Month: August 2023

Swapped And Tired

Posted on by Josef Havelka

I’m in the transition from working nights into dayshift. I have a three days off and today I feel exhausted. I slept for a few hours after my shift and woke up at lunch. Then I went for a walk with my wife to get some fresh air. After that I sort of cleaned up my rug making area. That was overwhelming. The room had gotten into a chaotic mess and I had no idea where to start. I felt like I was at it for hours, but in reality I only did about an hour of tidying before I was mentally done in there.

Once my wife was done work, we headed out to go shopping. I was getting frustrated by some of the shoppers who were just blocking the aisles. I really raged about it once I got back into the car. Ugh. At home no one wanted to make dinner. So I made a Cesar salad for my wife and I. It was the easiest thing to make in a short time. Our kids weren’t being overly helpful- so they could get their own dinners tonight.

I hate being tired it makes me miserable and grumpy. I also get lazy and just not Mmmm don’t want to do anything. But knowing I have to just make it a couple more hours and then off to bed will help reset my life for tomorrow. Then I’ll be back to my chipper, motivated and productive self.

Aphantasia

Posted on by Josef Havelka

I just discovered that I have a bit of aphantasia. I learned this by watching one of those Tiky-Toky videos. I never knew about it. I find it interesting that I have lived this long and had no idea this was a thing.

Aphantasia Test

Aphantasia is the inability to form mental images of objects that are not present. Asking someone to close their eyes and picture an apple for instance. Most people can “see” and apple in their mind’s eye. I border on darkness, but deep down I know what an apple is.

I just always assumed that when some asked for you to “picture something in your mind” it was just a phrase, not a real thing. I still have vivid dreams with visuals and such. I can also create art by knowing what I want it to be in the end or having a reference to draw from. I can read books, but inside my head there’s never an image of what is described. I just kind of know what is described.

Perhaps this is why I have been drawn to movies, video games and lighting. I love all things visual- it makes life pop in a sense. Books are more of a challenge for me as I get distracted and my mind ends up wandering. Then I forget what I just read and have to read it again.

Sometimes I can “see” something in my mind. But it flickers away quickly and is usually not associated to what I should be visualizing. Learning about Aphantasia has me curious about what causes it and if I really do have it. Perhaps I am just trying too hard to focus on the apple, but it’s really there if I just calm my thoughts.

Numb Limb

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Sleeping is the best. It’s my favorite pastime activity. I like naps and resting. Sometimes a sleep is so sound I wake up and my body is still asleep.

Waking up and having that weird tingly sensation on your hand or arm is uncomfortable. It seriously does feel like the old static signal you see on television. Those black and white snow with a fuzz sound is the best way to describe the furor your limb is experiencing.

Sometimes it feels like it will never go away. Like your body part will be cold for all eternity because you slept funny on your arm. It’s times like this that I just want to go back to sleep in a different position to reset my body.

That’s because I like to sleep. And I take that numbness feeling as a cue that my body likes to sleep as well.

Hey! That Was My Lunch!

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Working nights means I try to prepare my lunch before bed. That way when I wake up, I’m not rushing to get ready and pack a lunch. In theory this is a good idea. But in practice, my lunch is stolen quite often.

Living in a house with two teenagers means that food disappears quickly. Especially premade food or east to make food. They don’t tend to want to put in effort to feed themselves. If they can grab a meal that’s ready to go in a container- it seems that they just help themselves.

As frustrating as it is, at least I know they are eating better than just wolfing down a bag of chips for lunch. (Which is also why chips don’t last in our home.) Maybe one day they will prepare my work lunch for me. But that is highly doubtful since I have been the one providing for them for the last couple of decades.

Perhaps I should leave a note on my lunch containers in my own fridge. Ugh. Now to make my work lunch again.

Dual Citizenship?

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Recently my sister mentioned the possibility of getting dual citizenship. Eventually being both a Canadian and UK citizen. This is because our mother is from Scotland and has kept her citizenship since moving to Canada.

I never gave it any thought throughout my adulthood, but it seems like something to look into. It could open new doors for travel, work or even a place to retire. I’m now a bit more keen to search it out for myself. I’m not sure if it would be possible to achieve for our kids, but if it does- it can open more opportunities for them as well.

In the mean time it will require more forms and research to dive into. I figure it will be a months-long adventure before it finally comes to fruition. I appreciate my sister for bringing the idea forth. And if she goes through the process before me, I can seek advice from her.

Onto the next chapter in my ever changing lifestyle! Any advice or suggestions regarding getting or having dual citizenship- let me know.

Chillaxin’

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Today is going to be a hot one. Later this afternoon we are planning on cooling off in the pool. Hot summer days means only one thing can be accomplished.

Chillaxin’

I’m spending my early afternoon in the hammock on our back deck. My wife is grabbing a nap in the cabana. There is no music, no power tools, no neighbors, no traffic… it’s just a few birds and the breeze. It’s exactly what is needed today.

Of course we have tons of other things we could be doing. Chores, cleaning, or even playing video games… but all of that needs to be put on the back burner. For right now it’s time to chill out and relax. Before life gets going again.

Chillaxin’ time.

Pickled Peppers 2023

Posted on by Josef Havelka

My wife has been growing an abundance of tomatoes and peppers this summer. Just like last year, she is pickling and setting aside some homemade tomato sauces. Pickling 2022 was at the start of September last year. This year we are a couple of weeks early.

My wife asked me to help today. I was more than thrilled to assist. We mixed in a variety of peppers into jars and filled them with vinegar. A few weeks in the fridge and they will be ready to eat. They will be good with sandwiches or as a side snack.

Pickling is a good way to keep foods into the winter months. I also enjoy that these foods can last a long time when prepared correctly. The tomato sauces will be a good base for soups or pasta sauces. We are still eating the vegetables fresh from the garden for the next while.

How was your veggie garden this year? Have you started pickling yet?

Red Dot

Posted on by Josef Havelka

The sky is still filled with ash. Watching the sunset is a unique experience these days. There doesn’t seem to be the regular light shining over the horizon.

Our home fills with an orange glow in the late evening as the sun goes down. As beautiful as the hue may be, I know it is from the destruction taking over the forests.

I hope for rain to fall soon, but the next few days do not look promising. Perhaps the winds will blow and move the fumes elsewhere. This will allow for a more breathable atmosphere.

That red dot in the sky will glow yellow once more someday. My breathing shall return to normal as well. I look forward to that time.

Inhaler or Lung Brush?

Posted on by Josef Havelka

The air quality in our neighborhood is poor these days due to the smoke flowing in from the wildfires. As an asthmatic, I am finding it hard to be active at this time- both indoors and outdoors. I have had to limit my activities quite a bit.

I’m constantly utilizing my inhalers in order to get close to normal feeling. I have also been taking allergy medication a bit more frequently even though it’s not my usual runny nose and itchy eyes. But it helps with combating the particulates in the air.

SNL Lung Brush circa 1991

There are times that I wish the “Lung Brush” was real. I’d use that to remove the garbage that my lungs feel like they are accumulating. Or if I could swish around a rinse of some sort would also be helpful. But for now it’s just me and my inhalers, doing their best to allow me to breathe better.

Why Does That Hurt Now?

Posted on by Josef Havelka

I have this issue that I don’t like. I’m not as young as I once was. At least physically.

I’ll go days, if not weeks, feeling great. I’ll be active and accomplished getting stuff done. I’ll be eating well and resting regularly. Then out of the blue, I’m in pain for days. And I won’t know how it happened.

I try and look back and figure it out. Did I sleep funny? Twist my body incorrectly? Was I driving my car wrong? Did I fart excessively? And it sucks. Now I’ll need a few days of Advil and pain creams to remedy this. Can I just go back to when my body didn’t do this?

The worst part is that once I start to feel better I’ll forget that about the previous pain. Then when it strikes, I’ll be cursing it like it never happened before. A viscous cycle of feeling good then feeling bad.

Such is life.

Pinball Yearning

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Ok ok ok… I bought a pinball game a little over a month ago. The family and I have played it every day since then. So it is getting some really good usage. I am also obsessed with upgrading it and wanting to get it back to original condition, if not better. I keep looking at getting new side art and adding some stainless steel options to the game. Those are all aesthetics, but would bring me joy.

The problem is I keep searching out my next pinball machine. It’s like a potato chip- you can’t have just one! Unlike potato chips, a pinball machine costs a lot more.

The games I am on the look out for are premium editions of Godzilla,Jurassic Park, and Tron Legacy. The older game I want at this time in my collection is Twilight Zone. So I keep looking online. Problem is, I have told myself that I really shouldn’t be buying another game until next year.

So what will happen if I find one of these four games prior to next spring? I will likely miss out on them. Which will potentially fill me with regret. So do I stop looking or do I keep looking? Should I keep my search going knowing that at some point I may find the game again in the future?

I only just bought my first pinball machine after decades of wanting one. Logically I should be able to wait. Emotionally I’m not sure. It will come down to a financial choice in the end and a discussion with my wife. Even next year when I think I’ll be ready for another, I will still talk it over before making a decision. But that yearning is strong now. And the desire to own more pinball games is getting harder to ignore.

For now, I have a game that I want to make better. So that will keep me going. Let’s upgrade some parts!

A Smiley Face Is Not Good?

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Today I was texting with my 19 year old. I asked a question, they responded and I followed up with a smiley emoji. This was the conversation after:

I have officially been ousted as getting old and not understanding of the youth of today. Since when would a happy face be passive aggressive? I’m confused by how an image that was always related to having a sunny disposition or the quote “Have a nice day!” has turned into passive aggressive/ sarcasm. I also joked after about the “mind blown” emoji.

Honestly, even with the context of our text messages- you could tell it wasn’t meant as more than a smile for doing a good job. But there we were, both of us unaware of what was being portrayed. At least Darwin had the courage to tell me what she saw the icon as representing. Now I know for next time when messaging the “younger crowd”.

To end it, I threw in a “Watchman” reference to really show my age. It kind of resonates with the conversation and how the smiley face has been killed off. At least I learned something new today.

Less Is More

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Earlier today my wife and I decided to make some changes to the layout of our back deck. Nothing major, we were just feeling cluttered.

We enjoy our expansive views, but it felt as though we were putting out too many places to sit in order to experience it. So we removed a few chairs and adjusted the table and umbrella. Now we can see more of the horizon from pretty much anywhere in our backyard.

Pretty soon we will deflate the pool toys and get back even more space. And then suddenly summer will be over and we won’t be spending any time in our backyard. But I want the summer weather to last at least six more weeks! I can hold off for Halloween excitement followed by Christmas cheer until the weather changes. I’m getting ahead of myself…

For now, less furniture outside gives us more views. That’s what today’s blog is about. Less is more. Not less summer time, we want more sunshine.

I’m Electric

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Today I went shopping with my wife in the early morning, then knocked off some of my to-do list. Today’s projects involved ELECTRICITY!

The outer plug on our pool shed was showing some major west. So much so that I wasn’t comfortable using it. It was shaky and the frame was weathered and cracked. When I swapped the outlet for a new surround, I also chose to put a new cover on it as well. It really didn’t make much sense that it had a sideways flap. So the new one lifts up instead. Better to protect the outlet from rain.

The other project was changing out a pot light in our bathroom for a brighter light. Costco was selling an led 4000w equivalent light fixture. It was perfect for the master bathroom. It is dimmable and can be with bright white or soft white. The previous light was essentially useless and gave off hardly any light.

Finishing a couple of projects around the house always make me happy. Now it’s time to relax and enjoy the late afternoon sun.

You’re The Best Around

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Some people are really good at sports, others can act and sing. After hard work, many achieve accolades, awards and medals. I love to see people succeed. Im always rooting for those moments.

I don’t have anything extra special that I work hard at. I’m kind of an “Average Joe” at everything. But the one thing I am getting better at is playing pinball.

When I was younger and went to arcades, video stores, pool halls, or pretty much anywhere that a pinball game- I played. Every day for five years I played The Simpsons Pinball at Chuck E Cheese’s (being a manager, I had tokens to play as much as I wanted). I have always enjoyed the lights, sounds and tactile feel that a pinball game offers.

I play the one we have in our home a few times every day. Each week I take off the glass and wax the field. I also tighten any loose bolts and check for wear and tear. Every so often I have a phenomenal game and destroy my previous scores. Getting better than forever self brings me a sense of accomplishment.

It doesn’t mean much to anyone else. I’m not going to win any pinball championships (if that’s even a thing). But it brings me joy and something to work towards. Just being the best at being me.

Pirate Pak Day

Posted on by Josef Havelka

In BC the restaurant White Spot has “Pirate Pak Day” each year. For some reason, over the last few years I have shown up for this event through work with my boss. Today was no exception.

Today’s menu was adult sized meals with a portion of the purchase going towards camp for children and young adults with medical conditions. Of course we were offered to have our meal in a cardboard pirate ship.

A cardboard ship and pirate hat? Heck yes it was a necessity at a business lunch. How could you say no to feeling like a kid again while eating a lunch with your boss?

Letting loose at work is tough some days. But it’s needed to remember that life had a simpler time and you can’t be serious all the time.

First Prompt Answer

Posted on by Josef Havelka

What brings you peace?

On Jetpack (aka WordPress) there is a daily prompt that appears. I usually have things I want to write about, so I have not utilized this option. But today’s prompt was a good one for me to answer.

What brings you peace?

I can honestly say that this question has a lot of answers, at least for me it does. I find peace in numerous activities. Here are a few in no particular order.

I love to nap. That is obvious by how much I have written about this activity over the years. A good rest brings me peace.

I find cleaning our pool therapeutic and zen like. Similarly I enjoy watering the garden. Just a simple routine, but you can see the results fairly quickly.

I like trying new hobbies. Currently playing and maintaining my pinball machine is bringing me peace. It reminds me of my youth and my time doing repairs on video games and pinball at Chuck E Cheese’s.

Creating new rugs. From start to finish, this is a great way for me to hyper-focus my energy.

Interacting with my wife and kids. Supporting their endeavors and sharing in their lives is great. I will always find peace in watching their success.

Having a clean home/yard/car/ etc brings me peace. This is sometimes hard to achieve with so many persons in the home. Cleanliness is awesome when it is fully achieved.

Beyond that, I try to keep my inner peace in abundance. So much so that I try and share it as outer peace in order to calm the environment in which I connect with.

What brings you peace?

What Do You Do?

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Recently someone asked me what I do for work. Honestly I don’t have just one easy description for what I do. I tried to make it sound simple, but it really didn’t make sense.

I move trains.

Only I am not an engineer. Nor am I a conductor (at least not more than once or twice a year). But mostly I do my best to arrange the fluidity of the movement of trains.

I really enjoy the job I have. I also enjoy the people I work with. They are the ones who are almost like family after all of these years. A few of which I have vacationed with, been to weddings for, and in general enjoy their company outside of work.

But to really answer the question, “What do you do?” Is quite simply, “I make my work enjoyable so it doesn’t feel like work.”

Fake Requests

Posted on by Josef Havelka

While on vacation I suddenly received numerous messages on my Tuftleupagus Instagram account. All within days of one another. All with a similar start. All asking to buy the same rug.

“How can I purchase your products?”

The last couple of times I have interacted with people with questions starting in this manner, they were attempting some sort of scam. I still do my best to believe in the legitimacy of those unknown potential buyers. So I respond as politely and as courteously as possible.

I respond with “I only accept PayPal. Payment must be made prior to the creation of each rug as they are all handmade.” Some people give me reasons as to why they cannot use PayPal. Sometimes I get a couple of people sending me an address and ask how much shipping is. Funny thing is when I check the address in a Google search, either it doesn’t exist or there are numerous people associated with it and the house is blurred out on Google maps.

So it’s a bit frustrating dealing with these people. And when I call their bluff, there is no response. Some try and string me along for a bit, but eventually I get them to give up. I won’t have it. But if I’m wasting their time for longer periods, it means that the potential to scam someone else diminishes.

Once I’m done with them, it’s time to block and move on. I do feel bad for those who get caught up in the scams. I wish that humanity was better than this. But alas, there are those who make life annoying.

Why Calgary For Vacation?

Posted on by Josef Havelka

You may be wondering why we went to Calgary for a summer vacation. There must have been a good reason to leave our lovely home with beautiful weather and a pool. There was a really good reason for our week in Calgary. It was for our youngest son.

Our son was attending a Long Track Speed Skating Camp all week. This is one of the few rinks that he can practice and compete at that is near to us. The other long track rink is in Fort St. John. Both locations are around a ten hour drive from our home. This is the last year that my wife and I need to come with him. If he attends any more competitions this year, it will likely be only one of us going or perhaps neither depending on the dates.

Next summer, we may return with him to this camp. However, he will be 18 and could potentially travel on his own. I enjoy being on the sidelines cheering him on and will always support him to the fullest extent that I can. Next year it will be up to him if he wants us to join him, which I hope he allows. But for this week, I am glad to have ventured into Calgary for my vacation.

Vacation Feasting

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Going on vacation means more than visiting friends, sightseeing or adventures. It also means going out and trying new places to eat and enjoy a meal or snack. Calgary is filled with plenty of opportunities to search out some great food. Here’s a quick collection of what we have enjoyed on this trip. Or at least of the food I remembered to take pictures of…

Blue Star
Shawarma Palace
Mama’s (Vulcan)
OEB Breakfast
Chicago Pizza
Blackfoot Truck Stop
Peter’s Drive-In
Inglewood Food Mart and Video Store Ice Cream

Most of the places we try and stop at are independently owned and operated. We are always on the lookout to support small businesses. Many we find from word of mouth from the residents of Calgary. On occasion we do our own Googles searches and get lucky. I will say though, breakfast is my favorite to sample when traveling.

With full bellies, we will be leaving Calgary tomorrow for our journey back home. (With a bit of leftover Chicago Deep Dish Pizza to tide us over during the road trip.)

Paddling The Bow River

Posted on by Josef Havelka

This afternoon, my wife and I rented an inflatable raft and headed down the Bow River through the heart of Calgary. My wife had seen people rafting and kayaking this river and wanted to see if there was a rental place. Naturally, there was. So we set aside an afternoon and rented a small raft from “The Paddle Station.”

The views of the city from the river were spectacular. The water wasn’t rough by any means, however the current did catch us a couple of times forcing us to row away from the shoreline.

At one point we had half a dozen ducks swimming alongside of our raft. We were certain they wanted food or to overthrow our raft and take over. Eventually they left us alone and we continued on our merry way.

We have driven the streets enough both through and around Calgary. I really enjoyed our travel through the city in a different manner. However, being back on land was nice after the two hour float. I would highly recommend this easy little journey through one of my favorite Canadian cities. Calgary does not disappoint.

Vulcan, Alberta

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Today my wife and I went on a side quest leaving Calgary. We ventured a little over an hour south into the town of Vulcan. A perfect little half day trip to search out new civilizations… you know, a Star Trek thing.

The town of Vulcan Alberta fully embraces the Star Trek persona. Logos and kitschy designs are rampant. It reminds me of when we ventured down The Extraterrestrial Highway back in 2015 and saw things related to aliens and ID 4. Small town, middle of nowhere just happens to be the perfect backdrop for some nerds like me who wish to explore. The small information building has a lot of Star Trek stuff, most old toys and pictures, but they also have a clever little gift shop with some Vulcan Alberta merchandise for sale.

Throughout Vulcan, there are some fantastic art and murals spread all over. My wife and I walked around for a few kilometers just enjoying these hidden gems. We also stopped at a thrift store and had a lunch at a small pizza restaurant. Supporting small town businesses is the way to go people!

WHAT? Nooo Waaay!

A surprising discovery that I made a few days prior to going into Vulcan, was that a TikTok creator also lives in Vulcan. So we stopped at his merchandise shop. Naturally I bought some stuff. Particularly his catchphrase, because I swear it is used at my work more often than it should.

Fu<ksake! This added to the campiness of our side quest today. Now back to Calgary for some normalcy and our regular quests.

Active Afternoon in Calgary

Posted on by Josef Havelka

The highlight of our day yesterday afternoon was Activate! But we also did so much more before and after. Calgary is a great city to visit and we are doing our best to cram in some adventures along the way.

Yesterday morning, my wife and I went for breakfast at Blue Star. A very busy bistro restaurant with really good coffee. We both ordered eggs benedict on poutine. A filling breakfast to say the least.

In the afternoon, we picked up our son and headed to Activate. We arrived almost an hour early, so we stopped in to a billiard hall next door called Chill Billiards and played a few matches. It was like going back in time. The music was from the 90’s, there were numerous tables and the aesthetic was of pool halls from that time period. It was a surreal moment that’s for sure. But it was fun.

After Activate, we dropped our son off where we were staying and my wife and I went for a walk. We stopped and picked up ice cream for dinner and sat at a park bench overlooking the Bow River. We were fairly sore after being so active for almost two hours. But our son had other ideas.

As my wife and I returned back to our friends’ home, our son was getting ready to try his first ever attempt at rock climbing. Our friend has a corner wall set up in their garage to practice their climbing. Our son was at it for about 45 minutes and would have kept going if we didn’t tell him that he needs to get some rest because he still has a few days of speed skating training to do.

There seems to be a lot to do in Calgary that we haven’t tried yet… and we are just scratching the surface. There are many more restaurants and businesses that we want to explore. We still have more adventures planned this week, even though our time here is short. But we may get more opportunities to see other things should we return in the future.

Activate!

Posted on by Josef Havelka

This afternoon, I took my wife and son out to a place called Activate in Southwest Calgary. This place has a series of rooms with different games to play. Some with high energy involving dashing from spot to spot; to dodging lasers and yelling commands at one another. This was the most exhausting experience I have undertaken in quite some time. But it was tremendously fun!

The cost was $28/per person and gave us an hour and fifteen minutes of playtime. The time would start when you scanned into a new room. Trust me, after a while you needed a rest between activities. There was so many games to play- they started easy and progressed as you completed the level.

We enjoyed the variety of rooms. Jumping from coloured tiled floors was a good start. Then we hit every room. Some rooms changed it up a bit to make the games harder. We also had to work together in cooperative mode to beat the levels. Jumping and then crawling under lasers was a bit challenging for my wife and I, our speed was not quick by any means. But firing laser guns at a target wall was far easier. Basketball and tossing baseball sized balls at targets were good for a bit of a break.

We did so well at the games that by the end of our time we had made the monthly leaderboard in position 166. Not bad for our first time playing. I know that I would play these more often if the company every came to the Greater Vancouver area. For now, I am limited to Calgary. But I can take me scores and my progress to different locations throughout Canada and USA.

Trust me, Activate is worth checking out to get some endorphins released. So much activity, so much yelling, so much fun!