📕 Finished reading How to do Nothing by Jenny Odell ISBN: 9781612198552
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"summary": "\ud83d\udcd5 Finished reading How to do Nothing by Jenny Odell ISBN: 9781612198552",
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Link: Is Authenticity Dead?
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"published": "2025-07-17T23:51:14-07:00",
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"html": "<blockquote>\n <h2><a href=\"https://medium.com/clyde-group/gen-z-is-all-about-authenticity-59d863b0bdcf\"></a></h2>\n\n <p>(From 2019)</p>\n\n<p>Data reported by CNBC shows that authenticity is an important value for Gen Z, with \u201c67 percent of those surveyed agreeing that \u2018being true to their values and beliefs makes a person cool.\u2019\u201d One of the biggest challenges in engaging with Gen Z will be determining how to appear \u201ccool\u201d and change the world while still remaining profitable.</p>\n\n<p>The Gen Z preoccupation with authenticity \u2014 which has driven them away from traditional celebrities in favor of more intimate social media and YouTube influencers \u2014 makes them scrutinize the motives of large brands, presenting a challenge for today\u2019s marketing and communications professionals.</p>\n\n<p>For Gen Z, print advertising and traditional commercials can feel inauthentic in the same way that hollywood celebrities seem unrelatable. The growing consumer base is shifting as Gen Z enters the fray; 58 percent of consumers are most amenable to brands taking a social or political stance on social media and only 25 percent feel that way about print advertising.</p>\n\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I linked to this article from 2019 not because there\u2019s anything particularly noteworthy about it but because it represents a certain viewpoint in vogue only a few short years ago. I can\u2019t believe how often I heard this same refrain repeated over and over and over again, this idea that Millennials valued <em>authenticity</em> above all else (and Gen Z just as much if not more so). The absolute worst thing you could do as a brand trying to reach \u201cthe youngs\u201d would be to come across as fake. As a poser. As a source of manipulative propaganda instead of speaking truth from the heart.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Either something has dramatically changed, or that was all complete bullshit.</strong> Because we now live in an age of <em>rank inauthenticity</em>. <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/generativeai\">#GenerativeAI</a> made sure of that. Now you simply cannot believe anything you read, hear, or watch\u2026everything is being manipulated and remixed and regurgitated down to the nth degree.</p>\n\n<p>I recall just recently I was excited that a podcaster I admire (not going to name names)\u2014who is a Millennial themselves!\u2014launched a new personal blog. I was enjoying reading their first few posts, and <strong>I distinctly remember feeling impressed</strong> that their writing was well put-together and made for a captivating read.</p>\n\n<p><em>Then I heard them talk about their blog on a show</em> where it was revealed that they put every blog post through genAI writing tools because otherwise they wouldn\u2019t be confident in publishing any of their writing. Yes, that\u2019s right: all of that \u201cgreat\u201d writing I had been enjoying wasn\u2019t actually what they wrote. It was the \u201cideas\u201d of what they wrote, filtered through computer algorithms into something else entirely\u2026something they imagined was somehow better.</p>\n\n<p><strong>I felt betrayed.</strong> \ud83d\ude16</p>\n\n<p>Because who\u2019s to say I would enjoy their blog without the algorithmic sheen applied? Maybe I\u2019d like it better! Who knows?!</p>\n\n<p>It\u2019s like we now have Photoshop for words. The \u201creal\u201d blog post had warts, wrinkles, scuffs, and sags\u2014but after the auto word-shopping gets applied, it has all been airbrushed away.</p>\n\n<p>I don\u2019t know what happened. I don\u2019t know how our so-called \u201cauthentic generation\u201d has turned so quickly into embracing tools I believe are incredibly, incredibly <em>inauthentic</em>.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Sorry, your slop isn\u2019t authentic.</strong> There\u2019s nothing to admire about it. Nothing to appreciate about it. It\u2019s as <em>cringe</em> as cringe can get.</p>\n\n<p>Don\u2019t you see that?</p>\n\n<p>Can\u2019t you see that?</p>\n\n<p>I don\u2019t get it.</p>\n\n<p>(P.S. I <em>never</em> use automated <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/writing\">#writing</a> tools. Never. Every single word you ever see me write and publish online is 100% my own. I do use a traditional spellchecker and verify its suggestions by hand. <strong>That\u2019s it and that\u2019s all.</strong>)</p>",
"text": "(From 2019)\n\nData reported by CNBC shows that authenticity is an important value for Gen Z, with \u201c67 percent of those surveyed agreeing that \u2018being true to their values and beliefs makes a person cool.\u2019\u201d One of the biggest challenges in engaging with Gen Z will be determining how to appear \u201ccool\u201d and change the world while still remaining profitable.\n\nThe Gen Z preoccupation with authenticity \u2014 which has driven them away from traditional celebrities in favor of more intimate social media and YouTube influencers \u2014 makes them scrutinize the motives of large brands, presenting a challenge for today\u2019s marketing and communications professionals.\n\nFor Gen Z, print advertising and traditional commercials can feel inauthentic in the same way that hollywood celebrities seem unrelatable. The growing consumer base is shifting as Gen Z enters the fray; 58 percent of consumers are most amenable to brands taking a social or political stance on social media and only 25 percent feel that way about print advertising.\n\n\n\nI linked to this article from 2019 not because there\u2019s anything particularly noteworthy about it but because it represents a certain viewpoint in vogue only a few short years ago. I can\u2019t believe how often I heard this same refrain repeated over and over and over again, this idea that Millennials valued authenticity above all else (and Gen Z just as much if not more so). The absolute worst thing you could do as a brand trying to reach \u201cthe youngs\u201d would be to come across as fake. As a poser. As a source of manipulative propaganda instead of speaking truth from the heart.\n\nEither something has dramatically changed, or that was all complete bullshit. Because we now live in an age of rank inauthenticity. #GenerativeAI made sure of that. Now you simply cannot believe anything you read, hear, or watch\u2026everything is being manipulated and remixed and regurgitated down to the nth degree.\n\nI recall just recently I was excited that a podcaster I admire (not going to name names)\u2014who is a Millennial themselves!\u2014launched a new personal blog. I was enjoying reading their first few posts, and I distinctly remember feeling impressed that their writing was well put-together and made for a captivating read.\n\nThen I heard them talk about their blog on a show where it was revealed that they put every blog post through genAI writing tools because otherwise they wouldn\u2019t be confident in publishing any of their writing. Yes, that\u2019s right: all of that \u201cgreat\u201d writing I had been enjoying wasn\u2019t actually what they wrote. It was the \u201cideas\u201d of what they wrote, filtered through computer algorithms into something else entirely\u2026something they imagined was somehow better.\n\nI felt betrayed. \ud83d\ude16\n\nBecause who\u2019s to say I would enjoy their blog without the algorithmic sheen applied? Maybe I\u2019d like it better! Who knows?!\n\nIt\u2019s like we now have Photoshop for words. The \u201creal\u201d blog post had warts, wrinkles, scuffs, and sags\u2014but after the auto word-shopping gets applied, it has all been airbrushed away.\n\nI don\u2019t know what happened. I don\u2019t know how our so-called \u201cauthentic generation\u201d has turned so quickly into embracing tools I believe are incredibly, incredibly inauthentic.\n\nSorry, your slop isn\u2019t authentic. There\u2019s nothing to admire about it. Nothing to appreciate about it. It\u2019s as cringe as cringe can get.\n\nDon\u2019t you see that?\n\nCan\u2019t you see that?\n\nI don\u2019t get it.\n\n(P.S. I never use automated #writing tools. Never. Every single word you ever see me write and publish online is 100% my own. I do use a traditional spellchecker and verify its suggestions by hand. That\u2019s it and that\u2019s all.)"
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Current statuses
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This crispy chickpea pesto eggs recipe sounds so good, going to try it out.
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"text": "This crispy chickpea pesto eggs recipe sounds so good, going to try it out.",
"html": "<p>This <a href=\"https://www.liveeatlearn.com/chickpea-pesto-eggs-with-feta/\">crispy chickpea pesto eggs</a> recipe sounds so good, going to try it out.</p>"
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For Me, Pixelfed Forever Beats Instagram
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"html": "<p>I didn\u2019t notice when this happened recently, but continuing the trend of my <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/fediverse\">#Fediverse</a> powered social profiles being more successful than I ever was in corporate silos, my <a href=\"https://pixelfed.social/essentiallife\">Pixelfed account</a> now has more followers than I <em>ever</em> had back in the day on Instagram. \ud83d\ude4c</p>\n\n<p>Not only that, because of the blessings of federation, I can boost posts I publish on Pixelfed through my Mastodon profile(s), thus increasing reach even more. That\u2019s as if back in <em>ye olde days</em> I could have \u201cretweeted\u201d my Instagram photos directly to my Twitter followers.</p>\n\n<p>I know there are lots of people who were orders of magnitude more successful than I ever was on corporate silos, so maybe Fedi just can\u2019t offer them an alternative that\u2019s appealing enough. But me? <strong>I wouldn\u2019t trade this amazing new world for anything.</strong> \ud83d\ude0d</p>",
"text": "I didn\u2019t notice when this happened recently, but continuing the trend of my #Fediverse powered social profiles being more successful than I ever was in corporate silos, my Pixelfed account now has more followers than I ever had back in the day on Instagram. \ud83d\ude4c\n\nNot only that, because of the blessings of federation, I can boost posts I publish on Pixelfed through my Mastodon profile(s), thus increasing reach even more. That\u2019s as if back in ye olde days I could have \u201cretweeted\u201d my Instagram photos directly to my Twitter followers.\n\nI know there are lots of people who were orders of magnitude more successful than I ever was on corporate silos, so maybe Fedi just can\u2019t offer them an alternative that\u2019s appealing enough. But me? I wouldn\u2019t trade this amazing new world for anything. \ud83d\ude0d"
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My best Wes Anderson treatment of this unusual PNW scene. 😲
The Lodge at St. Edward Park near Lake Washington
#WashingtonExplored
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"published": "2025-06-24T11:17:26-07:00",
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"html": "<img alt=\"\" src=\"https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/4580/4f692c7f1-e20d1b/lXFzTmnSrARL/GhDndczX7wNGBrx9xx10wGHR9WbupLjCtYSId8KW.jpg\" /><p>My best Wes Anderson treatment of this unusual PNW scene. \ud83d\ude32<br />The Lodge at St. Edward Park near Lake Washington<br /><a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/washingtonexplored\">#WashingtonExplored</a></p>",
"text": "My best Wes Anderson treatment of this unusual PNW scene. \ud83d\ude32\nThe Lodge at St. Edward Park near Lake Washington\n#WashingtonExplored"
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The biggest PNW daddy of them all: Mt. Rainier (or if you prefer its native name, Tacoma)
It stands tall at 14,410 feet and last erupted around 150 years ago. And it boasts the largest single-mountain glacier system in the United States outside Alaska!
#WashingtonExplored #NikonZfc #NomadLifestyle
{
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"url": "https://jaredwhite.com/pictures/20250621/the-biggest-mountain-in-pnw",
"published": "2025-06-21T08:06:10-07:00",
"content": {
"html": "<img alt=\"\" src=\"https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/4580/4f692c7f1-e20d1b/Yx9NC8IYDYku/OSTDumvuo5Bd1SXQRHS2ByWTIklYG0vLikWDmfUw.jpg\" /><p>The biggest PNW daddy of them all: Mt. Rainier (or if you prefer its native name, Tacoma)</p>\n\n<p>It stands tall at 14,410 feet and last erupted around 150 years ago. And it boasts the largest single-mountain glacier system in the United States outside Alaska!<br /><a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/washingtonexplored\">#WashingtonExplored</a> <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/nikonzfc\">#NikonZfc</a> <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/nomadlifestyle\">#NomadLifestyle</a></p>",
"text": "The biggest PNW daddy of them all: Mt. Rainier (or if you prefer its native name, Tacoma)\n\nIt stands tall at 14,410 feet and last erupted around 150 years ago. And it boasts the largest single-mountain glacier system in the United States outside Alaska!\n#WashingtonExplored #NikonZfc #NomadLifestyle"
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The trees are sentinels.
#OregonExplored #NikonZfc
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"url": "https://jaredwhite.com/pictures/20250615/the-trees-are-sentinels",
"published": "2025-06-15T09:32:40-07:00",
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"html": "<img alt=\"\" src=\"https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/4580/4f692c7f1-e20d1b/Fxq5CTDKdQSc/knF0YC6SUdt3O8ytEX0OxUM40DecYoNj0GxVnFC7.jpg\" /><p>The trees are sentinels.<br /><a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/oregonexplored\">#OregonExplored</a> <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/nikonzfc\">#NikonZfc</a></p>",
"text": "The trees are sentinels.\n#OregonExplored #NikonZfc"
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At the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers, Sacajawea State Park in Pasco, WA
(couldn’t decide which framing I liked better so here’s both!)
#WashingtonExplored #NomadLifestyle
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"url": "https://jaredwhite.com/pictures/20250604/at-the-confluence-of-the-snake-and-columbia-rivers-sacajawea",
"published": "2025-06-04T08:05:58-07:00",
"content": {
"html": "<img alt=\"\" src=\"https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/4580/4f692c7f1-e20d1b/pRTcAeJMF7bT/EISorf7IU6Ytd2vOOrFfu2Ehmti3hPK5wMFQWpxW.jpg\" /><p>At the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers, Sacajawea State Park in Pasco, WA<br />(couldn\u2019t decide which framing I liked better so here\u2019s both!)<br /><a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/washingtonexplored\">#WashingtonExplored</a> <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/nomadlifestyle\">#NomadLifestyle</a></p>",
"text": "At the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers, Sacajawea State Park in Pasco, WA\n(couldn\u2019t decide which framing I liked better so here\u2019s both!)\n#WashingtonExplored #NomadLifestyle"
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Current TODO list
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"text": "Chores\nDo the dishes\nMow the front yard and studio path\nMaybe mow the back yard too (stretch goal)\n\nWork\nGame\n\nProperly listen to and internalize game designer\u2019s reference tracks\n\nUpdate timesheet (DONE)\n\nScore a video for Trans Academy\nSockpuppet\n\nUpload more albums to Mirlo\n\nMaybe actually post some stuff to Comradery and Patreon for a change?\n\n\nPersonal\nUpdate finances/budget spreadsheet\nSchedule blood draw for labwork\nMake appointments with:\n\nOptometrist\nDermatologist\nAllergist\n\nPlan basement/workshop cabinetry\n\nOther\n\nPost this TODO list (DONE)",
"html": "<h3>\n<a href=\"https://beesbuzz.biz/blog/10651-Current-TODO-list#10651_h3_1_Chores\"></a>Chores</h3>\n<ul><li>Do the dishes</li>\n<li>Mow the front yard and studio path</li>\n<li>Maybe mow the back yard too (stretch goal)</li>\n</ul><h3>\n<a href=\"https://beesbuzz.biz/blog/10651-Current-TODO-list#10651_h3_2_Work\"></a>Work</h3>\n<ul><li>Game\n\n<ul><li>Properly listen to and internalize game designer\u2019s reference tracks</li>\n<li>\n<del>Update timesheet</del> (DONE)</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Score a video for Trans Academy</li>\n<li>Sockpuppet\n\n<ul><li>Upload more albums to <a href=\"https://sockpuppet.band/mirlo\">Mirlo</a>\n</li>\n<li>Maybe actually post some stuff to <a href=\"https://comradery.co/sockpuppet\">Comradery</a> and <a href=\"https://beesbuzz.biz/patreon\">Patreon</a> for a change?</li>\n</ul></li>\n</ul><h3>\n<a href=\"https://beesbuzz.biz/blog/10651-Current-TODO-list#10651_h3_3_Personal\"></a>Personal</h3>\n<ul><li>Update finances/budget spreadsheet</li>\n<li>Schedule blood draw for labwork</li>\n<li>Make appointments with:\n\n<ul><li>Optometrist</li>\n<li>Dermatologist</li>\n<li>Allergist</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Plan basement/workshop cabinetry</li>\n</ul><h3>\n<a href=\"https://beesbuzz.biz/blog/10651-Current-TODO-list#10651_h3_4_Other\"></a>Other</h3>\n<ul><li>\n<del>Post this TODO list</del> (DONE)</li>\n</ul>"
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Welcome to July?
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"name": "Welcome to July?",
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"text": "Just got back from a week in Bristol (UK) for work. Nice time, good folks. I sincerely like my coworkers, and I love to travel, so it feels more like an opportunity than a task when these work trips come up. That said, one of these days I need to allocate some time off around the trip, so I can go see more of the country and say hi to various folks I know.\n\n\n\nI was back at work for a week (three days, really), and now I\u2019m on vacation at Squam, as is our annual tradition. It\u2019s been humid and keeps threatening to rain, but the temperatures have been nice, and it\u2019s nice to disconnect for a little bit. I find myself, more often than not, still stuck in work brain at the end of the day (and the days where that\u2019s not the case, it\u2019s because I\u2019m wiped and my brain is mush), so it\u2019s nice to have some dedicated time off to reset.\n\n\n\nI\u2019ve got a small handful of projects I want to work on while I\u2019m on vacation, but frankly if I just manage to swim every day, I\u2019ll consider it a win. Happy July, y\u2019all.\n\n\n\n Some Photos behind the Cut",
"html": "<p>Just got back from a week in Bristol (UK) for work. Nice time, good folks. I sincerely like my coworkers, and I love to travel, so it feels more like an opportunity than a task when these work trips come up. That said, one of these days I need to allocate some time off around the trip, so I can go see more of the country and say hi to various folks I know.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was back at work for a week (three days, really), and now I\u2019m on vacation at Squam, as is our annual tradition. It\u2019s been humid and keeps threatening to rain, but the temperatures have been nice, and it\u2019s nice to disconnect for a little bit. I find myself, more often than not, still stuck in work brain at the end of the day (and the days where that\u2019s not the case, it\u2019s because I\u2019m wiped and my brain is mush), so it\u2019s nice to have some dedicated time off to reset.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve got a small handful of projects I want to work on while I\u2019m on vacation, but frankly if I just manage to swim every day, I\u2019ll consider it a win. Happy July, y\u2019all.</p>\n\n\n\n <a href=\"https://nadreck.me/2025/07/welcome-to-july/#more-12095\">Some Photos behind the Cut</a>"
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Link: Jessie Gender: ‘Superman’ Is a Radically Kind Masterpiece
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"published": "2025-07-12T22:50:11-07:00",
"content": {
"html": "<blockquote>\n <h2><a href=\"https://youtu.be/unIuOYiwNkg\"></a></h2>\n\n <p>This is who Superman was always meant to be. He\u2019s supposed to be one of us\u2026like a guy that\u2019s one of us but he actually has power and he actually cares for other people. He\u2019s not there for power for power\u2019s sake because he doesn\u2019t need it. (YouTube)</p>\n\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Confession time: I haven\u2019t though much of any of the Superman <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/movies\">#movies</a> made in the last 20 years. (And I actually never saw the originals with Christopher Reeve.) Honestly, the character has never made a whole lot of sense to me. Maybe I\u2019d feel differently if I\u2019d read some of the comic book source material. In terms of live action portrayals, I just never \u201cgot\u201d Superman.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Until now.</strong></p>\n\n<p>James Gunn pulled a rabbit out of his hat with this film. He not only made me care, deeply, about <em>Superman</em> of all people, but he somehow crafted a story that feels fun and funny in a truly goofball way\u2014yet also resonates on a deep level in some incredibly smart ways which are fully relevant to the zeitgeist. We\u2019re having a <em>conversation</em> about who Superman is and what he stands for and it\u2019s reflecting back on who we are and what we want to stand for as leaders here in the real world.</p>\n\n<p>I\u2019m kind of shocked this is the case, but when you really think about it, <em>that\u2019s the whole point</em> of having these mythic stories. They\u2019re <em>supposed</em> to be a reflection of our hopes and our fears, our aspirations and our foibles. It\u2019s not just dumb entertainment\u2026although let\u2019s not get too academically carried away, <strong>this movie is very entertaining in the vein of Hollywood summer blockbusters</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>Personally? I can\u2019t wait to go see it again.</p>",
"text": "This is who Superman was always meant to be. He\u2019s supposed to be one of us\u2026like a guy that\u2019s one of us but he actually has power and he actually cares for other people. He\u2019s not there for power for power\u2019s sake because he doesn\u2019t need it. (YouTube)\n\n\n\nConfession time: I haven\u2019t though much of any of the Superman #movies made in the last 20 years. (And I actually never saw the originals with Christopher Reeve.) Honestly, the character has never made a whole lot of sense to me. Maybe I\u2019d feel differently if I\u2019d read some of the comic book source material. In terms of live action portrayals, I just never \u201cgot\u201d Superman.\n\nUntil now.\n\nJames Gunn pulled a rabbit out of his hat with this film. He not only made me care, deeply, about Superman of all people, but he somehow crafted a story that feels fun and funny in a truly goofball way\u2014yet also resonates on a deep level in some incredibly smart ways which are fully relevant to the zeitgeist. We\u2019re having a conversation about who Superman is and what he stands for and it\u2019s reflecting back on who we are and what we want to stand for as leaders here in the real world.\n\nI\u2019m kind of shocked this is the case, but when you really think about it, that\u2019s the whole point of having these mythic stories. They\u2019re supposed to be a reflection of our hopes and our fears, our aspirations and our foibles. It\u2019s not just dumb entertainment\u2026although let\u2019s not get too academically carried away, this movie is very entertaining in the vein of Hollywood summer blockbusters.\n\nPersonally? I can\u2019t wait to go see it again."
},
"name": "Link: Jessie Gender: \u2018Superman\u2019 Is a Radically Kind Masterpiece",
"post-type": "article",
"_id": "45374712",
"_source": "2783"
}
Meds and such
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2025-07-12T20:01:37-07:00",
"url": "https://beesbuzz.biz/blog/3099-Meds-and-such",
"category": [
"gabapentin",
"pregabalin",
"Lyrica",
"fibromyalgia",
"singulair",
"asthma",
"long COVID"
],
"name": "Meds and such",
"content": {
"text": "I had a long-overdue physical with my doctor last week, and after explaining my various struggles with fibromyalgia, long COVID, and suspected ME/CFS she put me on two new medications, Singulair, for the persistent shortness of breath, and Lyrica (pregabalin), for the chronic pain. I\u2019ve only been on them for a few days but here\u2019s some observations so far:\n\nMy breathing problems have cleared up quite a bit, in that I\u2019m not randomly feeling short of breath when I\u2019m just sitting on the couch. So far I haven\u2019t noticed any of its many potential side effects, but I also theoretically shouldn\u2019t be noticing any positive effects this soon either. I haven\u2019t done any significant physical activity so I can\u2019t yet tell whether it\u2019s effective as a prophylactic against exercise-induced asthma (which is the main reason I\u2019ve been told I should be on it for years).\n\nI haven\u2019t noticed any significant reduction in pain, but I did have a day of extreme drowsiness when I started the Lyrica. The drowsiness has already cleared up but I\u2019m still having a bit of \u201cfinger no worky\u201d problems at times, and I\u2019m already having the major constipation that happened with gabapentin. Increasing my water intake is always a good idea as would be going back on docusate, although I don\u2019t recall that helping with gabapentin.\n\nI\u2019m definitely feeling a bit dizzier than usual and won\u2019t be driving at all until things settle down a bit. Fortunately there\u2019s Lyft (sigh) and the bus for most of the places I need to go which aren\u2019t in walking distance. I\u2019ve been thinking about getting a cheap electric bike/cargo trike/scooter for grocery and short-distance travel purposes, and that might even be an overall better setup than owning a car anyway.\n\nAlso as of late my hypermobility has gotten a lot worse and I am pretty sure I do have some form of EDS (and not just some unspecified \u201chypermobility spectrum disorder\u201d) after all. So, that\u2019s fun.\n\nMy disability hearing is in two weeks and hopefully it goes better than the previous parts of the process. I\u2019m not optimistic.",
"html": "<p>I had a long-overdue physical with my doctor last week, and after explaining my various struggles with fibromyalgia, long COVID, and suspected ME/CFS she put me on two new medications, Singulair, for the persistent shortness of breath, and Lyrica (pregabalin), for the chronic pain. I\u2019ve only been on them for a few days but here\u2019s some observations so far:</p><p>My breathing problems have cleared up quite a bit, in that I\u2019m not randomly feeling short of breath when I\u2019m just sitting on the couch. So far I haven\u2019t noticed any of its many potential side effects, but I also theoretically shouldn\u2019t be noticing any positive effects this soon either. I haven\u2019t done any significant physical activity so I can\u2019t yet tell whether it\u2019s effective as a prophylactic against exercise-induced asthma (which is the main reason I\u2019ve been told I should be on it for years).</p><p>I haven\u2019t noticed any significant reduction in pain, but I did have a day of extreme drowsiness when I started the Lyrica. The drowsiness has already cleared up but I\u2019m still having a bit of \u201cfinger no worky\u201d problems at times, and I\u2019m already having the major constipation that happened with gabapentin. Increasing my water intake is always a good idea as would be going back on docusate, although I don\u2019t recall that helping with gabapentin.</p><p>I\u2019m definitely feeling a bit dizzier than usual and won\u2019t be driving at all until things settle down a bit. Fortunately there\u2019s Lyft (sigh) and the bus for most of the places I need to go which aren\u2019t in walking distance. I\u2019ve been thinking about getting a cheap electric bike/cargo trike/scooter for grocery and short-distance travel purposes, and that might even be an overall better setup than owning a car anyway.</p><p>Also as of late my hypermobility has gotten a lot worse and I am pretty sure I do have some form of <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehlers%E2%80%93Danlos_syndrome\">EDS</a> (and not just some unspecified \u201chypermobility spectrum disorder\u201d) after all. So, that\u2019s fun.</p><p>My disability hearing is in two weeks and hopefully it goes better than the previous parts of the process. I\u2019m not optimistic.</p>"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "fluffy",
"url": "https://beesbuzz.biz/",
"photo": "https://beesbuzz.biz/static/headshot.jpg"
},
"post-type": "article",
"_id": "45373127",
"_source": "2778"
}
A Nomad’s Pacific Northwest Travelogue, Part IV
{
"type": "entry",
"author": {
"name": "Jared White",
"url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
"photo": null
},
"url": "https://jaredwhite.com/articles/a-nomads-pnw-travelogue-part-iv",
"published": "2025-07-09T19:55:33-07:00",
"content": {
"html": "<img alt=\"\" src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/mariposta/image/upload/w_1200,c_limit,q_65/mt-hood-sunrise.jpg\" /><h2>At long last, my years-long dream of exploring and sleeping in the wilderness comes to pass.</h2>\n\n<p>At this point in my nomadic journey, I\u2019d spent a whole month (March 2025) on the road\u2026yet I felt like I didn\u2019t have much to show for it in terms of the kinds of experiences (and let\u2019s face it, photographs!) you can only get when you truly live as a cross-country nomad. For the most part I\u2019d stayed near major urban centers in Oregon & Washington, and while I\u2019d enjoyed a fair degree of nature experiences, I didn\u2019t feel like I was living <em>out in the wild, man</em>\u2026like the true hippies do.</p>\n\n<p><strong>This was all about to change.</strong> And I got the cover photo (above) to prove it!</p>\n\n<h3>Hipcamp is the Hip Camp</h3>\n\n<p>Where <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/articles/a-nomads-pnw-travelogue-part-iii\">last we left our intrepid hero</a>, he (I) was just returning from a fun touristy time in Seattle hanging out with my brother Shayne. But my adventure was just beginning, as I decided it was time to head the opposite direction and go south (and a bit east) in search of what I hoped would be an epic trip through the rugged high desert regions and eastern slopes of the Cascades in central Oregon.</p>\n\n<p>But first I had to get <em>through</em> the Cascades, so I began my travels heading east from downtown Portland, stopping first for a leisurely afternoon respite at Blue Lake.</p>\n\nSuch pristine waters<p>From there I made my way out along Hwy 26 and southeast towards the small town of Sandy, a well-known gateway to the stretch of highway which leads directly to Mt. Hood. I had decided to stay the night at my first <a href=\"https://www.hipcamp.com/en-US\">Hipcamp</a> ever, out in the foothills past Sandy.</p>\n\n<p>For those unfamiliar, Hipcamp is essentially an \u201cAirBnB\u201d for camping. You can browse through listings of all sorts of camping destinations largely run by private operators (in many cases people who own homes on acreage and offer a portion of their land to be used by campers). Check out photos, read reviews, and when you\u2019ve found the perfect spot, book online quickly and easily.</p>\n\n<p>I was rather nervous about finding \u201cthe right place\u201d to stay the night car camping for the first time, but I shouldn\u2019t have been. As soon as I arrived, the owner of the property aka the host came out to greet me and walk me through the basic aspects of the property. <em>It was gorgeous!</em> And in addition to the cleared space where cars, vans, & RVs can park, it turned out there was a walking path through the forest in a loop around the perimeter. <strong>Was this my first time hiking through a privately-owned nature park? Could be!</strong></p>\n\n<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7260.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7260.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7260.jpg\" /></a>\n <a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7263.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7263.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7263.jpg\" /></a>\n \n Left: Sit a spell and enjoy the solitude of the ferns and the trees <br />Right: I was a happy camper\u2026literally!A quiet path all to myself\u2026incredible<p>After exploring a bit, it was getting dark so I went back to my car and got settled in for the night. Even though technically it was now springtime, the nights were still quite chilly and the air was damp so I tried (and mostly succeeded) to stay warm and dry.</p>\n\n<p>In the morning I woke up right at the crack of dawn\u2014and let me tell you, there is <em>nothing</em> like beholding that magical moment when night gives way to day while you\u2019re camping in a forest. <strong>Nothing like it at all.</strong> I simply <em>live</em> for forest mornings now. My oh my.</p>\n\n<p>Anyway, I packed up and made my way back to Sandy, and after grabbing some coffee and a muffin, I had an inkling to explore just a little bit more on the edge of town before pointing the car towards Mt. Hood. <em>And I\u2019m so glad I did</em>, because I found a quaint little country road heading north from the town and OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!!!</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7273.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7273.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7273.jpg\" /></a>\n \n Pinch me, is this for real?!<p>Spread out below me to the east were rolling hills and valleys laden with dense fog banks, and past that, <strong>the mountain</strong>. It was out, as they say here in the PNW. Not only was Mt. Hood out in all its glory, but the most incredible shimmering sunlight was streaming down past the mountain and onto the fog and it was a thing unlike any I had ever seen; thankfully I had a lens on me for my Nikon Z fc to capture some measure of the magic.</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/_DSC3782.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/_DSC3782.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC3782.jpg\" /></a>\n \n This was the cover photo you already saw, but it bears repeating!<h3>Over the Cascades</h3>\n\n<p>With that rousing start to my journey, I drove onwards east to Mt. Hood. I stopped at the town of <strong>Government Camp</strong>, a sort of waystation for explorers of the mountain. At this elevation, I was starting to see clumps of snow here and there, but thankfully no dangerously slick ice.</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7283.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7283.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7283.jpg\" /></a>\n \n Quick stop at the general store<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7278.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7278.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7278.jpg\" /></a>\n \n Still a bit of a wintery vibe here<p>I soon continued on my way, heading east and soon southeast along Hwy 26. I must confess, some parts of the road here going through the mountainous terrain get pretty monotonous. Mostly all fir trees, all the time. But once you get past that and into the drier areas, you really feel the change of biome as the terrain gives way to the high desert of central Oregon!</p>\n\nThe road to Madras, OR<p><strong>Let me say a few things about desert.</strong> I\u2019m not really a \u201cdesert guy\u201d at heart. Yes, I have traveled pretty extensively throughout the American Southwest. I\u2019ve driven through California\u2019s Mojave Desert, I\u2019ve been in and around Las Vegas, Nevada, and I\u2019ve stayed at various times in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. It is not my scene. In fact, in New Mexico some years back I had a variety of bad personal experiences such that I doubt I\u2019ll ever go there again. (Santa Fe is a lovely town, I\u2019ll grant you that.)</p>\n\n<p>All that to say\u2026<strong>I love the Central Oregon desert!</strong> \ud83d\ude04 Place your finger on the map right at The Dalles (or just east of it where the Deschutes River meets the Columbia) and trace a line straight downward all the way to Bend, OR. <em>This whole region simply slays.</em> I mean, sure Montana is \u201cBig Sky Country\u201d but, like, we got that right here in Oregon.</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/_DSC1068.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/_DSC1068.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC1068.jpg\" /></a>\n \n I actually took this in February 2022 but\u2026yeah \ud83e\udd29<h3>Deschutes\u2026More like DeWOW</h3>\n\n<p>On a whim, I decided to head off the main highway a bit before Madras and follow the Deschutes River south. So much of what makes the Oregonian landscape iconic are its many <em>outstanding</em> rivers, and the Deschutes is no exception. I hadn\u2019t spent a whole lot of time around it other than in Bend previously, so this was the perfect opportunity to experience more of it.</p>\n\n<p>Almost immediately I was graced with an incredible view of the river as it bent towards a reservoir.</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7289.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7289.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7289.jpg\" /></a>\n \n There's a wonderful and roomy parking area overlooking this scene<p>After following the river a ways, I ended up wending my way through BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land which truly felt like the middle of nowhere\u2026in a good way. I found a glorious dirt road to park on so I could take a stroll through the grasslands, and this vista of Mt. Jefferson to the east simply took my breath away.</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7297.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7297.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7297.jpg\" /></a>\n \n Very Wild West vibes out here<p>By this point, I was already quite satisfied with all the landscapes I\u2019d seen on my drive, but the best was yet to come!</p>\n\n<p>I continued wending around on whims in a southerly direction close to the Deschutes River, when purely by accident, I stubbled onto a landscape so unexpected, so mind-blowing, my jaw hit the ground and rolled off over yonder somewhere.</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7304.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7304.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7304.jpg\" /></a>\n \n Apparently Oregon has its own little \"grand canyon\" and no one told me?!<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7311.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7311.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7311.jpg\" /></a>\n \n Photos just can't do it justice\u2026this view felt positively MASSIVE<p>Now when I say my jaw fell, I mean I was literally standing at the cliffside with my mouth agape looking like a maniac and this continued on for some while.</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7313.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7313.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7313.jpg\" /></a>\n \n Not the most flattering selfie, but I was truly dumbfounded, flabbergasted, and hit like a ton of bricks!<p>Truly the highlight of my day, once I\u2019d regained my composure I continued south in a leisurely way, eventually merging onto Hwy 97 and reaching my principal destination: <strong>Bend, Oregon</strong>.</p>\n\n<h3>How Come the Badlands are So Good</h3>\n\n<p>After spending a restful night at a modest hotel and getting some computer work done in the morning, I was feeling greatly refreshed and ready to head out to <a href=\"https://visitbend.com/journal/oregon-badlands-wilderness/\">the Oregon Badlands Wilderness</a>, an area southeast of Bend which looked like a blank nothing on the map and seemed mysterious and intriguing.</p>\n\n<p>I was expecting\u2026well, I was mostly expecting what I\u2019d seen much of elsewhere in the middle of the desert once you\u2019ve left the Cascades behind: sand, grasses, tumbleweeds, flat terrain, and not much else. What I saw instead completely blew me away.</p>\n\nI was not prepared for this<p>I suppose the badlands would hit differently in late summer when it\u2019s ridiculously dry and hot out, but at this time of year with so much snow lingering on the paths, it felt almost verdant. Juniper trees abounded, along with craggy lava rock formations and an undulating, otherworldly landscape.</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7337.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7337.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7337.jpg\" /></a>\n <a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7345.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7345.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7345.jpg\" /></a>\n \n Left: Holey rock formation <br />Right: The vibes were immaculate<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7329.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7329.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7329.jpg\" /></a>\n \n There are nearly 50 miles of easy walking trails here\u2026truly a place to get lost in the best possible way<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7335.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7335.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7335.jpg\" /></a>\n \n Yours truly with a big smile on my face<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7340.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7340.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7340.jpg\" /></a>\n <a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7343.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7343.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7343.jpg\" /></a>\n \n Left: I feel like this is right out of a coffee table photo book <br />Right: Another gnarly old juniper<p>I hated to leave, I could have spend much more time here; but duty called and I had to head back to civilization to get a bit more work done. However, that didn\u2019t stop me from later finding another park area closer to Bend, OR for a good ol\u2019 stretch of the legs.</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/_DSC3798.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/_DSC3798.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC3798.jpg\" /></a>\n \n I love this quote<p>Back in Bend, I picked up some grub at the most excellent <a href=\"https://www.grovebend.com/market-hall\">Grove</a>, a food hall with multiple restaurants and an excellent coffee shop (Thump Coffee).</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7352.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7352.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7352.jpg\" /></a>\n \n The outdoor seating area was quite lovely<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7351.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7351.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7351.jpg\" /></a>\n \n Fancy fancy<h3>Achievement Unlocked: Dispersed Camping</h3>\n\n<p>At this point, I decided to be bold and try something I\u2019d never done before. With apps like <a href=\"https://thedyrt.com/\">The Dyrt</a> and <a href=\"https://ioverlander.com/\">iOverlander</a> in hand, I made my way west into the mountains and the ponderosa pine forest, trying to find a dirt road I could follow to an area good for <strong>dispersed camping</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>The first location I found on the map appeared closed, but I continued on a little farther and found an absolutely stellar road. In surprisingly short order, I found my camp spot for the night. A few other folks were scattered about nearby, clearly fellow nomadic travelers. I didn\u2019t quite work up the courage to go up to anyone to talk, but they left me alone as well so it was all pretty chill.</p>\n\n<p>And oh wow, my dream of walking through and staying in a ponderosa pine forest was finally coming true. \ud83d\ude0d</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7354.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7354.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7354.jpg\" /></a>\n \n The view outside my \"bedroom\" window for the eveningBlissfully awakening the next morning<p>I\u2019ll have a <em>lot</em> more to say about how fantastically awesome the ponderosa pine forests of the eastern Cascades are later on, but suffice it to say, I was rather pleased with myself that I\u2019d managed to sleep out in the wilderness on public lands with no issue. <strong>I\u2019d done the thing</strong> I\u2019d seen so many \u201cvan lifers\u201d do on YouTube. Now I could count myself among them. <em>Wowee!</em></p>\n\n<p>I headed back into Bend for a mostly uneventful day of working in coffee shops and libraries and such, but not without a bit of exploring around the Deschutes River in town.</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7367.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7367.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7367.jpg\" /></a>\n \n A tranquil lazy river<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7366.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7366.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7366.jpg\" /></a>\n <a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7372.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7372.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7372.jpg\" /></a>\n \n Left: A delightful walking bridge <br />Right: Hey, it's me again<h3>An Unexpected Lakeside Campsite</h3>\n\n<p>After wrapping up work for the afternoon, I had an itch to explore even farther to the east\u2026what might I find <em>past</em> the badlands on the other side of the plains? <strong>I had absolutely no idea what was out there</strong> which honestly is the best way to travel.</p>\n\n<p>As I approached the town of Prineville, I took the viewpoint exit and ended up atop Ochoco Divide at <a href=\"https://stateparks.com/ochoco_wayside_state_park_in_oregon.html\">Ochoca Wayside State Park</a> with a grand landscape stretched out below.</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7377.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7377.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7377.jpg\" /></a>\n \n It's like SimCity in real life!Scrambling over rocks on the bluffTrying to figure out all the different mountains and mountain ranges<p>Exciting stuff, but now that I\u2019d seen how the plains were giving way to rugged terrain, I wanted to see a little more, so I found a road to take me east into the Ochoco mountains. I didn\u2019t have to go far before I came across an absolutely <em>stellar</em> place to set up camp for the night, <a href=\"https://www.ccprd.org/ochoco-lake\">Ochoco Lake County Park</a>.</p>\n\n<p>I had such an incredible stay here, I would drive all the way out here from Bend, OR <em>just to spend another night by the lake</em>. \ud83d\ude0d</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7383.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7383.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7383.jpg\" /></a>\n \n Dazzling clear reflective waters<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7394.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7394.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7394.jpg\" /></a>\n \n Night descends on the lake<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/_DSC3807.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/_DSC3807.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC3807.jpg\" /></a>\n \n A truly magical way to awaken<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/_DSC3813_.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/_DSC3813.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC3813.jpg\" /></a>\n <a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7397.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7397.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7397.jpg\" /></a>\n \n Left: Goooood morning! <br />Right: The last selfie of this travelogue installment, I promise!<p>After daybreak, I had a clear idea of where I wanted to go next: one of my absolute favorite little towns east of the Cascades, <strong>Sisters</strong>.</p>\n\n<h3>Sisters, Ponderosas, and Bidding Central Oregon Farewell (For Now)</h3>\n\n<p>Sisters, named after the \u201cThree Sisters\u201d mountains in the Cascades, is a charming, western-style town nestled in the thick of the ponderosa pines. I\u2019d always been mesmerized by the pine forest in this area; that expansive feeling you get due to the fact that the trees are spaced relatively apart from one another and there\u2019s not much in the way of underbrush. You can really <em>see</em> through the trees, and I\u2019d always wanted to explore more.</p>\n\n<p>But past trips through Sisters I was on my way to another destination (usually heading towards or coming back from Bend), so I had yet to check off my bucket list item of hiking through the pines. <strong>This time, I was going to do it!</strong> But first, I had to make a stop at my favorite spot in town: <a href=\"https://sisterscoffee.com/\">Sisters Coffee Co.</a>.</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7401.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7401.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7401.jpg\" /></a>\n <a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7406.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7406.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7406.jpg\" /></a>\n \n Left: Family owned since 1989 <br />Right: It's not technically a selfie, right?<p>Once I\u2019d enjoyed a fabulous cup of coffee and gotten a bit of work done, it was time to seek out a trailhead and hike through the ponderosa pines. And oh wow did I feel like a dope for not doing this a lot sooner\u2026turned out a great trail (Peterson Ridge Trail) was mere minutes away from town!</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7411.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7411.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7411.jpg\" /></a>\n \n A dream come trueStrolling through the pines<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7422.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7422.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7422.jpg\" /></a>\n <a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7423.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7423.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7423.jpg\" /></a>\n \n Left: The Leaning Tower of Ponderosa <br />Right: I just love the rich rust color and texture of the pine tree bark<a href=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7424.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://intuitivefuture.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/travelogue/2025/IMG_7424.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_7424.jpg\" /></a>\n \n A few gnarly junipers in the mix as wellAn open, sunny path\u2026just incredible!<p>Sometimes you build a future vacation destination up in your mind so much, and then you get there and it\u2019s a bit of a let down. <strong>Not so with this trip.</strong> I had an absolutely incredible time in Bend, Sisters, and beyond\u2026even more than I was expecting. And the pines in particular\u2014oh I was smitten. So smitten in fact that I would return again\u2026but that\u2019s a tale for another time.</p>\n\n<p>Eventually I made my way back to the car and started to head back over the Cascades once more. Circumstances required me to arrive once more in the Portland area, but if you think this meant my nomadic adventures had come to an end\u2026most certainly not. I\u2019ll pick up right where we\u2019re leaving off in <strong>Part V</strong> of my travelogue, to be published later this month.</p>\n\n<p><strong>I hope you enjoyed this installment all about central Oregon!</strong> \u270c\ufe0f Check back soon to pick up the trail.</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/4580/6ac28a0f2-92b4f8/ifq8zPS6V6qz/A2Rjt2ke5jOfYisFeofAAmjFANozURBkUVfhLK1Y.jpg\">\n <img src=\"https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/4580/6ac28a0f2-92b4f8/ifq8zPS6V6qz/A2Rjt2ke5jOfYisFeofAAmjFANozURBkUVfhLK1Y.jpg\" alt=\"A2Rjt2ke5jOfYisFeofAAmjFANozURBkUVfhLK1Y.jpg\" /></a>\n \n Oregon's \"Matterhorn\" in the guise of Mt. Washington (alas, lots of fire damage in this region)<br /><p>\n \n <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/nomadlifestyle\">#nomadlifestyle</a>\n \n <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/oregonexplored\">#oregonexplored</a>\n \n </p>",
"text": "At long last, my years-long dream of exploring and sleeping in the wilderness comes to pass.\n\nAt this point in my nomadic journey, I\u2019d spent a whole month (March 2025) on the road\u2026yet I felt like I didn\u2019t have much to show for it in terms of the kinds of experiences (and let\u2019s face it, photographs!) you can only get when you truly live as a cross-country nomad. For the most part I\u2019d stayed near major urban centers in Oregon & Washington, and while I\u2019d enjoyed a fair degree of nature experiences, I didn\u2019t feel like I was living out in the wild, man\u2026like the true hippies do.\n\nThis was all about to change. And I got the cover photo (above) to prove it!\n\nHipcamp is the Hip Camp\n\nWhere last we left our intrepid hero, he (I) was just returning from a fun touristy time in Seattle hanging out with my brother Shayne. But my adventure was just beginning, as I decided it was time to head the opposite direction and go south (and a bit east) in search of what I hoped would be an epic trip through the rugged high desert regions and eastern slopes of the Cascades in central Oregon.\n\nBut first I had to get through the Cascades, so I began my travels heading east from downtown Portland, stopping first for a leisurely afternoon respite at Blue Lake.\n\nSuch pristine watersFrom there I made my way out along Hwy 26 and southeast towards the small town of Sandy, a well-known gateway to the stretch of highway which leads directly to Mt. Hood. I had decided to stay the night at my first Hipcamp ever, out in the foothills past Sandy.\n\nFor those unfamiliar, Hipcamp is essentially an \u201cAirBnB\u201d for camping. You can browse through listings of all sorts of camping destinations largely run by private operators (in many cases people who own homes on acreage and offer a portion of their land to be used by campers). Check out photos, read reviews, and when you\u2019ve found the perfect spot, book online quickly and easily.\n\nI was rather nervous about finding \u201cthe right place\u201d to stay the night car camping for the first time, but I shouldn\u2019t have been. As soon as I arrived, the owner of the property aka the host came out to greet me and walk me through the basic aspects of the property. It was gorgeous! And in addition to the cleared space where cars, vans, & RVs can park, it turned out there was a walking path through the forest in a loop around the perimeter. Was this my first time hiking through a privately-owned nature park? Could be!\n\n\n \n \n \n \n Left: Sit a spell and enjoy the solitude of the ferns and the trees \nRight: I was a happy camper\u2026literally!A quiet path all to myself\u2026incredibleAfter exploring a bit, it was getting dark so I went back to my car and got settled in for the night. Even though technically it was now springtime, the nights were still quite chilly and the air was damp so I tried (and mostly succeeded) to stay warm and dry.\n\nIn the morning I woke up right at the crack of dawn\u2014and let me tell you, there is nothing like beholding that magical moment when night gives way to day while you\u2019re camping in a forest. Nothing like it at all. I simply live for forest mornings now. My oh my.\n\nAnyway, I packed up and made my way back to Sandy, and after grabbing some coffee and a muffin, I had an inkling to explore just a little bit more on the edge of town before pointing the car towards Mt. Hood. And I\u2019m so glad I did, because I found a quaint little country road heading north from the town and OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!!!\n\n\n \n \n Pinch me, is this for real?!Spread out below me to the east were rolling hills and valleys laden with dense fog banks, and past that, the mountain. It was out, as they say here in the PNW. Not only was Mt. Hood out in all its glory, but the most incredible shimmering sunlight was streaming down past the mountain and onto the fog and it was a thing unlike any I had ever seen; thankfully I had a lens on me for my Nikon Z fc to capture some measure of the magic.\n\n\n \n \n This was the cover photo you already saw, but it bears repeating!Over the Cascades\n\nWith that rousing start to my journey, I drove onwards east to Mt. Hood. I stopped at the town of Government Camp, a sort of waystation for explorers of the mountain. At this elevation, I was starting to see clumps of snow here and there, but thankfully no dangerously slick ice.\n\n\n \n \n Quick stop at the general store\n \n \n Still a bit of a wintery vibe hereI soon continued on my way, heading east and soon southeast along Hwy 26. I must confess, some parts of the road here going through the mountainous terrain get pretty monotonous. Mostly all fir trees, all the time. But once you get past that and into the drier areas, you really feel the change of biome as the terrain gives way to the high desert of central Oregon!\n\nThe road to Madras, ORLet me say a few things about desert. I\u2019m not really a \u201cdesert guy\u201d at heart. Yes, I have traveled pretty extensively throughout the American Southwest. I\u2019ve driven through California\u2019s Mojave Desert, I\u2019ve been in and around Las Vegas, Nevada, and I\u2019ve stayed at various times in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. It is not my scene. In fact, in New Mexico some years back I had a variety of bad personal experiences such that I doubt I\u2019ll ever go there again. (Santa Fe is a lovely town, I\u2019ll grant you that.)\n\nAll that to say\u2026I love the Central Oregon desert! \ud83d\ude04 Place your finger on the map right at The Dalles (or just east of it where the Deschutes River meets the Columbia) and trace a line straight downward all the way to Bend, OR. This whole region simply slays. I mean, sure Montana is \u201cBig Sky Country\u201d but, like, we got that right here in Oregon.\n\n\n \n \n I actually took this in February 2022 but\u2026yeah \ud83e\udd29Deschutes\u2026More like DeWOW\n\nOn a whim, I decided to head off the main highway a bit before Madras and follow the Deschutes River south. So much of what makes the Oregonian landscape iconic are its many outstanding rivers, and the Deschutes is no exception. I hadn\u2019t spent a whole lot of time around it other than in Bend previously, so this was the perfect opportunity to experience more of it.\n\nAlmost immediately I was graced with an incredible view of the river as it bent towards a reservoir.\n\n\n \n \n There's a wonderful and roomy parking area overlooking this sceneAfter following the river a ways, I ended up wending my way through BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land which truly felt like the middle of nowhere\u2026in a good way. I found a glorious dirt road to park on so I could take a stroll through the grasslands, and this vista of Mt. Jefferson to the east simply took my breath away.\n\n\n \n \n Very Wild West vibes out hereBy this point, I was already quite satisfied with all the landscapes I\u2019d seen on my drive, but the best was yet to come!\n\nI continued wending around on whims in a southerly direction close to the Deschutes River, when purely by accident, I stubbled onto a landscape so unexpected, so mind-blowing, my jaw hit the ground and rolled off over yonder somewhere.\n\n\n \n \n Apparently Oregon has its own little \"grand canyon\" and no one told me?!\n \n \n Photos just can't do it justice\u2026this view felt positively MASSIVENow when I say my jaw fell, I mean I was literally standing at the cliffside with my mouth agape looking like a maniac and this continued on for some while.\n\n\n \n \n Not the most flattering selfie, but I was truly dumbfounded, flabbergasted, and hit like a ton of bricks!Truly the highlight of my day, once I\u2019d regained my composure I continued south in a leisurely way, eventually merging onto Hwy 97 and reaching my principal destination: Bend, Oregon.\n\nHow Come the Badlands are So Good\n\nAfter spending a restful night at a modest hotel and getting some computer work done in the morning, I was feeling greatly refreshed and ready to head out to the Oregon Badlands Wilderness, an area southeast of Bend which looked like a blank nothing on the map and seemed mysterious and intriguing.\n\nI was expecting\u2026well, I was mostly expecting what I\u2019d seen much of elsewhere in the middle of the desert once you\u2019ve left the Cascades behind: sand, grasses, tumbleweeds, flat terrain, and not much else. What I saw instead completely blew me away.\n\nI was not prepared for thisI suppose the badlands would hit differently in late summer when it\u2019s ridiculously dry and hot out, but at this time of year with so much snow lingering on the paths, it felt almost verdant. Juniper trees abounded, along with craggy lava rock formations and an undulating, otherworldly landscape.\n\n\n \n \n \n \n Left: Holey rock formation \nRight: The vibes were immaculate\n \n \n There are nearly 50 miles of easy walking trails here\u2026truly a place to get lost in the best possible way\n \n \n Yours truly with a big smile on my face\n \n \n \n \n Left: I feel like this is right out of a coffee table photo book \nRight: Another gnarly old juniperI hated to leave, I could have spend much more time here; but duty called and I had to head back to civilization to get a bit more work done. However, that didn\u2019t stop me from later finding another park area closer to Bend, OR for a good ol\u2019 stretch of the legs.\n\n\n \n \n I love this quoteBack in Bend, I picked up some grub at the most excellent Grove, a food hall with multiple restaurants and an excellent coffee shop (Thump Coffee).\n\n\n \n \n The outdoor seating area was quite lovely\n \n \n Fancy fancyAchievement Unlocked: Dispersed Camping\n\nAt this point, I decided to be bold and try something I\u2019d never done before. With apps like The Dyrt and iOverlander in hand, I made my way west into the mountains and the ponderosa pine forest, trying to find a dirt road I could follow to an area good for dispersed camping.\n\nThe first location I found on the map appeared closed, but I continued on a little farther and found an absolutely stellar road. In surprisingly short order, I found my camp spot for the night. A few other folks were scattered about nearby, clearly fellow nomadic travelers. I didn\u2019t quite work up the courage to go up to anyone to talk, but they left me alone as well so it was all pretty chill.\n\nAnd oh wow, my dream of walking through and staying in a ponderosa pine forest was finally coming true. \ud83d\ude0d\n\n\n \n \n The view outside my \"bedroom\" window for the eveningBlissfully awakening the next morningI\u2019ll have a lot more to say about how fantastically awesome the ponderosa pine forests of the eastern Cascades are later on, but suffice it to say, I was rather pleased with myself that I\u2019d managed to sleep out in the wilderness on public lands with no issue. I\u2019d done the thing I\u2019d seen so many \u201cvan lifers\u201d do on YouTube. Now I could count myself among them. Wowee!\n\nI headed back into Bend for a mostly uneventful day of working in coffee shops and libraries and such, but not without a bit of exploring around the Deschutes River in town.\n\n\n \n \n A tranquil lazy river\n \n \n \n \n Left: A delightful walking bridge \nRight: Hey, it's me againAn Unexpected Lakeside Campsite\n\nAfter wrapping up work for the afternoon, I had an itch to explore even farther to the east\u2026what might I find past the badlands on the other side of the plains? I had absolutely no idea what was out there which honestly is the best way to travel.\n\nAs I approached the town of Prineville, I took the viewpoint exit and ended up atop Ochoco Divide at Ochoca Wayside State Park with a grand landscape stretched out below.\n\n\n \n \n It's like SimCity in real life!Scrambling over rocks on the bluffTrying to figure out all the different mountains and mountain rangesExciting stuff, but now that I\u2019d seen how the plains were giving way to rugged terrain, I wanted to see a little more, so I found a road to take me east into the Ochoco mountains. I didn\u2019t have to go far before I came across an absolutely stellar place to set up camp for the night, Ochoco Lake County Park.\n\nI had such an incredible stay here, I would drive all the way out here from Bend, OR just to spend another night by the lake. \ud83d\ude0d\n\n\n \n \n Dazzling clear reflective waters\n \n \n Night descends on the lake\n \n \n A truly magical way to awaken\n \n \n \n \n Left: Goooood morning! \nRight: The last selfie of this travelogue installment, I promise!After daybreak, I had a clear idea of where I wanted to go next: one of my absolute favorite little towns east of the Cascades, Sisters.\n\nSisters, Ponderosas, and Bidding Central Oregon Farewell (For Now)\n\nSisters, named after the \u201cThree Sisters\u201d mountains in the Cascades, is a charming, western-style town nestled in the thick of the ponderosa pines. I\u2019d always been mesmerized by the pine forest in this area; that expansive feeling you get due to the fact that the trees are spaced relatively apart from one another and there\u2019s not much in the way of underbrush. You can really see through the trees, and I\u2019d always wanted to explore more.\n\nBut past trips through Sisters I was on my way to another destination (usually heading towards or coming back from Bend), so I had yet to check off my bucket list item of hiking through the pines. This time, I was going to do it! But first, I had to make a stop at my favorite spot in town: Sisters Coffee Co..\n\n\n \n \n \n \n Left: Family owned since 1989 \nRight: It's not technically a selfie, right?Once I\u2019d enjoyed a fabulous cup of coffee and gotten a bit of work done, it was time to seek out a trailhead and hike through the ponderosa pines. And oh wow did I feel like a dope for not doing this a lot sooner\u2026turned out a great trail (Peterson Ridge Trail) was mere minutes away from town!\n\n\n \n \n A dream come trueStrolling through the pines\n \n \n \n \n Left: The Leaning Tower of Ponderosa \nRight: I just love the rich rust color and texture of the pine tree bark\n \n \n A few gnarly junipers in the mix as wellAn open, sunny path\u2026just incredible!Sometimes you build a future vacation destination up in your mind so much, and then you get there and it\u2019s a bit of a let down. Not so with this trip. I had an absolutely incredible time in Bend, Sisters, and beyond\u2026even more than I was expecting. And the pines in particular\u2014oh I was smitten. So smitten in fact that I would return again\u2026but that\u2019s a tale for another time.\n\nEventually I made my way back to the car and started to head back over the Cascades once more. Circumstances required me to arrive once more in the Portland area, but if you think this meant my nomadic adventures had come to an end\u2026most certainly not. I\u2019ll pick up right where we\u2019re leaving off in Part V of my travelogue, to be published later this month.\n\nI hope you enjoyed this installment all about central Oregon! \u270c\ufe0f Check back soon to pick up the trail.\n\n\n \n \n Oregon's \"Matterhorn\" in the guise of Mt. Washington (alas, lots of fire damage in this region)\n\n \n #nomadlifestyle\n \n #oregonexplored"
},
"name": "A Nomad\u2019s Pacific Northwest Travelogue, Part IV",
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Ooh boy, the new season of Shiny Happy People is about Teen Mania, the ministry I was involved with right out of high school. I know several of the people in the trailer. This should be good.
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"published": "2025-07-09 12:32-0700",
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"text": "Ooh boy, the new season of Shiny Happy People is about Teen Mania, the ministry I was involved with right out of high school. I know several of the people in the trailer. This should be good.\n\nyoutu.be/fKfEilxYpbM",
"html": "<p>Ooh boy, the new season of <i>Shiny Happy People</i> is about Teen Mania, the ministry I was involved with right out of high school. I know several of the people in the trailer. This should be good.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://youtu.be/fKfEilxYpbM\">youtu.be/fKfEilxYpbM</a></p>"
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"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "gRegor Morrill",
"url": "https://gregorlove.com/",
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Best Half-Year Ever!
{
"type": "entry",
"author": {
"name": "Jared White",
"url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
"photo": null
},
"url": "https://jaredwhite.com/20250708/best-half-year-ever",
"published": "2025-07-08T23:18:25-07:00",
"content": {
"html": "<p>I meant to comment on this on or right after July 1st and then got side-tracked. So here we go:</p>\n\n<p><strong>January-June 2025 was the best half-year of my entire life.</strong> \ud83d\ude4c</p>\n\n<p>It\u2019s <em>possible</em> if I think really really hard, and comb through lots of diary entries, and try to piece together various timelines in my mind, I might come up with an even better half-year I could point to. But it\u2019d be a challenge. <em>Certainly</em> I can say with full confidence this has been the best half-year since before Covid times.</p>\n\n<p>Now when I say \u201cbest\u201d that is of course a very subjective statement. What I don\u2019t mean by \u201cbest\u201d is \u201ceasiest\u201d\u2026because there\u2019s absolutely no way I can claim January-June 2025 was the <em>easiest</em> half-year of my entire life. In a variety of ways, life has been quite difficult on many occasions. (And *gestures wildly in the air* there\u2019s obviously plenty of news here in the U.S. every day to become severely depressed at the awfulness of it all\u2026)</p>\n\n<p>What I mean to impart is that it\u2019s been the most <em>self-actualizing</em> half-year in recent memory. The most fulfilling and rewarding due to a whole string of deliberate choices I made to, in essence, alter my day-to-day reality. I decided to discard thought patterns which no longer served me and adopt new ones. Because of that, I <em>literally</em> make different decisions now than I would have a year ago given the same circumstances\u2014certainly far different than three or four years ago. And the results are in: <strong>I feel like a whole new person.</strong> \ud83d\ude0c</p>\n\n<p>I don\u2019t mean to sound new age hippie vague, but it\u2019s hard to get into specifics without, well, getting into specifics. <em>And that\u2019s a whole series of essays unto themselves\u2026</em> Suffice it to say, I went into this year knowing in advance I was going to Change My Personality. I wanted to get out of a toxic stew of mental ruts I had found myself in, and I wanted to embrace a swashbuckling sense of daring-do in the choices I made about how to live my life. And I\u2019m proud to say, in the first six months of this year I accomplished what I set out to do.</p>\n\n<p>Will July-December go as well? Perhaps, or perhaps not. Even if it doesn\u2019t, I don\u2019t care. <strong>I had the best half-year of my entire life. And who can ask for more than that?</strong></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/lifehacks\">#lifehacks</a></p>",
"text": "I meant to comment on this on or right after July 1st and then got side-tracked. So here we go:\n\nJanuary-June 2025 was the best half-year of my entire life. \ud83d\ude4c\n\nIt\u2019s possible if I think really really hard, and comb through lots of diary entries, and try to piece together various timelines in my mind, I might come up with an even better half-year I could point to. But it\u2019d be a challenge. Certainly I can say with full confidence this has been the best half-year since before Covid times.\n\nNow when I say \u201cbest\u201d that is of course a very subjective statement. What I don\u2019t mean by \u201cbest\u201d is \u201ceasiest\u201d\u2026because there\u2019s absolutely no way I can claim January-June 2025 was the easiest half-year of my entire life. In a variety of ways, life has been quite difficult on many occasions. (And *gestures wildly in the air* there\u2019s obviously plenty of news here in the U.S. every day to become severely depressed at the awfulness of it all\u2026)\n\nWhat I mean to impart is that it\u2019s been the most self-actualizing half-year in recent memory. The most fulfilling and rewarding due to a whole string of deliberate choices I made to, in essence, alter my day-to-day reality. I decided to discard thought patterns which no longer served me and adopt new ones. Because of that, I literally make different decisions now than I would have a year ago given the same circumstances\u2014certainly far different than three or four years ago. And the results are in: I feel like a whole new person. \ud83d\ude0c\n\nI don\u2019t mean to sound new age hippie vague, but it\u2019s hard to get into specifics without, well, getting into specifics. And that\u2019s a whole series of essays unto themselves\u2026 Suffice it to say, I went into this year knowing in advance I was going to Change My Personality. I wanted to get out of a toxic stew of mental ruts I had found myself in, and I wanted to embrace a swashbuckling sense of daring-do in the choices I made about how to live my life. And I\u2019m proud to say, in the first six months of this year I accomplished what I set out to do.\n\nWill July-December go as well? Perhaps, or perhaps not. Even if it doesn\u2019t, I don\u2019t care. I had the best half-year of my entire life. And who can ask for more than that?\n\n#lifehacks"
},
"name": "Best Half-Year Ever!",
"post-type": "article",
"_id": "45337437",
"_source": "2783"
}
Couldn’t Help Myself, Installed iOS 26 on my iPhone
{
"type": "entry",
"author": {
"name": "Jared White",
"url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
"photo": null
},
"url": "https://jaredwhite.com/20250707/ios-26-here-we-go",
"published": "2025-07-07T22:53:33-07:00",
"content": {
"html": "<p>Welp, I dood it.</p>\n\n<p>It\u2019s possible Developer Beta 3 will end up as a Public Beta shortly, but I just couldn\u2019t wait. Despite previously saying I\u2019d hold out until the Public Beta cycle to upgrade my <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/iphonepro\">#iPhonePro</a>, I decided to throw caution to the wind and go for it.</p>\n\n<p>Look, I find the iOS 17 UI to be <em>supremely boring</em> at this point (and I never went for v18 because it sucked). <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/apple\">#Apple</a> may still have a laundry list of tweaks to do before they get <strong>Liquid Glass</strong> dialed in just right\u2026but I\u2019m so there already on my iPad and figured <strong>YOLO</strong>. \ud83d\ude05</p>\n\n<p><em>So far so good!</em></p>",
"text": "Welp, I dood it.\n\nIt\u2019s possible Developer Beta 3 will end up as a Public Beta shortly, but I just couldn\u2019t wait. Despite previously saying I\u2019d hold out until the Public Beta cycle to upgrade my #iPhonePro, I decided to throw caution to the wind and go for it.\n\nLook, I find the iOS 17 UI to be supremely boring at this point (and I never went for v18 because it sucked). #Apple may still have a laundry list of tweaks to do before they get Liquid Glass dialed in just right\u2026but I\u2019m so there already on my iPad and figured YOLO. \ud83d\ude05\n\nSo far so good!"
},
"name": "Couldn\u2019t Help Myself, Installed iOS 26 on my iPhone",
"post-type": "article",
"_id": "45327487",
"_source": "2783"
}
I Declare Independence…From My Blog! 😜
{
"type": "entry",
"author": {
"name": "Jared White",
"url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
"photo": null
},
"url": "https://jaredwhite.com/20250705/declaration-of-blogging-independence",
"published": "2025-07-05T07:40:32-07:00",
"content": {
"html": "<p>I suppose it\u2019s fitting that the first day since last year (in early December!) I truly skipped a day in my daily-blogging challenge is July 4th, also known here in the U.S. as Independence Day. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 \ud83c\udf86</p>\n\n<p><strong>I hereby declare my independence from <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/writing\">#writing</a> every day!</strong> \ud83d\ude06</p>\n\n<p>OK, this wasn\u2019t entirely an accident. I <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/20250623/blogging-every-day-oh-dear\">recently talked about</a> how much I\u2019d been enjoying this challenge over all yet I wish I\u2019d given myself an \u201cout\u201d from having to do it without fail, without any breaks, <em>every single day</em>.</p>\n\n<p>After never breaking my daily blogging streak for over six months (!!), the time has come to make those tweaks! So I\u2019ve given myself <strong>a maximum of four skip days a month</strong>. That means I <em>could</em> essentially take a day off each week, or I could save my skips and cluster them together. At any rate, I\u2019m no longer worried about breaking my streak, because that\u2019s built into the framework.</p>\n\n<p>To be clear though, <strong>I\u2019m definitely NOT giving up daily blogging!</strong> As I keep saying, it\u2019s been absolutely incredible for me and has reshaped my relationship with writing this year. I no longer consider it merely a hobby. <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/articles/i-am-a-writer\">Twelve years ago I mused on the thought</a> that \u201cat some point I will officially make the transition from amateur writer to professional.\u201d</p>\n\n<p>That\u2019s <a href=\"https://buttondown.com/theinternet\">exactly what I\u2019m doing</a> at this point in time. And not just a professional writer\u2014<a href=\"https://vibecoded.transistor.fm/\">a professional podcaster</a> as well. So yeah, it\u2019s no longer an option for me to flake out and not \u201cdo the stuff\u201d for long periods of time. I\u2019ve \u201cgone pro\u201d as it were, and I increasingly see that taking up a meaningful portion of my overall efforts as a creator.</p>",
"text": "I suppose it\u2019s fitting that the first day since last year (in early December!) I truly skipped a day in my daily-blogging challenge is July 4th, also known here in the U.S. as Independence Day. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 \ud83c\udf86\n\nI hereby declare my independence from #writing every day! \ud83d\ude06\n\nOK, this wasn\u2019t entirely an accident. I recently talked about how much I\u2019d been enjoying this challenge over all yet I wish I\u2019d given myself an \u201cout\u201d from having to do it without fail, without any breaks, every single day.\n\nAfter never breaking my daily blogging streak for over six months (!!), the time has come to make those tweaks! So I\u2019ve given myself a maximum of four skip days a month. That means I could essentially take a day off each week, or I could save my skips and cluster them together. At any rate, I\u2019m no longer worried about breaking my streak, because that\u2019s built into the framework.\n\nTo be clear though, I\u2019m definitely NOT giving up daily blogging! As I keep saying, it\u2019s been absolutely incredible for me and has reshaped my relationship with writing this year. I no longer consider it merely a hobby. Twelve years ago I mused on the thought that \u201cat some point I will officially make the transition from amateur writer to professional.\u201d\n\nThat\u2019s exactly what I\u2019m doing at this point in time. And not just a professional writer\u2014a professional podcaster as well. So yeah, it\u2019s no longer an option for me to flake out and not \u201cdo the stuff\u201d for long periods of time. I\u2019ve \u201cgone pro\u201d as it were, and I increasingly see that taking up a meaningful portion of my overall efforts as a creator."
},
"name": "I Declare Independence\u2026From My Blog! \ud83d\ude1c",
"post-type": "article",
"_id": "45306071",
"_source": "2783"
}
Link: Abrego Garcia, Abused and Tortured in El Salvador, Files Amended Lawsuit
{
"type": "entry",
"author": {
"name": "Jared White",
"url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
"photo": null
},
"url": "https://jaredwhite.com/links/20250703/abrego-garcia-tortured",
"published": "2025-07-03T21:05:53-07:00",
"content": {
"html": "<blockquote>\n <h2><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0T9U3zMjlU\"></a></h2>\n\n <p>Torture, Abuse, and Cruelty. Katie Phang on Kilmar Abrego Garcia\u2019s new lawsuit that documents the disgusting treatment he experienced at CECOT and how the Trump Administration continues to violate his due process rights. (YouTube)</p>\n\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I know there\u2019s so much to be horrified by in U.S. <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/politics\">#politics</a> right now, but a story I\u2019ve been following very closely for some while now has been the plight of <strong>Kilmar Abrego Garcia</strong>; husband, father, union worker, and perhaps most importantly, a man with no criminal record!</p>\n\n<p>He\u2019s currently on U.S. soil, thank god, but his future remains very much up in the air due to the despicable actions of the Trump regime, and <strong>we must hope fervently the courts are able to keep him here</strong> and not allow his deportation back to a gulag in El Salvador\u2014or worse.</p>",
"text": "Torture, Abuse, and Cruelty. Katie Phang on Kilmar Abrego Garcia\u2019s new lawsuit that documents the disgusting treatment he experienced at CECOT and how the Trump Administration continues to violate his due process rights. (YouTube)\n\n\n\nI know there\u2019s so much to be horrified by in U.S. #politics right now, but a story I\u2019ve been following very closely for some while now has been the plight of Kilmar Abrego Garcia; husband, father, union worker, and perhaps most importantly, a man with no criminal record!\n\nHe\u2019s currently on U.S. soil, thank god, but his future remains very much up in the air due to the despicable actions of the Trump regime, and we must hope fervently the courts are able to keep him here and not allow his deportation back to a gulag in El Salvador\u2014or worse."
},
"name": "Link: Abrego Garcia, Abused and Tortured in El Salvador, Files Amended Lawsuit",
"post-type": "article",
"_id": "45291707",
"_source": "2783"
}
Ready for iOS 26
{
"type": "entry",
"author": {
"name": "Jared White",
"url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
"photo": null
},
"url": "https://jaredwhite.com/20250702/ready-for-ios-26",
"published": "2025-07-02T21:58:07-07:00",
"content": {
"html": "<p>I\u2019ve decided as soon as the first Public Beta of iOS 26 is released, I will be installing it on my <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/iphonepro\">#iPhonePro</a>.</p>\n\n<p>I\u2019ve been running the Developer Betas on my iPad Pro since right after WWDC, and despite all the usual visual glitchiness and springboard crashes you get with early betas, it\u2019s been absolutely worth it. <strong>iPadOS feels like a productivity workhorse</strong> in a way it never has before\u2014especially when plugged into an external monitor\u2014and I\u2019ve <em>really</em> been enjoying Liquid Glass. \ud83e\udd29 iOS 17 on my iPhone feels positively lifeless and dull in comparison.</p>\n\n<p>I haven\u2019t yet decided when I\u2019ll be installing macOS Tahoe on my Mac mini. The truth of the matter is, I don\u2019t use that computer much anymore now that I\u2019ve been experimenting with the \u201ciPad Desktop\u201d lifestyle. <em>Shocking, I know!</em></p>\n\n<p>(Plus the main thing I still absolutely need that Mac for is my music production workflow in Logic Pro, and I don\u2019t want to mess that up with a beta OS!)</p>\n\n<p>This is all quite the exciting vibe shift since last year when I <em>refused</em> to install any of the OS upgrades that cycle. I will coast into Q3 2025 having never used any system software <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/apple\">#Apple</a> released last year. <strong>What a weird time that was\u2026sure glad to be out of those doldrums!</strong> \ud83d\udc4f</p>",
"text": "I\u2019ve decided as soon as the first Public Beta of iOS 26 is released, I will be installing it on my #iPhonePro.\n\nI\u2019ve been running the Developer Betas on my iPad Pro since right after WWDC, and despite all the usual visual glitchiness and springboard crashes you get with early betas, it\u2019s been absolutely worth it. iPadOS feels like a productivity workhorse in a way it never has before\u2014especially when plugged into an external monitor\u2014and I\u2019ve really been enjoying Liquid Glass. \ud83e\udd29 iOS 17 on my iPhone feels positively lifeless and dull in comparison.\n\nI haven\u2019t yet decided when I\u2019ll be installing macOS Tahoe on my Mac mini. The truth of the matter is, I don\u2019t use that computer much anymore now that I\u2019ve been experimenting with the \u201ciPad Desktop\u201d lifestyle. Shocking, I know!\n\n(Plus the main thing I still absolutely need that Mac for is my music production workflow in Logic Pro, and I don\u2019t want to mess that up with a beta OS!)\n\nThis is all quite the exciting vibe shift since last year when I refused to install any of the OS upgrades that cycle. I will coast into Q3 2025 having never used any system software #Apple released last year. What a weird time that was\u2026sure glad to be out of those doldrums! \ud83d\udc4f"
},
"name": "Ready for iOS 26",
"post-type": "article",
"_id": "45282320",
"_source": "2783"
}