What do our Visio television, a set of DJI wireless microphones, and a GE washer/dryer combo have in common? Over the past couple of months, all of them have broken. Back in the day I used to think that brand names were really important, and still do to a certain extent. When you spend a little more on name brand items, along with that name comes better quality. The JVC VCR I use to capture VHS tapes is fifteen years old and still working great. I can’t imagine a, you know, Daewoo unit lasting as long. But the problem with… (read more)

It’s been a long time since I attended a pop culture-style convention (think “Comic-Con”), and I was super excited to hear GalaxyCon was coming to Oklahoma City Memorial Day weekend. Susan, I, and the kids all spent some time at GalaxyCon this weekend and boy was there a lot of things to see and do! Like many conventions, GalaxyCon has many events around the country each year and the Oklahoma City event took place at the Oklahoma City Convention Center in the heart of Oklahoma City, just south of the Paycom center and connected to the Omni Hotel. Last year… (read more)

Our trips involve equal parts planning and impulse. Case in point — last year when Susan first heard about the 2024 eclipse, she booked an AirBnB in Austin. Then, a month before the big event, our reservation was abruptly cancelled without notice. We received a refund along with a note that said “this reservation is no longer available” which, to me, sounds like they got a more lucrative offer. I’ve been told they’ll take a hit on their rating and that there may be other consequences for then, but none of that matters to us. With less than a month… (read more)

Over the past fifteen years I’ve had a front row seat to the evolution of streaming digital content to televisions. While most modern televisions have the ability to stream both locally and externally hosted content, streaming video to a “dumb” TV fifteen years ago took a lot more effort. When I set cobbled together my first streaming network nearly twenty years ago, I crammed a dedicated computer into a small cubby inside my living room’s entertainment center and connected it to my television using a video card with an s-video cable. The living room PC was connected to my upstairs… (read more)

I met Carol back in 1995 on my first day of work at a new job. In that office there were twelve helpdesk analysts and two admins who did all the adulting. Carol was one of those admins; she answered incoming calls and routed them to the technicians, processed warranty and purchase orders, and all sorts of administrative tasks. She also became the office’s unofficial mom. Carol was the one who organized parties and often played peacemaker when tempers flared. More than all of that, Carol became one of our dearest friends. Back in the 90s when Susan and I… (read more)

When you own as many things as I do, organization is a must. Despite having a relatively messy work area, I’m pretty disciplined when it comes to organizing my storage. Over the years I’ve purchased dozens and dozens of garage storage tubs, plastic “shoeboxes” for storing smaller things, and Ziploc baggies for keeping bits and bobs together. I own lots and lots of things and found out a long time ago, searching for those things drives me absolutely batty. I am always on the lookout for new ways to organize things, whether that’s labeling the outside of all those storage… (read more)

It’s been two weeks since I went to the emergency room with excruciating back pain. It took a minute to get all the pieces aligned, but last week I ended up with three separate appointments regarding my back. Last week was a bit of a roller coaster with lots of information, both good and bad, coming at me at a rapid pace. Here’s a quick summary of those appointments, where I am now, and what the plan is moving forward. 01. ANOTHER MRI Last weekend, I had a second MRI scan, this time to scan the thoracic portion (middle third)… (read more)

Last week I announced that I had discovered, as far as I can tell, a previously unknown Star Trek special. Not only can I not find any information regarding this special online, but the Trekkies I reached out to — and the Trekkies they reached out to — can’t seem to find any record of it, either. As I wrote in my last week’s post, the special is a television airing of parts one and two of the classic Star Trek episode “The Menagerie,” presented together as a single episode. The special is hosted by Leonard Nimoy, who filmed original… (read more)