That DIY tile trick is brilliant. Instead of mixing mortar and making a huge mess, you just use the stick-on backing and place the tiles directly on the wall. So much simpler and cleaner. Now I’m tempted to try it in my kitchen—I just need to find the right tiles I like.
I could do something like this cool project. Check it out here. I have to find the instructions for this!!!
via Threads
Spring’s nearly here with nice mid-60s weather. Can’t wait to start projects around my tiny house! Took flower photos below from my time in DC. Miss those days and capturing everything there!
Took it in March 2023.
Took it in April 2023
Took it in July 2023
via @technogeek75
Wait—The U.S. and Iran Were Once Allies?
My blog doesn't usually wander into geopolitics, but a couple of emails about the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran showed up in my inbox last week, and even after I set them aside, the question kept nagging at me.
How did we actually get here? So I finally got curious and went looking.
The thing that surprised me most: Iran and the United States weren't always adversaries. Before 1979, they were actually close allies. The relationship flipped after the Islamic Revolution, and it’s been complicated ever since.
"Onetime allies, the United States and Iran have seen tensions escalate repeatedly in the four decades since the Islamic Revolution." …
I have finished half-way. Now taking a break… Next: step 6! It has been fun doing this.
The fun has begun…opening to the first bag right now.
After lunch I’m opening this LEGO set and taking a little trip back to the 80s.
Building LEGO as an adult is oddly satisfying—the slow rhythm of snapping pieces together and watching it take shape.
Gizmo from Gremlins. Just have to remember… don’t feed them after midnight.
I’m currently watching the Scarpetta TV series on Amazon Prime. So far, it hasn’t been bad. I’m at the 5th episode now. Well, I still need to get started on the first Scarpetta book to get to know Kay Scarpetta better.
A Detour Through Butcher Hollow
Yesterday started with a routine trip to Paintsville, KY, for an eye doctor appointment. The news was mostly good—everything looks stable—but since I’m managing diabetes, I’ll be back for a follow-up in three months to stay on top of things. However, there is something we have to watch closely. They saw a spot on the scan, and honestly, without an interpreter there, it was hard to fully grasp what is happening.
I used the Live Transcribe app on my Android, which is usually great, but it struggled to capture the conversation between the doctor and my dad. It missed words, messed up the spelling of technical terms, and made it difficult to be …
It’s incredibly heartbreaking to see this today. True peace will never be reached, and the situation will only get worse (and, yes, it is a satire photo, with aliens in this picture).
I recently set up my MacBook Air. I had forgotten how lightweight it is—it feels fantastic. Now I can browse the internet and get my work done away from my desk, where I usually work on my Mac mini.
Is 8GB Still "Enough" in 2026?
I’ve been rocking an M1 Mac mini with 8GB of RAM for a long time now. For the simple stuff—emails, a few tabs, the occasional video—it’s been an absolute champ. But lately, the 'magic' of Apple’s memory management has started to hit a wall. So, the tech experts are still debating if 8GB of RAM is enough for a Mac in 2026. The short answer? Yeah, sure. If you’re just checking email or watching YouTube, browsing fewer than 20 tabs, it’s great.
But the long answer? If you actually work on your Mac, it can be a burden. It’s not a major "bad" thing, but I’ve definitely had to start managing memory hogs just to keep things moving.
The "Pro" Reality …
Can’t wait for my 15" MacBook Air, expected by 5 pm. Rural delivery means it might slip to tomorrow, but I’m hopeful. Once it arrives, I’m finally free from my desk — kitchen, living room, outside, anywhere I want.
Somewhere in New Mexico,
Taken in November 2023.
Netflix’s March lineup is stacked. Two on my radar: War Machine and Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. Stay tuned for my reviews.
I try to avoid talking about politics here, but I have to say something abt this.
A new study shows that after Trump told pregnant women to skip Tylenol & pushed an unproven autism treatment, prescriptions surged and Tylenol use dropped — with no new evidence supporting either claim.
"It can take years, even decades, for high-quality research to reach clinicians. Here, it was done overnight. Unfortunately, they're claiming breakthroughs that simply haven't occurred." — Dr. Jeremy Samuel Faust, Harvard Medical School
Please listen to your doctors, not a press conference—not even Trump himself.
Drove through the scenic New U.S. 460 / Corridor Q to Pikeville for a doctor’s appointment, spotting sarvis trees popping up here and there on the winter-brown mountains — little bursts of white. March, and spring is nearly here. (AI-generated photos — but pretty close to what I saw!)
Always wondered if water filters actually work. Brita is the obvious name everyone knows — and according to Better Report, they do reduce chlorine and some metals, but miss pesticides and lead entirely. Used a different brand back when I lived in DC, but gave it up. Now in rural Kentucky, hard water is the real issue — and most pitcher filters just aren't built for that.
The minerals that contribute to hardness build up quickly in the filters, meaning that they may leak back into the water unless you change the filter even more than recommended. — WaterSmart
So, I bought water bottles now.
Can we talk about these Italian mountain huts? Val d’Aosta has nearly ten of them — including Rifugio Capanna Regina Margherita, that opened in 1893. One is perched 9,300 feet above the Frebouze Glacier, shaped like an airplane fuselage with porthole windows. I would love to sit there & watch the sunrise shadow the beauty of those mountain peaks. Dwell magazine calls this new wave of alpine design:
"the most fertile period in backcountry hut design since the invention of hiking."
I believe it.
This is the most cringing thing I have ever seen. Researchers built a human-centaur robot to carry heavy loads and published it in the International Journal of Robotics Research. Brilliant or completely unnecessary? I still can’t decide. A wheeled backpack exists, though. Just saying.
Reddit, as always, had thoughts.
I feel like a shopping cart would almost always be a better solution. The next time I'm carrying a light sacrifice to a dormant volcano that has frequent charging stations in good weather this might be handy.
Have you guys heard of the rickshaw?
Honestly? No notes.
I can watch ONE PIECE Season 2 now as it is just released now. Excited.
In the meanwhile, there is something cool…it is built with Lego. Saw on Facebook. Just wow!!!
Via Beyond the Brick
Currently Watching: The Bluff. I hope it is good.
I just finished watching the Melania documentary to see what the fuss was about for this $40 million project.
My verdict: it's a total waste of time. It’s dull and boring, with absolutely nothing worthy about it. Critics agree, with The Guardian noting the film
"makes watching paint dry look like the Super Bowl."Whether you call it "narratively dead" or just an expensive infomercial, it offers zero insight. Skip it.