ethanfpowers

I just got my first chess tournament win

I just got my first chess tournament win! Granted, it was a lowkey 8-player event with no prize pool, but I still played some tough opponents. My two big goals when I first started taking chess seriously were to 1. get National Master, and 2. win a tournament. Even though it was not the strongestContinue reading “I just got my first chess tournament win”

New lab, recent prints

Hi everyone! Today I’m sharing my new dedicated 3D printing space, as well as a few recent prints I’ve made. I had big plans going into my first summer break as a teacher, most of which went down the drain when I broke my distal fibula (ankle bone) right before the fourth of July playingContinue reading “New lab, recent prints”

Blue Hills Skyline Trail Hike

A little over a month ago, I went for a hike in the Blue Hills Reservation, south of Boston. Initially, the group was planning to go to western Mass and hike up a big mountain, but after I complained enough about the long drive time (6+ hours round trip on the same day you hike-Continue reading “Blue Hills Skyline Trail Hike”

Slugmania

I am writing today about something that’s become a bit of a fun fad in my 3D printing classes. One of the first 3D printing assignments that I have kids do is called “Printing Something From the Internet”, where students find a premade STL file online and print it. It’s an introductory activity to getContinue reading “Slugmania”

Back in the gym…

After a long hiatus due to moving and starting a new job, I’ve finally started lifting again. There’s one big difference this time: I’m doing it at home! I tried to go to the local YMCA last October, but I found that lots of equipment was shut down and there were limited hours due toContinue reading “Back in the gym…”

Concrete Weights Pt. 2

I started making my third batch of weights this week. I took some pictures so I could show more of the process instead of just the finished product. First, I had to clean out the molds, since they had just been used. I simply scrubbed with water and IPA (not the beer, but still alcoholic),Continue reading “Concrete Weights Pt. 2”

Concrete Weights Pt. 1

After seeing how much it would cost to buy the 25lb and 45lb weight plates for my home gym during the pandemic, I decided to look into ways to make my own. I settled on using concrete molds from the website Stix and Stone. It seemed simple enough- just buy the molds, buy some concrete,Continue reading “Concrete Weights Pt. 1”

Mount Greylock

Yesterday, I hiked up Mount Greylock with Matt, Angus, Richard, Connor, and Luca. Greylock is the highest mountain in Massachusetts, standing at a mighty 3,491 feet. The hike took around four and a half hours round trip. The trail was not too busy, but we did see a few folks on the way and atContinue reading “Mount Greylock”

Blog Mission Statement

Hi everyone! This is a blog I’m deciding to start on something of a whim. I want this to be a place where I can chronicle my progress towards my own goals. I have wanted to do something like this for a couple of years, but I never got around to it. I have aContinue reading “Blog Mission Statement”