Bask in the glow

Running around in Iron Banner playing Banana dress up with my friends this morning was a great way to start a day. Even if it was far too early and sleepless.

Four Destiny 2 characters stand together holding weapons, with banana yellow armor. Text: Iron Banner, Ignite the flames of the Iron Banner.

Destiny 2 Titan in his best banana colored armor and banana helmet.

Spacecraft float against a dark sky backdrop. Members of the Fr0zen clan with their matching banana emblems.

Started watching this on a whim today. Watched the entire season in one sitting. Quite enjoyed it. Felt like a sillier Breaking Bad.

đź“ş Big Mistakes (2026)

Big Mistakes poster

Nine Inch Nails - Nine Inch Noize on rotation all day! nineinchnails.lnk.to/NineInchN…

Call me about about this claim, but don't tell the caller anything about the claim

Aetna, you have this button on the page of every single one of my claims. Screenshot of a web site showing request a call about this claim. With availability and 0 minute wait time. I would think that by using it to request the call, you would also show some information about the claim to the representative calling me back. However, that is not the case. At least I got a call back. So that’s a win.

Frabjous.

It’s a real word. It’s in my head tonight. I have no idea where I encountered it recently.

It feels like a Lewis Carroll word. It is in Jabberwocky.

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”

But where did I encounter it recently. No one can say.

(It means joyful or delightful)

Tree with vibrant pink blossoms visible through a large window, framed by wooden panels, with a sofa corner in the foreground and a wooden fence outside.

Not a bad view in this Easter. Sitting in the sofa, smelling beef brisket baking. Listening to the sound of my nephew playing “A Game About Digging a Hole.”

I saw a gold finch this morning as I was getting my coffee. Now all I want to do is sit outside and watch the birds.

Less snow than the last storm. Needed to get out of my house and take a short walk. There’s Pokémon Go eggs to hatch and I need to get outside the same four walls I spend all day and night within.

Basketball hoop stands idle on a snow-covered court with a layer of ice, surrounded by leafless trees and residential houses under a cloudy sky.

Pathway curves through a snow-covered park, bordered by tall bare trees under a cloudy sky. A fenced area and picnic table are visible alongside.

Snow-covered ground with scattered footprints leads to leafless trees, while houses and a fenced area sit in the background under a cloudy, blue sky.

Glenstone’s Ties of our Common Kindred

Glenstone Museum in Potomac, Maryland just opened a new exhibit in my birthday this week.

Ties of our Common Kindred was such a lovely exhibit with so many artists.

We enjoyed it on Sunday in the rain. No photos allowed inside so I took some of the walking trail and grounds as the snow finally began to melt.

A bare tree, standing motionless, rises amidst a snow-covered field. Grassy, snow-dusted hills and distant leafless trees extend into the overcast sky.

This tree is so beautiful. I have to stop and enjoy it every time we visit.

Stone buildings stand amidst a snowy, grassy field under a cloudy sky, with distant trees visible in the background.

A person in a pink puffy jacket descends wide, light gray stairs bordered by light wooden handrails, within a minimalist gray-tiled stairwell. Bright natural light filters through a window.

My lovely wife descending into the pavilions.

Concrete walls stand amidst dried grass, with patches of snow scattered. The setting appears overcast, creating a stark, minimalist landscape, emphasizing the geometric structure and natural elements.

Metallic statue of a cowboy on horseback stands still on snow-covered ground, against a gray brick wall backdrop.

Colorful abstract sculpture with a red base balances various shapes, set on a snowy landscape surrounded by leafless trees under a cloudy sky.

Fox standing alert on a snowy ground near a tree, with a chain-link fence and wooden structure in the background, surrounded by greenery.

Caught Mr. Fox in a daylight visit yesterday.

Squirrel eating on a red surface under a bird feeder, surrounded by snowy yard, trees, and house in background. Text: Birdbuddy, Squirrel.

The squirrels are eating well. With the additional 6-10” of snow and ice they are able to leap up and over the baffles. I’m not fighting them. They earned it. The snow will melt one day and they’ll be back to being baffled.

Two Blue Jays perch on a red feeder, with one facing away. A suburban house and evergreen trees are in the background. Text: Birdbuddy; Blue Jay.

This Blue Jay is so big it wraps around. My older gamers will get it.

I remember this story because of my Dad. He walked out of the house and found his young son digging a random hole on the property. No plan, poorly equipped, but enthusiastically digging. He stood there asking questions, not judging. Supporting the dream.

Just letting me gleefully dig.

He taught me that no one knows where inspiration comes from — only that it’s fragile, invaluable, and fleeting. – Rands: I’m Going to Dig a Hole

That last line stuck with me. Inspiration is fragile, invaluable and fleeting.

Tron Ares is Hackers with more RGB.

Taskmaster New Year’s Double Treat was so much fun! And an announcement of the next series? #blessed

isitchristmas.com

YES!

If you don’t belt out “GREASY BLACK PEEL” during the Grinch, is it even Christmas?

I hope you had some dark-eyed juncos, mourning doves or carolina wrens visit you this morning. They’ve all beautiful against the snow.

I love how the doves just look like they never know where they’re going. Just waddling to and fro on their pink feet.

Why was Brady Anderson (Oriole baseball player) on Sabrina the Yeenaged Witch?

There must be a back story here…

On my fourth (fifth?) attempt I got the Automatic Ripoing Machine setup and working in docker in a virtual machine.

github.com/automatic…

Now it’s hungrily chewing through my dvds and preparing them for a service of locally hosted streaming.

Simple dinner cooked to perfection

We made one of our favorite, easy dinners tonight. Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Recipe with Chickpeas, Cumin and Turmeric

One thing I’ve added is to drain and roll the chick peas around on the sheet pan with paper towels to remove the skins and dry them out. This helps to make them crispier when they cook.

It turned out perfectly tonight. One of the few times my finished dish resembled the recipe photo.

Chickpeas and red onions are spread on a baking tray atop a stove, while chicken pieces marinate in a yellow sauce in a metal bowl with a black spoon.

Marinating and prepping.

Chicken pieces coated in yellow sauce bake on a sheet pan with chickpeas and sliced red onions, resting on a stove.

Ready for the oven.

Roasted chicken thighs, surrounded by browned chickpeas and caramelized onions, rest in a baking tray. The tray sits on a stove with a wooden cutting board and fork nearby.

Delicious Perfection!

Tree removal

We had a neighbor’s tree top blow down in a recent wind storm. It’s an old locust tree and started to rot and get hollow near the top.

It’s been sitting across our neighbor’s fences for a week while I found a tree place to take care of it.

Today, it was chopped up and turned into a fine mulch. Not sure what the neighbors are going to do with their respective chain link fences but that’s not my problem to solve.

A fallen tree limb lies across a backyard, surrounded by scattered leaves and a black trash can filled with walnuts. Nearby, a small shed and yellow house are visible.

Two wooden planter boxes, one damaged, lie on a leaf-covered ground near a damaged chain-link fence.

Wooden planter boxes, one damaged, contain plants and cacti surrounded by creeping ivy. These sit next to a chain-link fence with overgrown vines, in a sunny backyard with a white house nearby.

I made it. 365 day reading streak.

I don’t know how far I’ll go or if I’ll let it lapse now that I’ve made it. But it feels good to have accomplished.

Screenshot showing: You beat your record reading streak! 192 weeks in a row. 365 days in a row. From Kindle.

I spent the evening junk journaling with my wife while we listened to a playlist of “90s one hit wonders.”

I’m not sure it could be a one hit wonder list if a band appears more than once. Looking at you, Local H.

I find junk journaling therapeutic and peaceful. A no rules creative exercise.

At my wits end with my neighbor’s aggressive dogs jumping up on the fence they built and barking at us anytime we:

  1. Walk outside.
  2. Stand at our window and they can see us.
  3. Try to use our patio or back yard.

Black and brown dog standing up against chain link fence.