Category: Society

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Yellow.

It was about an hour away. The town was notable for both it’s university and it’s unique, for the area, park. What made it unique? An unusual series of trails, elevations, and scenic views (including rivers, falls, forestry). As I rode in that blue Buick to camp, I didn’t know what to expect.

The car had that old wood grain framing around the cassette area and center air vents. And playing through the speaker, from a beige colored audio tape, was a love song for the ages.

We entered the parking lot, of the park, and I was soon dropped off. My cabin mates were somewhat diverse. A few from the inner city, a foreign exchange student, and a few of us from rural areas.

Amazing what we all shared in common. Yet, intriguing how different we were.

In the middle of the week I was called into the camp counselor’s office. A fight had broken out between a black male and one of the other camp members. And I was a witness. It was the first time I’ve witnessed true hate in person. Aggressive, Ugly, Unapologetic.

Many of those camp members are not around to read this today. I’m sure that soccer girl would love the current FIFA madness. I’ve loved “Umbro’s” ever since we met.

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Snippets

There was a gas station, a block down from the party house. He was far from home, I definitely was far from home. As I walked out of the convenience store, he asked me for money. He just wanted to get back home. Feeling generous, I didn’t offer him money, but a ride. Asked if he wanted to hang out for the night.

He had to go home first. And that involved driving him to his apartment complex. Entering the third floor apartment, I noticed nothing but a single room. No separate doors, not a bathroom, nothing. In the corner sat a toilet and a shower. The area poorly covered by a curtain hanging from the ceiling. He went to get something from his dresser, then asked me “Have you ever heard of a jack?”…I will not answer how I responded. But he left, and came back after about 10 minutes.

We left his apartment, and proceeded to head back to the college house. Down by the gas station. I wanted to get him away from his normal environment, show him that others would respect him just how he is. No need for nonsense or toughness.

I think he enjoyed himself, hanging out that night. Playing pool.

As I dropped him off, he thanked me. Told me that I might have motivated him to reconsider some of his preconceptions. And that made me smile.

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Laughter.

So I’m still working on that little circuit board (SBC), that I mentioned earlier. It’s monotonous, tedious, frustrating, rewarding. The fact that you can take such a small piece of equipment, and turn it into a fully functional computer still amazes me. And I’ve been doing this for quite a while.

In between this hobby and life’s daily (necessary) routine…mowing, groceries, appointments, medication (diabetic), I often yearn for laughter. Comedy. And this absolutely had me in tears. (Granted I’m not a big muscle bound man, so apparently it’s quite easy to make the rivers flow… but this had me laughing my ass off).

Is the Pope a Jesuit? He’s one bad bad man! (In a good way!) For those that have questioned or lost faith, in religion or their country (he’s from the US), please take note of his most recent comments.

Never thought I’d be posting that last part. But give credit where credit is due.

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Dear Abby

Wow. Tonight I began writing an Abby Martin appreciation post. This woman has been around the world, challenging western media sources (and biases). She has not been shy about engaging in topics regarding war, genocide, politics, socio-economic issues…well the topics which drive news cycles today. Independent, and absolutely fierce. No apologies, no regrets.

One badass b*tch. Educated, well read, and certainly a formidable opponent to everything unjust. As she sees it, as I see it. As we all see it, if we are decent human beings.

Abby was involved in political reporting back when the 99% were protesting on Wall St. And unlike others, she continues to fight for a (THE) common cause.

And as I was writing this post, received some spam comments to some of my past posts (they have to be approved). Would love to recommend proton, to address email spam, and other security concerns. They are awesome. (Abby also played a huge role in warning people about new tech, and her voice was marginalized).

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Encouraged, Excited, Motivated, for more DIY

Yes. I’ve been made fun of for my interest in technology. The fact that I was networking PC’s and turning them into media servers, frontends…
basically the “smart sticks”/dvr’s of today, yet yesterday (almost 20 yrs ago). The difference between then and now, is there wasn’t so much bloatware, advertising, tracking, marketing. It was glorious, no one could even imagine a “data center” back then. What would we use one of those for?

Has anyone seen/used the current Pi? Stupid question. At some point they found it necessary to embed every new release with a wireless module. In my opinion, this is similar to phone manufacturers making it impossible to remove a phone battery. Furthermore, making a sim card/number “digital”.

At any rate, there is hope. And I realized something. There are still manufactures that are offering alternatives to popular products/brand names. Without the bloatware and onboard/loaded/embedded modules we’ve come to expect from more “commercial” offerings.

I’ve been talking about it for awhile, and it’s the only way I’ve learned in the past. So, I’m probably going to go back to DIY… nerdy stuff.

I’m thinking of you Lisa Loeb. And when those glasses were unique!

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Reminders.

Pale as a ghost. Paranoid. Walking past the check in area…tip toe-ing, eyes rotating left to right. Does anyone notice? These steps are heavy, left right left right.

Earlier, you entered the door of a three story apartment complex. The first room to the left. Smoke filled room, and the lady beside the culprit (of the event), stated: “I’m looking forward to this”. She had dated the man, maybe a few months. They both wanted to pollute the mind of the innocent.

Once, twice, my eyes grew weary. Where in the hell is this going? Scatter brained.

… dot dot dot

A few pool tables lined the back. In the front, a bar area. Jukebox in between restrooms, frequented by the over served. “Come back with me”, she said. Now, this would be the second time I’ve entered this apartment complex. “Go right, instead of left.” She said. Her hair was an unusual shade of red, sandy. She handed me a magazine, which detailed a subject I was extremely unfamiliar with. And as she left the room to change, she asked me to choose.

The same apartment complex. The green, the red. Complicated. Cryptic.

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The Weekend

Coffee. A perfect scent at 4:30 AM, the time I’ve been waking up lately. Today is cooking and cleaning day, putting in a little effort before the holiday. And honestly, will be happy to go back to normal diet on Fridays. (It’s a small compromise to “get along”).

There is a very simple way to make a great tasting fish. Thaw it out, crumble (club) crackers in a cup w/melted butter salt, garlic. Spread the mixture on top of the thawed filet. Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes. (Easy air fryer recipe also).

If you have read the deals I posted, and checked out some of the recipes… you have an idea of what’s going to be thrown in the oven. The dog is not making the cleaning part easy 😉

Thinking of this song (but in the wrong context).

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Will

He was a fan of Faith No More. And as I was entering a smoke filled room, occupied by a crowd of well “served” people, we began a conversation. Local drummer? What kind of music do you play? He was obviously just looking for some people to rehearse with, nothing serious. At the time, the area was filled with jam bands, or funk bands. Metal, alternative? Just a time limited new trend, but not music that was attracting huge crowds. Especially with the culture at the time.

I played a demo, that a few of us high school kids threw together. And his jaw dropped. Not because we were musical geniuses, but because it was exactly the music that he loved.

He was an artist, painter, mixing black and white images, sculpture like figures on canvas… he had an artistic hand for creating symbolic images on paper, ink, besides a knack for music and drum.

The first time we played at his place, I can remember climbing up three story stairs, navigating through broken steps… looking into dilapidated apartment rooms, with floors deteriorating. Living rooms, with an entire floor missing. A big hole in the middle, broken structural lumber, revealing several levels down. On the roof, he was growing a series of “herbal” plants, which would later facilitate more art, more music.

It’s a shame that us high school friends never took this further. It could have been lots of fun.

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Unprotected?

So, it’s been a very long time since I’ve used protection. There are a ton viruses going around, and there are many known methods used through manipulative tactics, to entrap individuals. Not to mention, the growing popularity of the “backdoor”. It’s been a REAL long time since I’ve had any legitimate reason to be concerned about viruses.

However, as the saying goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry. So I recently started using another vpn, thinking about migrating back over to Linux for the majority of my computer activities. The thoughts about security/protection also came to mind pertaining to streaming services and smart devices. Would it possibly be safer, in the future, to buy monitors (not smart TV) + SBC (w/ kodi) for entertainment needs? Audio may be an issue that needs attention.

….anyways, in a few minutes it’s Friday (they call it lent), and tonight made homemade Crab Rangoon. Will reheat tomorrow. (Recipe may be on its way, once I tweak it a bit)

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Automobiles

Isn’t it funny how objects, things, products, follow patterns? Back in the day, about 20+ years ago, I started driving my “favorite” or “dream” car. Boxey, that European design, bended at the corners. Sleek, tight steering, those big rings in the middle, facing oncoming traffic. It was European excellence. Design, driving, comfort. Did I mention that “tight steering”?

I can remember the Volvo station wagon we had as kids. Similar style, boxey, tight steering, and enough room for everything. Like my “dream” car listed above, had great pick up. The “get up and go” factor.

At a certain point though, European went “muscle car”. Circular, rounded… to me unappealing. The look that says, “we don’t create trends, we copy them”. It made my “dream” car (and brand), a thing of the past. And since then, have gained much more respect for manufacturers such as BMW, Volvo, and Honda. All maintaining a “brand” look and identity.

I found another “dream” car. Loved it for about a decade now, started driving recently. It has elements of the Volvo, and also the original “dream” car. It’s lucky that we picked it up when we did. Seems the company thought a re-design (modernization) of their staple model was a good idea. I strongly disagree.

What’s next? Who knows? This car drives well, looks good, and has a reputation for surviving many miles and years. Sturdy. And that won’t change.