Category Archives: Peace Corps

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Darting Around

I’ve never been one for sports. I don’t religiously follow teams, though I will watch a game recap. I could never properly perform a basketball layup, throw or catch a football with any finesse, or hit a baseball no matter how hard I tried, so I was always the last one to get picked for a team.

I was turned off from tennis when some bozo said he’d coach me for free, but it turned out he just wanted someone he could blast 200mph serves at. I had even bought a tennis racket with the intention of learning the basics. Besides, I figured women might take notice (more like pity) of a strapping young man trying to whack a fuzzy yellow ball across a net and failing miserably. And, sadly, no women took notice. 

A friend of mine tried and failed to teach me the finer points of golf. While I enjoy smacking the hell out of those little white balls on a driving range, I absolutely suck at playing the game on a course. I figured that if I was going to spend that much time in sand traps, I may as well go to a beach instead.

There are really only two activities that may loosely be considered sports that I am any good at: table tennis (ping pong) and darts.

I picked up table tennis during my stint in the military while stationed in Thailand. I was looking for something to do that didn’t cost money and didn’t involve drinking. I started playing in the NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer) rec rooms on the bases wherever I was stationed, and I got to be fairly good, winning more matches than I lost.

During my time at IBM, I had a manager who also enjoyed ping pong and was quite good at it, though he was half again my age at the time. We discovered that IBM had a table tennis setup in one of the lounges on site, and my manager and I would go and play during our lunch breaks. 

We weren’t in the league of those world class players who stand ten feet away from the table and can make the ball move blindingly fast or seem to hover just above the net, but we had a lot of fun. 

I don’t play anymore, though I’m sure I’ll pick it up again given the opportunity.

I started playing darts after looking for something that my then-wife and I could do together after my daughter went off to college. I bought an electronic dart board. It wasn’t very good and broke not long after we started playing regularly. But we played enough that we were hooked, so I bought better one.

While I got fairly decent at it, my ex got really good, beating me 3 out of 5 games almost every time we played. I think she practiced while I was at work, though she never would admit it. 

She had a very unconventional way of throwing. She would swing her arms like a baseball pitcher winding up for a pitch, then throw the dart, not hard, but with uncanny accuracy. My throwing style at the time was copied from players I’d seen on the internet. They all threw basically the same way; using the forearm and wrist to kind of flick the dart. These guys were pros, but my mimicked throw produced mixed results. You can imagine my frustration at losing to a woman who threw darts like a Yankee pitcher trying for a no-hitter.

Since that time, my dart throwing accuracy has improved. Back in 2019, the organization that hosted me while I was in Namibia, the Rössing Foundation, had put on a sporting event for its employees. Darts was among the activities, and I won the first-place trophy! The first time I’d ever won a trophy for anything!

That’s my friend, Florian, on the left.

While I was in Namibia, I found that the locals also enjoyed darts, and I would play them after work at a local bar. It was there, oddly enough, that I learned to associate beer with darts. An association that I enjoy to this day.

My skills had improved since returning from Namibia (so did my beer drinking), enough so that I wound up on a team in the Orlando Darts League. We played out of Fiddler’s Green in Winter Park. I was there for 3 seasons, and the second season I was there, we were first in our division and got a trophy for our efforts!  Every game was enhanced by a pint or two of Guinness. 

That’s my name I’m pointing to.

Since moving to the Greenville, SC area, however, my dart throwing skills have declined dramatically. I was still good enough to get signed onto a team out of Doc’s Tavern in Greenville, and we actually won first place in our division last season, but we did so without much help from me. This season my team, called ‘No Ton Intended’, moved up to Division 2 and we are getting spanked soundly by nearly every team we’ve played so far. And I don’t think I’ve won a match yet this season, regardless of how many beers I drank.

The plaque was a surprise. Not sure how many of those empty spots I’ll fill in.

I know what the problem is: practice, or rather, the lack of it. Like any skill, throwing a pointy bit of metal at a 1-inch diameter target about 8 feet away and hitting it consistently takes practice. Lots and lots of practice. 

A quick search on the internet reveals that professional darters practice anywhere between 1 hour up to an astounding 12 hours a day!! I’m retired and I enjoy throwing, but 12 hours a day?? 

Nope!

Still, after reviewing my league performance so far this season, it’s obvious that I need to practice. A lot. The problem is that I have nothing to practice on. I’ve moved into my house about 4 months ago, and my focus has been on fitting up the house to make it feel like home. The apartment I had the year before I moved in was so small that I had to go outside to change my mind. (Old joke, but still makes me chuckle.) Places where I could go to practice were inconveniently far away for daily throws. What I need is a dart setup here, in my house somewhere. 

Now, I’m on a mission!

Other tasks around the house have been put on hold until I can establish a dart practice space. I can’t just throw a dartboard on a wall and have at it. A dartboard must be hung at a specific height (5 feet, 8 inches from floor to bullseye) and must be a specific distance from the throw line (7 feet, 8 and 3/4 inches). There must be proper lighting. There should be a backboard behind the dartboard that can catch errant throws without causing damage to the wall. And more. 

An engineering challenge that is not outside the scope of my abilities.

So, after careful consideration ( and a few beers), I’ve decided to build a dart practice setup consisting of, not 1, not 2, but 3 dart boards: a regulation board, a practice board where the high-point target areas are all reduced in size, and an electronic dart board.

I’m going to go all out with this setup. I’m putting it in my garage. The walls will be painted. The floor will be epoxy-coated, and the garage will be kept neat and free of clutter and accumulated stuff. 

That’s the goal anyway. Right now, the floor is bare concrete. The walls are painted, but there’s stuff everywhere. 

I’m working on it!

OK, so, it’s a work in progress, but there is progress. Check out these photos…

Turns out that grey felt won’t hold a metal tipped dart. Had to take it off.
The electronic board is just a fun addition.
Finished! Well, almost. That place on the left is for a training board.

It turned out pretty good, even after a few missteps. 

So, now that I have a place to practice, I have no excuse not to get better. But, you how people will make a resolution to lose weight and exercise more, and they spend a lot of money and buy fancy exercise equipment and set it all up, then promptly ignore it? 

Yeah. 

Stay tuned.

Vern

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PCV Tuna Wrap

(Note: This was a blog post I had forgotten to publish while I was in Namibia. The recipe still works though and it’s still pretty cheap. The ingredients may cost you about US$10 now, but it’s a quick and tasty lunch or light dinner.)

Someone once said that necessity was the mother of invention. I think that person got it wrong. It’s laziness that, more often than not, gives birth to invention. I should know. Me and Laziness are so close you can expect wedding invitations any time now.

Be that as it may, when it comes to food here in Namibia, I hook up with Laziness and find a way to feed myself with the least amount of effort and cash. I wish I could say that all of my culinary inventions were fit for five-star restaurants, but the reality is that I’ve had to force myself to eat my creations, hoping that the peculiar smell, taste, and appearance justified my adherence to my ‘waste not, want not’ ethic, even over severe gastrointestinal protest. So far, I’ve survived.

After a year’s worth of experimentation, you’d think I’d have at least one recipe that’s worth sharing, and you’d be right. I’m going to pass this along to other Peace Corps Volunteers here in Namibia and beyond, but why should we have all the fun? 

What follows in an extremely simple, yet very tasty recipe that hits all the high points:

✓ Inexpensive? Yes! You should be able to buy all the ingredients for under N$50 (about US$4.00) and you can likely get 1-3 meals out of it. Also note that you’ll spend for bulk items which can be used later for other meals.

✓ Healthy? Yup! It’s lettuce and tuna, for goodness sakes! 

✓ Easy? Oh geez, yes! If you can open a can of tuna then you’re halfway done.

✓ Tasty? I realize taste varies, but if you can stomach canned tuna and don’t mind lettuce, you’ll probably like this. Of course, if you’re Poseidon, you’d drop-kick canned for fresh tuna, and even your mother-in-law can’t find fault with fresh lettuce.

So, what is this amazing recipe for producing ambrosia suitable for gods and in-laws?

Behold! The PCV Tuna Wrap!!!

PCV_Tuna_Wrap.jpg

 

Looks tasty, right?

Ok, here’s how to make it…

Ingredients:

1 can of chunky tuna ( you can use the cheaper shredder variety, it won’t look as good, but tastes the same).

1 small block of peppered feta cheese (feta comes in many forms. I buy a 200 gram pkg that has three blocks of cheese. I use 1 block, about 60 grams, but more is not a bad thing)

10 or more halved grape tomatoes ( you can used dices tomatoes too, should equal about 1/3 cup)

2 tablespoons of Greek salad dressing (this is to taste)

Dash of kapana seasoning ( can substitute Old Bay of other spicy seasoning)

1/2 teaspoon of crushed garlic (I buy a container of finely diced garlic and chili pepper. Works great.)

1 head of lettuce

Mix together everything but the lettuce. Taste and add other seasoning as you like (diced onions, diced green pepper, salt, ginger, whatever floats your boat).

Peel off a leaf of lettuce. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of mix into the leaf and wrap like a burrito. Should make about 6-8 wraps.

Enjoy!

Stay tuned

Vern

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New Home, New Chapter

A Lot Going On:

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog. It isn’t just that I’ve ignored it, I have, but it’s also because I’ve had other pressing issues on my mind. I’m not one to turn to social media for opinions about what I consider to be personal issues. I’m used to keeping very exclusive counsel, which tends to be none other than myself. 

So, though I’m still dealing with my private issues, I’ve found enough mental capacity to talk about stuff I can air publicly. And I’ve got a lot to talk about.

First and foremost, after a year of waiting, I’m finally in my new house! I’ve been in it about a month now, and I’ve got a lot to do. But here it is.

Casa de Vern

It’s nothing grand, just a small 3-bedroom, 2-bath home that’s a tad under 1500 square feet. Perfect size for a guy looking to keep life simple. 

The problem with moving into a new house (or any house that’s new to you) is that you have to somehow make that space your own. That’s what I’m up against. I gotta figure out what furniture to buy, what colors to paint the walls, what bed and mattress to get, and on and on. Of course, me being me, I want my new house to have some smarts, but I don’t want my private life a hackable password away from being on the Internet. So, I have to pay closer attention to the smart devices I intend to put in my house.

Giving My House Some Brains:

Today’s builders, in an attempt to offer buyers “smart home” options, really don’t give buyers much choice. At least that’s true for us on the cheaper end of the buying spectrum. That tends to mean that the devices they offer aren’t privacy-oriented. For instance, my supposedly smart thermostat from Honeywell will only function in a smart way if I connect it to the Internet and create an account on some server. I can do things manually, of course, and that’s how I’ve set it up, but the damned thing keeps popping up an alert screen begging me to connect it to the Internet and an account so that I may enjoy the benefits of controlling the temperature in my house while I’m not in it. 

Again, I’m all about a smart home, but why do I have to create an account for every device I install? My garage door opener wants an account, my doorbell wants an account. Heck, even stuff that’s not smart begs me to create an account so that I can activate my 60-day warranty. As you may well have guessed by now, all of these accounts are just ways for these companies to gather information about you and your buying habits. It’s not like I have anything worth hiding, and I’m not a conspiracy theorist who believes some dark and nefarious entity is using my data to mind-control me into buying more Chinese-made stuff. (I don’t need mind control, I just need a free afternoon, my Amazon account, and a credit card.) It’s just that it’s MY data, my privacy. It’s not something I want to just throw around the web and hope no bad player takes notice of it. 

So, to minimize my exposure as much as possible, I minimize the number of accounts I create and I use Apple products. 

Before you Android and Windows fanboys start yelling, let me say that, while Apple products can and do fall prey to hacking and other such nefarious activities, it’s been shown time and again that Apple’s focus on security and privacy exceeds what is available on Windows and Android systems. 

The problem, however, is that, because Windows and Android systems try to put gee-whiz technology in the hands of the general public quickly while being less concerned about privacy (see Alexa’s ability to do far more than what the current implementation of Apple’s Siri can do, but also note that Siri tries to keep your requests and data local and in your control), there are more smart devices available for those systems than for Apple’s HomeKit smart system. Luckily, that’s changing.

A new standard for smart systems, called MATTER, looks to unify smart systems and the devices they support. Apple has wisely started supporting the MATTER standard. Now, instead of having to download an app and create an account to install and set up a smart device, you simply scan a QR code on the MATTER-compatible device. HomeKit, Alexa, Google Home, or other smart systems that support MATTER will recognize the device and integrate it into your system automagically. You can then interact with that system to set up the device’s features and functions. Truth is, currently some features and functions are only accessible through the device-exclusive apps, but that’s changing as the MATTER standard evolves.

A MATTER Smart Plug. Couldn’t be easier.

For example, smart camera doorbells offer advanced features like face recognition, activity zone alerts, and more. Those advanced features that are currently not accessible through HomeKit, Google Home, or Alexa, which only offer access to basic functions, like an alert when someone rings the doorbell. If you want to use the more advanced features, then you must download the device’s app and create an account. As I’ve said, MATTER fixes that, or will fix it. The MATTER standard for camera doorbells will be in the next release. With all of the more advanced features, it is a bit harder to work up a standard for more complicated smart equipment.

Anyway, it’s happening.

BTW: Reach out if you’re thinking about giving your house some brains. I may have a few suggestions for you that might help make that move easier.

Projects, Projects, More Projects:

Back to my new house.

Another task one must complete to make a house a home is to decorate. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m no good at decorating. The décor in my last house might be called ‘Modern Man-Cave’. I painted the walls colors that I liked and put in furniture that appealed to me. The place was clean, spartan, yet comfortable, at least to me it was. And I guess that’s what’s important. Now, however, I want a bit more than clean and comfortable. 

If you’ve read some of my earlier posts, then you may remember me talking about following the Mid-Century Modern design ethic, and while I was tucked away in that tiny apartment waiting for this house to be built, I bought a few items that I thought would work well once I moved into my newly completed house. 

It turns out that the pieces I bought, a credenza and two chairs, do indeed follow the Mid-Century Modern design, but the chairs are a bit too big for the space they were intended for. Even so, it’s starting to come together, albeit slowly. That’s okay; I’m in no rush.

Since moving in, I’ve bought a nice dark brown leather couch, a small black coffee table, and a cool, small, black swivel chair. I had only bought one chair because I wasn’t sure I’d like it. Now that it’s here and definitely fits the space, I want to buy another, but the price has increased by about $200. I suppose I have the current administration’s tariff policy to thank for that. Now I need to wait to see if it will ever go on sale. 

Every day I try to check an item off the very long list of things I need to do. One project I recently completed turned out great. 

At 14 feet by 16 feet, the large bedroom is easily the largest room in the house. With a nice-sized walk-in closet and a large bathroom with a large bathtub, tiled shower, and a closeted toilet, the bedroom is more like a suite. 

I wanted to do something interesting for this bedroom, to elevate it to a sanctuary yet remain in keeping with my minimalist Mid-Century Modern ideology. While browsing design articles and sites, I saw a dining room that had a floral mural on one of its walls. The wallpaper mural set the tone for the whole room, and that gave me the idea to try to find something like it that might work in my bedroom. It took a while, but I settled on a foggy early morning forest scene. It took me, and it took a friend, and me an afternoon to put it up. I’m quite happy with the results.

Wallpaper mural looks like I can walk into my wall.

Now I’ve got to paint the other walls, put up window treatment, find a suitable area rug, set up the bed, and so on. It may never be completely finished, but it has a great start. Once I get the room further along, I’ll post more photos.

More on my new house adventures in a bit.

Stay tuned.

Vern

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Gravity

I left Baltimore when I was 17, leaving behind everyone and everything I had known up to that point. Since then, I’ve never truly felt settled. No matter how far I’ve traveled, how breathtaking the vistas I’ve seen, or how fascinating the people I’ve met, there was always this persistent attraction, like gravity’s pull of a massive star on a small, wayward rock in space, towards the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. 

I’d joined the Air Force and, like many others in the military regardless of the branch of service they’re in, I moved from place to place when ordered to do so. But military life, while vastly different and far more interesting than my life on the streets of Baltimore, was too restrictive for me. I was honorably discharged after 9 years of service. My wife wanted me to remain in the military for a full two decades and retire. In retrospect, I likely should have, but at the time, staying in was becoming increasingly difficult for me. I felt like I was missing out on a technological revolution, something I believed I needed to be a part of. This was the early 1980s, when computers were just beginning to permeate every aspect of people’s lives. I firmly believed that my career, my future, was intimately dependent on that blossoming technology. So, I left the military, dragging my pregnant wife, my son, and a miniature Schnauzer from North Carolina to California in a tiny Honda, and in search of a new life. 

From that point on, I went wherever an opportunity to advance my career presented itself, and often those opportunities were in places I’d never imagined I’d be. Places with names like Redondo Beach, California; Winooski, Vermont; East Fishkill, New York; Ashdod, Israel; and Oviedo, Florida. Ultimately I wound up in Florida, but regardless of where I landed, there was always that familiar, subtle, but insistent pull, an unfulfilled yearning that, at times, I couldn’t quite articulate and I could never adequately satisfy.

After my children grew up and started their own families, and after my marriage ended, I found myself in a position where I could, if I truly wanted to, allow myself to be drawn by that subtle attraction. I suppose, at that time, I didn’t want to. I had built a life in Florida. I had close relationships and places where I could simply be myself. Yet that yearning persisted, refusing to be suppressed or ignored. 

In 2017, after weathering an emotional storm, I found that I needed to travel and make a positive impact on some cause, to focus on something beyond my personal interests. So, I joined the Peace Corps. That was an incredible and fulfilling adventure, but in 2020, COVID abruptly ended it, leaving me back in Florida with that ever-present yearning, persistently beckoning.

Deciding to leave a place that has been your home for over three decades isn’t easy. I grappled with that question for a very long time. I was aware that, just as when I left Baltimore many years ago, I would be leaving behind so much that had become an integral part of who I am. It takes time to adapt to a new environment, even one that was once familiar to me. I would be trading cherished relationships, familiar places where I’ve always felt welcome, and the comforting warmth that comes with familiarity for strangers, new places, and periods of loneliness. If my decision had been solely based on emotions, I probably would have chosen to stay. However, other factors influenced my choice, and yes, that persistent yearning weighed heavily in my ultimate decision to leave.

Click to see the video.

Now, several months after moving to a place just north of Greenville, S.C., I’ve begun to settle. I don’t need Apple Maps to find my way around anymore. There’s a bar in a restaurant that I stop in from time to time. The barkeep knows me well enough to have a Modelo Negra with lime on the counter by the time I pull up a stool. I’ve met some interesting people in that restaurant too; a retired lawyer who’s lived in the area since 1995, another Florida transplant who shuffles between a tiny house in the hills of Tennessee with an amazing view to D.C. with Greenville as his way station, a comedian who’s promoting a show to support The American Cancer Society, and so many more.

There are real seasons here too; the luminous mating dance of fireflies in the summer, a kaleidoscope of colors in the  autumn, biting cold winds in winter.  

And snow!

Click to see the video.

I hadn’t been in a significant snowfall in more than 20 years and it was wonderful to see. I had a silly grin plastered on my face to whole day while it snowed. I was so inspired by it that I produced a short video. You can see it by clicking on the photos..

As I look forward to spring, I’ve noticed that the yearning that has been my constant companion for so very long is quieter now. While it still lingers, its influence has diminished. Instead of dominating my quiet moments, it now coexists with a more reserved presence. I interpret this as a positive sign, indicating that I’m on the right path, that being here where the trees dress and undress to fit the seasons, and where the landscape undulates like frozen mountainous waves towards the horizon, feels like it’s where I need to be. The yearning’s continued presence, however, suggests that there is still more I need to do.

My sister recently texted me about an event that might finally satisfy that yearning. In May of this year, my paternal family members will gather in southern Virginia for a reunion. I believe the southern Virginia border, westward towards West Virginia, is the epicenter of the attractive force that has been tugging at me for most of my life.

I don’t know much about my father’s family or its history. I do know that both my mother and father originally came from the southwestern region of Virginia, and that there are many who bear the Seward family name who still call that area home. In fact, I had seriously considered settling there myself. 

I intend to go to this reunion in hopes that I can learn more about why I’m so drawn to that place. 

There’s a memory I have, a recollection so old it’s like a faded photograph, that might hold some clues.

When I was very young, maybe 3 or 4 years old, I remember a long trip that my father took me on. I recall seeing lots of trees as he drove for what seemed like hours and hours. When we finally stopped we had pulled into a long dirt driveway, each side was walled by tall green corn stalks. At the end of the driveway stood a modest house. A huge tree stood next to the house.

During one of my visits to Baltimore as an adult my sister told me that the house with the tree exists. The house and the farmland around it belongs to a relative on my father’s side. The memory has left me wondering, and hoping, that that place is what has been pulling at me all these years, that my returning to it will finally sate that yearning and I can find some peace.

I look forward to May.

Stay tuned,

Vern

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The Winter of Our Hypernormalization

I read an article recently which described the term ‘hypernormalization’ as the feeling that everything around us is not right somehow, but we keep going through our daily routines as if all is right with the world.

In other words: we instinctively know we’re in a hand basket heading to Hell, but instead of figuring out a way to either brake our descent or get out of the basket, we carry on by ignoring the increasing heat and cramped accommodations. 

Though we may not be directly affected by natural or man-made disasters, we are inundated by them via our media of choice to the point where what, at one time, is seen as horrific, such as the California fires, is now a media moment, soon to be forgotten when the next headline vies for our attention. Meanwhile, little if anything is done to address the overriding situations and underlying causes because, well, shit happens, and we can expect shit to continue to happen. So, unless there’s a fire in our backyards, or a blizzard-dumped snow pile in our driveways, or cold-busted pipes in our basements, we  glance up from our phones and computers long enough to shake our heads in recognition of what others are dealing with, then doom-scroll to the next disastrous headline.

And we wonder why we feel discordant, out of sorts, deep in our feels while the cause of our blues seems to have escaped us. 

Hypernormalization.

Reading the news is like reading a script for an upcoming disaster movie. (Except Hollywood can’t produce it because it got toasted too!) Watching the news can be a recipe for engendering suicidal thoughts. People who believe such things see these catastrophes as signs declaring that, “The End is Nigh!!”

Well, maybe.

Or maybe it’s Mother Nature letting us know who really is in charge. Or maybe all of this has happened before, but the toll on human lives and our endeavors were much less when there were fewer of us. And, of course, all of it is sensationalized to the extreme by whatever media you choose so that a bad situation appears to be far worse than it is and right around the corner.

Don’t get me wrong, the Cali-fires, wayward blizzards, and hurricanes, and rollercoaster temperatures are all tragic and newsworthy, but the populace not directly affected by them are badgered by them in excruciating detail. It’s as if the media wants us to believe that, for instance, the fires in L.A. are so much more tragic because a favorite movie star’s home burned to the ground.

Yes, I know that we need to know what’s going on and where, but there is such a thing as information overload, and this winter, I think many of us who are not directly affected by a disaster are suffering from it. And thanks to our innate ability to get used to just about anything, our sensitivity to disasters, in general, has diminished. And with that diminished sensitivity, we tend to accept it while believing there’s little to be done to fix the problems we face, and we move on.

A friend of mine recently asked me to talk her off a virtual cliff as the news she’d been watching was so overwhelming that she felt lost and anxious. ( Actually, it wasn’t just the weather catastrophes that had her on edge, but I won’t go there, and these are my words, not hers.) To my mind, this is a normal human response. We should be concerned about the disastrous events in our world, and yes, we can and will be overwhelmed by them. 

I responded by trying to make light of it, stating that I was following the ostrich’s approach to a bad situation by burying my head in virtual sand. I refused to consume the news in any form for a day or two and advised her to do the same, and to seek out anything and anyone that could put a more positive spin on the world. 

(BTW: Ostriches don’t actually hide their heads in the sand when faced with danger. A full-grown ostrich can run away from danger at speeds of up to 70km/h (about 43 mph) and can defend themselves with large claw-like talons and powerful legs.

I saw a group of wild ostriches run up a mountainside while I was in Namibia, and I was left in awe at how fast the group ascended, even the little ones. I was also left wondering: since ostriches are land-bound birds, are a group of them called a flock or a herd?) 

I wasn’t trying to make little of her distress or appear flippant in light of her anxiety, but there was actually some truth in what I offered her. Often, when I’m feeling wired or merely out of sorts, I will find something that will cheer me up or at least divert my attention from the current calamity. For instance, I will watch Looney Tunes and Popeye cartoons. I also dabble in video production, writing, and thinking about my next major move.

These distractions seldom fail to get my mind off the negatives, at least for a moment, and often that’s all I need to do an emotional level set. I can then focus on what, if anything, I can do about the problem at hand.

(You can find my latest video releases here: https://www.youtube.com/@vernseward5323)

No, I’m not suggesting that those folks in the midst of a disaster can find solace in watching Roadrunner outsmart Wiley Coyote or to wait for Popeye to down a can of spinach to open a can of whip-ass on Brutus. What I am saying is that those of us for whom the minute-by-minute stream of wreck, ruin, and heartbreak is affecting our well-being or numbing us to the point where we don’t feel the way we should about the ruinations of others, can and should give ourselves a break and find something more positive for our brains to ingest, at least for a little while. Hit the reset button on our feelings so that we can focus on solutions.

Otherwise, we’ll just keep dappling away the sweat caused by the increasing heat while marveling at how well the hand basket we’re in can handle the weight of the crowd.

(A group of ostriches is called a herd.)

Stay tuned.

Vern

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Hurricane Helene

If you’ve lived in Florida for more than a few years, particularly the Orlando area, you tend to view hurricanes as a fact of life. They form, they blow and dump oceans of water of you, then move on. The flora and fauna of Central Florida has evolved to withstand all but the strongest storms. Palm trees sway and bend in 70-90mph winds, but seldom break. Moss ladened Live Oaks have developed thick trunks and branches that stay low to the ground and tend to survive some the strongest gusts with minimal damage. Even tree that topple will continue to grow if enough of the root is still in the sandy soil.

People living in Central Florida have adapted to hurricanes too. Homes are constructed of concrete blocks or thick concrete based stucco. The best roofs are ceramic tiles, but even regular roofing materials have to meet stringent codes meant to survive winds 50 mph or higher. As a result, tropical storms hardly raise the eyebrows of Central Floridians. Category 1 hurricanes only worry those living close to the coasts. Anything higher than a Category 1 will get people’s attention, but the concern is higher for those in the immediate path. That’s because by the time a storm reaches the Orlando area it has been substantially weakened. A Category 1 with winds of 75 mph at landfall rapidly drops to a tropical storm with gusts of up to 50 mph, if that, by the time it reaches Orlando.  

I’ve lived in Central Florida for over 35 years. The only hurricane I had any real concern about was Charley back in 2004. It hit the west coast of Florida as a Category 4 with winds reaching 145mph. By the time it got to Orlando it had died down to a Category 2 with winds of 106mph. That was still strong enough to do some serious damage to an area unaccustomed to winds that high. Even so, because Central Florians are used to dealing with hurricanes, few lives were lost and the damage was not as severe as it might have been had our buildings been constructed to lower standards.

I recently moved from Central Florida to the UpState region of South Carolina thinking that I would be too far inland and elevated for hurricanes to be a concern. I spoke to a native of the area recently, a grey hair man who owned a large white house with huge columns in the front that reminded me of southern plantation homes, and he said the area might experience a serious storm once every 30-40 years, nothing like a hurricane though. 

Then along came Hurricane Helene. It hit the Big Bend region of Florida packing 140mph winds then ransacked Georgia before headed straight for the UpState Region of South Carolina. By the time it got here its winds had diminished to tropical storm speeds, but this area isn’t used to 24 hours of sustained winds of 40-50mph with gusts hitting 60mph. 

It had been raining steadily for a day and a half in the UpState Region before Helene made landfall. By the time those winds hit the area the red clay that makes up the regolith in the area was soaked. Trees that had stood for 50 years or more toppled like dominoes, taking with them power and communication lines.

I had been sitting at my window watching the wind blown rain pressure wash the parking lot outside my apartment when the power went out early Friday morning. Still, even with the wind harassing the newly planted sapling outside my window, the storm didn’t look to be too bad. But then, I’m used to such storms being from an area that’s used to such storms. 

View from my apartment window on Thursday night.

As with all hurricanes, once they make landfall, Helene, moved quickly through the region, pouring out all of the moisture and energy she had soaked up from the Gulf of Mexico as she went. Reports of widespread flooding, possible tornadoes, mudslides and more began to fill news reports. In my immediate area, however, things didn’t look that bad. There were broken tree limbs and leaves littering the ground and the power was still out at my apartment complex, but the sun chased the remaining clouds away and people were out walking, looking for places to get a cup of coffee and surveying the damage.

I decided to not drive anywhere on Friday. I knew the emergency crews would be out doing what they could restore services. Saturday, however, I did try to drive to the local market, but gave up after traveling not even a mile from my apartment. 

While the power had come back on in my immediate area, many other areas around Greer was without power. Traffic crawled through major intersections with dead traffic signals. I passed houses crushed and side streets blocked by massive trees. Debris was everywhere.

Downed trees everywhere.

I had tried to contact my friends, Brian and Francis, but they had not responded since early Thursday. When they finally did respond on Saturday they told me that they had been dealing with a continuing power and communication outage. They had several fallen trees on their property as well. But they are ex-Floridians too and they were prepared. Not being able to phone family and friends to let them know they were ok was their most serious frustration.

As of now (September 28, 2024) it looks like we’ll be relatively dry for the next several days, which is a good thing. It’ll give the local utilities time to fix what’s broken and shore up what isn’t, and it’ll give folks some great outdoor days for cleaning up the mess Helene left behind.

That’s just in my little corner of the world. Watching the news, I can see that many areas not far from me got it a lot worse. Roads turned to rivers, impassable bridges, mud and debris everywhere. Utility crews from as far away as Missouri have come to help out the local crews in restoring power. Infrastructure crews have their work cut out for them. Many road in the area remain impassable, literally cutting off cities and towns.

Update: Sunday, September 29, 2024

I was getting a bit restless so I thought I’d get out to see how far I could drive today. Figured 3 days after the storm most major roads should be passable. 

I was wrong. I took a local major thoroughfare and I barely got 3 miles from my place. A good 1/3 of the traffic lights along the way were still inoperative. I passed long rows of blown over trees and drove over downed power lines. 

Just bad everywhere.

After that I knew I didn’t need to be out so I turned around.

But progress is being made thanks to the tireless efforts of our utility and infrastructure crews. Even as I was returning, traffic light were coming back to life. These men and women deserve medals.

Hoping you and yours have faired well. 

Be safe.

Stay tuned.

Vern 

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Living in Small Spaces: Part 1

Like many others, I’ve been fascinated by the thought of living in a tiny house. I even considered doing so while I planned my move to South Carolina. But after watching shows like Tiny House Nation, I soon realized that it takes a certain mentality and more than a little will power to confine one’s life into 300 square feet. Bedrooms you have to climb ladders and crawl into, bathrooms where the toilet and shower are in the same space, chairs that are more at home in a camper than a living room, nope! That’s all fine for a short period, but I am neither mentally prepared or have the will power to live in such a small space for the rest of my days.

I’ve done it before and it was not pleasant.

When I arrived in Arandis, Namibia during my stint in the Peace Corps, I fully expected to live in a tiny grass hut. Such was my preconception of Namibia and Africa in general. I knew there were modern cities in Africa. Windhoek, Namibia’s capital, looks like any European metropolis, complete with the traffic and noise. But I didn’t think I’d be working in Windhoek. This was the Peace Corps after all. They go to where the need is most, and that tends to be in rural areas. So, I saw grass huts in my future. 

I was surprised to find that my first home while in country was a three bedroom house built of concrete blocks. It had full plumbing, power, a nice kitchen, and a living room with a 65” TV and sectional sofa, and a small front lawn. Hardly a grass hut.

So much for preconceptions!

However, by the time I left Namibia, and due to managerial snafus, I was moved to a 500 square foot house, then to a 100 square foot cabin that was originally intended for one person staying overnight. Truthfully, not even one person would want to spend a night in that tiny closet. The place was poorly designed and I barely had enough room for a single bed. Yet I stayed in that cabin for 5 excruciating months. I had an old hot plate for cooking, a fridge the size of a foot stool, and the water from the faucet was not ideal for drinking. I was told that it was temporary, that I was in “transition”. It was hot, smelly and full of mosquitoes. It was not the best 5 months of my life.

Me sitting in front of the tiny hut I spent 5 months in.

When I came back to Florida I rented a 450 square foot cottage. After living in that tiny cabin, 450 square feet felt absolutely palatial! Still, I was in transition; going from my Peace Corps life in Africa to the life I had previously known in Florida. I eventually moved back into my 1450 square foot home and, when I did, I found that I had far more space than I needed. My mind had adjusted to the confining space I was forced to live in.

I had no use for a dining room, one of the smaller bedrooms I used to stage house renovation and repair projects which I could have done in the garage. The other small bedroom remained empty. I pretty much stayed in three room; the kitchen, the living room, and the primary bedroom. Together they were about 800 square feet. I had room to spare!

When I sold my home in Florida my initial intentions were to find a place in South Carolina that was smaller, perhaps around 1000 square feet. I thought that anymore space would be wasted on me. But, sometimes things just don’t pan out like we planned. Instead of downsizing, I’m actually upsizing. The house I intend to buy is a bit more than 1500 square feet. Ah well. It’s still not Buckingham Palace, so there’s that.

Unfortunately, my new home won’t be finished for quite some time. It’ll be at least 10 months before the house is ready. So, I’m in transition once again and, once again, I’m existing in a small space.

I’m renting a studio apartment while my new home gets built. The apartment is 462 square feet. Because space is so limited I find that I need to revisit some of the strategies I used in Namibia and, more so, in the small rental in Florida to optimize storage and make this little spot feel like somewhere I want to be, not escape from. 

With that in mind I’d like to highlight some of those strategies. Maybe you can use some. Maybe you can suggest some. I’m always open to new ideas. So, let’s get crackin!

The first thing I want to talk about is a table. Elevated, flat, hard, durable surfaces in a studio apartment is, unsurprisingly, hard to come by. This place has approximately 4 square feet of counter space. It’s nice counter space, made of a composite granite-like material, but it’s barely enough real estate to prep a decent sandwich, much less cook a meal. Obviously a table of some sort is the answer. 

In the small rental back in Florida I had bought and used a very inexpensive stainless steel table. I got the idea from my friend, Sara. She had a nice stainless table she was using as a kitchen island. That table proved to be very versatile. It was easy to clean and maintain. So, I got one too.

While I would highly recommend a stainless steel table, I would strongly suggest that you not get a cheap one like I did. Mine cost about US$100 and it was not very good. The table top was stainless, but barely so, and the rest of the table was of lower grade metal. The lower surface was definitely a poor grade aluminum. The table top was of low grade stainless. Over time I found tiny rust spots on it. Food grade stainless will not rust so the metal in that table was obviously not food grade. 

That cheap steel table did come in handy.

Still, the table served its purpose. I used it for food prep, a workstation desktop, a sound studio station, a dining table, and more. Even so, I was happy to leave it behind. If you decide to get a stainless steel table get one that has food grade stainless as its top surface. It will definitely cost more than a hundred bucks, but it’ll be worth it in the long run.

This time around I decided to take a different approach. While shopping in Costco I came upon a robust, adjustable height table with a glass top from a company called Tresanti. Glass is key because it makes the top easy to clean and maintain and it makes the table extremely versatile while looking sharp. 

As I mentioned, the table is height adjustable. Back when I was working I found that standing was a lot better for me than sitting at my computer all day. I had my desk raised and the company I worked for gave me a chair that allowed me to easily sit in a quasi-standing position whenever I needed to. I’ve been standing whenever I’m at my computer ever since. 

This table, then, is perfect! It’s the right size to sit behind my two comfort chairs, dividing my “living room” from my kitchen/editing studio/whatever else I need the space to be. (More about those chairs in Part 2.) I can dress it up for an intimate, candle lit evening, fit it out to record audio for my next video, or pound out this post for my blog. 

The raised height is great to stand at. And the stools complete it.

The table was a tad spendy, but it will be with me for a long time. 

I bought two fairly inexpensive, decent quality upholstered stools to go with the table. The stools are comfortable and serve as my dining chairs and as extra seating on the rare occasion when I’m entertaining more than two people. Together the table and stools look as if they were made for each other.

From workstation to an intimate table for two.

So, I’ve doubled my elevated surface area, added more seating, and have created a flexible workspace that looks great. And what I’ve bought will find use in the house I’ll eventually move into, so nothing is wasted. 

The second item I’d like to talk briefly about is actually an indulgence of mine that just happened to be useful. 

One of the few bits of furniture that I brought with me is a lamp that I found in Goodwill several years ago. I bought it for US$10 not knowing if it would work.

Some of you younger readers won’t recall ever seeing this type of desk lamp. It has a heavy metal base, a bendable snake-like stem, called a goose neck, and a wide, rectangular…, I guess you would call it a globe. It’s the portion of a lamp where the light source, a bulb in most cases, would be. This lamp, however, is fluorescent. It uses two, 16 inch long fluorescent tubes as its light source. These types of lamps were popular years ago, especially in accountants and newspaper editors. 

It may not look it, but this is a great lamp.

What’s special about this lamp, special to me anyway, is its versatility. It’s ideal for reading and any time I need a more focused light source. The thing I like most about the lamp, however, is its looks: clean lines, functional, understated with a hint of Art Nouveau aesthetics. It takes up very little of what precious desktop real estate I do have while providing a much needed function. The cost puts it in line with my new found frugalism and the looks certainly coincide with Mid Century Modern tastes.

A win-win!

More about living in small spaces in part 2. Until then…

Stay tuned.

Vern

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The Move So Far…

I’m sitting in an iHop, waiting for my breakfast. It’s 9:32 am on July 4th. I think it’s about time to update my status of my move to South Carolina.

Back when I started this new chapter I knew there would be challenges. I’ve been around the block a few times and change and challenges are not new to me. Events in the past only prepares you for the notion that there will be challenges in the future, however, not what those challenges will be. 

Greenville’s iconic bridge over the Reedy Falls

On the face of it, my move to South Carolina has been largely uneventful. That’s primarily due to my friends, Brian and Francis in South Carolina and Sara in Florida. They have provided lodging for me and storage for my stuff. And the days leading up to my departure was filled with special memories thanks to Marcia. No words can express the depth of my appreciation and gratitude to these my rare and wonderful friends. I hope I can repay their kindness and generosity in kind in the future, once I am settled.

Speaking of getting settled: I now have a studio apartment, have registered my car and changed my driver’s license. For all intents and purposes ( incense and porpoises) I’m now a South Carolina resident. 

(Yay!!)

On the house buying front, I’ve selected a lot, picked out interior and exterior colors and options and I’ll go under contract next week. Unfortunately it’ll take 10 months or more to complete the house, which is why I’ve rented the apartment. 

Knowing that I’ll be in this tiny apartment for a while, I’ve decided to make it as comfortable as I can without breaking the bank. The challenge of fitting out an apartment with an eye on my future house, and my newfound design choices, and frugality mindset have kept me busy. Every major piece of furniture I buy for the apartment will be used in the house. So, careful consideration is a must. 

Oddly, I’m finding my choices for seating and storage to be a bit tougher than one would expect. I’ve visited local furniture shops looking for chairs or small sofas and shelving. Only one store had anything of interest for seating, but the cost was more than I was willing to pay. And I could find no shelves that fit both my sense of style and my budget.

One purchase I’m proud of is a table that I found in Costco, of all places. The table is glass topped and height adjustable, both features are key to maximizing what little space I have in my apartment.

Adjustable height, glass topped table from Tresanti

The glass top makes cleaning a breeze. I can use the table for dining and food prep, and I can seat 4 people comfortably if the need arises. Not that I’m expecting to host intimate soirées in my little studio, but ya neva kno.

When I’m not using it as part of my kitchen I can use the table as it was intended, as a workstation. The height adjustable feature is great because I like to work at my MacBook and iPad while standing. Again, the glass top can be easily cleaned so dinner doesn’t gunk up my keyboards.

The table was a bit pricey at US$250.00, but, in keeping with my frugality mindset, it’s a high quality piece and I’ll own it and use it for a long time.

Another purchase that I’m happy with is my bedding. My house will have a primary bedroom and two smaller bedrooms. I intend to fit out the primary bedroom with a king sized bed, but one of the smaller bedrooms will have a queen sized bed. That is what I bought for use in my apartment. The mattress came from Costco, one of those foam mattresses in a box. I have slept on lower quality foam mattresses before and found them to surprisingly comfortable. This one is from Novaform and it’s so comfortable that I have no trouble falling to sleep on it. 

And my chairs have arrived! 

While shopping around for seating the would fit comfortably in my tiny studio I stopped in a local furniture store that caters to more affluent customers. The sales person, let’s call him Biff, scoffed when I told him I liked Mid Century Modern style of furnishings. “Oh! You mean that 80s looking stuff with the wood and avocado plush pillows?” He asked in a mockingly annoying tone.

No, Biff, I mean clean lines, no overstuffed upholstery, and neutral colors. And no motion furniture! In my world a chair is just a comfortable place to sit, relax, read, think. I don’t want it to be a bed, or vibrate, hold my cup, or heat my back. If I want to put my feet up I’ll grab an ottoman, which can serve as extra seating if needs be.

My Mid Century Modern chairs

But that’s me. I’ll confess to enjoying a sofa once that happened to be able to recline. Even so, I still don’t want that type of furniture. The chairs I bought are more inline with my style senses. They are wooden framed with sturdy wooden arms. The upholstery is not overly stuffed and very comfortable. The material is grey denim which can be easily removed and washed. I intend to get the upholstery redone in leather later, but for now, these are perfect. 

I still have a few items yet to get; a decent shelving unit, headboard for my bed, and a credenza. Each item will eventually be used in my house and I have narrowed down my choices for each. Once everything is in place I’ll give you a video tour.

And so, my move to South Carolina continues to unfold. The journey so far has been exciting and challenging in unexpected ways. I’ve also met some nice people. My family has commented on how fast things are developing. In my mind, however, things aren’t moving fast enough. I like to keep it moving because when I stop moving things get quiet. And when things get quiet I start to feel the emotions that are often associated with changes of this magnitude. Those emotions are not always positive. 

For instance, I could do so much and I was surrounded by a great group of people in Florida. One person in particular and I hung out a lot together. I miss that. I miss them. I miss that person. A lot. 

It will take time for me to get immersed in my new environment and those feelings, I’m sure, will diminish, but never disappear. I just need to keep moving forward.

Stay tuned.

Vern