Pet Shop Boys

I later learned that my new coworkers assumed I was gay when I moved to Miami. After all, I took a flat on South Beach, had never been married, and loved Pet Shop Boys. I make no apologies for loving Pet Shop Boys. As the lead singer, Neil Tenant, put it, to paraphrase, "Some day people in the future will look back on this time in history and think it odd that individuals were judged by their sexual preferences." I've always been a champion of personal liberty, including gay rights, but it was really the musical genius that drew me to Pet Shop Boys. So enamored by their melodies was I that in 1997 I flew on a whim to London to attend their performance at the Savoy Theatre. Having planned to sight see in England for the next two days, instead I bought two more tickets from scalpers at a healthy price and saw the band perform three nights in a row. It was the last three nights of their tour. I briefly met both Tennet and Chris Lowe and got autographs as they entered the hall before each performance. How I became to know and love their music started, like most Americans, with their single West End Girls in the 1980's. But unlike most of us on this side of the pond, I was curious enough to buy the album Very in 1993. That was during my formitable years as a software developer, and I listened to that record over and over as I worked through the night.

Ayn Rand

In community college in Tampa I was fortunate to have crossed paths with a free market economist named Prof. Stuart Forbes, one of relatively few Capitalists among the mostly liberal-biased educators. While I and most of my classmates defended big government and the welfare state, Prof. Forbes challenged me personally to read Atlas Shrugged. I did, and the experience changed my life forever. Over the next several months I would shed my religious upbringing, become an ardent defender of human rights, begin to understand the virtue of selfishness, and uphold reason as man's only legitimate means of understanding reality. No other book or single event has had such an impact on my life. To this day, despite some faults in Rand's personality, her philosophy of Objectivism is the most coherent and defensible belief system I have encountered.

Top Ten Tools

I suspect this will become an ongoing topic. It has become sort of cliche, but, the truth is, having the right tool makes the job so much easier. Here are my Top Ten Favorite Tools, as of right now.

1. Wheelbarrow. It's almost time for a new one. It has hauled dirt, rocks, sacks, debris, sand, tools, blocks, vegetables, branches, plants, and poop. Very useful.
2. Cordless Drill. My father used the same "corded" drill for many tasks throughout my childhood, but not usually for turning screws. The cordless drill makes assembling things much easier. Get one with batteries that can be used in other applications. A cordless drill also makes drilling and screwing in the yard much easier. (No laughter, men.)
3. Hammer. No explanation required. Just don't try to use one for every job.
4. Box-cutters. Have one in the garage, one in the shed, one in the pantry, and others where they are handy.
5. Crowbar. I have several of these. The smallest can be used to open paint cans and remove tile. The common crowbar can remove stubborn nails, unfit fence boards, and more. On the grandest scale is the six-foot digging bar for getting at stubborn rocks while digging holes.
6. Circular Saw. Best if cordless, but I've gotten by with a corded model for years. Great for ripping plywood, cutting 2x4s to length, and so on. I'm convinced you can build a house with a circular saw and a hammer.
7. Shop Vac. Can vacuum wet or dry. Makes lots of cleanups not just easier, but possible.
8. Socket Set. Get a couple of nice ratchets that you will use for a lifetime. Get a wide variety of sockets in metric and U.S. sizes, assuming that U.S. sizes are still around. Get a torque wrench and breaker bar too.
9. Shovel. Get more than one so a friend can help. Get a round one for digging and a square one for pick-up tasks. Get a narrow one for ditches too.
10. Landscaper's Rake. Don't use a wimpy rake for grading.

Journaling

One motivation for blogging is to provide children with some lasting insight into the views, opinions, and mindset of a parent. Another compelling reason is that journaling is healthy. In college I would copy the notes from class lectures in preparation for an exam. The simple act of copying my notes was often enough of a review. Writing down one's thoughts is a way of communicating with one's self, just as explaining a problem to a friend or coworker frequently results in the discovery of a solution. If you can't confide in a friend, confide in a notebook. Verbalize your ideas. Get them out.

First day of Kindergarden...

This blog is for my kids. More about why I created it later. My eldest son started kindergarden today. He was ready 30 minutes early, even wearing his backpack. He hopped aboard Ms Anne's bus 169 without looking back. When he arrived back home this afternoon he said he'd had fun. After a drink of water he went upstairs and slept for two hours. Beautiful day.