Michael Burkhardt Modify

2025-07-31 09:36:00

Although I’d thought about applying for a new vanity call sign before, I’d always dismissed the idea as frivolous.

But lately I’ve been embracing some new things and decided it was time for a change. I didn’t want to go completely unhinged so I set some guidelines and (mostly) stuck to them.

#AmateurRadio #HamRadio

https://ai5.mx/blog/how-i-chose-my-new-call-sign/

2025-07-28 21:50:00

Wheels Update

Two weeks ago I talked about some big wheels that have started turning in my life. Here’s a brief status update.

1. Retirement. I’m still counting down. 48 weeks to go. Not much else to be said.
2. Adobe Creative Cloud. I did in fact cancel my subscription, to the great relief of my wallet. So far, nothing has come crashing down.
3. New Vanity Call Sign. My application is still in the queue as I write this. I expect a new license grant tomorrow, July 29th. In the meantime, I’ve been working on a new amateur radio website, which will mainly be a port of the old one using a new domain, but using the Eleventy static site generator. More on that next week.
4. Tattoo. Nothing new to report at this time.
5. The Big One. I’m ready to share that this week I visited the Mexican Consulate in Indianapolis and received a permanent residency visa. I’ll soon present myself to an Immigration office in Mexico to receive my residency card—if all goes as expected. 🤞

State Fair

We attended the Ohio State Fair on Saturday. It didn’t seem that hot, but it sure felt hot walking around the fairgrounds for several hours. After getting our annual dose of show animals (mostly poultry and cattle), fair food (who can leave the fair with eating a bucket of fries and a caramel apple cream puff, and of course the butter cow, we got the heck out of there and back into the A/C.

Watching

My mother came for a visit at the weekend and asked me whether I’d been watching any good shows lately. I told her about The Bear, which got her interest. So I’ve been watching again from the beginning and I just gotta say WOW. This show is almost better the second time around. I'm through the second season and it’s solid. The scene in “Forks” with Olivia Colman and Ebon Moss-Bachrach brings tears to my eyes. No, your eyes. I’m not crying.

Amusements

I was reminded, after reading Andy Carolan’s post about Monkeytype which is a pretty cool tool for practicing your typing. I created an account a while back, but hadn’t been on there in a while. I need the practice!

Remembering a Genius

Saturday was Jean Shepherd’s 104th birthday. One of the funniest storytellers ever. Maybe the funniest.

I hope you have a great week. Talk to you soon.

2025-07-27 00:51:00

This abomination of nature

consists of flavored deviled eggs
(Clockwise from upper left): Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Hot Honey Everything, Sriracha Peach, Cranberry Feta, Spicy Crunchy, Columbus Pizza

#OhioStateFair

2025-07-26 22:37:00

Happy 104th Birthday

To the incomparable Jean Shepherd, one of my favorite authors

2025-07-25 23:49:00

I so badly want to say (but I resist) to the people behind the counter, “has it not occurred to you to wonder why one flap of the napkin is shorter than the other?”

2025-07-24 17:53:00

Fields Notes Cover

This beautiful leather memo cover arrived yesterday. It holds a small Field Notes memo book, a passport (or other goodies), four IDs/cards, and a pen.

#analog