Captain’s Log, 2026.04

Started the month with a week of migraines that just wouldn’t quit. I’m starting to wonder if they are correlating with the weather; if so, that would be something new. I got through it by sleeping, so much sleep. I feel fine now but oof rough start.

Sometimes life lives you

As predicted, life away from the computer sucked up all my attention this month. Is what it is. I’m motivating myself with a list of big picture priorities: the life stuff I need to get through is at the top; the fun techie projects I’m excited about are at the bottom. Each day I start at the top and do what I can for the topmost priority, and when I’ve done everything needed for the day I move down the list to the next one. Some days I make it to the first fun project (previously: getting my server configuration files into version control; currently: getting Restic backups working on all my home systems, before I self-host anything more).

Giving myself a bit of credit: I’m writing this on my laptop from the diner, listening to Maxinque off a Raspberry Pi-hosted Jellyfin instance sitting back in my apartment, and it’s lovely.

Rev & rest

I’m scheduling in “enforced” down time to make sure I can maintain this pace, and it’s really helping progress on my Steam wishlist. This month I finally finished Disco Elysium! :celebrate:

Felt like a solid ending to me, so I going to stop there and move on to the 2010 classic Fallout: New Vegas which I somehow missed entirely back in the day.

Insights & advice

• It’s okay to try things that don’t work. Knowledge comes from experimentation. Getting it right on the first try is just a lucky guess. Show some grace.

• Small steps compound. Do the one simple thing that’s right there, adjust course, repeat. Don’t worry about the outcome, it will sort itself in time.

Random shit

• Stalker (1979) what a wild bit of filmmaking this is