Microblog on Planet Hawleywood

Your Checkmate

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Buy land in secret. Build the house in secret.Then do the housewarming party with publicity.Date in secret. Propose in private.Then marry in front of a crowd.Let your haters only see your reality, never your vision,or you will have division.In a game of chess, you don’t speak. You just act.The only time that you ever speak when playing chess is to say checkmate.Life is like chess.Don’t broadcast your intentions.Act quietly.Keep achieving.Your achievements are your checkmate.

15 Sentences That Live In My Head Rent Free

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Fear doesn’t stop death; it stops life.
If it costs you your peace, it’s too expensive.
People only see the decisions you made, not the choices you had.
Never take criticism from someone you wouldn’t take advice from.
The magic you’re looking for is in the work you’re avoiding.
Ships are safe in the harbor, but that’s not what they’re built for.
Ambition without action turns into anxiety.
To live a life most people don’t, you must be willing to do what most people won’t.
You can do anything, but not everything-focus.
If you want to make the wrong decision, ask everyone.
Those who don’t move won’t notice their chains.
It’s okay to live a life most people don’t understand.
If someone could only see your actions and not hear your words, what would they say your priorities are?
You can’t have a new reality with an old mentality.
No risk, no story.

What is crufty and bogacious?

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

From: The Gospel of Tux

Crufty:

Meaning: This term, often used in computing, describes something that is cluttered, messy, and overly complex. Think of it as: A software program with a lot of unnecessary features, confusing code, or a user interface that’s hard to navigate.

Meaning: This term, often used in computing, describes something that is cluttered, messy, and overly complex.
Think of it as: A software program with a lot of unnecessary features, confusing code, or a user interface that’s hard to navigate.
Bogacious:

Meaning: This is a more informal and somewhat dated term, meaning excellent, impressive, or outstanding. Think of it as: A synonym for “awesome” or “fantastic.”

Meet me half way

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

How about delivery service that only delivers halfway?

Like, you call to order a pizza, and they say, okay, I’ll meet you in the Marc’s parking lot in a half-hour.

This coulda been me

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The post was from Facebook, and it says this post is from India, but if you told me this was a photo of me at Uncle Bill’s in 1982, I’d believe you. I had that haircut, that generic gray sweatshirt and I still have a whole case of Star Wars figures

Turn Losing Into Learning

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

SSC: Analyze your loss by asking three questions:

Start: What weren’t you doing? What can you start doing differently?
Stop: What did you do wrong that you should stop doing?
Continue: What was working and should be continued?
Reference: The Index Card that Changed My Life

Boring Home Snack? Take it to work!

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

I posted this on Facebook 10 years ago. But it’s still true.

Too god-damned soon..

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

I’m sitting in the theater getting ready to watch 5 Nights at Freddy’s on the day before Halloween. The pre-show commercials have been back-to back-Christmas. What the actual fuck?

Stevie's First Halloween

Sun, 29 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

With us being Stevie’s “Official Halloween Sponsors”, I suggested the possibility of this photo way back in August.

I was thrilled to see the idea take off and happy to have caught this photo of her first Halloween!

I like Fall

Fri, 13 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

It took so little to make me happy back then...

Sun, 24 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

After working at the County in the Justice Center I was flabbergasted to have an office in which we could open the windows and get fresh air.

Little did I know that within a year that little perk was on a very short list at a job from hell.

The gift that nobody wants.

Mon, 18 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Two friends that I hung out with last week texted me in the last few days to tell me that they’ve tested positive for COVID.

I’ve taken two antigen tests since then and so far I’m in the clear. But I am working from home this week and avoiding crowds just to be safe.

I can’t help thinking how much of this might have been avoided if it wasn’t for people’s carelessness when it all started.

Billy's Here

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Your browser does not support the video tag.

Drunk in Reverse

Mon, 28 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Facebook posts from “Birthday Week” 14 years ago.

Read from bottom to top.

5 Years Later

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

It’s been a strange 5 years.

I started this journey at 335 pounds in August 2018.

I got as low as 210 pounds by December 2019

I then entered my “2nd Fat” and managed to get back up to 289 pounds in September 2022.

These days I hover between 225 and 230 pounds.

Low-carb, avoiding processed foods, walking and intermittent fasting. Sometimes all of those things and sometimes just one or two. Like any other addict… one day at a time.

We are ready to rock.

Fri, 18 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Waiting in the theater for https://metallica.filmTrying to resist taking a photo of our crowd with the caption: if you’re here tonight, remember to make your colonoscopy appointment tomorrow.#metallica #metalrules #gettingolder

Night One

Night Two

4 Years!

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Each year on our anniversary dates, employees get a box of chocolates and a magnet signifying how long we’ve been with the company. Today I got my 4-Year magnet and a confectionary treat!

Attack of the Killer Tomato

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

I harvested this mutant tomato from the Blue Sky Garden today.

It was trapped inside a network of vines and I swear it was screaming for help.

Facebook Memories

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Facebook has a feature called Memories where they show you posts you made on this day in previous years. Apart from being sometimes creepy and often reminding me of things I used to like, I’ve started copy/pasting the best of them into this blog.

It’s not removing them from Facebook or making them less private, but I feel like I’m taking back some of my soul and at least making my thoughts easier to find.

Goodbye, old friends

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

I bought these shoes in January 2023. I have another pair of “comfortable shoes” for walking, but these were my exercise shoes.

Since January, I have walked every day. According to Samsung Health, I’ve walked just under 1.5 million steps in 7 months.

I’m retiring these shoes today after logging just over 650 miles. I am replacing them with a new pair just like them.

Blue Sky Garden Update

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

It’s harvest time! Today I picked the first of the veggies we planted almost 3 months ago.

The beefsteak tomatoes aren’t quite ready, but I got a handful of grape tomatoes and a nice cucumber (not pictured)

Blue Sky Garden Update

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Look at these results!

Welcome Baby Stevie

Sun, 16 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

My great niece came home and is finally receiving visitors! Everyone got a chance to hold her. She slept most of the time, because she’s been very busy recently.

Blue Sky Campus Garden Update

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

I normally take a photo each week and update my post, but today I took a short video to show the jungle that the plots have become.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

Sample post using image host

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Testing posting images from an image host. Maybe this’ll save server space for trivial images.

Using catbox.moe as an image host.

AI generated an image from the prompt “Demon playing D&D”. Frankly, I don’t see it.

Days of the Dead 2023 - The Black Phone Cosplay (photo)

Sun, 25 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Ashley posed with a spot-on “Grabber” from The Black Phone

More info: Days of the Dead 2023 – Indianapolis

Days of the Dead 2023 - Creepshow Cosplay (photo)

Sat, 24 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

He got his cake.

More info: Days of the Dead 2023 – Indianapolis

Art the Clown Meet and Greet - Cosplay (photo)

Sat, 17 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

At Screamer’s Costumes in Detroit, MI. More info here.

Toto's Africa is about a Werewolf. Change my mind.

Sun, 16 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000

“It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you/there’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do” Africa - by Toto

So why is the singer not with her now?

This is my theory of Toto’s “Africa”

In Toto’s “Africa,” why is the speaker in Africa in the first place?

Answer: he is “hoping to find some long-forgotten words or ancient melodies.” He is a student of the occult.

Sense of Adventure is high

Sat, 24 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000

REDRUM!

Tue, 22 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

I finally made use of the front license plate holder on my car.Better is the view from your rearview mirror if I’m behind you.

Heeeere’s Johnny!

The Force was not with her

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Today in Batuu, a staff member taught me how to take burst-photos with my phone and then select a single frame that gives the illusion of magic.

Unfortunately, Joe has never seen Star Wars and only held his hand out as instructed. Ashley, however knew what to do, and I was able to capture this sweet photo of her being force-choked in front of the Millennium Falcon.

They really miss me!

Thu, 21 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000

This morning I was plagued by repeated robocalls in the car on the way to work. I just kept rejecting them (they were interrupting my audiobook!)

Not until I arrived did I see the voicemails I got. It turns out these calls were not robocalls - they were my old job trying to get a hold of me.

There’s a SEV-1 (production outage) at my old office and apparently no one told the help desk that I don’t work there anymore.

Walking

Fri, 25 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Today is the 10th day of walking, and I’m wondering if I’m going to die in my chair.

This is the end of my second week of walking everyday. I set a reminder on my calendar to walk at 4pm on weekdays. I walk around the pond behind the building across the street. The whole walk is about .35mi. It takes about 10 minutes (or two songs on my phone). By the time I get back to my desk I feel a little bit like I’m dying. Just a little. My hips hurt, my thighs ache and I’m winded.

Do It Out In The Open

Thu, 12 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000

I attended my first Ohio Linuxfest this year (2017) and had a great time. I found the lightning talks especially inspirational.

One of the talks I especially like were the lightning talks. Lightning talks are a series of short (5 minute), impromptu talks that anyone can do.

They hand you a microphone, and you say what you want to say.

There were a lot of Linux advocacy speeches (as you’d expect) and “How Linux has affected me” type talks. One of the talks that hit home with me was a gentleman who talked about how when he attended his first Linuxfest, Linux was not his career. Fast-forward a few years, and he is back to say that he now has a Linux job that he secured by being active in the community and meeting people and learning on the job.

In case you forget.

Thu, 02 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000

During my time working at the Sheriff’s Office, I had the privilege of being able to traverse the building freely since I was part of IT.

Any room that had a computer was a potential visit for us in case we needed to plug something in or turn something off and on again.

One afternoon, a few of us were tasked with setting up donated computers in one of the classrooms.

3 Fictional Characters

Fri, 23 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000

“Describe Yourself In 3 Fictional Characters” was an online forum game in which participants select fictional characters from popular media that they believe demonstrate various aspects of their personality.

Here’s mine.

Find a Kindle, Hack a Kindle

Sun, 13 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000

“Find a Kindle, Hack a Kindle”. It now runs Duokan 2015 and has 197 ebooks, unless I boot into Kindle mode, where I can access the 34 Kindle books on my account. I am currently reading three books at once. This isn’t going to end well.

Birds of a Feather

Fri, 25 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000

While attending a fundraiser at a bar tonight a girl approached me and asked if the penguin on my shirt was the Linux penguin (It was).

I spent the next 40 minutes chatting with her and her boyfriend (a chef) about Linux and other assorted geekery.

Totally restored my faith in humanity.

Thank you, Anthony. I wish I would have gotten your girlfriend’s name. I hope her brother finds a Linux job. And I wish you nothing but success in the kitchen.

I can install Linux on anything!

Thu, 10 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Pro Wrestler or Porn Star?

Fri, 21 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Pro Wrestler name or Porn star name?

Either way I am picking from this list the next time I am stopped in the mall for a survey.

Slab Bulkhead

Fridge Largemeat

Punt Speedchunk

Butch Deadlift

Bold Bigflank

Splint Chesthair

Flint Ironstag

Bolt Vanderhuge

Thick McRunfast

Blast Hardcheese

Buff Drinklots

Trunk Slamchest

Fist Rockbone

Stump Beefgnaw

Smash Lampjaw

Punch Rockgroin

Buck Plankchest

Stump Chunkman

Dirk Hardpeck

Rip Steakface

Slate Slabrock

Crud Bonemeal

Hail Linux

Thu, 13 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0000

PSA:

Just so everyone knows: I am a Linux administrator. I have been for a few years now.

I DO NOT own any windows machines although I DO use them at work.

If you choose to click that “Upgrade to Windows 10” button I’ve been hearing about you are on your own.

I will be happy to help you figure out what went wrong and try to fix things - but don’t call me and ask things like:

That time I beat Best Buy at their own game

Sat, 21 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000

So we go to Best Buy to buy some computer stuff that was on sale.

I get to the Geek Squad counter and show the guy my phone with the items I want, in stock at that store and the price.

He gets them and tells me the price is $10 more than I planned.

I show him my phone with the sale price. He is unfazed. He cannot sell me the items at the advertised price. I thank him and walk away.

You think your job sucks?

Fri, 19 Sep 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Let me tell you about the people I work with.

First, there’s this supermodel wanna-be chick. Ok, I’ll admit, she’s pretty hot, but damn she is completely useless. The girl is constantly fixing her hair or putting on her makeup. She is extremely self-centered and never considers the needs of anyone other than herself. She is dumber than a box of rocks and I find it surprising that she has enough brain power to breathe.

Toilet Timer

Thu, 21 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000

The bathroom lights at work have automatic motion sensors. This happens more often than I’d like.

Angry Spaghetti

Thu, 31 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000

One time we got in such an argument over where to eat we finally stayed home and Carrie made spaghetti.

You could actually taste the frustration and anger in the sauce.

From that point forward, that dish has been known as “Angry Spaghetti”.

We’ve never had “Angry Spaghetti” since.

It still makes me mad

Mon, 27 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

The question was:

What was something that was done to you as a child, although insignificant now, that still makes you furious?

My Answer:

I went to parochial school for K-12 and my childhood was filled with nuns and priests and other terrors. To this day I’ll never forgive my Kindergarten teacher Sr. Vincent. One day I complained of having a headache and asked to put my head on my desk and she refused, telling me that “Only teachers and parents get headaches.”

I'm hungry

Thu, 14 Nov 2013 00:00:00 +0000

…or how I ended up eating an entire jar of olives one night.

Bye-Bye County

Fri, 06 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0000

My last day at the Sheriff’s Office. Brandon made a post on Facebook. I’m not crying, you’re crying.

The "No-Help" Desk

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

I miss ThinkGeek and their witty IT-themed apparel.

Not my bathroom

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

At every new job, I spend the first few weeks looking for “my” bathroom. The one that’s less popular, usually clean, and bonus points for a locking door. When I worked for the County, I found a candidate at the Data Center that checked all the boxes except for this glaring downside.

I could not imagine watching myself shit. Who does this?

Shut up, green Meg.

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Went to see “Oz: The Great and Powerful”. This is all I could think throughout the whole thing.

I posted this to Twitter right after we saw the movie and got so much shit from people thanking me for ruining the surprise.

Still not sorry.

It’s funny.

Now I don't know math

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Carrie just shuffled behind my chair on her way to the bedroom, unknowingly building up an intense electrostatic charge. She then reached out lovingly and patted me on the head, discharging 1.21 gigawatts into my poor bald spot.Now I don’t know math.

It's no wonder I'm fat

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000

A two-office, business casual, programmer / driving instructor

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000

So, we’re in the empty parking lot and Ashley’s practicing maneuverability with the new car, when a guy pulls up and asks me if I do this (teach driving) professionally?

Me: Ummm… no.

Him: If I gave you a couple bucks could you teach my mom how to do this (referring to the cones)?

Me: Tell ya what, we’re up here most evenings. If we’re here, I’d be glad to help.

The First ... LEON?

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

For a while I thought this might have been the ultimate goof. Someone thinking that if the lights were on the outside of the house, they needed to be backwards (to them) so that the words were forward (for us). Like writing on the outside of a window, for the people inside.

But then I decided that I was overthinking that explanation and that the owners just decided that Leon was pretty cool at Christmas.

...and that, kids, is how I broke my phone

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Programmer Anal

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

There is a distinct disadvantage to being a Programmer Analyst

My Life According to Alice Cooper

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions.

Pass it on to 15 people you like (if you want to) and include me. You can’t use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It’s a lot harder than you think! Re-post as “my life according to (band name)”

A disclaimer: Some of this stuff obviously isn’t true, the songs just fit that way.

Scaring My Wife

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000

So, I’m sitting in my chair watching “This Week in Tech Live” (because I’m a geek) on the laptop when I start thinking “How can I watch this on a bigger screen?”.

So I pause the show, stand up and look behind the TV (Carrie and Ashley were watching “Bridezilla’s”).

Carrie’s eyes got big.

I turn around and look at the back of the laptop. “Hmmmm…”

Carrie pauses Bridezilla’s and looks at me. “What?”

De-icing the wing

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000

This is the best picture I ever took on my old crappy flip-phone

Happy Birthday to the little woman

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000