When collecting the past posts from my previous blogs, I noticed a huge gap, between 2009 and 2016. It doesn't take a genius to realize that's when I started posting heavily on social media. It was mostly Facebook then, but there were a scattering of Twitter posts throughout those years as well. I joined both Facebook and Twitter in 2008, and the posting to the respective platforms ramped up from there. And now there's Instagram, YouTube, Mastodon, Threads, etc.

To be frank, most of the posts are crap. A lot of the "Go Steelers!", or "Man, sure is nice outside today!" variety. But there are some important things in there I want to keep. When we found out my daughter had cancer. Some nice posts on anniversaries. Stuff like that.

To bring everything "in house" as it were, I'm going to start collecting those posts I've made on the various social media sites and posting them here on Sundays. I probably won't include replies, unless it's a thread I'll want to revisit later. I'll avoid duplicates as well, as I tend to copy things from Twitter to Mastodon in my attempt to move over to the latter more. I haven't decided if I'm going to post any media that might have been with the post either, outside of Instagram, obviously.

Overall it'll be mostly the (hopefully) poignant and (probably moreso) irrelavant thoughts I've had throughout the week.

So, to get started:

Twitter:

@USPS says my package will be here by 9. Also says it's still in Indiana. It's about a 9-hour drive from there to here. So... color me skeptical. (06/19)

Mastodon:

Wanted to check the demo of the Max Mega Menu plug-in for Wordpress. Clicking the demo link popped up a notification that the website wanted to open FaceTime. 
Nope. Guess which plug-in I won’t be using whatsoever. (06/17)

A pox on the people blowing off fireworks at midnight in the ‘hood. 4th was two weeks ago, you doorknobs. (06/16)

Facebook:

Currently deactivated

Instagram:

No posts

Threads:

Did I need yet another social media platform to stick my nose into? No. I'm here hoping it's less awful than the bird (06/09 - cheating a bit as this is outsde the 1 week roundup, but it is the very first post on Threads and if I start posting there more often, it'd be nice to have it recorded here)

It's like this.

I can't settle.

I have an idea for a website I want to build, based around a community. Similar to Goodreads, which is built on top of Ruby on Rails. So I figured I'd build my website on RoR. But I don't actually know RoR, so I decide I'll learn it.

And after a month and a bit of progress, I realize that learning RoR is hard. I'm not grasping some concepts that I feel like should be obvious.

Well... I'm always talking about needing to learn Javascript. Two of the three projects I'm on are using some form of JS, Angular and React (third project is using Salesforce which can go die in a fire). Maybe I should consider really getting into the weeds with Angular and/or React. That would be the smart, responsible thing to do. After all, I'm still learning Javascript, and they're used by projects I'm actively working on.

So, having said that, I've been delving into Svelte and SvelteKit this past week. Because, I'm constantly sabotaging myself and why not?

As I'm only a week in, I'm not going to talk much about either right now. Hopefully in a month or so I'll feel more comfortable and I can relate some of my experiences.

But knowing me, I'll have decided Svelte/SvelteKit is just not right and have moved on to Django, or Laravel or something equally as preposterous.

I need to learn Javascipt. I've mentioned this many times before. So, what do I decide to do when I find myself with a lot of downtime at work?

Try to learn Ruby on Rails, of course.

This is definitely outside of my wheelhouse. RoR is a full-stack framework, designed to power the backend of your application. I have in mind a website, sort of a mashup between Scribophile, and Goodreads, geared towards electronic music. I thought about trying the BuddyBoss plugin within Wordpress, but I feel like to really build the site like I want it, I'd need a plethora of plugins, and possibly some custom PHP work as well.

I'm starting with Michael Hartl's Ruby on Rails tutorial. I've also been following along with Deanin's Intro Ruby on Rails 7 For Beginners Tutorial Series on YouTube. I actually started with the Deanin videos, but then stepped back and decided to start "from scratch" as it were, instead of just copying and pasting what was in the videos (although, to be fair, that's probably how 90% of programmers I know learned).

I've given myself to have something viable by the end of the year. Currently, I have a somewhat working login system. I think if I can get that and a profile that a user can update themselves, I'll call it a win.

We had a nice, quiet Christmas; both kids were here, my mom, and our friend Gina. I made everyone breakfast, and then we did our gift exchange. Rather than buy presents for specific people, we each buy two gifts to bring to the table. Then we roll dice, and depending on the number, pass them left, right, across the table, etc. The randomness is fun, and some hilarity is bound to happen. For example, my mom ended up with the Cuss word coloring book my daughter brought. Mom said she was going to get markers, color the pages and stick them to her door.

Pre-Covid, I would typically go to Gina's house (Gail dislikes NYE, so she opts to stay home). Covid put a stop to that, and this year we ended going out to sushi with some friends. I don't like fish as a general rule (but I love tuna fish on crackers. Go figure), so I got the cashew chicken the place offered. The wife had something called a Steeler roll, which I tried. And liked. A lot. And then my buddy offered another couple of pieces of his.

Lemme tell you what... I might not like fish, but I think I'm changing that to "cooked" fish. Sushi is awesome. I can't wait to go back.

Otherwise, it's back to normal. Work has me figuring out some Salesforce stuff (yuck). We've been having some house work done, and are planning a re-plumb ($$$), and we're looking to head to AZ for the wife's and her dad's birthday.

Happy New Year!

Life has an annoying habit of getting in the way.

Along with some personal family issues, I had two freelance clients decide that they wanted updates this week. That does put a crimp into the creativity time when it's needed to complete work for clients. I ended up completing that work early last night, and jumped back into my piece of music I've been building on with @LNADoesAudioStuff's 12 Days of Creativity Challenge. My previous blog entries were specific to the particular challenge I was working at that time, but this particular entry is going to wrap up the last few days all together. I'm writing this, having done (what I consider to be) steps 7 (vocal production), 8 (Arrangement), and 9 (Lifts, Drops, Swells, and Fills), and will publish this entry after completing 10 (Adding Life To Dry, Boring Production), 11 (Creative Automation), and 12 (How You Know When Your Track Is FINISHED!). I have to complete all of this tonight... after tending to some of the aforementioned family issues. Tomorrow is a friend's holiday party, and then it's Saturday, which is the last day of the challenge, and I need to submit my piece, for better or worse!