Does this site look a bit familiar?

Yes, I brought back the THEME. I made a Wordpress child for the Make template; I skinned it atop GeneratePress for WP; I toyed with an implementation of it for my static stuff. My theme was the colors of 2018, 2019, and 2020 with a few appearances along the way. And LOTS of STRANGER THINGS, new wave, and stargazing.

It's time...it's time to bring it back and be. I really did think I was gonna run with that University of Memphis-inspired theme for the 2024 season, but...maybe I left behind that in a snowbank beyond the wall in Seward.

But, that's not all! I have finalized my New Year's Resolutions! There is a lot of change minimally shoved into it this year. Then there's a LOT of ramp-up. Then there's the Software Standards have returned with most of the services I've previously sworn off...

While not explicitly featured on the list, DIY projects are gonna make a big impact in 2024. This past November, I switched out all of the blinds in the house in November. Now, as part of that teardown of that atrocious built-in workbench in the garage, today I finished resetting that 112" W x 43" work area down to its studs. I have yet to decide what to do with that space.

I'm also working on plans for my first build at this house: appropriately enough, a workbench. Actually, I need to make a few tables as I've got to unbox that table saw, miter saw, drill press...

...and now, a wood planer! OK, so my material budget for this month was rerouted. It's something I wanted for a year now and my wife who went up to Harbor Freight for me for a hammer and a pry bar, came back home with this on sale.

Speaking of that Harbor Freight purchase, this $8.99 24 oz. hammer hits hard! And this $5 2-piece pry bar set has totally cracked open my heart.

On Saturday, I bought 3-month subscriptions to both Habitica and Spotify.

This time of year, I'll feel that old familiar wave of nostalgia. I open my eyes and see all of the old faces, I see each smile—family, friends, all vibrant and alive. They motion me to follow them. As I turn the corner, only the waft of once was remains in the hall. The ticking of the clock shatters the silence.

Old long since, indeed.

I wave that thought away. Wander My Friends...

This is a strange time of year, isn't it? Hours remain until we enter December 2023. Throughout the month, I'll reminisce and shine toward the good times; I'll grimace and groan at those moments I wish I had back.

While the past calls us back, we are at the precipice of the future. I know change is coming; I welcome it. I want to be better each following year until I, too, become a wisp of someone's memory.

But that is the talk of my spirit of Christmas yet to come.

I've got a lot of GOOD things coming down the line in 2024. You gotta realize "you're living in the golden years".

Mar cheo an tsléibhe uaine ag
Imeacht go deo
D'ainneoin ár dtuirse leanfam an tslí
Thar chnoic is thar ghleannta
Go deireadh na scríbi

Today has been a momentous day.

While we were slotted today to walk up to the vending machine for a 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan GT from Carvana, I was nervous about it when I awoke at 2:30 AM—OK, so that might have been from the dream I had about "stealing" books from a dumpster that doubled as a pharmacy run by a very irate baglady Jane Lynch...

While the paperwork was complete for the minivan, I just couldn't get on board with giving up a chunk of savings while paying $317 + insurance + gas + maintenance on it—let's make it an even $450/month. Yes, it would come in handy for DIY and hauling the kids around, but I have the kid hauler already. The DIY bit can be resolved by some timely planning by an INTJ and a U-Haul pickup. Is it wiser to...

• Shove a treasure chest of savings and take that ~$450/month lickin'?
• Or, pay $19.95 plus $0.69/mile (and gas) for a Saturday morning as needed?

No, you don't need to own a truck to do stuff. More importantly, I can apply the money saved toward projects AND the tools needed to do them!

This afternoon, I was reminded of tools long gone. After teaching homeschool classes then hanging up the last set of blinds, I demo'd the built-in "workbench" in the garage. I no longer own my crowbar, sledgehammer, or reciprocating saw, all those lovely tools I used to tear down that deck and turn that storm shelter into a raging kiln.

No, what did I use? A handsaw, a chisel, and...a rubber mallet. I literally was knocking holes in it with a rubber mallet! Either I can't find my way back to Asgard or the top of the bench was made up of some shady materials!

I worked on it as I listened to YTM's '80s Lost-Love Ballads—I know, I know, I should have been listening to early Metallica, something like Fight Fire With Fire, but I had my woodworker mindset on as I tore it down. I think of the history of the piece, where I was at the time, and how there were designs by a couple of different homeowners along the way. You can tell a lot about someone from their craftsmanship.

Today is also the first day I rolled a new site template! OK, structurally, it's just a new paint job with a bit of tidying up the place— yanked content, cleaned up CSS, etc. I ripped out all Javascript beyond the menu for mobile users. Also—and this is a big one—I removed the Fit page. I had 5-year-old content there! Don't worry, I'm still doing GREAT as I'm finishing up my 30th day of carnivore! It's just that 2024 isn't about weightloss itself as you can see on the new Quests page: the 2024 New Year's resolution page.