Take a look at this pheasant.

The Bravery of Sharing Opinions on a Blog

I was listening to the latest ATP member’s special, Our Websites, when I heard Marco’s observation as to why he prefers sharing opinions on a podcast as opposed to sharing opinions on a blog:

In a blog post, I feel like you are coming off much more seriously and matter-of-fact-ly, whereas in a podcast you can kind of hear that this a conversation, this is maybe “you’re shooting out an idea”, kind of “how you feel about it. It’s a little more casual, a little more forgiving.

I’ve heard Marco share this opinion before, but for some reason it really struck me this time, that I believe the actual issue is that blogs or posts on the internet can sometimes become faceless, leading to more negativity. In my opinion, it’s something that really started with social media and has since become accelerated.

Finished reading: A Series of Unfortunate Events #3: The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket 📚

Count Olaf can’t keep getting away with this!

🔗 Daring Fireball: Did TikTok Swing the Election to Trump?

I worry that the liberal/left response to this will be to declare, with exasperation, that people shouldn’t be getting their news or forming their political opinions by what they see on TikTok. You need to meet people where they are, and craft messages for the media they consume.

Both of these things can be true: People shouldn’t be getting their news or forming political opinions by what they see on TikTok and you should meet people where they are.

Poaching Eggs in a Microwave

Weekday breakfasts should be quick and easily reproducible. I typically do not like to spend a lot of time preparing breakfast on for myself on days when I am hustling to get the kids to school and to begin my workday. I also do not have the patience for experimentation on these days. My standby is usually oatmeal, but there are times where oatmeal just doesn’t sound that good to me. Over the last few months, I have experimented with different egg dishes. It’s not too cumbersome to use the range with a skillet to fry eggs, but that becomes additional work later in the form of washing the pan. If I scramble the eggs, this adds a bowl and whisk (or fork if I’m trying to avoid washing the whisk). I could boil an egg, but that will introduce a pan to wash. I tried cooking scrambled eggs in the microwave (crack open an egg in a coffee cup, beat with a fork, add some ham, then microwave). This isn’t too bad, but cleaning the coffee cup actually becomes an issue since the egg mixture can stay caked to the inside of the coffee cup unless you get a scrubbing brush out.

A few weeks ago, I started experimenting with cooking poached eggs in the microwave. I would put some water and a splash of vinegar in a coffee cup, microwave (to heat up the liquid), drop in an egg, and microwave again for some period of time on a lower power level. No matter what combination of time and power level I used, I would either have under or over cooked poached eggs. If the egg is under cooked, it’s difficult to spoon the egg out of the coffee cup and too much of the egg white stays behind. If the egg is over cooked, the egg yellow is cooked all the way through and you lose out on a runny yolk, which I would argue is a benefit of a poached egg.

With a little experimentation, I think I finally cracked it (har har har) by introducing a new dish in which to microwave the poached egg: a ramekin. I’ve been able to reproduce my desired results a few times and I am now documenting this for posterity.

Steps

1. Pour water into a ramekin, until about 3/4 full.
2. Add a splash of white distilled vinegar.
3. Microwave on high for 90 seconds.
4. Carefully add the egg (the water will be hot!).
5. Microwave for two minutes on power level 30.
6. Carefully use a spoon to scoop out the egg.

I typically add this to a piece of toast and I top with a little freshly ground black pepper and a splash of hot sauce (I prefer Cholula).

📺 NeXTSTEP Release 3: A Demonstration with Steve Jobs

I never had the opportunity to use a NeXT machine. I really enjoy watching these demonstrations though, seeing how so much of what we take for granted today was groundbreaking back then.

Finished reading: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 📚

Ashley’s recommendation upon me revisiting classic works that I have never read. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I was surprised by how many laughs I got out of it.

Looking at the weather forecast, tonight will be one of those nights where I question why I choose to live here.

My slow progression into farsightedness has become very annoying. I have been very fortunate to not have vision problems throughout my life, but as I approach forty, farsightedness is catching up to me.

Happy Daredevil: Born Again premiere day, to all those who celebrate. Looking forward to watching the first episode this evening.

Grateful

Over the course of last summer, Dead & Company entered my regular rotation on Apple Music. I had never been a huge fan of Grateful Dead. In my youth, I maintained an unwarranted distaste for their music. I remember a visit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH, in my twenties and I skipped the visiting exhibit, which was dedicated to Grateful Dead. I now regret that I skipped the exhibit. I cannot actually put my finger on why I disliked the Dead’s music so much, but for whatever reason, I was not a fan.

Dead & Company entered my rotation due to the presence of John Mayer. I am aware that John Mayer has had a few controversies throughout his career, but I have always really enjoyed his music. His talent on the guitar is remarkable. When he started touring with Dead & Company, I read an interview with him on how he became obsessed with the music of Grateful Dead. Some of their music started playing on a Pandora radio station and he could not get the music out of his head. In a later interview, he suggested that if one was not a fan of Grateful Dead or did not like their music, that the time was not right. In other words, everyone will eventually come to like at least some of their catalog when the time was right for it in their life. I feel like this describes my relationship with Grateful Dead to a tee.

Dead & Company has only published live shows. There are no studio albums or EPs to their credit. They are a true jam band. This can make listening to their catalog a bit daunting. Where should one start? I do not have the answer to that. I simply picked a few shows and just started listening. I chose the first few shows based on location or album artwork. After a few months of this, I eventually found myself listening to the original works by the Dead. I came to appreciate the evolution of the music, the different styles. I came to appreciate both versions.

Grateful Dead is, of course, a jam band as well. Their concerts are epic. Their followers are legendarily devoted. There are so many live recordings of Grateful Dead. There are websites devoted to tracking fan opinions on which shows are noteworthy. Honestly, every one I hear is good. There are some, however, that do stand out. Typically, it’s the feeling of the music. Maybe the atmosphere you can hear through the recording, the audience response. You can just feel when the band is really grooving.

I have been dealing with lower back pain since early 2020. I do not recall a precursor to the pain. I just remember waking up one day and being in quite a bit of pain. Initially, I received a recommendation of rest with pain medication. After a few months, I found that the pain was still present. Then I received a physical therapy referral. After a few months of physical therapy, the pain was still present, but less severe if I followed through with the proposed exercise regimen. I tried a chiropractor, which did not yield any significant change to my situation. During this time, I had fallen out of regular exercise. I typically ran or walked for cardio, but that proved difficult. I did not trust myself with lifting weights. Instead, I had only been stretching and doing exercises prescribed to me by the physical therapist.

After a bit of research last year, I decided to try riding my bicycle as exercise. My bicycle had been collecting dust in my garage for months. After some light cleaning and maintenance, I started riding. I needed music for my rides. It was only natural that I turned to Grateful Dead and Dead & Company, which were heavy in my rotation. The Dead kept my rides enjoyable and kept me motivated to keep on Truckin'. I event invested in cycling attire, complete with a Grateful Dead cycling jersey (the eBay seller even threw in a pair of Fare Thee Well sunglasses too, which I now always wear on my bike).

In August, my father passed away after a short bout with pulmonary fibrosis. I was devastated. In my grief, I once again turned to Grateful Dead and Dead & Company. The meaning of He’s Gone did not quite fit my situation, but the chorus resonated with me deeply, in particular the Dead & Company version which comes across as more somber:

Now, he’s gone, now he’s gone, Lord, he’s gone He’s gone, like a steam locomotive Rolling down the track, he’s gone, he’s gone And nothing’s going to bring him back, he’s gone

I would occasionally listen to Touch of Grey and just cry. I feel that whenever we are grieving, we just want something to bring us comfort; for whatever reason, the Dead brought me comfort.

The last unexpected turn in my journey with the Dead happened at the rink. I’ve been an ice hockey goalie for many years. I usually listened to heavy metal or hair metal before playing. Last year, I noticed how angry I felt while playing. I still had the metal music stuck in my head and I felt aggressive and, unfortunately, this aggression was not translating into better play. On the contrary, it was actually taking away my enjoyment of the game. At some point, I changed my pregame routine and, you guessed it, started listening to the Dead. It completely changed how I play and, more importantly, how I feel when I play. I typically remain calmer and I am usually in a better mood for it.

2025 Pinewood Derby

Our Cub Scout Pack, Pack 2301 held their Pinewood Derby tonight. Max finished first in his den, but did not place in the pack championship. I was honestly a bit bummed for him. I feel like I should have added additional graphite to his wheels and axles before the pack championship races started. I felt that he responded well to both the highs and the lows. I did not know how I’d feel about this Derby. Max is now an Arrow of Light and this was his last Derby. I’m happy that I got to experience three Pinewood Derby events, but a little sad that I likely will not experience another (unless Adelaide changes her mind about trying Cub Scouts).

We had a scare before the race even started. Max placed his car on the table and it rolled off onto the floor, knocking a wheel and axel out. Unfortunately, the fall also damaged the actual wood around the axel notch. All this happened while I was trying to help Ashley with handing out pizza. I was incredibly flustered. Luckily I had some glue, found some scotch tape, and got to work. I had to avoid a test run with his car to give the glue time to set.

Today was a very stressful day though. I placed the main order for our pizza last night. After submitting the order, I realized I had missed a pizza. I placed a second order this morning, but received a cryptic error message, requesting that I call the store. I called the store and discovered they did not have my order. After some back and forth, I noticed that my Amex was refunded yesterday, meaning the website silently cancelled my order. I drove over to the store after lunch and placed my order in person. An hour or so later, I received a phone call from Papa John’s online tech support telling me that my online order had been cancelled. I thanked them and let them know I had already placed an order in person after discovering the cancellation.

The joke ended up being on me, however, when I arrived at the store and discovered that my order had been cancelled. The tech support person wasn’t talking about last night’s order; he was talking about today’s order. I laughed and asked how quickly they could make pizza. It must have been the manager, because she laughed and said she can make pizzas fast. She then proceeded to discount my order 50% and she got to work. Fifteen minutes later, I was loading eleven pizzas and two orders of breadsticks into my car. I am somewhat surprised by just how calm I remained and how well I handled the situation. I was also relieved at how helpful the people in the store were.

🔗 My Open Letter to Elon Musk - Democracy Docket

🔗 Here at DOGE, We’ve Streamlined Every Aspect of America’s Collapse - McSweeney’s Internet Tendency

I promise, America will soon be the Cybertruck of countries—uglier than you could have imagined, built for rich chuds, borderline inoperable, and on fire.

Finished reading: Intermezzo by Sally Rooney 📚

🔗 The LBJ the Nation Seldom Saw

Any jackass can kick a barn down. But it takes a carpenter to build one.

Finished reading: If You Can’t Take the Heat by Geraldine DeRuiter 📚

Out of my wheelhouse, but I enjoyed the book. There is humor (and it hit me just the right way) and seriousness (that is thought provoking). I enjoyed the book.

Finished reading: The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket 📚

I received a limited edition “Retro Record Player” Lego kit for Christmas. I started building the kit alone, but Adelaide joined me halfway through. We worked on the kit together while listening to the Louisville v. North Carolina basketball game. I had so much fun working on this kit with her.

🔗 An Unreasonable Amount of Time - Allen Pike

Sometimes magic is just someone spending more time on something than anyone else might reasonably expect.

Apple paying respect to a real one.

🔗 Daring Fireball: OpenAI’s Board, Paraphrased: ‘To Succeed, All We Need Is Unimaginable Sums of Money’

OpenAI’s board now stating “We once again need to raise more capital than we’d imagined” less than three months after raising another $6.6 billion at a valuation of $157 billion sounds alarmingly like a Ponzi scheme — an argument akin to “Trust us, we can maintain our lead, and all it will take is a never-ending stream of infinite investment.”

👀

Winter is my least favorite season. The lack of sun or being able to enjoy the sun is difficult. The days at short and the amount of time to enjoy being outside is even shorter. The temperature is usually on the colder side. Even in Tennessee, the temperature ranges from the mid 20’s to the mid 40’s. For most people, temperatures in the 40’s probably don’t seem so bad. Unfortunately, my extremities become ultra sensitive in these conditions.

I have been diagnosed with Raynaud Syndrome which is described as, “a medical condition in which the spasm of small arteriescauses episodes of reduced blood flow to end arterioles.” While the condition typically only affects one’s fingers, it can also affect one’s toes. Unfortunately for me, it affects both. I have tried describing the condition to those who do not suffer from it, but it’s difficult to describe the sensation of only certain fingers or certain toes rapidly becoming numb and suddenly having difficulty controlling those extremities. You just want the numbness to go away, but once it does it is replaced with searing pain. Thankfully, the pain typically doesn’t last a prolonged period of time.

In addition to Raynaud Syndrome, my feet and toes remain in a constant state of hyper sensitivity. The sensation of the tips of my toes rubbing against my socks can actually trigger a pain response. To avoid that discomfort, I will remove my socks. However, that just leads to cold and numbness in my toes; rinse and repeat. The sensitivity is magnified into excruciating pain if, for example, I stump my toe or someone steps on my toes. In particular, my beagle has a bad habit of accidentally stepping on my toes when coming in or out of the house. Thirty pounds and sharp nails pushing into sensitive toes is torture.

I have been trying to find things to enjoy during this season, but it’s difficult to find enjoyment when you spend so much time in a hyper sensitive state or when you’re in pain.

Finished reading: A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket 📚

My younger sister loved this series and wanted to share it with Max. They have been reading these books together. I had not read the series and decided to start reading them as Max finished them.

Finished reading: When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron 📚

I believe I saw this recommendation on kottke. This title felt necessary after the last few months.