I've been journaling for the past few years and, like a lot of people will say, it's not the magic bullet people want it to be. But it is a great tool for sorting thoughts, tracking events, and just a general brain dump. But we all slip every now and again but I will say my experience lines up with yours. I feel that journaling has helped to keep things in my life in control because it forces me to A) keep tabs on myself and B) keep track of the things going on around me.

Another thing is that there is some scientific research that shows writing by hand is better for journaling and memory. I think that by going back to the app after writing so much didn't help your case. Part of the problem with digital journaling is that distractions are just a button press away. When I sit down to write at the end of the day: my computer is off, my phone is on the desk or charging, and it's usually quiet or some music on. Being a daily ritual helps keep the train on track. If I dont get to it on the evening then it's usually the first thing I do in the morning. Routine helps a lot.

Lastly, the tools you choose make a difference. There are a lot of journaling systems out there aside from a notebook/diary. The pens you use should be ones you enjoy using. I'm a fountain pen person and will use a different pen each day and can rotate pens and ink to suit what i feel like using. You could color coordinate entries depending on the mood, emotion, or day. There is a lot out there to make your journal unique instead of black ink in a notebook.

Lastly I will say sometimes life just gets too hectic. You can get so busy, tired, or burned out that you just default to survival mode. For me its ultimately a matter of discipline/ roitine to stay on track and keep up with it as much as possible.

It looks like an Opus 88

https://goldspot.com/products/opus-88-fountain-pen-in-demonstrator

Oh gnome...

Remember when we had a whole impeachment hearing against Trump for withholding aid to Ukraine so he could get a political hit piece on Biden? I'm wondering how long it will take before a quid pro quo scenario pops up again. Either in Ukraine or elsewhere. So ya, we're all feeling for Zelensky in the next few years.

My wife and I have met this woman on different occasions. Both in her personal and professional capacities. She's a self-serving asshole. She couldn't make Governor so shes going for Senator. If she doesn't get that, she'll try for something else. She just wants to stick a fancy title as the bookend of her legacy other than "local news anchor". She sees Trumpism as her vehicle to that and will do/say whatever to make it happen.

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/joseph-ducreux-archaic-rap

For the uninitiated

https://www.jetpens.com/Midori-MD-Notebook-Journal-A5-Dot-Grid/pd/26421

Midori's MD A5 (~8.25" x 5.75") notebook comes with 96 but it's closer to $16.

https://www.jetpens.com/Midori-Soft-Color-Ring-Notebook-A5-Dot-Grid-White/pd/37753

This might be something to look into. Midori paper generally has a little more tooth to it so it won't be super smooth. It's also ring bound like the Walmart one. Jetpens is also a great resource for guides and videos about all kinds of stationery items.

Shredding beef

I'm not necessarily familiar with subfloor heating systems but I'll give it a shot. I found this video that helped sort some of it out.

https://youtu.be/OSJkjcTHVLE?si=aGyvO6ue3Ng0FT9I

From what I can tell it looks like the hot water comes in from the top line and heads into the manifold but also down to the mixing/regulating valve on the bottom line. After the water runs through the system it comes out to the return line and back out to the heating system.

My first thought is to try closing the blue valve on the return a bit and give it a minute. My thought process is that reducing the cold/out flow will help the circulating pump pull the water from the mixing valve. You could also try messing with the regulator to see if the temperature changes when you adjust it.

My favorite story about Charlie Watts:

"One anecdote relates that in the mid-1980s, an intoxicated Jagger phoned Watts's hotel room in the middle of the night, asking, "Where's my drummer?" Watts reportedly got up, shaved, dressed in a suit, put on a tie and freshly shined shoes, descended the stairs, and punched Jagger in the face, saying: "Never call me your drummer again. You're my fucking singer!"[44][45] He expressed regret for the incident in 2003, attributing his behaviour to alcohol.[20]"

I'll say a vacuum.

When I was a college kid in an apartment I bought the bottom-shelf, bagged Dirt Devil vacuums and dealt with it. All the clogging, hair in the brush, cheap quality/you get what you pay for, etc. Then I moved into a house I got a mid-range Bissell to help deal with all the pet hair. The thing was questionably designed, still got a bunch of the hair in the roll, and needed regular upkeep to make sure it functioned properly. When that one went out I wasn't going to pickup the same thing even though it technically lasted for years.

I recently picked up a Shark Rotator and it sucks in the best way possible. Was it expensive? Yes. Was it worth it? Absolutely. I can vacuum my whole house knowing I'm getting as much dirt, dust, hair off the floor as possible. And I'm not going to have to deal with even half the problems the low-end vacuums have. It pivots and gets right up against walls. There is a clear window to see the brush roll from the top. It also uses fins that just don't collect hair anyway. The whole canister comes off in one easy motion and I can dump it without spilling all over the now clean floor. There are two roll speeds for hard floors and carpet. The brush roll doesn't spin when it's locked upright so it's not flinging stuff around or grinding into the carpet while I try to clean corners or the couch. And even though it's one of their "heavier" models it's still lighter than the Bissell I lugged around for years.

This is a case that better design and features comes with a price. And those design choices can directly make your life easier. So if you can afford it, go for it.

In the last year or so I heard about how the water level is dropping due to drought which is concentrating all the pollutants in the lake. It's also becoming l so saline that the few species living in the lake are dying and washing up on shore. Then the high winds are blowing around extra salty sand combined with dead carcass particles so it's actually a breathing hazard to be around. This is also combined with the runoff of pesticides from the farms to the north that also polite the water. So it sounds like a great place to hang out!

I was literally just thinking today how much fun this would be to play once it's out and now I'm sad.

Ah. The only other person I would think it could be is Elhokar. Would make sense being on the same level as Navani but it's very much a guess.

Pretty sure it's Szeth.

Pretty much. I recently had my mastodon feed spammed with racist, homophobic, and gore-filled posts just because they would post with a list of unrelated hashtags. You could keep blocking the poster or the instance but they would pop back up from another instance or with another account. It eventually stopped but I'm sure it'll happen again. You're apparently able to filter out certain offensive terms with a filter but I think you have to manually enter the terms yourself.

Welcome to the rabbit hole. A ridiculous good pen for the price. Hope you enjoy it!

Saved their ass.