Friday, September 4 2026

Hey Reader! Perhaps today that's just a singular reader. I should be more concise - Hey Rodney.

Rodney has badgered me a few times about how I need to update my blog. Has he developed a passion for carrying on our family's legacy through written story? More likely, he is bored in school and all the fun stuff is blocked on his chromebook. I like how he refers to the website by it's title - Hey Reader. Everyone who has ever commented on my blog has always just called it "your blog".

But if you are out there and you too have been occasionally checking Hey Reader for an update many years later, you have Rodney to thank for finally getting one.

I don't think it's weird for a website to update with vigorous, disciplined regularity for a time, then go completely silent for a few years, then make a post completely without warning. When I was Rodney's age, I hurried downstairs to the computer after school every Monday to check homestarrunner. New cartoons were posted on the site like clockwork every Monday. Then one day it just went silent. The latest strongbad email remained plastered on the front page for years. Then when I was in college, suddenly the site owners posted again. Nothing huge, just an unceremonious cartoon of the main character rolling on the floor in a pile of diapers seeing a stupid made up song. The way I see it, steady content disappearing for many years, then reappearing without warning is a sacred Internet tradition, and it's an honor to keep that tradition alive.

Sip. I'm not drinking anything. That's just a stupid shtick I do. I just got back from the gym and I am not ready to start pounding coffee. Gotta let the fluids and electrolytes balance out first before I throw them out of whack with my daily overdose of caffeine.

What's been happening lately? Rodney is into rubiks cubes. So is Miles. Rubiks cubes are a great toy for your children to get obsessed with. They are quiet. They are cheap (you can pretty much buy the Roll's Royce of cubes for $40). And they're mentally stimulating. We've had a few talks about keeping a balanced life with things. For some reason, Rodney's cube thing reminds me of when I found duct tape wallets. For most kids, it was a one time summer camp thing. Kind of a charming souvenir - "hey look at this wad of duct tape that I can keep money and a credit card in". Not me - I became obsessed. All I wanted to do was make duct tape wallets. I kept perfecting the craft. I learned to line up the seems with a ruler, use a straight edge to make precision cuts, and make the fabric as light as possible by lining up the tape strands perfectly. My wallets didn't even look like they were made out of duct tape. I remember I graduated to making hats and back packs. I miss that back pack. It was silver with a stylish black duct tape lining. A loose flap cover that clipped to the front. The straps hung comfortably. It would melt all your things if you left it outside for 20 minutes, but other than that it was a fine back pack. Parent me could have had the "keep a balanced life" talk with childhood me about remembering to do other things besides crafting duct tape fabric in the basement. Talk to people. Play sports.

Rodney's cube obsession was a thing I had to get used to. But he's doing a good job keeping a balanced life. We've had to set some basic ground rules, like no cubes in the hockey locker room or at school. But absence makes the heart grow fonder. It just makes his cube that much more fulfilling when he finally gets home from school, I imagine.

That's what I got today. I need to get in the shower. Enjoy the journal entry, Rodney. Now that you are done reading, get back to work!