids!

2018-09-19: My family gathers for a week at Thanksgiving each year at a rented beach house in New Jersey. We can only go every other year, and this is an off year. 😔

2018-09-18: Best Year Ever Ready to make change, Why wait for January? I’ll start right here, now.

2018-09-18: My dream home has no doorbell.

2018-09-18: Tim Cook on iPhone pricing: The way most people pay for these…they pay so much per month, so if you look at even the phone that’s priced over $1,000, most people pay $30 a month for it, so that’s about $1 a day. I hate the way that he minimizes the issue.

2018-09-17: Self Control Public release day, Updates galore: apps, OS. I updated none.

2018-09-17: Four hours after the public release and my resolve to stay on iOS 11 is flagging.

2018-09-16: I’m going to hold off on the iOS 12/macOS Mojave updates. Not any particular reason, just self-control.

2018-09-16: Episode 32: Dinner Plans The weekend is winding down and this children aren’t too interested in podcasting. So I welcome a special guest!

2018-09-16: America Runs On I went to Dunkin’. Just a dozen; confusion. “Are you sure that’s all?”

2018-09-16: A Bit Too Comfortable One of the themes that I’ve been reflecting on in recent weeks is that of comfort. Jesus said many times that we would be persecuted, and that our hope should be in the life that is to come. We all have a desire to be comfortable, but as Catholics, that isn’t meant to be. In the …

2018-09-15: Caffeine Headache Quit coffee Friday. Caffeine headache really hurts. Should be over soon.

2018-09-15: Micro.blog is great in that your blog can be anything that you want it to be. I’m on version 2.0 of my blog, deleting everything and restarting after eight months of use. In version 1.0, I made it my Twitter. In version 2.0, I made it my own.

2018-09-14: Flu Shots Surprise shots for kids, Hoped they wouldn’t be anxious. Betrayed by their dad.

2018-09-14: Book Review: Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan 📚 I first read this book/pastoral letter when it came out back in 2009. I was taking a college class on marriage and family life, and we used it as a tool for gaining a better understanding of the vocation of marriage. Since then, I’ve read it every so often, usually around my …

2018-09-14: Getting kids up, putting phone away.

2018-09-14: iPhone Excess I watched the Apple Media Event earlier this week with a critical eye. To be sure, we’re at a point where there are few surprises. It’s troubling to think that after years of leaks in the supply chain, Apple still hasn’t figured out to prevent its own team from doing the leaks …

2018-09-13: Currently reading: When Saint Francis Saved the Church: How a Converted Medieval Troubadour Created a Spiritual Vision for the Ages by Jon Sweeney 📚

2018-09-13: A Bad Medical Appointment Went to appointment, Weeks delay, schedule missing. Am not going back.

2018-09-13: Honestly, enough with the mobile websites already.

2018-09-13: Maybe I’ll do a clean install of iOS 11 before hopping over 12. Just strip out a lot of barnacles.

2018-09-13: At a doctor appointment in the office suite next to US Rep’s district office. The office is locked down with a video doorbell. Honestly dude, no one cares about you that much.

2018-09-12: Also, Apple, will you please be courageous and add watch band and case colors for men? Black and navy are trite.

2018-09-12: Finished reading: Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan by US Conference if Catholic Bishops 📚

2018-09-12: Apple Media Event New iPhone excess, Features few will ever use. Please stop the madness.

2018-09-12: 🎾 tagmoji, so hot right now.

2018-09-12: iPhone X S is the worst possible name. Except maybe for Pixel.

2018-09-11: PEOPLE OF THE INTERNET: If we all stop clicking ads, maybe they will go away.

2018-09-11: Patriot Day Clear September day, A nation’s innocence lost, A new world order.

2018-09-11: I love Brie.

2018-09-10: Sonic Just a rainy day. Large iced coffee at Sonic, Maybe not done yet.

2018-09-09: Currently reading: Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan by US Conference of Catholic Bishops 📚

2018-09-09: It’s Good to be Home The weather was cool this morning after several days of rain, the first few hints of Fall that’s at least six weeks away. It was also our first time back at our Parish after several weeks on the road. Sitting in the pew, meditating before Mass began, I was overwhelmed with a …

2018-09-09: Goodbye, Coffee The creamer is gone, My only reason to drink, Last mug of coffee.

2018-09-09: Book Review: Strangers in a Strange Land 📚 Archbishop Chaput is back with a timely and painfully honest critique of American society and the Church. It’s clear from the manuscript that he has spent decades thinking deeply about the relationship between the Catholic Church and society writ large. Chaput’s insights invite …

2018-09-08: Finished reading: Strangers in a Strange Land: Living the Catholic Faith in a Post-Christian World by Charles J. Chaput 📚

2018-09-08: The 5% Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. These words of the Gospel of Matthew ring in my heart in light of recent reports on sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. We’ve been dealing with this publicly for over 16 …

2018-09-08: I Love Rain Rainy Saturday, My favorite kind of day. Relaxing and calm.

2018-09-08: I do love an iced coffee on a rainy day.

2018-09-07: An Unnecessary Delivery Phone book on my porch, No delivery needed: I’ve heard of Google.

2018-09-07: I will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate anyone among me who does.

2018-09-07: Episode 31: Special Visitors and Outer Space Benedict and Felicity had some very important visitors over the Labor Day weekend. They share a few of their adventures and drop some knowledge about outer space.

2018-09-07: Carter’s “fun cash” is fake news.

2018-09-06: A Renter’s Mistake A small home repair, Went totally wrong. Big mess. Not ready to own.

2018-09-06: Old Navy clothes just don’t last.

2018-09-06: Devices Down, Please When iOS 12 comes out later this month, there will be a new feature that will tell me how long I’ve used my iPhone and how much time I’ve spent in each app. The data itself isn’t scary; the scary part is the fact that it will quantify something I minimize. I’ve spent a …

2018-09-06: The first morning back on the walking trail is always the hardest

2018-09-05: See You Next Time, Gramma Gramma is leaving, On a plane back to her house. Thank you for playing!

2018-09-05: Just catching up on the word about Evernote. I’ve been a customer for 7+ years now. Hope I don’t have to find a new system!

2018-09-04: I texted my sister-in-law a haiku at midnight the other day and have no recollection of typing it. I was off by one syllable, but I think I may have a gift.

2018-09-04: Card Game Rules Games with family, New rules every single round. May I make a few?

2018-09-03: A bit wet out there today.

2018-09-03: Standing on an Airplane Plane parks, people stand. Door isn’t even open. Chill for a bit, folks.

2018-09-03: Airport sunrise for the long journey home.

2018-09-02: Be Doers, Not Hearers There’s a lot to the Christian life. We have a law that’s designed to guide us, to keep us truly free. The struggle, as with all change, is where the rubber meets the road. James tells me today to, “Be doers of the word and not hearers only.” I can’t pick and choose which parts …

2018-09-02: Awake Baby Very tired now. Lucy will not let me sleep. Try the snooze button?

2018-09-01: Happy Anniversary Anniversary, Celebrate time past, to come. Thank you, Alison!

2018-08-31: Finally listening to Ólafur Arnalds’ latest release, re:member. He’s my favorite modern classical composer and I found him thanks to Apple Music! 🎵

2018-08-31: Pumpkin Spice Season Pumpkin spice everywhere. It’s August and 100. Get a calendar.

2018-08-30: I remember a time when flight attendants were responsible for the safety and comfort of passengers. Now they’re butlers who push credit cards, responsible for mediating petty disputes between people.

2018-08-30: Reclining Airline Seats People who recline, Less room for the one behind. Disable feature!

2018-08-30: There’s something romantic and whimsical about airport terminals.

2018-08-30: What a great start to the day!

2018-08-30: Good morning!

2018-08-30: What would the Internet be like if we didn’t immediately assume the worst in everyone else?

2018-08-29: How does an airline set a 50 minute delay on a 6am flight the night before at 9pm? Crew? Maintenance?

2018-08-29: Travel Prep Tired before trip. Much to do, so little time. I’ll sleep on the plane.

2018-08-29: Clothes for little girls are so much fun.

2018-08-28: MAS Mac App Store is lame. So few apps, no real value. I’ll buy direct, thanks.

2018-08-28: Episode 30: Busy Afternoon Benedict and Felicity were very excited to record this milestone episode! Benedict brings us up to speed on his robots and trains while Felicity checks out a cookbook.

2018-08-28: After listening to the Micro Monday microcast, I’ve updated my bio. I really love the way this whole platform feels. Bonus: now you can be sure that I’m not a bot.

2018-08-28: In these dark times, it’s important to focus on small wins.

2018-08-27: Lawn Mowing Mowing is kinda fun. Great time to hear new podcasts. Lots of hard work, tho.

2018-08-27: Safari bookmarks are so bad at favicons. I hope that improves in Mojave.

2018-08-26: As for My House This weekend’s readings were a non-stop blockbuster of well know biblical passages. Just in time for my wedding anniversary, there was Paul’s exhortation for married couples. What really struck me came from Joshua, “As for me and my household, we shall serve the Lord.” (Jos …

2018-08-26: McCain John is a hero. So much sacrifice for us. Always remember.

2018-08-26: Few apps are as indispensable as Ulysses.

2018-08-25: Nukes Watched movie on nukes It’s a bad situation. I like fresh tacos.

2018-08-24: Slow Day No haiku today. Not really much going on. And yet, here we are.

2018-08-24: It’s moony out here. (Photo doesn’t do justice.)

2018-08-23: Melatonin Time to go to bed. Melatonin kicking in. Can’t finish this hai

2018-08-23: For the first time in my life, I just Shaked and Baked.

2018-08-23: Living in a House I love journaling in Day One. It’s an incredible app that really starts to shine the more that you use it. I’ve journaled every day since December 31, 2015. Each evening, I sit down at my desk and write about what’s going on in my life and attach an image from the day to the …

2018-08-22: Goodreads is awesome tool and is a positive impact on my reading this year. I wish more of my friends used it.

2018-08-22: LEGO Stepped on a LEGO. First time doing so at home. A new era dawns.

2018-08-22: Currently reading: Strangers in a Strange Land: Living the Catholic Faith in a Post-Christian World by Charles J. Chaput 📚

2018-08-22: Episode 29: On the Water As we finish our vacation recap, I talk to the kids about the fun we had on Lake Michigan. Felicity sends a shoutout to a special listener.

2018-08-22: I love the sound of the Keurig warming up early in the morning.

2018-08-21: Book Review: Retired Inspired 📚 I love reading financial books, so I was excited to finally pull this one off the shelf. I believe I bought it right when it came out, about two years ago. I have to say, I was pretty disappointed. Chris does a fine job explaining everything, but having listened to The Dave …

2018-08-21: Episode 28: Going to the Dentist Benedict and Felicity had their dental check-ups this morning. They both did a great job! This was our first time at this particular dental practice, so I took a few minutes to chat with them about the unique experience.

2018-08-21: Sugar Cookies Tried to bake cookies. Sugar cookies hard to make. Total disaster.

2018-08-21: Finished reading: Retire Inspired: It’s Not an Age, It’s a Financial Number by Chris Hogan 📚

2018-08-21: Baking sugar cookies with the kids.

2018-08-21: It’s so much fun watching Benedict build with LEGOs.

2018-08-20: Evening Haiku The day is now done. Everything is put away. Time to read a book.

2018-08-20: Clouds I love when the clouds do this.

2018-08-20: Morning Haiku Toys, toys, everywhere. A home teeming with toddlers. Time to get to work.

2018-08-19: New friend at the Zoo

2018-08-19: The Choice I can choose way of the just or the way of the wicked. I pray for the wisdom of God to make the right choice and it’s up to me to make that choice, daily. I won’t get it right every day, but life isn’t about the last play. It’s about the next play. First Reading: Proverbs 9:1-6 …

2018-08-18: Gorgeous day to be outdoors!

2018-08-17: Apparently political campaigns can text you now. It’s quite gouache. I’m going to stop giving out my phone number, period.

2018-08-17: Using emoji in my Things projects is quite useful.

2018-08-17: Episode 27: Blueberries We just got back from the grocery store where we picked up some Michigan blueberries for our Sunday breakfast. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to talk to the kids about when we went blueberry picking last week on our trip.

2018-08-16: It’s nice to not be on Twitter. Or Facebook. Or Instagram.

2018-08-16: Cleaning car seats is such a chore.

2018-08-16: Goal for the day: put house back in order

2018-08-15: Be Attentive My personal spiritual philosophy is based around the concept of attunement. I want to be grounded enough in my prayer life to venture out into the world. I make decisions based on an educated guess and remain alert to clues that I have chosen correctly or incorrectly. This suits …

2018-08-15: That moment when you look at the recipe for dinner and realize it should’ve got into the slow cooker 6 hours ago

2018-08-14: I was reminded this evening about the importance of our eyes. The most delicate and wonderful organ, they are the windows to the soul. The eyes and heart work together. So much good is possible if I choose to protect them both.

2018-08-14: Home As I drove the final mile to our house on Sunday, I started to wonder why I was so excited to be home. It’s just a structure with all of our stuff inside. I had a fabulous time at the lake, so what would make me enthusiastic to go home? Home is the place where I’m most …

2018-08-14: Currently reading: Retire Inspired: It’s Not an Age; It’s a Financial Number by Chris Hogan 📚

2018-08-14: Book Review: Parish Priest 📚 This was my second time reading Parish Priest, the story of Fr. Michael McGivney. While his legacy is the founding of the Knights of Columbus, the book mainly focuses on his life and ministry, with a small portion of the overall book covering his work with the Knights. McGivney …

2018-08-14: Really enjoying listening to Ben Rector’s catalog. Pleasant songs to unpack to and listening on the HomePod is a real treat.

2018-08-14: Episode 26: Beach Folks There were lots of folks at the beach for the kids to play with. I talk to Benedict and Felicity about some of the fun things they did together.

2018-08-13: Finished reading: Parish Priest: Father Michael McGivney and American Catholicism by Douglas Brinkley & Julie M. Fenster 📚

2018-08-13: Episode 25: Mea Culpa We’re back from our trip to Lake Michigan! I apologize for forgetting to bring my microphone and then join Benedict and Felicity at the breakfast table to talk about our experiences on the open road.

2018-08-12: Let Them Speak I knew that Mass this evening was going to be a struggle. We arrived home after lunch, and given the week worth of strange sleep schedule and arrangements on the road, the kids were bound to be tired. Felicity was the one I was really worried about. Sure enough, she was just …

2018-08-12: Even Elmo is happy to be home in his bed.

2018-08-12: Food Network Star is total garbage. Never again! Manny is king!

2018-08-12: It’s good to be home.

2018-08-11: There’s nothing quite like a road trip on brand new tires.

2018-08-11: What a great find on the road!

2018-08-10: Pure Michigan Our week at Lake Michigan is coming to a close. Even though I used to live here, this is actually only the second time that I can remember coming to the lake. The first time was at a big state park and, this time, a private residence with a quiet beach. Growing up, whenever we …

2018-08-10: Van is on the road again. Just in time!

2018-08-10: Nice day to read on the deck and enjoy the breeze.

2018-08-10: Currently reading: Parish Priest: Father Michael McGivney and American Catholicism by Douglas Brinkley & Julie M. Fenster 📚

2018-08-10: Great fun on the lake this morning. Slight breeze and calm water.

2018-08-10: Book Review: A Spy Among Friends 📚 Ben Macintyre is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers of the modern era. His style is so engaging and his topics are wildly interesting. Ben does a great job walking his readers through the intricacies of British culture and mannerisms. I appreciate him not taking the …

2018-08-10: I’m so excited for the RapidWeaver 8 launch next week. Lots of good features to look forward to! Indie software is such a pleasure to work with.

2018-08-09: Finished reading: A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal by Ben Macintyre 📚

2018-08-09: Good night, Lake Michigan.

2018-08-09: On the road today for an expedition and had to turn around due to car trouble. Grateful to be near a shop I trusted who could help me out!

2018-08-08: Kicking myself for forgetting to pack my microphone for microcasting on the road. I resolve to make it as essential as chargers on packing for all future trips.

2018-08-08: Michigan Blueberries We got the kids out the door after breakfast to go and pick some blueberries! They were pretty ripe and fell off of the bushes, which was really nice. The children preferred eating them to putting them in the bucket.

2018-08-08: I’ve never been an Apple News user. Now that it’s coming to the Mac, with all of that cross-platform syncing goodness, I’m diving in.

2018-08-07: Private beach, cool water, good times!

2018-08-07: This is America I grew up in an Air Force family. Moving across our country, I’ve had the opportunity to live in or visit almost every region. I’m disappointed at how we portray ourselves to the World. There’s the America that’s shown on television and the real America. America is a beautiful …

2018-08-06: Almond Breeze: Cartons of almond milk are being recalled for containing milk — an allergen not listed on the label. I still don’t know what almondmilk is.

2018-08-05: Five Minutes Creating a good habit is a ton of work. Even just the thought of that work is enough to get me to not even try. I have a great relationship with my children. They’re young, and for the most part, developing that relationship is easy. I’m quick to forgive them and …

2018-08-05: Hello, Lake Michigan!

2018-08-04: Hours on the road and Elmo’s still smiling!

2018-08-04: Another beautiful day in America!

2018-08-04: Arkansas: the Ohio of middle America!

2018-08-03: Had a slowdown on the way to the doctor’s office this morning. Loose cattle on the roadway.

2018-08-03: It’s Botox day again. Still at a loss at why anyone would use it electively.

2018-08-02: Few chores are as satisfying as washing the family cars.

2018-08-01: You’ve Got Mail 🍿 A phenomenal movie.

2018-08-01: Don't Be Outraged Dr. Daniel Siegel, a Harvard Medical School graduate and board certified psychiatrist has sought through his clinical research to define mental health. We’ve done an excellent job defining mental illness, but not nearly enough effort is put into talking about mental health. Dr. …

2018-08-01: I’ve never had a Big Mac.

2018-07-31: A great picture from Alison and I’s trip across America. The kids weren’t with us, so I’d send them pictures of Elmo so they could see where we were and what we were doing.

2018-07-31: It’s stunning how many varieties of bugs there are. Each plays its own small role in the ecosystem, despite how revolting I find all of them.

2018-07-31: Alison called me at lunch for a quick chat. We rarely talk on the phone during the day, usually just exchanging texts. I enjoyed the mid-day connection. I hope this trend continues.

2018-07-31: Never cancel on a forecast.

2018-07-30: I hate that Food Network Star brought Jess back at the very end and then gave her a pilot. She basically got a short cut to the finale. That’s messed up.

2018-07-30: Justice Ginsberg: I’m now 85. My senior colleague Justice John Paul Stevens, he stepped down when he was 90. So think I have about at least five more years. The lifetime of Federal judges is important in protecting their independent. While retirement age is subjective an …

2018-07-30: The Babylon Bee: In response to an increase in angry mobs combing the platform for old tweets to try to cause someone to lose their job, Twitter has introduced a timed auto-delete option for your tweets so a bad joke you make now won’t come back and haunt you, getting you fired …

2018-07-30: Currently reading: A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal by Ben Macintyre 📚

2018-07-30: Book Review: Resisting Happiness 📚 This book really came to me at the right point in my life. I had noticed several months ago that something was off in my life. I was looking for happiness, but not really sure where to find it. Matthew hit the nail on the head with the book. The idea of searching for happiness is …

2018-07-29: I’m grateful for writers who have the courage to assemble their thoughts and ideas together into a manuscript.

2018-07-29: Book Review: Keep Your Kids Catholic 📚 It’s been said by many people that I respect that you should never read a book that you’re not enjoying. There’s something particularly unpleasant about reading feeling like a chore. You trudge through a book, unhappy and unsatisfied. In times when I want to quit, I persist. I …

2018-07-29: Bring What You Have Today’s Gospel tells the familiar story of feeding the five thousand. Jesus calls upon a young boy to offer his five loaves and two fish to feed a massive crowd. Not only is everyone fed, but there was more than they could eat. Twelve baskets of fragments were collected. I’m a …

2018-07-28: After a week of reading blitz, I’m back on track to reaching my goal of reading 24 books in 2018. I have a few more reviews to publish and I look forward to having my blog be about more than just what I’m reading!

2018-07-28: Book Review: Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor 📚 I heard Dr. Allen Hunt speak in person at a conference two summers ago at Franciscan University of Steubenville. It was my first interaction with him and he’s an excellent speaker. It’s apparent how he was able to be so effective as a pastor in a church community that lives or …

2018-07-28: Finished reading: Resisting Happiness by Matthew Kelly 📚

2018-07-27: Book Review: Dignitas Personae and Donum Vitae 📚 The Church is often painted with the brush of “no.” Indeed, in our culture today, there are plenty of behaviors, attitudes, and practices that rightly deserve rejection and admonishment. In these two documents, produced in the last thirty years and with the intention of helping …

2018-07-27: Finished reading: Keep Your Kids Catholic: Sharing Your Faith and Making It Stick by Marc Cardaronella 📚

2018-07-27: Spent some time yesterday updating my site’s footer. Took quite a bit of play, but finally have it just the way I want it. Also had to adjust some padding in two wrappers, which was a bigger task than expected!

2018-07-27: Episode 24: Packing Lists With our trip to the beach around the corner, the kids and I spend a few minutes chatting about what we should pack.

2018-07-27: Reading There’s no doubt that reading has an outsized impact on brain development and intellectual growth. My parents are both educated, and they made a point to try to cultivate this love of reading in my life growing up. I’m not sure when they instituted “reading time,” but it was …

2018-07-26: Book Review: The Whole-Brain Child 📚 Now that Benedict is nearing his fifth birthday, Alison thought that it would be a good idea for us to read some parenting books. She wanted us to learn some strategies for helping our kids, as the authors of this book put it, survive and thrive. Generally speaking, I don’t have …

2018-07-26: Finished reading: Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor: How I Discovered the Hidden Treasures of the Catholic Church by Allen Hunt, PhD 📚

2018-07-26: Road Trips My preferred mode of transportation used to be commercial aviation. I’m a pilot myself, and the joy of getting on an airplane and hours later arriving at my destination was thrilling. I loved every bit of it. I’m not sure what changed, perhaps simply getting older, but traveling …

2018-07-25: Finished reading: Instruction on Respect for Human Life by Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 📚

2018-07-25: I started a Books page the other day to track the list of books that I’ve read. I do this already in Goodreads, but I wanted a place on my website to store this data, too. After reading a book, I’m also going to write up a quick review and link to those reviews on the …

2018-07-25: Book Review: Building the Kingdom 📚 It’s hard to find a succinct book that covers the history of the Catholic Church. There’s a lot of ground to cover, but clearly there are high points that everyone should be familiar with. In that spirit, I picked up a copy of Building the Kingdom: A History of the Catholic …

2018-07-25: Finished reading: The Dignity of A Person by The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 📚

2018-07-25: Checking Out I left Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram a few months ago. My retreat from the digital world to exclusively using my own domain was the result of many things. The availability, ease of use, development, and robustness of Micro.blog made this transition easier than I thought. The …

2018-07-24: Finished reading: The Whole Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel, MD and Tina Payne Bryson, PhD 📚

2018-07-24: Alison suggested that we read some parenting books to help us as our kids begin to come into their own. It was a brilliant suggestion. Everything that they’re doing is coming into focus and now I have more constructive ways to respond.

2018-07-24: Finished reading: Building the Kingdom: A History of the Catholic Church by Robbie Peñate 📚

2018-07-24: Off to the Zoo Another great adventure at our outstanding zoo. We’re so lucky to have a great variety of species in such a small market

2018-07-24: Book Review: Operation Mincemeat 📚 I first came across the writing of Ben Macintyre when I picked up his book Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies in a used bookstore. I’ve always enjoyed reading war and espionage nonfiction, and I particularly enjoyed Ben’s writing. His research and writing focuses on …

2018-07-23: Currently reading: Building the Kingdom: A History of the Catholic Church by Robbie Peñate 📚

2018-07-23: Episode 23: Nature Walk The heatwave is coming to an end, but still persists this morning. I took the kids out for a walk to the playground before the temperature got too crazy.

2018-07-23: Stay-at-Home Dad In a culture that celebrates being “busy,” it can be hard to quit. I’m now in my third year as a stay-at-home dad. When I first started, Benedict was just six months old. He slept most of the day, and so I had to find things to occupy my time. I did some freelance web design work …

2018-07-22: Episode 22: Airplanes and Dinosaurs Happy Sunday, folks! After a bit of a break, we’re back. Just home from Mass, Benedict and Felicity join me to discuss recent events while our breakfast bakes in the oven.

2018-07-22: Thinking about my niece this morning. St. Maddux, pray for us!🌹

2018-07-21: Finished reading: Operation Mincement: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory by Ben Macintyre 📚

2018-07-20: Nothing feels quite as good as a clean slate.

2018-07-09: Episode 21: Visitors Our very special visitors have just left and we’re working on cleaning our house. We took a quick break to let Benedict bring you up to speed on his life.

2018-07-05: Episode 20: Sick After our time in San Antonio, we all got sick! Now, weeks later, we’re all feeling better. Although, my co-host Felicity didn’t feel like podcasting today.

2018-07-03: Reusing baby clothes really only works if you hit the gender and seasons jussssssst right.

2018-06-29: You’ve Got Mail is a fantastic movie. Still great all these years later

2018-06-16: Episode 19: San Antonio We’re visiting San Antonio, Texas and bringing you updates from our trip. The kids are not in a great mood.

2018-06-14: The Alamo We got into town late last night, and thankfully the dark shades in our room kept the kids asleep until 8:15am. Just a quick trip around the corner to see The Alamo! The grounds were even more beautiful than I remember.

2018-06-14: Good Morning, San Antonio

2018-06-13: Quid est veritas?

2018-06-10: Book Review: The Year of Less 📚 I saw this book just before its publication around the first of the year. I loved the description: a millennial’s shopping fast and how it lead to independence and a detachment from materialism. I should’ve looked closer, because as it turned out, it was a memoir with detachment …

2018-06-09: Episode 18: Groovy Joe Ice Cream and Dinosaurs Benedict joins me to read one of his favorite stories.

2018-06-08: Microsoft Flight Simulator may be the single greatest game of all time.

2018-06-06: Episode 17: Brown Bear, Brown Bear In the first installment of what will be a long-running series, Felicity sits down with me to read Eric Carle’s classic work, “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?”

2018-06-06: Wife on Fantastical, “It doesn’t look any different than the Apple calendar app.” lol ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

2018-06-03: We moved Felicity into a big kid bed two weeks ago. My favorite part of the move is that when she wakes up in the morning, she doesn’t immediately go and empty her dresser. Instead, she grabs a book, climbs back into bed, and looks at it quietly.

2018-06-02: I don’t like the word “bespoke.”

2018-06-01: It's incredible how few sites have "Delete Your Account" options.

2018-05-31: Episode 16: Felicity's Birthday We’re celebrating today, and Benedict asked if we could do a podcast to tell all of the folks about Felicity’s birthday. So here you go!

2018-05-29: Toughen up, America.

2018-05-28: The purge is complete. Feels so good to let go. We’re down about 70% of the toys that we moved here with. Much more space to build and explore!

2018-05-27: The great purge of 2018 is well underway. Always feels good to let go of the clutter

2018-05-25: Episode 15: Picnic Lunch We traveled to the hospital to have a picnic lunch in Mommy’s office.

2018-05-24: Enough with these privacy policy emails!

2018-05-24: I put a whole avocado in my blueberry smoothie this morning. Holy cow, this thing is delicious!

2018-05-23: Book Review: On Conscience 📚 This book was given to me as a gift by my parents. I’m developing an interest in bioethics, seeing as its the perfect marriage of healthcare and classical philosophy. I didn’t find much in the way of discussion on conscience in this book, which is ironic given the title. The book …

2018-05-23: Episode 14: Robot Costume Benedict updates us on his big craft project for the day, and talks about the animals that he saw at the Zoo yesterday.

2018-05-20: As a Nation, we have not yet solved the curbside to go problem. Restaurants, send your people out to cars as soon as they pull up!

2018-05-20: Naps are nice

2018-05-20: Episode 13: Happy Sunday, Folks I sit down at the breakfast table with Benedict and Felicity before getting ready for Mass. Felicity has a lot to say, as well as a few jokes to share.

2018-05-19: I love the feeling of looking out on a fresh cut lawn at sunset on a Saturday night

2018-05-18: No matter how much dev work I do on a test site, the transition to live is always really, really hard.

2018-05-16: Episode 12: A Beautiful Afternoon We’ve upgraded! Our new microphone arrived today, so we took a few minutes to try it out. The kids were mostly interested in watching a movie.

2018-05-15: Time for annual enrollment. Trying to sort through all of this. Hard to predict the future, even with an educated guess!

2018-05-14: Social Security With the privacy stuff at Facebook and Twitter's recent clash with 3rd party apps, I'm feeling so good about being a part of Micro.blog. Even if one day in the very far future this service ends, I know I'll still have all of my content. All I will have to do is set up shop …

2018-05-13: I closed my Facebook/Twitter/Instagram accounts 53 days ago. Very little disruption in my life. All positive!

2018-05-12: Beautiful day in the American Southwest

2018-05-11: I love listening to lawn irrigation systems on my pre-dawn walks. Pleasant sound breaking the silence.

2018-05-09: Episode 11: Trains Felicity requested that we record a podcast this morning and was enthusiastically joined by Benedict. So, we decided to talk about trains. Sorta.

2018-05-08: Episode 10: Morning Play We’re enjoying a slow start to our day with some playtime. The kids asked to record a podcast, so we did! Felicity is quite chatty and Benedict updates us on his life.

2018-05-05: Fresh cut grass. Cool breeze, grilling out back. Beautiful evening!

2018-05-05: Saturday morning and the house is awake. Sun streaming in through the kitchen windows, kids in their pjs eating breakfast, big band music on HomePod. Great start to the weekend!

2018-05-04: Episode 9: Three Alison is back to work. We catch up with Benedict to get his review of his trip, try to keep Felicity off of her computer, and listen to Lucy’s delightful noises.

2018-05-04: I’m grateful for Walmart Grocery Pickup.

2018-05-03: Picked up a HomePod today. I’m delighted!

2018-04-30: On the road again

2018-04-29: Hanging out with Thomas

2018-04-29: Episode 8: A Day out with Thomas Today is a very special day! We made the trip to the train museum to meet Thomas. We took pictures with Sir Topham Hatt, played trains, watched a movie, and ended our adventure with a 3 mile ride on Thomas the Tank Engine!

2018-04-28: I do love Spring

2018-04-28: Episode 7: Casting We’re out a fishing derby this morning! Benedict reports on seeing a dancing cow and shares his best fishing advice.

2018-04-27: The pictures from Panmunjom are charming, historic, and humanizing. Try not to forget that Kim assassinated his brother with VX nerve agent in an international airport 14 months ago, and murdered a US citizen 10 months ago.

2018-04-26: Episode 6: Bubbles We made it safely to Gramma and Grandpi’s. After some quiet time in the house, I came outside to find Benedict playing with bubbles.

2018-04-26: Nice vacation

2018-04-25: At the Airport Benedict was very excited when our airplane arrived at the gate yesterday. Southwest is a great airline that treats its customers like people.

2018-04-24: Saw a motorcyclist driving 80 on the Interstate with no helmet or pads. Not much room for margin, eh?

2018-04-24: Episode 5: At the Airport Benedict and I made it to the airport! Our flight is delayed, so we found a quiet corner to chat about our travel today.

2018-04-23: Episode 4: Travel Folks We’re getting all packed for our big trip tomorrow. We took a break from cleaning and packing to record Felicity saying funny things.

2018-04-20: Episode 3: Popsicles After a busy morning of cleaning, we headed outside to enjoy a well deserved treat!

2018-04-20: Book Review: Rainbow Six 📚 This was my first Tom Clancy book. I had played the computer game when it first came out, so I was roughly familiar with the characters and premise. I also picked this book up in Apple Books for $1.99, so I dove in. I was not a huge fan of the cutscenes approach to this story. …

2018-04-20: Episode 2: Sandbox It’s a beautiful morning and the children and I decided to go outside and play in our sandbox. Felicity makes her first appearance on the podcast, but she’s a little bit shy when it comes to the microphone.

2018-04-19: New Version I’m excited to celebrate my birthday by releasing ChetCast, a microcast about my life as a stay-at-home dad! I first started podcasting 11 years ago in my college dorm room. It was just me back then, but now I’m lucky to have three children to join me on the show. I’m hosting my …

2018-04-19: Episode 1: Welcome to ChetCast I started my first podcast back in 2007 as a single college student. I’m excited to be podcasting again, this time, with the help of my three children. ChetCast will follow my life as stay-at-home dad and the adventures that I share with my kids. In the inaugural episode, I …

2018-04-18: Releasing the first episode of my new microcast tomorrow. My Benedict is a guest, but he calls it a “bobcast.”

2018-04-18: Six months into using single stream recycling in our household, and we’re diverting about 50% of our solid waste. Wish our facility would expand to accept more things.

2018-04-17: Thomas Merton on Conversion After a conversion experience, one is tempted to set aside, downplay, or reject one’s past. In Thomas Merton’s biography The Seven Storey Mountain, the former dissolute student turned Trappist monk largely characterizes his former life as bad, and his life in the monastery as …

2018-04-16: The tiny one fell asleep in my arms. These are the days.

2018-04-14: Marfa I was really excited to see Maton release a new theme on Micro.blog last night. I was even more excited when I saw the name, Marfa. For those of you who don’t know, Marfa is a very small town in West Texas. It’s situated in rugged and mostly untouched terrain. For whatever …

2018-04-13: Several times a week, I turn to my wife, dumbfounded at the words that have come out of my children’s mouths. Incredible just how much they pick up on by listening. There’s a lesson in there.

2018-04-10: Another beautiful day in this great Nation!

2018-04-08: Time for the semi-annual deep cleaning and waxing of the cars. I love this day, and how smooth the cars feel afterward!

2018-04-08: My bad boy approach to hijacking my own footer is costing me a lot of time in troubleshooting.

2018-04-06: Unified Design in Currency When I look at the current specimens of our national currency, I’m disappointed. The United States Dollar is a global reserve currency, and its design is disjointed. Looking at the difference between the various notes, there’s a hodgepodge of design features and colors. It …

2018-04-05: How did I go so long without using emoji in Things? It gives such clarity to my projects!

2018-04-04: Fresh starts in YNAB are excellent. Very well thought-out feature.

2018-04-02: My backyard is lovely

2018-04-02: The greatest temptation in design is to add too much. Add just enough, and not a single object more.

2018-03-29: Honestly, what the hell is the Toyota design team thinking?

2018-03-25: First Mass with three kids. Two sets of grandparents helped. No backup on Thursday, though!

2018-03-22: No, sorry, I'm not on Facebook.

2018-03-19: Happy to be celebrating the 5th anniversary of the Catholic Husband blog!

2018-03-17: I regret that my hearing is so good that I can hear extremely high pitched noises.

2018-03-14: Nothing quite turns your day around like 45 minutes at the gym

2018-03-13: I still think it’s weird that I need an appointment at my barber shop.

2018-03-08: Just saw a Cadillac delivering Dominos. Tough times.

2018-03-07: Last day before it changes all over again.

2018-03-04: Panera stops serving breakfast at 11am on Sundays. You know that ain’t right!

2018-03-03: While washing the wheels of our car, my 4yo offered to give me a “car wash.” I turned around to find him pointing the hose at me and attempting to turn on the nozzle.

2018-02-23: Watching my Apple TV with my AirPods after the kids are in bed just might be the single greatest technological advance in a generation.

2018-02-23: I can think of very few scenarios where a blank page with “Coming Soon!” is the appropriate design choice. Good rule of thumb: if there’s no content on a page, don’t publish.

2018-02-23: When it comes to cheddar, the sharper, the better!

2018-02-22: Ethan Hunt is a poor man’s James Bond.

2018-02-20: Well, it's February 20th. Suppose it's time to turn on the A/C.

2018-02-16: Taxes were pretty fun this year. Not nearly as fun as they'll be next year, though!

2018-02-15: I wish that more iOS devs would include alternate icons. An awesome, but underrated and underutilized feature.

2018-02-13: Felicity’s favorite thing to say to me, “What doing, Daddy?”

2018-02-11: Go Team USA! 🥇

2018-02-10: It’s February 10th. If you’re still going to the gym, good for you! 🥇

2018-02-08: The average Facebook comment thread: Comment 1: You’re an idiot! Comment 2: You’re a chimp for the (corporation/political party)! Comment 3: Anyone know where I can get good window tint?

2018-02-07: Great minds think alike, except in the Patent Office

2018-02-05: I just watched the Super Bowl halftime show. The only good thing about it was that Pepsi spent their money on sponsorship and advertising instead of producing their disgusting beverages.

2018-01-30: Botox injections, like all medically necessary injections, are terrible.

2018-01-29: I believe that the time is right for Catholic parishes everywhere to come together and finally agree on the requirements for parents and sponsors of children at Baptism. Honestly, it's our third parish and our third set of rules! We can do this!

2018-01-28: If you don’t pull over for emergency vehicles, you’re just a jerk.

2018-01-27: Book Review: Messy & Foolish 📚 This was a short little book, expounding on the early message of the pontificate of Francis. I picked up my copy through the great folks at Dynamic Catholic. I found the material to be interesting and thought provoking. We have a great number of tools at our disposal for sharing …

2018-01-26: Book Review: The Total Money Makeover 📚 I’ve been a listener of Dave’s radio program for seven years now. I was first introduced to him and his plan by Alison when we were dating. This wasn’t my first reading of The Total Money Makeover, I tend to pick it up any time I start to lose momentum. This is the plan that we …

2018-01-20: Book Review: The Pope Who Quit 📚 Before the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, there had only been one man in the history of the papacy to abdicate the office. That man was Pope Celestine V in the Middle Ages. This book is his story, and one that is not well known. Celestine, before he was pope, was a popular …

2018-01-19: Forecast in the mid-60s for the next 7 days. I guess I survived winter.

2018-01-14: Eight years ago, I sent a late-night random email with virtual flowers as a joke to the woman who would become my wife. 💐

2018-01-13: After almost a year of procrastination, I’m finally wrangling my Evernote library.

2018-01-09: When autocorrect keeps changing “tall” to “y’all,” you’ve assimilated.

2018-01-02: In memoriam fidelium defunctorum Maddux Rose May her soul, and the souls of all of the faithful departed, rest in peace. “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

2018-01-01: Book Review: You Need A Budget 📚 I’ve been using You Need A Budget (YNAB) exclusively for several years. They’re a quirky company with a great culture and an even better product. There’s been a trend towards moving to the subscription model in software, and YNAB is a prime example of how that can lead to …

2017-12-31: Mission Accomplished My biggest goal for 2017 didn’t start out that way at all. It started with a few days in a row of closing all of my activity rings on my Apple Watch. Two weeks ago, I wrote about how I had closed all three rings for 365 consecutive days. Somewhere along the way, I made it my goal …

2017-12-31: Sunday morning before the kids wake up

2017-12-24: If it’s not Prime, what is it doing on Amazon?

2017-12-23: Wife reaches into MY stocking and pulls out a piece of candy for herself. You know that ain’t right!

2017-12-22: A Year with Apple Watch Last December, I was a mess. My migraines were worsening, almost becoming a constant cycle of pre-migraine, migraine, post-migraine. I decided to focus in on my lifestyle factors in an attempt to get myself back on track. For 365 days, I closed all three of my rings on my Apple …

2017-12-22: BREAKING: Son terrifyingly adds "spider" to list for Santa without further explanation.

2017-12-21: First Day of Winter! Aaaaaand it’s 74 degrees

2017-12-19: Maddux Rose My niece, Maddux Rose, was born on December 9th. Maddux is my brother and sister-in-law’s third daughter. The next day, Maddux displayed trouble breathing. Hours later, she was transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the area children’s hospital. We learned last …

2017-12-09: There’s something really special about the light of a Christmas tree

2017-11-26: It’s nice to be home.

2017-11-24: Good night, New Jersey

2017-11-23: I love this town at night

2017-11-21: Sandy Shores

2017-11-20: Beautiful night

2017-11-20: Beach.

2017-11-16: Colorado is spectacular.

2017-11-16: Stainless steel is a lie.

2017-11-15: Giraffe

2017-11-07: The Magic School Bus Rides Again is a crime against humanity

2017-11-06: Gosh, remember when the internet used to be fun?

2017-10-29: I love Fall

2017-10-17: Y’all, someone needs to get their act together and figure out how to standardize children’s clothes sizing.

2017-10-16: Every time Alison tells me to rework a project, the second version is considerably better than the first.

2017-10-14: Remember when Chipotle used to be fun?

2017-10-04: I don’t buy apps like I used to. Rare to find quality apps these days.

2017-10-02: Blame Why are we so obsessed with blame? It seems to be our culture’s default response to any given crisis. In the immediate aftermath all that we’re focused on is who’s at fault. We should be focused on how to help. Las Vegas is no different. Instead of getting off of the Internet and …

2017-09-28: Contentment is a beautiful thing.

2017-09-27: Now, more than ever, I’m convinced that Apple Engineers created Safari reader mode for the Vatican website. That background... have mercy!

2017-09-25: Relativism. lol

2017-09-21: I’m not one to praise Walmart, but man, Walmart Grocery is keeping it 💯

2017-09-21: There are few things as satisfying as sitting in the dark, coffee in hand, praying and watching the sun come up.

2017-09-15: The new coffee at McDonalds is not bad.

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