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  • in Journal
  • 2 min read

Paddleboarding at Russian River

I'm getting behind on my writing! This is my 30th journal entry for 2024, and it is week #32! So in order to catch up, I'll need to write 2 more this week, or 1 more this week and 2 next week, or 3 next week. So, buckle up for some more stories coming up soon! My New Year's resolution didn't specify how long each story needed to be, so this will be a short one, probably. Yesterday, my family and I went to Russian River and I got to try paddleboarding for the first time.

  • in Journal
  • 14 min read

Japan: Fast Trains, Fish Food, and Filled Schedules

Months ago, my cousin Michael asked Emily (my sister) and I if we wanted to go to Japan after his graduation. We said yes...and then didn't speak about it for months. Then, some time had passed. We finally started making arrangements, like booking a flight, hotels, and developing an itinerary, in a series of Discord calls. We also invited Emily's best friend, Christine, who had been to Japan a few times in the past. They could help be our guide, plus, we decided it would be more fun to travel in a group of 4.

  • in Journal
  • 3 min read

Astronomy

Here's another short story! I got to see 2 unique astronomical phenomena in the short span of a few weeks! On August 8, 2023, there was the rare occurrence of the moon passing directly between Earth and the Sun, causing a solar eclipse. And on May 10, 2024 there was something normally you can only see in the arctic. Aurora borealis, at this time of year, in this part of the country, localized entirely within my apartment! Well, that last part is false. But I still got to see it.

  • in Journal
  • 10 min read

HPCinfra in Barcelona, Spain

For work, I was able to attend the HPCinfra conference held this year in Barcelona, Spain! This conference/workshop is designed for data center engineers and operators to discuss facility management, sustainability, and future developments in HPC (high performance computing.)

  • in Journal
  • 2 min read

Reader/Writer's Block

I've been having a bit of a writer's block lately! At this rate, I won't make my New Year's resolution of one written piece per week. It's no different for my reading - I suppose I'm having a bit of a reader's block too. A few days, ago, I picked up a book and read one chapter - my first this year.

  • in Journal
  • 5 min read

New Phone

For almost 5 years, I used the Samsung Galaxy A10e, one of the first-generation phones from the Galaxy A line. It worked great, and lasted for much longer than I expected, and I have practically no complaints about that phone. Unfortunately, the years started to catch up to it. The touchscreen started to lose its sensitivity, the occasional text or call wouldn't go through, and it generally started to slow down, among other minor issues. However, the final push that caused me to begin my search for a new phone was the fact that the A10e was still running on Android version 9. Which, at the time of writing this, has been out of support for about 2 and a half years. That means that my phone has been more prone to bugs, glitches, viruses, and spyware. So, I did what any true American does after about a year of owning a phone - I got a new one!