The Joys of Virtual Running

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During this pandemic, and who knows when, or even if, it will end, running has been my therapy, besides when I do teleconferences with my actual therapist. Running has become a big part of my life. It was becoming big even before the pandemic. Running was a tool to lose weight at first, but now I legitimately enjoy it. I like going out to run pretty much any distance. It’s good to get away. It’s a relief. It’s a workout. I feel better during and after my runs. It’s great.

I was worried when the pandemic started because every race I signed up for was getting canceled. I’d get emails everyday with a new postponement or cancellation. This bummed me out. I didn’t know what I would do, or if this would quell any momentum I had gained since I started running about five years ago. Then virtual races became a thing. I didn’t really know what these virtual races entailed, or how to even do one. So I kind of stayed away at first. I took refunds when I could from canceled races, and the ones that were postponed, I deferred to whenever they would be safe to do in person. For the first couple months of quarantine running became just exercise again. That’s all well and good, and I was still getting out there, but I missed the race aspect of it. I didn’t miss the SWAG or the food, I missed the competition.

I’m a competitive person by nature. I’ve played sports my whole life, and competition has always driven me. I was never one to place in the top 50 of the races I ran, but I usually shot for the middle, and would usually land there. Sometimes I’d be closer to back, but in a few shorter races, I’d get myself into the top 20 or 30. I had talked to a few people, fellow runners, who had done some of the virtual races, and they spoke glowingly about them. Kirk, a sometimes contributor, was the first person I talked to because he was doing a 1000k virtual race pretty much as soon as the pandemic started. He told me it gave him a push to get out and run. He also said that he would take pictures and log miles into a system that kept count and let him know how much he had left. Before we started running together again, we took about three months off, talking on phone while we ran instead of in person masked, like we do now, we would talk while he logged miles. This got me even more intrigued with virtual races.

About a month after Kirk started his 1000k, I noticed that the state I live in, Missouri, was doing a similar thing. They had an online virtual endurance challenge, with the sign up money going to a good cause. I signed up for the 250 mile portion of it, and started in June. I realized quickly how much more this was pushing me to run. I was starting to log a good amount of miles in a short amount of time. I put in over 100 miles in the first month. I had until the end of the summer to do the 250 miles. I thought I’d cruise. Then the endurance challenge site said that you could upgrade for a small charge, so I went up to 500 miles. I wasn’t ready for a 1000k, but I figured I could do 500, which I did. That was the first virtual race I did. Since then I’ve signed up for more than a dozen. I’ve done a bunch of virtual 5k’s for many different good causes. I’ve done a few for BLM, for voters rights, for LGBTQ causes, and they’ve been great. I’ve also done a few virtual 10k’s, one of which I did get some cool University of Michigan SWAG. This past weekend I ran a virtual half marathon for GO! Saint Louis, a great local running company. I’ve also signed up for a virtual turkey trot and am contemplating doing another virtual BLM race coming up in Saint Louis. So, for a skeptic like I was, the virtual race option has been a very solid holding spot until I feel safe enough to do an actual in person race. Actually, the first in person race I have scheduled, that I will do if it happens, is in early December. But for now, I am enjoying the virtual option. It keeps me motivated and I have found myself doing longer distances than I thought in faster times than I was last year. I actually shaved about ten minutes off of my half marathon from last year.

Running is great therapy, and virtual races are great for keeping me competitive. If you’re still on the fence about virtual races, I recommend trying one out, especially if you can find an endurance option. They’re pretty cool.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

It is Time to Take the Coronavirus Seriously

I've tried everybody. Believe me when I say that I tried very, very hard to not be a downer. But, with all the craziness that is happening in the world right now, I am going to be bleak and upsetting today. I think, scratch that, I know it is because I am upset and scared and don't really know what to do, or how to handle this pandemic going on all over the world right now.

This is unlike anything that I have ever witnessed in my lifetime to this point. I remember SARS, MRSA, Zika, Anthrax, all of that stuff, but I don't think it ever got to this level. I wasn't really aware, maybe not even alive yet, when HIV and AIDS became a pandemic that we still haven't figured out, and still hold a stigma over. But this, this COVID-19 thing seems to be pretty scary, and doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon.

Usually with stuff like this, the news gets a little better each day. This time around, it has been all bad. I first remember hearing about it in February, and thinking that it would get contained quickly. That didn't happen. I even remember when I heard that it made its way to the US, I had the same thought. I assumed it would get figured out quickly. It hasn't. But, and I know this is going to sound bad, but it really hit hard for me last night when the NBA suspended the season. Then today the NHL, MLB, MLS and all the major men's college basketball conference tournaments canceled, or suspended play. I am sure that March Madness is the next to be postponed or canceled (ed note: This was written before the NCAA cancelled the Men’s and Women’s tournaments). The same stuff is happening in my hometown of Saint Louis right now. They postponed all Saint Patrick's day festivities this weekend, my son and I were both participants in the biggest race weekend in Saint Louis, Go!, and that was canceled today. I know some concerts and other places with large gatherings are being postponed or canceled as well.

As much as this hurts, I do understand that it is the right thing to do. I understand, to mitigate this, to slow it down, large groups of people do not need to be hanging out for awhile. But what gets me is, I don't know how long this will continue. I've heard people say two weeks, I've hear ten days, I've heard months. I simply don't know what is going to happen. I don't know if we will be quarantined like Italy. I don't know if we will have zones quarantined. I don't know if my kids school will be postponed or canceled. I don't know if my wife will be working from home for awhile, or if her office building will stay open. That is what gets to me, the unknowing.

This is why I also want the people in charge, not the "government", but the scientists and doctors and epidemiologists, the people who know what to do in these situations, to hammer the hell down and figure this out. I think it is insane that we don't have a test, or tests for this. I am baffled that there isn't a vaccine, or trials for a vaccine. I mean, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson had to be in Australia to get tested. Just think if they were here, and they didn't get tested what could've happen. It is almost a good thing that they were in a different country where they could easily be tested.

But, going back to the sports stuff, the cancellations and postponements are upsetting. When there is bad news out there, like all the stuff I mentioned up top, or the 2016 election or all the school shootings, I always had sports to turn to to try and keep my mind off all the bad news. Now, that is all gone. It is all dark. I was all for the teams playing with no fans, but I understand the stoppage because human lives are at stake, and safety is the number one priority. I get it, but I am upset, and I think it is okay to be upset. There will be no NBA, for the minimum, for 30 days. There will be, at least, a two week delay to opening day in baseball. Who knows how long the NHL will suspend play. And, more than likely, there will be no March Madness. I hope they do eventually play it, especially for the seniors in college basketball, but it doesn't seem likely at this point. There is still so much unknown, and until the powers that be figure something out, the best way to quell this is to limit large gatherings.

As for me, I will find things to watch. There are a million streaming options, old movies and TV shows to catch up on. I also have a tremendous wife and two kids that I can play with and do fun things with. And I will continue to be vigilant in washing hands, cleaning counters, cleaning the house, staying away from large crowds. I am not going to self quarantine unless necessary. I need to live my life. I still will run. I need to do these things to stay sane. But, this Coronavirus is real, it is scary and it should have us all on alert. We should all be taking the necessary precautions. We should all be doing the things the CDC and WHO tell us to do. And I need to realize that, if I have a tickle in my throat, or if I sneeze, or if I cough for a second, it doesn't mean I have the virus. I recently went to my personal physician because I had a lingering sore throat, and was informed that it was my allergies getting worse the older I get. They actually said that I was, other than the allergies, and I quote, "a very healthy person".

This sucks, this is bad, but, hopefully, we will figure this thing out, and we will prevail. Hopefully we will get back to some kind of normalcy in this world. I envision this NBA season, which has been tremendous, will eventually come back, and they will have a championship. I hope March Madness turns into April or May Madness. The MLB will have an opening day, it will, most likely, be in late April. I'm scared, but I know what to do, and I will not let this virus, this pandemic take me over. I will follow the guidelines, and eventually, things will be somewhat normal again. At least I hope.

Ty 

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Tales From a Man With a Low Resting Heart Rate

Being that we currently live in a nightmarish hellscape, be it the “government”, CoronaVirus, global warming, stock market plummeting, just all types of bad stuff, I’m trying to be more upbeat lately. It’s hard, and all of this is a real problem, but if I sit here and dwell on it, I’ll go crazy. I have enough anxiety as it is. So, in the meantime I’m not going on any planes, no cruises, not going out of the country and I’m cleaning more now than I usually do, and I clean a lot. My wife, my folks and RD can back me up on this. What I’m also trying to do is make my blogs either sports related, or just a little lighter. I’m trying to ease readers minds. Also, I’m not a scientist, I don’t work for the WHO or the CDC. I’m just trying to follow their guidelines to get through this tough time.

With all that preamble, I come to you today with a rather odd tidbit of news from my life. I’m an Apple person. I had an iPod, still do, just don’t use it anymore. I own an iPhone, of which you can hear me on when we record the pod. And I have an Apple Watch. I think Apple makes a great product, so I will continue to buy their stuff until I find something I like more.

With that being said, there’s been this wild phenomenon with my watch lately that has struck me. I use my watch simply as a watch and an exercise tracker. I don’t call or text or check my email or scores on it. It’s just for those two things. Recently I set up my watch to let me know when my heart rate is too high when I am running. I love to trail run, and sometimes those hills can be a bear, and that makes my heart rate jump. I have it set up so if my heartbeat gets about 170 a minute, it beeps, letting me know to slow down until I get it back in the 150-160 range, which is comfortable for me on hills. It works great for this. The phenomenon though, that’s been happening at night. I had to pick a rate that was “too low”. I do need to let you all know that I have an unusually low resting heart rate. My resting beat is about 45 beats a minute. I think it’s good, my wife and even doctor are always seemingly baffled by this. Even when I visit my doctor, when all your vitals are supposed to be high, it never gets over 50-55 beats a minute. I have attributed this to running, but it could be from any number of things. I mean, I am a pretty laid back guy, don’t get too worked up, unless it’s a crisis, and always try to keep a level head. But when I was setting up the “too high and too low” beats, I figured that less than 40 beats a minute was good. I never, ever thought it would get to that, even when I am sleeping.

Well, for the past 2 weeks, I have been awaken by my watch making weird buzzing noises at me, and reading the face telling me that my heart rate dropped below 40 beats a minute for a certain amount of time at 2,3 and 4 am. I am stunned by this. I don’t understand why this is happening. I don’t know if it’s a good or a bad thing. I’m sure it’s fine, but still, under 40 beats a minute for 10 plus minutes every night for nearly 2 weeks seems wild to me. I’m going to go with the good, that I do have a runners heart rate, because I’m trying to be positive, but I still think this is a weird thing. Oh well. I do think it’s cool that my watch has been showing me these things, and it shows how far we’ve grown in the technology field.

Still though, I have an unusually low heart rate. That much is sure.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

I Ran a Trail Half Marathon

Last week I tried, and I think I was successful, to answer my own personal question as to why I was running a trail half marathon. Well, the race was this past Saturday, and I did it, I finished and I want to reflect on what I experienced before, during and after the race.

Before the race I was pretty nervous. More nervous than I usually am before any race. I kind of knew what was ahead of me, but I wasn't fully certain. I had been training at the spot of the race, but I only ran the course a handful of times, maybe four, and it wasn't the full course. I did different distances on the course, but nothing over seven and a half miles. So, I was sweating the full course before I even started. I also caught up with my buddy before his race started, and you could just tell from looking at us that we were both nervous. He even texted me as I was driving there, asked me if I was ready, and I told him I was as ready as I was going to be. I wasn't even fully confident on the drive there. Then, after getting all the pre race info, the half marathoners were sent to our starting line, and headed over there. It almost felt like a death march. I know this all sounds very grim, but I promise, it will get better.

When the clock struck 7am, the coordinator blew the horn, and we were off. About one mile in, I started to actually feel okay. I was on a track I was familiar with, I was keeping a steady pace and it wasn't super hot or humid. Not yet at least. I kept feeling good even into the third mile. This was the first big elevation gain, but power hiking up the hill was treating me proper. It helped me get my heartbeat down, I still felt solid and once I got to the top, it was a flat track, and I was ready to run right away. For the next 3 and a half mile, that is 6 and a half total, the first leg of the race, I was good. I ran the straights, the downhills, power hiked the hills and kept chugging along. It was all good. I made it to the halfway point after about an hour and a half, and still felt solid. I stopped off to regain my composure, to check in at the aid station, not because I was hurt, we had to to give them our number to get our official time, and decided I had enough water and I was good to go after a few minutes of rest. I figured the back half would be similar, and I thought I had enough water to get me through.

So, I started back, and this is when I hit a major wall. I was good for another half a mile, maybe even a mile, but then some weird stuff started to happen. After I power hiked up the first hill, I hit a straight path that, for some reason, I couldn't get myself to run. My heart rate was too elevated, and I was suddenly very tired. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I pushed on through because that is what I do, but something was off. As I kept going, I started to feel twitchiness in my calves and thighs. Now, this has happened before, in fact, it happens a lot, but this was different. The twitch was constant, and it hurt. I felt like I could literally see the muscles twitch. If I was a bit more cognizant, I would have taken a video. But, choosing to not listen to my body, I decided I would push through this feeling, and that eventually, it would go away. It did, but something much worse happened. I had been walking for about 2 miles at this point, and as I hit mile 9 on the race, I completely cramped up. I drank some more of my water, but I was getting low.

I then decided to get to the side of the trail and stretch. This was super painful. I sat down, a mistake, and stretched my legs to the best of my ability. When I felt up to it, and the cramping stopped, I got myself up, which took a ton of effort, and started to hike again. I started to get the twitch again, but I drank some more water, luckily found a big walking stick and tried to run. I got maybe a quarter mile before I had to walk again.

And then it started to rain.

The rain didn't bug me, but the humidity was starting to get to me. I was sweating so much that it felt like I was wearing clothes that I had worn in a pool. I was soaked, and it wasn't the rain. I traversed on because that is what the athlete in me was telling me to do, but it was starting to get tougher and tougher. I was getting frustrated. I was cursing myself. I was saying things aloud to no one in particular.

That is when the quitting feeling started to set in.

I was around 10 and a half miles in, and I wanted to give in. I was getting near an aid station, the last one, and I was going to throw in the towel. I was also out of water and I just wanted to be done. I got to the aid station, and was ready to pack it in. But, and the volunteers were so truly amazing at this race, helped convince me to finish the race. They filled up my hydration pack, they gave me solid words of encouragement and they let me know that I just had 2 more miles to go. To think of how easy, and euphoric it would be to finish this race. They gave me the added encouragement that I was craving at that point of the race.

After I gathered my thoughts, walking stick and pack, and endlessly thanked the volunteers, I was back on the course. About a half a mile after that, I ran into my buddy that was doing the 53k that day, and saw him running, and that gave me the one last push I didn't know I needed. To see him pushing, knowing he still had a good amount to go, pushed me over the edge, in a good way. From there on out, I power hiked. I still had pain in my legs, my feet were very sore, I had a bruise on the ball of my foot from stepping on a rock early on in the race, and every time I stepped on it it shot pain throughout my foot, but I kept going. I kept telling myself one step at a time. That soon, I would be done. As I came upon a sign that read, "13.1 Finish Line Ahead", I started to get very excited. I should point out, my watch read 13.72 miles total, but at this point, I didn't care. I was so close. When I got to the very last, small climb, I decided to finish with as much speed as I had left, which wasn't much.

As I crossed that finish line, I felt a feeling like I never have before. This was an accomplishment for me. This was one of, if not the, toughest athletic competition that I have ever done, and I finished it. I wanted to quit, but I didn't. I wanted to give up, but I had people that were willing to talk me out of it and help me finish. And as I crossed that line, and yelled out to the race coordinator, jokingly, "my watch reads almost 14 miles", I was excited. I went and got stretched out and headed to my car. I tried to stretch a bit more, but started cramping up again, so I got in my care and drove home feeling very happy. Sure, I didn't meet my goal of 3 and a half hours, I finished in 3 hours and 53 minutes, and I was more sore than I have ever been, but I felt great. I couldn't believe that I had done a trail half marathon, but I did.

Now, 4 days after doing it, I feel totally fine, and am prepping myself for a street half marathon, and have already committed internally to do this same race again next year. The best word I can use to describe finishing is euphoric. This was hard and taxing and excruciating at times. But, finishing was the best. I'm so happy that I did this race. It was more than worth everything that happened on Saturday. I cannot wait for next year.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. No jokes today, just a hearty “Good Job Ty”.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Why I am Running a Trail Half Marathon

This Saturday I am embarking on what might be my most difficult athletic experience, to date, in my life. I am running a trail half marathon,, and I keep finding myself asking the simple question, why?

Now, I have run 2 half marathons. I have run this distance on training runs with my buddy. I have run multiple 10k and 15k races. I have done, which is my new favorite thing, a double helping run on Thanksgiving morning, which is a 5k followed immediately by a 10k. But, for some odd reason, which I will try and answer today, I am a bit nervous and confused as to why I am doing this trail half marathon. It doesn't help that almost everyone I talk to says that the particular race I am running is one of the tougher ones in Saint Louis. It's also got a crazy amount of elevation, for which I have been training for at least. I have heard, via a Facebook post, from a few people that have decided to drop out, or give up their bib. There seems to be a rising amount of people saying that this is going to be tough, yet I am staying in the race, and I am fully committed to running it, and finishing it. I even have a goal time in mind, and have started to mentally and physically prepare for how tough this race may possibly be. But again, I find myself asking, why are you doing this? And, I think I have found a few answers.

One, I like to do races because I like to challenge myself to see what I am capable of. That is why I ran my first street race half marathon. That was why I started to run to lose weight. That is why I challenge myself to go faster with every 10 and 5k that I do. And this trail race is no different. I want to push myself, to see how much I can take, on a course that is rocky and fast and has big time hills and is a very far distance. I want to prove that I can do this.

Second, my buddy who I run with is doing the 53k portion of this race. He is, admittedly, a much better distance runner than I am, and I feel like if he is pushing himself to do a humongous distance like that, I can do the half marathon distance. As reluctant as he is to this notion, and as much as he may try to deny it, seeing him do the distances he does only pushes me to try and do half of what he does. I have called him my unofficial trainer, and his willingness to run with me, and stay at my pace has been an enormous help. And while I won't be there when he finishes on Saturday, you better believe I will be rooting him on, and contacting him via text later in the day to see how it was.

Third, I love hiking and running. These 2 things became my main source of weight loss when I lost all the weight because they are both free. And I love being outside. So, when the 2 things are combined, and I can spend anywhere from 3-4 hours outside, count me in. This is one of the biggest reasons why I am more on the excited side now, where I was pretty nervous abut 2 weeks ago.

Fourth, the running community here in Saint Louis is so cool and loving and helpful and gets you through the tough parts of a race. Anytime I find myself struggling, there always seems to be a volunteer there to cheer you on. Also, I have ran with numerous strangers through the finish line because they have offered to get me through that last push. When running races, no one judges me, they want to help me, and I want to help when I can. It is such a cool and fun environment, and a community I am so grateful to be a part of now.

Fifth and finally, I am doing this simply because I want to. Yes, I make excuses when I get tired, and I walk up the big hills and I may curse myself during the race and want to quit, but I always find a way to finish, and when I do, it is euphoric. I will never win any of these races, but crossing that line, even if I am in last place, I feel like I have accomplished something I never thought I could do. The only person I am racing is myself, and that is a great feeling.

So I know why I am doing this race. It is all the reasons I mentioned above, and I also love doing this. I wouldn't continue to sign up for races, or go running for fun, if I didn't like doing it. I'm excited to do this race on Saturday, and I will be back next week to recap it for everyone who may be interested to know how it was.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The head editor is being inspired by Ty and he is going to go out and walk a whole .5k on a trail this weekend. You have got to start somewhere.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Time for a Dad Hat

I have made no bones about how much I love being a dad, and a stay at home parent on this site, and on our pod. It is the best job in the world, I get to dress however in the hell I want, I don't mind the stares, or the "it is so nice of you to give mom a day off" comments, I love being there for major milestones, it is amazing. But, there are some things that I have successfully been able to avoid that are cliché dad things.

What stuff? Things like mowing the lawn and admiring it. Sure, I mow the lawn, but it is more for the workout than looking at a freshly shorn lawn. I like to grill, but I do not consider myself an expert griller, I don't have my own tongs, and I ask for help from anyone willing to give advice. I used to wear cargo shorts, back in my high school days, but I have not since revisited that in my years as a dad. I actually wear Columbia all weather type shorts now. They're great, and I love that they have built in netting so I can swim in them, and then continue my day without having to switch to cargo shorts. I also don't have too much to carry around anymore, just my keys, wallet and phone. So, I don't need cargo shorts. I am very proud to say that I have never, nor will I ever, wear New Balance shoes. Look, my dad wears them, I'm sure one, if not all three, of my brothers wear them (ed note: Hell no I do not wear New Balance), and I know that I have at home dad friends that wear them as well. I just don't like them on a personal level. I think they look too bulky, the few pairs I have tried on were very uncomfortable, they have no flash and I don't think they are as good a running shoe as some would like me to believe. I'm an Altra man as I stated awhile back.

But, I did finally cave to a dad trope yesterday. One I have actually avoided for a bit now, but I finally gave in, and I have to say, I love it.

I got my first "dad hat". For those that may not know, a "dad hat" is made of a material akin to a cotton shirt, they are distressed, they have an open back, but it is not a snapback, and you really only see dad's, or people that look like dad's, wearing them. I almost bought one at a Run the Jewels show a few years back, but I hesitated. I wish I hadn't, because that hat was dope as hell. But, now that I am a Suns fan I decided that I needed some team gear. I went on Amazon, found a great deal on a Suns hat, and it just happened to be a "dad hat". I bought it, and waited for it to arrive. It got here yesterday, and I immediately put it on my head and was astounding at how much I liked the feel and fit. It was just perfect. I love the distressed feel. It feels like I have worn it for awhile. It didn't need the breaking in that a snap back or fitted hat needs. The back was way, way better than I expected. I am a fitted hat fan way more than snapback, so this was my biggest concern. But to have the material be the same as the hat, unlike a snapback that is plastic, is great. You don't feel it push into the back of your head like a snap back. The bill was already bent like I like it, so that was another plus. And the look, I love. It fits almost too good. I have not taken it off since I got it, except when I eat meals, or go to bed. I even wore it backwards a ton yesterday and today, and that is great. I used to wear hats backwards a lot when I was a kid, but as I get older, I am more prone to wear my hat forward. But with the "dad hat", wearing it backwards was great. It has a good look. The slouch makes it look fine, at least to me. It was awesome.

So, while I have denied, and will continue to deny, that I am getting older, and turning more and more into a father everyday, including "dad hat's" and dad jokes now, I have to say that this is one thing I am happy to take on as a dad and older guy now. "Dad hat's" rule, and if you are older and on the fence about buying one, don't. You will love it. I know I love mine.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Up next for Ty’s dad life? How about a copy of Sports by Huey Lewis and the News?

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing

Let's Talk About the Great Entertainment on My Vacation

I wanted to talk about my vacation for the entire week when I got back on my blog, but other stuff kept popping up that I needed to write about. I did write about three things I really loved on my trip, and today, I am going to talk about the fourth, and final, thing I wanted to write about. I have mentioned the food, the resort and my wonderful dolphin swimming adventure, and today, I want to talk about the entertainment that Secrets Capri offered its guests every night, and during the afternoon.

So, in the afternoon, usually after lunch time, they had some kind of live music. One day they had a band that sang pop hits ranging from the 90's to now. When this band played, my wife told me that it was the best live show she had ever been to. They were playing music she loved, she was in a pool and she was getting served free drinks. This comment made sense to me. And while I have seen much, much better live shows, this was definitely fun. After that band played, a guy drummed along to EDM music for about an hour, and he was pretty good. We also saw other live music during the afternoon. One day there was a couple of dudes, with long hair, that played what one might consider beach songs acoustically. They were relaxing and enjoyable. Another day there was a gentleman playing solo guitar to modern songs. He was tremendous.

There was also some kind of activity in, or around the pool and beach everyday. I did water aerobics one day, we had a staying on a surfboard contest, there was pickleball everyday, soccer matches, dance contests, all kinds of cool stuff to check out while hanging at the pool. They also offered stuff like snorkeling, parasailing, kayaking and jet skis. But, I preferred the live entertainment, and the pool games. The staff that ran the pool activities was phenomenal as well. They were fun, but also gave us a solid workout. It was a nice way to get some exercise, but also have a ton of fun.

At night, the entertainment got even better. Again, they had a special thing for every night that we were there. One night they had a showing of "Bohemian Rhapsody" on a big inflatable screen. While I didn't think the movie was that good, I did love the music I have to say, it was cool to watch it on a big screen right by the beach at night time. They also gave us free movie snacks. Another night they had a magician. We didn't go to this show, but talked to other people, and they said it was a good show. The last night we were there they had an entire show dedicated to the history of Mexico, mainly talking about the Aztecs. This was awesome. They did live music, they told a story and they had people interpreting their words through movement. It was really neat while also being informative. The actors they had were really good too. The costumes were top notch as well.

But, the best thing I saw while we were there was the Beatles cover band they had. The band was great. I have seen more than enough Beatles cover bands, I play Beatles music myself, but this band was really solid. They sounded great, and the guitar player was excellent. They did, at times, sound like the Beatles, especially when they played stuff off "Sargent Peppers". They also had a Cirque de Soleil show going on while the band played, and that was a delight. To see the things these performers could do with rings and bars and their body movement, I was amazed. It was one of the coolest, and most unique things I have ever seen in a Beatles cover show. It was so good.

This whole trip was amazing, and I wanted to let you all in as much as I could with my recollection of everything. Again, I highly recommend checking out Secrets Capri if you can. It has everything you could want, and it is all top of the line.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Right now for his summer vacation Ty is soaking up the history and culture of west St. Louis County. Most of those shows take place at the little league ball fields.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing

Let's Talk About Swimming With Dolphins on My Vacation

hey buddy

Continuing my week of vacation memories today I want to talk about one of the coolest things I have ever done in my life.

So, in lieu of gifts for each other, my wife and I decided that the trip was going to be each others gift. But, when we got to the resort, we kept checking the pamphlets that were handed to us, and we both kept reading about one excursion that involved swimming with dolphins. I was intrigued. I love dolphins. They are so smart and cute and just an overall cool animal. My wife likes dolphins as well. She has always had an affinity for them. She just likes them. That is all. So we decided that we would do this dolphin swimming excursion on our actual anniversary, as kind of a second gift to each other.

We booked it, and the day came. Again, the service to getting there, the shuttle and what not, was second to none. Just wonderful. When we got to where we needed to be, it only got better from there. The workers at the dolphin swim spot were awesome. They put on a little show for all of us prior to the experience. We got to see the dolphins do tricks and see how fast they swim and see how they interacted with the trainers. It was so cool. I always have conflicted feelings about stuff like this, keeping wild animals locked up basically, but this was such a cool day, I kind of let that slide.

After the show we got split up into to groups, and each group went their separate ways. My wife and I signed up for an experience that, not only included the dolphin swim, but also let us pet and feed manatees. We went to the manatees first, and that was great. We got to pet them first, and it was wild. They are so slimy on top. The trainers told us it was from the algae in the water, and you could not only feel it, but also see it. They were go gentle, the manatees that is. The trainers then had them flip on their backs and we got to pet their stomachs. The stomach was so much smoother and it was almost like petting a dog. It was awesome. We then got to feed them. We each held up a piece of lettuce to our sides, and then the manatees kind of hugged us to get the lettuce. It was so odd and so cool. We then were handed some kind of veggie and we got to feed them directly in their mouths. Their mouths were so prickly yet gentle. It was neat. This was a great way to kick off the day.

After the manatees, it was the main event. We went to the dolphin area and started our lifelong memory experience. At first, we did this thing where we swam out to the middle of the water and water with our bodies in a T shape. The trainers made sure to tell us to keep our knees locked and feet straight when the dolphins approached. As they approached us, they started to push their noses into our feet, and we started to move. Then, as we got going faster, the trainer told us to stand up and arch our back. This is where the dolphins pushed us up in the air. It was exhilarating. I was so hyped while in the air. I absolutely loved this. They called it the foot push. It was incredible. Then, while we were waiting, we got to have a little one on one time with a single dolphin. Here we got to kiss the dolphin, have the dolphin kiss us, we got to dance with them and have them give us a high five. We also got to hold them like babies and feel their heart beat. It was glorious. While doing this we were also showed how to get the dolphins make noises. Stuff like rev a car or clapping sounds, it was amazing. After we all had the one on one time, my wife and I got to do a dual dorsal swim. In this part we swam out to the center of the pool again, and here we waited with our arms and palms facing backwards, and when the dolphins got to us, we grabbed onto their dorsal fins and they took us for a ride around the water. This was so neat. To feel the fin, and the dolphins strength, I was floored. This was so cool. The last thing we got to do was go out on a single person kayak, kayak around the water and get to an open spot. Here the trainers got the dolphins to come over to us on the kayak, told us to do so me random things and the dolphins clapped and pushed and rolled around us on the kayak. It was tremendous. It was second only, for me, to the foot push.

This whole dolphin swimming excursion was well worth the time and money. Hell, they even provided a free lunch buffet, where there was ceviche, along with everything else. I will always remember this as long as I live. We have no photographic evidence because pictures were far too expensive. But for me, I like that this was only for my wife and I, and the other people that were there that day. This is a thing I highly recommend everyone doing once in your life if you have the chance. It was so well run, safe and fun as can be. I loved it, and I will always have it in my memory. What a great day. Swimming with dolphins rules.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. At least the dolphins did not get sexually attracted to Ty like they did to Hank Hill. Yes, all of our life experiences have a connection to a cartoon.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing

Let's Talk About My Great Vacation

Hello all, I am back from my week long vacation. It was a glorious, and much needed, week away from all my work and priorities. For this week I am going to touch on some of the things I did while I was on vacation, unless some wild stuff happens in the sports or music or movie or TV world. Today I want to take the time to talk about the wonderful resort my wife booked for us for this vacation.

I live in a world where I am comfortable. We have the means and ability to stay in all inclusive resorts when we go on a vacation like this. No, I am not a rich man, far, far from it, but my family is fine. This is not a brag either. We are just in a solid place financially. I felt like that needed to be said.

For this trip my wife and I decided we wanted to go to Mexico again. We went there on our honeymoon, for our 5 year anniversary, and last Thursday, we celebrated our 10 year anniversary. Mexico seems to be our place for these celebrations. We have stayed in a different spot each time. This time we stayed in Secrets Capri in Cancun, near Riviera Maya.

This resort was top notch. First off, it was adults only, and not in a perverted way. We did not go to Hedonism. This wasn't an "Eye's Wide Shut" scenario. The adults only simply meant that you had to be, at least, 21 years old. This was great. I love, love, love my kids. But, I am with them all day everyday. There is only so much Pokémon or "My Little Pony" I can take though. So, to go to a resort where you have to be 21, it was paradise. Everyone at this resort seemed to be either newlyweds or people celebrating an anniversary. There was a lot in common with the other guests. That made it so easy to talk to people. I am not one for "vacation friends". But, I do like to talk to people while eating at an open buffet, and it is much easier when you have stuff in common with those people. That is how Secrets Capri was. It was tremendous. The staff was outstanding. I cannot say enough good things about the employees. They were on the ball with everything. From the moment we stepped off the shuttle, the workers were there with a cold towel that smelled great. It was such a tremendous personal touch. The help we got to get our room was excellent. The restaurants, which I will go very in depth on more later this week, had some of the greatest waiters and hostesses I have ever had a personal encounter with. The room we had was super comfy, and the staff was there to clean everyday at 2pm. I could set my watch to it. We did an excursion, got back at 2, the room wasn't quite ready, so we went to the beach for awhile, and after an hour, our room was spotless. The access to the beach was so easy. I went everyday, swam in the ocean and ran on the beach with almost too much ease. Also, they had people there everyday to clean out the seaweed that was coming in from deeper in the water. The beach was spotless by our final day. The pool was perfect. They had umbrellas everywhere for those of us that didn't want to get sunburned. For those that wanted to get tan, the pool was totally uncovered. They did water aerobics and played games and had some kind of activity in the pool that was super fun. The pool bar was great. I would swim up, get my wife a drink and myself a bottle of water, and the bartender was on the money. His name was Juan, and he was amazing. By the end of the week he knew I wanted water and my wife wanted Malibu and pineapple juice. That impressed the hell out of me. The shows, and nighttime entertainment was fantastic. They did a whole show on the Mayan history on Friday night, and it ruled. They also had an awesome Beatles cover band that included a Cirque de Soleil show. They also had an Il Divo cover band that was good. It was nice.

I was super impressed with pretty much everything that Secrets Capri had to offer. My wife and I have even said that when we go back, and we will most definitely be going back, Secrets Capri will be hard to beat. I highly recommend, if you are going the all inclusive route for your next trip, book a Secrets trip. It was an amazing experience that I will not soon forget. It was awesome.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Next time Ty heads down to Mexico he is going to the Pacific Coast. There is nothing he likes more than the smell of tequila and the smell of others puking that tequila up.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing

My War with the Moles and Chipmunks in My Yard

ARRRGHHH

My topic is a little odd today, but as RD and I have many times, we have a platform for venting about weird stuff sometimes. So today I want to talk about my total disdain for moles and chipmunks.

I never really had much of a yard before we moved into the house I currently live in. I grew up in a townhouse, spent the first part of dating/married life in a townhouse and, at our first house, our lawn was the size of a very, very small park. Think about the "Littlest Park" episode of "Parks and Rec", double that, that was the size of our front and backyard. But now, I have a pretty decent sized backyard. The front isn't humongous, but it isn't too terribly small either.

Anyway, last year I decided that I was going to take pride in my yard. We have a veggie garden now, and instead of just letting grass and weeds and dandelions and whatever else destroy the yard, I was going to do it all. It also helps that my mother in law is a master gardener. She gave a lot of advice, and the tools, to keep my yard looking fresh. So I did the weeding. I made sure to mow whenever the grass needed it, sometimes when it even could have waited a bit. I tended to the veggie garden. I mulched the entire front and back. I did whatever I was instructed to do so my yard would look solid. And for awhile, boy did it loom good. I was proud of what I had accomplished. Everything seemed to be going great.

About a few months into the fall, right around when the leaves started to fall, my wife and I noticed odd little hills popping up in our backyard hill. We have a flat backyard, but at the end, we have a decent hill. This is where the little hills started to show. I went outside, investigated and decided that stomping the ground back in would do the trick. Nope, I would wake up the next day to the same hills, plus a few extras here and there. We looked up what may cause this and found out it could be moles. I called a local exterminator to rid our yard of these monsters, and at first, I thought they did. They kept telling us they were weeding out and that our yard would look like old anytime soon.

That did not happen. I kept seeing newer hills popping up. One day it would seem fine, the next, it was like the moles had an underground party. I contacted the exterminator, and they wouldn't come back out because I canceled my business after they said they eradicated the problem. I was hot. So, I decided to take matters into my own hand. I bought poison worms and supersonic sound machines. I planted devices in the yard to trap them. I even thought about getting a BB gun.

None of this worked.

These moles, and chipmunks, continued to find a way. I figured with how cold it was this past winter, it would freeze them out. And it seemed like it had. But, when it started to warm up recently, I noticed that the hills in the backyard where mostly gone, but the front, not so much. Mole hills have popped up everywhere in the front. It looks like our backyard did last fall. They are all over the mulch, by my hoop, near the sidewalk, everywhere. I even see a bunch in our neighbors yards. It is out of control. It feels like they dug deeper in the frigid cold, stored up all their energy, and are now taking it out on mine, and my neighbors, lawns. It is insane.

I don't get it. I don't know what else to do. I keep stamping the ground with tools. I put some newer, seemingly more effective grub and worm killer in my yard. I have laid a ton of new grass seed. I even bought more powerful supersonic sound wave machines. Yet, the moles and chipmunks seem to be getting stronger.

I hope that this problem will go away. I'm sick and tired of seeing new tunnels and bumps every morning. I'm getting past frustration to, dare I say, acceptance that the moles have taken over. This has only gotten worse. If any of you have any advice out there, please let me know because I am so sick and tired of these damn things. I'm going to continue to tend to my yard and veggie garden, but I would be lying if I said that this whole mole/chipmunk thing hasn't made me reconsider my ways of yard work. Should I go back to not caring about my yard? Will this get rid of the moles/chipmunks? I hope I don't have to try that again, but with how much stronger this has become since winter, that may be my last resort.

Gosh do I despise these varmint. Big time.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. If you see Ty with a gun and a crazy look in his eye, no worries. He is just getting ready to escalate his war with the varmints.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Being an Adult Sucks When Your Damn Washing Machine Breaks

If the second machine breaks, time for plan c.

As a child, most kids dream of the day that they will be a teenager, then, eventually, an adult. We all know that it is coming, yet we still strive and long for those days. I am not alone in this. I can vividly remember sitting around with my friends as a pre teen clamoring for the days of high school. When it finally happened, we all could not wait until after college, when we would be adults and be "on our own". Sure, it all sounded neat and fun and great when I was 12, 13 and 14. But, the older I get, the more I realize that, it is not the candy and cake that I thought it was going to be as a pre teen.

It is nice to be an adult, don't get me wrong, but there is a ton of stuff that no one, not even your parents, can prepare you for. School definitely doesn't touch on the things that I will touch on today, but that is because school does not have the time to teach you everything. It is just the basics. Teachers in school do what they can, but honestly, they only get 9 months out of the year, and we all just go through the motions until summer break anyway.

This all comes about because of something I went through yesterday. I'm 34. I have made this widely known on the site and the podcast. I'm not young, but I'm not old either. I'm in that sweet spot. I'm an adult, but I still have my parents around, and I get to see them all the time since we live in the same city. I'm married, which is totally awesome, and I have 2 kids. I also own a home and pay bills. So, for all intents and purposes, I'm considered an adult. Well, part of being an adult is what happened yesterday.

I was doing laundry, part of my duties as a stay at home dad. I put the clothes in the wash, then took my 5 year old to preschool and had to run a few errands and do some catch up work for my coaching/instructing job. When I finished that stuff up, I had about 40 minutes before I needed to get my 5 year old, so I swung by my home to switch the clothes from the washer to the dryer. When I got into my house and headed to the laundry room, I noticed an odd, mildew smell. When I opened the washer, I had realized, A) that's where the smell was coming from, and B)something was wrong with my washer. I did the usual stuff. I turned it off and back on. Nothing. I unplugged and re plugged hoses. Nothing. I headed for the circuit breaker and reset everything in the basement and laundry room. Nothing. The washer was broken.

I was stuck. I'm not a handy man by any means necessary, but I knew that I needed to do something or else these clothes would get ruined. I remembered that we brought our washer and dryer from our first house to the new house, and thus the madness started. First off, I had to empty the clothes out from the washer, ring them as dry as possible, and place them in the dryer. Then, I had to take bucket after bucket full of nasty, mildew scented washer filled water outside to dump.

After doing that for about 25 minutes or so, I finally got the washer to the point of being light enough for me to drag outside, or so I thought. I started the process of dragging the washer, and it was heavy as hell. I could move it, but it was only a few inches here and there. I should also mention that our laundry room is tiny, so moving a washer out was already a built in problem. After a good 45 minutes, I finally got the washer out of the laundry room and into our lower level/basement. Then I had to drag it out to the garage. After another 15 minute struggle, I finally got it out and was able to dump out the rest of the water onto the ground. So, only an hour plus worth of work, and I was halfway done.

I was pissed.

Next came the part where I had to drag in the old washer. Now, when I say this washer is old, it is VERY old. I think it was built in a Czechoslovakian factory. The washer was used so much the paneling on the sides just flaps around. It still works, but it is on its very last legs. After dragging in this messed up washer, moving it 6 inches every step, I had to figure out all the hoses and drainage. The hoses were easy, except I didn't tighten them tight enough at first. I got the hoses on, then turned the water back on but it was spilling out of the sides of each one of them. I tightened them enough, so that problem was solved.

Unfortunately for me, that was only one of the many problems with the new, but very old washer. When I got the hoses properly attached and the washer plugged in, I quickly realized that the drainage hose was not long enough for where the water drains out of this laundry room because, why would it be that easy. So I was stuck again. Being the idiot that I am, I still ran some water and thought, maybe it won't matter.

It mattered.

Water splashed everywhere when the washer went through the spin cycle. So, I proceeded back outside and grabbed the drainage hose that I took off the now defunct washer. Then, it was a matter of clamping it so tight that no water would get out. The first 2 tries did not work. I thought I had it twice, I was wrong twice. Then, as if the saying third time is a charm wasn't real enough, it actually worked on the third time. I got the hose tight enough that no water spilled out, but I kept checking every 10 minutes to make sure.

So, for over 2 hours I finally figured this whole washer situation out. I was exhausted and frustrated, but also a bit excited because I fixed something on my own. I did it without the help of a handy man or handy woman.

But, after about 30 minutes that euphoria wore off, and then I was just frustrated again. I quickly realized that this old washer would not be the long term answer. I knew that my wife and I would have to get a new washer ASAP, and that I would be installing it once again. Washers aren't super expensive, like a furnace, but they aren't that cheap either. It is going to be a frustrating and long weekend. It is going to suck.

So yeah kids, when you sit and opine that you want to be older, read this story, or have your parents tell you a story of their own that is similar. It's not just having to buy and install a new washing machine either. Gas and buying new cars is expensive, frustrating and will grate on you. Car salesman, and I am painting a very broad brush, are sleazebags, for the most part. But, you also have home loans, student loans, all kinds of bills, be they electric, water, air conditioner/furnace, I could go on and on and on. Being an adult definitely has perks. I can see any movie I want, buy alcohol, even though I don't drink, rent a car, coach kids and, if I want an animal, I can go rescue or adopt one without needing permission from anyone. But, there are a lot of small headaches that can turn into a big problems the longer you put them off. It has its good and bad, but it is very frustrating at times. I love and adore my wife, kids, family and friends, but I hate bills, home problems and car troubles. All of that entails what being an adult is like, at least for me.

My advice? Stay young as long as you can. Being young and carefree is the best and it just flies by way too fast. Don't wish to grow up, just be young and enjoy the very little responsibilities you do and do not have. It's fleeting and fast. Have fun while you are young.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is being a big baby about this washing machine. All he needs to do is build a creek in his backyard and get a good washing stone. Problem solved. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Welcome to SeedSing Stories

Having a story and owning the world go hand in hand

Having a story and owning the world go hand in hand

The central idea behind SeedSing is to let the average person have a voice. One did not need to be rich and connected in order to have their ideas heard. Our pop culture and politics is controlled by an incompetent media that only cares about ratings and influence, they do not care at all for the truth. Our world has a lot of problems, and voices without influence need to be heard. The truth needs to have a spot in our discussion.

SeedSing Stories is a place where we encourage people to talk about who they are. Understanding each other as real people will help us connect and understand each other's concerns. We may talk about or political views, but what made us feel this way. There are types of music and movies we enjoy the most, but what causes us to find worth in one thing and a guilty pleasure in another. SeedSing Stories will allow us to understand each other as real people, and not just a jumble of words extolling our grand virtues.

SeedSing Stories is meant to bring humanity back to discussion. The internet is a big open space with a lot of anonymous contributors. Being anonymous makes one into the mob. Individual voices will change the world. I want to learn about the individuals and join their voices together into a movement to fix the world. Your stories deserve to be heard. Do not keep quiet anymore.

I plan on telling stories of my days working with clowns. Other contributors have stories of living in world where gender roles have been reversed. You have stories equally, if not more, interesting than these. Your stories will give others moments of humor, knowledge, and inspiration. Share them with us. Let the world know we can fix it because we survived. Let your life lessons be another persons curriculum.

We want to know what you do with your life, and why. What event, or series of events, informed your world view? Bring us your stories. Plant your seed and let all of the world hear your song.

We look forward to understanding who the people are in the world around us.

RD Kulik

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. He looks forward to what happens with SeedSing Stories and does remind everyone we have a few rules around here