Ira Heinichen's Blog, page 18

Day 4,229: Push

Today I learned that the roman poet Virgil is most famous for the Aeneid which is an epic poem ostensibly about the founding of Rome, notable for the fact that it doesn’t include the characters/persons of Romulus or Remus. There were many different foundation stories about Rome, and the Aeneid is one of them. It has the distinction of connecting Rome with a direct line to Greek culture and mythology — the central character fought at Troy with Achilles and Odysseus, is kicked out of Greece upon r...

Day 4,228: We Missed One

Quick entry tonight because it’s late. Stayed up ever so slightly because I needed more time to wind down…and I’ve been getting up late lately, so it’s harder for me to fall asleep on time. But the only cure for that is to get my ass up on time tomorrow morning. So, I will. I’ve got pages to write! Twelve of them.

Wish me luck.

Night night.

Day 4,227: Phantasms

Today I learned who Cicero really was. I mean, I’d heard the name. I’ve known he was Roman…but I couldn’t tell you why I knew his name. Honestly, I’d have guessed he was a playwright or a poet (conflating him with Seneca, I think?).

He was a politician it turns out, and one of a group of Romans in his day that apparently became rather obsessed with early Roman history. And its largely through his writings of ancient-ancient Rome that we get must of our own understanding of that time ourselves...

Day 4,226: Bizzy

Today I learned about The Eddie. It’s a big wave invitational surfing competition that takes place on Oahu’s north shore every year that the conditions are right for it…which can sometimes be once every five to ten years! Crazy, right?! They’ll literally only hold it when the conditions line up properly for it. I respect that. Waves gotta be biiiiig, you know?

It’s named after a surfing legend, Eddie Aikau. Hawaiian native. Lifeguard who saved literally hundreds of people’s lives while on dut...

Day 4,225: Sploot

Today I learned that MLB players are being harassed online by people who’ve placed bets and lost them. Death threats, stalking, other abusive language. Fan bases have always been hard on players when they’ve struggled, but this goes beyond booing. So…yeah. That’s another corner of the internet that sucks.

My heart goes out to those players.

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Joy was a bit of a terror today. She ran out of the front yard and barked really aggressively at our next door neighbor’s dog, Leo, who was gett...

Day 4,224: Barrel

Today I learned that Cortes Bank, one of those wild spots out in the middle of the ocean where waves actually break, is off the California coastline. It’s 100 miles out there, but I had no idea.

I remember first learned about Cortes Bank, I thiiiiink, from the movie Step Into Liquid, which was a surfing doc that came out when I was deep into movie-watching, back in the early aughts. Man, I’d go and see three movies a week, sometimes. I loved it. The span from, about, 1999 to…2003? Something l...

Day 4,223: Grind

I learned today that both John Adams—the second president of the United States—and Thomas Jefferson—the third—died on the same day, the same year…the 4th of July, 1826. Just the first bit of that factoid is remarkable given how involved the two of them were with each other over the course of their lives, but add in the second bit, that they died on the fourth of July, America’s day of independence, is some remarkable shit.

In other news: HBO was absolutely COOKING in the second half of the au...

Day 4,222: Again

Have I ever broken a bone?

I…don’t think I have. I’ve certainly never had a cast, which when I was a kid, I was always jealous of. I don’t think I would have been jealous of the actual breaking of a bone and the last pain that follows…but the cast has always been and will always be objectively cool.

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Home again. Wiped. We did so many activities over the weekend, and today was no exception. Helped the parents get the surround sound working. Went by 80 Quail Valley Road and mourned wha...

Day 4,221: Bull Creek Flats

How do I balance my work and home life?

I work from home, so that’s an interesting question. When I’m busy, like super busy, there is no separation. But thankfully my work is rarely that bad. Overall, I’d say working from home massively improves my work-life balance because I can switch between the two in a matter of seconds rather than an hour commute. I really, really, really prize that.

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We went to what might be my favorite place in the world today, and I do actually mean that lit...

Day 4,220: Marinara

What sacrifices have I made in life?

The real answer is none. I don’t think of anything I’ve done or had to do as a “sacrifice,” truly. I don’t like the connotation of that word. It just doesn’t feel right.

But…have I decided I couldn’t do certain things in order to achieve something else? Every day. And that includes taking care of the people around me. Like, today: I could have slept in or watched sports on my iPad or whatever rather than going to help my mom pick up trash on the side of...