a blog about fixing things

  • printing

    Ten years ago I heard about 3D printing and thought it was crazy and for people with tons of money. Four years ago I found out my neighbor had a printer and thought, “oh, wow…I could never do that.” Seven months ago I was taught how to use a 3D printer at work. Three months…

  • Eating is hard

    Losing weight is probably less important for regular people than you think. Increasing muscle mass is more important than focusing on body fat percentage. There was an article in the Washington Post last fall sort of downplaying low-carbohydrate diets. Maybe she’s right. If so, why does one eat less on fewer carbs? A hypothesis is…

  • Keep your stick on the ice

    Self care means lots of things to lots of people. Three tools I use every day are my bullet journal, homemade moisturizer, and a sound machine. From when I get up in the morning to when I go to bed, I stay sane by writing things down. I write down what I am grateful for,…

  • Brother, can you spare a buck?

    Brother, can you spare a buck?

    I have been riding the Metro for a while and have encountered many unique individuals. The majority of these people are either asking me for money (I don’t have any) or commenting on my uniform, or a combination of the two. A woman once started talking to me, thanking me for my service, etc. etc.,…

  • Automate

    Microsoft’s Power Automate is a great tool to connect SharePoint Lists, Outlook, Forms, and other apps to keep data consistent, standardized, and repeatable. I’ve been using Power Automate for a few years now to help my coworkers get out of their Outlook inbox or PowerPoint slides as a starting point for work. Granted, much of…

  • Lost in Ubuntu

    If you have an old laptop, one way to still make it useful is to install Linux. And if you use Windows now, you’ll probably want to install Ubuntu. We have an old HP laptop and I installed Ubuntu on it in November. Then we left the laptop sit…and we forgot the password. Two ways…

  • Blogging

    Should you blog? Should you post? Should you like? I am a big fan of Professor Cal Newport’s ideas about work and how to use technology properly. He has never had a social media account, but rather has how own website, https://www.calnewport.com/. Rather than limiting himself to Twitter’s 140 characters or posting something jejune on…

  • Still Teleworking

    If you are reading this, then it’s been 22 months since I first started teleworking. If you would have asked me in early 2020 if I would like to work from home, I would have said, “Sure, why not? Sounds nice. What, me worry?” After having worked from home for the majority of the last…

  • Mastery

    When I was younger, one of my favorite websites to waste time on was Lifehacker’s “This is How I Work.” Even now, searching for that link, I am starting to get sidetracked looking at all the great authors and what type of laptop they use. I am pulled by the notion of, “if I just…

  • The Archer’s Paradox

    The archery club in Washington, D.C. meets Saturdays at a park in Derwood, Maryland. I used to think I was a good archer until I met up with the club before Christmas 2021. I have been shooting arrows since I was in elementary school, but haven’t really started to study the craft of archery until…