2023

Lately, both of my kids have been learning so much and it’s intense seeing them grow before my eyes. No. 1 is 4 and has known his ABCs and how to count for a while now, but he’s become so articulate, annunciating every…

That high noon sun.

Thankful for this day.

Beautiful outside.

I had a lot of things in my Amazon cart that didn’t change in price at all today, but suddenly said 18% off next to that same price due to Black Friday.

My loves.

I have my in-laws over for Thanksgiving this year, so we had a full house and it was a lot of fun! My first time cooking a turkey…turned out pretty good. Now we are just drinking old fashioneds, eating coconut cream pie…

Santa almost forgot to close up the attic. Happy Thanksgiving, friends. I’m cooking this year, pray for me.

I have a theory that eyeglass companies switched to polycarbonate lense…

I have a theory that eyeglass companies switched to polycarbonate lenses from glass, not because of weight or safety concerns, or because polycarbonate was better, but because polycarbonate scratches easily, so you have…

Cranbrook, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. 10 years ago.

This PNW rainy season

I’m about a month into my new job and I’ve got to say that I’m loving it compared to my old one. Much like being in a bad relationship, sometimes it’s hard to see just how toxic your old employment situation was until y…

Moved back over to my Mastodon server as my primary platform from Micro.blog. Too many issues lately, and I missed the iOS clients. Still copying over most things with RSS, but the biggest downside is that I’ll have to…

When people complain about PNW winters, I send them pictures of Michigan. Grayer, colder, flat as hell, farm desert tundra, and a land use program that allows this.

Dealing with Italian bureaucracy is fun. I need a SPID (electronic credential) to order my Italian birth certificate online from my comune where I’m registered. I need a physical card of my Codice Fiscale (Social Securi…

Keep getting this error.

Do others on Micro.blog truly get RSS updates in their timelines? I’ve subscribed to one and even though there have been new posts, I’m not getting the content. Same goes with a Tumblr blog I follow. Wondering if it’s j…

At a friends’ kids’ birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese and I’m pretty sure this is how Covid started.

This last week has been kind of hellish in a sort of funny but not too funny sort of way. We’ve all, at various overlapping times, had colds and conjunctivitis. Yep, pink eye. Thank goodness for the extra days off. Slee…

New air fryer owner, here. So I picked up some Starbucks Sous Vide Egg Bites from Costco to try cooking them in it. Might have a new addiction. This is about the most American post I could conjur.

An excerpt from an interview with Noam Chomsky prior to the October 7 c…

An excerpt from an interview with Noam Chomsky prior to the October 7 conflict. For 50 years, Israel has been explicitly trying to use the Holocaust as a propaganda weapon to justify crushing the Palestinians, occupying…

People have tried to get me to eat fish my entire life. It makes me gag. One of my favorites protests is: “you’ll like this, it doesn’t taste fishy at all!” But why are people trying to get me to eat something that’s th…

Maybe a weird question, but anyone know if there are any free and open source budgeting apps for iOS with bank account sync? Or is that just way beyond what anyone should expect from FOSS?

I hadn’t logged into my Pixelfed account in a while. The Progressive Web App is a lot nicer now, IMO. Very polished.

Thinking of my brother on his heavenly birthday today. He would’ve been 41. Miss you.

When I see a “Log in with Google+” 🙈

Wrapping up week 4 in the new job and enjoying it. The first few months are all about finding your bearings. I’ve got a supportive team helping me grow into the role, but I’ve already had a lot of uncomfortable situatio…

Micro.blog down?

Impromptu bedtime snacks ... https://indw.blog/2023/11/08/impromptu-bedtime-snacks.html

Apologies to anyone following my music listening history and sees everything from Elmo and Fugazi.

After two days of public transit and traveling around downtown Portland…

After two days of public transit and traveling around downtown Portland and Seattle, I’m really saddened by the fact that my son was just about the only child I saw, and I honestly questioned my parenting by exposing hi…

On a packed bus and some lady is on speaker phone buying something and repeated her credit card number, expiration, and security code, OUT LOUD. Seriously, how dumb can you be?

More Seattle fun. We rode up to the top of the Space a needle with a load of Hindu monks. They were very kind to my son and let him ride by the windows in the elevator. Nice littlle extended weekend getaway for us boys.

More Seattle Fun

Me and my boy saw KISS in Seattle tonight!

Waiting for our…bus.

Figures. Haven’t taken the train in forever and now it’s going to be a bus ride due to a landslide.

Looks like Micro.blog forgot to fall back today, all the time stamps are an hour in the future.

Three years ago, I was recognized as an Italian citizen and I’m going to visit the Veneto region where me and my children are registered. I’m really excited.

Best buds

The paint I got on my watch yesterday unlocked memories of seeing similarly speckled paint on my dad’s digital watches growing up.

“Dad, can we put the skeleton away? I don’t want Santa to be freaked out.”

Just began training the new person for my old job as a courtesy, and I got such a strong deer-in-headlights look from them that I’m wondering if they’ll still be here next week.

Being with your partner for a while is to know them. This morning’s convo with my wife went something like this: Me: You know who I think you’d like? Sade. Wife: How do you spell that? Me: S-A-D-E Wife: What the hell? M…

I got really tired of scratching up all my polycarbonate lenses so I sent in my WP frames to have real glass lenses put in. It’s going to take a few weeks before I get them back, but I’m so excited!

I feel like Apple might’ve done something sneaky in the most recent update and removed my wife from the sharesheet in iOS Photos in order to force Family Sharing adoption.

Happy Halloween!

October

So this happened. Happy Halloween! 🎃

Halloween Part 1: Preschool Batman. 🎃

Halloween Part 1: Preschool Batman.

Happy Halloween 🎃

Happy Halloween

Don’t wait to tell the world you love someone until after they’re dead.

What is the best concert you’ve ever been to?

The false advertising on Google’s hotel pricing is amazing. Even with actual dates plugged in, the advertised prices in downtown Seattle have sometimes been over $100/night off from reality (+). And I’m not talking abou…

It doesn’t happen all the time, but for the last several weeks or so, I have been ticking so many items off my to-do lists and feeling very accomplished. I attribute this primarily to better sleep. My focus and energy h…

Somehow missed that my lil old car surpassed 150k. Knock on faux wood, but I’ve never had it in the shop for anything other than routine replacements. I’ve had this car for over 10 years and it was a few years used when…

Invariably, when I’m watching clips of the Rich Roll podcast, I find myself not even listening to what the guy is saying. Often I’m just thinking: “dang, this guy has a good tan. I wish I had a successful podcast where…

Searching for painted rocks at the park on this beautiful day.

My phone updated last night and the Journaling app showed up. And I’m sort of relieved there isn’t a share option on entries. The last thing I want showing up in the Fediverse is the minutia of every person’s day.

As a musician, perhaps the most egregious example of my own ignorance that I’m willing to admit is that, for too many years, I thought the hippie folk music of the 60s was real folk music. It’s taken a lot of unlearning…

Lows in the 30s this week. House is chilly and my little girl (21 months) keeps waking up, even well layered. So…she’ll be absorbing my body heat in our bed tonight.

Rembrandt, Monet, Picasso…

Time to turn up the heat and put a nice tropical scene on the TV while I work on the couch today. 🌴

Project mystery machine in progress.

The teens at one of my lunch spots were playing Postal Service in the dining room. Wild to think they weren’t even alive when that album came out.

Anyone use Smartsheet for project management? Thoughts?

One of those kinds of days.

A little old lady pulled up in a classic Porsche in front of the library. As she got out, I turned to my 4-year-old and said, “hey, check out this beautiful Porsche!” so that the lady could overhear me. She just respond…

Heard a second and a half of Tainted Love on the radio this morning before I was able to change the channel and that damn thing will be stuck in my head for 3 months. Who does that to their listeners?

I think this week we’re supposed to get the season finale of Invasion S2. I’m a sucker for these alien shows.

It’s amazing how long home improvement projects take me these days. Gone are the days the days of knocking out projects over a weekend or two.

I caught some flack from family for not responding quickly enough to texts. Yo. I have two kids under 5. Rest assured I’ll get to your text next time I have a moment, which will likely be 1) when I’m taking a dump or 2)…

20 years ago Elliott Smith took his own life. I think what I loved most about him was that he was sort of an Everyman musician, which was inspiring. I recorded this cover of Pitseleh with a computer mic not long after h…

It’s very odd when your Apple Watch asks you if you’d “like to start your day” after more than 30 minutes on the treadmill.

From Peninsula Park this morning.

When you ask Siri to play OPB (Oregon Public Broadcasting) but it plays OPP, you just let it play.

Whenever I hear somebody say that the roads in Portland are awful, the only logical response is “so, you’ve never been to the upper Midwest, eh?”

I mean, there truly isn’t a better restaurant name in the region.

This is so obviously fake, but every time the memory pops up this time of year, I have a good laugh.

I see this kind of parking job in my neighborhood all the time. Do I be that guy who calls/reports this? Mostly I’m worried about sight distance and kids getting beaned by cars. Also a safety hazard for emergency vehicl…

I have a hard time taking companies like The Atlantic seriously in articles like this. I was a long-time subscriber to their magazine, but their entire site went up behind a paywall and subscribers didn’t get digital ac…

Just figured out that you can add custom emojis to saved Google map items. So, if anyone needs me, I’ll be updating those for the next several weeks.

Pea soup on the morning commute. #pdx

The very large box my treadmill came in is coming in handy for Project Mystery Machine.

The air is crisp this morning (46°) and the sun is burning off the fog. There is piano jazz playing in our main lobby, which, strangely enough, gets me sort of amped up for the holidays.

If you had to: Sit through an all-day active shooter training; or, Go on a date with someone whose every Instagram picture is of themselves What would your choose?

It’s been a busy couple of weeks. But I guess life is just sort of busy…

It’s been a busy couple of weeks. But I guess life is just sort of busy now anyways. In no particular order: The weather has officially turned over to Fall and we’ve been getting a lot more rain lately. I don’t mind it…

Sono stanco…

Let’s go Wings

I was on a roll cooking and baking this afternoon. Definitely not a healthy food day, but the weather has had me craving comfort food 🥘

Fun new park in the area.

I was there when Captain Beefheart started up his first band. I told him, ‘Don’t do it that way. You’ll never make a dime.’ James Murphy

Snagged a used KitchenAid stand mixer at Goodwill.

Someone out here living my alternate reality dream 😂

Walking around outside the courthouse and there are 4 or 5 wedding parties…I guess Friday the 13th is a popular day to get married.

Leaving for work on my last day after 6 years at this job.

Rolled my ankle today on a walk during my lunch break. It’s sore but very grateful I didn’t tear anything. I did that a few years back and it took over 6 months to heal.

For some reason I have not been able to get the Tinylytics kudos buttons to show up on my Micro.blog posts. I follow the instructions and use the specific plugin for the Tiny theme, inserted the appropriate code in the…

Looking for fitness trackers for my parents. They’re reasonably tech savvy 60 something’s that use Android phones. Simple is good but we’d like to “compete” to motivate each other. I have an Apple Watch. Looking for wea…

People from Michigan sometimes ask me how I deal with the rainy season in Oregon. What they don’t tell you is how often the clouds break up. I had severe SAD while in the Great Lakes region because the overcast was so l…

Pretty excited that Duolingo is coming out music and math courses.

Google Maps is always so buggy for me, especially when viewing aerial imagery. Crashes a lot, both on my work computer (Windows) and MBP at home. Sort of shockingly bad given that it’s one of their flagship products.

Last night I went down one of those rabbit holes that led me to watching the Elliott Smith documentary: Heaven Adores You. I went through my concert tickets and found the one for his show in 1999 at St. Andrew’s hall in…

One of my favorite rock albums of all time is 2003’s Deja Entendu by the band Brand New. The album’s final track is called Play Crack the Sky. As Jesse finishes the song, he puts the guitar down and sings “never to see…

Setting up my new office space. A little bit darker than my old one, but it’s Fall on Oregon…it’s to be expected. Digging the greenery, though.

Europeans who complain about Americans forget that they made us.

On the list of things I didn’t care for as a child but love now are in-season pears.

We had a really fun weekend, decorating and spending time with friends at their family farm where we got to feed a mule, play putt putt, make apple cider, pet a chicken, and share good food with friends. Happy 40th to o…

Where can I get a couple very large boxes for an art project? I looked at Home Depot and they weren’t large enough. Maybe U-Haul?

Tutti would be an excellent name for an Italian Mastodon client.

IMO, Portland realtors should be subject to truth in advertising laws. Here’s a home listed as being 2,246 square feet when the Multnomah County Assessor lists it as just 1620 square feet. Far from an isolated occurrenc…

Literally nobody cares 😂

The missus is away for a friend’s 40th birthday, so me and the kids picked up some Halloween decorations and probably went over budget, but it was worth it.

If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life Never make a pretty woman your wife So from my personal point of view Get an ugly girl to marry you “If you wanna be happy” by Jimmy Soul

It’s amazing how often Mexican restaurants in the U.S. try to pass dishes off as vegetarian when their refried beans contain lard. It’s the standard, not the exception.

Lately my body feels like it’s my enemy.

If anyone can recommend a treadmill, it would be appreciated. Looking on the used market but also new ones that won’t break the bank.

There is this guy on YouTube I love whose channel is called CityNerd. He used to be a transportation planning consultant. I just watched for like an hour, completely engrossed. My wife’s guilty pleasure is reality TV, m…

Evidently I’ve reached the point in my DIY home improvement career that my wife has begun offering my services to her single friends. This must be a little taste of what it’s like to own a truck.

If you ever want some cheap entertainment, pack a lunch and head over to the parking lot of your local Habitat ReStore. Watch as people who are spatially challenged attempt to load furniture into their cars.

I just finished up re-watching Season 1 of Arrival in its entirety with my wife on Tuesday night because she hadn’t seen it and I wanted to start Season 2. I think she’s a bigger fan than I am. Two years between seasons…

Another parent at my kids’ preschool drives one of those electric Porsches. Every time I pull up beside her in my beat up old car, I chuckle. While exchanging niceties, she looks at me with disdain as one of the “poors”…

I added a second phone line on my iPhone for work. I used a budget MVNO called Tello for $10/mo since Verizon wanted to charge me $35. Almost everywhere I go, the Tello number has had more bars. I guess they use T-Mobil…

I was listening to a podcast this morning that used the phrase “toxic positivity” to describe LinkedIn. Perfection 👌

Holy crap, that national alert just scared the bejeezus out of me. Thought the aliens had arrived.

Having been in a software developer heavy social media world for the la…

Having been in a software developer heavy social media world for the last year (Mastodon et. al), I’ve come across the word “opinionated” often to describe certain FOSS or site templates. I understand it doesn’t exactly…

The photos app is always showing me memories of all the fun times I had pre-kids! Halloween 2010, Lansing, Michigan. Quality Dairy parking lot, on the way to a party on the River Princess.

Some happy little Micro.blog news for me. I had been struggling to find a simple username I liked. Someone already had the @bryan handle but he hadn’t updated his blog in 5 years. I reached out to him on Mastodon and he…

Currently writing a personal bio as a professional introduction for other staff in my new department. One of my least favorite things. Striking a balance between accomplished yet humble is a struggle. Stick to the facts…

In about a month I get to take my son to his first concert. Ever since watching the Scooby-Doo and KISS movie, he’s loved KISS. So, in yet another experiment in parenting, we’re taking a trip up to Seattle on Amtrak to…

Man, the Hudson Tower in Detroit is getting massive. What a beauty by SHoP Architects. Photo by dcholmes on Instagram.

Just got a second line for work on my phone with eSIM through Tello. Surprisingly easy and affordable, so hopefully the service is OK. No more desktop-based NEC Softphone for me! Looks like I can also run a time-based i…

This album dropped 28 years ago this month and it rocked my 14-year-old world.

Does the iOS share sheet to the Micro.blog app work for anybody? This is what I get no matter what I try to share.

I have the hardest time remembering how to spell the word for ‘weekly’ in Italian: settimanalmente. That word is far too long for its meaning :)

Hopefully, as we mature, we reach a certain point in our lives when a combination of self-awareness and good judgment of others’ character keeps us out of bad relationships. Too many times I’ve seen close friends get in…

September

I heard Saddle Mountain in the Oregon Coast Range is back open. I miss that hike. It’s a few years old, but here’s a photo at the top.

Signed up for a premium Micro.blog account to host audio, so here’s a quick and dirty test. A cover of ‘Hard Times’ by Gillian Welch. link

Getting into the spirit. #halloween

This Michigan-Nebraska game is a blowout.

At the in-laws’ place for my FIL’s birthday. This view will never get old. Columbia River looking across to Oregon from Washington.

I can’t name a single song of Paul McCartney’s since 1980’s “Wonderful Christmastime”. Pretty amazing considering every beloved Beatles song was written during a span of just 10 years but somehow the man hasn’t written…

Reminder to always look at insurance billing in detail. Just had a crown put in and the dentist tried to charge me an additional $230 when in fact they owned me that money from overpayment. As if this stuff isn’t expens…

Imagine being such a megalomaniac that you start a magazine and put yourself on the cover every month 😂

Dad, this is like a chicken nugget potato. It’s crispy on the outside, potato on the inside! ~My son upon eating a McDonald’s hash brown for the first time today.

This is my lunch. Taquitos and chocolate milk. -my wife

It’s amazing how critical we can be of ourselves and our art. All these…

It’s amazing how critical we can be of ourselves and our art. All these years of playing guitar and singing and I’ve never released anything official because of fear of my abilities and anxiety about what others will th…

Zoinks, I guess it’s Son’s Day. Here’s our handsome little maniac.

Played a 00017 today. It was a return at guitar Center. Nice Guitar for the money. Ultimately passed on it but it was hard. Lol.

Yesterday I got the news that after a nearly 5-month background check, I got my security clearance and can finally start the new job I first applied for way back in February and accepted in May. Now I can finally let th…

Without a beard I’m feeling very Bill Murray-esque. Of only I had the personality.

Ah yes, the $1000/mo student loan payments are back.

I don’t care if it rains or freezes Long as I’ve got my plastic Jesus Sitting on the dashboard of my car Comes in colors pink and pleasant Glows in the dark cause it’s iridescent Take it with you … when you travel far.…

FB is always reminding me of made up holidays like Daughters Day. Like I need an excuse to spam your feed with pics of my kids. Love my little Annette.

Finally got the garage mostly cleaned up today. Living in a small house, our family’s spillover ends up cluttering up the garage where it acts as a catch-all for everything from half finished projects to underutilized b…

Yesterday we went to the rhododendron garden in Sellwood for the first time. Today, me and the wife are taking turns with the kids so we can alternate in the hot tub and sauna here at the community pool before we grab s…

Shaved my face for the first time in maybe a decade and people keep looking at me strange…including myself !

First day of seasonal depression.

I have very evidently entered the phase of adulthood where everyone I know in the Northwest is moving back to the Midwest. Another good friend announced they’re moving away from Portland so that they can finally afford…

Every once in a while, a lyric so profound hits you in the face so hard that you never forget it: Somewhere in the asshole of my eye There’s a muscle which relaxes when you cry Inoculate the Innocuous by The Unicorns Ha…

Day 22: Road. Snapped this while walking from 10 Barrel Brewing to Pioneer Square for the Built to Spill concert a few weeks ago. As a planner, this makes my heart go pitter-patter.

Eastern Oregon is as backwards as anywhere.

I see that Nikon has released a retro camera called the Zf. Looks neat. I wish Canon would do the same.

I think I was going into overload trying out all the various federated platforms and blog options. Also super burnt out on boosts and likes over on Mastodon. So I’m taking a break from all that noise and back here at my…

Some thoughts today: Sometimes a breakfast burrito can reorient the direction of a bad morning and turn your day into a better one. Be more careful with knives. I almost sliced myself pretty badly being careless with my…

Some jaggoff has a trombone at the neighborhood park, and you know what? I’m here for it.

Every time I hear Joe Biden say ‘Bidenomics” I cringe.

Having one of those types of days where you kick a whole lot of ass but now it’s 7:30 and time to get into bed. 😵‍💫

You don’t need to be a land use planner to figure out there are probably some untidy loose ends around the land lease, but that hasn’t stopped me from daydreaming about buying this former Trout Lake lodge. Zillow

20 ounces of coffee down, 20 more to go. ☕️ #monday

Finally got my first “but you can’t be X years old, you look so young!” Karma really is a b, folks.

Low key last weekend of summer.

Get things done around the house or go on an adventure, that is perpetually the Sunday question.

Tore out a cabinet soffit from the ceiling and ripped out the side wall to replace some leaky plumbing. Now trying to finish the drywall sometime before the kids graduate. Note to self: hire somebody next time.

Does Micro.blog defederate with abusive or racist Fediverse instances?

You ever been so mad at a family member that you don’t think you can ever forgive them? That’s where I’m at. I am seriously so hurt and disappointed by someone’s words and actions that I honestly don’t think I can talk…

Finished watching Foundation Season 2 tonight. I guess I’m going to have to read the books because I hate waiting.

Lunch break heaven @ Thunder Road

Considering shaving my face today for the first time in perhaps 10+ years.

Growing some pumpkins for my munchkins. 🧑‍🌾🌱

To be perfectly honest, I thought Sidecar for iPad was sort of gimmicky when it was first announced. But I actually use it all the time when I’m out and about. I often write long (too long!) reports where I need to refe…

Occasionally I erroneously think that I’m not that out of touch with music. Then I randomly come across some musician I’ve never heard of on Instagram with millions of followers, or their YouTube music video with a bill…

September photo challenge: statue.

Next week marks the 20th anniversary of my father’s death. This is a weird one for me in so many ways, but what’s been coming up for me lately is that I’m about the same age he was when he killed himself in a drunk driv…

The spirit begins early around here.

Felt like old times, skipping off to the gorge, “senza figli”. Enjoying these last days of summer.

Today’s hike.

I started reading a book in Italian last night called Short Stories for Beginners. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I could understand. I guess I am picking up the language, however glacial the pace feels.

One of my favorite songs of all time. Windows by Angel Olsen.

I learned something over the weekend. After a lot of research and forum browsing, I learned that my cheap Art & Lutherie Folk Cedar guitar is basically a copy of the storied Gibson LG-2. I measured out the dimensions an…

Beautiful day at Cape Lookout.

August

Today I played some higher end small body guitars trying to see what might sound similar to my Art & Lutherie $200 guitar, but honestly I was not impressed. I came across a brand recently called Iris out of Vermont that…

It’s fun watching Zoomers misattrubute things to millennials. Just saw a meme complaining that people over 37 can stop putting two spaces between sentences because that’s from “typewriter days.” Dude, I’m 42 and we had…

Mood. But they’re playing “Tears in Heaven” by Eric Clapton. And just like Phoebe Bridgers said, I hate this song, but it is sad that his son died. Listening to: Moon Song by Phoebe Bridgers

That whole 7-year itch thing is very accurate for me. I start to get really bored with wherever I am on about that timeline.

Walking back from a coffee shop in Nob Hill this afternoon, I saw this beautiful home and decided to look it up on Zillow. The property taxes are just over $19,000 per year, which means $1600/mo in property taxes alone.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

We’re getting a little taste of fall this morning in the Portland area, with the overcast skies and mist. I’ve missed it! When I first moved here, several of my friends and family asked me how I could stand so much rain…

Personally, I think Google’s best product is News, by a long shot. After 20 years of harvesting my data, they’ve got my interests dialed.

Pumping my own gas for the first time ever while in Oregon. #pdx #oregon

When your old 1st Gen iPad Pro is commandeered and de facto inherited by your children.

My only criteria for friendship is an ability to use “its” or “whose” properly. Apparently I’m judgmental and my standards are too high.

It’s a Waylon & Willie kind of morning.

One of the many things we do as planners…connect neighborhoods with bike/ped facilities for safe routes to school, walking routes to transit, etc. The neighborhood behind me was separated from the elementary school by a…

I’ve always been left of center politically, but there’s a quote often credited to Reagan that I’ve kept above my computer screen for years: “If you’re explaining, you’re losing.” It’s a loaded saying, but to me it boil…

I’ve thought about making video content as a side gig but I don’t think I can look at my own face that much. How do YouTubers stand to see their own faces so often with all that recording and editing? I’m on TV pretty r…

I think I need a new method to organize my favorite locations. Ugh this gives me anxiety lol.

Summertime and the livin’ is easy.

Whenever I feel like I don’t have enough, I try to meditate on the thought that my maternal grandmother grew up in a one-room shack with a dirt floor and had 2 of her 8 kids before her 18th birthday.

Japanese Breakfast at Pioneer Courthouse Square. #pdx

Built to Spill at Pioneer Courthouse Square. #pdx

One thing the Portland region should absolutely be embarrassed about is how many of our light rail stations are just surface lot park & rides. Given our current housing crisis, there’s no reason why there shouldn’t be a…

Got my cheap-o guitar back from Portland Fret Works. I had some Waverly tuners installed that I had lying around. I’m pretty sure I spent more on the tuners than the guitar. But hey, I’m thoroughly enjoying it and that’…

Some days I absolutely feel like the subject of ‘Once in a Lifetime’ by Talking Heads. How prescient of David Byrne. music.apple.com/us/album/…

One of those Halloween stores opened up at Cedar Hills Crossing on or about August 1. What a time to be alive.

Last year we lost our neighborhood Indian restaurant, our favorite. We were pretty upset when it closed, and quite honestly, we still are. But since then, we’ve learned of all sorts of new things moving in nearby. In th…

It’s still 90° out at 10 p.m.

Likely heat island effect, but ugh. It certainly feels like 110°F. #pdx

Went out for a drink with some friends at the new Breakside location for Shar’s birthday a few days ago. Look at us parents getting wild lol.

I despise LinkedIn, but they get at least one thing right. There’s a setting to allow or disallow political content in the home feed. I would pay money for that feature.

Happy birthday to my lovely, compassionate, hardworking, thoughtful, fun, and caring wife. My best friend and amazing mother to our two children, you only get better as the years go on and we are so grateful and lucky t…

Unfortunately, I have noticed my attention span being whittled away at slowly over the last 10 years. I have ADHD, but no supprise that it’s gotten worse since about the time I picked up my first smartphone. I consume t…

Follow-up visit to get the permanent crown fitted. I swear, these glasses they give you are purely for comedic relief.

We were talking to a young family at the park tonight who lives at some apartments in our neighborhood. The mom casually mentioned they’re moving because their rent is $2300/mo for a 1-bedroom. ☠️💀

For some reason, I am still experiencing disappearing text while writing posts using the official Micro.blog app, Test Flight version. Anyone else experiencing this? Basically makes the app unusable, so I’ve reverted to…

I dropped the cheap folk guitar off at Portland Fretworks last week to have them install the Waverly Ivoroid open-back tuners. I could’ve done it myself but figured I’d be safe and have a pro do it. But now I’m wishing…

My favorite Paul Reubens character will always be Derek Foreal in the movie Blow. Thanks for the laughs.

Since picking up that cheap Canadian folk guitar last week, I have been seriously considering selling my Martin 000-28. It’s a beautiful guitar, but I’m really wondering now if a 00-12 fret might be more my speed. Punch…

Every time I walk by this giant redwood in these people’s front yard, I can’t help but chuckle a little bit about its scale in proximity to the house.

I have 6 invite codes to Bluesky. Not sure if anyone is actually still waiting on one, but let me know.

Just noticed you can cross-post to Pixelfed now from Micro.blog. Nice!

The neglected cuttings I took into the office right before Covid: thriving. The plants I took them from and cared for at home during this time: long gone.

Sinopah Mountain from Two Medicine Ranger Station in Glacier National Park, July 24, 2021.

So, if I set up cross posting from Micro.blog to Mastodon and then set Micro.blog to import my Mastodon feed as posts, how long will that go on mirroring itself? Forever?

Sometimes I feel bad when I’m a little late for work on in-office days. Then, invariably, people without two little kids roll in after me.

Our vampire child

On our walk this afternoon. When the earth just starts taking things back. Reminds me of the World Made by Hand series by James Howard Kunstler I read a few years back.

Lately I have been struggling deciding if I want to keep posting to my Micro.blog. There are parts of my life that I often want to write and post about, and even though I don’t necessarily want them private, I don’t wan…

Big Thief and Lucinda Williams didn’t disappoint. Hard to believe yesterday was our first full day alone together since both our kids were born. Also, my first concert since Covid. Thanks to my mother-in-law for giving…

Hard to believe yesterday was our first full day alone together since both our kids were born. Also, my first concert since Covid. Big Thief and Lucinda Williams didn’t disappoint. Thanks to my mother-in-law LaVonna for…

Grateful to have this Japanese bakery nearby. Treated ourselves to some donuts this morning.

A memory popped up in my photos today of the time I sumitted South Sister, Oregon’s third tallest mountain at 10,358’. This was my first time doing anything of the sort, but I’d like to do it again when the kids are a l…

I’ve dealt with anxiety all my life. Despite this, I have a job that re…

I’ve dealt with anxiety all my life. Despite this, I have a job that requires me to present to government boards and the public very regularly. So imagine my surprise when my Board recently thanked me during a busy sess…

Hear me out: curry scalloped potatoes…

I hope the person who gets my job after I leave appreciates that I took 95% of the monotony out of the role by automating the mindless, repetitive tasks, like public notices and other bureaucracy, saving time for the em…

July

Y’all ever had a peach so good you start reconsidering your nonbelief in god?

Dealing with hair loss is pretty emotionally uncomfortable in itself, but add scalp psoriasis to the mix and things can get socially awkward pretty fast, too. I hear “just shave it off!” all the time. Thing is, shaving…

Very excited to see Big Thief and Lucinda Williams at Edgefield this Friday! I haven’t been to a concert since pre-COVID, so it’s long overdue.

What bedtimes often devolves into in my household.

I never felt much like a country boy while growing up in rural Michigan, but sometimes I feel like it amongst Portlanders.

Walked to the school playground for a bit and then to the nature park. Son was really interested in the boxelder bugs and spent a lot time in the dirt with them. He’s covered from head to toe in dirt lol. We’re lucky to…

Walked to the school playground for a bit and then to the nature park. Pax was really interested in the boxelder bugs and spent a lot time in the dirt with them. He’s covered from head to toe in dirt lol. We’re lucky to…

The whole fam aside from me has been sick for most of the week, so the house is a snotty mess from kids and holding down work. I’m sure I’ll catch it right before I need to go on TV or something.

Thinking about volunteering as a bartender trainee in order to have a social life again.

It’s taken forever, but finally getting some ripened tomatoes.

My sleep game has improved so much over the last 6 months. After my younger brother died in 2021, I couldn’t shut off the anxiety at night, so I often distracted myself with my phone. I got maybe 3-4 hours per night for…

As I finished my last two staff reports today and sent them off for review, I realized the person I’ve been under has never told me “good job” or “nice work” in nearly six years.

Looking at all these 30-somethings with kids eschewing their childrens’ college savings in favor of $1,000/mo truck payments 👀

There is this weird habit of planners and other urbanists to rag on suburbs in the Portland area, especially Beaverton. I know there are still a lot of parking lots, but that is changing fast. Western burbs are quickly…

I get real weird vibes from people expressing interest in musicians only after they’re gone.

More and more, we live in a know-it-all culture where professionals are doubted and disrespected. It’s sad.

Tonight’s dinner was mac ‘n cheese from a box and canned Hormel chili. Ain’t proud of it, but it’s been just one of those days. Had my first crown today. Needed something soft and comforting because I think I’m a little…

Brady Bunch-like house on my walk around the neighborhood this morning.

We just found out our neighbors, who rent a townhouse behind us, are moving to Texas because they can’t afford a house here. Their 5 year old son climbed the fence and was talking to my son about how he wishes they coul…

That feeling when you work for the government and the network serves up Acrobat instead of it being a local install and it takes 30 minutes to convert two one-page PDFs to JPG.

There is certainly something to be said about practice and hard work in music, but sometimes it can be so difficult to find the motivation to write and perform when there is just so much talent and natural-born ability…

We got a little bit of rain today, which is out of character for this time of year, but always welcome.

A beautiful deer we saw on our hike this morning at Cooper Mountain Nature Park.

Had a lot of fun celebrating my wife’s cousin’s wedding last night. Longest we’ve both been away from our kids in a while. Felt a little strange, but good.

Had a lot of fun celebrating Rona & Kyle’s wedding last night!

Controlled chaos

Hanging out with my kids on a slow morning while listening to this absolute classic. 🎵 Turn on the Bright Lights - Interpol - ★★★★★

Staying up far too late, watching S2 of The Bear.

A couple years back, when life was a little lighter. Lincoln City, OR.

Excuse the crude drawing, but when did it become socially acceptable for drivers turning right to pull up next to you, where there is only one lane, blocking your ability to see and safely turn left? Am I the asshole fo…

It’s sort of hard to follow a Micro.blog account if you don’t have a link to your actual m.b page on your blog. I’ve noticed this a lot more frequently lately with people using the Tiny theme. If I come across a M.b thr…

One of the craziest things I never expected to experience as an adult is being part of a two-earner household, both with graduate degrees, in the top 15% of earners, making almost double the median income, and still fee…

Still trying to exercise the negative thoughts out of my brain. Walked 3 miles this morning. Maybe I can parlay this into a couch-to-5k thing, or have a goal to get in shape enough to join a trail running group.

Some people will just never understand how much harder us folks with resting bitch face have to work to get ahead.

I’ve been waffling between getting a Leaf and a small hybrid truck as my next vehicle. The answer may have been hidden in plain sight.

Ironically, things really went downhill with my health since quitting smoking nearly 7 years ago, and then becoming a parent shortly after. I’ve been walking a couple miles with my dog each morning this week, trying to…

Apparently we also have our own See See Coffee now, too. So many changes lately.

Newest Breaskside Brewery location has officially opened. Still wish Matt’s BBQ hadn’t pulled out, but I’m looking forward to this patio.

Started watching Season 2 of Foundation not realizing they didn’t release the whole thing at once and now I actually have to wait until Friday to watch Episode 2. What is this, hell?

I did something a little strange today. I visited the place I’m considering as my final resting place. Even though both my wife and I want to be cremated, we also would like someplace our children can visit once we’re g…

I dislike the phrase “emerging artist”. It seems to imply that you aren’t an artist until you’ve reached a certain level of success.

My neighbor, who has one kid, looked me dead in the eye and asked me how we afford to send two kids to daycare. I asked him how he affords to have a landscaper come every week when he’s been unemployed for over a year.

I have only one conspiracy theory: The makers of Q-Tips put crack cocaine in their cotton.

My main problem with cycling activists and lay urbanists is that many think it’s all about sidewalks and bike infrastructure when it’s more about land use. You can live in a community of 20,000 ppsm, with sidewalks and…

I have my suspicions that the Apple Watch artificially lowers your VO2 Max if you’re a frequent dog walker. There’s no option to pause your walking workout like with a running workout. My dog likes to get her smells in,…

“In the 70s, my interest rate was 17%” Ok, but…it was on 30k. Average home price here is $544,000. You have to have a household income of $136,000/yr to barely qualify for the median home today, assuming no other debt.…

Whoever told me about the Japanese micro seasons calendar, you’re on my shit list. I copied them over to iCal not knowing they were daily and not weekly. Have spent the last half hour deleting.

I think the reason it’s harder for me to make music is the same reason it’s hard for me to find music I like anymore: the older I get, the less I care.

Been trying for two days to explain what the word ‘Español’ means to my 4-year-old.

Is it as good as a Yeti? No idea. But I put this ice in at noon on Thursday.

Likely selling my mirrorless camera after this trip. I haven’t taken it out once, and it’s just an extra thing to lug around. It’s not adding value anymore.

Went on a nice hike today, but my kids really tested my patience. 1.5 and 4.5 year old kids, day full of tantrums and meltdowns. Plus I’m feeling sick now. And out of shape/overweight. And grumpy. Hoping another decent…

If a restaurant doesn’t have a baby changing station in their men’s room in 2023, they can be sure we won’t be back.

Camping the Southern Oregon Coast, Cape Blanco State Park.

Walked to the edge of the earth today with my dog. Well, the lower 48, anyway.

“What’s this one say dad, they must’ve been really good.”

Made it, and set up camp just before sunset.

The Firth of Forth, Scotland. More than a handful of years ago. Edinburgh definitely left an impression on me.

Vigo di Cadore, BL, Veneto: where my paternal great grandparents were from (Laggio). This is where my kids and I are registered as IT citizens. My wife and I are planning a trip to Italy for next spring and I’m looking…

New Grand Central Bakery(!), Sizzle Pie, and Backwoods Brewery locations dangerously close to my work. This can’t be good.

Beautiful sunset in Seattle.

My step dad turns 60 this weekend, which is why I’m in Michigan from Oregon. My brother just got partial custody of his kid after a weird stretched out, ass backwards Michigan court battle thing. So his kid (5) and my k…

16 years ago, London.

Feel free to add me: https://www.threads.net/@bryanrobb

Hanging out with grandma and grandpa.

Cross-country boys’ trip. This kid has probably been on more flights before he’s 5 than I did before I was 30. PDX->DTW

Boys’ trip to MI. ✋

Something that really bothers me about my Canon RP mirrorless is that the bokeh in the digital viewfinder and display is completely non representational of your aperture setting. Pictured here is the display vs. the act…

First ever solo trip with my son tomorrow, heading cross country back to the Great Lakes State. Looking forward to seeing family and friends.

Did a good bit of cleaning up around the front garden beds this morning and fixed a sprinkler that my wife ran over with the lawnmower. My son always likes being by my side when I’m working on stuff, especially when it…

June

I may have messed up my Micro.blog? Am I still showing up in the feed? Can someone comment if you can see this? I thought I transferred my mastodon followers to mastodon, but does that also include your Micro.blog follo…

One of the best things about journaling is that you can start off on a path thinking you know where it ends, only to arrive at a completely different conclusion. Very cathartic at times.

Looking at the LinkedIn profiles of people I went to grad school with can be incredibly deflating. My own personal experience with career has been one of roadblocks and wrong turns.

Currently reading: Incognito by David Eagleman 📚

Connected my Micro.blog bookshelf to Libby. Can you tell I have a 4-year-old? 📚

Perhaps I’m being a little too sensitive, but yesterday a superior of mine told me to tuck in my shirt, and it offended me. I was dressed in navy chinos and a nice button down shirt, but I’d been at my desk for almost 8…

So looking forward to watching Season 2 of The Bear when I get back from my Michigan trip next week. My wife has to catch up on S1 while I’m away.

Thank you, Andy!

6 years ago, I proposed to my wife on a hike at the top of Cape Perpetua. The Oregon Coast is full of great hikes with dramatic views. Another one of my faves is Cape Lookout. @Monday 🥾

Waiting for a the doctor to fit us in.

Someone is tuckered out.

We have an annual pass for the Oregon Zoo. We can hop the train from our house to avoid the parking hell.

Farmers Market. Gorgeous day out here.

One super shady practice by Oregon realtors is the almost universal inclusion of unfinished basement space in the overall square footage in home listings. I often see houses listed at double their actual livable square…

My property abuts two roads that don’t connect. My yard is often the shortest path between two points, for kids coming and going to school, or adults trying to catch a train at the MAX station. My camera catches people…

I’ve never been much of a pop music fan, but I can’t help but rock out when Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart by Alicia Keys comes on.

I grew up in a very poor neighborhood in Saginaw, Michigan. I lived in…

I grew up in a very poor neighborhood in Saginaw, Michigan. I lived in a 900 square foot house with 7 other people. 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. My mom was a teenager when she had me. My mother and I, and later my two bro…

Apologies for swapping instances, yet again. My waffling stemmed from an inability to cross-post to my own instance from Micro.blog. I’ve ultimately decided to go with a different host, so I’m hoping this one sticks.

The final piece of the puzzle on my guitar build: a flipped Telecaster control plate with push-pull series mode.

I didn’t get to drywalling the kitchen ceiling yesterday. As I was squaring up some existing drywall in preparation for placing the patch, I noticed another small leak in the drain pipe below the master bath. My wife wa…

Me: Stands for 6 straight hours working on drywall and plumbing in a ceiling Apple Watch: “Time to stand!”

“Sympathy for the Devil” is kind of a mess, musically. A beautiful mess.

I was never much into serated pocket knives, but I love this Little Native. My first Spyderco.

My 18-month-old sleeps great at night, but she has a hard time napping by herself during the day. My presence is usually enough to calm her anxieties so she can sleep, so I just hang out with her a bit after lunch on th…

Just got home a little bit ago from a barbecue at my in-laws’ house. They had a Costco size bag of those Ruffles chips with homemade French onion dip. The kind I can’t keep at the house or I’ll obliterate them. Oof, I a…

It’s been a while since I’ve had the time to conquer anything this big…

It’s been a while since I’ve had the time to conquer anything this big in terms of home projects. Honestly, I don’t have many full days to dedicate to projects like this, but I’ve been sneaking in an hour or two here an…

I love getting to be your dad.

Exposé, Mission Control, Stage Manager…. I still use Hot Corners. Nothing can break me of it!

Here’s a photo of me (center right) and my brothers with my stepdad (~1992), rocking an undershirt in public at Niagara Falls. He was 30 when he took on 3 kids who weren’t his own. Happy Father’s Day.

I don’t know if it’s a result of my upbringing, or just a desire to do something with my hands in direct opposition to my desk job, but I love DIY home renovation. And boy, did I ever buy the right house to feed that de…

Given the weather at the coast was questionable today, we decided to head out to the Columbia River Gorge instead. Got some pizza at Double Mountain and now doing more exploring.

Few things bother me more than land use planners peddling the same ideas or practices over and over again that don’t work in the real world.

Fun fact about me: I was named after my dad, but he left my mom when I was 2 years old. Later, he changed his last name in an effort to not be found. So I have a “II” suffix after my name for someone who no longer exist…

NYTimes: Your special introductory rate is changing from $6/mo to $25/mo NYTimes after I start the cancellation process: Please accept our special offer, reducing your $6/mo rate to $4/mo for the next year! They must kn…

Doing my meal planning, I decided it’s been too long since I’ve had poutine. A lot of places in Detroit had this on the menu when I lived there, but I’ve only ever seen it once here in Portland. Not something you want t…

Started the gardening year late, but I think we’re gonna be okay. My tomato plants have grown quite a bit since transplanting. Just pruned the bottoms and put the side supports up.

One thing I really wish Apple would do is force in-app browsers to follow rules you’ve setup within Safari on iOS. For example, if I have my local news outlets set to automatically convert to Reader mode when opening an…

Rule No. 1 as a land use planner: be very careful what you tell real estate agents.

Remember that the biggest predictor of work happiness is nonwork happiness. I have witnessed this throughout my own career, in myself and in others: When things are good in the rest of your life, they seem more stable a…

Despite getting a lot of rain 8 months out of the year, the PNW gets virtually zero precip during the 4 hottest months. With worsening droughts, I’ve become a big water conservationist. 5 years ago, I had a 3,100 gallon…

People are often surprised to learn that I have Italian citizenship because I don’t look like a stereotypical Italian. My great grandmother was fully Italian, but she and her family were from the Veneto Region, specific…

I created some iOS shortcuts awhile back that check Pitchfork’s Best New Music RSS feeds, presents a menu of recent items, and opens your selection in Apple Music if available. Here’s the Best New Albums Shortcut I made…

A peaceful morning walk with my first-born.

Current home improvement project: removing a soffit in my kitchen. It only took me 7 years to get this far after removing the cabinets when I moved in. Check back in 2026 when I have this thing patched.

Any other eldest siblings of the 80s and 90s wish they would’ve had some musical guidance during that time? Like, I should’ve been listening to Sonic Youth and New Order but instead it was Bon Jovi and Boyz II Men. I me…

Hard to believe I’ve had my car for 10 years, almost a quarter of my life. Just waiting for that head gasket to go. (Photo from 2013)

Can someone create a guitar tuner app that’s accessible from iOS control center?

I did a Barre3 class with my wife this morning and it really helped me understand how my personal health has taken a backseat the last couple of years. I get out a lot, but rarely do full body workouts. Hope this helps…

I’ve started selectively blocking JavaScript with a Safari extension, mostly on news sites. Just can’t take the garbage anymore, like banners and auto-playing videos. Most of the web is just unusable anymore, in my expe…

Is participation in the Micro.blog timeline an all or nothing affair? I saw the update about post-specific sharing for cross-posting, but what about right here on the Mb timeline? @help

Yesterday at the park.

I experience this thing where people talk over me all the time at work and it causes me to not want to speak up very often. I work overwhelmingly with women and I find my experience ironic given that the media has focus…

I had some issues with incompatible pickup screw sizes, but I got most of my Telecaster build put together yesterday. So far, I’m happy with how it is turning out.

Every once in a while, that sentimental feeling creeps in, and I miss the friendships and relationships that have come and gone. I know those relationships wouldn’t be the same today, even had we stayed in touch. I’m no…

Folks on the East Coast are getting a small taste of what the West Coast has experienced every year since I moved here in 2015. Here’s a screenshot I took in September 2020. At one point we were over 1,000 ppm here in t…

This is what I mean about men’s sizes not making sense to me anymore. This is a 2XL. I realize I’m not exactly a small man, but this is cotton and will shrink. In what universe should a 6 ft’ tall, fairly average-built…

As humans, we get so easily accostomed to things. Whether great or awful, almost anything can become normal.

One bummer about not being an early adopter of Micro.blog is that my first name is taken as a username by someone who posted 4 short updates in 2017/2018 and hasn’t posted since. Fists to the sky, @bryan.

One of my favorite lyrics: A good woman will pick you apart A box full of suggestions for your possible heart But you may be offended and you may be afraid But don't walk away, don't walk away “Land Locked Blues" by Bri…

After napping on me for 2 hours, she was all cheery this afternoon.

Having been on Bluesky for a couple weeks now, I can see that it’s turning out to be a carbon copy of Twitter. Mastodon still seems way more positive to me.

There are few things I miss more than summer weekends on a lake somewhere in northern Michigan. Seeing everyone’s pictures this time of year sure doesn’t make that any easier on me. Oregon has a lot going for it, but th…

You folks who put links to longer blog posts in your timeline posts, how do you do that? I know if I post a longer one, it will automstically put the URL, but how are you pre-emptively doing that when the post apparentl…

What’s one band you used to listen to (or still do) that never got any traction in terms of popularity?

One rabbit hole I find myself in sometimes is looking up bands who disbanded or who had one or two hits and then faded away. Often you can still find a few of the former members on YouTube. Neil Young is often quoted wi…

That Bill Burr bit where he talks about his wife finding open days on the calendar and filling them up with shit? No truer words have ever been spoken.

First harvest.

Just learned there’s a Zappa documentary from a couple years back on Hulu. Guess I know what I’m watching this weekend. https://www.hulu.com/movie/a3d996df-569c-4e33-be35-f18667a8dd1c?play=false&utm_source=shared_link

I sat in a fast food joint for an hour recently because our wifi was out and it is shocking how many delivery orders I watched get picked up. People are really out there spending $50 on fast food delivery.

In today’s algorithm headaches, three artists Apple Music just won’t stop trying to play for me as a middle aged dad: 1. Fleet Foxes2. Iron & Wine3. Bon Iver I wish they had a ‘block’ button.

People at 80% area median income spend 20% of their monthly budget on cars in the U.S. #cnu31

Spotted a pretty good dust devil at the ball fields.

It’s been too long since I’ve had one of Barb’s burgers at the Polish Hall in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

I keep getting these Uber notifications not related to me ordering a ride. Uber Eats, discounts, etc. I think it’s a terrible business practice for an app to ask for permission to send notifications for a certain thing…

@monday In keeping up with the Micro.blog trend, I have just one state left to visit: Alaska I’ve only been to 6 counties, but my wife and I are planning a trip to Europe next year without our kids. Hopefully the first…

Spent a good chunk of the weekend cleaning the house and making the yar…

Spent a good chunk of the weekend cleaning the house and making the yard look presentable because we had some friends and family over on Sunday for a barbecue. The kids played with water balloons and a cheap slip and sl…

My week in review - An Elephant in the Delta Waves https://inthedeltawaves.blog/2023/06/01/spent-a-good.html

May

Tomorrow is my 8-year work anniversary. Total time warp feeling.

Ended up having so many healthy tomato starts that I gave a half dozen to my neighbors. I have too many pepper plants too, makes me wish I had more space.

Our roses are looking pretty good this year.

I’d like to thank our janky office printer for helping me hit my step count today.

I almost never see replies in my timeline. Are people really that diligent about changing replies to “unlisted”? Is that the culture? Or do I just follow a bunch of people who don’t reply to things?

Years ago, an old coworker taught me to always save those kudos you receive from coworkers, business contacts, and customers, in an email folder. Whenever I’m having a rough day, I open a few. They’re also pretty useful…

A friend started talking about the old Kmart on State Street in Saginaw. Got me thinking about all kinds of memories, like getting new clothes and those nasty submarine sandwiches at that Kmart with my mom as a kid, bei…

Today I start working on a task I asked someone else to do a year ago.

I need to put a self ban on looking at Zillow listings in the Midwest.

Beautiful day on the Oregon coast.

Remembering my brother today and every day.

And while I’m old-man ranting, have you seen the eye rolls they give you nowadays when you refuse self checkout? While paying for said $7 deodorant?

Has anyone seen the price of deodorant lately, or are we all collectively ignoring that along with everything else? $7 for Old Spice.

Perhaps the biggest difference I’ve noticed between suburbs in the Pacific Northwest versus those in the Midwest is that the PNW has much better landscaping. If you’re going to have parking lots everywhere, you might as…

Yesterday was hard to beat.

I almost always feel awkward taking videos on my phone. But I have never regretted having even just a few minutes of a recorded memory to look back on. That’s especially true on weekends such as this when I’m thinking m…

Sick kids again.

All you folks who eat fish and seafood, were you born without tastebuds? I can barely stand the smell let alone put it in my mouth lol.

Mac ‘n cheesin’

An annual zoo membership is the best bargain in town when you have a couple little ones.

Is there no way to mute keywords on #bluesky?

I’ve been thinking about new volunteer opportunities I could do and I think Habitat for Humanity ReStore would be great except for the fact that my garage would be filled with materials for home improvement projects I’d…

I should know better at this point to never wear light colored shirts. My kids are always using me as a napkin.

It’s been a couple years now and you’d think Apple would’ve fixed their weird glitch where the Apple TV remote randomly freezes at least once per day and needs to be restarted.

I had to quit certain social media sites long before a certain dude took over, simply because of hatefulness and politics. I’ve seen a big uptick in politics on Mastodon lately, which makes me sad. I’ve been using that…

An absolutely perfect Portland evening for some back porch lounging.

Sometimes I think it would be cool to have a Jeep or a Bronco to take to the beach. But let’s get real, there ain’t no way I’m taking a carload of kids and a dog anywhere without the van. I’m a convert.

Never thought I’d say this, but I’m ready for my son to be past the Scooby Doo phase. Watching every episode and movie dozens of times is beyond my limit. Time to expand your horizons, boy.

Took a chance on the Grammarly plugin for Outlook. Verdict: the free version is unusable. Anyone have a decent alternative?

Nothing quite like the feeling of scrimping and making smart choices to put away over 50 grand into retirement since 2021, only to have the balance remain about the same as it was 2 years ago.

Got my tomatoes planted outside yesterday. Really wish I had more space because I only have room for 6 plants or so and I have a lot of good starts left over. I might put a couple in some 5 gallon buckets. I did get the…

Had kind of a weird day. Broke the news to my coworkers that I had taken a promotion in a different department, but didn’t feel supported by a few teammates I thought would be happy for me. Trying to not let my thoughts…

One crazy thing about taking stimulant medication as a person with ADHD is that it paradoxically helps me sleep at night. I used to have to take a sleeping pill just to shut my mind off.

I have neighbors who bought the house two doors down from us over 3 years ago now that I still have never met. This sums up American culture.

I swear, men’s shirt sizes are meaningless anymore. I can wear anything from a large to an XXL, depending on material and brand. I think we need an oversight board or something.

S is away for a few nights for some much needed girls’ time, perhaps the longest she’s ever been away from our kids. She’s probably stressing about them so much she can hardly enjoy herself. I could hear the tenseness i…

PSA: Despite what the athletic and “athleisure” wear industry wants you to believe, underwear made from synthetic fibers is not good for your nether regions. This includes rayon, polyester, and so-called bamboo. There’s…

I’ve been chewing a bit on the saying: “[don’t take] the path of least resistance.” Knowing full well that much of life is work and few things are worth a damn without putting in at least some sort of energy toward them…

The first rose of the season. The Rose City isn’t just a fancy moniker.

I know whenever my wife says we’ve got to put the kids to bed early it means she’s got some seriously psychotic movie for us to watch. Never fails.

What started off as a trip to the library…

Anyone on Micro Blog run their own Mastodon instance and run into trouble authenticating for cross posting from Micro.blog to Mastodon?

My 4 year old yesterday: “I’ve had a really hard day mom, I just need to lay in the hammock for awhile.”

Met up with an old friend downtown yesterday. It was nice to get out of my bubble.

Watching Silo on Apple TV+.

It’s every parent and pet owner’s favorite night of the year: the air show. /s

Fun light.

Not really sure why I wear an Apple Watch anymore when it’s just sort of a daily reminder of how out of shape I am.

Just washed my car today. Pollen.

One of the most unfortunate things about public sector urban planning is that we tend to farm out the most creative work to the private sector and then keep the boring and monotonous work for ourselves. Personally, I th…

Still hoping to check out Bluesky if anyone has an extra invite.

We’ve had a couple of car break-ins over the last year. I caught them on the security cameras but the outdoor lights just aren’t bright enough to show enough detail. They are just kids, I think deterrence is the best we…

My wife asks me at least once per week if the shirt I’m wearing is new, even when I’ve owned it for years. This woman watches our checking account with a microscope and thinks I went to Target without her 😂

I wonder about those in my industry who hire people who have bounced around to a new job every 1-2 years. What is it they think will be different this time around?

Who needs ChatGPT when Google Photos randomly creates slideshows of pizzas I’ve eaten over the past 5 years. 🍕

“Okay daddy, I’ll go to sleep but I’m NOT tired.” Truth be told, my favorite part of the day is chatting with my son about life through his eyes before he falls asleep.

One sad thing about getting older is that now when I wear a polo on a 90+ degree day, I just look like any frumpy middle aged wanker in a polo on a hot day. Back when I was 20 with a BMI to match, I could make anything…

3 of the ‘best lake towns in the U.S.’ are within driving distance of Portland - Oregonian Spoiler: there are no real lake towns in Oregon.

Waiting for a haircut today, I decided to grab a quick lunch. With so few choices, I figured I’d give Panda Express a try. I was surprised that they don’t have a single vegetarian option. Puzzling business decision in 2…

Sometimes I initially feel bad when I’m a few minutes late to my job in the morning. But then when people who don’t have two young children come in after me I just have to laugh.

It’s crazy to me that the only apparent way to circumvent the product-steering happening on Amazon is by doing a Boolean search on Google.

I have a Strava account that I started pre-kids when I was a lot more active and going on lots of hikes. I follow all these really active people and ultra runners. Now I just hit record when I’m getting the mail or walk…

Got all the yard work done. Got a new-to-us lawn mower from my wife’s coworker who is moving into a condo and no longer needed it. Pretty nice! Maybe it’s my blue collar midwestern roots, but I’m one of the few in our n…

Definitely going to have some tomatoes this year.

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers. Hope you get pampered today.

An awesome day. Got out to Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge before it got too hot and hiked a couple miles with some friends and the kids. Stopped off for a beer and some food on the way home. Looking like nap time n…

We lucked out with this one. Happy Mother’s Day, Sharayah. We love you!

Off to do a little hike with some friends in Ridgefield, WA. There’s a nature reserve there along the Columbia River that’s flat and easy enough for our 4 year old to walk himself. Our daughter is 1. She can walk some b…

I ended up accepting the promotion yesterday and I’m actually pretty excited about it. Initially I was nervous because I have a young family and change can throw life into a tailspin. But more than the money or the extr…

I recently switched over 100% of my microblogging from Mastodon to Micro.blog. I thought I would miss seeing reblogged and tagged content. Honestly, I don’t. Previously, it was a lot harder to see content from the peopl…

In a reflective mood tonight. Just 14 years ago I graduated during the Great Recession and landed in a kitchen making $6.50/hr. What a wild ride it’s been.

Somehow I missed that Michael Hurley is opening for Horse Feathers on Sauvie Island later in the summer. Of course it’s already sold out, because, well…Portland. www.etix.com/ticket/p/…

Fun fact: I applied for and received a grant a few years back for a 3,200 gallon cistern that collects rainwater from my roof all winter long. There’s a pump inside that I connected to a drip irrigation system and I use…

Is it just me, or is SMS spam getting out of control?

I was offered a promotion today in a different department but I’m not sure if I should take it. Several other promotional opportunities within my department just opened up. A big part of me is saying to take the one off…

Planted my zucchini starts outside last week and I worried it might be too cold for them. Now we’re heading into another weekend in the 90s. Our weather here in Portland can’t figure out what it’s doing. #pdx #gardening

We had some pictures taken over the weekend and I’m really happy with how they turned out. Jenkins Estate was in full bloom.

One perk of taking the kids to preschool/daycare every morning is that on the way home I occasionally treat myself to a breakfast burrito from one of the many excellent purveyors of Mexican food in my area. Today was on…

These clearer, warmer, longer days are everything right now.

Rocking my daughter sleep, listening to some chill music. Looking forward to seeing Lucinda Williams and Big Thief at Edgefield this summer. Lucinda Williams - Fruits of My Labor🎵

Although the view from inside a car may be perfectly clear, glare obscures us from outside. We know this as pedestrians, but forget it as we wave to them as drivers. A simple analogy of how our perspectives can be selfi…

I can’t believe I’m raising my kids in a country where, in just a few years, they will be participating in active shooter drills. I’m still trying to figure out a way to make a decent living abroad. If I could do my edu…

A coworker lost her mother over the weekend. It wasn’t completely unexpected, but that still has to be one of the heaviest feelings we can feel. It’s got me thinking a lot about my own mom and how I wish I didn’t live s…

Went to the post office today to mail a package to my mom. I’m always struck by just how shabby our public institutions have become. Comparing the architecture of train stations and libraries and post offices today to t…

We’re training her for the X Games.

We had our friend Alyssa watch our kids for a few hours today so we could have some time to ourselves, something that is so often in short supply. Went for a nice bike ride in the rain on the Banks-Vernonia Oregon State…

Spring is still being moody but the redbuds are in full bloom.

Four food carts just opened in an underutilized industrial spot within walking distance of my house. Mexican with excellent birria tacos, Hawaiian-Filipino infusion, Salvadoran, Venezuelan. This is bad. Real bad.

This month marks 8 years since I moved to Oregon, and the same for my work anniversary. Time flies!

Just realized I think I put half and half instead of milk in my daughter’s sippy cup for daycare. Mornings can be chaotic sometimes! Update: Definitely did. it was so thick that her teacher thought we gave her spoiled m…

I guess our house is the one all the neighborhood kids like to crash.

April

I have this habit of planting too many veggie starts because I think I’m going to kill them all. But as I’ve gotten better at it, I’m thinking I might need to build more beds.

One of the occupational hazards of being an urban planner is that you’r…

One of the occupational hazards of being an urban planner is that you’re constantly being critical of the built environment around you. While out and about, all I think about is access management plans, lack of pedestri…

Went down a rabbit hole tonight reading my first blog on Livejournal, the first entries of which turn 20 this year. Thinking about exporting them to my current blog in spite of my embarrassment.

Watching the Tigers on TV and it’s cool to see the Hudson’s tower begin to rise over the outfield. It will be something to see once it hits 700 feet and becomes Detroit’s second tallest building.

Some unusually nice days this week in Portland. Decided to get up early and head over to the Oregon Zoo.

What’s one thing you used to love that you just don’t anymore? For me, I used to love staying up late and sleeping in on the weekends. But since having kids, I’m pretty exhausted early on. Anxiety still gives me trouble…

Have to applaud Cursive for performing their Domestica album two days in a row at one of Portland’s smallest venues instead of just getting a bigger venue.

90°F in my 2nd level office today. Ashamed to admit I broke down and turned on the air conditioning. A week ago it was ten degrees below average and now it’s like July up in here.

Had a scammer try to buy $600 in nonsense from a pharmacy 2,000 miles away this morning. Glad I got the email from Instacart saying my address on file had changed, and that I woke up early today. I was able to chat with…

Getting back into Duolingo lately and thought I was doing so well that I’d try watching foreign shows on Netflix with the Italian subtitles on. Boy, was that ever optimistic.

It’s a point of pride for me that I treat people with kindness and respect. However, I get a kick out of proving people wrong who treat me poorly. As a public servant, we get served more than our fair share of angry kno…

As a man of above average height, it will never stop being funny to walk into a restroom and see a short man at the tall urinal when the short one was available. Whenever I’m forced to take the short urinal in this situ…

Not exactly sure why, but I get some sort of strange gratification pulling up next to Teslas and Mercedes at my kids’ preschool in my paid off 12-year-old Subaru with its bumper hanging off.

Why yes, those are my frozen corn dogs in the office freezer. I am an adult, I swear.