Christopher Merle

Que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be, but first I need more coffee.

Standing stone in the Orkneys

2023 so far

June 14, 2023 /

Overall things are going well, but I haven’t posted in a while. I’m still doing freelance web development but primarily supporting people using WordPress. So I will make a quick post. I have a health issue that I’m dealing with I may post more details later, but the rest of my health is good. I’ve been losing weight, walking more, and eating a lot better. Cutting out sweets, eating more veggies, walking more, and skipping lunches seem to be doing the trick. I can do pushups once again. I’d been doing wall pushups, but I knew once I lost the weight I’d be able to proper pushups again. Once I reach my target weight, I’ll start adding lunch in again. I won’t be eating as much sugar as I have in the past, but I’ll be able to treat myself once in a while to a nice desert.

I’m on Mastodon now. I gave up on Twitter after the new owner took over.  You can follow me here: https://mstdn.social/@clmerle

Can Has Broken Links

December 4, 2022 /

One of the plugins I install on client’s website is a broken link checker. I realized that I probably ought to do the same form my own site. The plugin tells me I have 149 broken links. So, sorry that I didn’t do that before now, and I’ll get around to fixing them in the not too distant future.

Verified

November 13, 2022 /

So the other day I shared on Facebook a few of these hilarious fake tweets by fake verified accounts using the new blue check verified service offered by Twitter. It was an utter disaster. Several companies stocks were tanked by these tweets.  Facebook was not amused and decided that I was sharing false information. I was not I was providing examples of false information and labeled it as such. I got a 24 hour ban.

 

WARNING! All of these tweets in this gallery contain false information and are posted by imposter accounts that Twitter verified because they paid the $8 price tag. Some of them are funnier than others.

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1001 Days

October 29, 2022 /

I’ve used Duolingo for 1001 days. I started my Duolingo odyssey to brush up on my high school German and college Russian in prep for a Baltic cruise that would start in Germany and stop in St Petersburg. Then the pandemic happened and our cruise was canceled.

I kept going. I eventually added Spanish, Ukrainian, and Scottish Gaelic. I had some Spanish in high school. It’s a useful language to know in Tucson. I started Ukrainian because of Russia’s invasion and I wanted to see how closely related and mutually intelligible they were. And to show my support for Ukraine. I learned Scottish Gaelic on my own 18 years ago and started a self-studies group in Tulsa. I decided to brush up on it too and see how good Duolingo is for it.

I chose 1001 days as a milestone as a nod to 1001 Arabian Nights. I’m not fluent in any of the languages and I’m not ready to converse in any of them, but my German comprehension is much better.

Of course Duolingo celebrates 1000 days as a milestone.

Puke

September 29, 2022 /

I once puked in a stocking cap. It was my first two-week deployment in the Air National Guard in 1987. We flew on a military transport to Panama. The plane had web seating benches and we faced the side of the plane and each other. I was getting airsick as the plane descended for landing. They kept the planes cold to reduce airsickness. My thoughts were totally focused on not throwing up. About five minutes before landing I knew I was going to hurl, so I took off my stocking cap and threw up in it. As it was dripping on the cabin floor, one of the other airman said, “we have barf bags.”

I carried my puke filled dripping stocking cap off the transport. Who knew they made a great strainer?

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