Pi-Hole on duty
The Raspberry Pi 5 has come to the setup and Pi-Hole is on duty. So far it has been a little easier than I thought I would be. Ignore the cables. Cable management is not my specialty. I think it looks right at home with the CGU and next to the BeeStation. Next step getting it utilized more with other projects.
Next Project setting up a Windows 11 PC for Dockerized container projects. But before that I have to replace a failing/old external hard drive for backup.
Just wish I was more knowledgeable in the stuff. I want to begin to learn Hugo for static websites. If anyone has any good suggestions on where to start please let me know.
Hope everyone had a great weekend. I know I did getting things accomplished. One down and more to go.
Trying to dust off the website
I am trying to do a little updating to the website and making sure everything is working. I am finding that things don't work the way I want them to. It is kind of hard when you aren't a website savant. I am working my way through I believe.
If you look at the site you would say it is pretty minimal at best. On the back-end making sure things post correctly and where I want them to is a little bit of like cooking. I am layering on all the plugins to make a post once publish everywhere works. Just like in cooking you want to layer on the flavors. Cooking and coding something that they have in common. I think am I much better at cooking then coding.
Suggestions Wanted
Anybody have any suggestions on what I should move to from WordPress? Show I go to a service like Micro.blog, Write.as? Should I go back to Blogspot? I don't mind paying a reasonable price. But I also would like to be all inclusive if possible.
Also, any suggestions what I should put on my new Raspberry Pi 5 Pironman 5 build I made, besides Pi-Hole with Unbound?
Anyone know any good resources on Hugo? I was thinking of switching to a static site generator to. Any suggestions would be helpful.
Changing Times
Times are indeed changing and so has my blog theme. I went with the newest from WordPress and it is clean. See you thought I was going to talk about the election. I will in the future....
I am possibly moving away from WordPress. I don't like all the fireworks going on around it right now and don't like how everything good cost money. Don't get me wrong I don't mind spending some money. In fact recently I moved to hosted Mastodon with Masto.host (by the way if you need a good Mastodon hosting service it is really great and the owner is probably the best I have ever interacted with.)!
WordPress costs a lot of money if you want nicer themes, Jetpack and other features add to the cost. It is especially challenging too. I am trying to learn it, but I have questions. There is no one to ask, and I have not found any good sources. AI has been helpful but not always and for everything.
My shared hosting contract is up next year and I have been thinking of going back to Blogspot but it has not had any updates for a very long time and Google likes to kill stuff. I have thought about moving to Micro.blog or paying for Write.as I just opened a free account there to see how it was. I have also been thinking of saving some money up and paying someone to make exactly what I want.
You may have notice I just changed the name to just me. My family (mother and father) have decided they don't want a webpage.
That's it for now. If you have any suggestions about what I should move to or where, just let me know.
Navigating Health Challenges: Weight Loss and Disney Trips
Hello everyone. It has been a while since I posted an update and thought I would cover the end of August 2024 and September 2024. Health-wise, I have actually not been great. I started Mounjaro to help with some weight loss and diabetic control (even though my A1C is not too bad: 6.1 as of my last one). The Mounjaro has caused a lot of gastrointestinal issues for me and they have not stopped or lessened. Actually, with the increase of dose (currently on the 7.25mg) it has gotten worse. I have lost some weight, approximately 16 pounds, but I don't know if the side effects are worth it. Due to my obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and asthma, I can't exercise like someone without these conditions. I am hoping to hold out and finish the six doses I have left (possibly going to every other week) to help lessen the side effects. I would rather lose some weight, allow my stomach to contract, and hopefully keep off the weight with the smaller stomach.
I also had an echocardiogram in early August and it shows my left atrium stretching even more worse. Not sure if my condition is worsening the doctor will let me know but the reading doctor had a lot of worse off and worsening in her report. I do know I feel more tired a lot more and get out of wind walking to my desk from my car at work. But I haven't had any new issues of AFib (which is a good thing).
I bought a Pixie Dust Walt Disney World Annual ticket last year and have gone a total of 3 times with it. One time just after buying it for a day. Then the other 2 for a week once and then 3 days for another. The first week of May 2024 I went and got hurt falling. So this kind of dampened the trip for me. Then we went again at the end of August 2024 for a couple of days and stayed at one of the hotels that have the Skyliners. Well, I got hurt again this time on the ride Tron. Don't ask me how it happened; I don't know but I got what appeared to be a small skin abrasion that turned into a 2-week nightmare and an abrasion that ended with the size of almost 2 half-dollar coins. Both times it was my left leg and side and both times just before visiting EPCOT. This put a damper on me enjoying myself even though I really was up until I was hurt. I have decided to give Disney World a break. Below are some of the pictures of my second trip.
Well, that is it for now. Kind of a long post, but I wanted to share important things going on in my life. Just for information, all the photos were taken before my weight loss. At this point, I think I had lost only about 5 or 6 pounds. I also stopped my Mounjaro about a week before I went and the week of our Disney trip in August so that I wouldn't have any surprise issues. October and November look to be busy months with doctors and work. Hope everyone stays safe and healthy.
A bad medical test today
Today I had an echocardiogram today and I already have the results all though the doctor has not reviewed that just as of yet. That is the beauty of MyChart you see the test results as soon as they are ready.
My Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is getting worse. My septum is thickening even more and faster than before and my left atrium has stretched even more. What will the doctor do I am not sure. I am already on a beta blocker, calcium channel blocker and a blood thinner. I don't know what will be the next thing another medicine so 3 total and or an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) or both?
Will update as soon as I am told more.
Network upgrades almost done
I finally purchased the last little bit of gear for my prosumer setup from Unifi. So everything should be upgraded and done for the next 5 to 10 years by the end of August 2024. I am looking forward to completing it and having all Unifi network gear. So far it has been good and I am learning alot.
Next project putting my Raspberry Pi 5 together with the neat miniPC case I bought and getting Pi-Hole up and running. Still thinking about UnBound too.
Well have a great weekend everyone and thanks for going on this networking journey with me.
What a day from a simple upgrade
Well, today I woke up took down my old router the TP-Link Omada ER7206 v1.6 and install and setup my new Unifi Cloud Gateway Ultra. The primary WAN (which is Frontier Fiber) went smooth no problems. When I was setting up the failover WAN (Spectrum) man did I have problems it was not finding it even after the small changes I had to do in the console screen. 2 hours later trouble shooting the Spectrum 3.0 DOCSIS modem would not reconnect and then just didn't power on (which leads me to believe it may not have been working for at least a couple of weeks). So chatted with Spectrum and had then activate my own S33 Arris DOCSIS 3.1 modem and bam bang bong it was up and running. The CGU found it speed test went great and everything is up and running.
Then I look at my Elgato Stream Deck and no stock tickers they are all bleak. Thinking it might be the CGU and the DNS secure setting I poked around. Found that there was a plugin update to the plugin for the stocks and that I now needed an API Key. Got that taken care of and everything seems to be as it should just a strange day. Not saying it is related to the CGU change out but it was definitely a chain of things happening at once.
Home Network upgrades incoming
I hope to redo my network equipment before the end of the year. I am hoping to switch everything to UniFi. I already have the Cloud Gateway Ultra router. I am going to get 2 WiFi 7 AP's 2 switches one network extender (this is just in case) and 2 flex mini's. My whole system will then be UniFi from start to finish. I am thinking about getting a Raspberry Pi 5 to use Pi-hole and some other stuff on it.
This will all replace my aging Orbi WiFi Mesh 5 system that I am currently using in AP mode only with a TP-Link first generation ER7206.
Why am I doing all this because I want things in place for the next 5 to 10 years and not have to worry about my network cables or network equipment and I can finally do this since I can finally afford it.
Interesting Newsworthy things that happened around our house
In the last 3 years some news worthy things have happened. For instance yesterday on my birthday in the afternoon I was helping my mother unload some groceries she had brought over and we both heard a loud bang and short after a loud scream by a women. A look at my mother and said what was that. That was loud but at least it didn't shake the house and windows violently like a few years ago. At the 10 clock news I found out what it was this.
Which brings me to a few years ago. A house around a couple of corners from ours blew up. That shook the house and the windows and was again on the news here. My dad happened to be here when that happened. I don't know what is going on around here.
At least yesterday no one died and was not seriously injured unlike when the house blew up.
This was the interesting thing I was looking on. Well have a great weekend everyone.
My Birthday
Today is my birthday. I celebrated by having a steak dinner with my family and bought myself a watch. I took today and tomorrow off from work. It was a good day overall.
I am working on another post about something that did happened today. Not related to my birthday but interesting. Hope to share more in the days to come.
New Theme
Well, I updated the website with a new theme. Let me know what you think. I think it looks good. I add a couple of plug-ins and widgets. I don't want to make it too busy. I did try another one before this one but I could not make it work. I went with this one instead.
Thinking for the future
Hope everyone is doing great. I am sitting here on a Saturday getting little things done and over with and checked off my list. I am also thinking of future problems.
I have embarked on moving my email across many different emails to one centralized email address. Why for privacy and security. I am just fed up with Microsoft, Google and AOL/Yahoo and other scanning my email and what if they ever decide to kill the product or increase the prices even more than they have recently. My own domain is shared and there is always that security problem. So I have been moving almost everything to Proton mail as it is encrypted at rest and my domains email. I am only keeping very specific things at Hotmail/Outlook and Gmail and really have moved 98 percent of the stuff I had going to AOL/Yahoo off. But companies don't make it easy sometimes. Some companies are great about letting you change your email address. They verify who you are and then verify your new email. Other companies are just terrible make it difficult and arduous so instead of still getting there emails I just unsubscribe if I really want it then I subscribe like I am new, but that has been very few. I just unsubscribe.
I am also thinking of moving away from WordPress and going to Ghost. It all depends on when I have to renew by InMotion Hosting shared plan next year. If it stays at the price they already have there it will not happen. I am probably little strain on their resources (maybe an argument can be made for email for my mom, dad and myself, but that is a hard one to make in the overall scheme of things). I will ask them if they can offer a better price as I have been with them for for over 10 years. But if they don't I will be gone. I am also going to try and update the WordPress theme shortly. I am hoping that goes well.
Well this has been a long one if anybody has any thoughts on WordPress versus Ghost let me know.
Microsoft gaming disappointment
I am disappointed with the direction Microsoft is taking with their gaming: A Review
This isn't a complete takedown of Microsoft, as I admire them overall, alongside tech giants like Google. However, both companies share a penchant for shutting down consumer-oriented projects, which extends to their gaming endeavors. This review focuses on my disillusionment with recent Microsoft-backed titles, particularly from Rare and Bethesda.
Sea of Thieves: Broken Promises and Grindy Gameplay
My frustration began with Sea of Thieves. I paid $60 for a visually stunning game, only to be thrown into a confusing world lacking basic instructions. Twitch streams offered little solace, as the rampant PvP culture led to constant harassment and mockery. While some enjoyed the challenge, I, and many others, simply desired a peaceful solo or cooperative experience. The developers, Rare, initially dismissed our pleas, urging us to "git gud." My argument remains: why dictate how I play a game I paid full price for, especially when PvE content offered a viable alternative? After five years, a single-player mode finally arrived, highlighting the missed opportunity for a truly inclusive experience. This isn't a free-to-play title where microtransactions dictate progress; it's a premium game, accessible via Game Pass or direct purchase.
While I applaud Rare's eventual concession to solo play, I believe full access to in-game items, except for PvP-oriented Reaper items, is essential. These rewards are earned, not gifted, and hold no tangible advantage over other players as they are just cosmetic. Those who prefer the chaotic PvPvE experience can freely enjoy it, but forcing me, or anyone else who paid for the game, to endure unwanted harassment is unacceptable.
Halo Infinite: Hype Deflated, Expectations Unmet
Halo Infinite, another Microsoft Studios title, similarly failed to live up to its pre-release hype. While enjoyable in parts, it lacked the innovation and polish expected from a flagship franchise.
Starfield: A Disappointment That Saved Me Money
My pre-order for Starfield's "Watch" edition was thankfully canceled by Best Buy, potentially sparing me from further disappointment. The trailers and gameplay demos painted a picture that the final product, reminiscent of The Outer Worlds but arguably inferior, couldn't match. This experience makes me hesitant to blindly trust Microsoft's AAA marketing in the future.
Moving Forward: A Cautious Gamer My recent experiences with Microsoft-backed games have instilled a sense of caution. I'll approach them with a critical eye. Until then, I'll be holding onto my hard-earned money.
A-FIB
Well, it all started at around 4 PM on Saturday, December 10, 2023. I went into A-FIB and I don't know why. Almost 3 days later on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, at around 12:30 AM, I went back into normal heart Rhythm.
I am glad I didn't have to go to the Emergency room and that I had my Samsung Galaxy watch Classic6 and my Kardia device to keep track of my A-Fib incident.
I really can't wait until 2023 is over as this has been a very bad year for me and my family.
Thanksgiving 2023
Happy Thanksgiving 2023. I hope everyone gets stuffed.
I was thinking what I am Thankful this year for. Well, my salvation, my Lord, my family and getting up every morning and having a job that pays me for my work. Other than that not much. 2023 has not been a very cheerful year for me. My family and me have had continued health problems and a little bit of money problems this year (mainly due to inflation). Other than that I am looking forward to this year being over. I am not looking forward to one thing next year and that is Politics both people that will be running for President are just too old as well as most members of Congress and the rest are just there for themselves.
Not all has been bad this year. I have found a few good things about this year in addition to what I talked about being thankful already. So, I look forward to saying good bye to 2023.
New Integrations
WordPress has tied into Mastodon. So I am going to try that. Lets see if it works. Just another way where I can follow myself :).
No seriously this seems big and another step away from Twitter.
Need to do better
I need to do better at blogging. Sometimes I forget or think no one wants to hear about this anyway. Even though it does make me feel better when I type/write things.
An update since Hurricane Idalia. We came through relatively unscathed and it appears that we just might not have a major storm hit us this year. Which is always good news. I bought a Disney World annual pass and have gone once so far. I need to go about 7 more times to break even and get more than what I paid for.
Disney World was fun though hot and humid. I posted a couple of things on my Mastodon server if you want to check those out.
Lastly, I was thinking of upgrading my phone this year. I moved away from Pixel for a few reasons. One that Pixel 6 Pro got too hot and the modem and wireless were not a great experience on that phone. I would drop calls or just not connect a lot. I wanted to throw that phone out a window so many times. I also didn't like that Google kills almost everything I love and use with them or let it stagnate (i.e. Blogger). I just can't trust that they won't kill the Pixel. I mean there is history. They killed the Nexus line of phones. So I went with the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and loved the phone. It used to be not great at battery life barely getting me through a day and it is still almost quite like that but I am ending the day with slightly more battery than I had been for a couple of updates. Speaking of updates they have been pretty fast this year with the updates. I am looking forward to seeing what the S24 Ultra will hold and if it is much better than the S22 Ultra if not I can wait.
Well that is all for now. Hope everyone is doing great.
Hurricane Idalia
Well, Hurricane Idalia has come and is still hanging around (at least the effects). Hopefully, in a day or two it will be completely gone. We fair much better than we did with Hurricane Ian last year. Hope everyone is staying dry, as we are continually trying to do.
The Chosen
I have been watching the series on Amazon Prime Video The Chosen. I am at the beginning of the second season. It is a wonderfully done series. It may not be exactly 100 percent accurate but the message is 100 percent accurate and on point. If you haven't watched it you should. Can not recommend it highly enough. The Actors and Actresses are doing an excellent job.