Category: General Musings

New York City in October 2019

Photo via Business Insider

I am fortunate enough to be able to go to New York again this year. This year will present a unique problem. Weather. Last year it was cold and rainy. This year (while there is a 10% chance of rain as of this writing) it should be drier and warmer with temperatures hovering around 60 degrees F.

I am leaning towards my down jacket, t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. I may even go with my flat cap to keep my head warm. I am so afraid of being too hot. 60 degrees is flip flop weather for me but I won’t do that in NYC. You can’t move very quickly in flip flops.

I’ll add updates and pictures as the trip gets underway. This year, I may add pictures as I go.

Update: (October 26, 2019) Going to wear sweatshirt, t-shirt, jeans, sneakers. Weather forecast says sunny and 63 degrees.

Labor Day!

Most folks celebrate Labor Day by not working. For the last several years, our company has had to work on Labor Day.

Not this year.

I get the opportunity to be off and write scathing articles about whatever the fonk I want. I started a short story about a young boy versus the universe and a cookie jar. Perhaps, I’ll finish the first draft.

Saturday, I ripped out all of the cabling in the office and re-ran everything. I ended up with a boxful of cabling that I obviously didn’t need. I probably should have done that years ago. I was most happy to resurrect the Heineken sign that I’ve had for about seven years.

Heineken LED Lamp circa 2011
Office after excessive cable removal

Man Charged in Stabbing…has NO arms

Sad but true from Reuters…

(Reuters) – A 46-year-old homeless man with no arms was arrested in Miami Beach, Florida, for stabbing another man with a pair of scissors using his feet, police said on Wednesday.

Florida native Jonathan Crenshaw stabbed a 22-year-old Chicago man twice with the scissors before running away, according to the Miami Beach Police Department report on Crenshaw’s early Tuesday arrest.

I really don’t know who is at fault but I’ll probably side with the homeless guy with no arms.

Great Idea!

I saw this post this morning and totally agree that this would be a great way to go with the Mac Mini.

Apple could still claim that Mr. Cook’s promise is in force. Apple could offer the most basic configuration of the 2019 Mac Pro as the 2019 Mac mini. At Mac mini pricing levels.

Of course, if properly designed, that very same chassis could be outfitted with the highest level of computational power. Say, 32 Xeon cores, 256, 512, or 1,024 GB of RAM, a 4 TB SSD. Plus a monster graphics system and all kinds of other plug-ins that would be beyond the realm of an ordinary Mac mini. That’s the $10,000 Mac Pro we’ve always been thinking of.

By cleverly designing a 2019 Mac Pro modular chassis, Apple neatly avoids product overlap and gives the Mac mini user base the upgradable Mac mini they’ve been dreaming of. And so customers of all kinds could start low, upgrade as they go, or start in the middle or go right to the top. The Mac world will have achieved computational heaven.

Fonking Shizz

I’m reading a book series called “Space Team.” The characters have translation chips imbedded in their heads that allow them to communicate with alien species.

The funny part about the whole thing is that the company who created the technology doesn’t allow cursing. When it picks up a curse word, it substitutes that word with something considered “safe.” Just hearing that from the Audible book reader is enough to make you laugh.

And that…is some fonking shizz!

Pseudo Camping Trip

I’m finally taking a few days off. I’m happy that our big project is past the first big hurdle and we are now into phase 2.

With that being said, I believe it is time to test some new camping gear. One of the latest additions is the Lynx ALPS 4 tent. It is a rather large tent weighing in at 10 pounds. I like the smaller Bivy style tent I have but sometimes you just need more room.

I’m going to spend most of the morning trying to figure out what gear I’ll need and then — pack it up. I’m taking the Trekking King 60L Survival Rucksack.

I’m looking forward to some winding down.

Time for A Short Story

I wrote a story a couple of years ago called “P-5443 or Bust.” I’m not sure why I chose the name but it seemed fitting for the story itself.

I’ve added the story to the short story tab above.

I just re-read it and I still like the story — especially the ending. Hat Tip to my friend John who always believes that stories need hope — somewhere.

There is some hope in this story…sort of.

It is a very quick read. The idea was a small word count. I was originally going to submit this to the yearly PBS writing contest but never got around to it.

Enjoy.

Chuck is Back

After a few weeks of ups and downs, my friend Chuck is finally out of the hospital. He collapsed at work several weeks ago from a mild heart attack. After a few days of diagnosis, it was determined that he required open heart surgery.

After the surgery, Chuck has some more battles to overcome including standing up and then — dying.

He was brought back and then forced into a coma for a few days.

He was supposed to be able to come home yesterday but the hospital wouldn’t release him.

Today — after all of this — he is finally home.

Watching a friend go through this makes me look at where I am as far as my health is concerned.

I certainly don’t want to go through what he has.

Anyway, I’m glad he is finally home.

Update: (04.21.2018) – Chuck had to go back into the hospital a couple of times because of respiratory issues. Fluid builds up in his lungs and he can’t breathe. This has happened twice now. He finally came back home again yesterday. He sounds much better and has lost a lot of weight. I have to admit that I was getting worried when I didn’t see him this morning. His brother called and finally woke him up. I was honestly wondering about whether or not he had passed as a reason for not seeing him this morning. My mind wonders and I couldn’t be more happy to be wrong in this instance.

Water Worlds

Great article in Scientific American about debate on whether life would exist or not on a world made up of water.

I like the comment near the bottom of the article about comparing everything to Earth and why it is not always a good idea.

“I think it could be dangerous just thinking about everything in an Earth-mindset,” Ramirez says. “You might be missing out on other possibilities.”

I still feel a bit of arrogance from the scientific community about life on other planets. You can’t armchair quarterback the universe and the only way you are ever going to know what these worlds are like — is to VISIT them.

In unrelated news…I still think it is super cool that I can copy a link on my iPad and paste that link into my MacBook Pro. </end geek moment>

Broken Links

Over the weekend, I took a trip down memory lane and decided to read the older blog posts from several years ago.

Good stuff — except for the broken links.

Websites come and go. I know that more than anyone and with them also goes their links and pictures.

Fixing the links is no small task. I will probably need to do some research on each one and locate the picture from elsewhere.

Happy to do it but will probably not be until this weekend.

TTFN

A Break from The Crazy – Part II

We were supposed to have our new system up and running by now. We’ve hit a few snags and now it will be a few more weeks until we are using new software. Better to be safe than sorry, I suppose.

This past weekend I got an overwhelming urge to reach out to a friend of mine whom I have not heard from in a few years. We plan on catching up this weekend and I’m hoping to plan a few camping trips this year.

I would like to keep up with writing but until we get to the other side of this major project — not very likely.

After about a year and a half, I picked up the drum sticks and began playing again. I was afraid the “song in my heart” that made me want to play in the first place was gone after my breakup. It has been a slow recovery for me and hiding behind that pain with laughter is what I’ve done for the past 18 months.

A close friend of mine has just undergone open heart bypass surgery. No matter how much safer these procedures are these days, it is still a nail biting experience until you get that first call from them. I got that call yesterday morning. He didn’t sound great but it was a welcomed call. His road to recovery is just starting and I wish him all the best.

When I was 5 years old, my neighbor (Mr. Cooney) had bypass surgery when the process was still new. He didn’t make it. I still have sad feelings wash over me when I think about it. They were the nice older couple next door and would watch me and my sister before we had to go to school. I miss them.

Well, this has been another fine brain dump.

I have a couple of blog posts in the hopper and I’ll post as soon as I can. One of them is about the Cannes Film Festival.

Fuck. Them.

A Break from The Crazy

We’ve been getting ready to complete a major project at my day job. This project has been pushed back a couple of times because it seems the scope was much bigger than anyone imagined. Anyone but me, of course. I remember talking to a co-worker who believed we could get this thing done in a month. It looks like we will get this done in 3 months. Ideally, this should have taken 6 months.

In talking to a few folks over the last several weeks, I realize there are two things that I am really passionate about outside of the day job. Those two things are writing and hiking/camping. Throw in a few ideas about “prepping” and you’ve got quite the mix.

A couple of books in the audible library are about what happens when we loose electricity. The power grid goes down and the whole world goes to shit. Literally. I have a few different titles but they all seem to show a common thread. People who have not prepared expect those who do — to take care of them. Extreme liberal views are like that. I have friends who believe that the government should run everything. Not because the government clearly knows what they are doing — but because they believe in being “taken care of” by someone other than themselves. As a military veteran, I would strongly disagree.

I think I am overdue to a short shory so I am hoping to write one this weekend.

I should probably start posting on this site because, why not?

This website is for me. I don’t write on it to keep anyone else informed. It is my place to discuss whatever I like and… occasionally, I get to swear.

Being single has its perks.

TTFN.

Busy Times

I am not really posting a lot right now. Our major project deadline keeps getting pushed back.

It is now going to be at the end of this month.

Once I get to the other side, I’ll have plenty of time to get back to writing which is something I love to do. I’d also like to write about my new amazing (and very stinky) 3 day pack.

I plan on doing a lot of camping this year. The idea is to set up a base camp and simply lounge about and write.

I’ll post more if I get the chance.

Projects and Plans

It is almost the end of February. Where did it go?

I’ve moved the website over to Captain Nukko but it has issues. The kind of issues that I usually don’t encounter like missing graphics, the books I read, etc.

That is why I am writing this post on my normal site. Captain Nukko might have been a great idea at the time but chipheadmike works and I should probably just stick to this site.

Watch both sites…just kidding. I’ll most likely just write here.

With that aside, I’d like to update my small following on what has been going on at Castle Nerda.

The big work project is in full swing and has been pushed back a couple of times. It is the same idea as NASA “Go” or “No-Go” for launch. We’re getting there. We should be done with this soon.

Camping…

A couple of months ago, I got the camping bug again. I love camping. I love taking a three day hike/camp in the woods and being outdoors and living in nature.

I did it as a kid, a teen, but not so much as an adult.

I’m changing that this year. I’ve decided to keep three bags ready. My big GTH bag, a 3 day trip bag, and a day trip bag.

I’m in the process of stocking those up.

I am watching numerous bush craft videos on youtube as well as “prepper” info. It is good stuff.

This month will almost be over soon. Where did it go?

November/October Update

Well, this has been a pretty busy couple of months for me leading up to the retail holiday peak season.

I believe the peak season starts earlier with each passing year.

I’ve started to deep dive into Swift 4. I’m taking courses here and there and watching YouTube videos. The difference between Swift and Objective-C is enough that I find myself scratching my head every once in a while. Swift is extremely easy and more forgiving than previous languages.

I stay away from politics on my website because I don’t follow politics anymore. I found it to be too much of a distraction. In my opinion, I’ve never seen so much ado about nothing when it comes to “Russian Hacking.” That easily translates into buying advertising and that does not equal hacking. Since the Democrats lost the election solely because they abandoned the worker classes, whether or not anyone “hacked” an election seems to be a distraction from their real issue. I’m pretty sure the democrats still haven’t learned their lesson and I don’t see them winning another big election any time soon. Ok, enough of that crap.

I believe when it comes to personal relationships, I’ve determined that love is not in the cards for me. Since my breakup last year, I’ve had a lot of time to think and I honestly don’t think I’m a good catch. I like being alone. Don’t get me wrong, if my ex showed up and told me she wants to give “us” another try, I’d jump at the chance. She was and always will be the perfect one for me. When you meet that person you just “know” that you’ve found your soulmate. I’m not planning on pursuing love interests or any other “interest” for that matter.

I believe that is all for now. I’m still waiting for the Minecraft 4k update.

What else is there?

May Update

I just realized how little I’ve posted this month. I put out a few Facebook posts and Twitter but nothing on my own website.

Of course, I don’t really expect anyone but me to read this drivel anyway.

I have been playing way too much Xbox and listening to several books a week in addition to reading books on Kindle.

The books are updated in the sidebar so they usually represent exactly what I am reading at the moment.

Hopefully, I’ll get (make) some time to load a few posts. I have opinions about everything so there is no shortage of material. Just, a big huge shortage of time.

New Beginnings

Today is the first day in several years (days off not withstanding) that I am working a “normal” shift at work.

We are starting a major project that will take a least a year to complete and so I’ve had to make some adjustments.

This very first thing I’ve noticed is that I actually have time to get up in the morning and spend time writing. I can’t express how happy that makes me. I love writing. For the last several years, my work schedule hasn’t afforded me a lot of time to do so.

So, one of the first things I’ve done this morning is to try and find a replacement for Blogsy. Apple must be abandening applications that still work under 32 bit in the next iOS release. To be honest, I thought they would have already done that with a minor release.

I’m writing this using an app called BlogPad Pro. So far, I like it. There are a few things I’ll need to figure out. I had used Blogsy from day one so I am very familiar with how it worked.

My life has changed a lot in the last 6 months or so. Some good. Mostly bad.

I’m trying to keep some optimisim in my life so hopefully, writing more will help do that.

TV Stand for Dummies

I am not the type of person that likes to buy things that I have to put together. I go out of my way to buy things that are already assembled. My office chair is a good example. I went to Staples and found a chair I loved. I just didn’t want to put it together so I talked the sales guy into letting me take the finished unit on the floor. He did and I still have the chair to this day.

With that being said, I just bought a simple TV Stand on Amazon and was amazed at how simple it was to put together.

If you are looking for a simple Tv stand that has a couple of shelves and takes about 5 minutes to put together. Check this link out. You will not be disappointed.

Let The Vacation Begin…

Well, the busy holiday madness is over for me. Time to catch my breath and decide what I’m going to do going forward.

I’m sure you’ve noticed the big holes in posting that have occured for the last several years. As I’ve said on the podcast that I’ve started back up again…we’ve been busy and stuff.

I’m looking forward to the next year and hope that the dream that I have in my heart comes true and that real love and happiness are mine once again. Time will tell.

This blog has always been about me and what I like and will continue to be so.

I’m half the person I used to be and as I’ve said just a couple paragraphs earlier, I am hoping for the best.

I hope we all find the happiness we so richly deserve.