As I mentioned last week, you received a Graco RoomFor2 stroller, from Mommy’s registry at Target. Well, we unboxed it this weekend and your brother Jack already started putting it to use.
Not the actual stroller, but its unattached wheels.
He immediately began using them as cannons for Pandy to shoot across the living. Soon after, his panda bear collected an army of other stuffed animals to help shoot the artillery.
From there, Jack insisted a make a video of him racing his cars, so I did. As you can see in the video, by this point it was Ellie the Elephant who was using the stroller tires as markers for the race track.
That night, Jack went ahead and also broke out your new bath toys, which are a gift from some friends we met for lunch on Sunday.
So I’m thinking this is going to be a reoccurring thing. In the upcoming 3 months before you are born, Jack will inspect and test out any of your new toys or gadgets that could possibility provide entertainment and engagement for him.
I suppose it won’t hurt anything. After all, it’s not like your’re going to be aware of whether or not your new belongings were “lightly used” beforehand.
And I think it’s good for your brother Jack because he gets to be more involved with your arrival.
He can truly feel a part of what’s going on. It’s important to me he doesn’t feel left out or overshadowed once you get here.
I want to proactively do my best to give you both equal, yet separate and unique, attention and quality time.
Because of the 5 and a half year difference between the two of you, I think it will be fairly easy.
I won’t be catering to 2 babies, but instead, one baby and one boy. Those are two different worlds, as far as I’m concerned.
However, it has become apparent that despite your age difference, you’ll both be sharing your toys.
One shared stereotype between atheists and vegans is that they bring up the topic within 5 minutes of meeting people. In theory, they both have extreme beliefs and lifestyles that many other Americans don’t feel comfortable with accepting.
Atheists deny the existence of God or any kind of higher spiritual power. Meanwhile, vegans deny the need to consume any animal products (meat, dairy, eggs) in order to be healthy.
Both extremes deny things that most people can’t live without: God or edible animal products.
It’s almost an impossible question; to ask, “Which is more difficult, to become an atheist or a vegan?”
(That’s of course assuming you’re not already an atheist or agnostic; or vegetarian or vegan.)
I think much of the difficulty in legitimately asking and answering this question in a public online forum is that it might be easier for the participants to become more focused on bashing each other’s beliefs than it is to actually simply answer the question I am proposing. Hopefully, that’s not the case…
If you live your entire life believing in God (or at least some kind of spiritual higher power), it seems it would be nearly impossible to just switch off that fundamental belief; especially knowing that to believe in God is to accept accountability for your life, once it ends; assuming there are eternal rewards and consequences, accordingly.
It seems that if you truly believe in God, even if you’re a “lapsed Catholic” or a “backslidden Baptist,” you still wouldn’t be able to declare there is no God; because in your heart, you still would believe there is.
In my mind, to choose becoming an atheist over a vegan means you are already heading down that path of non-belief; that you’re already quite skeptical of God, or at least of the general public’s view of what God is supposed to be like.
But my perception is, that is not how most people (at least here in America) are.
On the other hand, if you are used to eating meat, dairy, and eggs, you could switch to just eating veggies, fruit, grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. However, it would take much education to realize it could be done.
Most people still believe the myth that vegans don’t get enough protein. But I feel I’ve done a good job of busting that myth.
Look at me. I’ve been a vegan nearly 4 years now, and a vegetarian more than a year before that, and kosher (no pork/shellfish) for several years before that.
At 5’9”, 155 pounds, and age 34, I have remained in the perfect weight range. Notably, I am clearly not underweight.
If I wasn’t getting enough protein, it would be pretty obvious.
Of course, my doctor confirms I am getting enough protein, as well as all other nutrients I need; and that I am “healthier than most 34 year-olds” he’s seen.
He even commented that he “wasn’t surprised” to learn in hindsight that I am a vegan; since I waited for him to assess my health before I broke the news about my plant-based lifestyle.
I say that not to brag, but to provide evidence that when you actually replace animal products with the proper plant sources of fat, protein, and iron, becoming a vegan is actually an intelligent and efficient option.
Plus, by being a vegan, by default, you consume less than 1% (basically 0%) of your daily allowance of cholesterol. You still consume a lot of fat, but virtually no cholesterol.
But in my experience, most people either A) don’t know this, B) don’t believe this, or C) don’t care.
Therefore, there are many people who believe in God but who are unable to bring themselves to believe that becoming a vegan is a sustainable lifestyle. They would have great difficulty in denying their belief that consuming animal products is necessary for proper nutrition.
That’s why I think it’s such a great, and difficult, question to answer.
Assuming you’re not already an atheist or agnostic, or vegetarian or vegan, which is more difficult, to become an atheist or a vegan?
I think I am the perfect person to propose this question.
That’s because I am not the stereotypical vegan. Most vegans, as this infographic below demonstrates, are liberal, non-religious females.
Meanwhile, I am a Libertarian (socially liberal, fiscally conservative), religious male.
For me personally, the answer is obviously simple: It’s easier to become a vegan, but impossible to become an atheist.
My faith is God is non-negotiable. Sure, I will go to my grave with questions I don’t understand about God, but to me, that’s what real faith is anyway.
And I’ve already been living the vegan lifestyle for nearly 4 years.
I’ve “been there, done that” when it comes to answer the vegan question.
But what do you think? What’s your answer?
Assuming you’re not already an atheist or agnostic, or vegetarian or vegan…
Which would be more difficult: To become an atheist or a vegan?
I admit. I’ve never seen an episode of The Big Bang Theory. For years now, people have been telling me it would be my kind of humor. Yet, I’ve just never gotten around to watching it.
However, thanks to an Internet meme, I am definitely aware of a funny line that Sheldon apparently said in Episode 2 of Season 3:
“Don’t you think if I were wrong, I’d know it?”
I find that quote to be worthy of dissecting, from a psychological point of view.
For a person to ask that question, it assumes the following about them:
They have the ability to always instantly self-identify when they are about to be wrong.
Therefore, they immediately change their mindset, convictions, and actions the moment they identify truth; and always do it before anyone else can notice it.
Therefore, they technically are only privately wrong about anything for a split-second, since they have the ability to notice it right away.
Therefore, they are immune to human accountability.
Therefore, they have the privilege of legitimately being close-minded to all constructive criticism.
And here’s the irony of that theory:
In reality, a person who is close-minded to constructive criticism is limiting their ability to learn more and improve their own life, therefore proving they are less intelligent than those who are open to learning.
Therefore, to ensure I don’t endanger myself of having such a close-minded mindset where I believe I am immune to constructive criticism, I constantly assume I am wrong at least 50% of the time.
My self-esteem is high and I have much confidence in my ability to make good decisions. However, it would limit me to believe that only in a rare occasion could I be wrong about something.
On the contrary, I am fully aware I put myself in a position to get further in life A) by being so open to criticism to learn to be a more efficient and educated human being and B) because so many people on this planet are not willing to so, therefore putting me further ahead.
The general concept is introduced in Robert Kiyosaki’s Best Seller book: Rich Dad, Poor Dad.
He explains that the people who get ahead and stay head in business are the ones who are willing to do that things that most people aren’t willing to do.
I have learned that most, or at least many, people are not willing to make themselves a sponge for constructive criticism.
Instead, they allow themselves to become victims because they give power and authority to other people by giving them the authority to “hurt my feelings.”
As I recently mentioned, I don’t give other people the ability to offend me.
Eleanor Roosevelt make this concept easily understandable with her famous quote: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
So for the record, there’s a good chance that if I were wrong, I wouldn’t know it.
As part of my plan to quickly build the library of my newest web series, Uncle Nick’s Enchanted Kingdom, I am now shooting new webisodes during my lunch breaks at work.
One of my coworkers just happens to be one of my most faithful watchers, so I didn’t really have to twist his arm in order to convince him to be my camera man/assistant director on these “during our lunch break at work” video shoots.
Last Thursday, we shot two new webisodes; during one 60 minute period.
First is “Webisode 12: Beanie the Bat”, where Uncle Nick serves as a real estate agent to a bat who likes to live in trees; with a sort of “House Hunters: Animal Edition” style of plot line.
During the shoot, I sliced my hand on the tree I was climbing. I just wrote it into the script.
The other webisode we filmed is “Webisode 13: Petey the Possum.” There is no doubt this is one of the most stand-out webisodes of Uncle Nick.
Very close to where I work, there is a drain tunnel the same height as me. I decided it would make the perfect setting. I am so pleased with how it turned out.
Not only do I feel the plot line is captivating, but the tunnel itself is intriguing because it’s a rare event to get a tour down into something so mysterious.
I’ll say this; I wouldn’t be willing to walk in there alone.
So now I can make videos throughout the week, instead of having to just wait for the weekend.
I feel my Uncle Nick series has so much potential and that kids would really like it if they watched it. But for now, it remains undiscovered in the corner of YouTube.
But that doesn’t stop me from continuing to grow my collection.
Uncle Nick has plenty more up his sleeve!
Here’s an overview of what some previous webisodes are about:
Webisode 7: Paulie the Puppy– When Uncle Nick decides to hike a new trail, it leads him to an empty old building and a mysterious barking sound.
Webisode 8: Pokey the Pot-Bellied Pig– Uncle Nick must figure out a way to cross the river to save the little pot-bellied pig who is stuck on the other side.
Webisode 9: Ralph the Red Panda– While hiking later in the evening, Uncle Nick discovers a rare animal as it begins getting dark outside.
Webisode 10: Slither the Snake– Freddie the Fox gets trapped by a hungry snake at the top of a large rock. It’s Uncle Nick to the rescue!
Webisode 11: Barry the Bear– When a scary-looking bear is soon in the Enchanted Forest, Uncle Nick decides to investigate; leading to a lesson about not judging a bear by his cover.
Barry the Bear was first introduced 4 months ago in my other series, Jack-Man:
I had been preparing you for over a year for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The time finally came this past Saturday.
Easily, I can say in confidence, it was one of my most epic experiences as a parent, to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens for the first time, together with you.
We arrived about an hour before the movie as supposed to begin. Even though it had been out in theatres for a month already, I wasn’t willing to risk not getting a good seat, or any seat at all.
Good thing I approached the situation the way I did. We were there at the 4:05 matinee when, technically, the least amount of people are supposed to be interested in seeing a movie.
When we walked in, there were only about 15 or 20 seats taken; so we got our choice seats.
But within 30 minutes, the only seats remaining were the 3 separate front rows, where the floor is flat and you have to look straight up at the screen.
So the good news was that we got good seats by being there an hour before show time.
The bad news was that the commercials and previews started at “show time”, meaning that we were sitting there for close to an hour and a half before Star Wars actually began, meaning we both had to “go potty” as the show was finally beginning. That was the downside of making sure we were fully hydrated for the movie.
However, the movie was so enthralling that we made it through the entire movie, which was 2 hours and 16 minutes; we stayed all the way until the credit ended.
The whole time, you sat on my lap. Each time a new character appeared, you would whisper to me, “Daddy, is that a good guy or a bad guy?”
That’s an especially relevant question when watching a Star Wars movie, when that’s one of the underlying themes in most Star Wars movies anyway: Is he a good guy or a bad guy?
During the most intense action scenes, you would sit straight up on my knee. You were so into it!
I am so happy were you born in 2010; making you 5 years-old when the first new J.J. Abrams/Disney Star Wars movie came out.
That is the perfect age for you to start watching these movies with me.
Having seen all the previous Star Wars movie, I must say that this new one was everything I’d hope it would be.
I was so impressed. I can’t wait for us to watch it when it comes to Redbox. Mommy is pretty intrigued by us talking about it so much, that now she looks forward to seeing it with us.
