Phil Olin

I just watched the 3yr old smash her head into her pillow repeatedly to get it to the right shape. And then immediately fall asleep. I laughed because I also smash my pillow until it’s correct.

Picked up the Lego Ecto 1 set. Can’t wait to build this one. Not sure if I want to watch the original Ghostbusters while I build it. Or watch Afterlife, which I haven’t seen yet.

Quit reading: Babel by R. F. Kuang 📚

I tried. I’ve heard plenty of good things about this book, and wanted to enjoy it. It never really hooked me. I forced myself to keep going, in hopes it got better, but the past few nights I just haven’t wanted to read. Time to give up and move on.

Finished reading: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune 📚

Excellent book, ended up staying up very late to finish it as I wanted to see how it would end.

New pen day, an Aurora Optima 365 Celeste with a broad nib. Inked it up with Robert Oster Chicago. Excited to have a broad nibbed Optima in my collection as I love my other Optima with a fine nib.

I have a few weather apps installed to try on now. Carrot is out because the premium version is not worth that to me, and half of it is gimmick. Currently looking at Hello Weather, Mercury, and Weathergraph.

Finished reading: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi 📚

This was an amazing book. Loved every minute of it, it ended too soon. I’ll be looking up more books by John Scalzi.

When you visit Vermont, you should make sure to get Vermont craft beer.

Another batch of jam fresh out of the canner. Peach this time.

Finished reading: Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers 📚

Another excellent sci-fi space opera from Becky Chambers. Took me a bit to get into this one, but enjoyed it once it caught me.

I’m not sure what I did wrong, aeropress coffee isn’t that hard to make, but my first cup of coffee this morning was garbage. Second cup was much better.

Emptied another bottle of fountain pen ink. Organic Studios Copper. I like the color, but I don’t think I’ll get a replacement bottle of it.

Yeah, I think we got some rain today. The creek was low and slow prior to this morning.

Tonight’s jam production is rhubarb orange. We didn’t get to make this last year, so thrilled it’s happening this year.

I’m playing bachelor this week. So instead of playing video games, going for a bike ride, or doing nothing, I’m getting things done around the house and making a pile of jam. I’ve made 2 batches of blueberry lemon yesterday, and blueberry lime tonight. Tomorrow, a batch of rhubarb orange.

Finished reading: Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne 📚

This was fantastic. Similar to Travis Baldree’s Legends and Lattes. Wonderful, cozy read. Looking forward to book two of the series once it arrives.

Finished reading: Uprooted by Naomi Novik 📚

More enchanting than a Disney movie could wish to be. Wonderful fantasy tale with hints of old folk lore and fairy tales.

Finished reading: The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox 📚

Fun quick book involving a cursed library, and lost memories. Very satisfying ending.

Finished reading: A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers 📚

Quite a different feel from the first book, but still an enjoyable read.

Stopped by the library this morning to pick up a book they had on hold for me. I’ve been doing pretty good at reading more this year then I have in the past several. It’s been nice to relax with a book at the end of the day.

Picked up a new keyboard. This is a Keychron Q2. With Gateron Milky Yellow switches and SA Monster clone keycaps. Reflashed it with Vial firmware last night and set up some of the macros and shortcuts I have on my Planck.

Finished reading: The Bone Wars by Erin S. Evan 📚

Fantastic paleontology adventure. Reminiscent of Jurassic Park, and a Clive Cussler novel. Looking forward to reading more of Erin S. Evan’s work in time. Excellent debut novel.

Finished reading: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers 📚

This was an amazingly fun sci-fi book. Fantastic crew of characters, beautiful story, I didn’t want to put it down.

Apparently Barbies expire around 20 years old. Our daughter got several Barbies from her cousin that are from the early 2000s. The heads are popping off every single one of them, tearing out the neck so they can’t be repaired.

It’s 2023, and kids still get Flintstones vitamins, but have no idea who or what the Flintstones are because it’s a 1960s cartoon. Looks like its available for streaming, on Boomerang, but how many parents are going to go out of their way to try and find it?