November 2021 Update I started this blog two years ago. Hurray for my blog-a-versary. I’ve done a pretty good job with weekly posts that at a minimum have interested myself, if few others. I find I never lack for topics and writing regularly has been clarifying. That said, I’m going to pump the brakes on… Continue reading November 2021 Update
October 2021 Update My favorite season is Fall. The leaves are gorgeous and the temperatures are cooler. We squeeze in some family camping trips, especially on weekdays when campgrounds aren’t mostly vacant and the only other families are either retirees or homeschoolers like us. Camping in New York and Ohio Our big camping trip this… Continue reading October 2021 Update
We love celebrating Labor Day by going camping. We call it our “not back to school” camp and have been doing it for years. It’s intentionally timed when all the other children across the country are back in school. Less crowds (or none!) and cooler temperatures. My second youngest was born at the tail end… Continue reading September 2021 Update
Fridge Temperature Sensor Our main refrigerator has started showing its age by staying slightly ajar when it’s not closed carefully. I’m tired of getting up in the morning and finding it ajar with ice forming on the chiller. With six kids, you can imagine this happens often. This month, I bought temperature sensors for both… Continue reading August 2021 Update
Domain Name Redemption In late June, I started brainstorming domain names for a new project I’m working on. The registration on one of the domain names that I was kicking around had expired in April. However, the domain name still hadn’t been released back into the pool, and I started poking around to see why… Continue reading July 2021 Update
I botched the release of my June 4th post. I accidentally post-dated it to early May when scheduling it, likely causing it to fall under the radar. To compound my mistake, I was pretty excited about one particular idea in the post, but I unintentionally buried it. The idea is that even if a student… Continue reading June 2021 Update
The Inertia of Inaction A few years ago, my wife and I watched The Way Back, a “based on a true story” account of prisoners who escaped the Siberian Gulag on foot, finding their freedom in India. The following is a conversation between two of the escapees: JANUSZ: He has a plan. SMITH: Who? JANUSZ:… Continue reading May 2021 Update
It’s official! This is the first year I’ve filed for a tax extension. Every year I use the FreeFillableForms to fill out and submit my taxes. I was slightly concerned that I’d have to restart the process to file the extension. That was until I saw the nifty “File an Extension” button in the upper… Continue reading April 2021 Update
Spring has sprung! At this time of year, we love swinging downtown to check out the cherry blossoms. However, this year with the pandemic in play, we may skip our annual tradition. Here’s a picture from last year’s blossom excursion: Despite paying zero attention to organized sports, I did fill out an NCAA March Madness… Continue reading March 2021 Update
Tax Season – In Progress I finished filing the tax returns for both of my oldest two children. Both made well under $30k for the year. I laughed at how simple they were and also the sheer number of dark patterns that Turbotax employed to trick us into paying for what should have been a… Continue reading February 2021 Update
