The Friday Flush #16

Friday Flush #16

   The first week back to school after three weeks off on Christmas vacation has been a bear. Kids that don't want to get up. Parents that don't want to get them up. Homework that does not want to be done. Ahhhhh, this is the life. I find my escape at times by finding  videos online that take my breath away, inspire, or in any other way give me a small escape. Friday Flush #16 brings you the jet pack man, undiscovered WWII images, and,.....well.....the universe.

Dual Flight Jet Pack
I think we've all thought about how cool it would be to fly. I came across JIM CROW a while ago and was blown away by his jet pack. A-MAZED I tell you. I watched him fly solo, with jets, and it was just incredible. I read recently that his goal was to do a dual flight with another jet pack. I watched his new video on YouTube and the ending gave me the chills. I love the innovation, and I love the "dreamer" aspect of this story. Gives whole new meaning to the "spread your wings" bit. Give it a watch, and don't forget to play it to the very end. I got goosebumps. I'm sure you will too.

31 Rolls of Undeveloped Film from a Soldier in WWII Discovered and Processed
I've always had an interest in the various aspects of war. The causes, the dedication of an individual, etc. I inherited my grandfather's book of pictures from his time in Papa New Guinea. 
I saw a link via Reddit about 31 rolls of undeveloped film from WWII that photographer Levi Bettweiser purchased at an auction in Ohio. The process is inspirational and the result is nothing less than preserving history. They reminded me of the kind and quality of the images from my grandfather's book. Every day shots from the war, that give more personality to such an epic event. The full video of the project can be found at http://www.rescuedfilm.com/#!rescuedwwii - so take a look when you have some time to watch and absorb.

Andromeda Galaxy
While I live on the 3rd rock from the sun, the great expanse of the universe has always captivated me. Most every night, as I lock up the house, I step out onto my porch and gaze up at the sky. In the summer, I take my time. In the winter, I haul but back inside. So you can imagine my sense of awe when I found the video of the 1.5 gigapixel image of the Andromeda galaxy as seen by the Hubble telescope. Somewhere around the 0:47 mark, my mouth dropped open and I felt more small and insignificant than ever before (and then afterward, got back to worrying about the little things in life). This was breathtaking, and I know if you take a quiet moment to watch and reflect, you will be awestruck as well.

Happy Friday all. Be inspired.

J.

DYI Disney Infinity Poster Art

 

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." 

- Walt Disney

   It's not a secret that our family has been wanting Disney Infinity in for home for nearly a year leading up to this past Christmas. The kids made no bones about it, and mom & dad masked their desire as "for the kids". We started the new year, defeating frost giants in the Marvel Avenger's play set. The kids got WAY creative in Toybox mode. Having come off a Guardians of the Galaxy high, we also delved into Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy play set. The game play is fun, the chance for both male and female gamers to be represented is cool, and the adventure seems endless. 

   One aspect that I hadn't anticipated is a little bonus gift that came with our starter kits. #DisneyInfinity starter kits include an incredibly cool 16" x 23" poster that features characters from that play set. I was tickled to have a few in our possession after the holidays and figured they'd be pinned up in the kids' room in no time. However, the creative side got a hold of me and I got to planning for a fun project with these awesome posters.

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A quick method to make these lovely bonus posters into a permanent art piece for the kids' room goes as follows:
1. I purchased a cedar tongue and groove board from Lowes, then sized and cut the wood to fit the size of the posters.
2. Assembly was easy with drilling pilot holes and putting both pieces together with wood screws.
3. I moved the project inside and prepped for the nest steps.
4. I adhered the posters to the wood with Modge Podge, working out the bubbles with a roller and my hands.
5. Once dry, I took the pieces outside for sanding.
6. Light sanding on the corners aged each piece. A small amount of dark finishing wax was used to age even more. An afternoon to dry, and they were ready for hanging.

    

   As Walt Disney's quotes says above, I talk a good talk, but need to do more. The Wife and I have SO many ideas that we want to see come to life, but when you boil down all the talk it comes time to actually do something about it. It was easier on this project, because our family is in the middle of a Disney Infinity REVOLUTION!!! These little posters are just simply the exclamation mark to highlight this moment in time. It adds something to the kids' room that they are passionate about (as well as mom & dad). The wood portion adds some dimension to already amazing artwork. The whole project was a creative outlet for dear old dad. Lastly, it's a way for me to show my love for the Disney brand, as it has brought us so much happiness and joy from when I was a boy, to the present day with our little family.

Happy gaming. 

J.

The Annoying Sibling Syndrome

 

"Mock,...Yea-ah,...Ing,...Yea-ah,...BIIIIRD!!!...Yea-ah,...YEA,...Yea-ah..."

- Lloyed and Harry, Dumb and Dumber

   The day previous to this post, The Wife looked back and saw our 5YO son reenacting the above scene sitting next to our 2YO daughter. She told him to knock it off, and in a frustrated voice muttered, "Geez,....Lloyd." I busted up laughing since I also noticed our poor wee girl had the same look on her face as the guy in the middle. 

   In a long line of annoying siblings, our boy can be the leader of the pack. While he is sweet, loving, tender, caring, and a snuggle-bug,....is also a button pusher and bluff caller. Once he's in the car, there's an invisible timer to see how fast he can get me to blow up like the guy from Dumb and Dumber. It can be mind-numbingly irritating, but then, wasn't I a young boy once?

   This is the key point. Our pediatrician once said that our boy is "very bright, and with that, he needs engagement or he will get bored." So the challenge is to be "creative in a really interesting way..." (Dr. Oatman, Gross Pointe Blank). Sure, we can plan outings, excursions, invasions, etc., but what does one do in the car? I'm not a fan of putting a movie on EVERY time we enter the vehicle. That can spiral out of control. The flip side of that is Lloyd singing Mockingbird in my daughters face.

   So the challenge continues. Any thoughts are welcome. Suggestions will be considered. Patience will continue to be tested. In the meantime, here's the most annoying sound in the world.

J.

Dressing The Part

"And as long as I've got my suit and tie, I'mma leave it all on the floor tonight."
Justin Timberlake, Suit & Tie

   As a guy, I followed the stereotype that I don't care what I look like half the time,….for far too long. Growing up, I was your typical boy. Dirty and mismatched fairly often. One year in middle school, I wore Bermuda board shorts the whole year round, even in the cold and rainy winter. In high school, I went probably two years without any new shoes, as I just inherited hand me downs that either my older brother didn't want or ones that were left behind at a weekend party. Yeah, I kind of just didn't care. It's a miracle my wife ever saw past that.

   Fast forward to present day, and while I've taken more notice of how I dress, it's not gotten much better. I dress the part for my job, as I need to look a certain way in the medical industry. I also have a few nice casual shirts, and a pair of jeans I like. The rest of the time, it's whatever is available. Health issues for the past 5-7 years have caused weight gains and losses that have made it hard to want to make future purchases, so things have either been tight on me or threatened to fall off. My work clothes and suit currently look I'm a child trying on my old man's clothes. A recent turn of events caused me to take a closer look at that, and a trip to buy some new threads was in order.

   The result was convincing. I've ignored it too long, and I wonder how many of us guys need to take notice. I decided a "before and after" was needed to show what I WAS wearing, and what I will be from now on. I made do with what I had, but my concern not what people think about me in terms of popularity. I'm more concerned with not being taken seriously, viewed as a professional, and things of that nature. So with the wife, we took the time to find my current measurements, with room to grow in case of some small weight gain. She actually dedicated a "date night" to the cause. Amazing!

Our end product is shown here as a before and after. Pretty darn cool. 

J.

P.S. As an added bonus, here's Justin Timberlake's "Suit & Tie"

9 Signs He'll Be A Good Dad

"I've done all kinds of cool things as an actor: I've jumped out of helicopters
and done some daring stunts and played baseball in a professional stadium,
but none of it means anything compared to being somebody's daddy,"
- Chris Pratt

   I kept a link to an article in Yahoo! Parenting title "9 Signs He'll Be A Good Dad". Like most these days, I was wary going into it, assuming I'd debunk most of the signs as "NOT ME". As I read, the traits were pretty spot on. We're all different, and that makes the world go 'round. That being said, I wanted to give a thought on each point that was listed, and how I personally ranked myself.


He’s in touch with his inner dork.
When I was young, I was shy in a group setting, convinced I wasn't funny or interesting. I was easily embarrassed and wouldn't do anything spontaneous. My father was similar, so I didn't know any better. Through life experience, I'm now the complete opposite. I'll drop down in the middle of a Target to do a backspin, or bust out some dance moves, just to show my kids I can be a dork, wherever and whenever.

He’s hard to gross out.
I'm about a 4 out of 10 on this one. I still get grossed out with diapers, but mostly I can't manage the baby/toddler getting super messy in their high chair. Covered in applesauce, yoghurt, and any other manner of food makes me cringe.

He’s comfortable saying “I love you,” “I’m sorry” and — when appropriate — nothing at all.
Done, done, and done. I try to buck the system on this one. My kids will know they're loved, they will know how to say sorry, and know the precious value of silence.

He doesn’t need to be the center of attention.
When was I ever?

He’s the future king of Candy Land.
This bullet point discussed playing games. It's always been about the wee ones having fun, so I try to keep it that way. That being said, I have a need to play by the rules even while I'm being Mr. Fun. Something to work on.

He’s rich in something other than money.
The line, "children need your presence, not your presents" made sense (not cents? Ha!). I know friends and family that make money more important than whom they are providing it for. It's hard when you task yourself with providing the financial side, when you also want to be good at the "being there" side.

He’s very good at something.
My kids know I have a great attention to detail around my creative work. Hopefully that is passed on, as I do see it in each child's need to finish a project. I'm also big on life hacks, so I'm trying to add to my list of things I can do.

He’s got close friends.
I have a few close friends that I go to for advice. A few times they've come to me, so I feel that there's a good support system in place for us to lean on each other,……and vent when necessary.

He genuinely wants to be a dad.
The Wife and I chose to spend a number of years just being married,….without kids. It bonded us and allowed for some childless fun. Then we were ready for the next phase, and I wanted children. Now I have moments where I twirl my hair in my fingers, rocking back and forth, muttering to myself. Seriously though, I loved hearing the title of "daddy" being called from across the room or yard. It's the adventure of a lifetime.


   So, read the brief article and let me know….how do you see YOURself? As long as were trying, I think we get points. There are so many great dads out there these days. Here's to all of you.

J.

Do You Bro, Bra, or Dude?

Here's my story, sad but true
About a girl that I once knew.
She broke my heart, I became unglued,
It all started when she called me dude. 

-Scatterbrain

   I came across The Dude Map: How Americans Refer To Their Bros at QZ.com. Looking at language used in Tweets, a forensic linguist looked at the use of slang terms that guys used for each other. "Dude" rose to the top as the most commonly used term, and I was like, dude, you GOT to be kidding!

   I've used, bro, bra, pal, man, and the like for years,.....but DUDE has been my label of choice. I've even donned crew, clan (as in Scottish,...NOT the other one), and so forth. In the end, dudes are dudes, in whatever form it takes.

   It was interesting looking at the most popular term used to refer to your bro in each part of the country. I wonder how that translates around the globe. In my time across the pond in England, I remember terms like chap, mate, and so forth. I'd be interested to hear what term was used in other parts of the world. Any way you slice it, we have our bros, dudes, or whatever. There's a distinct word we use to describe and refer to them with.

What's yours, dude?

J.