Not quite two years ago, I left my job at GitHub. It was not bringing me any joy, and I was lucky enough to be in a position that I was able to take a long break from having a day job.
A few months ago, I started entertaining the idea of working again, and saw a job posting that seemed like it could be a good fit for me. The interview process went well, and last week I started a new job at DuckDuckGo working on their browser for Windows.
On my walk this morning, I saw a praying mantis on the trail. At first, it was fighting with another bug, but I think my approach distracted them and the other combatant was able to fly away.
Last week, we took a trip out to the Atlantic coast to visit Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, and the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher.
Back in 2021, I was one of the founding moderators for a new BattleTech fan server. At the time, the big existing fan communities for the game tended to allow open bigotry and other unwelcoming behavior, and there wasn’t really much in the way of an alternative. After finding each other on twitter, three of us decided to set up a new server with the goal of being a welcoming place, particularly for LGBTQ fans.
It’s been four years now, and the server recently hit 1,000 members. Over the years, it has grown into a great fan community. There have been growing pains along the way, and all three of us founding members have stepped away from moderation over the years – it’s a lot of work to keep a big community running smoothly, and we’ve moved on to other projects. I am really proud of what I helped build there though, and I look forward to seeing it continue to thrive.
If you’re interested in BattleTech, here’s a link to the server: Star League.
Back in 2020, I made these Independence Day messages featuring some of the LEGO minifigures that I’ve collected. I posted them on Facebook and Instagram, but those accounts have since been deleted so now they can live on here.
The other day, I was watching a video from Carolina Forward and liked the shirt that Blair Reeves was wearing. Looking for it led me to the Bitter Southerner General Store. I didn’t end up ordering that shirt, but only because I ended up finding others there that I liked even more. As I mentioned last week, I like biscuits, so this Make More Biscuits one won me over. Then I also got the Product of Public Schools and Wild Places Matter tees for myself and a Libraries are Essential one for Stef.
Beyond the store, the Bitter Southerner’s main purpose is telling stories about the South and pushing for a Better South. Towards that end, it publishes a magazine, newsletter, podcast, and books. So in addition to a few new shirts, I’m also now subscribed to their newsletter.
I spent last week in Michigan and had a chance to visit the zoo of my childhood. The Detroit Zoo has changed a fair bit since I last visited it a couple of decades ago. I enjoyed the few hours that I spent walking around and visiting the animals.
This video from Adam Conover covers something that I’ve been thinking about myself – online review systems and ratings are pretty horrible. You shouldn’t care what anonymous people rating things on websites think. If you need a recommendation, get it from a trusted person instead.
5 Star Reviews Are Ruining Your Life (Adam Conover – YouTube)
I first visited the Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor, Michigan when I was in high school. One of my teachers, who was also my coach for cross country and the sponsor of adventure club, was the brother of Bob, Cherry Republic’s founder. I don’t remember whether that first visit was on a trip for a race or a stop on the way to backpacking, but either way, the Cherry Republic left an impression.
Since moving out of Michigan after college, I don’t have the chance to get to Glen Arbor often. The last time I visited was during the summer a couple of years ago. Luckily though, the Cherry Republic now has more stores throughout the state, their products in gift shops (you can usually find some in DTW while waiting for a flight), and the option for ordering online. That’s allowed me to continue to enjoy sour cherry patches and other cherry treats whenever I get the craving.
If you find yourself in the northern portion of Michigan’s lower peninsula, I recommend you make the time to visit the Glen Arbor store. And if you’re not in that area, you can always place an order. I’ve never had anything from them that I didn’t enjoy.
Sarah Taber published a video essay on farming as a business that I think is worth watching even if you’re not a farmer.
Financial Literacy 101 for Farms (Sarah Taber – YouTube)
Scott Boehmer 