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Things I’ve done so far

Here is a non-exhaustive list of the good, the bad, and the inane things I’ve stopped putting off, as well as the things I have yet to stop putting off.

• 4 min read

Update 4/29/2020: A whole bunch of updates inline below!
Update 5/26/2020: Even more updates

Overall, I grade the current global pandemic an F. It’s not good! That’s not to say that there aren’t silver linings. Like a lot of people, I’m getting things done. Here is a non-exhaustive list of the good, the bad, and the inane things I’ve stopped putting off, as well as the things I have yet to stop putting off:

  • Gone through old passwords and made every one strong and unique (this was a big one)
  • Set up two-factor-authentication for everything I can. I went from four items in my authenticator to 17. I highly recommend Authy. Don’t waste your time with Google Authenticator, even though many sites treat it like the only one that exists.
  • Cleaned out all the drawers in my desk and office
  • Consolidated, and sorted all the random computer and A/V cables in the house, and threw away a bunch of old ones
  • Cleaned out and organized my closet, and bagged up old clothes for donation
  • Sold an extra copy of Mario Kart on eBay that the kids got for Christmas
  • Listed and sold some vintage Tupperware on eBay (it’s actually worth a few bucks)
  • Baked bread, twice
  • Moved everything off of an ancient iMac, and onto my very cool new Synology NAS
  • Cleaned up and better organized my Plex libraries
  • Got all my external-facing services on the Synology NAS running over HTTPS
  • General digital organization on my computer
  • Vacuumed and mopped all the floors in the house several times
  • Renamed all four Apple TVs in the house to reflect their actual locations
  • Lots of Simpsons shitposting (more on this eventually)
  • Cleaned my deck every day with the leaf blower (fucking magnolia tree)
  • Replaced the cheap optical cable connecting the sound bar to the TV with a really nice one I bought like 13 years ago but never had a use for
  • Cleaned out all the kitchen drawers
  • Watched Outbreak, because why not?
  • Sharpened kitchen knives
  • Bought gap filler and filled in a big, disused vent hole in my kitchen that’s been there since I took some cabinets out five years ago. The next step is to spackle it and hide it entirely.
  • Spackled every ding and hole in the walls I could find
  • Filled various holes around the house with wood putty
  • Removed baby gate pieces from the stairs from the previous owners (we’ve been in the house almost five years)

I’ve done a lot so far, but there’s more to do.

To watch

I’ve got a lot of media to catch up on. I’ve got a pretty good list, and I bet there’s more than this that I want to watch.

  • Watch The Lighthouse
  • Watch X-Men: Dark Phoenix
  • Watch The Irishman
  • Watch Blade Runner (not sure if I’ve ever seen the whole thing)
  • Watch Blade Runner 2049
  • Watch Fleabag
  • Watch Tiger King
  • Rewatch Mission Hill (it’s probably been 18 years)
  • Rewatch _Mr. Show _
  • Watch the What We Do in the Shadows TV series (six episodes to go in season 1)
  • Get caught up on The Simpsons (I think I fell off around season 25 or 26)
  • Get caught up on Better Call Saul (we’ve seen two seasons)
  • Get caught up on Fargo (one season to go)
  • Finish The Good Place (11 episodes to go)
  • Finish Westworld Season 2 and watch Season 3
  • Finish The Leftovers (five episodes to go - in progress!) Finished 4/24/2020!
  • Finish Veep (one and a half season)
  • Finish Silicon Valley (two and a half seasons left, I think?)
  • Finish Picard (eight episodes)
  • Finish The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (three episodes to go)
  • Finish Daredevil (one season)
  • Finish Jessica Jones (one season)
  • Finish The Punisher (one season)
  • Finish Iron Fist (one seaso)
  • Try to keep current with Jeopardy

Around the house/yard

There are still useful things to do.

  • Plant grass (it’s been too cold) Done 4/19/2020
  • Maintain the garden
  • Mini kitchen renovation (yikes)
  • Organize extension cords (this weekend, I swear) Done 4/26/2020!
  • Set up second workspace in the basement before it gets unbearably hot in my office
  • General basement cleanup Done 4/26/2020!
  • Scrub dirty walls, doors, trim, and baseboards Done 4/25/2020!

Digital projects

  • Make some photo books and have them printed
  • Some general under-the-hood improvements to this site Done 5/22/2020 in a big way.
  • Maybe switch from Netlify CMS to Forestry.io Done 5/22/2020! and I’m loving it.
  • Figure out a way to get off of iTunes Match, while keeping older MP3 music accessible to the whole family
  • Figure out a way to share our Photos libraries with each other
  • Organize Safari bookmarks
  • There are still a passwords that my wife and I share that need to be updated, as well as the video sites we share with friends and family Done 4/19/2020!
  • Improve how I have Time Machine set up on the Synology
    • A little update: While I havent’t done this yet, I Time Machine on my Synology did save my ass while I was working on the site. I had a major Git issue (every file I had worked on was empty after a rebase!), but I was able to lose almost nothing by grabbing the directory from a few hours prior.

General to-do

  • Honestly, just get out of the house and get some more exercise
  • Eat better
  • Play more old video games!
    • Update: My daughter and I played Super Mario Bros. and I didn’t have to cajole her.
  • Write about old video games!
  • Play more of/finish Twilight Princess
  • Finish reading The Walking Dead (I’ve got about 20 issues to go)
  • Read more comics in general, mostly Star Wars.
    • Update: Read Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir 4/22/2020
  • Get back into Instapaper, organize my articles, and catch up on stuff that’s been piling up
  • Bake more bread
  • Brew beer