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       Stardate: 20190113.12h54
       Last modified: 20190113.22h09
       Location: Guest Room, was Game Room
       Input Device: AlphaSmart Dana
       Audio: Blonde Redhead - 23
       Visual: SteamLink menu on the TV showing the 23 album cover 
       and tracklist
       Mental: 70%
       Energy: 80%
       Emotional State: Relaxed in reclined zero gravity chair
       
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       I have to keep catching myself from getting distracted.  I 
       kept trying to start to write in the game room, but there was 
       too much clutter that was affecting my train of thought so I 
       had to leave that room and go to the guest room, which is not 
       cluttered.  It's funny how I can be affected by just the 
       state of a room.  Now if I was writing from the Cyber Rig 
       with the Face Mounted Display, it might not have been such an 
       issue, but that is in pieces right now since I have some 
       configuration changes that need to be made.
       
       I have been setting timers a lot more these days.  My sense 
       of time is so wacked.  Maybe it's part of aging.  Right now, 
       I have a timer set for 15 minutes for writing.  If I don't 
       have something like that, I can get lost in what I am doing 
       and killing a large part of the day just immersed in one 
       task...especially if I do a deep dive with the writing.  So I 
       have to practice self-discipline with the aid of a timer.  
       Usually, meditation helps out with the time perception, but I 
       have been out of practice over the past several weeks.  I 
       should get back to that and recalibrate.
       
       So far this season, we have had only a couple fires in our 
       fireplace.  I enjoy a nice fire, especially when it is cold 
       outside.  But usually, it is a time commitment that I don't 
       make since I have other things to attend to or errands to 
       run.  When I do make the time for it, I really enjoy it and 
       spend the whole night in front of the fire until bed time.  
       
       My house has a wood burning fireplace that was built in 1926, 
       when the original house was built.  It still has the original 
       fire brick and bricks for the chimney and the mantle. It is 
       probably one of remaining things from the original house.  
       The house has been renovated and expanded over the decades.  
       Before we moved in, we had the chimney cleaned and renovated, 
       along with adding some braces to the flue.
       
       I love the whole setting up the fire, trying to get the fire 
       going, moving the logs around, gazing into the fire, the 
       smell, the crackle, the entire experience.  I need to have 
       more of that.  I think it helps with my overall well being.
       
       The other day, I was in the garage making more "starter 
       logs."[1]  My "starter logs" consists of reused egg cartons and 
       crushed nut shells.  Since I don't like to waste and try to 
       reuse what I can, what I usually do is keep a container for 
       discarded nut shells in the garage that I fill throughout the 
       year.  This usually consists of pistachio, peanut, sunflower, 
       and chestnut shells.  When I make the logs, I put the shells 
       in a repurposed 25 pound rice bag, roll up the bag, and stomp on 
       the shells with my feet.  Then I fill the egg carton with 
       the shells and close the carton.  Now I have a repurposed 
       starter log.  I usually do batches of 4 at a time, if I have 
       enough shells.  The logs seem to work better than newspaper 
       as kindling.  I have seen this done before with the addition 
       of candle wax, but I usually save that method for bon fires.  
       I don't want the wax in my fireplce.
       
       Anyhow, I have gone overtime by 15 minutes...had to complete 
       my thoughts.  Time to switch gears and do something else.
       
 (IMG) [1] Starter Log
       
       ADDENDUM:  It looks like putting each of my phlogs entries as
       subpaths and gophermaps seems to work for my linking issue.
       Thanks for the suggestions, Edd Barrett!
       
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