Gemini* and Gopher

• Personal/Opinions

  • Finally

    I got my website up that I was planning to do so that's one thing off my checklist.

    Took some time to figure why nginx wasn't working but now it's fine really hope it doesn't break for some reason. Will probably update it somewhat regularly.

  • Stargazing 2024-11-05: Big Dipper

    The skies cleared up yesterday evening (2024-11-04) but I was too tired to go out, having gotten up early that morning, getting by on about five hours of sleep. Micah really wanted to go out, and even cried with disappointment, but I knew I couldn't stay awake much longer. And indeed I was asleep within five minutes of hitting the sack.

    This morning the skies were still mostly clear when I got up for work about 3am. After a hasty shower, I was able to get out to the yard about 3:45, with sketching materials, the binoculars, my little fold out table, and my cold weather gear. After a few minutes of surveying, I decided to focus on the handle of the big dipper, which was in a convenient viewing location. I worked on a sketch for about 30 minutes and then, as some clouds were rolling over, the stars got dimmer and dimmer, until I was forced to give up about 4:30. H

  • A death on Hallowe'en

    I learned on Monday that my friend Duke Parrish died [1] from catching up on his wife's My­Insta­Tik­Face­Linked­Me­Pin­Book­Space­Tok­In­Gram­We­Trest feed. He died on October 31^st. Hallowe'en.

    He was five days younger than I.

    It wasn't a sudden accident or the result of a horrible crime. No. He had a genetic disorder diagnosed way too late and it caught up to him.

    [...]

    But as I said, Duke was five days younger than I. Then again, it was weird when my “known-him-almost-as-long” friend Hoade became a grandfather. What? Hoade is a month younger than I. And then another friend I've known for over twenty years had a stroke—he's a few months younger than I. And another friend I've know for over twenty years had heart surgery—he's a few months older than I. And yet another friend I've ”known-him-almost-as-long-as-Hoade” is on dialysis.

• Politics and World Events

  • US presidential election

    I learned Kentucky voters don't directly care much about foreign policy. The case has to be made, connecting to jobs and the economy, healthcare (for the Democrats), principles or theory of good government that motivate Republican immigration concerns and (maybe) Democrat abortion concerns.

    I knew Republicans are the default in Kentucky. I learned (again?) Dems are the party of incomes over $100,000, no financial anxiety, "country's going in the right direction," our two big cities, and black voters.