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ChetCast
Episode 86: Pigeon Puppet
June 22,2019Benedict built a puppet while Felicity & I ran an errand. The kids tell you all about it.
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Reading
June 22,2019I 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. 📚
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Reading
June 22,2019
Finished reading: Spymaster by Brad Thor 📚
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June 22,2019
This magnet board sparks joy.
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Haiku
June 21,2019Friday Night Chores
Summer Friday nights,
Mow lawn, wash cars. Then, relax.
Done for the weekend!
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Reading
June 21,2019
Finished reading: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo 📚
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June 21,2019
Welcome back, Summer. ☀️
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Haiku
June 20,2019Morning Errands
Loaded the kids up,
Drove all over town. Four stops,
Home in time for lunch.
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June 20,2019
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.
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ChetCast
Episode 85: New Car Seat
June 20,2019Felicity’s new car seat arrived today, so I caught up with her to get her thoughts on this milestone.
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Reading
Book Review: Boys Should Be Boys 📚
June 20,2019A 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 was not Meeker’s best work. I found it dry and somewhat difficult to follow. Her audience was for mothers and fathers of boys, which meant that there was a considerable amount of content that didn’t apply to me. I read it so that I could better understand Alison’s relationship with our son, but it made the journey less pleasant.
There were some good ideas sprinkled throughout, and of course, a few lessons that I’ve already began to implement. I just don’t find myself as overwhelmingly satisfied as I was when I finished Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters.
My main gripe with this book is that it could use a revised edition. Published in 2009, it was full of dated references that sounded silly, even though they were only a decade old. Meeker recently published a new book for fathers, called Hero, which I intend to read in the coming weeks. It’s my hope that that title will meet some of my learning objectives.
Would I recommend: NO
ISBN: 978-1596980570
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Haiku
June 19,2019A Short Story
My son wrote a book,
He is creative and proud!
Bonus: a good plot.
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Reading
June 19,2019
Currently reading: Spymaster by Brad Thor 📚
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June 19,2019
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.
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Google is Gone
June 19,2019Seven 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 Google services within the year. Yesterday, I closed my Nest account and I am officially out of Google’s orbit.
It was not an easy task. Google has its fingers in many pies, and their products, in many categories, are superior. The Nest Thermostat, for example, is a beautiful product with intuitive design. Their business listings present just the information that I need, when I need it. Waze is Waze. There’s little doubt that their trackers are following me across the Internet, but I’ve made myself a much narrower target.
The alternatives are not as good, but we have a much better values alignment. The themes that Cal Newport highlights in Digital Minimalism continue to reinforce my decision. I recommend the book to everyone. I want to protect my data, my family, and withhold to the maximum extent possible earnings that Google can generate off of me and my profile.
It’s been over a year since I’ve deleted my Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. It feels great to let Google join that list.
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June 19,2019
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.
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June 19,2019
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.
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June 19,2019
In technology, users often have to sacrifice product quality & usability for privacy.
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Reading
June 19,2019
Currently reading: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo 📚
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Haiku
June 18,2019Goodbye, Google
Nest account is gone,
No more Google in my house.
Privacy. Freedom!
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Reading
June 18,2019
Finished reading: Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons by Meg Meeker, MD 📚
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ChetCast
Episode 84: Constellations
June 18,2019Another day, another trip to the Planetarium. The kids share what we learned about today.
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June 18,2019
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. 🎵
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Haiku
June 17,2019Fast and Furious
Go, go, go, go, go!
On the move cleaning all day.
House looks really nice!
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June 17,2019
The people of Hong Kong are an inspiration to us all. 🇭🇰