Asberry.org

Author: aron

  • Playing Arborist & Socket Organization

    I really felt like doing nothing today when it started but I talked myself into doing some tree cutting. I should have taken before pictures but I don’t know that you’d be able to tell. The hard part about doing tree cutting is that in order for the trimmings to be picked up, you have to bundle them which is actually more work than cutting the limbs in the first place. Oh well, at this time I’m not making enough to pay anyone to do it so I spent 3 or so hours cutting and bundling limbs.

    I then finally got around to organizing my sockets. I know, sounds silly but I haven’t done that in a while and I stand to save literally hours if I can lay my hands on the right tool without having to spend 15 minutes looking for every little damn thing. I swear half of any project is wondering around saying ‘I know I had it here somewhere, I remember seeing it’. Well at least I managed to get something accomplished today and there’s more to do tomorrow.

  • Finding History

    So the internet is more than just news and new stuff. It’s a great archive of old stuff as illustrated by the Portal to Texas History hosted by the University of North Texas.

    As I was perusing the Fort Worth Gazette newspaper of Monday, June 22, 1891, and came across this gem:

    So crazy has been going on for a long time and it seems it has always been reported but I’m guessing now, with our ability to see everything, it seems a little overwhelming.

  • Ghee – The Making of…

    So if you want the whole story, you can find it here where I got the recipe. It’s long and drawn out but let me answer the ‘why do this?’ and then we’ll do the short version of the recipe.

    Why Ghee? Well, it has a unique nutty taste and a high smoke point so it is great for covering roasted potatoes for seasoning, it is super in mashed potatoes and can be used to grease up a cast iron for whatever you need to cook.

    The recipe: Super simple, take a pound of butter, melt it at a slow boil until all the solids have browned and separated out, then filter through a paper towel. Here’s what it will look like:

  • Resume Revisions

    So now that I’ve decided that I’m running with my degree, I need to craft a version of the resume to that end. I’ve got a generic one and one geared to TCC admin but not one showcasing data science credentials. I’ll have to work on that tomorrow.

    Spent part of the day working with the site and although I’m getting the hang of it, I’m running into a wall with the site icon and logo. I’m bad with graphics and I’m leery of using a free site for it. I should have it professionally done but between jobs just isn’t a place for that. I guess I’ll use a free generator for the time and change it up when I can afford professional.

    Did make my active goals today, tomorrow is supposed to be nice so we’ll see if we can’t get out on the bikes, maybe go for lunch. Loving life today.

  • Happy Birthday to Me!!!

    52 years old today. That number seems so large now that I see it in type. Today was the typical pseudo melancholy that attends these events. Don’t get me wrong, I’m incredibly thankful for the life I live and the people in that life. I’m blessed beyond what words can express but in the back of my head, there’s a voice whispering ‘this too shall pass’. I guess it’s something that we all confront.

    Sandy and I went to the gym and then we had a birthday lunch at Outback. It’s been a nice stress free day. Got the canister purge solenoid for the Xterra today, it took all of 10 minutes to put the part in. I reset the code and am hoping that was what was throwing it although the old part didn’t seem to be broke from what I saw on YouTube. Time will tell I guess. I need to also get the TPMS looked at before I get it inspected. Oh yeah, I need to fix the horn too.

  • AM Gym Today

    I was up and at the gym at 6:30am this morning. Not really a particular reason other than the fact that I was awake. I will be working on getting myself back on a real schedule and working out is a fairly important part of that.

    Later in the day Sandy and I went and walked the mall since it was raining and had Chic-fil-a for lunch. I feel a bit old because I found myself complaining that 2 meals at a fast food place was $23. I feel like it was rare that I spent over $5 for a meal at fast food joints but that was longer ago than I think I’m sure. Ahh, more of the joys of getting older.

  • Changes Afoot

    I took some courses (well one anyways) on WordPress and I’m getting the hang of some of it. To that end, I’m going to be making some changes to the site shortly that will impact navigation, hopefully for the better.

  • Lunch at Saltgrass

    What a nice day, despite the fact that it didn’t get above 36 today, it was nice to go out with the family to celebrate mom’s and my birthday’s at Saltgrass Steakhouse in Bedford. We went at 2pm so it was nice and quite with barely anyone there. Sandy, mom, and I had the steak and potato’s while Cortney had the veggie plate and Ron had the fish and then we all came back here for cheesecake and Black Forest cake from the Swiss Bakery.

  • Mom’s Birthday, Haircut and Brrr

    While yesterday was nice weather-wise, we’re back in the cold today. I guess that’s Texas winter for you. Had I been in Erie it would have just been cold.

    It’s mom’s birthday today, she’s 82. Exactly 30 years and 4 days older than I. We’ll be getting together tomorrow for lunch to celebrate both her and my birthdays at Saltgrass. That should be nice.

    Got a haircut today. It’s short and the weather is cold, I should have thought that one through but honestly, it looks so much better. I remember having long hair in school and I wore it well but I don’t think my hair grows the way it did, takes forever to grow in and looks like a mop when it does. To prove that here is my PA driver’s license from back in the day.

  • LinkedIn Learning

    I had almost forgotten that part of being an alumni from WGU gets me unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning. One of the classes they have is on WordPress and while I’ve been using it for years, I’m far from being an expert. So I started taking the classes associated with WordPress and I’m a little excited about it. I haven’t really touched my six-monitor Windows 11 development computer since I left ThinkTalent four months ago. That computer was only ever used for work so it feels odd to be on it without doing TT work on it. I’m slowly making it my own again. I do need to do a thorough cleaning and backup of the information. But wow it’s nice to take a class on the dev computer. Six monitors and no waiting. Windows 11 has a built-in SSH client and with WinSCP, it’s almost like being on a native Linux box.

    I haven’t spent much time in the last 4 months on a computer. Heck, half that time has been spent on the road in places that rendered the phone a bricked camera due to lack of signal. I was getting worried that I’d lost my addiction to computers, but I spent half of today sitting at the desk in front of the 10 monitors and it felt good. Missed being in the captain’s seat:)