1/8/2020
(Above: Fire, the original hand-warmer.)
Active Summary: After this morning’s daily regimen, I returned to Jacobhouse where I wrote for about thirty more minutes, performed some pre-travel financial maneuvering, and worked on my new Macroeconomics class for about two hours. I was about half way through the grueling introductory quizzes and exercises when I realized none of it was graded. On realizing as much and being subsequently relieved and slightly disgusted – relieved that I would not be required to do near so much work as originally thought, and slightly disgusted that I had wasted so much time – I ventured to the Master Blend freezer room where I finished painting / touching up the gate area. To conclude the morning, I taught Madre how to wire a breaker, and I tended to a Master Blend Beef customer.
(5:39 PM Update:) Afternoon activities consisted of a little bit more school shenanigans and farm tasks which included: feeding/vaccinating bovines, checking the pastures, and starting the calf-chute project.
TIL: Today I learned a unique way of warming one’s hands while working on cold machinery. This method was learned from Tiner (I think that’s the spelling), the man who repaired the farm’s payloader this morning. Indeed, after Padre and I’s early morning beef pasture check, we drove up to where the fellow was working only to find that there was a small fire on the metal steps leading up to loader’s cockpit. To make the miniature blaze, Tiner had recycled one of his dirty shop-towels by setting it alight*. And I must say, the warmth coming from that little flame was actually quite satisfying to my Segway-ride-chilled fingertips.
Commentary: Initially, I was at first quite unhappy with the workload of my Macroeconomics class. That, however, was before I saw the little washed-out yellow tags that denoted whether or not the assignment counted toward the final grade. After I found those, I was relieved and the prospect of having to ‘deal with class‘ while on a trip to Europe became much less burdensome. In my defense, the amount of material that online textbooks / course programs throw at the student these days is absolutely ludicrous. It’s as if the authors are just hoping that the sheer bulk of information will imbue the student with a general knowledge of the subject. That is not how it works! Also, a little bit more effort in the design department would go a long way. The screenshot below is how it is laid out on my laptop at normal 100% zoom.
As for today’s primary highlight, I believe it is going to occur in about an hour when Madre, Padre, my brother, and myself journey to La Cuisine of Ocala. There, we shall sup on delicious French food – a precursor of the journey to come. Seeing as I do not have a picture of the glorious meal soon-to-come, I will include this video of birds enjoying a view of the Jacobhouse garden:
Final Note: If I receive my final pair of pants today, I will likely spend much of tomorrow morning hemming them and my two other pairs. I say ‘much of the morning’ because I have never hemmed pants before. It could take a much shorter amount of time. If it does, I’m sure I can find something more to do.
*He also uses this method to keep mosquitoes at bay during the summer time (via the fragrant smoke that his burning cloth produces).