2025-09-14 12:00:00
It's fall migration season! We went birding both mornings this weekend. We got 46 species this morning, including some really nice warblers such as Wilson's, Prothonotary, Hooded, and a bunch more. The eBird list is at https://ebird.org/checklist/S273359482.. The trees are still full of leaves and warblers never sit still, making them very hard to photograph, so no photos. My camera does not do well auto-focusing a bird in the leaves. I did get some nice butterfly shots this morning though.
I also did my fall yard maintenance this week, pulling a big pile of weeds by hand and mowing, raking, over seeding and fertilizing. I mixed in some clover seed in the backyard. I also built a pine bark island under the bird feeders, since nothing desirable grows under them anyway.
If you are looking to get away from big tech the Rebel Tech Alliance has lists of alternatives to the usual suspects.
Someone in Tasmania has been traveling the country making 360 degree photos of the amazing scenery, and they've shared it all online.
I Tried Every To Do app and Ended Up with a.txt file is a blog post that delivers exactly what you would expect based on the title.
This guide to replacing the stock apps on an Android phone with FOSS options is great place to start if that sort of thing appeals to you. I've already done the biggies, mail and calendar, by using K9 and Etar respectively. But there is more I can do, and I plan to do it.
This blog post argues that if we want to see forums and communities on the open web that rival Facebook, etc. then we need to do the hard work of building those communities ourselves.
The Death of the Corporate Job makes a compelling argument that many corporate jobs are mostly performance art. A lot of people learned during COVID working from home that they could do their job in 3 hours a day. But now that are back in the office trying to look busy 10 hours a day. So they attend meetings where no decisions are made and create PowerPoint decks about the meeting that nobody will read. The more industrious are working on their side project between BS corporate meetings.
And finally, via my buddy Ryan, a list of notable rocks from Wikipedia.
And that is it for this week. Remember, in a world where you can choose to be anything, you can choose to be kind.
2025-09-06 12:00:00
90+F today in Richmond. 70F tomorrow. Welcome to fall in Richmond. The run of cool temps two weeks ago was fake fall, which was followed by second summer this week with temps back up in the 90s and the drop tomorrow is RVA settling into fall for real. The 4 seasons thing is a fake news. We have 13 seasons in Richmond.
Last weekend was glorious. 3 days with no cell service at the campground and absolutely perfect weather the entire time. I wish I could do that every weekend. Work continues to keep me very busy, although I feel like I'm working much harder this year and making less. Welcome to self-employment? I'm not sure what I'll be doing year. I may have options for FT employment, maybe a PT job and PT self-employment, or maybe I stay FT freelance. Or maybe I hit the $1.8 billion Powerball this weekend and none of you ever hear from me again.
What would you do if you won the lottery for really big bucks? I would put an insane amount aside to live on, like $50 million or something, write big checks to family, and then start a foundation and my "job" for the rest of my life would be to give it all away to people working to make the world a better place.
I don't have many links again. I need to work harder at saving things I find online.
A list of some off the best streaming indie radio stations in the US. I've completely quit Spotify, etc. as my source of background music when working or whatever. I always go with streaming radio stations now.
This article about Octavia Butler's uncannily accurate predictions of the future is interesting.
The best wildlife photos of the year, so far.
A new blog about productivity software from the early days of the PC area. Wordstar and Lotus 123 FTW!
And that is it for this week. Remember, in a world where you can choose to be anything, you can choose to be kind.
2025-09-01 12:00:00
Trip: 53
Nights: 180-182
We camped for 3 nights in the Loft Mountain campground. Loft Mountain is my favorite campground in SNP because it's in the less developed, less visited Southern region of the park. We got in around 5:30 PM on Saturday and after setting up camp enjoyed a chill evening around the campfire in the cool mountain air. It was low 60s during the day and upper 40s at night the entire weekend. That is ideal camping weather.
On Saturday we took the dog and did a scenic drive along Skyline Drive, stopping at just about all the scenic overlooks between Loft Mountain and Big Meadows. At Big Meadows we stopped at the picnic area for lunch. It was a postcard perfect blue sky day in the mountains. After making the drive back to the campground we spent the afternoon lounging at the campsite while reading.
One thing that we have leaned is that Teddy does not enjoy camping. He will not sleep outdoors. So all afternoon he was on his bed beside us while we relaxed, but he just will not sleep outdoors. But the time we go into the camper for the evening he is so tired that he can barely walk. And he can barely walk on a good day due to his age. However, if we try to leave him in the camper he will bark, so he has to be outside with us. Luckily, I think our pet sitter will be available for our final two planned trips of the year.
On Sunday, we took our time getting up and then made omelets for breakfast. After that I packed my backpack and headed out to do a couple of hikes. My first hike started at the Ivy Creek overlook on Skyline Drive. It's 2.8 miles out and back on the Appalachian trail with Ivy Creek being the turnaround point. At about .8 miles there is a stunning west facing overlook. Ivy Creek was a pleasant surprise at the bottom as it was gurgling nicely and my 5 minute break there to the sound of water falling over the rocks was very relaxing. Since the hike in is almost all downhill that means the hike back to the car is all uphill. But it is not too bad.
After lunch at a west facing overlook where I could pick up a cell signal for a quick check on the state of the world I headed for my second hike. But not before I killed a couple of Spotted Lanternfly moths that landed near me. Spotted Lanternfly are stunningly beautiful, and also invasive and very damaging to US forests. You should always eliminate them when you have the opportunity.
The second hike was a 2.1 mile loop with two fabulous overlooks. It starts across Skyline Drive from the Loft Wayside and does a counter clockwise loop. The first .6 miles are uphill but the payoff at the top of worth it. The rocky summit provides an unobstructed 180 view. After that it is a gentle 1.6 mile downhill hike back to Skyline Drive about 100 yards north of where you started.
Both hikes are worth doing but if you have to pick one do the second one. The views from the top are spectacular. Also the wayside sells individual locally brewed beers for $2 a can, so a post hike beer is convenient and cheap.
On Sunday afternoon we went to the Loft Mountain wayside for their famous blackberry ice cream. It lives up to its press. On Sunday night I made one of our favorite camping meals, Cacio e Pepe. I don't make it true to the original recipe though, I use freshly grated parmigiana cheese instead. It's still tasty though. Sunday night we played cribbage, with we winning both games.
The drive home on Monday was uneventful. Teddy was asleep before we got out of the campground and didn't even stir when I stopped for gas. The poor dog, forced to spend the weekend in the mountains, mostly outdoors, with his humans.
2025-08-24 12:00:00
So the weekly updates are coming every other week lately. The state of the world and my workload are just sucking up all my energy. I have nothing left for creativity right now. The recent weekly updates have been very meh, which isn't helping. I find myself just not caring about anything outside of my tiny locus of control.
The amount of bullshit coming from Washington DC is just overwhelming. The country is is suffocating under a mountain of right wing bullshit, and I find myself thinking about what our longer terms plans are because I'm not sure I can count on staying in the US. Every country in the history of the world has eventually failed, and maybe we've drawn the short straw and get to live through the fall of the US. Lucky us!
In spite of my attitude above I've actually had a pretty good past couple of weeks. Drupal GovCon was the previous week and spending a couple of days with my Drupal community is good for the soul. Then I got to spend a day last weekend with a couple of good friends on a perfect beach weather day, which was good as we were at the beach.
After a solid and busy week my wife and I had a great day in Fredericksburg VA yesterday. I got it in some quality people watching time sitting outside a coffee shop on a surprisingly cool morning before spending an hour in my favorite used book store. Then after lunch with friends we hit Carl's Custard stand before heading home, which was also shockingly easy as there was no traffic on I-95 south between Fredericksburg and RVA. On the drive I was listening to the Red Sox beat the Yankees and Friday night we watched the Red Sox beat the Yankees 1-0. I should probably have stopped for lottery tickets because everything is coming up aces for me this weekend.
This coming weekend is a 3-day weekend in the US for Labor Day. Given the current administration's attitude towards the labor class I'm surprised they haven't renamed the holiday CEO Day. Or maybe Pedophile President Day would work. We are going camping for the weekend and the forecast in the mountains is no rain, highs in the 60s, lows in the upper 40s. Bring on the fall weather, I am so ready for it!
The Value of Minimalism is a good reminder that when we reduce the stuff in our live we make more room for the stuff that really matters.
The photo essay from the Faroe Islands is just stunning. Hat tip to Andreas at https://82mhz.net/ for the link, I think.
I had not really noticed this until this essay, but mass market paperback books are no longer a thing.
This video from Dan Pink has some good ideas for remembering more of what you read.
I love this idea for a new way to use LinkedIn.
Finally, one of my favorite bands dropped a new album on Friday. Check out the new Robert Jon and the Wreck album on YouTube or wherever you stream music.
And that is it for this week. Remember, in a world where you can choose to be anything, you can choose to be kind.
2025-08-24 12:00:00
At the John Fogerty concert a few weeks back the only NA beer available was Stella. It was fine. It tasted like a Stella.
At a hotel bar at Drupal GovCon my only option was Becks. I don't think I've drank a Beck's beer in this century, but that skunky nose and taste absolutely reminded me of what I remember Beck's to be, so I'm going to say the brewers nailed it. I don't particularly like Beck's, so this is not one I would seek out again, but if you like Beck's you'll like their NA option.
At the Robert Jon and the Wreck concert a few week's back I tried an Athletic Ale Lemon Radler. Beer mixed with not beer is not a style I seek out, so it's not something I would drink again. But it definitely tasted like lemon soda mixed with beer, so I think they nailed the style. Also, If you go to the Athletic Ales website they'll send you two 6-packs for $14.99, with no shipping fees for your first online order. I used that deal that try the All Out Extra Dark Stout and also the Mexican Style lager. Both were solid beers, with the stout being particularly tasty.
I also tried a couple of new to me beers from Sierra Nevada. The Trail Pass Hazy IPA tastes like an aggressively hopped Hazy, so it is a win. When I was drinking the Trail Pass Brewveza I assumed it was a Mexican lager (Brewveza/ Cerveza) but the website labels it as a blond ale. I thought it was a solid Mexican style lager so I guess that makes it a not great blond ale? I'm confused by that one.
I think the NA beer market has matured to a point that the brewers know the beers need to be good and not just non-alcoholic, and for the most part, the brewers are doing their jobs well.
2025-08-19 12:00:00
This went off the rails. It's either the worst anniversary poetry that I have ever written, or the best. I guess she gets to decide.
One start up, two jobs
Three expensive car repairs
It has been a year
34 years strong
3,308 months
12,420 days
The country has fallen
Fascism has won
The rules of haiku
Like the rule of law
No longer matters
Chaos reigns supreme
Truth is fiction
Fiction is truth
I know one thing for sure
We win at marriage
And I would do it again
again, and again
How it started
How it is going 34 years later
