Week In Review 2026-08-08
This update covers Sunday 08-02-26 through Saturday 08-08-26 (icon Glossary, if needed).
LIFE
- 🈁 No real theme this week to note.
- 📕 As of this publishing date, it would have been my mother’s 77th birthday. I promised myself to write an official obituary for her before Saturday 08-08, so here it is.
- 📜 A massive election and rainy weather turned the first week of August into a hybrid. Call it “Novgust” or “Augvember."
- ❤️🩹 Indoor workouts were tough on me this week. Outdoor walks were limited in length and duration.
EXPLORE
- 🎨 If last week was a peak, this week was a valley. My “Big Boy! Big Train!” post allowed me to successfully test an embedded YouTube file, but that was the extent of creativity this week. However, I have made a note for myself to submit some photos to both Kansas! and New Mexico magazines for their photo contests.
- 🔬 I reset my iOS Home Screen in anticipation of a developer beta that never came. Added Dark Hours as a PWA, as it will compete on my iPhone with the similar Darkfield (iOS). Installed Iris (macOS) as I couldn’t remember where I had stored photos of my mother, and this app is designed specifically help me on similar searches in the future.
- 🪟 The usual round of church, coffee, and shopping on Sunday 08-02. Neighborhood walks on Saturday 08-01 and Sunday 08-02. Voted on Monday 08-03, then walked with L. around our complex that evening. Worked remotely at Living Room on Tuesday 08-04. Met folks at Side Project Cellar on Thursday 08-06. Saturday 08-08 was humid but both L. & I plan on spending the afternoon hiking in nearby parks.
MEDIA
- 📰 Being a Luddite Is Fun Again, 404 Media. Sure, there’s a mixture of vibes from theater kids and Occupy Wall Street, but there’s also a palpable feeling of joy and excitement at these gatherings, as folks start talking about building something new or reviving old practices again. I’ll keep my eyes on these movements as summer changes to fall, as I hope this energy will persist into the following season(s).
- 📰 Missouri voters weigh ending income tax. Here’s how other states replace the revenue, Missouri Independent; Missouri Amendment 5 Election Results: Eliminate Income Tax, NYT. Generally, I don’t link much to the New York Times, but they have a map which tells the entire story: Amendment 5 failed in EVERY Missouri county! The margins weren't even close. Nobody in this divided state wanted this amendment to pass, as there were no plans to replace the income tax. Will the voters’ decision cause some rethinking or revision of ideas in Jefferson City? Well...
- 🎬 Overnight in a Real Train Station in Nara Japan | Station Hotel, travelgeek. A classy hotel conversion in a popular tourist region of Japan, where you don’t have to worry about the 90-something owner just wandering into your room without warning! You’re also far enough away from Nara proper, so no deer will wander in either.
- 🎬 Tank! feat. Victoria Scott, Trashfuture. I’m not sure how Victoria, or any younger folks in automotive journalism, can keep up their enthusiasm for the current state of the industry, particularly in the US. Watching brand after brand pump out SUV’s and pickup trucks in dull-yet-gloppy colors, most of which are far too expensive for the average buyer, has to be depressing. It probably explains the strong retro vibes many of the younger writers possess, as examining older cars is far more exciting than the present-day--the past really is another country. Is the current state of the auto industry sustainable? Well...
- 🎬 Labskaus: The dish that divides Germans, DW Food. Labskaus is related to lobscouse, a meat-and-potatoes stew common to northern parts of Europe. The stew also gave the name to people from the Liverpool region, aka Scousers. However, the English stew is far more preferable to me than the northern German take, which features corned beef, salted fish, eggs, potates, and vegetables. If you are shivering on the deck of a ship, labskaus will give you all the nutrients you’ll need for a hard day’s work. I wouldn’t want to be downwind of you either before or after the meal, though.
WORK
- 🏥 Repeating last week’s thoughts here: A relatively chill week, given that a new quarterly release of Epic is imminent, and that summer vacations are in high swing. Nice to have some quiet moments at work.
OTHER
- 🗣️ L. & I are making plans to see the in-laws in Florida during December. This visit will likely cover our Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday trips, even if the dates won’t exactly line up. Also, as mentioned earlier, the in-laws have recently declared their intent to move out of Florida, so our holiday trip will be our last “fun” trip to that state. Any future trips will be tied into their relocation.
NEXT
- 🔮 This will be the last month of my COVID-19 medical test, so by the end of August, I should be nearly $500 richer for the efforts. I’ll put that money to good use.
PICTURE
- 📸 In April 2018, L. & I went to Disney World. She’s been there a few times before, but this was likely my one and only visit. Even during an off-peak weekday, the Magic Kingdom was a sea of humanity that was overwhelming. EPCOT was more our speed, so we spent a few hours touring and decompressing in this section of the park. This photo of Spaceship Earth was taken as we were leaving after the 9 PM fireworks show that marks the closing of Disney World for the night. Note that this photo pre-dates the LED lights installation from 2021.
