Category: Life

Life, Videos

Leo – AGE 1

For such a young age, Leo has certainly been through a lot. I would comfortably say Leo’s year was the definition of growth and transformation. He started out age 1 as a baby struggling to gain weight, being fed by a tube to a sturdy 24 month old who is on track for weight in his age and rough houses smoothly with his older brothers.

He’s a happy little guy. The resilience he showed this past year was amazing. It touched and inspired everyone. End all be all, we are just very thankful he is healthy, eating and laughing. Funny how the simplest things in life ultimately mean the most.

We love you Leo. Happy 2nd birthday buddy.

Life

2019 In Review

2019 was another slow year in production on the site and an increased usage in my Day One app. Nevertheless, I always enjoy doing these yearly wrap-ups. Thank you again for visiting my site and reading my words. You time is truly appreciated….

To recap, none of my posts were selected by WordPress Editors this year. But ‘Status Crisis‘ without question, handed me the most feedback of the year. So it wasn’t a surprise the site traffic supported that info. ‘Project Screentime‘ seemed to strike a chord with certain people and also rub younger people the wrong way. That was interesting.

I always enjoy giving the “most criticized” award and this year it wasn’t even close… ‘Fact, Belief and UFOs‘ got me weeks of bashing and disagreeing. So, there’s that.

Honestly though, the absolute highlight of my year was a two post combination. ‘Motherly Instinct‘ and ‘Luca AGE 3‘ really gave me hope for the world. They were both extremely personal to me and the supportive feedback for both posts were nothing short of amazing and encouraging.

Anyways, here is the Top 10 by site traffic….

  1. Status Crisis
  2. Motherly Instinct
  3. Project ScreenTime: Dethrone the Phone
  4. Luca AGE 3
  5. Fact, Belief & UFOs
  6. Liam AGE 8
  7. The Fiction Revisited
  8. Leo – NEWBORN
  9. Joker and Mental Illness
  10. Won’t You Be My Neighbor (2018)

Thank you again for visiting my site. I know my long form stuff has really slowed up this past year but who knows, maybe in 2020 posts will come more frequent! I have many ideas as usual and am currently working hard to find a better life/work balance.

Merry Christmas !

-Danny

Life

The Happiness Paradox

At this point it’s really difficult to not recommend Matt’s YouTube channel. All of his videos are phenomenal in their own unique ways. To my estimation, his most recent, ‘The Happiness Paradox’ hits most true and authentic, personally.

I also love that he mentions Author Alan Watts. Somewhere in the middle of Buddhism and Christianity, Watts words and ideas have often helped me and almost always relate to how I feel about events, feelings and ideas. In a world where people love stances and ideals to be stark black or white, Watt is difficult to recommend because he most definitely lives in the gray. (Which by the way is ok).

Anyhow, if you haven’t already….please check out Matt’s new video. It’s really good, healthy food for the hungry mind.

Family, Life

10 Years

 Marriage is full of sacrifices and compromises. Growth and understanding are requirements. The simple and hard fact is marriage is difficult, especially for me. Someone who is an introvert/private/isolationist.

When I met Lindsey, I was very much those things. I was independent and satisfied. Years into our marriage I never changed. I stayed a stranger. That hurt Lindsey and I as a team. In the beginning we had a hard time finding a solid start. In the innocent sunrise of most marriages, ours was difficult and trying.

Of course not all was bad, not even the majority. But it was there; this feeling of me living life on my own and Lindsey along for the ride. I didn’t see it until recently and once I saw it, I couldn’t unsee the unfortunate truth. Because of me, we had an subpar relationship which directly equaled a subpar marriage.

Then I had a thought. Lindsey isn’t forced to be with me, she actively chooses to. That realization honestly changed everything. All of sudden everything fit into place. Like numerous puzzle pieces scattered, slowly lifted and fit in unison. I respected her decision to spend her life with me and I appreciated that sentiment on a very basic level. I truly learned to be thankful for very basic elements of our relationship.

When I look at her now I don’t want to be a stranger. I don’t want to just get by being an OK friend and husband. I want to be her best friend. Not just because we have to say we are best friends, I mean really enjoy each other’s company. Like genuine joy of each other’s presence. Ultimate goal.

I’m not perfect and i’ll never be the husband I think she deserves. But I’ll never stop trying to be someone who is trying to improve on a constant basis from here on out.

10 years in I can see the benefit of marriage, now. God gives you someone who chooses to spend their life with you and in return you embrace that person and respect them as their own human being. You experience the ups and downs, the bads and goods. The ugly and pretty. Whatever you experience, you experience open and honestly together. That’s how a relationship or marriage stays solid I think. Growth in unison.

What I’m learning: You acknowledge that life isn’t about you, and you breathe to see your spouse grow as a person and achieve goals. You wake up every day just to help and to make her life easier. I don’t want medals, I don’t want attention, I don’t want accolades, I just want her to know I love her by treating love as a verb. True love; giving all of you with the hope the other person will too.

I remember life as a stranger. But now I have a forever friend who I honestly couldn’t and wouldn’t want to live life without. She is the person I try and share every little detail with, she is the person I tell my deepest and darkest secrets to. She has always been mine, but now, 10 years in, I’m her’s.

I love your good vibes. I’m addicted to your positivity. Being with you is like wearing comfy pajama pants or sleeping in clean sheets after a fresh spin in the washing machine. You’re kinder and braver than I’ll ever be. Wherever you go, that’s where I’ll be.

Happy 10 Year Anniversary Linds.

 

 

Life, Technology

Thoughts on Apple’s September Event

It’s September which can only mean one thing. Apple is selling new phones and some other things… I have some thoughts… So let’s take the event as it unfolded shall we?

Apple Arcade

I’m not a huge gamer when it comes to mobile. I’ll play a game here and there. But my gaming experiences are limited to Chess and Alto’s Adventure. That said, I think the $4.99 price tag is really impressive. The whole service is going to hinge on the quality of games included. In the current state of games on iOS, $4.99 is a cheap price to pay for non-intrusive, scamming game developers always scheming to rob you dollar by dollar.

A word on game demos: Yikes Apple. Game demos in the beginning of an iPhone event? Snooze fest.

Grade = B

Apple TV+

Another $4.99 price tag. I think Disney pushed Apple into a little bit of a corner with this. I can’t see Apple wanting this service to premiere so low on the price scale. But, it’s really hard for them to justify anything more in terms of money. They don’t have a catalog of really anything, they didn’t buy the rights to a show like ‘Friends’ or anything widely loved. They are making their own shows and films, which takes time. But they haven’t proven anything to us as consumers.

The ‘SEE’ trailer looked amateurishly edited and ultimately uninspired. I was very let down from what I saw. Apple was championing this as their “Game of Thrones.” Who knows? It may be great. But it sure didn’t look it.

Nov. 1 launch date and the best detail yet; free Apple TV+ for a year with a purchase of a new phone/watch/mac/apple tv. Thats a good deal. It also plays into Apples favor too. Gain users, and give yourself a year to make compelling content.

Grade = C

iPad

Apple has had a hard time figuring out what to do with the iPad line for a while now. Recently they introduced iPad Pros with all screen, no home button designs. With that innovation also came a price jump which put masses of potential buyers out of reach of purchasing. This decision opened the door to lower cost iPad’s which was sorely lacking in the recent iPad lineup. A year back Apple introduced a new low end iPad that was touting some really impressive specs for a super low price, $329.

This year’s low iPad really looked fantastic. Still holding strong to the $329 price point, Apple gave it not only pencil support but a smart connecter for use of the Apple keyboard. Also, the 9.7″ screen was stretched to a 10.2″. Apple really deserves laurels for this kind of thing. Too often we hammer on Apple for increasing prices for mysterious reasonings. So when they can stabilize a price point and add great value to that product, they should be commended.

If Apple’s future of computing really is the iPad, they need to sell more to saturate the market. From early education to retired seniors. This low price and very capable iPad is a fantastic way to start that process more effectively. Couple this iPad with the newly announced ipadOS, and you have a powerful little machine at under 400 bucks.

Grade = A

Apple Watch Series 5

2019 was supposed to a be a minor year for Apple Watch upgrades. If you follow this stuff closely, you know last year’s Series 4 upgrade was a complete redesign with phenomenal advances. Any one looking ahead could and did predict this year’s Series 5 to sport some minor additions.

Boy we’re we wrong.

The most requested feature ever in an Apple Watch surprisingly landed. An ‘all the time on’ display that dims when not being used. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to look at my watch while working out or just every day usage and am forced to finagle my wrist in weird directions to illuminate the screen. No more. This is a huge advancement in Apple Watch’s capability and possibly the most significant upgrade in the 5 years lifespan of the product

Obviously everything Apple is doing with health is impressive, too. From sound measuring to menstrual cycle tracking, they’re keeping their foot hard on the pedal. As they should. The Apple Watch truly is changing lives. (That video almost had me tearing up)

Aesthetically, you can now purchase the watch in titanium and ceramic. Both look great and are a little bit on the pricey side. Also new is pairing any Watch model with any band. A configuration that should have been available on day one.

Grade = B

 

iPhone 11

Gone are the days of last year’s iPhone model to be the only low cost, approachable option. Welcomed is the iPhone 11. A truly great, sincerely marketed “the iPhone for most people.” That’s an accurate description in my opinion. No one feels good buying a watered down anything. That’s how the low cost iPhone recently has felt. This year Apple has really cleaned up it’s naming scheme and produced a truly desirable phone option at $699.

The internals are as powerful as the Pro models to the naked eye and the camera is more than efficient for everyday shooters. This is the first time in a long time I feel comfortable telling average users that the low priced phone is more than good enough to check all the boxes you need checked.

The new colors are… interesting. I was shocked they did away with the blue form the XR line. The green looked exciting in press photos, but not so good in the hands on videos I saw. The purple looks to be the best to my liking if I was into the whole colored phone thing.

Grade = A

 

iPhone 11 Pro / iPhone 11 Pro Max

Let’s get the obvious out of the way. There is no ‘Pro’ phone user. I have a little bit of an issue with Apple positioning this as a phone for the Pro’s. If what Apple is really trying to say is: “if your willing to pay more money, this is a higher tiered product,” that would sit a whole lot better for me. Even keep the name Pro. But, don’t say it’s for a Pro cinematographer. I personally know film directors who laugh at this idea of an iPhone being a daily shooter.

Now that thats out of the way….

Kudos to the triple camera lens. I know a lot of people are hating on it, but I applaud Apple for leaning into the camera system. They know what sells phones, the camera. So no matter how ugly the back of your phone looks, your picture looking gorgeous will certainly trump the looks of your phone. Everytime.

Clearly Apple is slam dunking on everyone in the chip game at this point. They touted the A13 for a full 5 minutes on stage and with clear reason. They are light years in front of any company. I’m no where near qualified to talk about chips, but I trust what Apple is saying is true based on phone performance and battery life increases alone.

We obviously have to talk about Midnight green and the introduction of clear cases. At first I was kind of down on the green phone. I figured if your going to make a green phone.. make it green! But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Adding a color to the line in a quiet design year drives sales. But you don’t want that color to not scream ‘Pro’ when you are pushing ‘PRO’ so you make it a muted, but classy tone. I get it and truthfully I would most likely purchase one IF this was a purchase year for me.

Also…clear cases.. finally.

All that said, iPhones Pro are a great upgrade if your coming from anything less than an iPhone X in my opinion. The security implication of Face ID alone should get you to upgrade. But if not, consider the camera and a13 chip money well spent.

Its pretty clear next year is a huge year for iPhone upgrades, but for now iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro are really good options that offer a wide array a features and price points.

Grade = B

Overall Event

Apple is a weird company now. Positioned right in the intersection of the richest company in the world and trying really hard to not act like it. I don’t blame them. But, these shows are getting more and more tired. Or maybe I’m changing? I don’t know anymore.

The products are still very compelling products. The emergence of the services corner of the company is growing and with products like Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple Music, Apple Care; what I was really hoping for was bundle of sorts. Kind of like amazon prime. Let me pay $30 bucks a month get all your services, etc. We didnt get that.. yet.

All in all, this was an iPhone event. Apple’s biggest product and it will continue to be for the time being. Interestingly though, Apple didn’t speak on the rumored ’tile’ product or anything to do with the new iPad Pros or the deeply anticipated Mac Pro or redesigned MacBook Pro. This leaves a whole lot of unanswered questions for the holiday season.

Coincidence?

I think not. See ya in October Apple!

Life, Movies

Won’t You Be My Neighbor (2018)

“Love is at the root of everything, all learning, all relationships. Love — or the lack of it.”

-Fred Rogers

I blind bought this. If you know me, then you’re aware how safe of a purchase it was. But to be honest, I was expecting a documentary that would reveal to me what I already knew — that Mr. Rogers was a kind, empathetic person both onscreen and off. Which is true, obviously.

But I had been thinking of him as a character for so long that I never stopped to consider Fred Rogers the human being — a man who constantly struggled with self-doubt over his work and who fought so tirelessly for the goodness of humanity because he was tired of living in a senseless, violent world. Seeing Mr. Rogers worried made me terrified, because deep down I assumed he always knew everything. I had this unspoken idea that once I became successful, or put-together, or smart enough, I would finally feel like I knew what I was doing too.

But if someone I think of as a hero also struggled with anxiety and self-doubt, and managed to change lives anyway, then maybe i’d be okay. Mr. Rogers’ most important lesson is that you don’t have to be perfect to be worthy of love — and it’s simple, he likes you just the way you are and you should too.

This documentary should be screened in schools across the world and pretty much every where in the universe. Nothing bad could come out of this amazing 2 hours.

Life, Movies

Lady Bird (2017)

Lady Bird is about growing up & growing up is hard. Then, we don’t think about it because it’s over. We don’t think about the people who helped raise us, we don’t think about the places that defined us. Ultimately, we don’t reflect on our past enough because we are trained to look forward. Looking back, we are told, is not productive.

Lady Bird, if nothing else, is a unique, smart and genuine look into a young girl discovering who she is. So intelligently crafted, this movie forces you to look into a time forgotten perhaps. Your childhood and upbringing.

The places, the people, the sights, sounds and smells. Your experiences. Lady Bird confronts the ugly of family life and pressures of expectation, but so sweetly morphs it into something beautiful. Sometimes, the people who smother you, and the people that encourage you to spread your wings, are doing it for the same reason – because they care.

About mid way through, this film asks a great question: “Is attention and love the same thing?”

In Lady Bird’s case, she loved what she was trying to escape. She learned this a little late. But she still learned. And that’s what growing up is all about.

Follow my film journal (if you want)

Family, Life

Incoming ‘Luca’ Video

Lindsey and I were talking last night about memories, the idea of memories and how easily and unknowingly they slip away. It’s an interesting talk, actually. The amount we forget on even a daily basis is quite alarming. We both agreed documenting is such a blessing and a tool that can really shape, enrich and profit our mental health.

Luca’s video this year has really shined a light on that. More than likely, 2019 is the year we will learn that Luca has some form of autism. This is difficult to come to terms with. Mainly because I want to do whatever I can to help him. Unfortunately we are learning behavioral illnesses in America are vastly underfunded and therefore, under researched. Fortunately, Luca is not a normal kid. He lights up a room when we walks in. His playfulness is contagious. And every step of the way, he has overcome odds. I wanted his video to resemble that.

This years video presented many challenges. I mean, I always want to work on nailing the tone of the year, whether that is music, editing or usually both in unison. But Luca’s year was different, and just like Leo’s newborn video, I refuse to shy away from what the reality is. I think that is what makes the videos have heart. Also, Luca’s video this year is a little more artsy, a little more film-like. That’s exciting to me. And it really has opened my mind to ideas on future videos.

All in all, I am really proud of Luca’s age 3 video. It took months to make with constant re-edits, but I hope it lives forever as a documentation of enjoying the journey and not the destination. Because in Luca’s case, the destination is unknown.

These videos aren’t highlight reels, that was never their intention. I want them to feel authentic and real. I want Liam, Luca and Leo to watch these when I am long gone and ‘feel’ their age upon watching. I think this year brought many challenges because obviously of Luca’s pending status, but also because he is far from a defeated soul. That was tough to create, the mix of his reality but optimism.

In my head, I needed to capture these 3 elements: uncertainty, hopefulness and above all else; love. It’s a fine line to walk, but I believe the video represents Luca’s age 3 true and accurate.

Luca’s video will be up on his birthday, July 16.