Facebook Frustration

I've noticed a definite trend lately with Facebook - I'm tired of it.  Somehow, I'd like to move away from my primary connection point of family and friends being this site.  Why?  Well, I might start with the upcoming video ads.  

Really?  Multiple rumors also indicate these ads will AUTO PLAY, multiple times.

Screw that noise.

I went to paying google for my email a few months back.  Why?  No ads.  Now, when it comes to Facebook, I struggle to find the justification.  Family and friends have switched more to facebook lately, away from blogging.  I think because blogs require more "work".  Like writing a letter versus calling or texting.  As a society, we want immediate live feeds.

So, the question now becomes... How do I follow my friends and families without Facebook? Unfortunately, I think it requires their cooperation.  I've had a few friends announce they would leave Facebook.

For now, I'm going to make an effort to blog here instead of posting to my Facebook feed.  Hope the family gets it.

Fate's 2013 New Years Resolutions

My 2012 resolutions all went downhill pretty quick.  So, here I am at the start of 2013 trying to figure out my list of 'accomplishments' for this year.  As usual, these will be more "goals" than resolutions, although a few of them are a bit cliched.

1. Restart "Dave Ramsey Plan"
While we haven't gone crazy in our spending, Fin and I have relaxed after a couple years doing a really good job budgeting.  Mostly, this is my fault - feeling burned out looking at bills.  By most measures, we've taken a year off our financial plan, and need to get back onboard.  There's some discussion at the office of bringing on personal financial advisors and such - might be interesting.

2. Make soap again.
I made enough soap to last us a long while, and then we switched over to left over fragments floating around.  We're running low on all of the above, and I need to get my stuff together and go through with it.  Largely, it's a bit of a pain with the cats (we wrangle them up into a room for a couple hours).

3. Build evil-project laboratory
I haven't had space to work on electronics projects since I moved to the area - multiple small apartments, followed by a small house.  Working on audio wiring, I purchased a soldering iron, and find myself considering the possibilities of electronics tinkering again.  With any luck, Fin can have some space for her craft projects, and I'll have space to tinker.

4. Learn a Bach Fugue
I'm hoping better than "learn a Beethoven Sonata", and then playing Op. 49.  I still haven't selected one, but I've started working on a 3-part invention to get my ready.

5. Time Lapse Garden Video
I'm still dismayed by the destruction of my previous camera for the time lapse project.  Tho, I do a significant collection of photos I could make something with (at least until mid-spring timeframe).  I'm not sure what sort of hardware investment I'll make here, but there's multiple options, and I do have a nice project enclosure to help things along.

6. Get back to writing
I haven't written significantly for a year.  I'm hoping to improve my work/life balance and get this blog thing going well again.

7. Reorganize the office
This one would likely be #1 if Fin ordered the list, but the low place here is symptomatic of both of our desires to tackle the beast.  The office is the one area of the house that isn't currently "awesome".  Mostly on account of HUGE collections of "stuff" that needs unpacked and sorted, including the majority of boxes from before I moved in. :o

And now, I'll place the "standard" resolutions.  These are serious, but feel too cliched to take seriously.

8. Take longer/better vacation at some point in 2013.
9. Get to the gym / Y / etc...
10. Spend less time watching TV & playing video games.

I'm not going to justify these with explanations, and really, I debated putting them on the list.  Still, I hope to break trends and accomplish something there to write about. :)

That said, one of the important things (to me) about the "New Years Ritual", is to recognize your accomplishments over the past year that might not have been "resolved".  2012 saw a large number of "bucket list" items, and I suspect 2013 will as well.

--- Fate

Fate's 2012 Resolutions Recap

I can save the vast majority of typing here with one word: FAIL.

My resolutions this past year went to hell pretty quick.  I could give a list of excuses, but I'll save it.  Suffice it to say, I've been looking inward and have reached a few conclusions about moving forward again. :-)  Fin and I both, I think, spent much of the year simply trying to recover from the previous whirlwinds of activity.  Isn't that the way life goes?

The biggest wins according my resolution list where in music.  This year I played in several public recitals, as well as a few times in public.  While I didn't complete 3 Chopin pieces, I mastered one, started a second, and move on to multiple other difficult pieces (mostly Bach).

My relationship with Fin continued growing over the past year.  Out of everything over the past year, I'm happiest that we have managed to get stronger as a couple.

Now, on toward 2013, and time to rethink goals now that the world didn't end.

-- Fate

Posting again

Seems that I have a habit of posting for a bit then completely ignoring the blog for long stretches of time.  This time there was a mis-communication on moving the blog from blogspot to our own domain and then going to Wordpress for posting.  I wasn't sure that actually ever got set up and then I was told I could post from blogspot still....by that time I had already kinda lost interest in the blog and just never got around to posting again. 

Obviously.

Well, yet again, I am back to posting and this time hopefully I can keep it up more regularly in the coming year. 

I think the end of the old year and the start of the new really make me think about posting.  I always have all these ideas that I want to do and talk about, especially during the cold month while I shut myself inside and wait for spring to arrive. 

So much has changed this year going into 2013 I am still trying to wrap my head around it.  Soon I will be putting together my seed order for the year and another garden season will be started.  I am hoping to get tomatoes and peppers in seed pots by Feb 1.  Guess I need to get myself in gear and find somewhere to put them!

-Fin

Going Official

As of today, this blog can be found at "www.suburbanreject.com" as opposed to simply another speaker on blogger. :-) I'm looking at shaking things up on the server software side of things with a few of my pet projects. If that ever happens, not much will change from the reader/design perspective (outside of no longer being a 'blogger' site).  For now, the old blogger site redirects here, and all links should remain functional.  The RSS feed is now: http://www.suburbanreject.com/feeds/posts/default

-- Fate

The garden is in bloom

It's planting season!  It's a super busy time, so posting has been bad again, but I've been taking pictures of all the stuff that's getting done!  Hopefully I will have time to start posting more soon!

- Fin

Current chick pictures

-Fin