Taking a Breath

I'm getting used to my new technology for a minute

I took a break last week from researching new technologies. It was taking up a lot of time, and I needed to focus on work. The only thing I still have to do is unzip all the files that I downloaded from Google Drive and get them uploaded to Sync. Google conveniently puts random files from all your folders into each zipped file. So, I need to set aside some brain power one day to make sure I get them all situated properly and have all the files. (I have around 380 gigs of data stored, which was given to me in 38 zip files.)

Going through all my files and systems has been great because I've deleted an enormous amount of shit. I don't like digital clutter any more than I like physical clutter. It's so much easier to find things without wading through all the stuff I don't need. Plus, digital clutter costs money to store.

So, for at least a few weeks, I'm going to just use the new technologies I've switched to and make sure they're really meeting my needs. So far, so good.

Eventually, I will again try to get rid of my remaining billionaire-owned services.

Incidentally, Google (which used to have a motto of “Don’t be evil") just reversed its commitment to not use its technologies for weapons or surveillance. Yet, another reason to move away from these companies as much as possible. Even their new motto, “Do the right thing," should prevent them from participating in the development of weapons.

Taskito to Remember the Milk?

After switching to Taskito for task management and seeing its several deficiencies, it was suggested that I try Remember the Milk. Being in the research phase, I thought I'd give it a go. There was a free version, but it didn't include a phone widget, which is pretty cheesy. The app looked good initially, so I decided to try the premium version, despite the steep $50/year cost. That's more than I spend for my laptop backup program.

Unlike Taskito, there was a browser version I could use on my desktop, but the formatting was not effective. The task list started too far down the page and should've looked more like the app.

The Remember the Milk app offered me seven widgets, but most of them didn't work and were labeled “old." OK. On my phone, the widget that did work lacked appropriate spacing and did not look like the opened app. It also was static and did not allow you to mark a task as completed without opening the app. This pretty much defeats the purpose of having a widget.

For notifications, the first day I got a “daily digest.” I definitely don't want that. I need a notification for each individual task. Taskito's notifications are very bold, which means I will notice them easily.

The widget issue was a huge sticking point for me, so I took advantage of their refund policy. I did give them all my feedback, so maybe they can improve it.

The whole experience made me appreciate Taskito more. It sucks not to have a browser version, but maybe they'll get off their ass and offer that soon. (I sent them feedback on that and the ability to schedule for a specific weekday of the month.)

An Update on Kit

As you recall, I ended up on Kit for my email marketing. I think the only way to start using it is to sign up for a “free trial,” after which you assume you’re going to downgrade to their “Newsletter” level, which is advertised on their website as free. It includes 10,000 subscribers, unlimited emails, and one each of their visual automations and email sequences.

Well, I got to the end of the trial and thought I was converting to that Newsletter level, but instead I ended up in some other free level without access to the carefully crafted emails I had made for the one sequence I’d created. I was freaking out and contacted their support about a gazillion times by email.

Weirdly, they had to send me a link to convert to the Newsletter account, and then we were able to get my email sequence straightened out again. I'm not sure why it all happened the way it did, but I was just glad we got it resolved.

I then apologized for being cranky to them.

Tumblr

I stumbled upon Tumblr recently, a photo-oriented, social-media-esque service that I never got into back when it first became popular. So, I looked up who owns it.

It’s owned by the absolute narcissistic douchenozzle who owns WordPress (and WooCommerce) and has been causing all kinds of immature shit within the community. I stand by my assertion that becoming a billionaire brings mental illness, and this guy is a prime example.

I’m super disappointed because it looks like a cool place right now, and I would've loved to check it out.

📑 Project Updates

Mortgage Update

I've been pre-approved for a mortgage! What a journey. It’s not a big mortgage by today's standards, but it will do just fine. Now, I will contact my kickass realtor in Troy and start looking.

I've decided that the sustainable and practical thing to do is focus on two family homes so my tenant can pay the mortgage and so I can provide quality housing for someone at a reasonable cost.

I'm still pretty terrified to buy something during this tumultuous time, but I do not HAVE to buy a house just because I can. I have choices now, which feels really good. As my rent just went up again at my apartment, buying gets closer to being the inevitable choice.

Above all, it feels like I have a sustainable, practical plan, and that feels good.

How to Find Joy in a Capitalist Hellscape

I have been wanting to design a bookmark with space for keeping track of the books I've read, and I finally did it. I love the result and can't wait to hand these out.

I've been tweaking my unpublished fiction novel so I can read some of it this week at the literary open mic I was invited to be at. I'm nervous about that but would love to get feedback on it.

⏰️ Currently

🌌 Taking deep breaths and trusting the Universe.

📚 Reading “Surrender, White People” by DL Hughley and “Let This Radicalize You" by Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba.

📜 Feeling grateful for elected officials who are not treating the current events as normal.