Had some storms come through. About two days wothout power. Good things: I keep a half-chest freezer full of 2 liter bottles frozen, incase the house freezer needs some extra cold if the power is out for a bit longer than it can maintain on its own. I also have a little generator that can run my basic things, including the furnace in the winter. I also have a decent sized inverter to use the car as a generator in a pinch. Not good things: My generator is still fighting though being unused for two years before I got it. It takes some babysitting. My chainsaw needs a new set of fuel lines. I'm sure there's more but that's it for now. #grownostr

Since my last post: I have learned about 6 new plants that I hadn't read about before, including pineapple weed, virgina pepperweed, and star of jerusalem. I've gotten BLS and CPR instructor certification. I've cut a bunch of trim out of mdf and put it up in the living room. I've put a fair amount of time into renewing the handle on my favorite 1lb ballpeen hammer, scraped it down, 400 grit sanding and boiled linseed. The head was getting a slight wiggle, so I soaked it with linseed for a few days to get the wood to swell and tighten back up. There is more but my brain isn't recalling all of it. I hope everyone has been productive and/or learning new things. Also, Happy Father's Day.

My son, wife, and I were walking around town and just chatting about things in general. Then, my #prisonthinking started tingling. It was trash day and everyone had their cans on the curb. This particular house had enough trash that the lid wouldn't close, and sitting on top was a newly opened PS5 box. I took this opportunity to tell my son about criminal thinking and how that would be a red flag for someone to break in and already know that there was quick money to be made. In my view, people are mostly oblivious to things like this, and I want to at least try to open their eyes a little bit. Hope everyone's weekend is going well. #grownostr

I've been having a hard time focusing lately, just been busier than normal. I have found a way to decompress and learn at the same time, I starting learning ASL (American Sign Language). I found a free app and it's pretty good by my measure. I've had many interactions with deaf people in my line of work, and grasping the different structures of sentences, is helpful in communicating effectively. That's all I have this morning for #prisonthinking Also, #grownostr

GM all. No one was home, so I snapped this to see what was in it. It's high enough in my grapevine that I couldn't see into it. Mourning Dove nest. #grownostr

Hit a garage sale today, found a 2250w generator that looks very well kept. Fired it up, checked it out, and took it home for $50. Not a bad find in my opinion. #grownostr

#prisonthinking After spending a day in a pretty rough neighborhood yesterday and actually having some time to reflect, I would like to talk about being polite. Even on the inside of the system, a lot can be accomplished by being polite. You don't have to kiss someone's ass, and you don't have to act like a complete jackwagon either. If you are confident, or at least can fake confidence, and state things that are factual, you can get compliance from most people. For example; "I'm here to ABC, and I need you to do XYZ, would you please start by 123." The exact details of the interaction aren't super important, but by keeping a calm tone and being persistant, you can gain compliance from people you didn't expect it from upon first glance. Even the person that wants to call you every name he knows, and maybe some he might make up on the spot, can be worn down by being factual, to the point, and polite. (Like Patrick Swayze's speech in Roadhouse) A good part of this can be attributed to not taking things personally, which I'm sure everyone needs more practice at. Regardless of what is said, unless someone forces you into self-defence, you can maintain your consistent message with firmness, and at least make a best effort to gain compliance. For those that will completely refuse to cooperate, things may have to escalate to a point where there is no longer a choice given. This works on inmates, also....... #grownostr

#prisonthinking #grownostr I will zap the balance of my Wallet of Satoshi (about 900 sats), to the first person to reply with the correct source material (or closest description) for this shank. It is approximately 4.5 inches long.

ALS is a shitty disease, and is a horrible way to go. Lost a friend to it this weekend. Make sure you take the time to visit with those that may not make it to tomorrow. #grownostr

Busy but satisfying day. Four hours of selling pork tenderloins and brats for my younger son's pool league. It's nice to see the kids interacting when they aren't competing against each other. My older son and I stuck around to help and had a good time talking with the other parents. I even introduced a couple people to how Nostr works, and showed them how quick the lightning transfers are. I'm hopeful that at least one of them digs into this. #grownostr

#prisonthinking There is something to be said about the concept of "fake it 'till you make it". You can take someone who is rather mild mannered, not a very intimidating person, and show them the stance, and body language they need to have an air of confidence. Even when they are shitting their pants. Throw in a little authority in the voice, and polish up some vocabulary, and you can transform them into a person who takes control and runs their unit. Even though they are scared the whole time. Eventually, after "faking it" long enough, they realize that they have "made it" into who they are. Of course, this isn't one size fits all, and actual mileage may vary. #grownostr

When it rains, you know the rest. Went if for some new tires and an alignment. Got 5 new tires, full size spare, and was told a front bearing is going bad. I thought that mights be part of my car's issues. So instead of replacing the bearing, a 600 dollar job, I decided to spend about that much on two new front knuckles and new rotors for all four corners, and install it all myself. I got half the car done in about 4 hours. Still have the other half to do if the rain holds off. Then I had to get a new phone. Lessons learned: Go through every nut and bolt to make sure you have the right sizes of wrenches and sockets. Impact tools are your friend. Make sure you have the right drill bit size for cotter pins. A kneeling board will make your knees appreciate you. A good jack and quality jack-stands are worth every penny. A bench vice is beneficial. Don't drop your phone on the driveway. I also drug my boys out with me to have them at least understand the problem solving side of figuring out how to some things without all the fancy tools. Teach those kids, everything you know. #grownostr

I know I've been lacking. Been a busy week, after a good weekend. The road trip included Andrew Jackson's Hermitage, the Cavalry Museum at Ft Benning, and a detour to Senoia. Bought a couple of items that were certified as props from The Walking Dead, met Mick Grimes, a Rick look-alike, and got to see what it looks like with the walls of "Alexandria" no longer standing. If anyone is a fan of the show I would recommend a trip, and a visit with the Georgia Tour Company (georgiatourcompany.com). The owners are some really cool people to geek out with. Hope everyone is having a fruitful week. #grownostr

It's been a long week. I wish I could share more often. #prisonthinking I cannot understate the importance of having a calm mind in the middle of chaos. Knowing what needs to be accomplished is only part of the problem. Knowing how to accomplish your task can be learned through training and repetition. Knowing how to remove the chaos in your mind to have clear focus on the what and how, is the art form that we all need to work on. Meditation and thinking excercises have helped me find calm in a storm. If I claimed to be perfect at it I would be lying, recognizing your weakness is part of getting a little better every day. That, I think, should be everyones goal. A little better, every day. Going on a road trip tomorrow, so I will wish everyone a great weekend tonight. GN. #grownostr

Day-three of suck. I've had some inflammation in/around my heel and Achilles tendon. Hobbling around since Monday has been a bit of a bitch. Naproxen and Epsom soaks is about the best "relief" I can get. When putting things back for a rainy day, don't overlook simple remedies that you know work for you. And, it pays to have a well rounded first aid kit.

Not sure if me being bored with some vinyl scraps and the cricut is a good thing or a bad thing. #grownostr

I keep failling to include #grownostr in my posts. I think an option to include tags, similar to how a signature line in some email clients work, would be a beneficial idea. Keep in mind, that I am still trying to figure out the ins-and-outs of this thing, and what I'm looking for may already exist, and I've been overlooking it... If it is a possiblity, would someone let me know that I'm a dumbass and missing it?

This is one of the many pics I took while inside the Rialto Theater, a few weeks ago. It's a Roaring-20s theater in downtown Joliet, IL. If you like this style of architecture, this place is a must see. I am amazed every time I've been there.

My #prisonthinking topic today is going to be outside-the-box thinking. If you dig around on the internet you will find things that talk about orangutans being masters of escape from enclosures. I think that you could push them into the gutter quickly if you consider the ability and ingneuity of people. People, in general, are inventive by nature. We figure things out, and if we cannot, we try to find similarities in what we know that may be appliclable to the problem at hand. Granted, some people are naturally more problem-solving than others. When you consider the methods that people employ to solve problems inside the prison system, the thought process gets even more obscure. Making tools can easily be a full time hobby inside the prison system, fingernail clippers can become screwdrivers, shapers, a way to boil water, and more. Each item you look at, can and has, been converted into a tool or somethign to make another tool that would be needed. Depending on the state, and individual prison itself, the items made available for inmates will change. But no matter what these items are, they will be used to figure out solutions to problems. For example, I've seen headphones (the little earbud types) be re-soldered and repaired using a couple AA batteries a paperclip and some rubber bands. I know how to solder and do simple repairs on electronics, but until I worked in the prison system I've never ran into a home-made soldering iron. Knowing the needed tool, helps you figure out odd items to convert or use to accomplish your task. Thinking like this, making things to do the same job you already understand to do, is a skill-set we need to consider. Like watching MacGyver 30-ish years ago, you see things that make sense if you understand the underlying principle or need. I've not gone very deep into this topic, I think it should be a more thouht-provoking topic than a how-to discussion. I did not cover weapons of any type... although fingernail clippers can be used to make those as well. If this topic is interesting, let me know, I'm also up for any other topics anyone would like to discuss. If there is a specific tool you would like to consider, I'm game. Have a good day. #grownostr