patrickrhett

Posted this to Facebook on December 18th:

I’m going to delete my Facebook profile on January 1st. I don’t really like their product, their business model or their leadership anymore. It no longer feels like it’s about connecting with people, which is what made it fun. They took a turn at some point into engagement metrics and growth above everything, and it’s gone from feeling like a friendly glass of beer with friends to angrily huffing paint fumes in an alley by myself. Start with that foundation and add on their seemingly willful incompetence in the face of platform abuses (data security, election manipulation, actual genocide) and I no longer wish to be a cog in this particular machine.

Here’s to hoping I see you all in many other places, be it a personal blog, another social platform, chat, photo sharing or even IRL. Maybe we could sit down for a friendly glass of beer.

I wish I had taken out one of those friend(ly)s, but the sentiment stands. I’ve extracted what I could from Facebook and I’d like to eventually clean it up and add it here in some form. We’ll see.

In the meantime, if you’re looking to contact me and don’t know how you can leave a comment here. I’m also still on Twitter and Instagram for the time being.

Today I decided I was rested enough and needed to accomplish something, so after dropping the boy off I went to Home Depot for supplies. Several hours later I had re-caulked all around the tub and stripped the old spray frosting off the bathroom window, which was flaking off, and reapplied a new coat. Then it was off to meet Elaine at Nate’s preschool with gift bags I put together last night and cupcakes from Cupprimo. You can see pics of that here.

Scorecard:
Activity: School birthday party.
Movie: 0.
Naps: 0.
Home improvement: 2.

Today I dropped the S40 off at the dealer for some maintenance on the way to the boy’s school. When I told him en route what we were doing he was opposed. “No, I don’t want to leave mommy’s car!” As soon as we got into the 2016 XC70 loaner he changed his tune. “This is nice! Is this our new car? I don’t want to pick up mommy’s car, it’s old, I want this car!” Me too, buddy.

I went to the Blanton at 12:30 to see a docent led tour of the current Goya exhibit, made up of almost 150 prints and exactly 3 paintings, and Xu Bing’s Book from the Sky.

After this was lunch at Sala & Betty, with one of my favorite sandwiches (the Betty) and an Alewise IPA.

Scorecard:
Activity: Blanton & Lunch.
Movie: 0.
Naps: 0.
Home improvement: 0.

I came home from dropping the boy off today, started a 7 day free trial subscription to PlayStation Now, an overpriced streaming service that allows you to play older games for $20 a month, and loaded up Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, a well reviewed game from 2011. It played like I remember the better Tomb Raider games playing, and I stopped playing at 4:30 when I needed to leave to pick up the boy. Now I just need to remember to cancel that subscription.

Scorecard:
Activity: PlayStation.
Movie: 0.
Naps: 0.
Home improvement: 0.

I had big plans today which all came to naught. I was going to go see a matinee, then thought better of spending the money, so instead I sat at home and dropped $80 on Amazon for party favors for 3 year olds. I watched Zero Dark Thirty, enjoyed it, then felt kinda bad for enjoying it. I did make and consume a delicious pot roast sandwich, so that was awesome. Overall not a bad day of not working.

Scorecard:
Activity: Shopping for toddler gift bags.
Movie: Zero Dark Thirty.
Naps: 0.
Home improvement: 0.

It looks like the last time I entered anything here was vacation 2015, and I made it one day into a vacation that included a trip to Norway, arguably something more interesting to write about than anything that’ll happen this week. Vacation 2016 is really just me taking a week off in between work projects, so I’ll probably post everyday.

Day 1:

Peter Pan putt-putt with Sophie and Molly. Sophie paid because she was the only one with cash. It was fun, but really, really muggy.

Lunch at Whole Foods downtown, also with Molly and Sophie. So many well off white people. I had a pretty good bison sandwich, the girls ate… fruit. And discussed buying yoga pants to husband hunt at WF.

After lunch we came home and I took a nap. Picked up the boy. Went to store. Watched a movie.

Scorecard:
Activity: putt-putt.
Movie: Housebound.
Naps: 1.
Home improvement: 0.

The Boy went to daycare, Sophie, El and I went to Julio’s for breakfast, then to the Slaughter Drafthouse to see Mad Max Fury Road.  Busted The Boy out early and the four of us went to the pool.  Came home and made stir fry in my new wok, now I’m laying in bed with a book and a bourbon. A pretty great day overall.  

Ilse is getting married in Ål, Norway next summer, and we’re invited. My plan is to pick up a Volvo in Gothenburg, Sweden, drive to her wedding, and then take this road trip. I’m going to need to start planning now.