it's the weekend, and here are some notes about what's going on right now.
✷ i set up a zigbee network in our house! i only recently became aware of zigbee as a cool, power-efficient mesh-networked open radio communication standard. i guess i assumed it was some proprietary thing. anyway, to bridge between my local network and zigbee, i needed a "coordinator" device, which i ordered from a small DIY maker called tubeszb (see photo). i also got a bunch of random little zigbee buttons and controllers from aliexpress. once i got everything i was able to connect my home assistant instance to the coordinator using the ZHA integration, and it is working pretty well overall! (not all of the devices i got on aliexpress were compatible, but they were inexpensive and i expected some trial and error.) the two things i really like about the setup are:
- zigbee devices are incredibly low power so even a tiny button battery cell can last for a year or more.
- it is very fun to bridge the physical world and the computer world by placing small, wireless objects around that can make things do other things. feels much more magical than tapping a toggle on a touch screen.
i set up some controllers to make the lights, speakers, and media players in our house do various things, and in order to make them more useful to my partner as well, i tacked little notes up next to them with instructions on how to use them. not sure what anyone else will think about this if they see them while visiting. (definitely would depend on the person!)
✷ i made a new links page on my website! then later that night i realized that auto columns (a feature of CSS i used) was really wonky in safari. but i resisted the urge to fix it immediately, and instead went to bed like a responsible person and then fixed it in the morning. this is kind of huge as i've been working on resisting the manic urge to keep working on projects all night.
✷ i have a live show coming up in less than a week, so i need to prepare for that. especially since today and tomorrow are the only days i'm not working between now and the show. i am thinking of trying to shoot some new source footage for my live video stuff but i also don't want to overcomplicate things. will see how it works out... at least it's a local show.
✷ we made homemade pizza yesterday and it came out pretty good! also watched a classic wuxia movie.
✷ tonight we are going to a potluck/gallery show at someone's house. one of the people who is doing an installation there also had one in our basement in brooklyn so that's at least 1 person we kind of know.
✷ my gig in the city earlier this week went very smoothly. i helped disassemble two big hanging LED walls and got back home in time for a reasonable bedtime. i have 4 more video tech event gigs coming up this month on top of my other work and appointments, so i hope they all go as well. one thing that was cool is that i often will buy expensive fancy caffeinated chocolate-protein drinks for extra energy during this kind of work, but this time i brought my own that i made with black tea and cacao and protein and oat powders, in a thermos and some ice cubes. it was both tastier and cheaper so that made me very happy.
✷ this falls into "things that seem maybe too boring to even mention" but: i organized my personal budgets in a new way and it worked even better than i expected, and now i am really glad i decided to change it.
✷ i've been practicing meditation more lately in the mornings, and i am developing a newfound excitement around it, probably related to finally getting to go on retreat again this winter. also, i am doing a "demo" on friday to possibly start teaching a weekly meditation at the yoga studio where i do work-trade.
✷ i'm a couple of months into getting my gym membership and exercising more, and i feel like i've made significant progress.
✷ i had a review with my employers at my new studio assistant job and received positive feedback.
the overall pattern right now is: busy but things are going pretty well. i knew from the start that this month will be busier than usual, so if i can make it through the rest of it unscathed, i can chill on my laurels a bit afterwards. i've been front-loading effort by streamlining my workflows and organization systems, so i'm hoping that will pay off and help me feel more confident that i can keep track of everything. and i also hope that i will have enough down time here and there between other things that it won't be too draining.
