More Busy Building Than Blogging

It's been over a week since I last posted. I've been super laser focused lately, building a new room onto our house, even taking time off work. I last mentioned it when I finished the framing. Now the exterior is almost complete! That's a gigantic milestone I've been pushing for. With that and the interior finishing around the corner, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. This DIY project will finally be done before long. I can't wait.

Ni No Kuni II Artbook Discovery

Serendipity is nice. I was having a date-night with my wife this past weekend. While eating pizza for dinner, we reminisced about how we went to video stores like Blockbuster and looked for a movie to watch on a Friday night. Sometimes we'd end up walking around the aisles, browsing for something that would catch our eyes. It was nice to discover new entertainment.

Jason Journals Back On Blogger

Jason Journals lives...on Blogger! Going steady since 1999 (!), it hasn't changed in years, so what caused me to leave my newfound host, Pika, and rejoin ye ol' Blogspot? Good question.

Finally Finished Framing

Lately, I’ve blogged less. Why? I’ve been immersed in reading a loooong book, and I’ve been busy building a new room addition onto my house. Well, now I can say I finally finished framing it. The milestone feels good. Yet there remains much more work to do.

Less Entertainment Is More Enjoyable

Fellow blogger, Brandon, recently posted on his journal a personal dilemma that is, I think, common, “Too Many Hobbies, and Not Enough Time.” Well, it’s safe to say he’s not alone in that sentiment; I feel likewise. And he hits an insightful mark too, pinpointing a key (first-world) problem. It isn’t so much a lack of time but something else.

2025 Foresight

Alright, with 2024 in the rear view, it’s time to start fresh and new — Happy New Year 2025! There are a few things I’m looking forward to. Some involve gaming and tech. There’s also a huge DIY project I’m eager to complete. Most upcoming changes, especially one for my health, should be pretty good.

2024 Hindsight

It's kind of fun to look back at the year and see how close or far off any predictions were. Foresight is cloudy and hindsight is clear. My aim at the outset of 2024 was No New Tech. Surprise — there was new tech. And as for the upcoming year, there will likely be new tech again — no surprise.

The Reason For The Season

“And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’” Luke 2:10-11

“‘She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’” Matthew 1:21

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:17

Good Enough Decals

 This one goes out to the good folks at Good Enough. Why? Because they were good enough to send me swag! Big thanks to the ones behind Pika, my blog host, as well as Quack and Yay Boo.

Calories And Construction

Howdy, y’all. A general update here. I’ve been a busy-bee lately. In the past week, I worked hard on a couple of home DIY projects. In the middle of that, I was blessed to enjoy not one but two family Thanksgivings. Oh, and as it turned out, three turkeys. Yeah, we ended up with an extra.

Learning To Practice Japanese

You know there’s an app for that, which can be just about anything, like learning a language. Well, I got back into learning Japanese in October. It’s not like I have so much free time on my hands that I can master the hardest written language there is. But Japanese lingo and culture have always intrigued me. And my wife and kids use Duolingo everyday. So I jumped in; now I feel like that green owl is following me everywhere.

Octoberful

It’s wonderful October! Yes, to me it’s worth being excited for. It’s the month of my birthday and Halloween (which is also the theme I’m using on Pika). Best of all, it’s full-on fall (Autumn), my most bestest-favoritest season of the year.

Planning To Plan With A Planner

Sometimes the simplest solution is best. That's a key point in my analog adventure. Yet most surprising for me is, despite being a tech geek and digital adopter, I recently started using a paper Planner for the first time in my 40+ years of living. This is new territory. There’s a Planner and planning rabbit hole that goes deep, with endless attractive stationery.

Much Work And Little Play

Happy June, y’all. Feels like Summer time is underway. It’s been a busy season for me already. My brain hasn’t been able to engage hobbies lately; I’ve been super focused on work.

Daring To Take A New Job

Time flies. I’ve been less active online lately because my brain has been very preoccupied offline. A break from social media is usually a good thing, but I don’t like to skip out of blogging. I haven’t even played video games in over a week. My focus has been on work at my day job.

I’ll Try Your Caramel Macchiato

During lunch today, I wanted a delicious coffee. I’d planned to hit the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru but at the lest second turned toward a new-to-me local place: Moose Mountain Coffee.

Celiac Diseased Maniac Has First Colonoscopy

Hi, I’m Jason, and I’m a Celiac. I got the “diseased maniac” line from Superman the movie (1978). I’m closer to 50 than to 30 and have had this gluten problem from birth, hence my first ever colonoscopy today. I survived!

A Good Enough Meeting About Pika

Last week, I was fortunate to meet on a video call with members of the Good Enough team, the company behind blog hosting platform, Pika. They wanted to learn a little bit about some of Pika’s early bloggers and how they’re using it.

Two 80s Cars Got Me Into Tech

I was asked this week what caused me to get into technology. Part of the answer is that I grew up as a kid in the 80s, and the debut of home video game consoles (Atari, Nintendo) played a huge role in drawing me into the coolness of electronics. They’re interactive and fun! I later realized that, in fact, there were very strong and particular influences that made me, “Wow!” at tech as it was or could be: two 80s cars.

Why I Switched Back To Day One

Day One is a great journaling app, and I’m back to using it. One day I’ll stop switching up my apps, but today is not that day. It’s not surprising that I changed my setup again. And it shouldn’t be surprising that I’ve chosen Day One since it’s so good at what it does.