Much Done with Staying Home

This has been a busy week with a lot I could cover. Monday started with the inauguration of President Trump, and Tuesday was an introduction to a new class. Finally, on Thursday, I had work done on my diaphragm pacemaker system. I also biked a few times, and never left the house. Some of these topics will come up in later posts, but this week I'll look at the first item listed.

I don't watch mainstream media, or legacy media as it is starting to be called. For the past few years, it has become very biased toward one political party and very against Christianity. Therefore, I may watch local weather, but that's about it. I get all of my news through online resources for local items and through an online station in Australia. It's unfortunate, but I get my best US news from the other half of the globe.

Much of the world has been anticipating the change of leadership in the United States and changes started before the inauguration. For the most part, I have been pleased with the changes that have happened this week. Hostage release was great to hear, but hopefully the price paid won't cause more trouble later on.

Watching the flurry of executive orders to complete promised actions was interesting. I, along with many, am thankful to see the end of DEI policies and the declaration that only two genders exist. While I agree with these orders, they are too much like a dictatorship.

When another administration comes, previous executive orders can just be reversed. This makes for instability, and not what the founding fathers intended for this country. Permanent change needs to come through all the governing branches and be agreed upon by a majority, not just a single party.

The only way this will happen is if the country returns to a sure foundation, and that can only be found in Scripture. The United States has never been fully Christian, but it was founded upon Christian principles and depended upon at least general biblical foundations to stay secure. While we have a few year's reprieve, Christians need to boldly proclaim the gospel and change hearts and minds. This is the only way we can have stability, but I am afraid is the most difficult.

In this quad life, I hope to take every opportunity to speak I can. Unfortunately, few Christians actively share their faith and will waste the time given. I pray this will not be the case, but we'll have four years to see.

Quad Life Entertainment

Living the quad life means I don't get out much for social activities, or even have much of a group of friends. Therefore, I spend a lot of time at home on my computer playing games, at least not when working or reading. I also watch other people play games on a website called Twitch.

Several years ago, I started watching a gamer on YouTube that goes by DerTebbers. As time has elapsed, I also started watching some of his friends that played games I also like. Most of what I play are simulators, such as Farm Sim or a couple different truck driving simulators. A large number of video games involve combat and violence, but I don't do anything with that genre.

On Twitch, I am known as a preacher and comment when God's name is taken in vain or "adult" language is used. It shows you don't need to be physically present to have a Christian influence. In December, I challenged a couple people to try driving a truck with a mouth stick. Only one took it up though, FarmerCurt95. I met him in person last summer and still follow most of his games. Yesterday, he and I drove semi with mouth sticks for all to see.

I was impressed he was willing to try and experiencing a different perspective. Just like I tell grade school kids, doing something with different abilities still accomplishes the same task.

The two-hour stream was fun and I liked getting to spend time with someone other than nurses or family, even though they were still in my room. Curt does not act as a Christian, so I continue to work with him as I can. Learning through the new lens of stick gaming may help.

One thing was made more obvious, I need to work toward a new computer. I've been noticing more age issues, but it was apparent yesterday. Running American Truck Simulator, a chat program, and video recording software was almost too much. That may be a project later this year, but I'll need to research more. Have a great week and I'll see what God has planned.

Are You Prepared to Flee?

The new year is less than two weeks old, and the last seven days have seen devastation in various forms in the country. First, a winter storm hit from Kansas, to Missouri, Indiana, and further east. It dumped large amounts of snow, closing many roads and leaving motorists stranded on the roads.

Second, wild fires in southern California went through suburbs of Los Angeles burning multi-million dollar homes to the ground. Some of the residences were right on the beach with a clear view of water, but they still couldn't be saved. Occasions like these make me think what I would do in these situations and consider how to prepare.

Thankfully, Iowa was spared from this latest winter weather, but we're not unfamiliar with it. For the most part, if you stay home and don't try to head out, it won't be a big issue. In my situation, it likely means no caregivers for a day or two, but that's about it. My town mostly has underground power lines that aren't affected by snow and I try to make sure I have plenty of supplies on hand. Fire is a completely different situation though.

In California, some residents waited until the last minute to evacuate, or chose to stay home and try to protect their house with garden hoses. I saw reports that people were filling their cars with belongings, only to abandon them in grid-locked traffic and flee on foot. The vehicles then had to be bulldozed out of the way for fire trucks to get through.

If I had to evacuate quickly, it would be a mess, especially if I was in bed. Using my lift takes about 10 minutes to get me in my chair. Along with my wheelchair, I would also need my backup diaphragm pacemaker and the wires and brackets that go along with it. After breathing and locomotion, I also have equipment for bathroom needs as well as clearing out my lungs. Just thinking of it all would likely take more time than I had.

I can be thankful that God has not allowed such a situation to occur in my quad life. However, it's something all of us should probably have in mind, and prepare an emergency kit, just in case. Now that we're starting a new week, I pray it will be calmer for everyone. Whatever may come, it's good to remember that God is in control.

Starting Over in a New Year

Another week has elapsed since my last entry. In those seven days, we have had the end of one year and the start of another. Many people make various resolutions for each year, but I tend to just continue with my regular routine.

In 2024, I did a morning reading plan of reading the books of the Bible as they were written chronologically. It was a different way to study, but it isn't a plan I wanted to do again. I'm still learning about the background and settings for each book, but do know a few things. It is fairly widely accepted that Job was the first book written, even before Moses started writing Genesis. However, Job was nearly halfway through the year according to the reading schedule. Therefore, I questioned it's accuracy.

For this year, I'm reading with a friend to help encourage her to continue. Unfortunately, when I went to restart the chronological plan (Genesis-Revelation), my usual web resource wouldn't let me. I reported the problem, but so far have been guessing what chapters to read each day. It won't be long until I'm staring at my computer screen in a morning sleep haze wondering where I left off the previous day.

I noticed that I again met my goal of blogging at least once a week in 2024, making it a full decade of this achievement. With my hospital stay and long recovery, I wasn't sure if it would happen, but long reports of the experience helped. I hope to do the same this year, but likely won't add the challenge of weekly pictures as well. I do like breaking up solid text blocks though, so I won't go completely without graphics.

Currently, those are my only plans for the year. As always, it depends on my caregiver schedule in what I can do. Two out of the the first three day shifts this year went without help, and winter is really just starting. That is a regular part of the quad life, and I'll continue to look to God and follow where He leads me.

Have a great week and year ahead!