Todd Grooms

Take a look at this pheasant.

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

Count Olaf can’t keep getting away with this!

Just because something is typed—whether it is typed on a business card or typed in a newspaper or book—this does not mean that it is true.

🔗 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.

📺 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.

🔗 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.