paloma's journal

i've had a string of video converter deaths over the past few months. the first two that died were expensive blackmagic branded devices, which are supposed to be "industry grade." my fallback was a $5 cheapo hdmi to RCA converter, which i could get away with using because i was only using a black and white version of the input, so color depth wasn't a big concern. but then, yesterday, after using it for a few hours in practice and then power cycling it, that one died too! it was awkward timing because this time, i didn't have a backup converter, so i had to rethink my setup with the show coming up the next day. i decided to simplify my setup and remove the laptop from it completely (since that was the HDMI source i needed to convert), and instead do live camera feedback and use artificial life (andrei's video oscillator device), both going into my modular. despite the hiccup, i'm quite ok with the resulting output; i haven't done live camera feedback in a while, and i actually feel a bit safer to not be using my laptop for an outdoor show. it's also a similar setup to ones i used to use before i started incorporating the laptop, so i still have muscle memory for performing with it.

anyway, it's time to get ready to pack up. we are taking the van since we need to bring the PA and projector screen. hope it's a fun show and that we can get back at a reasonable hour because i have to be up ridiculously early tomorrow to start puppy sitting.

the day started out overcast and a little cooler, so we got to do some work on the shed before lunch. now it has a floor, and we ordered some lumber racks so it will be ready for material storage soon! i also did more computer work, this time it was a bit more rote since i already set up all the automations i could figure out how to do. any further adjustments to the process will likely be on the rhino/grasshopper side, which i'm not fully ready to delve into yet (but maybe soon!)

we are playing a show on saturday and i need to do some prep, but i'm leaving it for tomorrow. i've had an active week and could use a little down time (and an opportunity to read a bit finally).

i keep thinking about how i want to read my book, but the day is too full to let me sit still for long. that's the sign i'm "into" the book now though (i'm usually "into" one thing at a time — a book, a series, a game, or a project, etc. — something i think about a lot and look forward to getting back to whenever i'm not doing it).

at work, i figured out how to automate something in adobe illustrator which was rather tricky. in fact, i'm not even totally sure how i got it to work, but i'm not going to question it. i was able to speed up making the mockup graphics for the paintings by at least 20x (i should have benchmarked it for exact numbers).

i worked the front desk at the yoga studio and took the class. it was a particularly nice class, with a strong but achievable level of challenge. the only down side was i was very hungry and i did not pack enough food for the day. (this was offset somewhat by anoka giving me ice cream at work!)

i had a much needed dinner when i got home and then, ironically, worked on more workflow automation stuff for andrei's business. basically, i made it so that when someone buys their software, it generates and emails the customer a registration key. this involved wrangling shopify's API limitations, translating andrei's bespoke hashing algorithm from C++ to TypeScript (i was told that it is Very Important to capitalize TypeScript properly), and bridging some quirky serverless runtime environments. but, looks like it is all done now!

but yeah, that took up a bunch of time, and now it's bedtime. good night!

i forgot to write earlier and it's now pretty much bedtime, so here are some updates from the day in quick list format:

• at work i figured out how to do python scripting in rhino to generate and modify geometry, pretty neat
• agreed to puppy-sit for my employers while they are out of town for a few days next week
• went to the gym, did a light day because i'm still sore from other exercise and have yoga tomorrow
• back at home, i helped andrei with a coding/web/automation thing for their business; didn't get it solved all the way but i think i know what i need to do to get it to work
• andrei installed a game on the emulator pi that i used to play on pc when i was 10, quite a throwback

oops, i forgot to write in here yesterday. even though it was sunday, i had to go into work briefly to meet with a freelancer who has another job they work during the week. i got passed down the torch of knowledge about the procedural design files for making the specialized painting equipment and mockup files for the artists i work for. they use the "grasshopper" plugin in rhino, which is actually a pretty awesome tool that i would like to delve into more at some point. but the premade patches that already exist are pretty user friendly so i can get started using them right away even with just my current knowledge. this was also what i mostly worked on today at work.

i wasn't sure at first about the book i am reading right now, the vorrh by brian catling, but i am officially hooked at this point. it's quite a bizarre book which is written in a very poetic, metaphorical style, so it can be hard to follow at times, but it turned out to have enough of a plot to keep me going with it thus far (about a quarter in).

this evening i am feeling a bit drained and headachey. i will just try to rest up and chill.

in the morning, i had to go to the dentist for a somewhat unpleasant procedure to treat my gums. but then, i made almond flour pancakes and then we went to the beach! it was a bit crowded, which was expected for a public beach on the weekend, but we did some swimming and went for a long walk. it was a nice day for it, not too hot but definitely warm enough to motivate one to jump into the chilly water.

now we are back home and andrei is playing retro video games on a raspberry pi.

this morning i biked over to kit's house to water the vegetable garden. while i was there a black vulture came to investigate me. it was a beautiful animal and quite unafraid of humans. i also harvested some vegetables and made a huge salad for lunch, and a batch of pesto.

i finally got the speaker stands installed. they look and work great and we are listening to music in proper stereo at this very moment. it will also be a huge improvement when watching movies!

speaking of which, it's time to watch the rest of new kung fu cult master 2...

my last day of work for the week. cataloguing paint colors, taking care of the puppy, doing maintenance around the property where i work. after that, i went to the gym and ran some errands. i am doing a lot more at the gym than i have maybe ever done before at any gym. the most exercise i have gotten before this was from a yoga teacher training program at a rather intense yoga studio. i think i'm maybe exercising the same amount that i would have at one of those classes, but in a way it's harder because i'm the only person doing it and there is no one telling me what to do. still, i've been doing a pretty good job of it. i hope i can keep up this routine. it helps that i drive by the place every day after work.

andrei made deep fried eggplant and squash for dinner, which was delicious. then we watched more of the kung fu movie. it turned out that the really long video file was due to it containing both installments of the series, so we finished the first movie and started the second. perhaps we will finish it tomorrow.

after work today, i headed to the yoga studio and did my weekly session there. then i went home. the bookshelf that i repaired and painted with green gloss seemed to be fully dry/cured so it has been returned to its station.

now we are watching a kung fu movie. we just realized it is actually four hours long so we are only going to watch half of it.

not that much to say today. it's been hot and very humid. thunder rolled by but not much rain, it was just a tease. the air continues to hang heavy.

the puppy at work was super hyper today. it was kind of cute though.

i put some polyurethane on the parts of the kitchen stools i sanded yesterday. (i removed the backs with an oscillating multi tool, which is a neat device.) i also put up a shelf that will hold one of the speakers in the new audio setup. i still want to let the coating cure more before i actually place anything on it. in this weather, everything feels sticky.

i forgot to write in this journal yesterday, but i had a nice day. got my check engine code read at the auto parts store, it was just a loose gas cap (i replaced it in case the seal on the old one was going bad). went to guilford, an archetypically new-englandy town, to meet up with someone named aude who our mutual friends connected me with. we met at a cafe that is in a quonset hut, and had a long and interesting conversation.

later on, i finished applying finishes to some shelves and the speaker stands. they came out great! i want to let them cure a few more days before i use them since it's so humid out. i also made some almond flour muffins to augment my lunches for the work week.

today, at my job, we did a bit more work on the shed, and also started a new painting on the gantry (a mechanical device that we use to make very controlled sine-wave stripe patterns with paint). after work i went to the gym and exercised the hardest i have yet since joining the gym. now i'm back home and sweating in my humid apartment.

i started reading a new book, but the writing style is kind of annoying, so i'm not sure how much more of it i'll read.

we went to a party at andrei's sister's house, which is right next to a lake. they have two children, so there were a lot of kids at the party, all running around underfoot, as well as a lot of dogs. everyone went swimming and ate pizza which was constantly being cranked out of the wood fired oven in their backyard. i didn't think to bring a bathing suit, so i borrowed a somewhat ill-fitting one which was quite loose around the chest so i had to be careful to not let it slip off and flash everyone. there was also a prodigious amount of desserts (possibly like 10 different types of cake and cookies).

on the way there, we went to the post office and visited kit (whose garden we will be watering over the next week while he is out of town), and on the way back, we got groceries. also on the way back, my check engine light came on, so i will need to get the code read tomorrow.

i finally got to work on my woodworking projects - finished and attached the new tabletop (it came out amazing), assembled and coated 2 speaker stands, and worked on 2 wooden shelves. andrei is back but has been very tired from the trip.

we watched a silly comedy movie, and heard lots of fireworks being set off outside because it is the fourth of july. (it is also our 7 year anniversary.)

today, i was very responsible and did 3 important, time-sensitive things that i needed to do, which were all relatively time consuming so i had been putting them off. i really wanted to finish sanding and install my new tabletop, but i resisted the urge. now i can do that tomorrow with a clear conscience.

andrei is coming back tonight! very excited to see them again after their trip of over a week. it's been kind of fun having the house to myself but i am quite ready to wrap up my bachelor lifestyle for now.

it started raining and thundering and got very windy suddenly in the late afternoon. it was quite dramatic. i hope that my tiny shrub outside got a good drink.

i tidied my office (it seems like less of an office and more of a studio these days, but i have been mildly averse to calling it my studio lately for some reason, it feels oddly self-aggrandizing or something.) i have been using a tear-out pad instead of a regular notebook because it encourages me to make more quick, scrappy notes. i tossed a few in the recycling today that were no longer relevant, but i took photos of them because they provide a pretty accurate snapshot of what's been on my mind lately: weird furniture designs and woodworking projects, signal chains for audiovisual performance, and random home improvement ideas.

i went to the makerspace wood shop today, got my "certificate" to operate the important saws i needed to use, and cut all of the wood for my speaker stands and shelves that i wanted to make. i am quite pleased! i actually like the facility there better than the wood shop at work because they have a panel saw, which makes cutting down big heavy chunks of plywood way easier. compared to the basement wood shop i wanted to set up, it's a much better option, so in a way i'm actually glad that that plan didn't work out because it pushed me to pursue the makerspace certification. i have a tendency towards preferring to work alone in my own space vs. communal facilities, but sometimes pushing back on the introversion is a good thing.

after that, i went straight to yoga class. my legs were already tired from various things, but the yoga class seemed to be the last straw, because i basically have no choice but to be horizontal for an indefinite period of time now. (i feel like i say i'm tired in almost every journal entry, and part of that is probably because i tend to write in here while lying around in the evening after my energy runs out for the day...)

update: i had a second wind, and thankfully, my legs stopped hurting so much, after i lay on the futon and watched a movie. it's a good thing too that i was able to move again because the house was an absolute mess. so now i'm going to bed late, but with a clean house. this is a compromise i can accept.