Hiked the Manitou Incline again. It's been about four years and felt a lot easier than last time.

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, CO.

Katydid!

On Nostr there is no other type of place. #nostr #freespeech #freedom

Hermit's Trail. Atempt #2. 9/29/25

I made a second attempt at Hermit's Trail South Rim on Monday. I was with a group this time and didn't make it as far as I did previously. We turned around just after getting down the Cathedral stairs to get back before it got cold. Definitely will need to get more serious with my fitness routine if I'm going to conquer this trail (basically, what I said last time.) It was a great experience of course; I'm always awestruck by the Canyon. I'll beat this trail one day...

Went caving last Sunday at Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano in NM. Very fun experience. Would cave again.

Stopped by Dorothy's house in Liberal KS while passing through. Definitely not a planned stop. We walked the yellow brick road, which could have used a repainting. We saw the house and statue as well. I was not able to find a pair of boots around the foundation, despite looking. But that makes sense. We're not in Oz.

The hot and cold towers of Pratt, KS. 😄

You find the strangest victuals at travel stops.

I became a godfather this year. I am both deeply honored and very proud.

You can just block the ads.

Many people I discuss freedom/sovereign tech often give a fatigued response to the idea of making the switch. The challenge I am faced with is convincing them that this fatigue comes from being on the treadmill of permissioned/legacy big tech, and that making the switch will provide a relief, even in the short term. They also tend to assume that it needs to happen all at once, instead of gradually over months like I did. There's also the process of maintaining sovereignty people often balk at. If you do use permissioned tech, sometimes you need to switch services when one goes bad. While most of us understand that this is necessary and usually straightforward enough, there are a surprising number of people who can't be bothered. As if letting your life get gradually overrun is a realistic alternative to weeding your digital garden now and then. While I don't blame anyone for reacting this way, there is definitely a mental wall in place for many, especially in older generations. In some cases, I can barely convince them to use an ad blocker (a free, two or three click installation) when using one would immediately make their online lives better. In contrast, I've been blocking ads since I was 16. While these mental barriers are often frustrating, I hate seeing people I know get needled by legacy tech even more. A lack of sovereignty is hurting them and costing them their time. And as the legacy experience continues to worsen, I can see it increasingly hurt everyone I know in different ways. But it doesn't have to. We can use the internet without the experience being appalling. We can use smartphones without being trapped in a digital ecosystem that robs us of our time. We can limit our relationship with apps and services without going Amish. We CAN block the ads. Making the switch now (or at least starting the process) will free up your time and make keeping up far easier in the future. It's so worth it.

Espresso shots taste like how I imagined coffee tastes when I was a kid.

I don't want to see your AI slop. It hurts my eyes. This goes doubly if you're trying to sell me something.

Nostr is great but it CHEWS through my data plan. 😄