Stay-at-home dad |

To Yell at a Guru?

Posted by Justin at 11:03 rants

Feb 232015

Image via Wikipedia

Well for better or for worse, I have been looking at some nuts and bolts around here at the Coots site. I have discovered in the course of events that Ralph has been writing much more than anyone else here. Maybe he is just more dedicated or maybe he just has nothing better to do than to be an instigator.

Instigator in the dictionary of the coots should read: 1. Ralph Carlson, see ralphcarlson.com 2. The guy who has nothing better to do than come up with ideas for others to implement, see #1. 3. A guy with too much time on his hands, see #1. 4. Retired and needing to do something to stay away from his murderous-minded wife, see #1.

You have all read the origin story of the coots, from humble comment to site, comment made by, you guessed it, Ralph. And as we grow and go forward he keeps coming up with stuff for us to do. Maybe he has all the time he wants to sit and write for 2 blogs, his kids are grown and he doesn’t have medical issues that need major narcotics to deal with. Or maybe he is just the Coots Guru that we need. (see picture: Coots on a tire! which one is Ralph?)

I used to be able to keep up with him pretty good on postings and our numbers were fairly even. Bob is so far behind that he is never going to catch up. But now, I find myself 33 posts behind Ralph! I know I was off for a while but good freaking grief in a kettle. I know that numbers like that shouldn’t mean anything, my posts are far superior, well some of them at least, but just by sheer numbers I have to dub Ralph the Coots Guru.

And now, I have to decide to yell at him or not. He is the patron saint of Cantankerousness here. I think I will not yell today. But I always have that option. And now here is a real life question for you. Is it permissible to yell at your Guru’s? By that I certainly mean yell, but also disagree. If you pick up a new program (much like my new stay at home dad program that will be launching soon) and you don’t agree with something in there, I would like the feedback for someone to leave me a profanity laden email cursing out generations of my family and telling me what I did wrong.

I will probably make fun of that person on Twitter but I am not opposed to the criticism. We have the right to our own thoughts and the speech that comes from us protected under the Constitution and the First Amendment. We also have the right, no the obligation to disagree with someone who we truly feel is wrong, see Declaration of Independence. These are not new concepts. These are not wild ideas that I have created.

We need to strive for the fortitude and the Cantankerousness to put out there what our minds conjure. We need to read and understand others, to look at their ideas and programs, and then decide if they are for us or not. And you don’t have to be mean about it, but sarcasm helps.

Have a great Thursday.

-Justin

Justin

Justin is the young Coot with a Cantankerous Soul who continues to be educated by older, more cootish Ralph and Bob. His Cantankerosity is his own.

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The Sound of Kettlebells in the Morning

Posted by Ralph at 09:16 Softer side

Oct 252013

: Image by Yasuhiko Ito via Flickr

Justin is one of a kind

Justin, my hotheaded young compatriot here at Coots has a lot on his plate. Being a stay at home dad is no picnic but it does add to the pressure for a fiction writer, blogger and musician. Society and Justin’s wife demand that he reign in his natural cantankerous nature to provide the warm nurture that his children need. Its a lot of pressure for a Coot. But don’t worry, Justin has a way to let off steam and release his creative juices as well. He is a modest lad (we have to work on that here at Coots before he introduces too much of his softer side into the blog). You won’t find him tooting his horn even though he is a musical virtuoso. When life gets too hectic, he retreats to his mancave and takes up his kettlebells.

A Genuine Renaissance Man

Granted they are an odd instrument but perfectly suited to a man who can skin a cat, change a diaper and then debug WordPress code on his break. Yes, Coot in training Justin is one of a kind. You wouldn’t know this from his folksy blog posts but the real Justin is beginning to surface here at Coots. Scratch that amiable exterior and you will find a growing cantankerosity.

Let that talent out from under the bushel.

Being such a modest, low-key kind of guy, normally he is secretive about his kettlebell playing, He doesn’t want to embarrass those with lesser talents. But recently I was able to capture snippets of the otherworldly beauty of his playing on the sly. It seems only right to share his talent here at Coots even though it does reveal a softer side that is out of character. So at the risk of exposing my own softer side, I feel compelled to reveal Justin – the master virtuoso of the kettlebells.

The sounds of Justin

Usually when he starts, he needs to let off some steam something this.

Then he will work into the more mellow music

and quickly transition to something even moremellow

Occasionally he will be reminded of something stressful and work it out likethis

but eventually he gets his groove mellow.

Show him how much you appreciate his talents.

Right now, I think he is in some kind of funk over a WordPress problem so I am sure that you would find him back at the mancave with his kettlebells right now. Leave him a message of encouragement at Coots or back at his home turf.

Ralph

Ralph is the inspiration for Cantankerous Old Coots and is our Grand Duke of Cantankerousness

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Kettlebell Inspiration

Posted by Ralph at 01:52 Up With

Jun 282013

Image via Wikipedia

Our leader Justin here at Cantankerous Old Coots keeps us hacks jumping. I toe the line pretty well remembering all the old tricks I learned at work for keeping the boss happy. Bob is another matter altogether. Bob is a ‘my way or the highway’ kind of guy and sometimes it’s all Justin can do to keep Bob focused and on target- or even present. I rail about Justin from time to time but so far, he’s been the one keeping the wheels on the bus here at COC, slave driver though he may me.

What with being a stay at home Dad, web entrepreneur and running his own blog, you can imagine that Justin’s life is full of challenges. Mere mortals like me constantly ask; How does he cope? How does he maintain his balance and joi de vivre amidst this busy cacophony? I confess that I don’t have a clue. It would be beyond my meager abilities which are strained daily just pulling my weight here at Coots.

Still from time to time even Justin needs to fill his tank and refresh his spirit. He retreats to a quiet place and lets his spirit flow. He plays his kettlebells.

Justin will never acknowledge his talent. He disclaims any praise or attention and refuses to perform publicly. But his skill is legendary. No one has yet captured Justin performing either on video or audio. He keeps his light under a bushel, so to speak. Still, careful research has uncovered kettlebell masters who inspire and encourage Justin to grow his talent. You can get a small idea about the power of Justin’s talent from these videos . These powerful performances will give you an idea of what a kettlebell master like Justin can do.

Sometimes whtn Justin gets into his groove, the spirit takes him places where mere mortals only dream of going. Listen to those mellow sounds and then tell Justin that you want him to share his music with the rest of us. Mellow out with this second video and then send him a message here at Coots or at Justin’s Brainpan. Tell him you want to know the magic of kettlebell music. Talent like Justin’s deserves sharing.

Ralph

Ralph is the inspiration for Cantankerous Old Coots and is our Grand Duke of Cantankerousness

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