First, let’s explain what a Now Page is and where it comes from.
Here is the official About Page of the NowNowNow Page.

I could not have said it better than MacSparky did here:

Hat tip to Derek Sivers for the idea of this “Now” page. I’m terrible at social media, but this page gives me a place to check in with the world and update you, as Derek recommends, as I would when catching up with an old friend.



OMG.LOL Status

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"To have an impulse and to resist it, to sit with it and examine it, to let it pass by like a bad smell—this is how we develop spiritual strength. This is how we become who we want to be in this world." ~ Ryan Holiday

03 February 2025

Updated October 19, 2026 from Somewhere in Arizona

Currently Reading

See the Books Page for all things books



Life Updates

Well, as you can see, the last update was back in January, so my Now Page isn’t very current.

I’ve been off work for a very long time now. We left on vacation in late August, and if the surgeon clears me, I’ll be back at work in late October. It was just a timing issue this year: a nice long 37-day vacation, then right into thyroid surgery where they removed half of it. I’m fully expecting the all-clear tomorrow.

The time off wasn’t wasted; we drove up to Washington State and had a wonderful time. When we got back, we jumped right into garage cleaning, home maintenance issues, film processing, and blog updates. I’ve been busier at home than when I’m at work! It’s been wonderful being off this long.

We are finally seeing cooler temps now; hiking season is just around the corner. Looking forward to getting the Pentax 67 out on the trail.



Projects/Learning/Activities

  • Home Server: I’ve added a Calibre-Web server, which has been great for having access to all of my Ebooks out on the road. Next, I added an Audiobookshelf server for my audiobooks. Next may be an Immich photo server. I’m itching to add a mini-PC now for use as a Linux server. You can read about those things here.

  • I’m always dabbling in the MacSparky Field Guides, learning new software at ScreenCastsOnline.

  • I used to do a Fusion 360 class every week over at Desktop Makes, but I just haven’t had time; with the addition of home film developing, something had to get dropped. I really want to get better at Fusion, but I just don’t have time for everything.

  • I jumped back into film. I shot film all through high school and college and really wanted to dip my toes back in. It’s gone really well. You can read about that journey more here.

  • Learning Docker. It’s been really fun. What a great piece of software. I’ve always heard about it but never knew how to use it. On the home server, Audiobookshelf is running in Docker.

  • Still alive and well over on Mastodon. I have a great group of friends and lots of fellow photogs.

  • 365Pixels is still going strong. Currently at 336 days in a row and perfect attendance for 2026. I gotta finish the year strong!

  • Added a new photo blog Cliff538Pixels. It’s been a lot of fun working on it.



Current Media That Makes Me Smile

  • Detectorists - what a great show. We devoured all three seasons.

  • Small Prophets - another great show by Mackenzie Crook, who did Detectorists as well.

  • Slow Horses - every season just gets better and better.

  • Knife Edge - interesting look into restaurants chasing or trying to keep their Michelin stars.

Older Updates
January 14, 2026

Life Updates

Welcome to the New Year! 2026 is upon us.

I have to say I’m glad the holidays are over. Always way too busy and stressful.

Work moves into a nice, slower pace in January and February, and I enjoy it immensely.

Hiking is now in full swing with the cooler temps.

I’m doing another year of my daily photo blog, 365Pixels. I’ve really enjoyed the process and challenge of a daily photo.

I’ve been trying to blog more and keep things updated on a more consistent schedule.

I experimented with switching journaling apps from DayOne to Obsidian and Apple’s Journal. I gave it a good several months of journaling in both, but decided to come back to DayOne. It really is the goat of journaling apps. I can see where Apple’s Journal, with enough time, will rival it, though.

Speaking of DayOne, I started using a new A.I. feature called “Daily Chat”. The A.I. component stays on your phone and does not go to the cloud, but it has really helped me get more thoughts out. You activate it and just start talking. After some time, you send it, and the A.I. will ask you some follow-up questions, keeping the conversation going. After a while, you have a nice entry for your day. I’m going to play with it for a while and see if it sticks.



Projects/Learning/Activities

There are many, but I try to limit it to the list here.

  • Deep dive into learning Final Cut Pro and Motion. The best online training hands down is Ripple Training.

  • I have several MacSparky Field Guides courses going. You can’t go wrong with any of them. I’ve taken many and have several more to go. They are all excellent.

  • Hiking, lots of hiking. It’s winter now, and the outdoor activities are in full swing.

  • After a long hiatus, I dusted off all the old camera gear, and I’m packing them around again.

  • iPhone video; I’ve never been a video guy other than some drone shooting, so it’s been fun to dive deep into the video realm with an iPhone 17 Pro Max shooting log. Yes, Ripple has a fantastic section on color grading ; ) I did say it was a deep dive.

  • Fusion 360 classes with Desktop Makes are ongoing, and the designs are printed with a Bambu Lab X-1 Carbon. I can’t say enough good things about Vladimir’s excellent classes/teaching skills.

  • Diving back into ScreenCastsOnline. I’ve taken several years off from using them, but recently signed back up for the class on using Bases in Obsidian. I was slightly baffled and couldn’t get what I wanted just by working with it, but Mike Schmitz got me squared away. Now my “books read” Base looks great!

  • My Mastodon usage has really picked up since I’ve changed instances. It’s a great group that I really enjoy sharing with. I’ve been posting my daily photo from 365Pixels there as well.



Current Media That Makes Me Smile

  • Splinter Cell - Deathwatch - Netflix. I played this game as a kid, and the series is very well done and brought back fond memories.

  • The Beast In Me - Netflix. I’m a big fan of Claire Danes, and she does not disappoint in this 8-episode limited series.

  • Knife Edge - AppleTV. Chasing Michelin Stars is way more stressful and expensive than you might think.

  • Stranger Things - Netflix. Now that the Series is over, and what a finish to it all, we loved it. We are now starting over from Season 1, Episode 1, after realizing it’s been 10 years since we started and that we’ve forgotten much of the beginning story. It’s a hoot seeing all the actors so young.