Maker Space

I picked up some materials for the Laser Cutter at Micheals’s craft store in Winchester, VA. My local Micheals in Front Royal didn’t have any materials available. I reserved a couple hours at the library and started etching and cutting wood puzzles, a maze game, a box, and a leather bookmark. Leather stinks!

The puzzle pieces were a bit too small and was difficult to assemble. Larger pieces would have shown more detail. The puzzle wiggled a bit as well. It was donated to the library just in time for the annual puzzle contest, which I believe raised around $1,000 this year. Teams could sabotage their competition by donating funds to make another team wear mittens. However, if a team donated more, they gained immunity.

The maze game turned out to be pretty fun. Instead of a traditional start and finish, I added numbers 1 through 9 at various points in the maze. I repeated these numbers two more times, each set placed within a circle, square, and triangle. The squares are more challenging to solve in order since each number appears on the opposite side of the maze.

Over the weekend, I focused on refining the steps for the puzzle-making workshop. I outlined the process for both Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator, as well as open-source software like GIMP and Inkscape. I made sure to consider the most common tasks people might need, such as converting an image to black & white for laser printing, warping text, and making it follow a path. I also found a website that generates puzzles in various shapes, which adds an extra element of interest.

I reserved the laser this Friday to see how the new puzzles turn out compared to my first attempt, and have something for classmates to see as an example of what they can do. After that, we can work on scheduling and promoting the workshop.

I’ve definitely learned a lot about vector drawing using both Adobe Illustrator and Inkscape, and I’ve picked up some knowledge about the laser printer as well. Depending on how this workshop goes, I can refine the materials and host it again, while also working on documents for other workshops, such as those for bookmarks, mazes, and boxes. I’ve been holding off on getting involved with the 3D printer because I thought someone else was already planning to teach it, but since no one has stepped forward, I might need to take the lead and guide people through a few projects.

Mr. Personality

I recently came across some old photos of myself from my senior year of high school. When I mentioned them to one of the staff members at the Warren Heritage Society, they suggested adding them to my “personality file.” Curious, I asked what a personality file was. They explained that it’s a collection of photos, articles, and other materials about individuals who have started to make a mark in the community. These files are preserved so that future relatives can learn about who these people were and the impact they had.

Right now, there isn’t much in my file, and I don’t have children, but they pointed out that my siblings or their children might one day appreciate having this glimpse into my life and contributions to the community.

While sorting through old files, I came across my old camcorder—but it was missing the battery, plug, cables, and everything else. I still have a collection of miniDV tapes, so I thought it’d be great to digitize them. I found the same model camcorder on eBay with all the necessary parts, but unfortunately, it couldn’t read tapes. I also found someone selling the USB cable and AV hookup. When everything arrived, I discovered both camcorders displayed the same error messages, and the AV hookup was for a different camcorder model.

Now I have enough parts to take everything to InfoTech to see if they can repair either camcorder. If they can, I plan to digitize my tapes and then donate the camcorders to the Library’s Memory Lab and the Warren Heritage Society. The Warren Heritage Society, in particular, could use equipment for digitizing Hi8, VHS-C, SHG, Betacam SP, and 16mm film.

The Warren Heritage Society now has a dedicated scanning station set up. Previously, I often had to find an unused staff computer to start digitizing content, which was far from efficient. With the new setup, both volunteers and staff can easily use the scanning station without needing to move devices between computers. I now come in occasionally for about two or three hours and scan documents.

Video Star

In addition to the old photos and camcorder, I finally decided to sit down and digitize an old VCR tape I found among my mother’s belongings after she passed away in 2014. The tape was labeled with my name and the school play Alice in Wonderland. I’ve always had a soft spot for anything related to Alice in Wonderland—movies, books, TV shows, video games—and perhaps that’s why. Even the purple background on my phone is inspired by a band that drew from the Alice theme.

The program was about an hour long. It began with an announcement that the show had almost been canceled due to the music teacher being sick for several weeks, but a few parents stepped in to ensure the performance went ahead. I saw myself singing familiar tunes with the first group of children on stage. I was in the top row, in the spotlight, standing behind a girl who was just as tall as I was. Although the video quality was poor, I could still recognize a few of my elementary school classmates. After the second group performed, the play began, and I was one of the last to enter the stage as the Queen’s guards (the cards) brought Alice in handcuffs. I was the Five of Diamonds. Towards the end, I stood up with two other cards to deliver a few lines and begin singing “Painting the Roses Red” while waving a paintbrush. The whole play was surprisingly impressive for a group of kids, but my favorite part was the caterpillar’s song, where they sang the vowels.

My Superpower

I stopped by the Chamber of Commerce, and since I’m a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, the staff mentioned a recent article about the National Archives looking for volunteers with the “superpower” to read and transcribe cursive documents from the American Revolution.

People: National Archives Is Seeking Volunteers Who Have the ‘Superpower’ of Reading Cursive – Which Only 24 States Still Teach – January 15, 2025

Intrigued, I checked it out, created an account, and managed to translate two documents. The system, however, is quite challenging to use, and most of the documents available for transcription feature messy handwriting. I often run into similar issues with old documents. For instance, when reviewing the Grand Lodge of Virginia’s member roster from the 1870s, I noticed that names were spelled differently from year to year. I suspect this inconsistency was due to the difficulty in reading the handwriting at the time.

Sons of the American Revolution

I’m having trouble finding clothes in my size—specifically, a Hunting Frock in 3X. One of the members mentioned he’d look into finding someone who could custom-make one for me. At the most recent meeting, I was invited to contribute to social media and member profiles by working on some of the stories. I explained that my time is limited but that I’d be happy to help out occasionally.

The genealogy researcher also handed me a large envelope filled with documents showing how I’m related to John Plumely. She suggested I open it at home, but curiosity got the better of me. As I went through the papers, I had a flash of memories when I saw my grandmother’s tombstone but managed to continue looking through the other documents.

During the meeting, a member of the Children of the American Revolution gave a speech about their organization, and before leaving, I made a cash donation to support their efforts.

Close Up

I came across some old ferrite core memory from a 1960s UNIVAC (Universal Automated Computer) and decided to examine it under my microscope. Sure enough, I could see the tiny black rings that stored memory states as ones and zeros. By my estimate, the plane could hold about 4 kilobytes of data.

When I first received the 3×3″ memory plane, I wasn’t entirely sure it was what I thought it was, as the rings were too small to see with the naked eye. To my amazement, later advancements in the technology led to even smaller rings before integrated circuits eventually replaced this method of memory storage.

Big Red

My neighbor asked if I was willing to sell Big Red, and the guy who cuts my lawn had already inquired twice, with me initially saying I’d sell it for $1,000. I decided to lower the price to $500 for my neighbor, and he was happy with the deal. I spent the next few days trying to charge the battery, but unfortunately, it was too far gone. We used his smaller battery to get it over to the Auto Care Clinic for an inspection. While there, one of the staff members asked about the vehicle, and we found out she knew the previous owner and was familiar with all the issues I’d fixed. Everything checked out except for the battery clip, which I’d placed in the center console during the battery swap. Once they reattached the clip, the inspection passed.

Before signing over the title, I made sure all the taxes were current by visiting the county government center and town hall. I removed the plates, returned them, and took the SUV off the auto policy.

Big Red was a 2004 Ford Explorer. I bought it specifically to tow Bilbo, my nuCamp T@G teardrop trailer, “there and back again.” When the pandemic hit, campgrounds started canceling my reservations, and I was stuck at home. As the pandemic eased, I noticed my trailer hadn’t lost much value, so I sold it, as people were eager to get back into camping. Big Red sat on the curb, with a battery that often died since I rarely drove it except for inspections.

When I first got the SUV, I ended up spending more on repairs than I paid for it. I had to replace the transmission with a remanufactured one because the dealer’s warranty only covered a used transmission, and I wasn’t comfortable dealing with someone else’s problems again. Dealer warranties are pretty terrible, in my opinion. They only cover limited parts costs, restrict labor hours, and cap the labor rate. It’s more like a coupon you have to fight for over the phone to get the major repairs your newly purchased vehicle actually needs. It’s hard to convince people that a used car dealer would sell a vehicle in such disrepair.

Big Red was costing me money each year for registration, county and town taxes, safety inspections, and insurance. I had considered donating it to the Auto Care Clinic’s “Cars Changing Lives” charity, but either way, it’s no longer my responsibility.

Braille

My sister asked if my library had any books in Braille. I found a children’s book, The Black Book of Colors, with embossed pictures and Braille bumps, but it wasn’t quite like a “real” Braille book. So, I decided to create one myself. I ordered a Braille slate and stylus kit and punched out a short story. To protect the raised dots during shipping, I used construction paper and wrapped it in a separate bubble-wrapped envelope. Punching each dot took several hours, and I kept it simple by sticking to Grade 1 Braille for both our sakes.

Using a slate requires punching the mirror image of each Braille character from right to left, as you’re working on the back side of the paper. Partway through, I realized I’d made a mistake and had to start over. To help her read it, I included a key to translate the dots into visual characters and wrote the corresponding letters and numbers under each set of dots. On the reverse side, I wrote the letters and numbers backward to clarify which side was which. Since the back is where the stylus is most useful, this was especially important.

To make it interactive, I added two kits so she could write messages back and forth with anyone who wanted to try it with her.

Lewis Moten, Ph. D.

Well… it’s official. I have an honorary degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the field of comedic science from Abide University. This degree is based on the character “The Dude” and his take on life from the movie, The Big Lebowski. The degrees are free with no classes, transcripts, fees, or accreditations.

Masonry

I volunteered at the Commandery festival last weekend. Since I’m not a member of that Appendant body, I’m not privy to what goes on. The event was supposed to wrap up by 2 PM, but when I left at 5:30 PM to take oven-roasted chicken to the thermal shelter for the homeless, they were still going strong.

This time of year, Robbie Burns celebrations are quite popular. Most people recognize the poet for his song Auld Lang Syne, traditionally sung as the New Year begins. Robbie Burns was also a Mason, so many Masons celebrate his birthday. While I don’t drink, I served mostly scotch to guests at the Kena Shrine in Manassas to help a brother out and enjoy the entertainment. This weekend, I’ll be attending the party at the Virginia Beer Museum, where I’ve been asked to read one of his poems.

I didn’t have everything I needed to dress up for the shrine event, but the packages I was waiting on have arrived. Now I have most of what I need for the occasion, except for a black bowtie and a Prince Charlie coat or Argyle jacket.

We’ve also signed up for the “Coldest Night of the Year”. It’s an event to raise money and awareness for the thermal shelter, renamed as Hope And Rest Temporary Shelter (HARTS), where we walk around town at night to help understand the struggle that some people go through. Our Team is Unity With Our Community.

Faith

I often find myself reflecting on my faith and comparing today’s religious landscape with the one I experienced as a child. Many people describe the faith I grew up with as a cult due to its harshness, strictness, and tendency to shun those who stray. I’ve heard the process of leaving it referred to as “deprogramming” or a “crisis of faith.” For me, though, the core remains the same—God is God, and Jesus is Jesus. The fundamental principles of Christianity are still there. What’s different now is recognizing the diversity in denominations and their distinct rules of governance and culture.

Jan 14, 2025

Leaving a childhood faith after growing up in that environment often means confronting deeply ingrained beliefs about yourself and the world around you. When you’re taught that leaving makes you “wicked” or “untrustworthy,” it can create a profound sense of isolation and self-doubt, even years later. You judge every little action you do, or every desire or thought. Simple actions that most people take for granted are often viewed as being worldly or influenced by Satan. There is even a common phrase I recall, “that’s not you, that’s the devil talking”. Everyone watches you, and reports your actions back to the elders.

The idea that joining another religion is equivalent to worshipping a false god adds another layer of complexity, as it discourages you from seeking spiritual fulfillment elsewhere, leaving many feeling disconnected not just from their former community, but also from any sense of belonging or purpose.

Breaking away from those teachings involves unlearning the fear and guilt associated with independent thought and exploration. It’s a process of rediscovering who you are without the labels and judgments imposed by others. It’s also about finding the courage to embrace your own moral compass and build connections with people and communities that offer acceptance and understanding, rather than conditional love.

It still baffles me, expecting harsh judgement or intolerance from people. However, the judgement comes from within. Society tends to be accepting, caring, and willing to help through troubled times. The reality of society seems to contradict what I was taught. My childhood faith are the ones who don’t lend themselves to help strangers in need, or each other. Growing up, I’ve never seen them call someone to the front, begin to pray for that person, let alone everyone to come up and pray for them prior to a medical procedure.

Given my experience, I can’t imagine anyone of that faith taking the role of a “Good Samaritan”. There is no compassion, nurturing, or charity. They shun anyone who is not of the same faith, and let them suffer.

Anytime I visit my father, I feel like I’m on guard with what I say, and being judged for helping my community, as if it’s something wrong or sinful. Well, actually it is to them. One doesn’t simply go to Sodom and Gomorrah to help with anything other than telling people about god. I’m being judged for serving meals at the thermal shelter or senior center, participating in litter pickup, donating blood, helping in non-profit fundraisers, and even serving in public office for a short period.

I’m too worldly. However, it also baffles me that Dad talks to me. A few years ago he wished me a happy birthday… a serious offense the risks being disfellowshiped. Mind you, we were taught that going to birthday parties or eating cupcakes someone brought to class is sinful. Having that call from him caught me off guard, as if either something has changed with the watchtower or maybe he forgot.

I know helping the community is the right thing to do, and I often feel guilty for not doing more. If I don’t help my community, why would anyone bother helping me or anyone else in the future? However, these internal struggles still remain. It has me trying to understand the will of god vs the will of the governing body of various denominations, why there are so many, and what divides them from coming together.

I’ve also come to learn there are many translations of the Bible over time, with many people using the King James Version (KJV) or New International Version (NIV). We had a translation specific to our faith called the New World Translation (NWT). In most cases, they use Jehovah instead of the Lord and there are differences regarding the trinity and divinity of Jesus. This is why I previously mentioned that I was unfamiliar with the meaning behind the phrase, “the LORD”, as Jesus is with you presently. It was hidden from me, and the context of the scriptures were lost in translation. You could get in a large debate over whose truth is truthier when it comes to comparing bibles.

I believe the Mormons may have their own version of the Bible as well, or a separate book in addition to it. I often see similarities between my childhood faith and Mormons, but I also see many differences as well. We didn’t have anything remotely similar to their temples. We just had the Kingdom Halls and conventions. Conventions were like Sunday service, but lasted the whole day and went on for 2 or 4 days. Lots of fun for kids in stuffy suits… The larger conventions were in DC where the roof looked like a giant pringles chip. My favorite part was watching drama performances of people acting out biblical scenes. Although I thought drama club in school was off limits as well… I also liked to buy some of the unique flowers around the stage afterwards.

Baptisms occurred at conventions in front of large groups of strangers. Mormons get baptized at their temples in a more private setting instead of church, and often do them repeatedly as proxies for people who have passed away. That’s why they have a large collection of information on family history that genealogists often look for. They research to find more people to baptize.

My baptism was at church as an adult recently. It felt like the most normal, appropriate way to do it, and I had my sister there with me. It was more intimate. Nothing compared to the chaotic chatter of large groups of people hanging over the edge or walking past the baptisms I saw growing up. Testaments are not given at baptisms growing up either, so I was a bit confused when someone at church mentioned that they would like to see my testament one day. I thought they wanted me to give a sermon one day or give a long speech to the congregation about how I was saved. My sister got her baptism as a more traditional baptism in the river shortly after I got mine. I came along and watched as her church sang hymns along the shore and on the old wooden pedestrian bridge looking over.

Neither her church nor mine were upset that someone from a different denomination was present, or tried to convert us. They were happy to see us, unconditionally. I can’t imagine a Jehovas Witness reaching out to me asking to attend their baptism, let alone being allowed to walk into their convention to watch it. That’s just not a normal practice to let worldly people watch. Even a pair of Mormons invited me to watch their baptisms. Although it was a small and dark room separated by glass. It definitely wasn’t in their extravagant temples.

It’s a journey of reclaiming your identity and realizing that leaving doesn’t make you wicked—it makes you human, capable of growth, change, and the pursuit of your own truth.

Jan 26, 2025

There are aspects of my childhood religion that many people would find strange, even though they’re widely considered common knowledge. Over time, I’ve come to realize there’s more to it—things that others might find not just unusual, but troubling or even appalling.

A few of these reflections came up during church today, as our youth minister gave the sermon. He talked about how the kids attended a conference last week and how another group participated in a Bible verse competition, earning bronze awards. Growing up, my religion didn’t have anything like that for children—not even Sunday school. Instead, we had a big yellow book at home called My Book of Bible Stories in red letters, which used pictures and simple words to make the stories easier to understand. Looking back, this might be why I can’t quote scripture at all.

Competitions were completely discouraged in my faith. We weren’t allowed to sign up for little league or play football at school because those activities would take away time from serving God. They were also seen as promoting the idolization of athletes or the American flag, which was strictly forbidden. We never watched sports at home, except for the Olympics (which my mom allowed). Because of this, I have no frame of reference for sports. When I’m invited to Super Bowl parties or hear men bonding over sports, I don’t know what to say and can only nod along.

Another thing I noticed today was the praise—not just for the kids, but for the musicians on stage. In my childhood faith, this would have been deeply concerning, as it would be seen as idolizing people, which was strictly forbidden. This is probably why we didn’t have a piano, and music was played over speakers. This mindset extended to why we didn’t celebrate birthdays or go to parties. Receiving praise, in general, feels incredibly uncomfortable for me. On more than one occasion, I’ve broken down when someone acknowledged my accomplishments because it felt so overwhelming and unnatural. Especially because I knew personally how much effort I had put into things I was being praised for.

Even now, I feel self-conscious about drawing attention to myself. For example, raising my hand during worship or going up to pray at the stage feels wrong—like I’m being self-serving or putting the focus on myself, which goes against everything I was taught.

This upbringing has had a long-lasting impact on my ability to socialize. It conditioned me to see normal behaviors in society as offensive, making me avoid situations that might lead to those feelings. For me, breaking out of that mindset has been a long and difficult process, requiring me to challenge many of the beliefs ingrained in me as a child.

I’m 49 now, and my upbringing still affects me in profound ways. I’ve come to accept that I’ll always feel a little different—like something is off. Because of how I was raised, I don’t think I’ll ever experience life’s joys in the same way most people do, and that’s something I’ve learned to live with.

Library

I’ve been volunteering for more “What the Tech!” programs. People come in with any problem at all on their computer or device. We attempt to help them out. Some people are new to computers, so I walk them through common steps such as setting up email, or explaining what a web browser is. I finally have my name on the Volunteer sheet in the back office, so I get to enter the number of hours that I help out.

The president of the Trustees told me that many of the trustees have their bios listed on the website now, and that mine was also up. They choose the photo of me at the Baltimore Aquarium with the library staff last year for staff development day.

My sister just told me that her library is closing due to budget cuts. Luckily, there are a few libraries in her county, so hopefully she won’t have to travel too far. I gave her some advice on how to help libraries – mainly by providing statistical support, so even just walking in the door makes a difference. Other ways to help include checking out books, attending programs, writing letters to the local paper, and making donations. As long as the library hasn’t closed yet, there’s still a chance to save it.

The “Save Samuels” group has now become a political action committee. I can’t get involved in politics, so I’m unable to join the group to see what they’re discussing. Fortunately, it looks like they share a lot of content publicly.

The Board of Supervisors had appointed new members to the Warren County Library Board last Tuesday. A few days later, the library filed for an injunction on Friday. As a Trustee, I’m unable to discuss the details of the case. However, I can provide links to news articles.

• These groups are not affiliated with the library
  • Facebook Group: Save Samuels
  • Facebook Group: Save Samuels Library (Political Action Committee – PAC)
• Tuesday, Jan 21
  • Warren County Board of Supervisors appoint new members to the Warren County Library Board
    • Frank Gresham – 1 year
    • Dean Jaques – 2 years
    • Outgoing Supervisor Vicky Cook – 3 years
    • Eric Belk – 4 years
    • Veronica Ranieri – 4 years
• Wednesday, Jan 22
  • NV Daily: Warren Supervisors Appoint New County Library Board
  • Royal Examiner: Supervisors Appoint New County Library Board, Explain Appeal Process on Property Reassessments
• Friday, Jan 24
  • Injunction Filed
• Saturday, Jan 25
  • Royal Examiner: As Library Supporters Cite New Board Member Ties to Book Removal Effort, Library Trustees File Injunction vs. the County
• Sunday, Jan 24
  • NV Daily: Samuels Library files injunction to stop formation of county library board
• Monday, Jan 27
  • Royal Examiner: OpinionJessica Lynn Johnson: Open Letter to the WC Board of Supervisors
• Tuesday, Jan 28
  • 9:00 AM Circuit Court hears case for an injunction
  • Royal Examiner: Court Allows New County Library Board to Proceed as March 4, April 1, and May 2 Dates Set for Follow-Up Arguments
  • NV Daily: Judge rejects Samuels Library trustee’s emergency injunction against new library board
• Wednesday, Jan 29
  • 6:00 PM Warren County Library Board inaugural meeting at Government Center