I honestly would prefer library silence or less. Earplugs cause other issues for me so they are not an option, I have tried. I also prefer almost complete darkness.
I’m honestly looking to build a float tank to use for times when I am really struggling to sleep. When I scuba dive the only reason why I don’t try to take a nap is the risk of losing my regulator or running out of air.
My garden is about 10ft by 12ft. I grow two varieties of tomatoes on a total of four plants, two varieties of cucumber on a total of fourteen vines, two varieties of zucchini on a total of four plants, two varieties of winter squash on a total of fourteen plants, and I have seven small watermelon vines plus seven cantaloupe vines.
Attention and work to make it happen can depend on a lot of things. I am able to grow so much because I am using as much vertical space as possible. I have six large fence posts supporting two five foot by eight foot heavy wire panels that support my tomatoes and watermelon plus cantaloupe. I have two lighter gauge panels that are four foot by eight foot bent into an “A” shape to support my cucumbers and winter squash. I have some cheap tomato cages to support my zucchini. The ground has been covered with cardboard where all plastic tape and labels have been removed and it’s just the cheap brown stuff without printing. It was a full day worth of work to put everything in but the end result is relatively cheap fresh food and if you continue using the materials and replant seeds you save the cost goes down every year.
For watering I’m using a misting system that sprays water directly onto the planting areas that is controlled with a zigbee hose valve which is controlled by HomeAssistant. I had a couple soil moisture sensors but even though they said they were outdoor rated they all died… so for now I have to manually chose when to turn it on or off.
You will still have to worry about pests but diatomaceous earth (the super fine stuff) helps keep a lot of them at bay along with neem oil plus some dish soap in a sprayer. But you have to reapply after a storm and look for them every couple days.
Remember that your garden will be dependant on your local conditions. And you need to get started ASAP to maximize your growing season, a seed packet will show the minimum days to harvest but you will get food to grow on many plants for a few months. If you buy plants that are already started your time to harvest will be shorter than from seed unless you are able to eat the sprouts but you are not going to get food next week. The caveat is that plants cost more and will often be root bound so you need to get the roots freed up so they can grow.
It’s also worth getting a soil test done because some things need more potassium and phosphorus to produce food. And you may want to add a little fertilizer part way through the season.
Well. Let’s see…
My local community is dealing with a 150MW BESS facility that is scheduled to be built over the next 18 months so I’m trying to educate my other half on that so she can inject a little stability into the current group of doom and gloom. We have a ton of windpower nearby and a data center being built about 20 miles away with a few other BESS’ being built within about 40 miles.
I’m in the process of prepping the install of a new meter base, Enphase System Controller 3, Enphase IQ5 Combiner, and all the wiring for the system to function properly. I did some initial work last week to rebuild and insulate the exterior wall which has gained about 6 inches of thickness and is now insulated to R29. Hopefully on the 20th I can get the next portion done and everything finished for solar panel and battery installation.
I’m also working on a little project that will kind of recreate and reimagine one of the little slow MMO browser games. There was one I used to play called Aargh that was basically a big square map you could move around on and do little things or send messages to people. My version will have visuals for people using IPFS and more plain for regular users, and run almost completely using free Cloudflare services outside of IPFS assets. They are called slow MMO’s because you have a limited number of movement actions per day and you can not bank actions for later use. I’m still in the preliminary planning stage but I’m looking at two environments, one with actions that can move large distances around the map and another environment that is more limited and has a debuff which will prevent more actions if you do something wrong. It may never work and I doubt it will be popular but I think it will be interesting to try and build.
It makes it much easier to use and if you only use a little bit at a time it keeps you from tossing out pieces that have spoiled. If you use a micro plane just gently work the ginger back and forth, don’t press hard and you can get as much or as little as you like.
Find an Asian market. Go to their international isle. Look for grace brand or wildwood brand.
The issue is that it’s nearly impossible to get scotch bonnet peppers and habanero are not the same.
Also authentic jerk is smoked over pimento wood (pimento is what they call the allspice berries) so even having everything else authentic doesn’t guarantee it’s going to taste the same.
If you insist on doing your own https://jamaicacafe.org/jerk-chicken/ is pretty much it. And use real fresh ginger, not the pre mushed paste in a tube (if you get a micro plane and freeze the ginger you can quickly grate what you need) and it must be scotch bonnet peppers.
My late wife was from Jamaica.
Also try the Saturday chicken soup https://originalflava.com/soups-and-stews/chicken-saturday-soup/ get some packets of pumpkin soup and use that powder instead of the chicken soup they suggest and use knorr bullion powder for the broth.
I worked in a casino in the late 90’s. I dealt with supplying the coins and payouts for all the slot machines. When a machine would have a jackpot I could have the payout and paperwork printed and waiting before the techs could get to the machine. Everything would show up on my computer screen, including when there was a machine fill done.
Now ask yourself what prevents the machines from being “tighter” or “looser” at the push of a button or click of a mouse.
Every single game is designed to make the house a profit. The only way to truly win at gambling is to own the casino or not play.
I’m waiting for Tau day. Better to wait and have twice as much pi.
And I am now an Enphase Certified Installer. The area where I need to work is mostly prepped and the last bit of prep work will be done tomorrow.
Get them to say it on video. It won’t take long before they are no longer around.
Enphase University is something I’m in the middle of (60% done). On Monday I’m replacing the meter base and mast and installing an Enphase System Controller 3 along with an IQ Combiner 5 and getting everything wired up so I can keep moving on my solar panels.
Finished putting in my garden yesterday. Two types of winter squash, two types of summer squash, two types of cucumbers, two types of tomatoes, some watermelons and some cantaloupe. All in an area about 12 ft X 12 ft. Have a couple zigbee soil moisture sensors and a zigbee hose valve so when the soil moisture gets low HomeAssistant can water things when needed.
Had 25 hours under water to capture footage last month. Now I have to spend the rest of the year editing video. Still trying to get over whatever I caught from the college kid on the flight home as well. He wore a mask in the terminal and took it off on the plane…
Brown
Edit: Boy I guess nobody likes Brown E’s…
Ringconn Gen2 smart ring. Battery issues. Eventually wouldn’t hold a charge for an entire day. This is after being sure to charge it from no lower than 40% and generally no higher than 90% Completely unusable after a year.
I’ve bought some different smart switches and bulbs that changed hardware but not model number thinking I could flash them to ESPHome.
Nope. I could have graduated as a junior had they let me take a single class that was “Only available to seniors.”
The class was 1 semester and dealt with reading a copy of Newsweek. It was junk. I made them pay for it. Because I had already maxed out their computer program the school district sent me to the local community college for free.
This is what I did years ago. No cell phone, land line. DSL still required a phone line at the time but long distance was included free. Would play Diablo 2 with someone I knew who was about 800 miles away.
Look at Mumble. It’s FOSS (Free Open Source Software)
Diving in Raja Ampat, Hawaii, Great Barrier Reef, Phillipines, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, and anyplace else with a reef system. Bonne Terre Mine if I have a dry suit.
Build a solar powered trimiran to travel to most of the above.
Teach others with a love of water who had a really shitty childhood how to dive and hand them the equipment so they can experienced the underwater world.
SCUBA diving. The best part about it is peeing on your buddy…
But seriously having someone to talk with after a dive where you have seen something amazing is a great thing.
Ok just thought of another one that will be good if you like country that is pretty twisted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJzp4ljVDi0 David Allen Coe - stains on the pillow where you once laid your head
You keep moving…
https://dailygalaxy.com/2026/05/albert-einstein-bicycle-quote-meaning/
Believe me, been there. I have dealt with depression for nearly as long as I can remember. I was always an outcast in school. I had family who were toxic, abusive, and downright nasty pieces of work. When my son died at 9 days old in 2002 I struggled to do anything and was nearly 400 pounds. Then I became a widower in 2019 when my wife died, I was heartbroken and while I was alive I wasn’t living.
You have to find something to do, you have to get out and make a friend, you have to do anything you can to stop staring at the four walls around you. Exercise helps a lot, go for a walk in a park or ride a bike around town. Also set a schedule and stick to it, plan for 15 or 20 minutes of exercise, get up at the same time every day, go to bed at the same time too. Learn to cook it you don’t already know how and cook most of your meals. Dump the junk food, BTW pre made packaged food is junk food and so is fast food. Get in the shower every day, brush your teeth too. Go to the library and read a book. Learn a new skill. Talk to a stranger. Go help someone else just to do it. Pick up some trash on the side of the road. Do something… ANYTHING… different than you normally do. Doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results is a simple definition of insanity.
You also can’t rely on someone else to make you happy. You have to do that for yourself. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wander-woman/202505/5-ways-to-discover-and-deepen-what-makes-you-happy