Ye Olde Rad Blog

Rad Mail: Touched by your PorscheBago!

Lotsa mail regarding Friday's post, about living out of my Porsche (homeless in SoCal, hi-tech hobo). Several related similar experiences. But most read like this one (titled Touched by your PorscheBago!):

> I first discovered your site while seeking better understanding of digital audio. And of course, I discovered your Ghost guide and digested that as well.

I began following your personal posts and have continued doing so the last couple of years. You haven't got your own FireFox tab yet, but Radified is usually one of the first sites I peruse during my daily Net Ritual...

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... which starts with Google > then NetVibes (set to GTD topics) > MSNBC > BamaMag (lifelong, rabid Crimson Tide fan) > CNET > TechSpot > and Radified. Then I usually check RadioParadise (recommended) to stay abreast of the latest great music.

I am a father of 5 daughters, still married to same woman after 29 years, and a small businessman in the Southeastern US. My business is parking lot maintenance. We travel throughout Florida, Alabama and Georgia, maintaining corporate clients' drives and parking areas. (Mostly self-storage mini-warehouses.)

You went through a break-up at a time when my marriage was in difficulty. I must say, some of your despair and pain helped keep me centered .. at a time when I was ready to toss it all, buy a houseboat on the bayou, and lead the solitary life of a recluse, traveling the country via its rivers.

The thing that is so appealing about that lifestyle, I feel, is the freedom from responsibility .. for anyone but yourself. As I read the accounts of your experiences with your son, I can tell you love him deeply. And as I discovered, that kind of love isn't something easily cast aside. We fathers will endure most any discomfort to ensure the well being of our children. (Another lesson I think you have discovered recently.)

As the Holy Man said in Dances With Wolves, "You are on the path of a true human being." That path isn't always easy. But it's always right.

Good Life to you my friend,
TR

[Rad note: Used with permission. Minor grammatical editing. Links & yellow highlights added, including houseboat graphic.]

Homeless in SoCal: Rad Guide to Living out of your Porsche (as a Hi-Tech Hobo)

Regulars may recall last year, when I discussed moving to "...pristine ocean-front property .. mere steps from the beach. Will be falling asleep to the sound of waves every night, sitting in front of a cozy fire."

Well, confession time (Friday the 13th) .. that *was* the beach. =)

Ever lived out of your car? Been homeless? It's a lot like camping.

There was a last-minute problem with the new place. And I'd already given notice on the old place, I currently occupied, unable to stay. So I was caught in a jam.

I decided to throw everything in storage and make the best of a bad situation.

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Several friends offered use of their guest rooms 'til I could straighten out things. But I figured this was a good time to do some "camping," which I love. (No shortage of open campsites in January.)

This was back before I had the bug for overnight stays. On days when I had the bug, I *did* take up my friends on their offers, and made use of their (lovely) accommodations. But the rest of the time, I made like a vagabond and lived out of the Radmobile.

You could say I was homeless (and some did just that), but it wasn't like I was eating out of garbage cans .. wrestling hobos for fingerless gloves. I mean, how many "homeless" people do you know driving around (beautiful) Laguna Beach in a Porsche?

I'd arrive at the campsite late (~10PM), set up my tent, and get out early (~6AM). If you arrive after the ranger leaves and leave before he arrives, you don't have to pay for the campsite. (More money for lawyer bills.)

My friend Battman, who spent a year touring the world (by choice), was very helpful in conveying insights on the less-obvious aspects of life on the road.

I also changed my 24 Hour Fitness membership to allow access to any club at any time. (Previously had the single-club, 4-days/week plan.)

Surprisingly, during this time, I felt happier than I had in a long time. Not sure why. I feel it had something to do with confronting obstacles and making the best of a bad situation. (You might recall, by that time, I'd had plenty of practice dealing with a variety of challenges.)

I'd wake early (to the sound of the ocean), pack up the tent, and make tracks for the coffee shop (at Main Beach, Laguna). It's difficult to make out, but the coffee shop is actually pictured in this oil painting. Altho now it's closed, due to renovation, since Starbucks bought out the local Diedrich's chain. The place had nice, comfy sofas and everything. Great friendly staff.

Most coffee shops here in SoCal offer free wireless Internet (as do all libraries and colleges). I signed up for a library card (easy to do) and registered at a local community college so I could use their wireless Internet, tho never actually took a class during this time.

[Previously, I'd taken 45-units worth of classes at Saddleback. Got all 'A's, not even a single 'B'. My GPA at Saddleback is a perfect 4.0, which includes two Calculus courses and other gnarly classes.]

On days when I had the bug, I hang out at a friend's place in Laguna. (Everybody always likes to see the bug.)

It wasn't long however (not more than a few weeks) before my lawyer called and said I needed to move into the new place, even if it wasn't ready yet. She was sympathetic, having also lived out of her car for a stint, with her daughter. (We all do what we have to.)

But I learned a lot in the process. In fact, I learned enough that I could throw together a little guide titled, Rad Guide to Living out of your Porsche.

Note, I don't want to make light of *real* homelessness, which is a serious problem, both here and abroad. I needn't include links. There are thousands (actually millions), and they paint a depressing picture.

I feel there is something fundamentally wrong with our society when some have so much they cannot even spend the interest they earn daily (many million$), while others (too many, including children) go hungry every night, without having their most basic needs met (food, shelter, security).

Makes me think of the old Dylan tune: My Back Pages:

"Equality," I spoke the word
As if a wedding vow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

But that's another discuss, one I might address another time.

The first thing I learned .. is that it's not easy to live out of a Porsche. They're too small, not enough room for all the stuff you need to haul around with you (have on hand, such as water, clothes, etc).

And you can't sleep in them. On nights when it rains (and some nights it rained very hard), it would've been nice to had a Volkswagen van. Cuz setting up a tent in the pouring rain suks.

I already mentioned getting a full-boat membership at 24 Hour Fitness, so you can shower any time, at a number of locations .. (and stay in shape). You also learn to buy foods which need no refrigeration, and don't spoil easily. You make more trips to the grocery store.

Most surprising is that, if you don't have kids, and you work via the Internet (from a laptop), you don't actually need a residence. I mean, if I had a Volkswagen van, I coulda done much better.

Then there's the financial aspect. As you know, homes in SoCal are ridiculously expensive. And if you can avoid that expense, it can help .. especially when you have lawyer's bills to pay.

Another thing is you need a PO Box for your mail. I already had a PO Box .. the same one I've used for 10 years now. But getting a new one is not so easy any more. The "Patriot Act" now governs mailbox accounts. They want two forms of ID. One must be a photo. And they'll want you home address. See the problem if you don't have one?

I did laundry at a laundromat, quickly learning which washers and dryers worked best.

Cell phones make it easy for today's hobo to stay in touch with family & friends. Many people are terminating their home-phone accounts, to save money, and relying solely on their cell, so you no longer need a home phone .. like you used to.

With a credit card (or debit card) you're ready to begin your new life as a hi-tech hobo.

Essentials:

• Old VW Van, preferably from the 60's (bonus points for living out of your Porsche)
• Tent & sleeping bag
• Health club membership (for showers)
• Cell phone
• Wireless Laptop
• PO Box (mail)
• Library card (for free wireless access)
• Quarters (for laundry)
• Credit card (so you don't have to carry cash)
• Storage facility (for your stuff, preferably one you can access 24x7)

Extras

• Register at local Community College (for more wireless access, don't have to actually take a class to register)
• Locations of all coffee shops with free wireless access
• T-mobile wireless account (for even more wireless access, available at most Starbucks. Sign-up here.)

In closing, I'd like to say I try to limit my comments to things for which I have first-hand experience .. and, living out of my car .. (unfortunately) is something I know a bit about. (We do what we have to.)

For more along these lines, here's a Google search pre-configured for the query > how to survive living out of your car

Looks like somebody actually wrote a *book* on the subject. See here > Car Living Your Way : Stories and Practical Tips From Those Who Have Been Down the Road. Here's another > titled: Car Living: How to Make It a Successful, Sane, Safe Experience

I wouldn't recommend it, of course, but sometimes life throws you a curve. And if it does, you'll have more insight than I had, and will be able to roll with it. I'm convinced we're far more resilient than we know.

Now I live in a veritable garden of eden. We have orange trees, lemon trees, lime trees, fig trees, a guava tree, a loquat tree and lots of bright, colorful flowers.

If I told you the details of how I got here (the story), you might say, "That sounds providential," (or "cosmic," depending on your orientation) .. and I'd have to agree.

If you go back and read January again (starting at the bottom), you can see how/where I left clues. But this isn't something you can come right out and say .. at least, not at the time .. for reasons I'm sure you understand.

The *idea* of living out of your car (fear of the unknown, stigma) is much worse than actually doing it.

I've even heard talk that Jesus was a homless guy, referencing Matthew 8:20 > And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

YaBB Forum Glitch > 300 : No such file or directory (& Killer Waves at The Wedge)

Had a little glitch in the forums today. Received an email early this morning from NightOwl (who never sleeps), saying the FAQ had disappeared.

Of the 3,000+ threads we have (representing more than 25K posts), this is probably the worst one to lose .. cuz it's linked on every page of the Ghost guide.

Still half asleep, I originally imagined someone must've accidentally deleted the thread .. cuz that's the only way I know to 'lose' a thread.

Then I noticed the FAQ-thread still had a link on the index page (stickied near the top). [When a thread is deleted, it also removes its link from the index page.]

We've never had this problem before > An Error Has Occurred! 300 : .txt No such file or directory. (Bad juju.)

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So I shot off an email to tech support of my web-hosting provider (Lunarpages), to see if they could possibly restore the missing file from their back-ups. But they wanted $75 to do that. (They wanted my credit card number *before* even discussing the restore.)

We still have an archived copy of the FAQ at the old forum, so I knew we could rebuild it (by hand) .. if worse came to worse. But I hoped for a more elegant solution.

I also posted a question at the YaBB forums (the folks who created the forum software) to see if they had any insights. While waiting for a reply there, I Googled the error and discovered the problem was not uncommon (12,600 links).

This thread (also at the YaBB forums) mentioned a guy *searching* for (using the YaBB forum software) key elements (text) used in posts contained in the missing thread. Well, I knew *exactly* what to search for, since we still had the contents of the FAQ archived at the old forum.

Lo and behold, subsequent searches brought up all posts contained in the FAQ-thread .. so all posts were still there .. even tho we could not see the entire thread (as normally is the case).

From these posts (found via the forum's search function) I was able to re-generate the entire FAQ .. in minutes. (Whew!)

But I still don't know *why* the problem occurred (meaning it could happen again). Over at the YaBB forum, Captain John (very helpful) suggested two "mods" (MOD1, MOD2) as ways to fix the problem, saying:

"I would recommend BOTH of these for your board .. since it is so large. Also I noticed you fixed your 300 error problem, but here is a fix to prevent and repair that."

I already have 4 mods installed, and you typically lose any mods on (major) forum upgrades, so I only want to install ones we really need. Maybe if this happens again .. well see. I'll look over the mods and see how complicated they are to install.

Another consideration is > I had increased (upon installation) the maximum post size from 5500 characters (default) to "9999", so folks could post bigger posts. (Suks to get a "post too big" error when you make a big post.) But maybe that's a little hard for the system to handle.

Troubleshooting contained in this thread > FAQ disappeared, and solution detailed in this thread > YaBB 300 : .txt No such file or directory

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In less technical news .. monster waves rolling in today. (Hurricane at sea somewhere.) Took the bug down to the Wedge this morning (Newport Beach). It was huge (gnarly, dude), or as they say in surf lingo, it was "Going off!" Thunderous, bone-crunching waves shook the ground.

About 100-200 people stood mezmerized on the beach, watching a handful of (brave? crazy? insane?) surfers & body-boarders ride waves. Sometimes they applauded when a surfer or body-boarder caught a wave and successfully rode it in. But mostly they groaned, saying thing like, "Ooh, that *had* to hurt."

KCAL Channel 9 had a news truck there, and shot some footage of the bug (wearing orange jacket), so you might see us on the news tonight.

The cops there (Newport Beach police) said two people (1 male, 1 female) were fishing from the jetty when they got swept off by a big wave .. said they searched with helicopters for hours, but never did find the bodies .. only a straw hat and a guy's shoe. The story made front-page news in all local papers. Killer waves, literally.

Here's what Surfline says about the Wedge:

The Wedge is not a wave - it's a 20-foot-plus meat grinder dreamed up by the devil himself.

Here's some YouTube Wedge action for you. Awesome (totally). This one might be better. Here's an article from the travel section of the New York Times, titled The Lure of the Wedge, California's Freakish Wave

For more along these lines, here's a Google search pre-configured for the query > wedge newport beach surf wave

Lekker South Afrikaans friend sends photos from Cape Town

One of the cooler aspects of having a web site is the contact I get .. from an interesting assortment of folks .. scattered around the globe .. living in a variety of cultures.

Other cultures have always interested me. I like the way they stretch your mind, trying to see the world thru their eyes.

One such fellow (Stephen) lives in Johannesburg, South Africa. We've been trading mail (off & on) for more than a year. He works in the film industry there (writes, shoots, edits, directs).

Every so often, he'll drop a line and share what's happening in his (busy, exciting) life.

Sometimes he'll even include photos, from his work or play .. in exotic places like Patagonia, Ushuaia or Drakensberg. Being in the film industry, his photos are always excellent.

Anyway, he just sent a couple more pics, from a recent trip to Cape Town, taken from Table Mountain, near the (1,000-meter) summit (called Devil's Peak). Posted here:

• Cape Town, South Africa 01 (145-KB)
• Cape Town, South Africa 02 (120-KB)

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I feel like I know his country a little better, tho I've never been .. just as a foreigner might feel he knows Laguna Beach better, after reading some of my entries.

I told him about a PBS (Frontline) special on Mandela. He said:

"I met Mandela once in '97, shook his hand briefly. Larger than life character. Don't know where my country will be when he dies.

Attached 2 panoramas I took on Table mountain, 1000 meters of rock rising up out of the ocean, city all around. Robben Island, Mandela's final prison-destination is visible in the distance. I'm off this weekend to the St. Lucia wetlands reserve for some chilled-out camping.

Lekker is an Afrikaans word to describe tasty food, but it's also used as local slang for cool .. pronounced similar to the English word lacquer. You have a lekker site.

Regards to you and the bug. It's sad, but really amazing what you're doing with him."

For more along these lines, here's a Google search pre-configured for the query > cape town south africa

White House Calls to Ask a Favor (uh, in my dreams)

Ever have a dream so vivid it felt like it really happened? Had one last night.

The President (dub-ya himself) called me, on my cell (normally set to vibrate). I was sitting at the local coffee shop, on a sofa there, talking to my climbing buddy, Tom.

"Who's that?" he inquired, as I checked the display, squinting to see who was calling. I held up the illuminated screen so Tom could see: White House, President.

"Aren't you gonna answer?" Tom asked, as I slipped the phone back in my pocket. "Nah," I said, thinking how I was mad at the President (tho I can't recall what he had done to p*ss me off).

"The President's calling, and you're not picking up?" Tom said, with raised eyebrows.

"Actually," I said, "that's the *third* time he's called. He called *twice* yesterday. You're probably right, tho. I oughta call him back. I mean, he *is* the President, right?"

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"What's he calling for?" Tom asked.

"He wants to do some kind of publicity shoot with the bug," I said.

"How did he find out about your little guy?"

"He saw some photos - taken by my friend, Maria. She does that kind of stuff .. takes photos of kids. That's her business. She comes to your house, takes 3 shots, using a fancy camera. If she likes how they turn out, she'll return and take more."

As we sipped our cups, I asked, "Hey, you wanna hear the messages dub-ya left yesterday? It surprised me to hear his voice." I said, pulling out my phone. "I thought he'd have one of his flunkies make the call. I didn't think Presidents did that kind of stuff."

Weird dream, huh? Some say spicy foods give you vivid dreams. (I had pepperoni pizza.) Most people would be honored to get a call from the President. Yet (in my dream) I was indifferent, if not annoyed. Wonder why.

I talked to a friend who studied dream interpretation (no, not Freud), and she says the dream's message is that I'm not moved by things most people consider important.

The dream was so vivid. I can still feel it, and see everything. It's staying with me. I normally sleep deeply.

For more along these lines, here's a Google search pre-configured for the query > vivid dream recall interpretation

Easter Conservation, Triple-espresso & Ghost guide revision

Happy Easter. "He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay." [Matthew 28:6]

Rode my bike to the coffee shop this morning (for the first time). Feeling a sense of duty to minimize pollution, ease my impact on the environment, and help minimize our dependence on foreign oil (in some small way).

It's no biggie, since the coffee shop is only six or eight blocks away. A little chilly this morning. Next time I'll dress warmer.

Also checked out a book from the library this week (Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms). Haven't done that since mom used to take me there, back when I was a just a tike. Normally I purchase books to read, but now figure the library might save a few trees.

At the coffee shop this morning (where I've been drinking herb tea, in an effort to avoid caffeine), the coffee demons were working me, whispering sweet nothings in my ear, about how good an espresso would taste.

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Then I noticed pulling shots behind the counter was the girl who does it best. (She competes at barista events around the country.) You might think a shot is a shot is a shot. Not so. Some do it better than others.

Before I got to the counter, and could order herb tea, she brought over (hand delivered) my standard triple espresso. Willpower too weak to resist, I took it. I feel okay about drinking it, since I didn't actually order it. =) Tomorrow I return to herb tea. Goal = 3 months of coffee-less existence (caffeine detox).

In other news, today I revised the Ghost guide to move the list of Ghost Alternatives to its (their) own page. Been meaning to do that for some time now. The section had grown large with the number of imaging/cloning programs now available. Think I've listed every known alternative to Norton Ghost.

The important thing is not *which* imaging program you use (tho I certainly feel Ghost is the most reliable), but rather that you use *some* imaging program .. to back-up your hard drive.

In the Rad Community Forums (recently updated), El_Pescador maintains a thread detailing where to get the best deals purchasing Ghost. (He has a knack for that.)

I also added a link to the FAQ (thanks to John) on each page of the guide .. been meaning to do that, also, for some time. It's like spring cleaning.

The Rad Ghost guide is now 16 pages. It began as a brief email to a friend, who was interested in backing-up his hard drive, and contained little more than the (basic) instructions to create an image: Local > Partition > To Image. (That was some years ago.) It wasn't long before I copy-n-pasted the contents of the email into a web page and posted it online. The rest is history.

Thinking of Installing (Converting to) WordPress Blogging Software

After successfully upgrading the forums to YaBB v2.1, I noticed that WordPress (blogging software) is also at v2.1 (actually 2.1.3). Coincidence?

I've been using MovableType (v2.63) since May 2003. (Never upgraded my original MT installation.) But SixApart, the makers of MovableType (now at v3.34), started charging for all but the most basic installation options, and WordPress has become the cool, new kid on the block.

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I like cool. So I'm looking to install WordPress and using that instead. I'd expect the installation to be a piece of cake, and the subsequent tweaking to be more involved and take longer. But there's no hurry, since I'll still have the MT software installed.

After I get WordPress up & running the way I want, I could leave the old MovableType blog installed as an archive (where I currently have more than 350 blog entries) and link to entries as necessary. Blogging software is something I definitely make good use of.

WordPress needs PHP vV4.2.0 or greater (my server uses 4.4.4), and MySQL 4.0 or greater (my server uses 4.0.25). So we're golden. Downloading now, but will research more before installing ("measure twice, cut once").

WordPress discusses converting from MovableType > HERE. Also, HERE's an entry titled Moveable Type vs WordPress (dated 09.May.2006). Note that the author there has also been a user of MovableType since May 2003 .. same as me. One person who converted (from Australia) is here.

Kinda ironic to be blogging about WordPress, using MovableType .. no?

For more along these lines, here's a Google search pre-configured for the query > movabletype moveable type blogging software convert to wordpress

The Bug is Stuttering

The bug has begun stuttering. As you might imagine, this is most distressing, especially since his impressive language skills have represented the most common comments I've received from others (who know more about kids than I do).

He doesn't do it all the time, but when he does, it seems severe. I mean, he will repeat a syllable 5 or 6 times, unable to get it for 9 or 10 seconds.

I first noticed it a couple of weeks ago. After researching the topic, where it said stuttering could be caused by emotional trauma, I called his mom to ask if he had any traumatic experiences the last 4 or 5 days (since I'd seen him last).

She said not to worry .. that stuttering in kids was normal. But last week, she agreed his stuttering was severe enough to be a concern.

••• today's entry continues here •••

He just turned two a couple of months ago, and like I said, the most common comment I get from others (after how dang cute he is, of course) is how developed his language skills seem. He talks good for a two-year old. I've even taught him ~50 spanish words (e.g. big=grande, thank-you=gracias, water=agua, horse=...).

The articles I read advise the parent not to do anything to call attention to the stuttering, as that only makes things worse. I merely try to ensure he gets plenty of rest, exercise (play), time in nature and good nutrition .. along with lots of attention & affection, and make sure he knows he's loved.

Genetics are singled out as a (potential) factor, but no one in my family has ever stuttered. (Some family members might talk too much, but .. that's another story.)

My climbing buddy Tom ("Uncle Tom"), says the bug may be getting to the age where he's becoming more aware of his environment, and he may be beginning to realize that things are different between him and kids in other families, where the parents live together.

He lives in two different worlds (mine & his mom's). I wonder if that could be having any affect. Except for the first few months of his life, that's all he's ever known. People say, if you're going to split up, it's best to do it when they're young. That way they don't feel like it's their fault.

I'm trying my best to normalize relations with his mom. Unfortuntely, it's not going well .. despite the fact that it has been nearly two years since the break-up. (Time to move on.)

It's not always nasty, but more nasty than nice (especially the last few months). She wants him more of the time. I already donate some of my time with him to her (like this Saturday, for example, when I donated the whole day, 24 hours). But I'm unwilling to give more. She also wants more money.

Whatever I do is never enough. She's never satisfied. Everything is my fault. If he doesn't sleep enough, or sleeps too much, it'smy fault. Whether he falls asleep too early, or stays up too late .. it's still my fault.

She can't stop focusing on negatives from the past (ignores the positive things I do), complains, criticizes, and keeps talking about moving away with him (threatens). Definitely not trying to make it easy on me (e.g. still nursing).

I wonder if the bug might be sensing the tension between us. You know, kids are sensitive to those things. I keep trying to normalize, be civil, but it's not easy when you're repeatedly attacked.

People who know me, and who've seen me with the bug, have said (on numerous occasions) I'm the best dad they've ever seen.

My hope is .. someday .. we might get along well enough to take the bug camping .. up in the mountains of Yosemite .. to a campsite like this (Yosemite Creek). The outdoors is so healthy for kids (grown-ups, too). We're pretty far from that point, however.

For more along these lines, here's a Google search pre-configured for the query > stuttering children

Spring fever: birds, bees & human hormones

Is spring fever real? Do the birds and bees really represent an emphasis on springtime mating for *all* God's creatures?

The past few weeks, at the local coffee shop, my rock-climbing buddy (Tom, see entries dated 27 & 28 October) has been making comments such as, "Wow! Look at that girl who just walked in," and "Ooh, check out the one in the red dress."

I've never seen him act like that before. It's rather entertaining to see him so 'interested'. Every girl looks hot to him.

Yesterday, a girl walked in wearing white pants. "If there's *one* thing," Tom said, "that really gets me going, it's a girl with white pants and a black thong underneath."

At the counter stood such a girl. (I had to turn and stare in order to see the black thong.)

Tom proceeded to explain, between sips of java, how, while a young lad, he had a "magical" experience with a girl wearing white pants and a black thong.

"It's not the girl," I argued, "that's got you so fired up, but rather the classical conditioning from what happened many years ago."

"If a 90-year-old granny walked in," I continued, "wearing white pants and a black thong, weighing two, two-fifty, you'd *still* get fired up .. cuz you've been conditioned to respond that way .. like Pavlov's dog." =)

••• today's entry continues here •••

I have a theory (which you'll probably never hear anywhere else) about children (like myself) conceived during the months of spring (typically April/May, but it depends on where you live).

It's that .. parents who have kids (especially the first one) born in Dec-Jan (maybe February, depending where you live of course, and assuming a standard 9-month pregnancy) .. are not as compatible as those whose children are born during other months of the year.

During the (feverish) month's of spring (my theory postualtes), mother nature takes control, by cranking up the reproductive hormones. Compatibility becomes secondary.

I could be wrong, but if you conduct your own private polls, and ask your friends, "How compatible would you say your parents are?" .. I'll bet you'll find my theory rings true .. with their date of birth. [The bug was born in January.]

I've even found myself, lately, these past few weeks, flirting with girls, without even trying. It's like I'm on auto-pilot. And the girls, too, have become bold, aggressive.

Here in SoCal, spring is in full swing. If you live in one of the more northern latitudes, it may take another few weeks for the "fever" to reach you. Proceed with caution.

For more along these lines, here's a Google searchpre-configured for the query > birds bees spring romance mating sex hormones flirting