Family worldschooling trips and being a YouTuber

Must every blog post of mine begin with a "wow, it's been a while?" I have been so frustrated with the world of art, music, theatre, film, writing -- basically the business of creativity -- that it's been hard to find a point to anything. The world is in such dire straits. Kindness appears to have been lost. The educational system is falling apart. Nothing seems fair or right. I teeter between full nihilist and the intangible knowledge that something out there does matter, and that nihilism just makes it all worse.

Kids at Shakespeare house

So, yeah, that's why I haven't blogged in a while.

I've been posting regularly on my Patreon page, and I've been working hard to provide my kids with the best education possible. We just spent a month in England/Scotland, thanks to credit card points I'd been saving and the kindness of several friends who let us stay with them during our trip. When we weren't at people's flats, we stayed at several International Youth Hostels, which are ridiculously inexpensive and are always a refreshing lesson in the value of community. 

We had a lot of magical moments on this trip -- who out there has studied the Roman Empire while walking along the top of Hadrian's Wall? My kids! Wildly fortunate, they are. A favorite moment was when we rolled into our first hostel of the trip about a week in. Jetlag had passed, and the boys were settling into the new routine of Mommy wakes up early and makes a plan and drags us all over whatever town we're in and to every museum or historic plaque possible and every time we pass a blue sign (e.g. "John Lennon lived here," we immediately go down a Google rabbit hole of learning. 

This particular evening, we wanted to stay in Stratford-Upon-Avon. We booked a $60 room with four beds at a YHA hostel on the outskirts of town -- a three-acre property with a casual restaurant -- that had originally been a Georgian Manor. It sits on gardens of ancient yew and monkey puzzle trees. In a hidden space made of folded branches, there were a few other children happily playing. My boys immediately entered the enchanted playground, pausing only when they were asked the password. Not to be deterred, they boldly stated whatever word they felt would be appropriate (I was not privy to this information, given that IT IS A SECRET, MOM). Immediately, the branches bent, and the kids were welcomed into the fold. We did not end up wandering the streets of Stratford-Upon-Avon that evening, as the children were happy climbing trees, the sun was shining, and the restaurant/lounge/cafe area had shaded outdoor seating. 

Also, in cool news, it turns out the family they were playing with had seen Angus's movie, Unsung Hero. He's not really been recognized in public (I'm thankful for that). But I am a little nervous for whenever his JonBenet Ramsey series comes out, and strangers recognize him. 

Anyway ... I'm just here to check in. To acknowledge that the world changes. Content creation and apps change. But this blog has been holding steady for 20 years. It's here, it's searchable, and it's a nice outlet, mostly free of judgment. 

I've been chasing YouTube monetization, so if you're able to stream any of my widescreen, long-form, regular YouTube videos (not the "shorts), that would be a HUGE help. I qualified for monetizatino MULTIPLE times over the years, but I never wanted ads on my channel. But now YouTube is putting ads on there anyway ... and not sharing the revenue until I reacah 4000 watch hours for the year. If you'd like to help me out, an easy way is to listen to my 1st album all the way through from this link or here: Or you can also just stream a long playlist of all my videos while you're at work ... they can all be on mute! I just need watch hours from different IP addresses before YouTube will share the dollars they're already making from my page. Grrrr. 

I've also been making some proper music theory videos. My personal favorite, however, is a clap-back video I made for a cyberbully who was commenting on my body. It was a super fun mix of using my brains, my art skills, my comedy writing, and my intense desire to MAKE THE WORLD A POSITIVE PLACE. Watch that one here, please, and share it with someone who needs to see it. I can't even count the number of thank you messages I've gotten from moms of teens who are grateful their daughters watched the video.

Oh! If you're near Lexington, I'll be at the Kentucky Book Festival from 9-3 on Saturday ,November 1. Yes, I'm an author too! I'll be there (at Joseph-Beth Booksellers) signing my award-winning book, Lakeside.

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