Gemini* and Gopher

• Personal/Opinions

  • 🔤SpellBinding: EFTNPRM Wordo: MICAS

  • Abeyance

    In what's turning into a weekly ritual of sorts, it's time for another gemlog post! Someday I hope to have more interesting things to post than random musings and ramblings, but in what is becoming a tired refrain, work keeps me busy and fatigued, so progress on all things creative is much slower than I'd like.

  • Rest

    The one good thing about getting Covid – at least among the people I live and work with – is that everyone expects you to rest. I got back to work too early, and ended up taking Friday afternoon off. It turned out to be a great move: on Saturday I felt like I'd definitely moved to a new phase of recovery. But something else happened in the last week, and particularly the last few days where I've been "recuperating" rather than "sick". Without the expectation to be "productive" or "busy" or even "purposeful", my brain has been ...many of those things. This happens every time I take a few weeks holiday, or consciously relax, or decide I'm no longer going to do something I've been doing because I feel an obligation to do it rather than because I enjoy it. I don't know why it still surprises me every time.

  • fed up, fuck it, and beyond

    I swear, a year and half in to moving from STL to Farmington, and I have not managed to eek out one inkling of emotional support from anyone/anywhere since the move, and the phone calls to/from my best friend in STL are short and short-winded. He coughs constantly, can't talk on the phone, I talk silently, can't hear me on speaker, and of course the move itself - I came here to volunteer, but to meet people, have *A* person in my corner again. A GOOD friend, and that didn't come through. Online friends, yes of course, I have those everywhere and I am thankful, also (like many online) totally unreachable and unpredictable in their habits and response times. So I may be waiting a day if I want to talk to someone right then.

    [...]

    Keep in mind: this is WELL OVER two years of no in-person emotional support system. Phone calls, texts, e-mails, that's what pumps this soul forward for two rotations around the sun. None else. Yamming it up and BS'ing with fast talk and cordial exchanges - ok, I got those at gas stations and grocery stores, but a *friend* or *friendship* or *good friendship*, nil. A would-be best friend from another country crossed paths, she stopped the dialogue when she felt fit.

• Technology and Free Software

  • Internal Phishing Test

    So as part of the security team of my company I regularly do some phishing tests. The latest ones were a bit hard on my collegues because they were pretty realistic with a lot of inside info. This month I decided to make it a bit more lighthearted. You'll probably recognize both stories I mixed up ;-)

  • subscriptions

    I changed ISP today after being told my existing monthly fee was going up to $97 NZD. I found a deal for $80/month with the first month free. Much saved.

    A good reminder to shop around. There was no need for me to wait for the increase. I don't have many subscriptions, but I will look at my home electricity next.