I’m changing my shopping habits. I’m buying local. I’m going to go radical on this.
I rarely buy anything online as it is, and that’s been true for a while now. I’d already resolved to boycott Amazon, and at this point I don’t feel too good supporting Shopify either (though that’s different in that many independent online retailers use Shopify for their e-commerce websites).
But when I talk about going radically local, I don’t mean just going to a local store even if they’re a Big Box retailer. I mean buying things made locally. Right here in #Portland.
Every day I carry my iPad and other gear in a backpack made locally. (So local in fact, I can walk to the manufacturer/storefront from my house in 5 minutes. 😂) And that’s just the beginning. My next clothing purchase will be locally-made. I’ll start with shirts because that’s pretty straightforward and see where it goes from there.
And I love shopping at locally-owned markets and will prioritize food items from local suppliers.
If MAGA wants to claim with a straight face they’re “America First”, I’m here to tell you I’m “Oregon First”. Call it my little act of political rebellion… ✊☭
Even though it’s now colder out when the sun’s out, c’mon. Who doesn’t want to see #Portland waterfront views like this every evening? 😍 #OregonExplored
A rare moment of sun & open skies before the latest rains came in.
#Portland #OregonExplored South Waterfront
(psst, this makes for great smartphone wallpaper!)
I’ve been procrastinating about posting which means tabs have been accumulating. 🙁
We got a new, overpowered-for-home-use 3D printer, the Bambu Labs X1C. With the fancy Automated Material Switcher (AMS) that must be powered by forbidden magics.
After setting it up and letting it run through its literal shake-out calibration, I printed these things and was really impressed with the results!
- The classic benchy boat. This was actually included in the memory of the machine, but I’m linking to what looks like the version on Bambu’s MakerWorld.
- These print-in-place fold-flat phone/tablet stands which I believe was suggested by the Bambu mobile app that I used to set up the printer. I started my 3D printing journey with a MakerBot Cupcake CNC kit back in ~2009 so print-in-place mechanical stuff still feels magical to me when it works. These came out nice and sturdy!
- Craving more print-in-place, this articulated axolotl is pretty cute and moved well straight off the printer, despite what I would describe as “flimsy-looking” joints between the parts.
- For a first “useful” print, I selected this one-piece Aeropress wall mount. It’s in the same lineage as my sliced-in-half Aeropress wall mount that I cut into two parts to fit on my printer of the day.
Photos would only get in the way of finishing this post, so I’m afraid you’ll have to use your imagination.
The new printer meant I was well set up to contribute to the latest We the Builder’s project - Charon’s Boat, which is rapidly being finished by builders all over the world. If you have clear plastic filament and a large-ish 3D printer, you may still have time to grab a part and contribute to this underworldly sculpture!
Mutemath/Paul Meany released Distance, an acoustic EP of some songs from the vault. Very chill.
Another thing I did during IndieWebCamp San Diego’s Create Day was add a page with food and drink recommendations. This morning I added an emoji before each one as a quick indicator of the type of food. I like that it adds some color and variety to a page of mostly text.
This will be my third #BrokenArrow race.
Goals: finish strong, beat last year’s time.
The race sold out within 10-15minutes of opening this morning. Here’s how it went for me:
09:00 Pacific time registration opened (I had two laptops ready, reloading every second)
09:06 I completed registering but it redirected me to the home page (not a confirmation). I thought it had canceled my registration, so I kept trying. The #UltraSignup site flow was sufficiently broken that I didn't know I had successfully registered.
~9:15 I was able to check my online UltraSignup profile and see the 09:06 registration.
09:25 Received email confirmation of registration.
You can still register for the 23k waitlist: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=117118
More Broken Arrow races and distances (e.g. 46k, VK, 18k, 11k) registrations are opening the rest of this week, every morning December 10-13.
See the https://www.brokenarrowskyrace.com/ website for details for each.
Previously, previously:
* https://tantek.com/2024/176/t1/finished-broken-arrow-skyrace-23k
* https://tantek.com/2023/178/t1/june-trailrunner-ultrarunner
¹ https://www.brokenarrowskyrace.com/23k
#23k #trailRace #RingDasBell
My mother passed away nearly 20 years ago. I still miss her. A lot.
But as I was in the car chatting with my kids about our own ages and growing older as a #family is wont to do, it occurred to me that if my mother were still alive, she’d be 73 years old. And the notion of having a 73-year-old “Mom” suddenly struck me as absurdist, loony, perhaps even a little frightening.
I have no idea what a 73-year-old Mom would be like! And would I even like her, the way I did when she was in her 50s and I was in my 20s?
And that idea made me giggle a little. It’s easier to miss her now, because I miss her in a special way I simply wouldn’t if she were different, older, and here.
