The New WiFi Project
At the end of last year, I worked on the ‘Network is Slow’ Project which culminated in several changes to the home networking. What did not change was the WiFi mesh system I was using. I had four of the first-generation Google WiFi access points spread around the house. In the past six months, I have started noticing a general degradation in the quality of the WiFi speed. This would frequently happen once per day where the only fix was a reboot of the base system.
Detroit Exploration
We had a quick trip up to Detroit for the weekend. I was able to spend the afternoon looking around downtown. I am blown away with the architecture and extravagance of the grand buildings.
Mexico Recharge
It had been about five years since we vacationed in Mexico. We found a resort we like in Puerto Vallarta, all-inclusive and right on the beach. We have not been back as there have been some changes in the custody schedules, many pets to take care of, and pandemics. The time was right to book a trip and by late February any Midwesterner is ready for a healthy dose of warmth.
Pappyland by Wright Thompson
I know how coveted the Pappy bourbons are, but did not fully understand or appreciate the story behind the whiskey. This was a book full of heart and tied together the author’s own life with that of the Van Winkle family. This book made for a great vacation read.
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel
This was exactly what I expected from her novels. Did a lovely job tying together people, places, and events from her prior two novels, Station Eleven and Glass Hotel. The futuristic bit had me cautious, but never once felt like the main theme.
Breaking the Brain Loop
I have spent the last few weeks sorting through some work nonsense. As humans do, my mind tries to map out every possible scenario, focusing on the bad ones, and repeat until I am reduced to a useless pile of human. The best way to combat this is to just write it all out. Pen and paper. It has to be on paper. Don’t type this. Your brain needs that experience of turning thoughts into words into motor skills to get it down.
But What if We're Wrong? by Chuck Klosterman
I enjoyed Klosterman’s book on the 90’s and this was definitely more in the same style. An interesting book about what we think we know and how our predictions of the future are complete nonsense. This one took some dedication to get through. It felt like a great theme without a conclusion.
Tire Repair Project
Friday evening the teen came home from work and complained their tire seemed low. Since it was late, I said I would check it in the morning. Sure enough, the tire was completely flat. Since I was going to be out of town the next week, it made sense to get this repaired that day. An unplanned project was underway. It is far easier to take a tire in for a repair than the whole car in on a spare that has to be installed.
The Great Cellular Outage of 2024
On Thursday, February 22, I woke to my normal routine and noticed my phone had the letters ‘SOS’ where the cellular bars should have been. I quickly learned there was a nationwide cellular outage. This didn’t affect everyone in the house. The prospect of heading out to meet somebody for breakfast meant I had to prearrange where and when we were to meet just like we did when I was young.
Uncertainty
When faced with uncertainty, the human animal becomes worried about what the future will bring. These worries are a drain of energy, but they are rooted in survival. Your brain races to find all of the outcomes that are possible. You tend to focus on the negative outcomes over the positive. This is to help rehearse scenarios of survival, but often it just leaves us paralyzed and not focusing on what we should be doing.