Day: February 25, 2026

I recently confessed to my brother that I believe GIJoe lied to us all. Knowing, in fact, only occupies a portion of the battle space. There’s quite a bit of other crap that goes into the battle that weighs a lot heavier than knowing. For example: I know why Phoenix impacts me the way it does. I continue to deepen my understanding of that, yet it isn’t even close to half the battle. Heck, the battle hasn’t even started. I’m 6 days from the 1 year mark of the 8th iteration of this blog and I am still sorting out how to fix my problems in life. I am falling back on the classic, write it all down, philosophy (less knowing than planning I suppose, but if that is what they meant… fine). That is progress. Perhaps organization is half the batttle.

In the end, I should not be taking life advice from Hasbro. I should be realizing that I have mad enough missteps in my life to recognize where I go wrong and how to get myself right wherever I am. The problems–the largest ones–are time, finance, and motivation. That last bit is hampered by the proliferation of social media. Youtube got me for a while there. It started because I was trying to find distraction from the hideous background noise that pervades the home. I’m realizing that this is going to be self-regulated in a short while. So, I need to peel myself off the you-teat. Once I break that weak dopamine cycle I can start rebuilding my motivation. Time exists. Time Management is a hot mess, so the writing everything down should start working on that problem. That leaves Money.

I don’t know how to solve the money crisis. Occasional lotto purchases aren’t doing it. I need a solid and serious financial plan to get my family right. Presently, I intend to fix the other two issues first and let the money problem become fixable as a result of the other two. This is all going to work out over time. It just isn’t going to work itself out.

Some Thoughts:

1. Absolutely Bonkers Headline of the Day: “Canada pledges food aid for Cuba as US fuel blockade continues” What are we even doing here?

No, I am not watcvhing the State of the Union. Actually, I am sitting in my hotel room trying to figure out how to get out and into the cold New York night. We don’t have a lot of time here, and I don’t wish to feel like any of it was wasted. While a night in at “home” is standard, a night in here feels like a missed opportunity. Still, a night in might not be the worst thing. We still have each other. Corny? Perhaps. True? Always. I don’t have a better time with anyone else in the world. Never have. Never will. The Lady Talis is my Ride or Die.

Meanwhile, the next few days are pretty packed with activity. As the conference concludes, the real travel begins. We have family things with everyone ranging from meeting new folks at dinner to popping in on the girls’ school for a black history month event. Somewhere along the way we will find time for plays, music, and museums… and the Harry Potter Store. Because life without Butterbeer is stupid.

Personally, I am feeling much more refreshed. I had to get out of the slog. Arizona is everything I said it was over the last two posts. It isn’t even about the kids so much as it is about the place not ever changing and as a result being utterly stagnant as a culture and as a community. This is true on all levels of it, from the family, to the ‘hood, to everything around it. When I had football that gave me something different. Without it every single day is the same with nothing to look forward to. My kids only encapsulate that sameness as a symptom as opposed to being the cause. I can always rest assured I will wake up to the same stupid videos, the same student complaints, and the same routine. Here, and on every extended vacation, we shape our own routine.

Wouldn’t it be nice if home was like that? Maybe in future posts I’ll get back to thinking why it is not…

Some Thoughts:

1. Absolutely Bonkers Headline of the Day: “Louvre Museum director resigns in the wake of October’s brazen French crown jewels heist” How did they not get fired?
2. My eczema is really really terrible. I hate the itch. Need help.