An Update On Several Developments

I've written a lot less here recently, but I'm in the process of working out and planning a new YouTube channel for which I'll probably spend more time on in the future. Political events in Taiwan continue to cry out for a response, but I can't bring myself to do that here any longer. I need a new venue and a new approach. There are a lot of variables to be set, including interviewees and possible partnerships and it is going to take time. I have a friend in Kaohsiung who will be involved from time to time in some capacity, and I am thinking about recruiting some help. We've already done some videos, but a recurring difficulty has been the technical quality (picture and sound). New equipment will have to be bought, but I am also thinking about redecorating a spare room upstairs and getting some new furniture from which to make the videos, as my dogs are a distraction in the living room and my current coffee table and sofa combination contributes to bad posture. I should probably add some pictures in the background of my various reservoir trips, birds of prey I have photographed, and my dogs.

Besides that, I am also getting fit again by running, cycling, working out with my jump-rope and by lifting weights in my garage. I have a bar with two pairs of weights which I use for deadlifting and curls, a couple of little 16 lb dumbbells and a pair of heavy 44lb kettlebells. The aim is not to lose weight as such, but to reduce my body fat whilst increasing strength and stamina at the same time. In addition to the cardio and weight lifting, I'm also doing various calisthenics both with a mat in the garage and on the pull-up bars and benches in the park. I have even reduced my alcohol and sugar consumption to the point where I am going day after day after day without a drop of beer and maybe only one cup of coffee. I've already lost an appreciable amount of body fat and added some muscle mass, but the aim is to keep improving until I eliminate the beer belly entirely.

In addition, I have been trying to get more work outside of my three main gigs and figuring out how to do that on a largely trial by error process, which is time consuming (it basically eats up about 70% of my mornings before I go to work). The aim is to add another three to four gigs to what I am currently doing, but keep the time limited to mornings. If I can manage that, then eventually I may be able to add a few more and think about a few other changes. 

And finally, about a week ago I adopted a new puppy. I was going to say reluctantly, and whilst another dog is an additional expense in time and money, I couldn't really say no once she was looking up at me with nobody else willing to take her in. The poor little thing was abandoned by her owners in the park and left there to either be adopted or eventually run over by a car once she strayed onto the road in search of food. All the other people who visit the park trotted out the usual excuses as to their unwillingness to adopt. So again it was left to me to pick up the pieces and assume the responsibility. And other than an episode yesterday in which she pulled the plug out on my laptop, she has been a delight and my other youngest dog Erhjen has taken to her much better than I expected. One surprising thing about her is how little she has urinated and defecated in the house - almost not at all, save for a few "squirts of excitement" from time to time. She already seems to know to wait until she goes to the park, which is great for me.

I'm calling her "Fresno". I have no idea why; it was simply the first proper noun that jumped into my head, for reasons I could only speculate on.