The New Coffee Room

I gave notice yesterday. I start the new job December 1. Initially it will be 3 days at the office, working down to 1 or 2 if needed. Really excited about the change. I am switching back to an iPhone I don't know how I'm going to like that tbh. I really prefer the Android OS.

I received an official offer from my long-time business associate and friend tonight.

Salary is the same as where I am at now. I'm not confident that a meaningful raise is in the cards at the current job.

It's a lot to think about. The health insurance is awesome. Zero deductible and zero out of pocket expense. IRA with 3% match. Work from home 3 or more days per week. Mileage reimbursement.

First 3 months he wants me at the office with 80 miles on the car 5 days a week. Ugh. I am going to negotiate that one. I figure I will be just as productive with 3 days per week initially then down to one or two.

It will be a change for sure.

I have flexibility to start on December 1 or January 1.

I am getting very tired of the job I have now. It's mind numbingly boring most of the time and I am well into the thought process that I need to leave. I really like the people where I work but my mental status is not doing so well with the job and the fact that I have to be there all day most of the time.

It's good to have this option and I am 90% sure I will be moving on.

Awesome! Would love to see and hear the band. Videos please!

To extend this, I am still dismayed by my handwriting skills. I tend to rush and sometimes that actually produces some "acceptable results". But mostly, it results in a product that is absolutely horrifying.

I love the calligraphy! You have a very nice technique too!

I am gong to take you up on the creative writing lessons soon. I need a new intellectual pursuit and although I am currently at a loss as to how I will ever develop that skill, I know from a lifetime of pursuit of things that I know little of, practice and persistence is the key.

Update:

Yesterday we drove to Appleton, WI for our second visit to Anderson Pens. The first visit was last month and it did not buy a pen! LOL.

I did however buy a vintage Esterbrook mechanical pencil from 1931. It is the one to the far right in the group photo.

Yesterday we hung around after closing for the monthly meeting of the pen club. The daughter of the owners is an art teacher and we all tried our hand with creating art with fountain pen inks. It was a lot of fun.

I did pick up a new pen and a new pencil yesterday as well as a bottle of Diamine Cobalt Jazz Shimmertastic ink.

The pen i purchased is the Pilot Vanishing Point in matt black. The pencil is a Monteverde mechanical with .9mm lead, in brass. It has 4 rulers engraved with Inches and millimeters gage. It also has a rubber stylus for use with tablets and smart phones. The top is threaded and when removed reveals a small reversible screwdriver with phillips and flat heads.

Not including the 3d printed pen I now have 13 fountain pens of varying price and quality levels. Two of them were given to me by my daughter's original penabler. We visited with him on our trip to Pennsylvania last month.

The Pilot Vanishing Point...

The collection as of today.

Oh no. I didn't read the bad part. I'm not smiling. I was smiling about the previous photos. Sorry to hear about your bunny.

Good to hear! Hoka is my favorite shoe of all time. Pricey, but worth every penny.

I will also be free to work on my 9-1-1 business during the normal work day. That's something I cannot do currently.

@89th said in Gout:

Glad it went away @Doctor-Phibes !

I've been dealing with something for the past 5-6 weeks. Thought it was plantar fasciitis (and it may have been to an extent) but the side/top of my foot still is very painful in the morning but eventually warms up where I can walk without a major limp. I went to the docs the other day and they ruled out any fractures, said it's likely tendonitis mid-foot where the 5th metatarsal has a joint. I hope it goes away one day... basically it's just stretching and rest that is the recipe.

Plantar fasciitist is severe pain in the heel. It feels like you are stepping on a nail or thumbtack.

I had a couple of incidents with it. Good shoes and orthopedic insoles along with stretching exercises are how I cured it.

I went to a podiatrist after I had self cured it and showed him the insoles I used. He really liked the brand I used and also liked the shoes I settled on.

He also recommended a night splint. Xstance has a nice one although I didn't end up getting one as I was already over it at the time.

https://thexstance.com/collection/shop/

https://www.hoka.com/en/us/mens-trail/stinson-7/1141530.html?dwvar_1141530_color=WEPR

We met for dinner Wednesday. Sat at the bar at Texas Roadhouse. Had a couple of drinks and steak of course. We were there for almost 3 hours!

Base pay is the same as I am paid now but with project pay opportunities. A potential software development project is in the works that could provide significant additional income. Work from home 90%. That will be 80% initially until I get to know the processes of daily routine.

Benefits are definitely better in that they offer an IRA with 3% match and a better health plan although the amount paid by them is a little less.

This is going to happen. I just need to figure out how to leave my current employer in an amicable way. I don't want to burn any bridges.

No indication that an evaluation or raise is forthcoming.

However!

I received a job offer last week from an old business associate and friend I have known since the late 80s.

Slightly better pay. Much better benefits. Work from home with occasional on-site customer and office visits.

George, you will love this...

He is a premier Apple dealer with managed services. Has over 500 individuals that subscribe to an annual support contract and about 20 medium to large corporate customers that are all Mac and iOS.

A return to my Apple roots? I would get new top of the line MacBook Pro, iPad and iPhone.

I can start whenever I want. We're meeting this week for dinner to discuss particulars.

Figured I will finish out the year as I have a week of vacation i need to take and with us currently operating with a skeleton crew, I don't want to leave my current employer in a bad place. I want my departure to be amicable.

Saw this on FB.

You can certainly roast coffee beans in an oven. It's not as precise and you are essentially using one temperature level, and no air or bean circulation. All of those variables (and few more that I am learning) lead to a better, more consistent roast.

Some will start out using an air popcorn popper. You can buy modified air poppers marketed as coffee roasters.

I wanted more control of course so I spent a few hundred to make that happen.

That photo is right after they exited the roaster. It's best to let them outgas for 3 or more days before use.

Jumped into yet another rabbit hole today.

Roasting coffee beans. First 3 or 4 batches are throwaway. Meant to season the roaster.

I will be doing a few more tomorrow then I need to let them sit and outgas the CO2 for 3 days before tasting.

The roaster is a Kaleido M1 with touchscreen and two software package options for developing and saving roast profiles.

Naked eye visible here.

@George-K said in Mildly interesting:

@mark said in Mildly interesting:

I suppose we would have to determine if the ability of a mosquito biting animals is something of any value.

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Many animals rely on mosquitoes as a part of their diet, playing an important role in maintaining ecological balance. Here are some key examples:

Insects and Arthropods:

1. Dragonflies – Both dragonfly adults and larvae (nymphs) feed on mosquitoes, especially during the mosquito’s aquatic larval stage.
2. Damselflies – Similar to dragonflies, damselflies prey on mosquitoes in both their larval and adult stages.
3. Spiders – Various species of spiders capture mosquitoes in their webs as part of their diet.
4. Beetles – Some species of beetles, particularly aquatic ones, feed on mosquito larvae.

Birds:

1. Swallows – These birds are known for catching mosquitoes and other flying insects in flight.
2. Purple Martins – A species of swallow, Purple Martins are believed to eat mosquitoes, though they generally feed on a wide variety of flying insects.
3. Bats – Many species of bats consume mosquitoes, although mosquitoes form only a small part of their overall diet.

Fish:

1. Mosquitofish – These small freshwater fish (Gambusia) are known to eat large numbers of mosquito larvae in ponds and wetlands.
2. Guppies – In some areas, guppies are introduced to help control mosquito populations by consuming their larvae.

Amphibians:

1. Frogs and Tadpoles – Tadpoles of some frog species consume mosquito larvae, and adult frogs may eat adult mosquitoes as part of their diet.
2. Newts and Salamanders – These amphibians, especially in their larval stages, may feed on mosquito larvae.

Reptiles:

1. Lizards – In some regions, small lizards may eat mosquitoes, although this is not a primary food source for most species.

While mosquitoes are a nuisance to humans, they play a role in many food webs, especially in wetland ecosystems where they contribute to the diets of various species.

What does that have to do with the ability of the female to bite animals?

And they "contribute" but they aren't the entire diet.