All About Abs

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Sometimes I really miss having abs. It’s been almost 20 years since mine were discernible in any fashion and it has occurred to me on several occasions that the longer I wait to address the issue, the harder it will be to fix. Looking into the problem more thoroughly I realize that for health and self-esteem reasons, this is something I really want to address before I retire. I’m already an older Dad, and I don’t want to be that guy who can’t keep up with his 10 year old son. I also don’t want to be that guy who has a heart attack in his 50’s. Let me walk you through my research on the subject and what I plan to do about it

The first thing we need to do is understand the enemy.  Belly fat, also known as visceral fat, is fat that surrounds your internal organs. It’s considered particularly dangerous because it’s been linked to a number of health problems. Visceral fat differs from subcutaneous fat, which lies beneath the skin. It is more metabolically active and releases hormones and inflammatory substances that can impact health. 

Lets look specifically at some of the metabolic effects. It releases fatty acids and other substances that interfere with insulin signaling, leading to insulin resistance. This can impair your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels which contributes to the development of type 2 diabetes. Visceral fat produces hormones and adipokines (cell-signaling proteins) that can disrupt metabolism. These substances can affect appetite regulation, energy expenditure, and fat storage, making it harder to lose weight and maintain a healthy body composition. Visceral fat is associated with an increased risk of dyslipidemia, a condition characterized by abnormal levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. This can contribute to the development of heart disease and other cardiovascular problems.

In addition there are a variety of inflammatory threats to your body. Visceral fat secretes cytokines, which are molecules that promote inflammation. This low-grade, chronic inflammation can damage tissues and organs throughout the body, contributing to a wide range of health problems, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. Visceral fat also generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can cause oxidative stress and damage cells. This further contributes to inflammation and chronic disease.

Visceral fat is not merely a passive storage of energy; it actively contributes to metabolic dysfunction and chronic inflammation. Reducing visceral fat through a healthy diet, regular exercise, and stress management is crucial for improving metabolic health, reducing inflammation, and lowering the risk of various chronic diseases.

What are some of the factors that contribute to the acquisition of visceral fat? Hormonal changes, such as those occurring with age or stress, can influence fat distribution. Cortisol, a stress hormone, can promote belly fat accumulation. One more reason I need to leave my career as an air traffic controller asap. Insulin resistance, often linked to poor diet and lack of exercise, can also contribute. If you are having difficulty sleeping, changes in appetite, or unexplained weight gain, fatigue or mood swings you may want to see a health professional for advice on managing your hormone levels. Genetic predisposition can play a role in where your body tends to store fat, including the abdominal area. It should be pretty obvious looking around the dinner table during a Thanksgiving reunion if you are predisposed to belly fat. I know just looking at my Dad’s side of the family, there is no doubt. Diet and exercise habits significantly influence belly fat. A diet high in processed foods, sugary drinks, and unhealthy fats can lead to weight gain and increased visceral fat. Lack of physical activity further exacerbates the issue. 

We know that chronic low-grade inflammation contributes to a variety of issues. Understanding the specific factors may help you make informed choices. It’s a bit of a wake up call to realize just what kind of snowball effect a little tummy pudge is rolling into. Lets do a little recap and add some more specifics: Visceral fat cells release adipokines, which are cell-signaling proteins. Some of these adipokines, like tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), are pro-inflammatory, meaning they promote inflammation. As visceral fat accumulates, it attracts immune cells called macrophages. These macrophages release additional inflammatory cytokines, further exacerbating the inflammatory response. The fat cells release free fatty acids into the bloodstream. These free fatty acids can trigger inflammation in various tissues and organs, including the liver, muscles, and blood vessels. Visceral fat also generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are unstable molecules that can damage cells and tissues. This oxidative stress can contribute to inflammation and chronic disease. Even with my marginal understanding of what all this means, it still kind of freaks me out. 

Just to reiterate, again, visceral fat acts as an endocrine organ, secreting hormones and adipokines that influence inflammation and metabolism. The accumulation of visceral fat leads to a chronic, low-grade inflammatory state, which is linked to numerous health problems. Reducing visceral fat through lifestyle changes like diet and exercise can help decrease inflammation and improve overall health. Yup, that’s why we want abs.

So how do we deal with all these issues and flatten our stomach? I suggest we start with food. Eat more fruits and vegetables. They are low in calories and high in fiber, which can help you feel full and satisfied. Choose whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, and oats over refined grains like white bread and pasta.  Include sources of lean protein such as chicken, fish, beans, and lentils in your diet. Incorporate healthy fats like those found in avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil.

Here are 5 sample recipes that, as part of a balanced diet and active lifestyle, can support your goals for reducing belly fat:

1. Quinoa and Black Bean Bowl:

  • Ingredients: Quinoa, black beans, chopped bell peppers, diced avocado, chopped cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
  • Why it helps: High in fiber and protein, this bowl keeps you full and satisfied. It’s also packed with nutrients and healthy fats.

2. Baked Salmon with Roasted Vegetables:

  • Ingredients: Salmon filet, assorted vegetables (broccoli, carrots, Brussels sprouts), olive oil, herbs and spices.
  • Why it helps: Salmon provides lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids, while roasted vegetables offer fiber and antioxidants.

3. Lentil Soup:

  • Ingredients: Lentils, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, vegetable broth, herbs and spices.
  • Why it helps: Lentils are high in protein and fiber, promoting satiety and aiding digestion. The vegetables add essential nutrients and antioxidants.

4. Overnight Oats:

  • Ingredients: Rolled oats, milk (or plant-based alternative), chia seeds, Greek yogurt, berries, nuts.
  • Why it helps: Overnight oats are a great source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, and protein, providing sustained energy and keeping you full until lunchtime.

5. Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry:

  • Ingredients: Chicken breast, assorted vegetables (broccoli, bell peppers, snap peas), brown rice, low-sodium soy sauce, garlic, ginger.
  • Why it helps: This stir-fry offers lean protein from chicken, fiber from vegetables, and complex carbohydrates from brown rice, making it a balanced and satisfying meal.

Remember, these recipes are just examples, and you can adjust them to fit your preferences and dietary needs. Focus on incorporating whole, unprocessed foods, lean protein, healthy fats, and plenty of fruits and vegetables into your diet for optimal results. For further reduction of inflammation I would suggest going organic when it’s available and you can afford it. I could, and probably will, write a whole other blog post on the problems with pesticides.

A  ketogenic diet can also potentially help reduce belly fat. By drastically limiting carbohydrate intake and promoting fat burning for fuel (ketosis), it may lead to overall weight loss, including visceral fat. Some studies suggest that ketogenic diets might be more effective at reducing visceral fat compared to other diets. However, more research is needed to confirm long-term effectiveness and safety. I am personally starting to lean away from keto as an option to reduce my gut size. I worry that my age and relatively inactive lifestyle could leave me open to unwanted side effects from ketosis such as nutrient deficiencies, kidney stones or liver problems. Talk to a doctor if you are thinking about going keto for a flat tummy. 

In case you are going this route here are 5 sample keto-friendly recipes that, as part of balanced ketogenic diet and active lifestyle, can support your goals for reducing belly fat:

  1. Avocado and Shrimp Salad:
    • Ingredients: Shrimp, avocado, cucumber, red onion, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
    • Why it helps: This salad is low in carbs, high in protein and healthy fats, making it a satisfying and filling meal that won’t kick you out of ketosis.
  2. Baked Chicken Thighs with Asparagus:
    • Ingredients: Chicken thighs, asparagus, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
    • Why it helps: Chicken thighs are a good source of protein and fat, while asparagus provides fiber and essential nutrients, keeping you satiated and energized.
  3. Zucchini Noodles with Pesto and Chicken:
    • Ingredients: Zucchini noodles (zoodles), pesto (made with olive oil, basil, pine nuts, garlic, and Parmesan cheese), grilled chicken breast.
    • Why it helps: Zoodles are a low-carb alternative to pasta, and the pesto and chicken provide healthy fats and protein, making this a delicious and filling keto-friendly meal.
  4. Cauliflower Fried Rice:
    • Ingredients: Cauliflower rice, eggs, vegetables (peas, carrots, onions), soy sauce (or coconut aminos for a lower-sodium option), sesame oil.
    • Why it helps: Cauliflower rice is a great substitute for traditional rice, and this dish offers a good balance of protein, healthy fats, and fiber.
  5. Keto Chili:
    • Ingredients: Ground beef, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
    • Why it helps: This hearty chili is packed with protein and healthy fats, keeping you full and satisfied while staying in ketosis.

Again these recipes are just a starting point, and you can adjust them to fit your preferences and dietary needs. Honestly the only one I’ve actually tried is the keto chili and it’s just not the same without the beans. 

Reducing the inflammation will help us get into a position where we feel healthier and more energetic. Then we can really get into the physical fitness aspect with more enthusiasm. Here are five more recipes that can specifically help with inflammation:

  1. Turmeric Ginger Smoothie:
    • Ingredients: Spinach, frozen pineapple chunks, banana, fresh ginger, turmeric powder, Greek yogurt (or plant-based alternative), and almond milk (or water).
    • Why it helps: Turmeric and ginger have potent anti-inflammatory properties. The fruits and vegetables provide antioxidants and fiber, while the yogurt adds protein.
  2. Mediterranean Salad with Grilled Salmon:
    • Ingredients: Mixed greens, grilled salmon, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, red onion, feta cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, and herbs (oregano, basil).
    • Why it helps: The Mediterranean diet is known for its anti-inflammatory benefits. Salmon provides omega-3 fatty acids, which fight inflammation, and the vegetables offer antioxidants and fiber.
  3. Berry and Spinach Salad with Walnuts:
    • Ingredients: Spinach, mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries), walnuts, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and honey (optional).
    • Why it helps: Berries are rich in antioxidants and fiber, while walnuts provide omega-3 fatty acids and polyphenols, all of which have anti-inflammatory effects.
  4. Lentil and Vegetable Curry:
    • Ingredients: Lentils, mixed vegetables (carrots, bell peppers, broccoli), coconut milk, curry powder, turmeric, ginger, garlic, and onion.
    • Why it helps: Lentils are high in fiber and protein, promoting satiety and gut health. The vegetables and spices offer antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds.
  5. Oatmeal with Berries and Nuts:
    • Ingredients: Rolled oats, milk (or plant-based alternative), berries, nuts (almonds, walnuts), and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
    • Why it helps: Oats are a good source of soluble fiber, which can help reduce inflammation. Berries and nuts add antioxidants, healthy fats, and protein to keep you feeling full and satisfied.

Focus on incorporating a variety of whole, unprocessed foods rich in antioxidants, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids to promote overall health and reduce inflammation.

Now for some workout routines to take advantage of all that extra energy we’ll have from eating well and reducing inflammation. Regular exercise typically involves at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of more intense activity. This can be spread out over the week into five – thirty minute workouts or whatever works for you. For those of us with more time and will power maybe we can raise the bar a little, but be careful of overreaching. You don’t want to hurt yourself and be unable to work out for days or weeks. Engage in both cardiovascular exercise and strength training to improve insulin sensitivity, boost metabolism, and promote fat loss.

Cardiovascular exercise: Activities like running, swimming, biking, and dancing can help burn calories and reduce overall body fat, including belly fat.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT): HIIT workouts involve alternating short bursts of intense exercise with periods of rest, which can be effective for burning fat and boosting metabolism. Here is an example if a HIIT workout focusing on belly fat reduction:

Warm-up (2 minutes):

  • Light jog in place or jumping jacks (1 minute)
  • Dynamic stretches like arm circles, leg swings, and torso twists (1 minute)
  • Workout (8 minutes):

Perform each exercise for 40 seconds, followed by 20 seconds of rest. Repeat the circuit twice.

  1. High Knees: Run in place, bringing your knees as high as possible towards your chest.
  2. Burpees: Squat down, kick your feet back into a plank position, do a push-up, jump your feet back to your hands, and explosively jump up.
  3. Mountain Climbers: Start in a plank position and alternate bringing your knees towards your chest in a running motion.
  4. Butt Kicks: Run in place, kicking your heels towards your glutes.
  5. Jumping Jacks: A classic cardio exercise that gets your heart rate up and works your entire body.
  • Cooldown (Optional): Light stretching or walking to bring your heart rate down gradually.

Important considerations:

  • Intensity: Push yourself to work at a high intensity during the 40-second work intervals.
  • Form: Maintain proper form to avoid injuries and maximize the effectiveness of each exercise.
  • Modifications: Modify exercises as needed to suit your fitness level. For example, do modified burpees with a step instead of a full push-up.
  • Progression: As you get fitter, increase the duration of the work intervals or add more challenging exercises.
  • Consistency: Aim to do this workout 3-4 times per week, along with a healthy diet and other forms of exercise, for optimal results.

This is just a sample workout, and you can adjust it to fit your preferences and fitness level. If you really don’t know what you are doing, there are plenty of Youtube videos that will guide you through a HIIT session. If you have health issues, consider consulting with a healthcare professional before starting any new exercise program.

Strength training: Building muscle through exercises like weight lifting and bodyweight exercises can help increase your metabolism and burn more calories at rest. Here are some simple sample exercises you can do almost anywhere:

Bodyweight Exercises:

  1. Squats: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, lower your hips as if sitting back into a chair, keeping your back straight and chest up.
  2. Lunges: Step forward with one leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at a 90-degree angle. Keep your front knee aligned with your ankle and your back heel lifted.
  3. Push-Ups: Start in a plank position, lower your body towards the floor by bending your elbows, and push back up to the starting position. Modify by doing knee push-ups if needed.
  4. Plank: Hold a straight line from head to heels, engaging your core, glutes, and shoulders. Start with 30 seconds and gradually increase the duration.
  5. Side Plank: Lie on your side, supporting your body with your forearm and feet. Keep your body in a straight line and hold for as long as possible.

Exercises with Weights (Dumbbells or Resistance Bands):

  1. Dumbbell Rows: Hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back flat. Row the dumbbells towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  2. Dumbbell Chest Press: Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat. Hold dumbbells with elbows bent, and press them up towards the ceiling.
  3. Dumbbell Shoulder Press: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, hold dumbbells at shoulder level with palms facing forward. Press the dumbbells straight up overhead.
  4. Dumbbell Bicep Curls: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, hold dumbbells at your sides with palms facing forward. Curl the dumbbells towards your shoulders, keeping your elbows close to your body.
  5. Dumbbell Tricep Extensions: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, hold a dumbbell with both hands overhead. Lower the dumbbell behind your head, keeping your upper arms stationary.

Start with a weight that challenges you but allows you to maintain good form. Aim for 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions for each exercise. Gradually increase weight or repetitions as you get stronger. Incorporate these exercises into a well-rounded fitness routine that includes cardio and core work for optimal belly fat reduction and overall health.

Core exercises: Exercises that target your abdominal muscles, such as planks, crunches, and leg raises, can help strengthen and tone your core, but they won’t necessarily spot-reduce belly fat.Here are 10 exercises that effectively target your core muscles, helping to strengthen and tone your midsection:

  1. Plank: A classic core exercise that engages your entire core, including your abs, obliques, and lower back. Hold the plank position for as long as you can, maintaining a straight line from head to heels.
  2. Side Plank: This variation targets your obliques and helps improve core stability and balance. Hold the side plank position on one forearm, keeping your body in a straight line.
  3. Crunches: A popular exercise for strengthening the rectus abdominis (the “six-pack” muscle). Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Curl your upper body towards your knees, engaging your core.
  4. Bicycle Crunches: This exercise works your abs and obliques simultaneously. Lie on your back, bring your knees towards your chest, and alternate touching your elbow to the opposite knee, as if pedaling a bicycle.
  5. Russian Twists: This exercise targets your obliques and improves core strength and rotational power. Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat. Lean back slightly, holding a weight or medicine ball, and twist your torso from side to side.
  6. Leg Raises: This exercise strengthens your lower abs and hip flexors. Lie on your back with legs extended. Raise your legs towards the ceiling, keeping them straight or slightly bent, and lower them back down with control.
  7. Flutter Kicks: This exercise targets your lower abs and improves core endurance. Lie on your back with legs extended. Lift your legs slightly off the ground and alternate kicking them up and down in a fluttering motion.
  8. Mountain Climbers: This dynamic exercise engages your entire core, as well as your shoulders, chest, and legs. Start in a plank position and alternate bringing your knees towards your chest in a running motion.
  9. Bird Dog: This exercise challenges your core stability and coordination. Start on your hands and knees, then extend one arm and the opposite leg simultaneously, maintaining a straight line from head to heel.
  10. Dead Bug: This exercise improves core strength and stability, particularly in the transverse abdominis (deep core muscle). Lie on your back with arms and legs extended towards the ceiling. Lower one arm and the opposite leg towards the floor, keeping your core engaged, and alternate sides.

Remember to start with a comfortable number of repetitions and sets, and gradually increase the intensity and duration as you get stronger. Focus on maintaining proper form and engaging your core throughout each exercise to maximize its benefits and prevent injuries.

Other strategies to combat belly fat include the fitness and welfare basics. Aim for 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep per night to support hormone regulation and overall health. Practice stress-management techniques like yoga, meditation, deep breathing exercises, or spending time in nature. Remember that sustainable weight management takes time and effort. Don’t get discouraged by setbacks, and focus on making healthy choices consistently. Your lifestyle choices have a significant impact on your health and body composition. By adopting healthy habits, you can take charge of your well-being and achieve your goals. If I accomplish mine, I will certainly update with what worked and what did not. Good luck with those abs!

Why Your Kid Should Have A Dog

Image by Tony Minguillon from Pixabay

I wasn’t on board with this at first. My wife insisted and all the while I was thinking ‘ we are getting a large animal for our 4 year old that he’s not going to care about and I’m going to have to take care of it. I was wrong on several levels. I think the choice to get a dog has been an emotional and social advantage that our child would have otherwise been lacking. Our child, Elliot, has a natural empathy and confidence toward other critters that I don’t see with a lot of other children. He has a physical presence and aura of authority that I believe is also related to his canine sibling. I think this relationship between child and pet is underrated and deserves a closer look.

I wasn’t very close to our dog growing up. We had a large black Lab who stayed outside and did not interact much with the family other than feeding time or trips to the lake. My father believed that animals belonged outside, and not having many other authorities on that subject in my life, I adopted a similar attitude. I never understood just how social dogs are, and looking back on my childhood I think that our dog lived a fairly sad and lonely life. As an adult I began to realize that dogs required a lot of interaction to be truly happy and I never got one for myself because there was always a ton on my plate and I didn’t believe I had the time or space to be a good dog owner. 

I had a tenant later in life who was a co-worker and eventually a good friend of mine. He purchased a German shorthaired pointer to have as a pet, which cemented all my beliefs about why I should not have a dog. That dog was hyper, needy, loud and destructive. I could take that dog for a 5 mile bike ride while he ran alongside. We would get home and he would rest for 30 minutes and be ready to go again. I understood later that it was a poor choice of dog for the size of our condo, lack of a yard, and proximity to neighbors. Looking back, I see that he was an amazing dog in a poor environment, and I remember him more as loyal, intelligent, goofy and lovable.

My wife always had a different attitude toward pets than me. I looked at animals for their practical traits, whether they were for food or protection. Dogs and cats always seemed to get along with me but I never became too attached. I guess the exception would be a couple of the cats I had as a young child. My wife looks at pets as a responsibility, almost like having another child that needs not only sustenance, but love, affection and happiness. She had a Chihuahua when we first met. A tiny dog she allegedly stole from her ex-husband because he treated the dog poorly. The dog was fidgety, noisy, spoiled and yet still riddled with anxiety. It was the complete opposite of a practical pet, although I guess he made a good door alarm. My wife slept with him in her bed every night. To say that it took some getting used to is an understatement. I eventually got it. The grumpy little guy was affectionate, cuddly and had that wide eyed puppy look down pat. You really couldn’t help but appreciate the fact that you were finally good enough for him to let you pet him, and oh the look of jealousy I got from my wife when after a few months he would curl up on my lap instead of hers. 

Bodi, the Chihuahua, died when my son was 3 years old. I was distraught cried like a baby, but I also thought, finally no more cleaning up pee and poop. My wife had other ideas though. She is a scientist and a researcher and she decided that the best dog for our little boy would be a standard poodle. She had several reasons for this from how they are with children to how they allegedly won’t trigger allergies. I knew once she decided on this, it was going to happen, so I grumbled a little bit passive aggressively, then I did what any good husband does, and got out of her way. 

A little side note here. We originally wanted to have more than one child with the idea that siblings would be a good experience for any kid to have. We were older parents and so our boy is an IVF (In vitro fertilization) baby. Yes, that means he was conceived in a petri dish. We had intended for him to have brothers and sisters but the process is long and hard (especially on the female half of the team). We had already had one failure before our son and he was also supposed to have a twin sister which did not work out. We tried two more times, the second time failed so spectacularly my wife almost died. It involved an ectopic pregnancy, and burst fallopian tubes. The ambulance brought my wife to the hospital after she collapsed in the living room. Even though they knew she was 8 weeks pregnant, they still blew her off for hours at the hospital thinking she was just having indigestion or something. The nurse asked her to stand up and she passed out onto the floor. That’s when they finally figured out that she was bleeding to death internally. After a messy surgery,  a week in the hospital and a trauma she still hasn’t quite recovered from, she decided our son would have to do without siblings.  The next best option would be Riker

We named the poodle Riker because my wife was a closet Star Trek the Next Generation fan in high school and Riker would be our son’s number one. Riker immediately reminded me of that German shorthaired pointer because he was energetic, needy and loud. Things became better as we figured him out a bit more. Riker is energetic but does not have endurance like the pointer. He is loud but he eventually (somewhat) learned when it was appropriate to bark. His neediness is endearing and apparently most dogs are genetically bred with that trait in mind, so what can you do?

The first couple years were a love-hate, almost brotherly relationship for the dog and his boy. Riker was like the bully older brother, even though he was younger he still outweighed the kiddo by about 20 pounds. He would accidentally bowl the boy over or hip check him into the couch or chew his toys to pieces.  Riker destroyed a couple of stuffed animals which incurred such an episode of screaming wrath from my son that the dog learned after the second such encounter, to stay away from the stufties. We’ve had the dog now for 5 years and it has been almost 4 since he has so much as licked a stuffed animal. 

So what has my son learned from having a dog? I suppose I can’t definitively prove anything, but I can describe what I have noticed in comparison with other children his age. Elliot seems to have a lot more patience and empathy with other children who have communication issues such as foreign languages or mental handicaps. He is also more tolerant in general of people who are different physically or socially challenged, and even seems to gravitate toward them. I can relate some of this to the way Elliot looks at Riker kind of like another human being. He was frustrated as a younger child because he didn’t understand why Riker wouldn’t listen to him and do what he was told. I had to explain to him how dogs don’t understand English and really only understood a few words. Elliot learned quickly how much more responsive Riker was when spoken to in a calm but firm voice while holding a snack in hand. It was somewhat humorous watching the boy use similar techniques on his little human friends with similar results.  

Elliot is not afraid of other animals. He approaches all other animals with the assumption that they want petting and treats. He knows not to approach strange dogs, especially if they are leashed, without asking the owner first. Riker is very protective when being walked on a leash and Elliot takes it as a given that other dogs may be the same way, so he is careful and cautious, but not fearful. He’s ok with being jostled or knocked over by larger dogs and accepts it as part of playing, but he’s not afraid to stand up to them loudly and decisively when they go too far. Apparently he did the same with some bullies at school in such a way that everyone within a hundred feet heard the dressing down. After being treated like ‘bad dogs’ and laughed at by half the school, they don’t seem to bother Elliot anymore. 

I notice that my son has an affection for other animals as well. He is not the type of boy who will casually kill frogs or even insects. He loves petting zoos and the last one we went to was at the Skowhegan Fair in Maine. He spent almost two hours in a pen with ducks, geese, rabbits, goats, sheep and chickens. After a while he became the ‘expert’ and was helpfully instructing the other kids about the animals, including which ones liked petting, which treats they liked and their general personality. After a thorough hand washing all he wanted to talk about the rest of the day was farm animals. He wasn’t even interested in the rides, he spent another hour just walking through the farm exhibits and asking questions. We had to explain several times that no, we would not be purchasing any rabbits or chickens and taking them back to California.

I know his personality is not all about the dog, but I do believe Riker has had a positive impact on his emotional development. I think that being an only child would be much more of a struggle without his furry buddy. There are certainly some natural genetic traits involved and surely parenting plays a role as well, but true empathy requires more thought and experience. I think the quality of school is also important for emotional development and I may write a post on that subject in the future. Watching him go from follower to leader over the past 4 years has been a treat and has changed my perspective on a lot of things. I think his confidence would have suffered greatly without his trusty and faithful, four legged friend.

What can we do for you?

Image by Michi S from Pixabay

When pilots tour an air traffic facility one of the most common questions is: What can we as pilots do to make the lives of air traffic controllers easier? We do appreciate the concern. As you can imagine, this particular topic is often discussed in detail when it’s just us controllers, but we tend to be a little more political when our customers are in the room. Yes, customers. Whether we like it or not, air traffic is a service industry. That certainly doesn’t mean that the customers are always right, because if they were, air traffic controllers would be out of a job. Here is my disclaimer before we get too far: The views and opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not represent the official policies, positions, or opinions of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or any other governmental agency. I do not speak on behalf of the FAA, and any information provided is based on my personal experience and knowledge.

Air traffic controllers are aware of the stress that pilots face, many of my fellow controllers are pilots, some of them were even pilot instructors. That being said, when we’re on the spot and stressed out, we tend to have little tolerance for poor piloting. We generally don’t lash out directly unless we’re really at the end of our rope (which can happen several times on a bad day). On frequency you may notice a hardening of tone, a shortness that indicates we have a lot on our plate and the latest pilot error has just drastically increased our workload. 

I think this reaction to stress is only human. After almost 30 years of stressful work, I still lose my temper sometimes. I think I’ve only raised my voice twice to my wife in 13 years. I get angry more often with my 8 year old son, but I’m even keeled enough where just a slight change in tone lets him know he messed up. I might say something like “I know jumping on the couch is fun, but it would be a shame if that resulted in the Playstation power cord being lost for the rest of the day.” But still, I have probably seriously raised my voice to him 3 times in the last 2 years, and he can really push my buttons. I get pissed off at a pilot almost everyday of the week, sometimes more than once a day. I generally don’t express it out loud in any way and it only lasts a few minutes, but in that moment I feel more disrespected than from anything my wife or kid has ever done. Part of this comes from the fact that most people are not risking lives or property when they mess up, so our expectations tend to be higher. Also keep in mind that I talk to hundreds of pilots every day, so from that perspective one or two isn’t bad.

It’s not that the pilot necessarily made some huge mistake or did something intentionally wrong, it’s the particular situation. Imagine you are already stressed out, at the end of your mental capacity trying to keep 12 other people happy and one person has to go and break the flow by slapping you in the face, or careening into the final or following the wrong airplane or circling in your departure corridor. Objectively, I get it, pilots are human and they make mistakes. Also, I work at a training airport and many of the pilots are either students, very inexperienced or the dreaded ‘weekend warriors’. The problem is, and this may be my age talking, I believe it’s getting worse.

There are a few common issues that I have seen an increase in over the past 18 years at my particular airport. Flight planning seems to be a big one. I don’t know if it’s the reliance on technology or a change in culture but more aircraft are coming to the airport with little to no idea where they are going. They have more trouble finding the airport than back in the day when they were just using VORs and TACANs. I’ve had a pilot try to get a landing clearance telling me that according to their IPad they were five miles south. We had them squawk ident and scrolled out the RADAR to find them almost 30 miles south in restricted military airspace. 

There are more people coming off the runway onto the taxiway and not knowing which FBO (fixed base operator) they want to go to. They might want self-serve fuel and not know that they exited on the wrong side of the runway, They get clearance to county transient parking and end up turning into the restricted commuter ramp and never tell ground control they need progressive taxi instructions.

Yes, I am venting a little. I should mention that the vast majority of professional pilots are spot on and know exactly what they are doing. It can actually be quite enjoyable to work with a half-dozen aircraft that all respond immediately and correctly to every instruction. 

Let’s get back on track and talk about flight planning. I’m not a pilot but I did some flight planning and navigation training in the Marine Corps. We spent about 80 hours in the air flying all over the country keeping track of everything from fuel to our exact location. We used a variety of tools including pen and paper, an antiquated calculation device we called a ‘whiz wheel’, TACANs, VOR/DME, INS(inertial navigation system), pressure, and celestial navigation. Yes, I have navigated on a moving aircraft going 400 knots with a flipping sextant sticking out of the top of the aircraft, taking three star, sun or moon readings at 4 minutes each and using an almanac to triangulate our position on a chart and then dead reckoning to adjust the heading. Our instructors had fancy hand held Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, which were new at the time, to check our work. Despite all the amazing technology of the 90’s, the one thing that kept us afloat were checklists. Yes, checklists. We had so many checklists that we had checklists for our checklists. I have heard that pilots use these things too.

I’m sure flight planning has changed quite a lot in the last 30 years, but who knows, in the tower we still have paper versions of everything. I would hope that you are plotting your route of flight on a valid up to date published chart or digital version. You want to know if you are creeping up on or going through a class B, C, or D airspace and who you should be talking to. You want to know about the artillery range that you’re flying right next to. You should be aware if you are on someone’s final or in their departure corridor. Know the new landmarks. Southern California changes relatively fast. That reservoir you used as a landmark 3 years ago might be a condo development and those smoke stacks on the shore that were such an eyesore have been torn down and if you forgot where they were, suddenly you’re careening into my departure corridor. Know the airport layout. 

So you’re a little lost in the air, you call in 7 miles east when you are actually 5 miles due north and you are asking to land on a runway that doesn’t exist. We got you. Now we know you are new and will guide you in with caution (as soon as we verify you’re going to the correct airport.) Yes, people try to land at an uncontrolled airport 7 miles north of us all the time thinking it’s us. Sometimes they succeed. There are some funny stories there which I’m pretty sure I’m not allowed to tell. Just make sure you are landing at the right airport or the runway might be half as long as you think it is, or even better your aircraft is surrounded by Marines with loaded rifles before you even get on the taxiway.

Awareness of your location is a key concept that deserves some more time. Again, more and more often aircraft seem to be flying through arrival and departure corridors without talking to anyone. Fairly often a slow mover (ie. Skyhawk, Cherokee or almost any single engine prop) will call up on a 10 mile final at 3500 feet asking for a straight-in to the runway, completely oblivious to the global express descending out of 6000 4 miles behind them. Or someone will be off shore in the departure corridor circling at 3000 feet ‘whale watching’ while departing jets are trying to climb through that altitude. Then there is the classic response when you tell certain pilots that what they are doing is not safe, it’s something to the effect of: ‘well we’re VFR and this is uncontrolled airspace so…’. I can’t help but think, who are they going to take with them on their flaming plummet with that attitude?  It’s like walking through an active rifle range, having faith people will see you and stop firing, or maybe the big sky theory is going to save them. But then again, I suppose it’s job security.

So you’re on the ground, landed and safe. Wait, what’s a safety area? The safety area is a protected area on either side of the runway that needs to be kept clear in case an aircraft veers off the runway. Apparently this is not common at other airports but our runway safety area goes right up to the taxiway. Make sure you are up to speed on the runway and taxiway markings at the airport where you are landing. If you stop inside the safety area, air traffic control is not supposed to land or depart any airplanes on the runway. You can imagine how happy the bizjets are to be sent around because some cessna stopped just over the white line and is fishing for a ground frequency. Poof, 500 to 1000 dollars up in fumes depending on the type of jet and how far they have to fly to get back on final. All because someone didn’t scope out the airport they were flying into.

If you need help or don’t know where you are going, please say something. I know sometimes controllers can sound intimidating and impatient, and I suppose to a large extent we are, but it is our job to help you. If you need help, tell us. We can’t read your mind and when we’re busy we rely on the idea that pilots will do exactly what they are supposed to do in order to keep our plan in motion. If something disrupts the plan, then we adapt, but it’s more work and probably shortens our lifespans. If I tell you to follow the Mooney on a 3 mile final and you tell me you have traffic in sight, I’m not expecting you to follow the Centurion on a 1.5 mile final where your base turn tries to t-bone the Mooney. If you are not sure where your traffic is just tell us you’re still looking or ask us to call your base turn. 

I notice more pilots who do not know basic instructions and terminology. I understand that companies want the ground school to be relatively easy because, well, more customers is more money, but maybe we can have a more comprehensive review at the end or something? We issued a go around once to a pilot who had no idea what we were talking about. After the resulting pilot deviation, they had to call on the phone and have us explain to them how to do a go-around. Seriously. More often I’m getting pilots who don’t know what ‘the option’ is. This is a clearance that means you can do a full stop, stop and go, touch and go, or low approach. I use this often because about one in five student pilots will go around anyway and about one in ten will do whatever they want regardless of what you tell them. I get it, they are training and nervous. If I clear them for the option, then I’m ready for any surprises. At least twice a week I hear something like ‘Ah, no tower we’re actually requesting a touch and go…’ and I have to explain how yep, that is part of the option.

Ok, that was a lot of ranting. To summarize, in order to help controllers more, pilots can plan better, listen carefully to the frequency, speak up if they are confused or not sure of something, and study hard before you get into that plane by yourself. I feel like somewhere in that sentence could be a basic mantra for living your life, but that’s a topic for another post. 

Now that we’ve ragged on pilots for a while let’s talk about what controllers can do better. What? Controllers aren’t perfect? What blasphemy is this! It’s true though, we are all human and until that blessed day when our future AI overlords take our jobs too, you have to deal with us. 

Controllers tend to talk fast. This happens to me fairly regularly. I get excited and start going full speed and about the third time I hear ‘say again?’ I realize it’s time to calm down, take a breath,  slow my speech rate, and focus on proper enunciation. Some controllers never figure it out and they become more frustrated with the pilots’ lack of comprehension and compliance. It makes a long and frustrating career for those controllers. Controllers have hearing problems too. I know my baseline goes down every year and I have to keep turning the volume up loader. Between my poor ears and the number of foreign pilots training, one of my favorite phrases has become ‘Say Again?’.

Controllers can be mean. Most of us have large and strong egos because they need to be in order ro resist the pummeling they take on a regular basis. This is a good thing, trust me you want the controller who is excited and loud and confident over the one who is apathetic and uncaring. Unfortunately after enough time on our high pedestal we tend to look down upon the lesser mortals and might start spouting sarcasm. We can be condescending, passive aggressive and patronizing but will never curse at you, at least not on the recorded line. The vitriol slips out now and then, sometimes subtle, sometimes not so much. I think a lot of controllers could benefit from some basic customer service training.

Distractions are one of the safety concerns that we get educated on regularly. It can be anything from someone telling a joke in the background to a tour standing behind you asking questions that subconsciously competes for that limited attention span. Other issues include problems at home, family strife, sick loved ones, or money problems that cause your mind to drift and introduce more risk. These are all known issues that the Agency (FAA) is aware of and spends a ton of money trying to fix. We do have a lot of options that we can use to deal with our drama, but again our egos come into play and we think we are fine to be at work or we don’t want to let down our co-workers or we don’t have any time off left. I do have some strong opinions about these issues, but I’ll save that for another blog post, perhaps after retirement.

There is a lot more that can be improved upon by both sides. Some of the controller issues which I have not mentioned deserve several posts of their own or perhaps a small book to dive into, and I’m not ready to broach those areas yet. It eventually comes down to human beings being flawed and oh yeah, money. I want to give a shout out to all the people who work hard to keep our national airspace safe and efficient. There are some real heroes out there in my industry that work diligently despite the barriers of politics, short sighted hiring and antiquated training practices, to make sure aviators are safe and on time. 

I would also like to thank bizjet and airline pilots for their professionalism and consistent desire for self and passenger preservation. We can’t see everything after all. I am humbled daily by all that you do. I would also like to give a shout out to all the pilot trainers out there. I can’t imagine the guts it takes to sit next to a student pilot and put your life in their hands. I think you’re all crazy. Amazing but crazy.

If I continue posts on this topic, I think I will focus on more instructional philosophy toward air traffic controllers. If there is any particular subject you would like me to go more in depth on, let me know and I will be sure to answer with my completely biased and somewhat professional opinion.

Starting a Cleaning Business

Image by svklimkin from Pixabay

Why would anyone want to start a cleaning business? It’s not something I would have considered until I started considering the conveniences people will actually pay for in the real world. I have all these fantasies about starting a business that revolves around what I want and what I need, but the real money is in what other people need. Cleaning is something a lot of people pay for in Southern California. I grew up cleaning after myself and for many years scoffed at the idea of paying someone else to do something so trivial. In my maturity and continuing trend toward the SoCal lifestyle I see the appeal. I am a busy person and I have paid 40 dollars to have someone clean my car. It took them 20 minutes and a machine did most of the work. I have paid 400 dollars to have my house cleaned. It took them 4 and half hours and I thought, dang, after taxes that’s more than I make in a 10 hour day (8 hours of work plus 2 hours of driving). 

I know from my own searches that finding a good and consistent cleaner can be troublesome. You might wonder, who am I inviting into my home? Are they going to steal my stuff? I feel like this is not too much of a concern with most professional cleaning services. The concerns I have had are more like: What chemicals are they using that my family and pets are going to be exposed to? Did they know they pulled the curtains out of the drywall and if so why didn’t they just tell me? Did they literally sweep everything under the carpet or was that there already? Minor stuff overall, but sometimes annoying. Honestly I don’t have a lot of experience with hiring other people for cleaning, like I said I am usually too cheap and just do it myself.

I believe there is a need in my area for competent and consistent cleaners. I think people will pay a lot of money for such a service. The question is, do I want to be the one to provide that service? I am no spring chicken and the physical aspect alone is daunting. I know I could adapt, but I would hope to hire help relatively soon. I also have this vision in my head of dealing with snobby customers who are ultra perfectionists, doing white glove inspections after each job and publicly complaining. My experience in customer service is limited, but I know people will always find a way to critique. 

I always thought getting a government contract would be the best way to go. Our facility contracts a company to clean the windows, a separate one to clean the shades, and another one to do the basic janitorial work. I have done all these things for an air traffic control tower, because the Marines do not contract people to clean when enlisted people can do it, and it’s all pretty simple. I’m not up on the exact numbers that contractors get these days but I feel like I could meet all of their requirements in about 5 hours a week. I estimate Uncle Sam pays about 1800 dollars for that work. Yeah, 1800 dollars for 5 hours a week. That’s why our Janitor drives a Mercedes and I drive a Nissan. That’s the type of cleaning business I want to have.

Isn’t it funny how you talk to certain people and they look down on certain industries like they are less worthy. I think jobs need to be done, and if you can make money doing it, good for you. I had a friend who would rag on me because I delivered pizza. He was a real estate agent, and I didn’t realize this at the time but I made more money than him. Now he is unemployed and struggling because he’s too good to work a ‘menial’ job. I’ll bet that guy who used to work at Dominoes and now owns 16 franchises would be laughing his ass off from his Laguna Niguel mansion with his 15 cats. Yeah, you know who you are. 

I’m honestly a little worried about pushback from my own family. Not my East coast family, they won’t care. My West coast family, like my wife, California born and raised, is gonna be like; “you wanna do what now?”. Oh and of course my kid at school; “yeah my dad’s a…sanitation engineer…”. Obviously it’s not what I want to do until I drop dead, I just feel like it is a practical business idea that can actually go somewhere with a little discipline and persistence. I like the idea of running a business and watching it grow, improving the numbers. With that in mind I created a little sample business plan with the help of ChatGPT and my own prior experiences such as they are.

Business Plan for California Casual Cleaning Service (The name needs work, I know, just go with it.)

1. Executive Summary

  • Business Name: California Casual Cleaning Service
  • Business Address: Somewhere in Orange County, CA
  • Owner: The one, the only: Mad Mike
  • Services Offered: Residential cleaning (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly), deep cleaning, move-in/move-out cleaning
  • Mission Statement: To provide top-quality, reliable, and affordable residential cleaning services, ensuring our clients’ homes are always stress free, clean and comfortable.

2. Business Objectives

  • Short-term Goals:
    • Secure 10 regular clients within the first 3 months.
    • Achieve a 90% customer satisfaction rate.
  • Long-term Goals:
    • Expand to include commercial cleaning services in 2 years.
    • Grow client base to 100+ regular clients in 5 years.

3. Market Analysis

  • Target Market: Homeowners and renters in Orange County, particularly busy professionals and families.
  • Market Needs: Professional, reliable, and flexible cleaning services.
  • Competitors: Local cleaning companies, national franchises, independent cleaners.
  • Market Trends: Growing demand for eco-friendly cleaning solutions and convenient booking options.

4. Services Offered

  • Standard Cleaning: Dusting, vacuuming, mopping, kitchen and bathroom cleaning.
  • Deep Cleaning: Detailed cleaning including baseboards, behind appliances, and inside cabinets.
  • Move-In/Move-Out Cleaning: Comprehensive cleaning for homes before or after moving.

5. Marketing and Sales Strategy

  • Website: Create a user-friendly website with online booking capabilities.
  • Social Media: Use platforms like Facebook and Instagram to reach local customers.
  • Advertising: Utilize local online classifieds, community boards, and flyers.
  • Promotions: Offer first-time customer discounts and referral incentives.

6. Operations Plan

  • Location: Operate from a home office to reduce overhead costs.
  • Hours of Operation: Monday to Saturday, 8 AM to 6 PM.
  • Suppliers: Source cleaning supplies and equipment from local or online retailers.
  • Staffing: Start with a small team, hiring additional staff as needed based on growth.

7. Financial Plan

  • Startup Costs:
    • Equipment and supplies: $1,000
    • Business registration and insurance: $500
    • Marketing and advertising: $500
    • Miscellaneous: $500
  • Monthly Expenses:
    • Supplies and equipment: $200
    • Insurance: $50
    • Marketing: $100
    • Miscellaneous: $100
  • Pricing Strategy:
    • Standard cleaning: $100 per visit
    • Deep cleaning: $200 per visit
    • Move-in/Move-out cleaning: $250 per visit
  • Revenue Projections:
    • Month 1: $1,500
    • Month 3: $4,000
    • Month 6: $8,000

8. Legal and Administrative Requirements

(So in the beginning I would probably go with a sole proprietorship for the sake of simplicity. I’ve never actually done an LLC, but my understanding is that the LLC model is for a larger business that needs to limit liability on the owner, and look better to more prestigious clients.)

  • Business Structure: LLC for liability protection.
  • Licenses: Obtain a business license from Orange County.
  • Insurance: General liability insurance and bonding.

9. Conclusion California Casual Cleaning Service aims to become a trusted name in residential cleaning in Orange County by providing exceptional service and maintaining high standards of cleanliness and customer care.

I’m going to research the idea of cleaning for a straight hourly wage. I don’t like the idea of being potentially paid 100 dollars for a job that takes 8 hours. I would have to set minimums as well, I’m not thrilled with the prospect of driving 20 minutes to work for an hour, and then having to drive back. I once worked teaching chess to kids after school for 20 dollars an hour as a part time gig. It sounds great and fun on paper, but some of these schools were 35 minutes away, and the class was only an hour long. Yeah, it took me less than a month to realize I made a mistake and I got out as soon as I could. Luckily the classes were only 5 weeks long.

Getting insurance was not something I had initially considered. I feel that something like cleaning should be relatively low risk, right? Unfortunately, Californians do love to sue each other. It’s so scary to think that you could lose everything because some idiot slipped and hurt themselves on a wet floor. Dumber things have happened. I know someone who used to work for a company that did risk evaluation and litigation assistance for construction companies. I heard a lot of stories, but one that got to me was this guy who was running down the sidewalk, tripped and broke something, I can’t remember what. So he sues the owner of the house next to the sidewalk because their tree root had lifted the sidewalk and made him trip. Yes, he won the lawsuit. 

So if I do this, I will shoot for a start date around January 1st 2025, since that seems like a good time to start a business. It seems like relatively little effort to at least try it out and see how it goes. Maybe I won’t get any customers because the need is not as great as I thought. More likely though, I’ll clean a few houses and the customers will be so disappointed with the results, that they don’t call back. I do not underestimate the difficulty of competing with the companies already out there. Let me know if you have tried anything like this and how it worked out. Wish me luck.

First Anniversary

Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay

So today marks the one year anniversary for this blog. It is also exactly 2 years until I am eligible for retirement. I had some grand ideas and goals for this blog and to say the results are lackluster would be an understatement. I have 15 posts, about 24,000 words total and 21 subscribers. Those numbers are something I would like to achieve monthly this year. 

I’m pretty sure all of my subscribers are marketers of some kind and I’m not sure how to take that. I do wonder if any of them get anything from my posts or if they are all just hoping I buy something from them. I suppose I should be happy people are looking at all, but I was hoping for a little more engagement. The one comment I have is from one of my best friends and he didn’t even subscribe. In reality, I know it’s hard to build audience engagement when my topics are so scattered. 

I’m still not sure what to focus on. The obvious choice would be something money related since that particular post was by far the most popular. Is that really what I want to do though? Do I want to be just another wannabe financial guru that is really just an affiliate marketer reposting the get rich wisdom of the ages? There is a lot of material to pull from there, and I should know I’ve read dozens of those books. The basic premise all boils down to the same few things though. I can summarize hundreds of hours of reading into a few short words: discipline, perseverance, luck…

Yeah, that’s about the size of it. The Secret? Believe in yourself. The entire point of Think and Grow Rich: Be passionately disciplined and driven. There is a reason why your OCD friend is richer than you. I know there is objectively more to these books, but you can only read so many inspirational stories before they all start to sound the same. Much like marketing websites. After you get drawn in a few dozen times by the flashy headlines and pictures, they all just seem to blend together in a nauseating stream of ads and clickbait. 

I would really like to write a web serial, but am I passionate and disciplined enough to pump out content on a regular basis? I used to do a lot of story creation as a dungeon master for tabletop games. I used to revel in the creative process. After a while the need to come up with new and engaging creative content for my group of five players every Friday became more like work. I burned out and stopped playing for a long time, and when I tried again years later, the passion was gone. I was going through the motions enjoying the social aspect a bit, but almost dreading the game preparation. The press of life as an adult does not seem to lend itself readily to creative insight. Now that my friends and family are so scattered it’s hard to justify the effort to put a tabletop game together when Elder Scrolls is just right there!

On the subject of what I plan to do in two years, I’m still largely undecided. I’m kind of hoping some awesome opportunity is going to land in my lap and make all my decisions for me. Staying in my current job is certainly an option, and looking more likely since I just bought a new car. Stay tuned for a possible upcoming blog post on car buying. Don’t get me wrong if the right opportunity to work from home appeared, I would sell that car in a heartbeat and share a lease with my wife to make the transition more affordable. 

The idea of starting my own small business is sounding more appealing. I still like the idea of an online business but I lack the confidence in my ideas to invest a ton of money into it. I’m considering something where there is a definite need in my area, like house cleaning, or daycare, or pet sitting. I don’t necessarily enjoy any of these things but I like the idea of running a business and trying to get it to the point where I can step away and let my employees take over.

In the end, while the subject of retirement and a second career looms on the horizon, I’m not terribly worried about it. I usually make the best of every situation that comes about. I might procrastinate or get sucked into video games but when the time comes I will step up and do what needs to be done. Sometimes my confidence wavers and part of me thinks I might be getting too old and lazy for something new. Deep down, however, I know I’m still that guy who will power my way through any obstacle. I’m still that kid who worked on a farm for 3 dollars an hour to buy comic books. I’m that kid who biked 85 miles with everything I owned on my back because someone told me I couldn’t. I’m still that guy who renovated an entire house by myself in two weeks. I’m still that guy who hiked Mount Whitney at 44. Don’t give up on me yet.

My Air Traffic Conflict

Image by Wälz from Pixabay

A friend of mind is encouraging me to write about air traffic control on my blog. She is someone whom I respect greatly, a retiree from the industry and someone who has the consulting job of my dreams. I have mixed feelings with regard to talking about air traffic in a public forum. On the one hand it is what I have been doing with my life for nearly 30 years and I do know a lot about it. On the other hand there is a lot that is political, controversial or just plain up for interpretation, which could invite some backlash. On one side I have a lot of bitterness from what I perceive as poor overall management. On the other hand this is by far the best job I’ve ever had on almost any practical scale I care to measure. 

So my mentor says I should write about ATC (air traffic control) because she thinks it can add credibility to any application I might make for a consulting job after I retire. She should know. She works as an independent consultant who works from anywhere she wants and works whatever hours she wants. Her hourly rate is outrageous and if they do need her in person somewhere, they fly her wherever she needs to go and compensate her very well. Yes, I want to be her. The cynical side of me worries that my honest opinions could get me blackballed from the very companies I would like to work for.

For starters, who am I to talk with any authority on the subject? I don’t have a college degree, though I have been told that my experience is the equivalent of having a Ph.D. in the field. I don’t really agree with that educational assessment though I respect the source. I suppose it makes sense when you consider that Ph.D. stands for Doctor of Philosophy, because I feel like once you get to a certain level in an area of knowledge you become a philosopher. I mean a philosopher in the sense that you start to question and evaluate the very basic principles that are the core of your profession. 

In terms of practical experience, I have worked at four different facilities, and air traffic is very facility specific. A person can be a working controller for decades and still need to train for months or years to be certified at a new facility. I have been in management, I have helped develop procedures, and been heavily involved in QA/QC(Quality Assurance and Quality Control), mostly the QC side. I have taught classes and trained around thirty other controllers. None of this experience is really unique or particularly ambitious for someone who has been doing this as long as I have.

I am honestly not sure who my audience should be when writing on the subject. Should I try to write for the layperson who has little to no understanding of the industry and thinks I wave batons to assist parking aircraft? Should I write to pilots who have a basic understanding of aviation but do not know all the intricacies and expectations of the mysterious controller on the other end of the radio? Perhaps I should write to the perspective or developmental air traffic controller who has little to no concept of the world they are stepping into.

This niche could definitely help  improve my writing. It is something I can say a lot about at least somewhat competently. I would never be at a loss for words or subject matter. The research materials are at my fingertips, though I would likely just use ChatGPT for that sort of busy work anyhow. 

I will play it by ear for now and perhaps write a few posts that address the most commonly asked questions we get from pilots or laypersons. For now I shall close with a disclaimer provided by my favorite AI assistant: The views and opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not represent the official policies, positions, or opinions of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or any other governmental agency. I do not speak on behalf of the FAA, and any information provided is based on my personal experience and knowledge.

My Keto Experience

Image by Sarah Kallend from Pixabay

I’ve talked about this a little in some previous posts, but never really got into any detail. The keto diet is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet designed to shift your metabolism from relying on glucose (carbohydrates) for energy to relying on ketones (fat). This metabolic state is called ketosis. By significantly reducing carbohydrate intake (less than 30 grams a day for me) and increasing fat consumption, the body is forced to use fat as its primary energy source.

For me, the most difficult issue with this diet was the company I kept. Having family and friends around deviously offering high carb foods and sugary treats was an ongoing distraction. My nemesis, beer, was another big hurdle. I’m sure a lot of people with stressful jobs get this, but at the end of the work day there is this willpower vacuum. Your adrenaline is calming down as you leave work just so you can endure an hour-long drive through traffic to get home and deflate. Nothing sounds better than a burger, some fries and an ice cold beer. Nope, not on keto. You can have a burger with no bun, some cheese, low sugar veggies, and a glass of water.

As a result of temptation, over the course of five months I slipped in and out of ketosis several times and that back and forth kind of sucks. Keto is definitely something you should be prepared to maintain for the long haul. I didn’t measure ketones with special equipment or strips or anything because I never felt that serious about the experiment and it was pretty obvious to me when my metabolic shift occurred. The first time getting into keto consisted of about a week of sluggishness where I felt like I could not sleep enough and a pretty gnarly headache for about 3 of those days. I’ve always struggled with some bad breath issues so I did not notice that symptom in particular and my wife is pretty good at letting me know if it’s a problem. I generally brush and use mouthwash 2 or 3 times a day and use Altoids between meals. Can’t do Altoids on keto, or at least you need to be careful not to do too many.

After about a week my mind became noticeably more clear and my short term energy became more easily accessible. By easily accessible I mean that the period from rest to motion grew shorter. For example getting up off the couch became easier and I didn’t have to stumble around for a few minutes before it felt like my muscles and mind were up to speed. I felt less desire for caffeine. In fact, over the course of 3 weeks I went from a pot a day to zero coffee. It was a weird feeling being at work without a coffee cup. 

The first time I slipped out of keto was only 3 weeks in, but the effect was like being drugged. After a hard day of work, weakness overtook my senses and I decided to relax with a hazy IPA. I barely made it through half the beer when fog seemed to come over my mind and my muscles seemed to become too relaxed. I remember my vision was affected to the point where I couldn’t read words on the tv screen even with my glasses on. When I got up to walk it took effort and my balance was off for about 20 minutes while I experienced an intermittent kind of vertigo. I think it took me about 3 days to get back into keto after that. The fatigue transition was milder and the headache was very minor. Basically, the day after that one beer I felt like I had a very mild hangover. 

The weight loss or the way it worked rather, was quite surprising. Over those first 3 weeks I lost ten pounds, but then I stopped losing weight for a week after that one beer. I figured that those first few pounds were mostly water weight anyway, and I didn’t worry too much. The surprise was that it stopped so completely even though my diet didn’t really change, I think it took almost 2 weeks to drop another pound. 

Another cool effect of keto was the appetite suppression. With the right meal I could eat around 11am, eat another small meal around 6 or 7pm and be satisfied until 11am the next day. This was quite novel for me, because when I’m not on keto I tend to graze with 5 or 6 small meals and snacks throughout the day.

Depending on what you decide to eat on your keto diet it can be a little more expensive and a lot more work than normal meals. For some people the food cost alone could be prohibitive. I’m used to California prices which for a lot of the basics is a little more than triple what my brother pays for the same thing in Maine. I tried a bunch of different things but the one I liked the best was the steak and salad meal plan.  I would buy a large pack of ribeye steaks, preferably  from Costco when they are on sale for $13.99 a pound, and prepare a huge salad to go with them. I went with simplicity for the steaks, seasoning them with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. The thin ones I would cook in the oven on 350 for about 15 minutes and the thicker ones for maybe 25 minutes. The salad was a bit more work and the ingredients would vary depending on what I had on hand. A typical salad would have lettuce and or spinach, arugula, hard boiled eggs, bacon, cucumbers, almond slivers, pine nuts, walnuts, black and green olives, avocado, and whatever varieties of cheese I had on hand. I used whatever type of salad dressing I wanted or was available, usually some organic variety sold in the refrigerated section. Eating the above meal exclusively I could sit on my butt playing video games eating as much as I wanted and consistently lose 1.5 pounds a week. Sounds easy and amazing right? Well believe it or not steak can actually get boring and making a fresh salad every day with umpteen ingredients is labor intensive. 

Over the next few months I cheated a few times with the transitions in and out of ketosis much less noticeable. I think the longest I stuck to the diet was about six weeks straight. The results after about 5 months was a loss of 22 pounds. I should mention that for about 3 weeks of this stretch I was on vacation and cheated quite a bit but did not gain or lose any weight. I was also very inactive for most of this time mostly because my endurance seemed to be affected. I would try to push up a hill during moderate hike and it was more of a struggle than it should have been. I’m guessing this was a result of a lack of carbs because when I left keto for the holidays my endurance returned just fine.

I stopped keto right before Thanksgiving because I did not feel like restricting myself with all that yummy food available. The transition was pretty smooth and I actually felt pretty good for about 2 weeks, then the weight came back with a vengeance. I was doing longer walks and not eating too terribly but over the course of six weeks I gained back 10 pounds. After the holidays the weight gain slowed a bit but now a year later I’m not quite back where I started, but only a couple of lazy weeks away. To give you an idea of the numbers, I am 5’11 and was 210 pounds when I started the diet and 188 when I consciously quit. I tend to fluctuate a lot with water weight so I weigh myself every morning when I get up for consistency. This morning I was sitting at 202 which is about my average for the last 5 years. 22 pounds does not seem like a lot when I consider that I once lost 11 pounds in one day hiking to the top of mount Whitney and back. It seems pretty good when I consider how much I cheated on the diet and how inactive I was.

Before I wrap up I have some other observations to share regarding what triggered a falling out so to speak versus what did not. Liquid carbs seem to thwart keto faster than solids, and processed, especially baked types of foods cancel keto faster than whole foods. For example, a heavy beer, ice cream or a slice of cake and for me that was pretty much back to square one. Although it seemed quicker to get back in the ketosis state as far as energy and mental benefits each time, the metabolic benefit would basically halt for at least a week. I would have some fruit now and then in my salads, such as dried cranberries, dried blueberries and tomatoes, with no discernible effect. I had small servings of potatoes or hash browns with no ill effect. I never tried eating a whole banana which would probably cross the line. I feel like the diet was more tolerant the longer I sustained it. At one point I had two 12-ounce Miller Lite’s in an hour and did not have an issue. 

I believe the amount of carbs you can have is dependent on your personal metabolism, the types of carbs and the time between consumption. That being said the road is much smoother if you count every carb and don’t experiment. I have heard that some people have trouble finding enough fat, which I find funny because I love cheese. I suppose if you are lactose intolerant then feeding this diet could actually be a challenge. Personally I don’t think keto is for me in the long term because I don’t like closing off so many other delicious options. Plus, I like beer. In closing, it needs mentioning that I am not a doctor or in any way related to the health profession. Nothing I say should be considered medical advice. If you are one of those fortunate people who actually has the ear of a doctor you can trust, by all means consult them before trying keto.

Minecraft, the Addiction is Real

Image by SkyeWeste

Minecraft is the first game my son and I completed together. By completed I mean defeating the ender dragon in survival mode and seeing the credits scroll by. We had been playing for a while, dodging the endermen and waging a sort of primitive trench warfare against the dragon when my son said “Dad, if we just put on pumpkin heads the endermen will ignore us.” We put on our new carved helmets and the rest is history. He was five, and I was so proud as we watched the credits scrolling by, reminding me of the first time I beat Mario Brothers so long ago. Since then my Mom and one of my brothers have also started playing, joined occasionally by my wife. 

If you have gone this far with the game, you appreciate the time and effort involved, and you also probably won’t need to read the rest of this post. If you have not, you may well be missing out on the cross generational, cross dimensional, geologically magical adventure that is Minecraft.

Minecraft, since its official release in 2011, has captivated millions of players worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling video games of all time. Its simplistic graphics and seemingly straightforward gameplay might not initially suggest a recipe for addiction, yet it has a magnetic hold on its audience. So, what is it about Minecraft that makes it so addictive? I’ve tried to explain this to friends and family for years but it’s hard to articulate its nature properly, especially to adult gamers who look at minecraft as ‘just a kid’s game’.

Minecraft’s most compelling feature is its sandbox nature, which allows players to build and explore without predefined objectives. This open-ended creativity is a significant draw. Like life, exploring minecraft is quite like an infinite box of chocolates. In Minecraft, players are limited only by their imagination. Want to build a replica of the Eiffel Tower? Go ahead. Feel like constructing an underwater city? No problem. This freedom to create and modify the game world offers endless possibilities and keeps players coming back for more. 

I’ve had fellow gamers scoff and tell me that I should just play Ark, as if better graphics makes a better game. Although I do love taming armies of dinosaurs, you can’t really dig in Ark, it is not a true sandbox in my opinion. At some point I may need to make a separate blog post on what constitutes an actual sandbox. Some people think a true sandbox is basically a game development engine, but the game should have some set qualities otherwise very few people will invest the time to learn all the tools. Other people seem to think any game with an open world and questionable or non-existent storyline is a sandbox game. Yet none of the better graphics games seem to come close to the scope and versatility that is Minecraft. I would say that 7 Days to Die is the closest thing I’ve seen to an actual sandbox game with decent graphics. Please feel free to comment with your opinions.

Unlike many other games, Minecraft starts you off with a blank canvas. The absence of a rigid storyline allows players to forge their path, setting and achieving personal goals. This creative freedom is akin to playing with digital Lego blocks but on a much grander scale. The satisfaction derived from seeing a project come to life, block by block, is immensely rewarding and addictive. I should mention that Lego Fortnite is coming along nicely but still has a way to go to compete with Minecraft. ‘A’ for effort Epic!

Minecraft offers vast, procedurally generated worlds filled with diverse biomes, hidden treasures, and mysterious caves. The sense of discovery and adventure is a powerful motivator. Every new world is unique, providing fresh landscapes to explore and secrets to uncover. The game’s procedural generation ensures that no two worlds are the same. This randomness fuels  curiosity and encourages players to venture into the unknown. The excitement of what lies beyond the next hill or within a dark cave keeps players engaged and eager to explore further.

The survival mode in Minecraft introduces elements of danger and resource management. Players must gather resources, build shelters, and fend off hostile mobs like zombies and creepers. This survival aspect adds a layer of challenge and urgency that can be thrilling and addictive. Managing resources effectively is critical to survival. Players must mine for materials, hunt for food, and craft tools. The satisfaction of progressing from basic wooden tools to diamond-encrusted armor provides a strong sense of accomplishment and growth. Battling mobs and planning defenses adds a strategic element to the game. The adrenaline rush of surviving a night filled with zombie attacks or successfully navigating a perilous cave system enhances the game’s addictive nature.

Minecraft’s multiplayer mode allows players to join servers, collaborate on massive projects, or compete in mini-games. The social aspect of Minecraft fosters a sense of community and camaraderie.Working with friends or other players on large-scale projects can be incredibly fulfilling. The collaborative effort of building cities, amusement parks, or intricate redstone contraptions strengthens bonds and enhances the gaming experience. Minecraft has a vibrant online community with countless servers catering to different play styles, from creative building servers to competitive PvP (player vs. player) arenas. The ability to join and contribute to these communities adds another layer of engagement and addiction.

Minecraft’s educational potential is another factor contributing to its addictive nature. Many schools and educators use Minecraft as a tool for teaching various subjects, from math and science to history and art.The game encourages problem-solving and critical thinking. Players must figure out how to gather resources, build structures, and survive in a challenging environment. These problem-solving aspects are not only educational but also highly engaging. Minecraft promotes creativity and innovation, essential skills in today’s world. The game’s redstone mechanics, for instance, allow players to create complex machines and circuits, fostering an interest in engineering and technology. My son has a Minecraft world that simulates the periodic table of elements, allowing the combination of protons, neutrons and electrons to create any element, and then further facilitating the building of molecules with those elements.

Mojang, the developers of Minecraft, continually release updates that add new features, biomes, mobs, and mechanics. This constant evolution keeps the game fresh and exciting. The extensive modding community further extends the game’s lifespan. Mods can add new dimensions, gameplay mechanics, and even entirely new games within Minecraft. This endless stream of content ensures that players always have something new to explore and experience.

Despite its challenges, Minecraft can be incredibly relaxing. The simple act of mining, building, and exploring at your own pace can be therapeutic. The game’s repetitive actions, such as mining or farming, can induce a state of mindfulness and focus. Many players find solace in the game’s peaceful moments, where they can escape the stresses of the real world and immerse themselves in their virtual creations. After a stressful day of work it’s hard to beat zoning out with beer in hand just digging for diamonds.

Minecraft fosters a deep sense of personal investment and ownership. The time and effort players put into their creations generate a strong emotional attachment to their worlds and projects. Unlike many other games where progress can be reset or lost, Minecraft worlds can be preserved indefinitely. This sense of permanence adds value to players’ efforts and achievements, making the game more meaningful and addictive. I have a world that I’ve been enhancing over the course of 4 years. I call it my ‘trophy world’ not only because it stays in survival mode so I can earn in-game trophies, but because it is an evolving monument to my own creativity and diligence.

Minecraft’s addictive nature can be attributed to its blend of creativity, exploration, survival challenges, social interaction, educational value, continuous updates, therapeutic qualities, and personal investment. Each of these elements contributes to a deeply engaging and immersive experience that keeps players coming back, time and time again. For me and my family it offers a virtual environment where we can gather and work towards common goals while we catch up and spend quality time together even though we live on opposite sides of the country. Whether you’re a master builder, an intrepid explorer, or a survivalist at heart, Minecraft offers something for everyone, making it one of the most compelling and addictive games ever created.

The World of Primythera

I have been talking about writing a web serial for a while so I decided to go back and rewrite some background from my old campaign world from my Dungeons & Dragons days.

When the world awoke she called herself Primythera in the language of the unfathomable, a language she had known before birth. In the void she spun in lonely circles for ages untold, feeling the warmth of her mother. The light and heat comforted the fledgling planet spirit, but it saddened her that it was only upon half her body at any one time.  As eons passed she began to sense more of the universe around her, distant progenitors similar to her own but infinitely more cold and distant. Her brothers and sisters took form during this time as well, but showed little in the way of affection or even sentience.

Though she slept for long periods, her awareness slowly grew. Contentment, wonder and harmony were consistent companions as other life emerged from her body including smaller offspring which circled her as she did the mother. Their spherical forms gazed upon her with adoration and envy, longing to touch, longing to be her. Other spirits formed and roamed for milenia within her before comprehension stole their innocence. These elementals were made of her molten core and cooler flowing surface. Though they were spawned from within, they were not completely born of her spirit and thus limited in aspect. She called them primordials, and loved them like her other children

         The longer she observed the more she discovered layers beyond her normal senses. As she looked beyond her own realm and within these veils, a new understanding of the cosmos infused her being. Other realities and worlds existed outside of her understanding of what was normal. They were other places which required a sort of peeling back of a layer of space and time in order to perceive. Some of these veils were close, overlapping every fabric of herself and all of the celestial bodies she knew of. A veil she called Manether suffused existence and offered a gateway to more distant veils and a place for transient souls. Another veil mirrored the Manether, and she knew it as Somnavel, a parallel and shifting symbiote of the other. One a place of ghostly untamed matter and ethereal spirits, the other a home to unfettered souls, and the dreams of mortal beings.

Eons passed and the planet spirit sent her awareness outward to converse with her family through thoughts and impressions, but she found them all to be either unaware or uncaring. They were focused inward with only the barest of developed personalities. Nonplussed, but sure they would eventually come around, she decided to also focus inward and discovered upon herself a rather unique ability to produce life. Her particular body composition and proximity to the mother’s warmth produced the loom for weaving complex and varied organisms far beyond the scope of her family.

She focussed upon bringing forth such miracles, and within a scant few millennia she had covered her surface with dense green vegetation and millions of more mobile life forms which swam, scampered, slithered or hopped across her surface. These creatures were woven with awareness of one or more of the various Veils and thus often developed fantastic and unpredictable natures. She reveled in her creative outlet, and these original species lived in peace for a hundred millenia. She watched, adapted, molded and sculpted until she had evolved what to her senses, was perfection. It never occurred to her to give her handiwork true sentience until they came.

They emerged from what she thought of as the veil of Veridivel. To her perception it was similar to the inner layer of an onion, tinted green on the surface, but when peeled back it glowed a brilliant emerald color. She had tried to model much of her own foliage from the lush forests of Veridivel, but whatever had designed that realm had more expertise than herself. The beings that emerged and referred to themselves as the fey, were old, varied, and cautious. They walked upon two legs for the most part and possessed great organization and mastery over the veils. Though they seemed to respect her creations, they still hunted and harvested them for consumption and experimentation. All of this, she could tolerate, yet her core trembled when they began to build and breed upon her bounty. Soon their numbers were so great they sought competition and strife with the only other beings who wished the same: themselves. She watched in helplessness as their wrath tore apart her creations and scarred her surface. The fey were not deaf to her distress but they did not care. They considered themselves far older and wiser in their minds than some sentient ball of rock. Her body, as they saw it, was a unique resource of magical wonders and the wounds they inflicted were inconsequential upon a land so vast. They were correct in many ways, but in her innocence she did not understand how much worse the destruction could be. She would soon learn to appreciate the restraint of the fey, however, for all they were tiny and relatively insignificant parasites, they were only the first.

It seemed that within a few short decamillennium, intelligent races of all kinds had flooded her surface and tunneled within her. They came from hundreds of different veils, or they evolved from magic and interbreeding, some even arrived from the vastness upon great flying vessels that could traverse the lifeless void impossibly fast. They built civilizations and annihilated whole cultures building again upon the bones of the forgotten. They fought in a dance of dominance that wove a brutal tapestry upon her features. The factions grew and dissipated so fast she could barely keep track. Their magic and technology grew exponentially potent until she feared they could truly destroy her through misuse of that power. The arrogance of the sentient races knew no bounds, until the dragons emerged.

Intelligent flying lizards had been around in some shape or form since the early days of her creationist experiments, and although some more powerful examples had come from beyond the veils, they kept primarily to themselves. Many amassed great caverns of shiny stones and metals and slept in contentment for centuries. The disinterest of the dragons lasted until the greed of the other races caused those covetous beings to seek out the hoards. It took centuries for dragons as a species to realize they were being hunted, so isolated they were from the world and each other. With understanding came a mobilization of relative alacrity as they organized under a great leader they called the Dark Wing. A being thousands of years old and wrought from Umbravel, the veil of shadow, this elder dragon brought doom to the lesser species. It gloried in the time of its wrath, naming it the age of cleansing. Hundreds of thousands of dragons joined the hunt. The mortal races fled underground or perished altogether. The immortal races hid with powerful magic or fled Primytherea through the veils.

During the next few hundred years the reign of the dragons was absolute, but as is their nature, apathy soon returned to them to lethargy and slumber. The other races, however, were not stagnant. They began to emerge from hiding with strong magic and great industry. A war started anew but this time many of the humanoid races banded together in their efforts. In their desperation and folly they summoned great beings from the Outer Veils, from places Primythera herself could not reach. Great monstrosities that suppressed the mother’s light and were madness for mortals to look upon. These creatures arrived with eldritch knowledge of a time before the gods or even her own mother were born. They were not able to be controlled and when they finished fending off or subjugating the dragons, they turned their diabolical attention to the other species and lastly to each other. Wars erupted on a scale of which the planet spirit had never dreamed. Seas were burned, mountains were reforged, and veils torn asunder. The old things were unstoppable until Primythera for the first time took direct action in the endless wars on the side of the mortals. She reached out to sympathetic ears and offered pieces of her power and knowledge for help subduing the old ones. They were lured to the depths of the ocean or active calderas where her power was strongest and she bound them in elemental chains. Some remained awake and seething, others fell into slumber and still haunt Somnavel, the veil of dreams. Not dead, still able to affect the world in subtle ways. Even with her might unleashed she could not destroy these calamities from distant realms. They abided by no set of rules she understood.

Much of what passed for faith for the races of Primythera was greatly shaken by the power of the old ones. Beings who had called themselves gods from other veils had long sought to influence the world, but for reasons she did not fully understand they had only a limited ability to manifest upon her surface. The beings she had begun to think of as her people, had seen their gods annihilated by the old ones almost as easily as those ancient calamities had defeated the dragons. In their fear and loss many of them turned to the heroes to whom she had shared her own power. This was how the planet spirit discovered how to make gods. Her blessings combined with the regard of her people could push a mortal into ascension. She could enhance a body by providing such boons as strength, resilience, awareness and magic, but the act of prayer could convey immortality. With joy the planet spirit took to  her new act of creation, and soon a new pantheon of divinity populated the cosmos and nearby veils.

At first the new deities were aligned with her purpose and sought to fulfill the same  goals, affecting the general improvement of life upon her body. This sentiment did not last, however, as the fickle nature of mortals seemed to seduce those she had chosen as well. They became self centered and avaricious, scheming for more power and influence. Their jealousy inevitably led to chaos and strife once again. This was just the beginning of her new woes, however, as she discovered that her siblings and offspring had also uncovered secrets of divinity and raised their own champions. These were new powers, beyond her scope. They fought over trivialities, committing atrocities and devastating populations of her people. The wars which arose spanned the veils and brought other pantheons to her realm. Power was to be found by preying upon weaker gods and so the outsiders came, coveting their share. Others arrived, craving her authority for their own or seeking vengeance upon the new gods for sins committed in other realms.

Cycles of violence raged for millennia, and Primythera grew weary. She withdrew from the awareness of mortals and slumbered to avoid the consistent sadness which plagued her thoughts. Ages passed and her influence waned while the world evolved without her. Without her conscious knowledge beings sharing synergy with her ideals scraped slivers of power from the threads of her spirit that wove throughout all natural things. These disciples were aware of what she was and what she represented. Many of them came together as a spiritual organization and called themselves druids. They devoted themselves to preserving the natural balance of the world for they believed it would please her and call the planet spirit back to awareness once more. 

In more recent times, barely more than a thousand years ago, a druid arose who did spark her interest. He was called Neadan and embodied all that she desired in a follower of her particular faith. He actively fought the lords of darkness he encountered and through craft and guile, defeated them one by one. To further his cause he sought out champions with elder souls who resonated with Primythera, whom he called the Mother. Of these there was a hero called Mecre who had been reborn so many times that he remembered each past life with clarity. Fate had woven him into the path of Neadan as an elder darkness sought out the life force of Primythera. A dark god of magic from beyond the outer veils, they called him Agavantor and he came to claim her life for his own progression with only mortals and elder souls to bar his way. Neadan and his companions defeated even this dark adversary. Neadan became Neador in the eyes of his followers and achieved divinity. Mecre aged as a hero and left a land with his name, devoted to his legacy.Though from the limited perspective of mortals, Agavantor and his disciples have been defeated, the truth is that the war rages on. In the dark corners of the veils, an old evil awaits a time that fast approaches.

Exploring the Virtual Assistant

Photo by Life Of Pix

As part of my quest to find a worthwhile work from home career I have looked into becoming a virtual assistant. I understand this can be a rewarding and flexible career choice, especially if you’re looking for remote work that can vary widely in terms of tasks and industries. Here is a step by step guide to figure out if this kind of business is right for you, and how you can make it work.

A virtual assistant is a remote contractor who provides administrative, technical, or creative assistance to clients from a home office or other remote location. They handle a range of tasks that can include managing emails, scheduling appointments, handling customer inquiries, managing social media accounts, preparing reports, and more. Tasks can range in scope or be very specific depending on the client’s needs and the assistant’s expertise. They serve businesses, entrepreneurs, and professionals, offering flexibility and scalability for various operational needs without the overhead associated with full-time employees.

First identify the things that you’re good at. These can be skills you love and are willing to improve or things that you already have a good deal of experience with. Common skills required for a virtual assistant include organization, communication, time management and proficiency with technology. For the sake of time and career progression, consider focusing on a niche based on your preferred skill set. Examples include administration, social media management, content creation, bookkeeping and customer support. If you stand out within your specialty you will eventually be able to charge more for your services.

Train yourself to fill in the gaps. You may not need a college degree to be successful, but the more knowledge you have pertaining to what your clients are using, the more work you can get. If you don’t already have the knowledge, take classes in business administration, communication and computer science. There are plenty of online workshops tailored specifically for virtual assistants as well, which can teach you the basics or enhance your current skills. Websites like Udemy and LinkedIn Learning also have targeted courses for what you need. Take a look at more personal coaching programs tailored for virtual assistants as well. These small, or one on one classes may be more expensive, but they can get you up to speed quickly for a more productive head start.

Remember that you are running a business. Decide if you want to operate as a sole proprietor, an LLC, or another type of business entity. This will affect your taxes and legal responsibilities. You will need a reliable computer and any necessary software. A private workspace that allows you to work without distractions will contribute to higher productivity and professionalism. 

If you don’t already have one, build a portfolio that showcases your skills and previous work. That’s part of what I’m trying to do in writing this blog. Include testimonials if you have them. Develop a professional website and create business profiles on social media platforms to promote your services. Speaking of which, I now have a Facebook Page, take a look! Join online communities and forums where potential clients might frequent. LinkedIn, virtual assistant Facebook groups, and online business forums are great places to start.

Check out job boards such as Upwork, Freelancer, and Indeed for virtual assistant jobs. Seek out specialized VA agencies for more lucrative opportunities if you have the skills. Send tailored pitches to potential clients directly, explaining how you can solve their specific problems. Leverage your existing networks and ask for referrals. Happy clients are often willing to recommend your services.

Use contracts with your clients to clarify expectations, including what the final product should be, how much time you have to do it, and how much you will be paid. Decide how you will bill (hourly, per task, retainer) and use invoicing tools to manage payments. Stay updated with new tools and trends in your field of expertise to keep your skills relevant and marketable.

As your client base grows, consider outsourcing some tasks or hiring other VAs to work under you. Broaden your offerings as you gain more experience or as client needs evolve. If you are willing to be the boss and manage a real business, the earning potential is practically limitless. If you are really excited about certain aspects, try to focus on what you love and delegate everything else to your employees.

I know there is a lot of generalized information here. There is the potential for a separate blog post with almost every sentence, and I may just capitalize on that. If you or someone you know has gone down this path, please leave a comment and share some advice. Becoming a successful virtual assistant involves a mix of the right skills, effective marketing, and quality service delivery. With dedication and ongoing learning, I believe you can establish a sustainable and fulfilling career as a VA.