Week In Review 2026-08-22
This update covers Sunday 08-16-26 through Saturday 08-22-26 (icon Glossary, if needed).
LIFE
- 🈁 This week’s musical theme: Devo, “Big Mess."
- 📕 Most of the week has been overtaken with thoughts of my friend A., as he is hospitalized in poor health with no hope of improvement.
- 📜 Work drama, both big (L.’s mind being messed with big-time) and small (new work computer and the complications of moving data from old to new; on-call support this weekend as well).
- ❤️🩹 Only two 7-minute workouts this week, again. Depression can be mitigated by a workout, yes, but not this week. L. & I walked a lot at the Illinois State Fair on Saturday 08-16, and also in our neighborhood on Monday 08-17. Neither of us were feeling too keen on working out this week.
EXPLORE
- 🎨 My big mess post went live on Tuesday 08-18 to partially explain what’s been happening this week, with some issues left vague for obvious reasons.
- 🔬 Updated to Developer Beta 6 of iOS 27 and macOS 27 Golden Gate; it’s feeling more stable and more responsive than before. Installed AirFreek and Unforgetful (iOS), but have not had time to play around with them.
- 🪟 The messages regarding A. started to arrive early on Sunday 08-16, so I’m actually glad to have skipped my usual routine of church, coffee, and shopping that day. I sent off a beer package to my cousin and her wife in Minnesota on Monday 08-17, and also dropped off a roll of b/w film at Schiller’s. Ate lunch at Living Room on Wednesday 08-19, though my appetite has been off-kilter this entire week because of A. Went to Side Project on Thursday 08-20, but didn’t talk about A. or my weekend plans.
MEDIA
- 📰 Caira review: the clever connected AI camera still has a lot to learn, DPReview. My ability to concentrate on any media this week has been shot, but I made time for this fuller-featured review of my former camera. DPReview dives more into what makes Caira work and not work, and we both more or less reached the same conclusion: interesting concept, half-baked execution.
- 🎬 Festival de Chateauvallon, 1972 (Live), Mahavishnu Orchestra. And now for something completely different. Sometimes your day needs the soundtrack of a jazz/70s metal band behind it, and the only way to fulfill this need is to hear a live performance from the first and arguably best incarnation of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. If you prefer to watch the performance instead, here you go.
WORK
- 🏥 My last couple of days were dominated by a necessary--but still inconvenient--laptop replacement. Much of what I do for my job requires a fair amount of customization post-build, especially obtaining admin rights to lay the groundwork for everything else that follows. I'm also on-call this week until Thursday 08-27, but I was worried about calls coming in during my drive to Iowa. Fortunately, I received backup support from two co-workers in case I’m on the road and an Urgent ticket were to arrive while I’m stuck in a rural area with poor cell reception.
OTHER
- 🗣️ Yesterday, L. more or less confirmed that her work situation has been intentionally designed to mess with her head. She shared some news that, if true, may vastly improve her situation in a month or so. However, that point is still a ways away, meaning there are additional opportunities to have her head messed with some more. We both hope the news is true, both for short-term and long-term improvements. More to come.
NEXT
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PICTURE
- 📸 I have mentioned before about the mistake I made when I bought an Olympus Micro Four Thirds camera, largely due to its retro aesthetic, so there’s no need to dwell much further on that topic here. Reviewing old photos revealed highlights I’d overlooked because of my feelings about the camera, such as this photo of a rare Florida Scrub-jay as seen in January 2016. L. & I attended a birding festival near Cape Canaveral, now sadly defunct, and I am very happy to have had this experience. These particular jays are not shy of humans, and will often perch on your head if you are busy looking for their relatives with a camera or scope.
