Didn’t do laundry. Did my only round of adulting on the way home from work Monday morning. So, what did I do on my weekend? Nothing. Just some well-deserved time on my ass. Well, I did install 2 Linux virtual machines, but that doesn’t count since I did not wipe my C: drive to do it….
Anways, weekend is over. It’s time to think about going to bed…..
So, what did I do on my weekend? Yes there was some adulting involved. I had to do laundry. And my trip to the store (actually I had that delivered due to the significant amount of frozen items and the whole I take the bus deal…). And then I cleaned my room. Not something I normally do, but after that last bag of Cheetos (and stepping on stale Cheetos hurts like a lego), I needed to vacuum.
So all the adulting was done by about noon yesterday. And then I decided to play around with Linux. Now having just finished my most recent system rebuild, and wanting to not fuck it up, I decided to do it with Vmware Player. And a couple of hours later, I was greeted with a Linux VM that could boot to a desktop. And then I decided that I have an 8 year old laptop that The Anti-Christ will no longer be supporting the only version of Windows 10 on this fall, and so I pulled it out,and now I have a laptop running Linux. Still slower than a turtle with knee problems, but it’ll still be usable….
Sorry co-workers. I meant to come to work. My alarm went off on time. I got up. Showered. When I got out of the shower, I started to get dressed. And then I realized I was sweating. Seriously. Turned my AC on (I set it up earlier this week), and my room was still cool enough that the compressor didn’t start. Then I realized my blood sugar was probably low, and I needed to eat something. But I can’t go into the kitchen without wearing pants. And I can’t dress until I’ve stopped sweating….
As you can see confusion is also a symptom of hypoglycemia. Fortunately, during all this I was cognizant enough to realize that perhaps it’s best if I didn’t go to work, and I was able to fire up the work app on my phone and call out.
I did finally get my pants on to get into the kitchen and eat something, and I finally pulled myself together. But yeah, diabetes is no fun….
Well, my vacation is over. Shortly, I’ll be going to bed, and then wake up and head back to work. I’ve watch a lot of cricket (by design, as I timed my vacation with the start of the Indian Premier League). Some other programs that I usually DVR’ed I was able to watch when they were originally broadcast.
I really didn’t do much. I only left the house twice. First time was to take a bag of trash out, and the second time was Monday night when I decided I wanted some Arroz con Pollo from El Toro, and it’s far cheaper to just walk in to place your take-out order than use Uber Eats, or even their website.
I did nuke my computer again. I realized that my middle of the night nap attacks could be mitigated by doing something. Although since it is the middle of the night, and I respect my neighbors, I’d like to do something quiet.
Oh, and the one thing I did do on my vacation: I set up my air conditioner. Forecast says we’re due to hit the ‘70s this week, and since my room is facing Pacific Avenue (and all that traffic) and I have to close my window when I sleep…
Watched Tournament of Champions. Ate Nachos. Took a nap (in spite of 8 hours of shut-eye I got).
And then I decided to F*ck my computer up. And that’s what I’ve been doing ever since 3 this morning. It has occurred to me that in order to stay awake, I need to be doing something. And while I did like one last fling with Windows 10, Windows 11 is where it’s going to be at….
But day 3 has come to an end, and it’s time to call it a night….
Yes I should’ve written this post this morning, but I decided to go to bed early an hopefully break the nap attack every 4 hours or so habit. I crashed about 2/3s the way through the Formula 1 race, but I got up just in time for the first IPL match. And I saw Sunrisers Hyderabad almost get a score of 300. Needless to say, they won the match.
Then I went to bed, and had an honest to goodness 8 hours’ of shut-eye.
Now I’m up, and prepared to do another day of sitting on my ass. I DVR’ed the NASCAR and IndyCar races today, but first Tournament of Champions on Food Network. And maybe I’ll stream something else. Perhaps some Flight Simulator….
Checking the TV listings, the Chinese Grand Prix is at midnight, so I think I’ll watch it live. Then it’s an IPL doubleheader.
The only remaining question is: chili dogs or bachelor nachos?
Commence ass-sitting!
For trying to do nothing at all, I was very busy. Monday, during my regular weekend, I decided to system wipe. Basically one last time with Windows 10. Anyway, during the day yesterday, I finished downloading the last of my Steam library, so I throughout most of last night, I finished up reinstalling my software. As of right now, I’m at 2158 different programs/games. Some of them I can install automatically, others manually.
Target run was delivered. I had no choice. We were out of toilet paper.
Then opening match of the Indian Premier League was not rained out. And tonight will be a doubleheader…. And there are a few other sports that I’m going to catch…
I think it’s now time to call it a night….
Yes, I am aware that it rains the hardest on my day off. And even harder when I’m on vacation. But I have the window open, and I’m enjoying it & the fresh air while I still have it. I figure in a month or so, I’ll have to set up the AC in my room (again western facing window and I sleep during the day).
I also had my regular weekend Monday and Tuesday, and so I did my laundry those days, so I can keep the adulting to a minimum. I did make a trip to Wally World this morning on the way home, and I’m thinking a Target run, but such things are unavoidable.
I timed this vacation specifically for the opening weekend of the Indian Premier League, but it appears as though the first match will be a washout. But there’s the first Weekend of March Madness, the Grand Prix of China, and Major League Rugby.
For planning on doing nothing, it looks like I’m going to be busy….
It’s my weekend. Got home from work, and I was toying with the idea of making my Wally World run on the way home (mainly so could another vial of insulin), but I decided that the best course of action is procrastination. And it was also laundry weekend. Pharmacy at Wally World and my apartment complex’s laundry rooms both open at nine. So I figure take a nap tonight, ‘coz I’m going to be out all day Tuesday.
So I get home, and the real reason why I skipped the trip were chili dogs. I was hungry. So I ate, took a shot and went to bed. 4 1/2 hours later I woke up, and couldn’t get back to sleep. So I figured I’m up (I had already planned on a nap during the night), and the laundry room was still open and not in use (the app we use for laundry tells us if the machines are in use as well as paying for our wash). So I quickly got dressed, got my shoes on, and did my laundry.
After I put my clothes away, it occurred to me I was really hungry, and perhaps the reason why I couldn’t sleep was my blood sugar was slight low. After I ate something, I was able to go back to sleep.
But I now have clean socks and boxers now….
So, last week I was running errands with my sister. Mainly for the Target run, and to try to return my phone (see the post I just published before this).
Anyway one of the stops was at Famous Footwear. I know I swore off of them a while back, but I had no choice in the matter. There’s something about being able to go into the store and actually try shoes on (sizes do vary between brands). So, I grabbed a pair of Skechers (the slip-ins that they’re advertising right now). A bit on the expensive side, and I thought the there was a different price on the display, but I decided not to argue with it.
Later, when I got home, I went to website, and ordered another pair. These were just regular sneakers, but they’re Sketchers, and my feet are no longer in pain at work.
I think it’s time to throw out my 8 year old Wolverines. They’re still intact (meaning no holes in the sole or upper). But I can only wear them for 2 hours at the most before my feet start to protest, I also have my Skechers boots I bought a few years ago, but they were too big, and were wearing down to point of foot pain. I won’t toss them quite yet, and they’re still waterproof, there is still some wear left in them….
So, when we last left our hero, I decided to upgrade my phone. My Motorola Razr 2024+ arrived quickly and painlessly, and it was time to return the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and fulfill my end of the trade in. Now, to recap, my new phone did not come with a shipping box. Just the prepaid UPS label and a padded envelope. An online chat via Twitter (I refuse to refer to it as X) revealed that I could just take the phone and the UPS label to any T-Mobile store and it would be taken care of. So that was my course of action, planned.
It didn’t turn out that way. Looking up Google Maps all the closest T-Mobile stores were at least two buses away (I decided to go with Corporate stores, and not ‘Authorized Retailers’). I also needed a Target run, and a shoe run so I called my sister (who has the wisdom, the counsel, and the driver’s license). So during my errands, we showed up at the first T-Mobile location. And I was told the wait would be over an hour (this was an hour and half after the location opened). There is no difference between and hour+ wait time and being outright turned away. So I left, and continued with my other errands.
The next day, I left the house at 8 am. Arrived in Federal Way, and went into the Federal Way store. No line, so I was seen right away. And turned away promptly, as my ID was expired. I was then told to go to UPS instead (remember that I wasn’t given the shipping box to return it to begin with). All this time, I was under the impression that this would’ve been a simple drop off. So a 20 minute walk later, I was at the UPS store, and I paid $16.80 out of my own pocket to ship the phone back. Left the house at 8. Didn’t return till after 1 pm. All just to return 1 phone.
So that Tuesday night, I left 1-star Google reviews for both locations (turning customers away is never acceptable), and then I launched an Executive Email Carpet Bomb. I wasn’t seeking anything, but just to let them know that as a customer I felt unwelcome at two of their stores. And also to point out the problems I had the last time I UPS’ed a trade-in. They said there wouldn’t be a problem this time.
And this could’ve all been avoided had they included the shipping box to return the phone in the first place.
T-Mobile still sucks.
IIRC, ordered the phone on a Tuesday, it arrived on a Thursday. Activation was quick and painless. In fact, from the time I ordered it to the time I received it was easiest experience. Remember the last time I did this, I ended file a police report against UPS. And there were a couple of times when the activations servers were down.
So once I got the phone activated and started moving in. I had about a half dozen passkeys on my old phone, and I found the best way to move them was to simply delete the old ones and then establish new ones on my new phone. I mainly used the Microsoft Authenticator app. There was one account I couldn’t migrate to my new phone, but my research pointed to it not being T-Mobile’s fault.
So, one of the apps I use on my phone is Mozilla Thunderbird (yes, there is an official Android build of it). I tried the option to export my accounts from the desktop app (which involved scanning two qr codes), but I got better results entering in all my information from scratch, especially since the accounts I use the most also have 2-factor authentication, and I have to resign into them anyway…
There are some differences with the Motorola vs. my old Samsung. Since I no longer have the One UI that Samsung had, I can no longer view my phone apps on my computer, nor do I have a shared clipboard anymore. But because it’s a flip phone, it’s easier to fit into my pocket/holster. It does all the other functions the my previous phones have done, so it’s just a phone. And all my charging solutions still work with it as well…
Now I have to send the old phone back since I agreed to trade it in. With my new phone, I got the padded envelope and the preprinted ups label to ship it back, but no return box. I quick chat with T-Mobile, however, revealed that I could just take to the nearest T-Mobile store, and that would be good. So, I’ll do that next week….
So my Tax refund arrived today. This morning, to be precise. Paid a couple of bills first (they were budgeted to be paid from tomorrow’s paycheck, but I decided to take care of them early). And then I found a pretty good deal on the T-Mobile website, so I ordered my next phone: A Motorola Razr+ 2024. I’ve had Motorolas before. When I first moved here, I had a MotoRIZR Z3 (the slide phone, not the flip phone).
And hopefully I’ll have a couple of cases and a holster for it here before the phone arrives. I remember dropping my previous phone and it fucked up the display. Now let’s see if T-Mobile doesn’t try to fuck up the trade….
So, my weekend project wrapped up. And then I wiped the laptop completely again. Because what happens is I put it away. And then forget about it. And then when I pull it out, it’s slow, and it takes less time to restore and patch the system from scratch than it is to try and update it. And also with the forthcoming demise of Windows 10, it’s life was limited anyway. Yes, I could put OpenSUSE on it, but then again it’s going on 8 years old and it’s slower than a broken-knee’ed turtle.
So it’s wiped clean and put away. It’s current role will be emergency (as in total hardware failure in the main tower) backup. Where if I can’t even turn on the tower and I need a system while parts are ordered. And lessons learned say that it’ll be less time to install the OS from scratch than to patch what I already have at the time. Once upon a time I thought I could use it for streaming on the go, but my phone does that already out of the box.
It may be put away where my old tower once laid, but at least I won’t trip over it….
I should point out since my HP Towers are now in the dumpster, I no longer have anything capable of running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. I had a preference for Windows 7, but I eventually learned how to tolerate 8.1. But progress is inevitable. And as computers got replaced my equipment became not compatible with them. I may no longer use them, but they will live on when I have to use compatibility settings to get my really old games to work on Windows 11+.
I guess this means I can also clean up my flash drives, and get rid of installation usb’s…
I decided to try my hand at cleaning my room just now. My room does have a few nooks and crannies where old tech can be simply abandoned in place, and if I can easily reach it, it tends to be forgotten. So while my current project continues to update (see the past three or so posts), I made a couple of trips to the dumpster:
And then I was able to vacuum. Before and after, you might be able to see the difference, but I can. And that’s what counts. At least the only computers left in my room work….
Ok, so after 3 attempts to nuke it, I finally got my laptop ‘restored’. Debloated. Then got the current version of Windows 10 installed. The upgraded to Windows 10 Pro (with my Tower when I built them, I used the Pro version from the get go. Here it came with Home pre-installed, and I had to go through the Microsoft Store to get it to pro). Then I got all the store apps updated. Then I went to Windows Update. Which is where I am now. When I decided to kill it last week, there was one particular update that it was stuck on for over four hours and 20% installed. SO far, we’re getting a little bit better progress.
I still have to move all of my documents over. I’ll probably do this with my external HDD backup. I guess this project has one shining light to it: it prompted me to bring my back up current….
So I decided to give it just one more try with the system restore. Mainly because of drivers. This thing is so old that HP doesn’t have the drivers online for it anymore. So before I do anything else to it, I have to go in and take out the bloatware. But I’m making progress. And I’m killing time on a ‘weekend’ when I can’t do anything due to being after dark, and I actually respect my neighbors….
It’s older than dirt, but it still works…
Got home form work, and put the system restore flash drive in the laptop. And then went to bed. And woke up to a system restore failed screen. So now, I’m trying again this time with a Windows 10 22H2 flash drive. This time I got to a desktop, so now I’m running update on it.
While I was sleeping, my brother decided ate dinner. Only mentioning this because I decided about three days ago to order pizza tonight. And so my day off started with taking down an entire Dominos pan pizza in one sitting.
I think a nap attack will be forthcoming…..
When we last left our hero last week, I decided the laptop had reached the end of its usefulness, and I wiped it with GParted. Fast forward to today, when I found the system restore usb flash drive for it. And I thought what the hell. So I’m factory resetting it. Why not? It’s a 17.3” Touchscreen, and while it is older that dirt and slower than molasses, it still does work. I just need to remember to turn it on once a month so it can update, I figure if I can keep Firefox and Chrome on it, then I can use it for streaming. Or when I do finally fuck my tower up to the point of unusability (which I’ve successfully done before), I can use it to at least order the replacement parts…
And we already have Articles of Impeachment filed. Yes, it’s a long shot, but still a reminder that Cheetos-Face, the current occupier of the White House is ethically challenged….
And his first executive order (the one attempting to end birthright citizenship) has been indefinitely blocked nationwide by a federal judge. Somebody apparently does read the Constitution.
And his so-called plan for Gaza: ethnic cleansing. That’s what it is, pure and simple.
As you could probably guess from the title of this post, I just did my taxes. Another refund. Yes, I’ve heard of that a tax refund is basically giving the government an interest free loan throughout the year. But then again, I figure it’s better than having to pay. I’ve had that before, and the sticker shock of having a tax bill when your finances are already tight is nothing to scoff at.
But the main thing is once again, I’m dutch with the IRS, and I’m getting a little back as well…
When we last left our hero, I tried installing Windows 11 on it. Fortunately, I wised up before anything got destroyed. So I left the laptop on while it still downloaded updates (it was last turned in December of 2023). And I noticed that it was just hanging. Rebooted. No progress. I’ve finally decided that it was time. Pulled out my GParted flash drive, booted it, and completely wiped the laptop. It has now crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. Although it could find life down the road with SuSE Linux (yes, I know it’s now OpenSUSE, but I like the old spelling)….
And it’s slower than molasses. Like it’s always been. But hardware wise, it’s still viable. On multiple occasions when I fucked my computer up to the point of unusability, it was available as a back-up. Slow, but still functional….
With the impending demise of Windows 10, I was wondering what would I do with it. On the first take, it wouldn’t work with Windows 11. But I use rufus when I create the flash drive to install it on my tower, and it does have the tools to bypass the system checks. So, that’s what I’m doing now. It may take a few hours, but hopefully it’ll remain usable. At least until my weekend ends and I put it away for another year and a half….
So, I have the night off (nothing special, just my weekend). And Peacock+ is covering the 6 Nations tournament. And I just the replay of France vs. Wales. France won with a 43-0 shutout. Of course I had to think of Henry V (the Kenneth Branagh film). A king who said he was Welsh who went against the French. Unfortunately, this weekend, the French won….
Pulled it out and turned it on. I’ll give it about 4 hours for windows to update itself. Although I think the record is 8 hours…
It’s been about two weeks into the Cheetos-Face administration. It’s increasingly difficult to separate the facts from the paritsan rhetoric and editorial bias. But I have previously posted that this, too, shall pass. And I stand by that. I live in a blue state. I feel that my congressional representative feel the same way as I do. So the best course of action is to just turn up my collar against the storm. Personally I don’t think he’ll even last out his term. My rediciton is he’ll be impeached and removed from office. If not, he’ll lose congress at the mid-terms…
Like I said, this too shall pass….
With Cheetos-Face back in the White House, and X/Twitter/Shitter becoming a right-wing cesspool, I’ve decided to change how I post to social media:
I will be non-partisan on Facebook from now on. I’m not going to change my opinion based on what people share, especially with the demise of fact-checking on all the major platforms. Facebook should be for connecting with my friends and planning the Big Bryant Family reunion. I really don’t need the animosity and strife that politics will bring. My Facebook feed will be non-partisan….
X/Twitter is now read-only for me. I still have an account there. But with the exception of calling out T-Mobile, Comcast, and Starbucks or certain select retailers for their sub-standard customer service (seriously, how can you fuck up a simple cup of drip coffee?). I’ll still keep the account, because things will eventually change. But until then, I’m out….
I have an Instagram/Threads account(s). I’m not really on either of them. But when I do go there, it’s to connect with my family and friends, not to discuss politics. Otherwise they will remain read-only.
And there’s Bluesky. It’s what Twitter should’ve been. I may not post there that often, but I will be using it more than the other place.
As for my virtual soapbox on the internet where I’ll post on current events and politics. It’ll be right here. I’ve had this blog for almost 20 years, and it isn’t going anywhere….
So Cheetos-Face has done a lot of questionable shit. In his first week. First there was the executive order to do away with birthright citizenship, which has already been stopped due to being blatantly unconstitutional. In order to amend the Constitution, you have to get a 2/3’s majority in both houses, and then get it ratified by 3/4’s of the states. Not going to happen. There was also a proposed amendment that would enable him to serve a third term. Again, it’s not going to happen.
As concerning as these appear to be, I’m not really worried yet. They’re being done by executive order, which means at worse case scenario they’ll only last till the next president (it is in fact normal for an incoming president to undo most if not all of his/her predecessor's executive orders.
But so far none of his ‘orders’ have been through congress. They’ll be gone at the next president. If not before then, as some of them ( like the birthright citizenship one) won’t survive the scrutiny of the courts.
And the 22nd Amendment hasn’t been repealed yet. The worst case scenario is that this madness will end in January 2029.
So, on Christmas Eve, I ordered myself a Logitech G502 Wireless Gaming Mouse. Shipping wasn’t an issue. It arrived within the window specified, and I already had the software installed for it (Ghub by Logitech for those who are keeping score at home). So, installation was pretty cut and dry. But noticed that the cursor wasn’t tracking smoothly. Adjusting the DPI was working. There was nothing to clean on the mouse (brand-now mouse). Finally I looked at the mouse pad. So last night, I ordered a replacement (actually two from Newegg). And then tonight, in a moment of frustration, I retired the mousepad. And as dirty as my 24 year-old computer desk it, the mouse still works.
I will miss the gel wrist pad, though….
