Disqus - Latest Comments for naturalpapa

Re: Hydrogen fuel cell e-bike takes 2 minutes to fill and has a 60+ mile range

Derek — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 12:44:57 -0000

As far as I understand it, and I could be wrong, the motor pulls from the batteries, not the fuel cell directly, because a battery can better respond directly to the changing demands from the motor than the fuel cell with a slower response rate can. The battery essentially acts as a buffer or bridge between the fuel cell and the motor.

Re: Meet Gwen Thompson: The $95 Homeless American Girl Doll

Derek — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:04:00 -0000

Umm... WTF? This is just twisted.

Re: It IS Your Fault

Derek — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 01:06:52 -0000

Clay, you hit it right on the head with this post.

Procrastination and fears kill our dreams. Thanks for the reminder!

Re: GIVEAWAY TIME! Win your own Rickshaw “Zero” messenger bag.

Derek — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:47:52 -0000

As a die-hard bike commuter, this bag would sure come in handy!

I like zero-waste products, and am glad to see more on the market.

Re: My First Durian (aka Stealing Alien Babies From The Mothership)

Derek — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 02:36:42 -0000

The last picture is of a kohlrabi, not a daikon...

Funny post - thanks!

Re: Can you help 350.org? Send the invite and WIN A PRIZE!

Derek — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:07:48 -0000

I'm inviting everyone I know! Thanks for getting the word out.

Re: Help me spread the word of 350.org and win a prize!

Derek — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:57:06 -0000

I'm with you... I just signed up!

http://naturalfather.blogsp...

I'm here: http://twitter.com/naturalpapa

and here: http://greenoptions.com/aut...

Green and crunchy!

Re: Must Follow Green Twitter Feeds

Derek — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:40:48 -0000

Add me? http://twitter.com/naturalpapa
Thanks!

Re: 10 Manly Feats of Strength | The Art of Manliness

Derek — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:15:27 -0000

Man, I haven't thought of these since my Boy Scout days...

I should sponsor Manly Feats Friday at work. Would workman's comp cover any injuries, ya think?

Re: 5 Traits of True Leaders | The Art of Manliness

Derek — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:16:24 -0000

Awesome!
One addition: Service
A leader serves the people.
Thanks for a good read!

Re: Are Video Games Manly?

Derek — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:30:29 -0000

Are you kidding me?
Video games...
Manly?
Ummm...
Not a chance, says I.
But- There's a chance for learning skills that increase your manliness in everything you do.
However, the people I know that play video games a lot seem to be just passing time.

Re: 10 Reasons Real Men ‘Go Green’

Derek — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:21:38 -0000

Hear, hear! Great list. Leading, with values... What a concept!

Re: Do More Than One Stinking Pull-Up

Derek — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:48:41 -0000

I have some homemade rings hanging from a tree limb. It seems to take some of the stress off of my shoulders when my arm can rotate inward while pulling up (pull-up-ing?).

Handstand pushups are next on my goal list...

Then a front lever...

That should keep me busy for a while.

Thanks for the good read!

Re: Is Patriotism Manly?

Derek — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:33:24 -0000

Ditto on the not manly vote. Personal integrity and independent thought get us much further ahead than blind patri-autism.

Re: The 15 Greatest Man Cries (Plus 5 Dishonorable Mentions)

Derek — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:40:58 -0000

It seems like we could come up with a list less weighted to sports, tv, and politics. I know those are more likely to be caught by a journalist or camera, but maybe the title could have been "The 15 Greatest Man Cries By A Public Figure"?

My Short List:
1. Crying with my dad. A real heart-to-heart conversation with my father after 30 years of trying to live up to his expectations (expectations that he knew nothing about - they were in my head), and him trying to gain my acceptance (that I knew nothing about).
2. An AHA! moment. At a time when it seemed like everyone was looking to me to provide guidance and direction, I realized my ultimate nightmare: I had no answers. I lost it completely for a couple of minutes. Seemed like forever. When I looked up, I was filled with a calmness that could move mountains. And I gained a lot of respect from my community.
3. Missing my kids. After our separation, all I wanted was to wake up with the kids and to be able to tuck them into bed and to tickle them silly. My son was just learning to crawl and changing faster every day. I wanted to see them every day, but the agreement was for much less time.
4. Relates to 2, something out of my control. Looking into my wife's eyes as we held our lifeless son, thinking that I could be the rock for her, and knowing that I was in way over my head. I couldn't fix her.

We all have these moments, we just don't always have the words.

Thanks for a good read.

Re: Submit To This Week’s Manival at Night Writter

Derek — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 10:02:11 -0000

Enjoy The Now. Be Present With Your Children

In dwelling, live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don't try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present.
-from the Tao Te Ching, Stephen Mitchell translation

One of the greatest gifts that the natural father can give to his children is to be present. To be here now. To be actively engaged in their lives. Your presence as a father, as a man, is something completely different than what they experience from the mother as a woman. So make it special. Be present.

To be present, you have to mentally let go of all of the loose ends in your life. You have to let go of all of the things happening this afternoon, next week, this winter, five years from now. You have to let go of the past. Let go of everything from yesterday, from your work, from when you were a kid...

Sounds easy. It's not. Our minds are like monkeys, jumping from one thought to the next. "I'm hungry. Wow, look at that sweet bike. I need some new socks. What time is the show? I sure could use some cash. Where's that book I was reading?" All of our wants and needs and disappointments and triumphs and losses and opinions are competing for space in our head.

Observe yourself. Get to know yourself. Maintain an awareness of the source of your thoughts and judgments. When you speak, ask yourself why you are speaking. When you eat, ask yourself where your food came from and why you are eating it. When making a choice, ask yourself why you decided the way that you did. Chances are, you'll learn an awful lot about yourself in a short time. Then you can begin to make different choices, consciously. Like the choice to be present with your child.

You can start by actively looking them in the eye when they are speaking to you, and by asking them what they think about things. Let them teach you about themselves by being an engaged listener and giving them your full attention. If you get down on their level with the Legos and let them lead, you'll find that they are present. They are here now. Makes you wish maybe you could be a kid again.

The next time they ask for something they don't usually get, say yes, and enthusiastically involve yourself with them. The natural father understands that most rules for kids are silly. So many times, "No" is the answer simply because it's the usual answer, the regular answer, not because there is a valid reason for it. Kinda like "Because I said so." So surprise them. Surprise yourself. Be impulsive and irrational because you can, because it doesn't matter what you did in the past.

This is now.

Go for it.

Enjoy the now. It's all you've got.

Re: The Virtuous Life: Tranquility

Derek — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:55:19 -0000

Just found you.

Lots of good stuff here - I'll be back.