After about 12 years of driving my 2004 Dodge Neon, I finally retired it and got a new car. I wanted something reliable and versatile, with good gas mileage, upgraded specs, and some built-in tech for navigation and music. After comparing a number of makes and models online, and test driving a few in person, I finally settled on a 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback SE. I don’t intend to make a full review, as those are all over the internet already, but I thought I’d publish a few notes of my own firsthand experience as an owner – things that I haven’t seen others mention.
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Our small martial arts club in Edmond, Oklahoma has had the fortune of being adopted by Paul Frank Sensei, one of the top Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-Ryu practitioners in the world.
On his urging, we are trying to organize into a full-blown branch dojo of Sugawara Budo. To this end, I have whipped together a small website with the necessary info for interested parties to be able to find us, discover what we are about, and to be able to meet with us. If anyone in the Edmond or Oklahoma City area is interested in traditional Japanese martial arts, please visit our website and try out a few classes. Most of our activity is on the University of Central Oklahoma campus, so students have a unique opportunity to check us out. Continue reading
Shortly after my recent acquisition of a pair of Philips Fidelio X2HR headphones, I did some reading and found that there is a variable in audio sources called source output impedance, which can affect the sound depending on the load (headphones) you put on them. The ideal is 1/8 or less the impedance of the headphones themselves, or else the bass in particular will lose definition. Given that the Philips Fidelio X2HRs are 30 ohms, and my Sound Blaster Z outputs 22, I decided I needed to give this a test. Continue reading
I’ve spent a lot of time looking for an ideal audio setup for my needs. One of the difficulties is that specifications for audio performance are not particularly helpful. If one is unable to physically test a piece of audio equipment before buying, then one is left to the mercy of online reviews. Sound quality is extremely subjective, and the terms used to describe it are anything but concrete. It helps to gather many different perspectives and ways of phrasing the same thing. This article might help a few people out in that regard. Continue reading
This page is mostly for my own reference, so that I can check and compare specs easier. Cost is indicated at the time of purchase, and includes shipping. Dates indicate time of purchase; parts have been, and will continue to be, reused in other builds. Continue reading
This is the FireHOL/FireQOS installation method and configuration that I use for my home server, here for easy reference in case I need to set it up again, or something similar. Continue reading
This is a soap recipe that I use for my body soap. This calls for storebought sodium hydroxide as the lye. The fragrance can be my choice of essential oils. These amounts will make batches of 1lb, 18oz, 30oz, and 36oz pre-cure weight. Individual measurements are in grams, because my scales are more accurate with that unit. This recipe is just here for my convenience, and for others to try it if they like; I may expand this into a more comprehensive soap making guide later on. For now, for instructions on the process to actually make the soap, please consult someone more knowledgeable. Continue reading
Simple Chinese take-out style noodle dish. Continue reading
Tasty take-out style dish. Meat can be substituted for pork, chicken, or the like. Continue reading
This is my own interpretation of hot Thai Basil Chicken, but using pork instead. Easy to make and tasty. This is a spicy recipe and should be eaten with rice. Makes enough to go with 3-4 bowls of rice, which are ideal for refrigerated portions. The pork can be substituted with chicken or beef, which can be ground or thinly sliced. This is a forgiving recipe, and all of the spices can be adjusted for taste and still turn out great. Continue reading
These are ratios and recipes for generic pizza components. This will make two pizzas, approximately 12″. The crust is sort of a hasty budget Neapolitan style. Continue reading
One of my favorite meals due to the savory tomato flavor, and the ease with which it can be portioned out into single-serve freezer packs. This recipe will make 6-8 8oz servings (for 3 or 4oz dry spaghetti), depending on the extra ingredients you add, and how much you boil it down. Continue reading
So, about a week ago, my car door lock stopped working from the outside. I’d insert the key and turn it, but it wouldn’t lock or unlock the car, and instead would turn a complete 180. After tearing apart my door and looking in there, it turns out that the operating rod had fallen off the end of the tumbler cylinder, and the clip that is supposed to hold it there had gone rogue. Continue reading
Finally got my cheapskate butt to pony up the cash for a phone with a camera good enough to read barcodes. I then created a catalog of all the physical books on my bookshelves. Here it is, for anyone interested, but mostly for me to keep track of what I have and who I’ve loaned it to. This was created using the Book Catalogue Android app. I had to manually add some of the older books without ISBNs, so they will have inaccurate information. Continue reading
I recently noticed this image come up in my Facebook feed. To me, it is immediately apparent that there is something fundamentally wrong with the premise of this argument. However, in a brief discussion with the person who posted it, it became clear that she couldn’t see the problem, and insisted that pornography is an issue of male exploitation of women. By the time I typed out a reply, I found that it was long enough to warrant its own article. Continue reading
I was recently given ownership of a Harbor Freight / One Stop Gardens 6×8′ Greenhouse. Having done a bit of research, I learned that the clear plastic panels will not stand up to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight for more than a few years. I will have to replace them eventually, most likely by creating my own. In anticipation of this, before assembling the greenhouse, I decided to record the measurements of every panel. I am also publishing them here, in case anyone else needs them. Continue reading
You may have noticed I use a lot of Amazon affiliate links in my text to try and monetize my sad little ramblings on this blog. Up until this point, I was using EasyAzon to manage them. This worked okay, but I didn’t like the complexity of the shortcode and link, or the dependence on Amazon Web Services. I modified the source to bypass these problems, but every time they updated the plugin, they came back. Continue reading
Some time ago, I watched a YouTube video by TheProRancher in which he instructed the viewer on one way to do a cheap, effective camouflage job using Krylon spray paints. I followed his method, and though I don’t think I did as good of a job as he did, I’m happy with the way mine turned out. I took pictures of the rifle in front of several different backdrops in order to get a better idea of how it would perform. Continue reading
Given that target shooting is one of my interests, I decided that I didn’t particularly like the price of commercially available targets, and I thought I could do better. I made this target many years ago, but for some reason it only now occurred to me that I ought to post it here so that others could use it. This is a PDF that will give you four targets on one 8.5×11″ sheet, and it has a grid spaced at 1/2″ to aid in measurement and sight adjustment. The extra lines should help to align thick or awkward crosshairs onto the center. It has fields for weather, range, and reloading data. Continue reading
I have a pile of boots from my military service. Now that I’m out, they’re mine and I can care for them in the way that I choose, rather than how the uniform dictates. In order to preserve them, I’ve decided to try out two well-respected leather protector products, Sno-Seal and Obenauf’s Heavy Duty LP. I’ve also thrown in a can of locally-sourced Kiwi Conditioning Oil. The boots I’ll be testing with are three pairs of Air Force issue ABU boots: two pairs of regulars and one pair of tennis boots. Continue reading