I just spend 3 weeks in the Philippines with MaryAnn and her twins:

That’s Thania on the left, leaning on Thalia’s arm as they watch YouTube videos on a cell phone.

Sometimes cartoons are the only way to get the girls to sit quietly, when they’re not sleeping.

We went on a few mini vacations together around Cebu and Bohol islands, there are a ton of videos on my YouTube channel (Uncle Ben’s Channel) about this:

I also made many more personal videos, featuring MaryAnn or her daughters:

In just a few weeks I made about 80 videos, mostly less than 3 minutes, some goofy:

My channel gained another 300 subscribers, mostly folks watching in the Philippines.

The channel overall is up to 2.4 million views, with 3800 subscribers overall.

I haven’t written much here on the blog because video seems to be the more relevant medium.

I still enjoy writing, kinda like a guy who owns a modern car but occasionally takes out the ole horse & buggy…

I filled out the K1 (90 Day Fiance) visa to get MaryAnn and her twins over here to live with me.

The K1 states that MaryAnn has 90 days to marry me after she comes here, and if she fails to do so she’ll have to go back to the Philippines. This represents a risk for MaryAnn, what if she comes here and hates my comfortable house and the sunny Florida weather?

It could happen. I think she’ll love my house, and love sharing my life here in Tampa.

Have a great day folks!

Ben Alexander

February 4, 2024

I can’t write about Mary Ann without sharing this clip:

When we met this past April she started to appear on my YouTube channel here and there.

We initially met on ChristianFilipina.com, a dating site based in the Philippines.

I went there to meet her. We went to church together.

There was some Karaoke, because why not?

Mary Ann lost her husband to cancer, but not before he blessed her with 4 yr old twins, Thania and Thalia:

When we get married I’m going to go from a father of 2 daughters to a father of FOUR daughters.

My quiet house will become much more noisy, filled with the energy of 4 year old twins.

This is one of my favorite pics:

and this:

Ben Alexander

Sept 14 2023

So here we are, after 8 months of building the new YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAeG51uuMrnVwAC-XWDH3Lw

Almost 1900 subscribers, about 1.3 million views.

My audience is 80% men, between the ages of 18 and 45.

TWO generations, really. Mostly Christian, and they love motorcycle and firearms content.

Basically they are guys like me.

August 6th 2023

Check this out:

That was way back in 2009, I went up to New Jersey to develop a new region for Balloon Distractions and this guy made this video and uploaded it.

It might be the only video in existence where I’m actually making a balloon animal.

Here it’s a crab smoking a cigarette, oy.

Making all this content makes me wonder how I’ll feel when I watch this stuff in 50 years…. if I’m here.

June 15 / 2023

I started writing my new book January 1rst of this year, it is now 200 pages and moving along.

Last week my YouTube channel hit a milestone: 1,000 subscribers.

Last 7 days alone my channel got just over 46,000 views.

Stuff like this got 5,000 views alone:

I haven’t run out of ideas yet, after posting over 345 videos!

This blog really feels like 2014 technology, and the book I’m writing feels like 1920 technology!

Who the hell will read it?

It’s been fun doing it, while also building The Uncle You Wish You Had.

Since January I ended one romantic relationship and started another, so there’s that!

One idea that’s rattling around my brainpain is this: help some business clients grow their YouTube and vieo marketing strategy…

Meanwhile, I’m still closing solar deals and whatnot, so the bills are getting paid.

Happy Summer!

Ben Alexander

June 11 / 2023

Hard times create Hard men.

Hard men create Soft Times.

Soft Times create Soft men.

Soft Men create Hard times again.

Better to be a warrior in a garden, then a gardener in a war.

Better to be a dangerous man in safe times, than a safe man in dangerous times.

True.

What’s coming?

Are you ready?

Ben Alexander

February 24: 2023

I was driving and this popped up on my Spotify:

The song made me think of my girls, Grace and Claire.

Don’t know why, it just did.

I’ve been delving into classical lately, here is another great piece:

There is no downside to listening to classical music, for me it clears the mind, and you can listen while doing other things, like writing, riding a motorcycle, or BASE jumping off a 10 story building.

Ben

January : 2023

I started filming YouTube shorts with my phone after watching 50,000 ??? of these short little videos over the last 6 months or so.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAeG51uuMrnVwAC-XWDH3Lw

At the same time I’m writing an Old Timey BOOK, that I will actually publish at the end of 2023.

But damn, my creative energy is waking me up at 4AM, excited about my next idea.

Everyone watches these, almost at the level of addiction. Like… cocaine.

I’m getting ideas LEFT and RIGHT, it’s the craziest thing.

I hope everyone is having an AWESOMe January!

Ben Alexander

Jan : 2023

My buddy John is having surgery today, so I drove out to Morton Plant hospital to see him.

Stopped in the little hospital chapel to pray, took the pic above to remember the moment.

Kind of a rainy crappy Saturday to end 2022… on the radio they were talking about the megamillions lotto getting up to $750 million, so I bought three tickets:

I started thinking about all the stuff I would do if I won a gazillion dollars, charities I could donate to, people I could help, where I would live, etc…

And this gave rise to an interesting thought experiment: a massive amount of money gives us more choices, but in thinking about becoming a multimillionaire I realized that I have similar choices even if I just remain a modest middle class guy…

For instance :::

I decided to cancel my engagement to a lovely woman, because I realized I wanted a partner with different belief systems.

I’m willing to be single for awhile until I find the right woman.

I’ve been thinking about getting into some form of ministry, maybe even going to seminary.

I like doing consulting work / sales coaching… I like the challenge, the engagement, how it adds value to the lives of others.

I want to get really healthy in 2023, slim down, put on muscle, wear the skinny clothes in my closet.

********************************

I don’t need to be a millionaire to do these things, they are all within reach at my current income.

In 2022 I spent more time volunteering than in any other year of my life… and I had the highest year of income in my life.

Go figure.

Olga and Vlada have been living with me since June, and I’m glad I could help them out during this season of our lives.

Just a year ago I knew nothing about Ukraine, I had rarely fired a gun, my life was different.

*********************************

My friend Marcus became a father in 2022:

That’s Apollo, he’s gonna become President of The United States someday.

***************************************

I’m glad I can be here for Olga and Vlada, they’ve had a rough time since they fled Kyiv (with Russian missiles falling on the city).

I’ve always thought that the best things in life are the odd surprises, those plot twists of life that no one could foresee.

In 2023 I’m going to keep putting good karma OUT THERE, and I hope there are more unexpected surprises!

And if I win the $700 gazillion dollar lottery?

I’m gonna disappear off the face of the earth and only 3 people will have my number!

Happy New Year!

Ben Alexander

12 : 31 : 2022

My house now, with a red plug-in Volt and a grey gas-powered Acura.

By 2030 most households will have an older gas powered car and a newer EV.

This past week I test drove the Volkswagon ID4 and really liked it.

The all wheel drive model has a 250 mile range, and when I mentioned this to friends they always ask about roadtrips and running out of range.

Thing is… I only drive more than 200 miles in one day less than 1% of the time.

Tesla has a really large network of chargers for Tesla drivers, but other EV’s have to use 3rd party companies like Electrify America or ChargePoint to charge on the road.

Some car companies give you free charging for 2 years on the Electrify America network when you buy a new car.

There are not enough Electrify America chargers to make charging possible everywhere, but in the next 5 years more chargers will be built, especially when (in a recent survey) 36% of American drivers have said they have an interest in electric cars.

Meanwhile?

I think most folks will keep an older gas powered car for longer trips.

I have an 2015 Acura with a 3.5 liter V6…

My Chevy Volt uses gas as well, but if it was full electric I’d use the Acura for longer trips.

Here’s the thing… most EV drivers will recharge at home, in 6 years owning a Volt I’ve only charged it away from home a few times. Of course, I have a large solar array on my roof, so charging at home is effectively free.

How many times do you charge your cell phone away from home? Not that often, right?

Within the next five years more chargers will be built, and EV ranges will increase to 400+ miles.

Hotels will install more EV charge stations for overnight guests.

At Tampa Bay Solar we are marketing rooftop solar and EV charge stations to hotel owners right now.

Like any new technology there will be an adjustment, when cell phones came out in the 1990’s there were dead zones on major highways, but as cell phones became mainstream the cell carriers put up thousands of relay towers to cover most of the United States.

As EV sales become MORE common than gas powered cars we will see EV chargers at every business, in most parking lots, all over the United States.

OK… I gotta go buy food for my bigh Christmas Eve BASH tomorrow night….

Merry Christmas!

12 : 23 : 22