Jake is aging before my eyes, and it's worrying me quite a lot.

He seems to be having a tough time, whether it's due to his weight or his age... or both. Watching him going up and down stairs is where I worry the most, though when he is chasing (or being chased) by his sister, he can all of a sudden blaze up and down them. So I'm not sure what's going on. Maybe he's faking it for sympathy.

One thing that hasn't changed is that he's an adorably handsome bear...

Also, he's still just as clingy as ever, falling asleep on me or against me more and more...

And of course he still keeps me company when I'm on video calls at my desk. The minute he hears me talking on the computer, he heads right in and lays on the stair banister next to me, then proceeds to stare at me the entire time...

For a cat that's quickly approaching 60 human years old, Jake is holding up better than I am.

I have adopted a new philosophy of task management. It's the Do It Now initiative.

Essentially, it means that instead of adding it to a to-do list or putting it off, I just do it right then and there whenever possible. I notice something that needs fixing, and I fix it. I remember something I've been meaning to do, and I do it. If something needs to be cleaned, I clean it. This is a direct result of me spending more time managing my list of tasks instead of actually doing tasks.

It applies to blogging as well.

For the longest time I've been wanting to write a quick post about how much I loathe current software trends. And so here we are. This mostly applies to these two abominations...

• Subscription-Based Apps
• In-App Purchase Apps

Let's start with the subscription model which has become the darling of the software development industry. I fucking hate it, which is tough considering that it seems to have become the default. Adobe wasn't the first to go this route, but they're the most infamous to me. Instead of buying an app and owning it forever, you instead pay a fee to be able to use an app, and immediately lose access to it the minute you stop paying. This has caused me to abandon apps that I love, because I am beyond sick of this bullshit. And what's so stupid is that I usually bought an update anyway! Take for example Home Designer Pro. Half the time I buy the new version if there's a reason to do so (usually features or compatibility with new hardware). But this year they've moved their 2026 update to a subscription. Which means I am forced to pay for the annual update whether I want to or not. Doesn't matter how much I love the program, I am moving on because I just don't give a fuck about this kind of predatory app development. Just let me pay for what work you've put into the app up to that point... and come up with something compelling to get me to upgrade to the next version.

And then there's In-App purchases. And I don't mean apps which are free to download and you can then purchase it if you like it. That's fantastic. I'm talking apps which require you to keep buying shit to use it. And it's mostly games. I've done this exactly once with Simpsons: Tapped Out where you could buy in-game currency with real money and be able to buy stuff in-game. It didn't last long once I figured out how much money I was spending just to have the latest cool stuff in my online Springfield. The even worse scenario are games which are free, great, and addictive... but eventually get to a difficulty level which makes it impossible to play unless you buy in-game items in order to make the game playable for normal humans. I fucking hate this so much that I don't even bother downloading a game which has "coins" or "gems" or "credits" or what-the-fuck ever in-app purchases that guarantee the game will one day become too difficult to play without paying a shit-load of money.

I sincerely hope that one day consumer backlash convinces developers to go back to straight-up purchases of their wares. And we just might be taking first steps. Canva, a company which bought out the excellent Affinity apps, took a bold move to combine all the apps into one do-it-all design app, offer it as free-to-use, and only charge you something if you want to enable their AI features. Now, given that Affinity is already serious competition for Adobe... what is Adobe going to do? If people weren't willing to toss their subscription bullshit when the Affinity apps were a low-cost alternative, maybe they'll be willing to do it now that they're free. It'll be an interesting ride. And hopefully one which initiates some changes.

And now I need to get in my kitchen and unload the dishwasher since it will likely be finished with its run by now. I'M DOING I! I'M DOING IT NOW NOW NOW!!!

Every year or so people are sharing what apps they have on their phone's home screen, and I'm not immune to the immense pressure to join in.

Either that, or I am totally lacking content for today's post.

Anyway... here's my home screen...

Yes. I know. I am aware.

My screen is boring as hell. But that's intentional. I want as distraction-free an experience as possible. Which means my background is black so the icons have focus. I know what the icons are, so I remove the text by having them at maximum size. The only widget I have is Carrot Weather (both hourly and forecast). And there's the apps...

• Carrot Weather: The weather is kinda important where I live, and I appreciate the raw snark and hate you can get from Carrot. The widget at the top is also from the app, which shows the hourly and 4-day forecast in one.
• World Clock Pro: Having to coordinate time zones is not as important now as it used to be, but it's still handy to know what the time is in Uzebekistan from time to time.
• Apple Maps: After years of using a combination of Waze and Google Maps, I finally went to Apple late last year because I preferred the experience (and it's what I like for CarPlay).
• TickTick: I bounced between this, Things, Todoist, and Apple Reminders for forever. But eventually decided to just settle on the one I like the best, which is this. Also on my "Action Button" because it's constantly in use.
• Messenger/Facebook: Despite the fact that I despise the platform, this is the place where most of my online friends are. And so I use shitty Facebook Messenger and shitty Facebook apps to connect to the shitty service.
• Telegram: Mostly used to communicate for some of my work which requires it.
• WhatsApp: Used for work and for friends in foreign countries where this is what's used instead of texting.
• FindMy: I am forever losing my shit. And losing my stuff. So using Apple's FindMy to figure out where my Apple Watch, iPad, or stuff tagged with AirTags are hiding is something I do often enough that I keep the app on home.
• Photos: I take photos not just for keepsakes (or to have an hourly record of what my cats are doing), but also for communicating complex things more easily and remembering stuff. So I'm in this app all the time.
• Halide: My "Camera Control" opens Apple's Camera app, which is what I use most of the time. It's quick and easy. But when I want to take a photo where I have absolute control, Halide is my go-to.
• Wallet: Despite the fact that Washington State is a backwards fucking void when it comes to allowing us to have our driver's licenses stored digitally, I love Apple's Wallet. My house key, all of my credit cards, my loyalty cards, my insurance cards, my tickets, my passes... just everything lives here and is immediately accessible.
• Settings: I put this here years ago because I was constantly having to fiddle with something. But now-a-days I keep wanting to replace it with something because I'm rarely using it. Something to think about, I guess.
• Toyota: This app ain't great, but it's the only one they have to interact with my car. I don't use it very often, but when I do it's usually important enough to be slapped on my home screen.
• HomeKit: There's a growing list of things that suck about Apple's apps... but HomeKit HomeShit is at the top of the list as to being the suckiest. Lord how I fucking hate it. But, that's how my entire home is controlled, so here it is living on my home screen like it has earned it rather than just being semi-useful.
• Nest: This is where I can view my abundance of security cameras and smoke alarms and such. I keep thinking that I'll be forced to switch to the Google Home app, but this still kinda works. I have to re-log-in way more often than I should and you get errors often, but it's better than Google Home until I can no longer use it. Which is probably any minute now.
• Microsoft Outlook: It ain't perfect, but it's a damn site better than Apple's shitty fucking Mail and Calendar apps which have absolutely zero features for people who need to use these critical services for actual serious work. My personal email is still in Apple Mail on the next page so I can keep things separate.
• Phone: Yet another Apple app that's not as good as it should be, but it works for those times I am forced to make or receive a call.
• Safari: I actually rather like the browser better than most. But Arc is gaining ground fast and I may end up switching one day.
• Messages: This is an Apple app that's okay... but that's a serious problem, because it needs to be better than okay. It's a clutzy app that's more interesting in looking pretty than actually being a functional texting app. Most of the time, that's fine by me. But there are times I wish that Apple would just get their shit together for the love of God. I probably wouldn't be so sour on it if it would only handle spam in a sane way. But, alas...

Oh... by the way, Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

For future reference, these recipes turned out pretty great and are suitable for Thanksgiving or any time...

• Roasted Butternut Squash With Brown Butter Vinaigrette — I love butternut squash, and this is an incredible way to cook it.
• Cacio e Pepe Green Beans — If I had it to do over, I would steam the beans, shake them in melted butter, salt, and pepper... then layer the cheese. The water doesn't evaporate fast enough and the beans don't cook as well as steamed.
• Corn Casserole — I wasn't sure it was done and ended up overcooking it. I did like the surface area of a 13×9 dish for the cheese topping.

The thing about being on YouTube more than any other streaming service is the sheer variety of things I get to watch. The algorithm there is very, very good at knowing what I like to watch and feeding me a steady diet of content that's right up my alley.

My latest obsession is cooking videos.

It all started when I wanted some better Japanese bread recipes. The milk bread that I'm making now isn't quite what I'm looking for, so I decided to find a new one. But first I found this, which I very much want to try...

Then I found a new milk bread recipe...

Which lead to this garlic toast and egg recipe that looks incredible...

And then this (which I would make without the bacon...

American breakfast needed to be represented, which is how I got this one I am hoping lives up to the hype...

Plus some Americanized French bread...

And then YouTube was all "fuck it" and apparently served me this one because it knows I love hummus somehow...

Once I got to popcorn, I knew I was done...

P.S. There was also a recipe for Air Fryer Ciabatta, Another Easy Recipe Everyone Is Making Now, which isn't able to be embedded for some reason, but sounds intriguing.

Now if I could only find the time to try cooking some of this stuff.

Yesterday I had one of the easiest drives home from Seattle-side that I've ever had. 2 hours and 10 minutes of motoring bliss.

This morning I had one of the worst drives to work I've ever had. What's usually five minutes ended up being ten minutes of hell that had me wishing I would have walked.

Honestly, I just don't understand what is getting into people lately when driving. They're hostile, inattentive, impatient assholes. I had somebody come up behind me and was so close I honestly thought I was going to get rear-ended. I had a car lay on the horn because I dared to wait for two kids to cross the street. I had one car come at me half into my lane, and I had nowhere to go... and if I hadn't braked and laid on the horn as quickly as I did, there would have been an accident.

So, yeah. Not a great start to my morning.

I saw the same lineup 34 years ago. Two bands that I love playing back-to-back.

And last night I relived it now in 2025, starting with Cheap Trick...

And then on to Ann & Nancy Wilson and Heart...

Even when belting out the hits while seated, Ann Wilson can still blow the doors off the stadium.

One of the biggest surprises of the night to me was when they did a mash-up which included Straight On and David Bowie's Let's Dance. This video isn't from the show I went to, but it's the same mix...

Great show. So happy I got to see them again.

I'm too tired to blog, but I'm committed to the madness... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• Crashing Down? Does anybody want to buy some $BlogographyCoin cheap? It's the best crypto out there, and I'm letting people who worship me to get in on the ground floor, because this is sure to be an investment that skyrockets! Sink all your retirement into crypto because it's the investment that can't fail!

   
• Oh She Young! Sharing this for no reason at all...

Yep. Nope. No reason.

   
• Cringe Story! Some comedians can pull from experience in a way that should make other comedians jealous...

Guess I need to see if there's more material out there by this guy that's worth watching.

   
• NEWSFLASH: Pasta at Twice the Price? Some Italian Producers Face Huge U.S. Tariffs. If I could find bronze-extruded, slow-dried pasta that was American made... then great. Happy to buy it if the quality is good. But I ain't going to buy shitty American teflon-extruded, rapid-flash-dried crap that won't hold sauce and is just a slippery gawdaful mess. I'd eat half the pasta... but I'd pay twice the price for the pasta that's worth it.

   
• NEWSFLASH: Sales of AI-enabled teddy bear suspended after it gave advice on BDSM sex and where to find knives. But... so cute...

And now I really want one of these bears!

   
• Defunct Autonomatons! Defunctland released another video, and this one is beyond good... assuming you're into Disney stuff. This one is just over four hours long, but the time flies by as usual because Kevin Perjurer is just that good at his job. For the most part, this is just a timeline of Disney's adventures into autonomous animatronics, but it's also somehow deeply embarrassing for Disney who has become synonymous with overpromising and underdelivering...

They'll get there eventually. And once they do I'm sure it will be incredible. And, can I just say that Perjurer's take on whether Walt Disney would want himself resurrected as an animatronic is perfect? Probably because it's the same opinion I have.

At least until the autonomous animatronics get loose and decide to kill all the guests. Westworld never looked so adorable. I mean, just look at this...

Death by Olaf... what a way to go!

   
And... I'm off to a much-needed sleep.

I've put out warming pads for the cats every winter for years.

Last year one died, and this year the other one died. So I ordered new ones... and they make me mad I didn't buy 20 of the old kind.

First of all, the cords are not protected, which isn't a big problem because Jake & Jenny don't chew on cords. But still... dangerous!

Second of all, the warming pad is half the size of the cover? HALF! And the cover size is already smaller than the original one where the pad filled out the entire cover!

The cats are not impressed.

Here's Jenny... taking a big ol' pass on the new, heated pad and laying on the old, unheated pad instead. WTF?!?

And Jake was no more interested in it either, as he was always on the old pad. I went to pick him up and set him on the new pad, but this was what his reaction was...

Guess I keep looking. This is the first time I've been disappointed in a K&H Pet product. Hopefully the cats *warm up* to the new pads one of these days. SEE WHAT I DID THERE? WARM UP? LOLOLOL!

Guess I'll try putting the old warming pad covers on the new warming pads and see if I can trick them into using the new ones?

One of my neighbors is going to be on vacation for three weeks. They had a dozen eggs that will expire on December 1st, so they asked if I wanted them. And I took them.

Now, I rarely eat eggs anymore, and even then it's at a restaurant. I haven't bought eggs for my home in years, except when I have guests who eat them. I just put vegan egg substitute powder in my baking and it works perfectly. But anyway... I was actually more excited for my cats than I was for myself.

I cooked a lot of scrambled eggs for my mom, because it was one of the rare things I could get her to eat (the other being peanut butter sandwiches). Mom used to feed Jake & Jenny her eggs all the time, and they went CRAZY for them! I have photos of my mom feeding the kittens her eggs! JUST LOOK AT THIS...

And then the night came! I cooked some scrambled eggs for myself, then took a little bit out and put them into bowls for Jake and Jenny (before I seasoned mine). AND THEY COULDN'T HAVE GIVEN LESS OF A SHIT! Sniffed at them for a minute, then looked at me like "What the hell do you expect me to do with this slop?" Even Jake! THE CAT WHO WILL EAT ANYTHING! Wow...

Just look at that bullshit! Eggs completely untouched!

Before I go, I'm posting a comic by Thrice Fiction contributor Reza Farazmand from his Poorly Drawn Lines strip. It's a flawless summary of cat ownership...

©2025 Reza Farazmand

Yep. There it is.

I'm not a car guy, but I love watching entertaining people on YouTube, and some of the most entertaining were the guys at Donut. Then the channel started breaking up and I ended up following my favorites to their new channels... which included James Pumphrey to his channel, Speeed. And I actually prefer his new channel because he covers a bunch of stuff and not just cars.

Yesterday he dropped a video called 42 Things Everyone Should Learn How to Do and it goes in a few directions I didn't anticipate. I liked it...

First of all... I have that Yokohama Hard Rock T-shirt!

1. Fix a toilet. Thanks to having a piece of shit Kohler that cost me a fortune but is stupidly designed and needs tweaking all the time. I regret this purchase SO much.
2. How to reset a circuit breaker. Given my love of working with power tools, I'd be in sorry shape if I didn't know how.
3. Remount a bike chain. I haven't ridden a bike in decades, but I can probably remember how to do this from when I was a kid!
4. Learn CPR and when and how to use it. I do know, and am incredibly thankful I've never had to use it.
5. Jump-start a battery. DPLPLMDM... Dead Plus Live Plus Live Minus Dead Minus. I've rescued more than a couple people!
6. How to change a flat tire. Yes. And I would add to this... learn how to put on tire chains.
7. How to drive stick. That was all I drove for decades. I can probably remember how.
8. Exercise alone without any equipment. I know how... I just don't want to.
9. Learn and appreciate the power of compound interest. And I would add to this... learn about how absolutely deadly credit card interest can be and how to stay out of credit card debt whenever possible.
10. Have a basic understanding of how taxes work. It's shitty that this is even a fucking requirement because taxes should be simple as hell. But... we got all those loopholes to save millionaires and billionaires money, so we have to make taxes difficult for everybody so they might end up spending more than they should!
11. How to sew a button. Or, you know, how to sew period. And if you can use a sewing machine, you're much better off than not knowing how. Sewing machines are cheap and repairing clothes can save loads of money. My grandmother taught me, and it's been so important that I've always own a good sewing machine.
12. How to iron a shirt. My mom did her best to teach me, and I'm okay at it. But, largely, I end up ironing in more wrinkles than I end up ironing out.
13. Restart a water heater. When I moved into my place and mine was failing, I learned this skill to avoid taking cold showers.
14. Ride a motorcycle. Why yes, and I loved it. Except it wasn't something my body was physically able to do any more, so I sold my bike and admire them from afar now.
15. How to cook a good steak and grill a good burger. I'm a vegetarian, so I think I'll skip this one.
16. Dice an onion. I know how they want you to dice an onion, but I am happier not doing it that way. I halve an onion, cut into the cut-edge both ways, then pop it on its side and cut the dices off. I am told this is not the safe way to do it, but if you have very sharp knives it's just fine.
17. Cook rice. I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS wash my rice. And I prefer to use a rice cooker. But I know how to use a pot too.
18. How to read a map. I haven't held a paper map since iPhones were invented, but I still remember how to read one, yes.
19. How to find north without a compass. My Apple Watch has a compass built-in, but it's a watch, not a compass, so does that count?
20. How to start and tend a good campfire. Thanks to endless episodes of Survivor, I know how to do that. But if I don't have matches or a lighter I'm probably screwed.
21. One solid party trick. I am entertaining enough that I can talk my way out of knowing a party trick. I've also been a lot of places and know a lot of things, which is probably more useful at an actual party.
22. One song on any instrument. I used to be able to play a little keyboard and piano. I am very, very rusty. But could probably manage Chopsticks.
23. One actually good long joke. I have stories that are probably better than any joke. Which I think is better because it's something personal.
24. Bowline knot. Noted.
25. Butterfly loop. Noted.
26. Sheet bend. Noted.
27. Taut line hitch. Noted.
28. Trucker's hitch. Noted.
29. How to give constructive feedback. Kinda my job(s) for the past 30 years or so.
30. How to give a good toast or speech. Did speeches for 18 years with the charity, so I got that.
31. How to memorize names. The three time memorization thing doesn't work for me and I'm terrible at this.
32. How to introduce two people. Something I've also done for 18 years with the charity.
33. How to politely decline offers. I am a little more tactful than saying "I don't want to do it," but yes... cosigned... I also tell the truth. Lying never works out for me!
34. How to put out a grease fire. Didn't everybody get told how to smother the flames with a lid or toss baking soda on it in school? I've got a massive bag of baking soda (and a fire extinguisher!) in my kitchen just for this purpose!
35. How to dress for a wedding. I wear a suit with open collar shirt every time... unless it specifically says "casual" or there's a request. And I never wear a tie unless suit and tie are requested.
36. How to dress for a job interview. As somebody who has hired numerous employees, this is entirely contextual and depends on the job you're interviewing for. When I was hiring designers, I didn't give two shits what they were wearing, all I cared about was that they were clean, for example.
37. How to dress for as an adult. Dressing like an adult is nothing more than dressing appropriately for the occasion. But, to be honest, I care more about comfort than fashion.
38. How to talk to strangers. If there's one thing I'd consider myself an expert on... it's this. I've always had this as a natural talent, and am so good at it that people hire me or request me to do it all the time!
39. How to lift things without hurting your back. Well, this is easier said than done for me. Especially now that I'm older and I once threw my back out when I turned to lock the front door of my house. Suffice to say that I've had back problems since forever, and "lifting with my legs" is not always something I can do.
40. How to disagree with others in a civil manner. Another part of my job and, in a professional setting, I'm quite good at it. This is a little tougher with dumbfucks on the internet or in social settings were people are ignorant and abusive. Then? I don't give a shit. I'm too old to care now.
41. How to receive compliments. I hate having to do this, but I've learned how to do it because it makes people uncomfortable when you can't.
42. How to learn how to do new things. Not tough to learn something that you love to do, and learning new stuff is one of my favorite things.

And if you enjoyed that, here's another recent one that I really liked. It's such a good idea for a video!

James, Zach, and Jesse also did crypto, which is hilarious... because this is what happens to the vast majority of people, all of whom think that they're going to be one of the very, very, very few who makes serious money at it...

I gotta learn how to do a good ol' pump and dump and get rich! Just like our president did with $TRUMP Coin!

The vilification of PBS is one of the most perplexing things I've ever seen.

In a world where kids are seen as nothing more than advertising dollars by television networks, PBS has been there to entertain and educate kids as kids. If PBS and public media were to start shuttering across the nation, it would be a terrible loss for Americans. If there's anything that I thought all Americans from any party would agree on... it's that PBS is value for the money and worth having. The money they get is such a pittance compared to the vast amounts of money being tossing left or right by our politicians. And yet... THIS?!?

I don't get it. I don't get it at all.