Now Archive: October 2022

If you've not seen a Now page before and don't know what it is, check this out. Here's mine for this month, as written on: October 4th, 2022. For my current Now page, go here.

There’s some big stuff shaking up again in my world.

1. Moving?
   I will likely be moving from central to southern Utah soon, and I’m working on solidifying a plan to get there next month. As winter sets in around here, it comes with some chilly consequences — it can stay frozen for months on end. Sure I can deal, but the aging mother-in-law and her elderly dog both have severe health issues that are complicated by the cold. We can’t change the weather, so my creative idea is to go to the weather we want. This also means better medical care than we can get here, where (not so coincidentally) there aren’t many old people or old pets, and nobody seems to know what to do with them except tell them it’s time to go. Granted, it is nearing time to let go, that’s true. But I believe how they go and how they live between now and then makes all the difference. Denise and I are trying to create an environment where this matters. Wish us luck!

2. Exiting my job
   Speaking of going, I’ve given notice at work, and my last day is coming up at the end of the month. Many people would let their mind wander from their employment and mentally check out at this point. Naturally, I’m doing the opposite of that. I’m hell-bent on delivering as much as I possibly can between now and when I go, because I’ve worked too hard, too long, and believe in my team too much to falter now. I’m on fire doing and dropping projects right now! I’m still trying to figure out how to leave my team in a better position as a result of my departure to tend to family matters as above.

3. Grand Canyon visit
   Amongst all the changes, we’re taking a couple days off for Denise’s birthday trip. This is likely our only break for months in either direction, and an important one for our mental health. It’s been years since Denise has seen the Grand Canyon, and I’ve never actually seen it myself, so we’re looking forward to the drive, the view, and the precious time together away from it all.

Other updates:

• Flying lessons are paused, I’m sorry to say. I’m still trying to make good on my trading of hours that were subsidizing my PPL training, and I did use more than I contributed in that arrangement. But I hope to have that completed soon, and to back away from frivolity until the big stuff is lined up.
• Fell off the wagon for my50 days of health in September. Especially with family coming and going and schedules changing often, there was just too much going on to prioritize this. Plus we had to drop the trip which was the celebration at the end, and although this shouldn’t make any difference at all, it kinda did. I did lose weight, get measurably healthier, and saw lots of great progress for most of those days. So I’m very glad I did as much as I did, and I’m fine with setting it aside for now as my priorities have shifted.
• Never getting contacts, probably never getting LASIK. Wow, I really hate everything about my brief experience with contact lenses. They were hell to get in and out, never stopped hurting while they were in, and monovision seems to make my vision much worse than it is without glasses! I basically can’t see anything clearly between 5-30 feet from me — not acceptable. I’m really glad I went out of my way to try the monovision approach that was recommended to my in my LASIK consultation before they carved my eyeballs up with their fancy lasers. Thanks, but no thanks. I’m glad I evaluated this, and it’s glasses for me from here on out.
• Geeking out on OSINT. I’m not really doing anything yet, but I’m quietly evaluating and gearing up to make some major changes in my infrastructure as a result of researching more about privacy, security, & OSINT. As I wrote about in my last Now page update, closing up my Mom’s estate has led to some surprising observations about what is publicly accessible even for very private people like her. Also, preparing myself as an expert witness for an upcoming deposition has brought my attention to just how much is available about me on the internet. I’ll likely be posting more about this topic here soon, as I start to put things into practice. In the meantime, you might want to check out the very helpful (and free!) Unredacted Magazine and The Privacy, Security, & OSINT Show podcast.
• Expert Witness work continues. As usual, there’s not much I can say about this, other than it’s super interesting and I’m realizing just how rare and valuable I am as an expert. File this under: “Nice work if you can get it!”

That’s what I can see of October from here. Hope yours is off to a good start too!