MUDPIX OUTDOORS

Photo credit: This photo, by: Patrick Tomasso.

New for 2022 is my TODAY page. What is this page about you may be wondering? This is one single page on my website where I write a journal with updates about how my day is going in regards to non-major personal life events, and my creative process for production of my art, photography, and ebooks. This page also serves as the new place where I share random internet links to things I found interesting that you may also like to check out. I have been writing this journal since Monday, January 3rd, 2022.

I will keep a few journal posts on this page at any given time and then I will remove some as I write. Because I am trying to keep this website as minimal as possible, I do not archive these journal posts on this website. Instead, I will publish my journal in a new upcoming personal pdf magazine. Look for it soon.

WELCOME TO TODAY’S JOURNAL IN SEPTEMBER 2022:

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2022

6:05 PM CST – GREAT WEEKEND SO FAR – It’s a beautiful evening on this Saturday. My weekend has been a good one so far. I have done a little reading in my new book, but not as much as I had planned. I’ve been working on YaasColor a lot, and had my eyes glued to watching YouTube videos about the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 phone that came out recently, and also about the upcoming S23 Ultra coming out in the not too far off future. I want a new phone, and the urge to spend some cash for one is burning my pickets. We all know how that goes right? This evening I bought a new pair if JLAB bluetooth earbuds. I didn’t need them. I have two pairs, and several headphones of that brand. I just wanted them to try out since they are a new model. Tonight I’m going to listen to some music, and get some more work done on my projects.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2022

7:04 PM CST – OVERTIME TONIGHT – I’ve got about 4 hours left this evening before I head in for overtime at my day (night) job. I’m looking forward to it. It’s extra time on the paycheck, and I have a new book to read while at work that I bought yesterday. It’s titled The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman. I got a lot of work done on my website this week, and I wanted to do some more this evening before I go into work, but my mind is shutting down to doing anything that requires heavy concentration. I keep telling myself to shut down my work-station in my home office and forget the internet for a few hours, but I’ll probably leave it on until the last minute before I leave for work. So currently I’m just having dinner, catching up on laundry, and trying to focus on getting my things together for work tonight. It’s supposed to get down to 63 degrees tonight. I will take a space heater with me tonight, although I may not need it. I’ll just layer up my clothing. So I mentioned that I have a new book to read. I’ve been wanting to start a new book since last weekend, or maybe the weekend before. I think it may do me some good to crash from productivity for awhile and just enjoy some good reading. So I hope that the book is good. Most reviews says that it is. If it isn’t good though, I have more on my Amazon Kindle that I can read.

7:45 PM CST – So I decided to go ahead and shut down my home office for tonight, and for the weekend. It takes me three hours to get ready for work as it is. I don’t need to sit in my office until the last minute. I’m gonna catch up on some home chores, and pack my things I need for work tonight.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2022

11:02 PM CST – I GOT THE ACTION FIGURES I WANTED – I went out for my weekly grocery shopping earlier this evening. I got groceries and some other things. The other things were some new sweat pants, and some RGB LED clip-on lights to clip on my monitors. I bought four of them. You’ve probably seen them. They are made to clip on your phone to be used for taking selfies in low light. I won’t be using them for that purpose (I don’t think). They look great clipped onto my monitors though. The definitely liven up my desk space. The were on sale. I’m sure I’ll spend a fortune on batteries to keep them running, but whatever. They’re fun to look at and watch while I’m working. I’ll probably buy some more if there are any left next time I go. I’ve been buying desk toys a lot lately. Why not? I need to clean up and organize my desk though. Also, yesterday morning, I went back to the store and picked up the He-Man and Skeletor action figures I had seen the day before that I wanted, and then put back, and then decided I wanted again. Fortunately they were right where I had left them on a shelf. Tonight I’m exploring photography by other photographers on Unsplash, and working on a new ebook. So look for that to appear soon. It’s called Photo Culture Zine.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13TH, 2022

1:26 AM CST – FALL IS IN THE AIR TONIGHT – Tonight is the first real night that I’m noticing fall coming around. The temps at night have been in the low 70’s and high 80’s, but tonight it’s definitely cooler. A short while ago I remembered that I bought a new bottle of Gazillion Bubbles during last nights shopping trip. Yes I said Gazillion Bubbles. I like blowing bubbles occasionally ok. Anyway, I noticed my kitchen weather monitor said that it is 63 degrees outside. Accuweather on my phone says 67 degrees, but I went outside to blow some bubbles for a few minutes and the air feels more like 63 degrees. I don’t like it. I try not to hate winter much in the past few years as I’ve grown a fondness for not having bugs flying around, but I really don’t like the cold weather. Nothing I can do about it though but deal with it. I did have fun blowing some bubbles though. I haven’t done that all summer since I ran out of bubbles some time ago, and I kept telling myself to buy a new bottle of Gazillion Bubbles. I’ll look forward to blowing more bubbles during the day time now, and I’ll try to enjoy the fall weather.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2022

11:13 PM CST – NEW KEYBOARD AND ABANDONED ACTION FIGURES – I had to drive out to buy a new keyboard earlier tonight. I bought one around two weeks ago, but the damn thing did not have a caps-lock light built into it. It bugged me. Anyway, while out, I saw a couple of action figures (He-Man and Skeletor) that were marked down on sale. I almost bought them, but then I put them back. Now that I’m home, I’m wishing that I had bought them. They would make great additional desk toys to go along with a Thor action figure I have. I may go back to the store when it opens up tomorrow to see if they are still laying on a shelf where I put them. I know it will bug me if I don’t. I have to go out for other chores anyway, so it’s not like I’ll be going out of my way much.

WELCOME TO TODAY’S JOURNAL IN MAY 2022:

SATURDAY, MAY 28TH, 2022

3:35 AM CST – AMAZIOGRAPH IS ON ANDROID – Earlier this morning I started working on putting a brochure together for my website that viewers can download. It will point out highlights of my creative work. Also, I noticed this morning that an App I was interested in a year or more ago called Amaziograph is now available in the Google Play Store. It used to only be available in the Apple App Store. It is an app that let’s you draw symmtrical mandalas. I will download it soon on my tablet and see if I can use it in my digital art routine. I’ve got a ton of ebooks to put together as well. So there will be some new eboiks coming to my store hopefully soon, but I can’t say how soon that will be.

MONDAY, MAY 23RD, 2022

11:41 PM CST – MET A STRANGER –  Tonight is a very un-ordinary night for me. Outings on a Monday are not a usual thing for me, but a spur of the moment “I need to get out of my house” led me to McDonald’s drive-thru in Opelika, and then a drive over to Lee County Courthouse to shoot some video of the water fountain in the courtyard. It was a very peaceful time, and I thought that I would be able to shoot my video uninterrupted. But someone (a complete stranger) walked up who I think really needed a bit of peaceful conversation and some advice to get himself on the right track in life. I won’t tell his name or what he’s going through, but I hope in some way that the chance meeting with him, and maybe some of my words can lead him to a path of happiness. I didn’t get to finish shooting my video. I can always go back another time. I packed up my things and called it a night after short conversation. I didn’t feel like I was in any danger or anything, but it was late, and the guy admitted to me that he had some problems, and at my age, I’m not one to stay around if I can help it for too long because these days you just simply cannot trust people to not turn on you and try to harm you. With that said, he was a very polite guy, and I wished him well, and then I made my way back home. I gave him my website address on Facebook messenger and told him to send me a message sometime to let me know how life is going for him. I’m not sure why I’m writing about this. We are all fighting battles in our lives. Maybe I related to that with him, having my own issues. Not so much relating to his specific issues, but with fighting battles. Throughout the rest of the night, I will keep him in mind for more well wishes in his recovery. I will even light a candle for him for awhile so as not to forget to keep wishing him well… and because I like burning candles and haven’t done that in a long time.

TUESDAY, MAY 17TH, 2022

3:05 PM CST – CHILLIN’ IN MY HOME OFFICE TODAY – Today is a beautiful day. Not just in Alabama, but also over the skyline in New York as I’ve been watching on Earthcam. I’m getting a lot of work done on my website this week. I’m moving content from my 2nd “official” website to my 1st official website. I’ve decided it’s not beneficial to try operating both websites when I can publish all of my content to just one… not that anyone actually cares but me of course. Going on my short “field trip” to Moffits Mill in Salem Alabama yesterday to see the waterfalls has me wanting to get out somewhere else to explore today, but I’m on a budget for other things this month, and besides, tomorrow is my grocery buying day, and I usually use that as an excuse to drive out to the lake somewhere for a few hours. So today I’m taking advantage of time I have to work on getting my website in order.

TUESDAY, MAY 10TH, 2022

5:22 PM CST – I’M FEELING FRUSTRATED! – Once again, it’s been quite awhile since I updated my journal and once again it’s because I’ve been busy. What have I been busy with you might ask? Well I’ve been working on my newsletter a lot, and I’ve also been considering to break my newsletter up into it’s own publication on another website, however I’m having some trouble finding a good domain to work with which has me frustrated today. Anyway, I’m working on a new DAY TRIP 001 photo ebook. I honestly don’t have a lot to tell in this update other than these few things. I mainly just wanted to check in to say I’m alive, today is a beautiful day, and everything is ok.

WELCOME TO TODAY’S JOURNAL IN APRIL 2022:

THURSDAY, APRIL 14TH, 2022

3:15 AM CST – THE RELAUNCH IS DONE! – I have finally gotten around to switching themes on my website. Now I can start getting around to some site building. I learned something about WordPress during the whole time I was designing my new website template. I wasted my time deleting some content (not all of it) before switching my theme. I’ve realized I didn’t have to delete my content that I wanted to keep. All I had to do was just set up the new theme, and my content would have gone right in where it needed to go. In the end however, I’m glad I deleted almost everything. It will give me the chance to start completely over with publishing my content. I’m looking forward to what the future holds for my website going forward now.

3:24 AM CST – A funny funny happened this morning. I forgot that it’s Thursday. My whack ass sleep habits do that to me sometimes. Realizing it’s Thursday however makes me happy because it means I have one more night off this week before I go to work this weekend. I took a road trip yesterday to West Overlook Viewpoint, and Hardley Creek Park on West Point Lake and got some great photos. I discovered I really love the wide angle lens that my Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has. I took a lot of photos with it, and I’m looking forward to using it more. I’m tempted to take another trip this morning.

WELCOME TO TODAY’S JOURNAL IN MARCH 2022:

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30TH, 2022

12:51 AM CST – A BUSY COUPLE OF WEEKS – It’s been awhile since I caught up with my journal here. That’s because I’ve been really busy over the past couple of weeks with website renovation, photo editing, and focusing on trying to get more things done. Speaking of getting things done, I’m still trying to work out the publishing of my newsletter. The following is a tweetstorm I wrote about it on Twitter today.

Brainstorming… Today I discovered @craftdocsapp from one of the productivity channels I follow on YouTube which is @KeepProductive. I have been searching for a cloud-based notes tool that I could use for writing my upcoming newsletter. Maybe I’ll give this one a try sometime.

It apparently is for Mac and Ipad/Iphone only (which I don’t use), but appears to be available in a web version. I’m also looking at possibly using my @Taskade for this project since I’m already enjoying it for task management. I’ll have to see how much it handle all on one page.

Or maybe I’ll try @NotionHQ for my newsletter if it has pdf export. My newsletters are going to be pretty long, so I have to find something that can handle large amounts of text on one page without it getting bogged down.

Taskade has a cool “folding” feature that lets you collapse or expand text on a project page, so it may be the best candidate for what I want. I have tried Taskade pdf export function, and it’s pretty nice, aside from some small page elements that get exported from the web.

So I have a lot of work ahead of me to see which of these tools are going to work best for my cloud-based newsletter writing… otherwise I’ll just stay stuck in Open Office… which isn’t entirely bad. It’s actually what I use to write and export my pdf photo ebooks with.

UPDATE: I tried to sign up for @craftdocsapp and discovered they don’t actually have web version of their product, but have one in beta. So for now, I think I’ll focus on Taskade and see what it can do for me with my newsletter.

Originally tweeted by David Thrift 📷 🎨 🎧 (@MrDThrift) on March 30, 2022.

THURSDAY, MARCH 17TH, 2022

10:43 AM CST – PROMO DJ – Today I started checking a website called PROMO DJ. I think I knew about this website before, but never really got around to see what it’s about. PROMO DJ is a website where dj’s can upload music mixes, and listeners can hear them, and even download them for free. You need an account on the website in order to view track lists. Below are some initial links I’ve explored today.

PROMO DJ WEBSITE – https://promodj.com/

HOT UNCLE T – https://promodj.com/rat76

OVERTIME – https://promodj.com/rat76/mixes/7243347/OVERTIME

12:42 PM CST – A NEW EMAIL FOR NEWSLETTERS – Totally not important. Just noting that I created a new email address today to be used strictly for newsletter signups. It’s not like I’m normally in the habit of signing up for newsletters, but now I can, and don’t have to worry about them overtaking my main email.

5:32 PM CST – FIRST GRASS CUT IN 2022 – We’re having some beautiful warm Spring weather today in Alabama. My grass had grown up in small patches in my front yard. So I decided to get out the lawnmower and take care of it. I also did a small amount of other yard work. There is a small area of my front yard that I am clearing out so that I can turn it into sort of a seating area, or just leave the clearance for new space to look at. I will soon need to schedule my lawn keeper for bi-weekly grass cutting. Last summer was the first summer that I could afford to have someone take care of my lawn, and I’m going to do it again this year. I was shocked, but happy, that my lawnmower cranked up with little trouble today, considering that it did not get used at all last summer, and spent the winter before that, and this prior winter in storage.

MONDAY, MARCH 7TH, 2022

3:49 AM CST – TWEETSTORM – Over the past few nights I have been practicing Full Site Editing in WordPress. I have figured out quite a bit of it, and I’m well on my way to designing a nice website layout using nothing but basic blocks.

I feel like a complete site wipe is in order soon with a fresh start, and a new modern template.

I’ve been using the Colinear template for years, and I got mad when I found out WordPress is advancing to a point that you don’t even need a template anymore. You can just throw some blocks on the Blank Canvas template and bam… a nice looking website in a few minutes.

Why this made me mad at first is because I was told the Colinear template would eventually be deprecated and not available. I couldn’t fathom the thought of ever losing my favorite WordPress theme that I’ve used for so long. I knew I had to suck it up and drive on though.

First I went to wordpress(.org) and downloaded my own copy of the Colinear template to have for myself. I figured if the time ever comes that I need that template, I will need the zip file containing all of it’s parts.

Then I remembered also that I was told by a WordPress assistant that the Colinear template could remain in place on my current install and be used as long as it still works. That got me thinking that the old Colinear template may just become totally obsolete over time.

So I decided to start playing around with FSE, and now I’m glad I did. I’m starting to realize that FSE is not extremely difficult, and that I can actually design my own unique website with it. It would be one that I can easily change elements in very easily any time.

Having made this realization, I have also come to realize that I’m spending a lot of money on websites, and I can probably design a template that can accommodate all of my projects on one website.

I’ve got a lot to think about regarding arrangement of my projects, and my websites.

Originally tweeted by Mr. T (@MrDThrift) on March 7, 2022.

SATURDAY, MARCH 5TH, 2022

5:15 AM CST – I’m about 50 minutes away from finishing up my first work shift for this weekend. During the night I was able to clear a ton of tabs out of my Firefox browser on my laptop. That was a much needed task I’ve been needing to do. I did it by saving urls to my INBOX so that I can access them later when I’m actually ready to work with them. I need to train myself to do that more often. There’s really no point in hoarding tabs for months like I’ve been doing. I discovered that’s an easy way to get distracted, and sidetracked in my work. I also made some notes to help me organize my website projects, and keep up with what I’m doing with them. I also played around with a new test template so that I can get more familiar with full site editing in WordPress.

FRIDAY, MARCH 4TH, 2022

5:18 AM CST – I’m just getting around to checking my website and realized that I didn’t write anything in my online journal during the whole month of February this year. Oooops! It’s not a total loss however because I started reading my horoscopes in February, and I’m keeping notes about them. My horoscopes are going to be included in a new newsletter called David’s WebZine. So, I’ve been writing… it just wasn’t in my journal. During the month of February, I sort of started thinking about my notes on the horoscopes as another form of journal writing. In the end, who cares as long as my writings go into the publication. I think that’s all that matters.

5:30 AM CST – Something that has been on my mind quite a bit this week is that I have decided I have way too many websites. I have way to many websites because wordpress.com makes it very easy to purchase whatever dotcom domain you want that is available on the market. I have way too many websites because I come up with ideas that I think at the time are great, buy a good domain for the project, start building, and then come up with another idea, and bam… there I go buying another domain. Then I start building that site, and put the other one on hold. Yes I am one of those people who can’t finish something before starting something else. I’m starting to get tired of it though. I’m realizing that I am wasting a lot of time and energy to get nowhere with these websites. So I have a plan. I’m going to let the hosting plans expire on several of the domains I own. I will keep the domains in my possesion however. These websites will switch over to their “free” wordpress.com subdomains. This will give me time to work on these websites more to see if I really want to carry through with the projects while saving money until I’m sure. I did recently purchase another domain. I’m not going to mention it here because it’s basically I website that functions similar to my official website here at ddavidd.com, however hosts information and links that I wouldn’t host here. I also purchased it to help me organize my content, and to be able to distribute my content in the appropriate places. I have my mind set on condensing my projects to as minimal a number of websites to maintain as possible. My online stores can actually be promoted here at ddavidd.com for awhile I think. Do I really need to pay for website hosting for those projects that I’m not even really putting a lot of time into? No, I think not. I’ll still have the domains, and I can put the domains back on those project websites when I’m ready to promote those projects more. That’s one of the things I like about wordpress.com… you can’t purchase a domain on their platform without purchasing a plan, but you get a free domain for a year with any of their paid plans. After a year, if you haven’t been building your website, you can dispose of the hosting plan, but keep your dotcom domain until you are ready to upgrade your plan again. After that year, your dotcom will just renew at the current cost of $18 a year. That price might increase over time, but you aren’t paying for a hosting plan after your first year until you are ready again.

5:46 AM CST – Just wanted to mention that I added a 2nd monitor to my home office desk for my laptop. It is a much needed upgrade so that I can get more productive with my writing and other work. I’m waiting on my tax return to hit the bank and then I’m going to add a 3rd monitor. I will then have 4 screens to work with, and that is going to be awesome. I think after that, I’m going to try avoiding any more big spending for a few months, especially with the Spring coming and I need to put money aside for paying someone to cut my grass like I did last year. I spoiled myself by doing that. I don’t have any intentions of ever cutting my grass again if I can help it lol. Fuck cutting grass!

5:54 AM CST – I recently started listing to the Vocal Trance di.fm radio app. This isn’t my first roller coaster ride with di.fm, but it’s a come back thing for me. I started using the app sometime around 2015 I think, but I started subscribing to Spotify, and I think I forgot about the di.fm radio app. I still have my Spotify subscription. I need to use it more. But I remembered di.fm and wanted to give it another try. I’m using the free, ad supported version. It’s all I need. They want $70 per year for their ad-free service. I’m not going to pay that much money for a simple radio app. They are crazy. I pay more than that for Spotify, but Spotify is far superior to di.fm any day. With all of that said, I enjoy di.fm for it’s ease of use. It’s almost like fm radio. You just turn it on and listen to whatever they play. I also like it because I can share the tracks to a burner blog I own, and from the blog posts I’m posting on that blog, I can compile a list of the songs I’ve heard. That list can be used for new music and artists discovery. The list I’m compiling is a seasonal list. This first one covers the Winter 2021 to Spring 2022 season. I will be bring that list to my website, or to my newsletter, or both soon when the seasons officially change.

WELCOME TO TODAY’S JOURNAL IN JANUARY 2022:

THURSDAY, JANUARY 27TH, 2022

8:09 PM CST – Since my last journal entry, I have been battling procrastination a little. It’s not a total loss in moving forward with things. Mostly it’s just been taking my time with things. I have bad habits sometimes of trying to rush things, and then something doesn’t go right. I just need to think my way through with a few things. I’m considering to start another new business. This one will not be an online business. It will be one outdoors (probably on some hot days out in the sun) around the lakes where I like to do my photography. My plan is to guard vehicles against vandalism and theft for fishermen while they are out on their boats. I’ve been working on a new website for this business all during this week since Monday I think. I have two website designs made up, and I’m not sure which one to go with yet. One of them is using my current go to WordPress template which is Colinear. The other one is using the Shawburn template which was designed for business pages. I love the way Shawburn looks, but it isn’t as functional for blogging or building resource pages like Colinear. I’m leaning toward Colinear for more functionality. It’s hard to believe the first month in 2022 is almost over. I’ve actually done a lot this year so far, but it doesn’t feel like it.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 20TH, 2022

12:43 AM CST – Yesterday evening I went out for my main weekly shopping trip. I bought my usual groceries, and I also spent a tiny fortune on some accessories for my laptop. I bought a new 6 plug electric strip, a Seagate brand 8TB desktop external hard drive, and a 3.0 usb hib that I didn’t know I’ve really been neesing for a long time. I bought these things to try and help myself step up my game in content production and organization of all of my files in general. My goal is to take all of my other external drives, plus flashdrives, and tranfer all content to the 8TB hard drive. This will allow me to have everything in one central location for working at home. Then I can use my flashdrives to continue work on the go. So throughout this morning, I am working on transferring files to the desktop hard drive, and I’m also cleaning out my truck. I don’t know how much I can get done on my truck. Itlooks like it’s going to rain. The temps are in the 50’s tonight so I’m using that to my advantage to work on my truck. Earlier this week on Monday, I did some much needed house cleaning. I’m in a chill mood tonight (this morning) and all is good in my life. Oh, I’ve got some laundry going as well.

1:04 AM CST – As luck would have it, it started raining while I was inside writing my previous journal entry. No worries. I can surely find something else to do while I’m doing my file transfers. What that is right this minute, I have no clue. I wasn’t in the mood to do anything else lol.

1:35 AM CST – I recently set up a small desk (work station) in my bedroom. Actually, my bedroom this week has been transformed from bedroom to part bedroom, part living room, and part office space lol. I took my livingroom easychair (not a recliner) and put it in my bedroom. Now I have a nice little spot that is perfect for reading, or just relaxing with my phone. I took an old round decorator table I’ve had since probably very early 2000’s, that hasn’t been used in many years (I took the screw on legs off of it for storage) and set it up next to the easychair so that I could put a lamp on it. My queen size bed had to be pushed over a bit to accomodate the easychair. The desk area I set up is just a simple 2′ X 4′ folding table, but works perfect for my needs in the space I have available. My main office room currently has a roof leak and it’s harder to control the climate in there. That’s why I created the work space in my bedroom. I set that up before I brought the easychair in. I brought the easychair in because I wanted more space in my living room. What I didn’t realize was that I would end up creating a nice and cozy little space in my home with these simple adjustments where I can relax or get some work done on my laptop. I wasn’t really using the easychair iny livingroom, but now in my bedroom, I’m finding it to be a nice spot to hang out. My bedroom is only 10 1/2′ by 13′, and now contains the easychair, my queen size bed, two decorator tables, a dresser, and my workspace, and I still have room to move around. It’s nice. My bedroom might just be my new favorite room.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 16TH, 2022

12:30 AM CST – Since getting more into art at the start of this year, I’m noticing my workflow is changing. Rather than just spending hours in front of my laptop trying to figure out gameplans for my content, I’m pinpointing specific tasks to do for the next time I turn my computer on. I do the task, and then get back off the computer and either do some art on my phone, or my new tablet. I haven’t forgotten the photo ebooks I’m supposed to be doing. I’ve realized I need additional storage (another flashdrive or external drive) to finish that project. I should start just buying external hard drives instead of flashdrives. The amount of data I’m starting to work with is getting nuts.

12:45 AM CST – Upon reading one of my journal entries, I’m reminded that I’m supposed to be cleaning out my Google Calendar. I guess it can wait.

2:54 PM CST – Just a tip. Google Maps Timeline history is a cool thing if you have location history turned on. It works off of your phones’s gps, and will show you towns you didn’t know you traveled through, as well has how many times you’ve visited places. It can also be used as a reminder to visit places you haven’t been to in awhile. Also the “explore” function is nice. You can discover places in your area you didn’t know about. I’ve never heard of many of the local parks it listed. Maybe I need to break down and get another truck and go do some exploring.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 4TH, 2022

2:03 AM CST – I went outside awhile ago and turned on the water at the outside faucet since the temperature has fell to 28 degrees. I noticed the sky was clear, and my front porch as well as my trucks were covered with frost. As I said I was going to do, I got some website work done. I was just thinking about working on my art some more, but I’m getting a little tired. So I’ve decided I’m going to go crash in bed instead.

1:42 PM CST – I woke up just before noon today (at 11:54 CST if I remember right). I’ve just been wandering around home for awhile – not really doing much. I downloaded the Google Calendar app to my phone. I haven’t used Google Calendar for quite a few years, but I saw it mentioned on YouTube and I thought why not try it again. I discovered some old irrelevant tasks I put in it before that needs to come out before I can start putting it to use again. That will have to come at a later time. I’ve got a shopping trip to take care of.

10:08 PM CST – I’m home from my shopping trip. I wasn’t able to get everything I needed. So I will have to go again tomorrow or Thursday. I saw a Targus brand laptop bag I’m considering to buy. I want to look at some other ones though before I spend money. It’s looking like another cold night with temps in the 30’s again.

SHARING IS CARING:

I can’t help myself. When I see something interesting on the internet, I have to share it. Check out the information and links below for my shares.

UPNOTE NOTE TAKING APP – I discovered, and started using this cross-platform note taking app in December 2021, and I love it. I can write notes on my phone, and then access them for use on my laptop over the cloud. It helps me with my lists, my journals, and my website upkeep. It has become the perfect companion to Google Keep for me, whereas I use Google Keep for simple notes and lists, and UpNote is where I do my heavy writing on the go. Search for UpNote in your app store. – 2022-01-03-MON @ 8:40 PM CST.

THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER’S LANTERN PANE DUTIES – A great article by Bob Trapani at Maine Lights Today. The article describes job expectations that lighthouse keepers were required in order to keep lighthouse glass panes obstruction free to provide the best lighting possible. – 2022-01-03-MON @ 9:20 PM CST – https://www.mainelightstoday.com/lighthouse-keepers-lantern-pane-duties/

THE AFFINITY STORE – I’ve just discovered The Affinity Store, a place where you can get content creation pages for Affinity products such as Affinity Photo which is what I use for most of my photo editing. There I discovered also a brush pack I might pick up sometime to try and make some art with (oops that brush pack is just a set of png images you can use for overlays in images – but I do think there are some other brush packs available in the store). See links below. – 2022-01-04-TUE @ 12:08 AM CST.

AFFINITY – https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/

AFFINITY STORE – https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/store/

VIBRANT PAINT STROKES BUNDLE – https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/store/

This page was created on Tuesday, January 4th, 2021 @ 12:50 AM CST and is updated frequently.