Toby Geeks Out!

Here's something that's been sitting uncomfortably in my brain lately: I don't really experience what I'd call "screen stress," but I've definitely found myself in those loops where I've been on screens for hours and hours, and I look up and feel... exhausted. Not stressed exactly, just drained. And somehow in all that scrolling time, I've been neglecting analog things I actually need to do. Errands that keep getting pushed to tomorrow, books sitting unread, walks not taken. It’s that damn infinite scroll, right? You start out thinking you’ll just check one thing, and suddenly it’s been two hours and you haven’t moved.And here’s the kicker: …

Continue Reading

I’ve been diving into HTML and CSS articles lately, and it’s such a blast learning new tricks and codes to experiment with! It can get stressful trying to figure things out sometimes, but the excitement of discovery makes it worth pushing through.

So I spent my Sunday doing what normal people probably don’t do—obsessing over blog spacing. You know how it is. You notice one little thing that’s bugging you, and next thing you know, three hours have disappeared, and you’re still messing around with CSS. It started with my blockquotes. I’ve got this dropcap thing going on for the first letter of posts, which I think looks pretty cool. But when a blockquote showed up right after that fancy first letter? Huge, awkward gap of white space. Just looked weird. So I tried adjusting the dropcap’s line-height first. Then I messed around with margins—positive, negative, whatever I could think of. …

Continue Reading

Great read on the power of blogging. I agree with most of what’s said here—blogs give us space to explore ideas, lower the stakes of writing, and let us think in public without the pressure. They’re working spaces for active learning, not performance stages.

This year: more bloom than doom. Bloomscrolling means intentionally curating uplifting content instead of doomscrolling. I won’t avoid hard topics—open wounds need discussion—but I want scrolling that serves me, not just drains me. Small shifts, better mental space. Read more about it here

Today I learned pine cones are little weather predictors! Fascinating, isn’t it? Their scales close up when they sense humidity rising (rain’s coming), protecting the seeds inside. When it’s dry, they open back up to release seeds. Nature’s got some clever tricks.

Photo: Technogeek75 via Instagram

Our happiness depends on the habit of mind we cultivate.” – Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victor

Stumbled across this Domino article about stained green kitchen cabinets and it got me thinking. Those kitchens with green hues look beautiful and simple. Clean lines, natural vibes, just really nice. And apparently it’s a trend for 2026? Maybe I’m onto something here. I considered painting my cabinets green last year. Spent way too much time scrolling through inspiration photos, imagining how it’d look. But here’s the thing: my cabinets are wood. Painting them means commitment. If I hate the color later, I’m stuck repainting over and over. So I went with stained wood instead—lets the grain show through, easier to live with long-term. Part of …

Continue Reading

5 yrs ago during COVID, my glasses broke & I cldn’t make an eye appt. Started using reader. My eyes have worsened, bumping up the diopter over time. Need RX glasses anyway. Will see eye dr appt next week.

Fact: Turns out, squinting at your phone isn’t just annoying—it’s a sign.

Read here.

Valentine’s Day traces back to ancient Rome’s Lupercalia festival, where men whipped women with animal hides for fertility luck. Romance has evolved, thankfully. Today it’s a multibillion-dollar industry built on chocolates and roses, but here’s the truth: Love is not about how many days, months, or years you’ve been together. It’s about how much you love each other every day. The real gift isn’t what you buy on February 14th—it’s showing up consistently, especially on the ordinary days nobody celebrates. I know I am late, but it is better than never… Happy Valentine’s Day to everybody!

Continue Reading

Congrats on making the Olympics after almost 40 years, Rich Ruohonen. Personal injury lawyer, six-time Minnesota Attorney of the Year, five failed Olympic Trials. Gave up at 52, then got the call at 54. Threw two rocks in a loss Thursday and became the oldest US Winter Olympian ever. Link

Spotted the new LEGO set and wow, so cute! But I’m passing. Why? My tiny house has zero room, plus I’ve already got a backlog of sets waiting to be built. They’re giving me the side-eye from the corner. Soon, I promise! 😅 Link

Today I learned about carryover cooking! I’ve always cooked chicken to 180-190°F because dark meat gets so tender when collagen breaks down. Never thought about pulling it early and letting residual heat finish the job. Might actually help keep white meat from drying out. Worth a try! Link

Tech gadgets are my kryptonite—saying no is NOT my superpower. 🤷‍♂️ Are you taking the no-spend challenge? I’ll try my best, but zero guarantees here. Fun fact: The average American makes 3 impulse purchases per week. Suddenly feeling very called out right now. Link

Two years ago, I quit Monarch: Legacy of Monsters with TWO EPISODES LEFT. Canceled Apple TV and completely forgot about it. Now that Season 2 is coming Feb 27th, I’m debating whether to resubscribe and finish Season 1 or just wing it with recaps and watch the new season. Link

Teaser photo:

I knew hugs were good for stress, but I had no idea they boost immunity, lower blood pressure, help you sleep better, and reduce pain by 31%. A 2025 study says hugging 1-3 people daily is ideal. Most of us are touch-deprived. Time to get our daily dose of free medicine. Read this article here.

Just learned a new word tonight: phubbing. Yeah, it’s a portmanteau of “phone” and “snubbing” — when you’re sitting across from someone and instead of actually engaging with them, you’re scrolling through your phone. I’ll be honest, I’ve been guilty of this more times than I’d like to admit. You’re in the middle of a conversation, someone’s telling you something, and that little buzz pulls your attention away. Before you know it, you’ve checked three apps and completely lost the thread of what the person was saying. The timing of learning this word is perfect since Valentine’s Day is tomorrow. The article makes a solid point: if there’s one …

Continue Reading

Oh, funny, speaking of Pooh that I just posted recently, I am watching The Tigger Movie right now. Tigger is another favorite. He is always fun to watch.

I’ve loved Winnie the Pooh since I was a baby. My Pooh doll was such a comfort to me and I still have it. Just heard Lego is making a Pooh set and I’m thrilled! I love building Lego. Already have the Gizmo from Gremlins set. This 85-piece Pooh set is mine! P.S. I also have the Acre house set!

This doodle art is amazing … I wish I could learn how to do that. For sure, it will take a lot of practice. Check it out! Link

Mike Flanagan just signed on to write and direct The Mist for Warner Bros. I’ve enjoyed his work. The Haunting of Hill House especially. Add in his new take on The Exorcist and the Carrie series, and I’ve got a lot of great horror coming my way. So excited for all three. Link

A man in New Zealand literally grew a church out of trees. He carefully trained different species over an iron frame—leptospernums for colorful walls, cut leaf alders for a roof that lets light filter through. Started in 2011, now a living chapel in 3 acres of gardens. Absolutely stunning.

Missing those amazing Whisked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from Whole Foods back in DC. Time to make my own! Found this recipe that looks perfect. Probably not vegan but that’s okay. Gotta hit the grocery store for ingredients first. So excited!

Just updated my About page! If you’ve been reading along and wondering who’s actually behind all this, I finally put some words down about myself. Nothing fancy, just the basics. Come say hi! 👋 About Me

I’ve been in a full-on wrestling match with my Micro.blog theme lately. Had this specific vision: truncated posts on the homepage with a “Continue Reading” link, a nice drop cap at the start of long-form posts, and images that didn’t feel like they were yelling over the text. Simple, right? Started with trying to add the “Continue Reading” link myself but it didn’t work. Was about to send a support ticket, then thought “nah, I want to figure this out.” Asked Perplexity for help instead, and honestly? Huge help figuring out what I’d done wrong. While I was at it, I asked Perplexity to help with other stuff too. Spotted a drop cap line in the …

Continue Reading