Testing LFS

.gitattributes

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+assets/images/**/* filter=lfs diff=lfs merge=lfs -text

.meta/taglist

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+adulting
+babyprep
+health
+housekeeping
+martialarts
+parenting
+sustainability
+technology

babies-love-trash.md

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+---
+title: Babies Love Trash
+date: 2025-11-20
+lastmod: 
+published: false
+tags: 
+    - parenting
+---
+
+Whether you have a bunch of toys or not, babies and toddlers love to play with household items and trash. If you can't afford many toys, good news for you: you don't really need them. 
+
+- My son's favorite bath toys are a cup and empty soap bottles. 
+- Some of his favorite toys are cardboard boxes and tubes. 
+- At one point, he had a long, rigid cardboard tube (I think it came with a carpet we bought), and it was his favourite toy for over a month; he swung it around pretty much wherever he went. 
+- He loves to rip up tissues and pieces of paper.
+- He likes to shake bottles of pills (for safety, you can put dry beans into an empty child-locking prescription bottle). 
+- He really likes water bottles too, both disposable and reusable.
+- When he was around 6 or 7 months old, my wife smacked his hands with some coupons we got in the mail, and he laughed so hard.
+
+If you really need to distract a baby, just give the baby some trash. My son gets upset if I pop a Werther's or a piece of gum, but he usually calms down if I give him the wrapper. 

blowouts.md

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+---
+title: Blowouts
+date: 2025-11-26
+lastmod: 
+published: true
+tags: 
+    - parenting
+---
+
+Here's my troubleshooting guide for if your infant is having a lot of blowouts:
+
+1. If it's not that frequent (a couple times a week at the most), consider: shit happens. They'll blow out less when they transition to solids.
+2. If they are blowing out through the leg, ensure the leg ruffles are fluffed out. You may need to ensure the waistband is not too high because that can sometimes create gaps along the legs.
+3. If ② doesn't help, you may need to use the next size of diaper.
+4. If they are blowing out up their backside, try to ensure the back of the diaper is as high up their backside as possible putting it on.
+5. If ④ doesn't help, consider using a different brand of diaper, as it may fit your kid's butt better.
+6. If ⑤ doesn't help, consider double-bagging your baby, by putting a diaper of a much larger size on over their regular one.
+
+
+

do-what-you-love.md

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+---
+title: How to Learn
+date: 2025-06-10
+lastmod: 
+published: true
+tags: 
+    - career
+    - ikigai
+    - quote
+---
+
+
+> Find a job you enjoy, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
+>  
+> — Mark Twain (allegedly)
+
+When I was in middle school, I discovered in myself a passion for computer programming. But in high school, I decided that I did not want to pursue a career in computer science. I did not want my favorite pastime and form of creative expression to be commodified. I believed that if I were to let my programming be adulterated by the grimy reality of capital and wage slavery, I would love it less.
+
+In college, I majored in chemistry, which I did and still do also love. But because chemistry was part of my compulsory education, I felt like my passion for it was already tainted by the academic industrial complex, so I had less to lose by making it my career. While I worked in a research lab, I found that the most fun I had was when I was setting up the automatic flash chromatograph, documenting how to use our analytical equipment, and programming a Python-based gas chromatogram analytical software.
+
+At that point, I had an epiphany — *by trying to keep programming separate from my career, I didn't have many opportunities to do it anymore*.
+
+Nowadays, I have a MS in data science, and my day-to-day work mostly consists of devops. Although I spend most of my time working on projects that I don't really care about (at least compared to my personal projects), I am happy that I made a career pivot that lets me program and work with computers. I can get excited about even the most topically insipid of projects if it is enough of a technical challenge. And I basically get to spend all day honing my skills, so that when I do have time to work on my hobby projects, I do them better.
+
+I do not mean to diminish the tragedy of the fact that proletarians are only allowed to meaningfully pursue our passions insofar as we pervert said passions into part of the economic process. But the solution is not to rebel against this facet of industrial society by reserving your calling for nights, weekends, and holidays; you will be the only one who suffers in the end 
+
+So, back to the quote up top. When Mark Twain (or whoever) says "never ... work a day in your life", he does not mean that finding a job you like will liberate you from wage slavery. I think a more accurate (yet less quotable) way to look at it is this: 
+
+> If you base your career on something you're passionate about, then you'll have an excuse to do something you love every day. 
+>  
+> — Jim Shepich (actually)
+
+

drafts/.ideas.md

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+Bring baby outside
+Double bag

drafts/how-to-learn.md

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+---
+title: How to Learn
+date: 2025-11-20
+published: false
+tags: []
+---
+
+The most important life skill my parents taught me is how to develop a love of learning
+
+
+- Make it personal
+- Make it fun
+- draw from many sources
+- don't be "too cool" to participate / don't let pride get in the way

drafts/punctuation.md

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+---
+title: On Punctuation
+date: 2025-11-20
+published: false
+tags: []
+---
+
+Many punctuation marks have names other than "<function> sign/symbol". Here are some that I know:
+
+- `!`: bang
+- `‽` (or any combination of `?` and `!`): interrobang
+- `#!`: shebang
+- `#`: octothorpe
+- `~`: tilde
+- `\``: backtick
+- `/`: solidus
+- `\`: reverse solidus
+- `[]`: brackets
+- `{}`: braces
+- `...`: ellipse
+- `|`: pipe
+- `&`: ampersand
+- `¶`: pilcrow
+- `:—`: dog's bollocks
+- `-`: hyphen
+- `–`: en dash
+- `—`: em dash
+

drafts/sacred-texts.md

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+---
+title: Sacred Texts
+date: 2025-03-02
+published: false
+tags: 
+    - health
+---
+
+The following list consists of works of literature which have fundamentally shaped who I am and how I view the world.
+
+- *Fullmetal Alchemist* - Hiromu Arakawa
+- *The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy* - Douglas Adams
+- *The Communist Manifesto* - Karl Marx
+- *How to Invent Everything* - Ryan North
+- *Dune* - Frank Herbert
+- *Fundamentals of Data Science* - Stephyn Butcher
+- *The Alchemist* - Paulo Coelho
+- *One Piece* - Eiichiro Oda
+- *stallman.org* - Richard Stallman

drafts/vintage-technology.md

@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+---
+title: Vintage Technology
+date: 2025-11-20
+published: false
+tags: 
+    - technology
+---
+
+Since reading *The Glass Cage*, I have been trying to reduce my reliance on my phone in favor of older-school technology. I have found this practice to be profoundly good for the soul. 
+
+The most obvious benefit is that these old technologies are not designed to be addicting like a smartphone. Even if you are using your smartphone for legitimate purposes, temptation is literally in the palm of your hand. Imagine reading a map with a line of cocaine on it; that's what you're doing when you use your smartphone.
+
+When I talked to my dad about having a record player, he told me that there was a ritual to dusting off a vinyl, cleaning the needle, putting it down gently, etc. It's been my experience that having those rituals — being invited to participate in the process — deepens your love and appreciation for the technology in a way that a black box cannot. 
+
+Here are some "obsolete" technologies that I have incorporated into my life:
+
+
+## Alarm Clock
+
+My wife bought us a Nintendo Alarmo, so it is a modern, high-tech alarm, but it allows me to go to bed without my smartphone. It's also harder to accidentally disable, which is nice. When your phone is your alarm, the first thing you do when you wake up is grab your phone, and that's no good.
+
+
+## Wall Clocks
+
+We got these when our son was a newborn to help us keep track of when we fed him. We realized that it was much more convenient to be able to see the time without having to free up a hand, reach in a pocket, and turn on a phone.
+
+
+## Record Player
+
+I don't use this as often as I want to because it skips a lot (I think I just need to level it). Like my dad said, the ritual of wiping the needle, taking the record out of its sleeve, wiping off the dust, putting it on the turntable, and dropping the needle, and just watching the vinyl spin make listening to music more of an activity than just noise in the background.
+
+When you use a vinyl player, you're forced to experience music as an album rather than a bunch of disjointed singles. For a long time, that's how music was intended to be experienced. J-Star always lamented that iTunes was the death of the album. I would say that TikTok is the death of the single. 
+
+Owning an album on vinyl makes the music feel like "yours" in a way that you just can't capture with a digital collection. 
+
+
+## S1 MP3 player
+
+I plug this into my earmuffs and listen to *Dear Wormwood* when doing yardwork. We used to have a CD in the minivan with some 70s songs, and I
+
+It's cool to associate an album (or whatever collection of music I load onto it) with using my earmuffs. I 
+
+
+ Recently, I've been using it to listen to FM radio while I play with the babies.
+
+
+
+When you listen to the radio, you don't have to stress out about choosing the next song. And it's good to be forced to listen to something new instead of playing the same old songs over and over
+
+
+## Car Compass
+
+As much as possible, I try to navigate using a car compass instead of GPS. If I'm going somewhere new but in an area that I know, I try to use Google Maps only to chart the course before I start driving.
+
+Using a compass instead of GPS forces you to develop a mental map, which enables you to form a deeper relationship to the places you go. When you have a mental map, you know the best order for stops when running errands. You always know which lane to be in. If you see traffic or construction ahead, you can figure out an alternate route. You reclaim the serendipity of discovering somewhere new that only happens when you get lost.
+
+
+## Mail
+
+I admittedly haven't done this very much, but I have been writing letters to friends and family. It's nice to be able to send Ventoy flash drives and candy along with my words.
+Going to the post office, interacting with a mailperson, dropping your parcel in the drop-box, etc. invites you to participate in the process. 
+
+- **books**: my Pocketbook Inkpad Color 3 is super convenient (especially because I can disable the touchscreen when babies are climbing on me), but it's also nice to just read a real book every now and then.
+- **mail**: 
+- **home phone handsets**: paying for landline service in this day and age is wasteful, but I did by a set of link-to-cell home phones from Facebook Marketplace
+- **retro games**: I've been into retro gaming since the games I grew up with became considered "retro". Recently, I've been playing Wii (Punch Out, Wii Fit, Wii Sports, etc.) and Gamecube (Pikmin). Playing old games helps you recapture the feeling of wonder you had when you played them as a kid. A feeling that the world is so big and there's so much to explore.
+
+I have found this practice to be profoundly good for the soul. 
+
+
+
+When I talked to my dad about us having a record player, he told me that there was a ritual to dusting off a vinyl, cleaning the needle, putting it down gently, etc. It's been my experience that having those rituals deepens your love and appreciation for the technology in a way that a black box cannot. 
+
+Of course, there's also the Substitution Myth, which is discussed in *The Glass Cage*. The technology you use shapes how you view and interact with the world. 

gear-for-new-parents.md

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+---
+title: Gear for New Parents
+date: 2024-07-12
+lastmod: 
+published: true
+tags: 
+    - parenting
+    - babyprep
+---
+
+I've compiled a list of useful items to purchase in preparation for a baby. I've excluded a bunch of the obvious stuff (e.g. diapers).
+
+## Whole House / No Specific Location
+
+- **Wall clocks**: you will want these in every room that you intend to feed the baby in; it's useful to track when and how long the baby feeds.
+- **Wall plate extension cords** ([Example](https://www.amazon.com/Socket-Ultra-Thin-Electrical-Oversized-Certified/dp/B07S8DZ1T5?th=1)) paired with **cable management boxes** ([Example](https://www.amazon.com/Management-Organizer-Strips-Electrical-Computers/dp/B08P2ZKWSW?th=1)): you can delay babyproofing until your baby starts to crawl, but it's good to remove tripping hazards.
+- **Baby wrap carrier (e.g. KeaBabies Baby Wrap)**: they work really well once you figure out how to use them properly, and they seem to be more comfortable for the parent and the baby (and more adaptive to the baby's size). 
+- **Gloves**: if you have sensitive skin like me, invest in gloves because you will be washing your hands much more frequently when the baby is around. Reusable nitrile gloves to use while washing dishes and cleaning the house, biodegradable disposable gloves to use while cooking, and fingerless moisturizing gloves to use whenever your hands get dry. 
+
+## Nursery
+
+- **Wipe warmer**: this made diaper changes a lot less painful.
+- **Disposable changing pads** ([Example](https://www.amazon.com/Rocinha-Disposable-Waterproof-Breathable-Underpads/dp/B07WVP81Z7)): I typically try to get reusable alternatives to reduce waste, but I am okay with going disposable for anything that regularly gets poop on it .
+- **Drawer organizers**: a baby has lots of little things, so you will typically need to put multiple types of items in a single dresser drawer.
+- **Drawer labels**: these are especially useful for people who come to help
+-  **Hospital-grade breast pump (e.g. Spectra S1)**: we had the Momcozy S9 Pro (not hospital-grade), and was more uncomfortable while less effective at removing the milk. Your insurance might cover it.
+-  **Let-down collectors (e.g. Haakaa Ladybugs)**: keep one of these on an end table next to where you nurse or where you spend most of your time, because when let-down starts to leak, you will feel really bad if it goes to waste.
+- **Resinol**: smear this stuff on the baby's butt after every change to keep diaper rash at bay.
+- **Pacifier medicine dispenser**: I don't know how we would give him medicine without this.
+- **Electric nail file**: don't be scared of this thing; it is really gentle; it can't cause nearly as much damage to a baby as the baby's own nails.  
+-  **Swaddle bags with microfiber wings** ([Example](https://www.amazon.com/BSTOPPT-Adjustable-Wearable-Swaddling-0-5%EF%BC%88Heart/dp/B0CNTPXPKB)): these make swaddling really easy, and they are super cute.
+
+
+## Parents' Room
+
+- **Cosleeper cushion**: if you can avoid having the baby sleep in your bed, that's best, but if you can't, get one of these. 
+
+
+# Kitchen
+
+- **UV Sterilizer**: these things are super convenient (especially while traveling) because they are so much faster than steam sterilizers. Papablic makes a small one for pacifiers and the like, as well as a larger one for bottles and pump equipment; we have both and we love them.
+- **Boon Cacti Bottle Brushes** ([Example](https://www.amazon.com/Boon-Cacti-Bottle-Cleaning-Brush/dp/B082PZ44M9)): they're fun and functional!
+- **Reusable cleaning gloves**: you will do a LOT of washing, especially if you use pumped breast milk. If you have sensitive skin, these are a must-have.
+- **Drying pads**: even if you have drying racks, water gets everywhere. It actually works well to set your drying rack on top of a drying pad.
+- **Dedicated baby sink**: if you're lucky enough to have an extra sink in your kitchen like we do, pick one to use exclusively for baby stuff. It just makes life easier.
+- **Momcozy Kleanpal Pro Baby Bottle Washer**: if you can afford it, this is well worth the price. Before this, I spent over an hour a day on handwashing bottles and breast pump equipment; now, all I have to do a quick rinse and load it into the washer.
+- **Water still**: if you formula feed or if you have the aforementioned bottle washer, you will go through a lot of distilled water, so it's useful to get a cheap water still (there are plenty <$100 that you can find online).
+- **Thermos-type bottle warmer**: steam-based bottle warmers get the bottles all wet and heat the plastic up high enough to cause microplastics to leak into the milk, and hot plate bottle warmers are very prone to leaking.
+
+
+## On-the-Go
+
+- **A quality diaper bag**: when you're out and about, you live out of your diaper bag. We have the Zara Lemon Diaper Bag, and it works great.
+- **Portable changing pad**: public bathroom changing tables can get pretty nasty.
+- **An infant carseat; not a convertible**: it is difficult enough to get the baby into the seat even when you have the convenience of being able to bring the seat inside your home. We don't have a stroller base that goes with the infant carseat, but I think it would be convenient since that thing is damn heavy.

self-care-is-not-selfish.md

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+---
+title: Self-Care is not Selfish
+date: 2025-05-18
+lastmod: 
+published: true
+tags: 
+    - adulting
+    - health
+---
+
+To be a provider is to be a machine that converts time and energy into the resources your dependents need to survive. You may think that taking time to care for yourself is selfish. It is not. Pushing yourself to the point of physical or mental breakdown will only hurt your dependents in the long run. Self care is like sharpening a blade, cleaning a filter, or changing oil. 
+
+Develop the mindset that everything you do to take care of yourself is a short- and long-term investment in being better able to fulfill your responsibilities and provide for your loved ones.
+
+As a husband and a father, I now have to take a much more intentional approach to my health and wellness. Here are some of the things I've found useful to keep me running like a well-oiled machine:
+
+- **Find a regimen of vitamins and other supplements that works for you**: ensuring your body has everything it needs to function properly is critical for good health. Once you've made the initial investment of figuring out what you need and building the habit of taking it when you need it, it's pretty easy to maintain this habit.
+- **Drink herbal tea**: tea isn't for everyone, but I learned to enjoy it while I was recovering from mononucleosis in winter 2023/2024. It's become a part of my morning routine that helps me start the day with calm determination. My favorites are Twinings Immune Support+ (Blackberry) and Glow+ (Peach) with a teaspoon of raw honey (which allegedly can help allergies in the long run). I've also found that Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat helps if I have a sore/dry throat and Peppermint Delight Probiotic helps if I have gastrointestinal pain.
+- **Stretch once when you wake up and once before you go to bed**: becoming a parent entails going from resting to swinging around a free-weight with little warning. If you don't stretch, you will throw out your back, neck, or shoulder. When I stretch in the morning, I feel more awake throughout the rest of the day.
+- **Exercise regularly**: this habit is the hardest to build, but the most rewarding. Obesity comes with so many comorbidities that you cannot afford to waste your life dealing with, and weakness or lack of fitness makes it hard to keep up with children. I find that I'm able to exercise much better if the activity itself is fun. So, most nights, I play Super Punch Out or Wii Fit. If you have a kid, playing with your kid is like exercise, fun, and bonding all rolled up into one activity. Roughhousing with your kid is a great way to get exercise for both of you, while also teaching your kid body awareness and confidence, coordination, balance, and how to respect others' boundaries and limits.
+- **Use skin care**: I've got dry skin on my hands, and when they start to crack and bleed, I don't want to use them for anything. So every night, I use lotion and put on fingerless gloves to trap the moisture against my hands while I sleep. I'm still trying to find a good hand cream, but O'Keeffe's Healthy Feet works miracles for my feet. If your feet are dry and cracking, get a pedicure, then use O'Keeffe's under some socks. Finding a good face wash and lotion can reduce acne breakouts and rashes (I use Clear Days Ahead face wash and L'Oréal Age Perfect face cream).
+- **Break unhealthy digital habits**: doomscrolling is perhaps the greatest waste of life of the 21st century. Take steps to get off your phone and either consume long-form media that requires active attention, or be present in the real world. This can be really difficult, but I've found the following steps to be very helpful in renegotiating my relationship with my phone and digital media:
+  - **Use do not disturb**: I currently mute all notifications except for phone calls. Having your phone pinging constantly is the best way to ensure it stays in your hand (or drives you insane from across the room). I make sure the people I regularly communicate have an understanding that if they need to reach me urgently, they have to call. 
+  - **Archive or delete social media apps**: If you need them, you can download them again. But without that barrier in place, you constantly have to resist the temptation.
+  - **Block addictive websites**: Once you make it harder to use your apps, there's a good chance that you'll just start to use the website versions of your usual social media platforms through your browser app. I paid $100 for a lifetime subscription to the [BlockSite](https://blocksite.co/) app/browser extension  to remedy this; I figured that if it saves me 4 hours of my life, it has paid for itself. And it has. Once you have BlockSite, you will be appalled to see just how often you see its "This website has been blocked" message because the habit of navigating to your usual websites is so deeply ingrained.
+  - **Make the UI less appealing/convenient**: when people talk about gambling addictions, they often cite how the gaudy displays, flashing lights, and exiting sounds draw gamblers in and keep them playing [1]. I paid $30 for a lifetime subscription to [minimalist phone launcher](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.qqlabs.minimalistlauncher), which replaces my home screen with a plain text. I feel like this has helped me reduce how often I, by reflex, open my phone and navigate to a scrolling app. Another intervention you can use is to set your display to be greyscale only. That *did* help me reduce my phone usage, but I had to disable it too often for it to be practical (and I once got pulled over while using Google Maps in greyscale because I couldn't distinguish the route from the rest of the roads).
+- **Learn to let go of FOMO**: there are times when I get down about not seeing my friends as much, not having time for my hobbies, having to miss out on events, or even falling behind on housework. While it's okay to feel like that, and you should absolutely make time to see your friends and do what you love, you can't let feelings of discontent be an assault on your well-being. Remember that if there are people who you love so much that you take care of them, you're not wasting your time.
+- **Invest in efficiency**: this is not conventional self-care, but anytime you learn how to do a chore or routine faster, better, or cheaper, that's time and/or money that you can give back to yourself.
+- **Play**: if you only take one thing away from this note, let it be that it is critically important that you make time to play. If all you do is work and sleep, you will be miserable. Play rejuvenates the soul while at the same time exercising the mind and/or body. Play with your spouse, and your relationship will be stronger. Play with your children and you will watch their development progress in real time. Play with your friends and you will feel community. Play outdoors and you will feel alive. Play roleplaying games and you will have new and fantastical experiences. Play rhythm or action games and you will develop better reflexes. Play strategic games and you will develop an intuition for understanding real-world interpersonal interactions. Do not play mobile games because they are a plot by the Canadian Devil to capitalize on addiction to fund the development of Canadian infrastructure [2].
+
+Sources:
+[1] https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1171-18.2018 
+[2] https://southpark.cc.com/video-clips/jgkzdr/south-park-beelzaboot
+      (alt: *South Park* S18E06: "Freemium Isn't Free") 

stocking-up.md

@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+---
+title: Stocking Up
+date: 2025-11-19
+lastmod: 
+published: true
+tags: 
+    - housekeeping
+---
+
+This is a strategy for managing household consumables that prioritizes never running out. 
+
+Think of some consumable groceries that you (1) use on a recurring basis, and (2) are either nonperishable or take significantly longer to expire than it takes for you to consume them. A few examples in my household:
+
+- Cleaning supplies
+- Paper towel / toilet paper
+- Butter
+- Olive oil
+- Diapers and butt cream
+- Jelly
+
+Now, we'll divide this set into two classes based on how fast you consume the smallest standalone unit: **slow-burn** consumables are those which take you a significantly longer interval to use (from start to finish) than the interval between trips to the grocery store where you get them; **fast-burn** consumables are those which you completely use on an interval that is smaller or similarly-sized than the interval between shopping trips.
+
+For slow-burn consumables, keep one un-opened extra on hand. When you finish the opened unit, leave the empty package by your door to remind you to get another the next time you're out. Some examples of slow-burn consumables for me include:
+
+- gallon jug of white vinegar for cleaning
+- a jar of salt or pepper
+- gallon jug of dishsoap
+- a bottle of vitamin pills
+
+For fast-burn consumables, stash enough of them to last you at least one full between-shopping-trips interval around your house. Some examples of fast-burn consumables for me include:
+
+- a roll of toilet paper
+- a jar of jelly
+- an Affresh tablet
+
+Multi-packs of fast-burn consumables can be treated en-bloc as slow-burn consumables, but only if you keep an entire extra multi-pack as backup. Some examples include:
+
+- a 4-pack of butter
+- a 24-pack of soda cans
+- a box of diapers
+
+The main reason against storing a full backup of a multi-pack is storage.
+
+Another principle of the stock-up strategy is that larger packs typically have lower unit prices, so when possible, opt for them. 
+
+The last thing to note is that when consumables you use regularly go on sale, it is an opportunity for you to stock up on as many as you have space for (and if perishable, can use before the expiration date).

superlock.md

@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+---
+title: Superlock
+date: 2025-11-26
+lastmod: 
+published: true
+thumbnail: assets/images/superlock.jpg
+tags: 
+    - martialarts
+---
+
+The "Superlock" knot is the way I tie my obi. I prefer it because it keeps the ends pointing down, can be cinched back up without having to start from scratch, and avoids an unsightly mess behind your back. 
+
+This video shows how to do it:
+
+<video>
+    <source src="../assets/videos/superlock.webm">
+</video>

sustainable-living.md

@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+---
+title: Sustainable Living
+date: 2025-11-20
+lastmod: 
+published: true
+tags: 
+    - housekeeping
+    - sustainability
+---
+
+As a homeowner, I have made it an ongoing goal to adopt sustainable and eco-friendly practices. As with all new undertakings, start with the small things and work your way up. 
+
+Before we get started, I do have to add one caveat. Disposable goods *do* have some legitimate use-cases, like sanitization and keeping things sterile (e.g. disposable needles, disinfectant wipes, toilet paper, etc).
+
+In roughly increasing order of how difficult it was for me to build these habits, here are some of the things I do.
+
+## Cultivate a distaste for disposable products, especially single-use plastics
+
+Buy a thing of Milano cookies and see that the cookies are separated with plastic risers into tiers, and how each tier is wrapped in plastic. The damn bag is already sealed! 
+
+Buy a pack of paper towel rolls, and notice that each roll is individually wrapped in plastic, inside the overall plastic-wrapped pack.
+
+Just think about how pointless and wasteful all this single-use plastic is. Imagine a turtle swallowing a piece of this plastic and choking to death.
+
+Now think about how much money you spend on paper towel. Think about how much money you spend on bottles of cleaning spray, and how much waste they generate.
+
+This is your first step.
+
+When you opt for reusable things instead of disposable things, it's an investment that is both eco-friendly and financially rewarding.
+
+You can't always control how things are packaged, but if you develop this anti-disposable mindset, it will nudge you towards choosing better products.
+
+
+## Use natural lighting during the day
+
+If you have LEDs, this won't save much energy, but every little bit counts. And sunlight is good for the soul.
+
+
+## Buy in bulk
+
+As containers grow in size, the surface-area-to-volume ratio typically decreases. In other words, you'll generate much less waste buying a gallon jug of dishsoap than you would buying 4x 32oz bottles.
+
+Typically, unit prices also go down when you buy larger containers or multi-packs, so it's a win-win.
+
+
+## Use powder laundry detergent
+
+Powder detergent is much cheaper than liquid detergent, and you need much less of it to wash your clothes. When I moved here a hear and a half ago, I bought a 16.5lb drum of Arm & Hammer powder detergent from Home Depot for a little over $30. I'm not even halfway through it.
+
+Liquid detergents also sometimes contain byproducts of petroleum cracking.
+
+
+## Mix your own cleaning sprays
+
+Blueland sells tablets that you can dissolve in water to make your own cleaning spray. They also sell volumetric reusable spray bottles, which you can use to easily ensure your cleaning solution is made to the correct concentration.
+
+As of the time of writing, the tablets are around $2 unit price. Most cleaning sprays in disposable bottles cost at least twice as much and generate a bunch of plastic waste. Blueland uses compostable packaging.
+
+
+## Don't use garbageware
+
+Stop using garbageware (disposable utensils, plates, cups, etc). If you have a dishwasher, just use it. If you are hosting company and are overwhelmed by dishes, conscript someone to help you; most people are eager to be good guests. It's just not worth generating so much waste. If you're afraid of people breaking your fine china, get reusable plastic dishes. If someone serves you with garbageware, act offended. Cultural attitudes need to change in order for us to make progress.
+
+If you get a paper cup at a restaurant, try to go without a straw or lid. If you are getting carryout, ask for no plasticware (or better yet, just don't get carryout).
+
+
+## Use cloth towels instead of paper towels
+
+Cleaning up after my son as he learns how to feed himself, I would go through a roll of paper towel in less than a week. So wasteful and so expensive. So, I bought these Mioeco-brand "reusable paper towels". People said that they're a scam and just to use regular rags, but I did not have rags, and these seemed like they would have a good texture (they do).
+
+I use these to wipe up his crumbs. When one gets too crumby, I rinse it off in the sink, wring it out, and use it again. Once I feel like it's too gross, I throw it in a bucket I keep on my countertop. When I run low, I wash them.
+
+Likewise, I use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins or paper towels. I got separate cloth napkins because the "reusable paper towels" have a nice rough texture for wiping hard surfaces, not skin. 
+
+
+## Use a water flosser
+
+When I first started trying to reduce single-use plastics, I switched from disposable floss picks to a reusable floss pick, which uses spools from floss cartridges. This is much less wasteful, but still generates plastic waste in the form of the empty cartridges, as well as the floss itself.
+
+After I got some floss stuck in my teeth and had to go to the dentist to have it removed, I switched to a water flosser (we decided on the classic Waterpik). I now generate no plastic waste, and my teeth feel cleaner than ever. There's no chance of floss getting stuck between my teeth now, and the water flosser minimizes gum bleeding too.
+
+
+## Turn off fans when not in use
+
+Fans use a lot of energy (typically hundreds of watts; cf LED overhead lights, which typically use less than 10W). It's important to use them to keep the air fresh and even out the temperature in the house, but be sure to turn them off when not in use.
+
+
+## Use canvas bags, boxes, or baskets instead of plastic grocery bags
+
+I purchased a set of 4 canvas-and-mesh bags for groceries (including one with thermal lining) from Meijer several years ago. The bags have poles in them that span the top of a grocery cart, so they dangle down into it. Whenever I empty them, I try to toss them into the back of my car. If they get gross, I just toss them in the wash.
+
+I also keep a few collapsible baskets in case I forget the bags, or in case the basket would be more convenient.
+
+In one of the grocery bags, I keep smaller cloth bags for fresh fruits and vegetables. Whenever I use these, I wash them along with with towels, work gloves, bibs, etc.
+
+If you slip up and forget your reusable grocery recepticles, just use their paper bags because you can compost them.
+
+
+## Use LED lighting
+
+This takes more monetary investment that many of the other practices, but you also it's also pretty much a one-and-done. LEDs use around 10x less power than incandescent lights, and they don't dump a bunch of heat into their surroundings (which you have to air condition away in the summer), and they typically last much longer. I think I've only had to replace two LED bulbs in the last 2 years (and they were in the same fixture, so maybe there's a problem with that).
+
+
+## Distill your own water
+
+This doesn't apply to everyone, just people who use a lot of distilled water. We use distilled water in our humidifiers, bottle washer, warm water dispenser (for making bottles), steam cleaner, Waterpik, etc. Some things don't explicitly require distilled, but if you do use distilled, you don't have to worry about having to clean out salt buildup.
+
+We got a countertop still, and we typically have to run it 1 to 3 times per day. This keeps us from wasting around 20 plastic jugs of distilled water per day. The downside is that it does take a considerable amount of energy to distill the water, but it's worth not needing to use all that plastic (or carry that many jugs in from the grocery store every week).
+
+
+## Go to the farmers' market
+
+Fresh produce at the farmers' market is typically cheaper, tastier, less likely to be affected by recalls, and supports people in your community instead of supermarkets. Things at the farmers' market are also less likely to use single-use plastics.
+
+
+## Shop online less
+
+There are some easy ways to make shopping online less wasteful. Whenever possible, ship in the manufacturer's packaging, and choose lower-carbon delivery options.
+
+But actually reducing how much you shop online is tough but rewarding. Shipping costs money and energy (even if the cost is incorporated into the price of the product instead of a distinct "shipping fee"), and inevitably requires more disposable packaging than what you would buy from a store.
+
+I understand that it isn't always possible to buy stuff locally, and if you are very busy, it can be hard to get to the store. But I'm not saying be perfect; just try.
+
+
+## Compost
+
+I'm still in the process of getting started with composting. 
+
+For years, I have felt deeply bad about putting vegetable waste in plastic trash bags and shipping them off to the dump. So, as much as possible, I try to chuck food waste into the woods, just so the nutrients can return to the ecosystem. I purchased a countertop compost bin, in which I put fruit/vegetable waste. Every few days, I dump the bin onto a pile in the woods.
+
+Soon, I'm planning to use a compost tumbler. I'll also be able to put shredded office paper and packaging cardboard waste into the composter and turn it plus the biomass into fertile soil for gardening.
+

temptation.md

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+---
+title: Temptation
+date: 2025-11-20
+lastmod: 
+published: false
+tags: []
+---
+
+At the time of writing this, I have been dieting for over a year. When you are on a diet, you have to learn to resist the **temptation** to overeat or eat stuff that is bad for you. Same thing with being on a budget; you must not give into the **temptation** to overspend. 
+
+I have learned that the secret to resisting temptation is to implements systems to keep temptations away from you. Let me use the example of being addicted to candy. The first system I implemented is to not buy candy to keep around the house. That way, the only time I can fail is if I'm out. After Halloween, I slipped up and stocked up on candy. The next system I have is that my wife get mad at me if she sees me eating candy, and my son gets jealous and freaks out. This limits my candy eating to only when they're not around. The next system is that I brush my teeth immediately after dinner, which makes it *inconvenient* to eat candy through the night. 
+
+Lord's Prayer says "lead us not into temptation...". It does not say "give us temperance against temptation"; it says to keep us away from it. While discipline and temperance are important virtues, you'll find much more success in erecting barriers between yourself and your vices.
+
+Another example is doom scrolling. The first system I use is to always use Do Not Disturb mode (with exceptions for all phone calls), so that my phone does not summon my attention when I am content without it. The next system I use is app timers, Blocksite, and cosmetic uBlock Origin filters to make it inconvenient to access problematic websites. (You can find my uBlock Origin filters [here](https://git.jimlab.io/jim/ublock-origin-filters)). The next system I have implemented is to, as much as possible, leave my phone out-of-reach, so I can't just reflexively pick it up and start scrolling. I also leave it in the living room when I go to bed, so I can't just wake up and hop on my phone.

vitamins.md

@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+---
+title: Vitamins & Supplements
+date: 2025-05-18
+lastmod: 
+published: true
+tags: 
+    - health
+---
+
+After several years of experimenting, I've found a regimen of vitamins and other supplements that have helped me manage some of my chronic health problems. Here's what I take and why I take it:
+
+## Allergies
+
+- **Cetirizine (10 mg, QD)**: I take this daily and it works like a charm. I used to take Fexofenadine (which seemed to have a stronger antihistamine effect), but if I missed a dose, I would get insomnia. Walmart sells a bottle with ~300 tablets, and that's the best deal I've found.
+- **Raw honey**: I don't have this nearly as often as I would like, but my dad cured his hay fever by having raw honey every day.
+
+
+## Digestive Health
+
+- **Probiotic (1 cap, QD)**: I take a daily probiotic, and it helps a lot with lactose intolerance. I get the CVS Health Ultimate Digestive Probiotic with 80B CFU, but I have not really experimented with any others.
+- **Lactase Enzyme (1 cap, PRN)**: I take these every time I have dairy. Between these and my daily probiotic, it's like a subscription to the ability to lactose tolerance. The ones from Amazon seem to work better than the CVS brand or Lactaid (plus, the latter two taste disgusting).
+- **Omeprazole (20 mg, QD)**: daily for erosive esophagitis/acid reflux. They sell these in bottles of 14, which is bogus.
+- **Turmeric (1000 mg, QD)**: I am not sure if this helps or not, but I've seen sources online say that turmeric can be good for fighting fatty liver disease.
+- **Fish Oil (1000 mg, QD)**: Like turmeric, I've seen things say that fish oil helps fight fatty liver disease.
+- **IB Gard (1 cap, QD)**: I don't take these anymore. I feel like they did help a little, but you have to be very careful with them. If you don't have a sufficiently large meal after taking an IB Gard, the peppermint on your empty stomach will make you have cramps for a couple days.
+
+In addition to these supplements, diet and exercise have made a huge impact for me. I think that my IBS was largely a symptom of fatty liver disease, so reducing fatty/high-carb foods and doing daily aerobic exercise has essentially cured me.
+
+
+## Headaches
+
+- **Magnesium (250 mg, QD)**: recommended by my primary doctor. When I do have headaches these days, it's typically because I forgot to take my magnesium the day before.
+- **CoQ10 (100 mg, QD)**: recommended by my primary doctor. Beware, they're kind of expensive (unless you get the 5-finger discount)
+
+I've noticed that if I have a headache, it's most likely because I've been sleep deprived most nights. There's no substitute for getting adequate sleep, but Mg + CoQ10 are a good second.
+
+
+## Immune Support
+
+- **Zinc (50 mg, QD)**: since I started taking zinc and drinking my immune support tea, I have been less susceptible to contracting illnesses. There have been times that Codi gets sick but I don't.
+- **Twinings Immune Support+ Blackberry Hibiscus and Elderberry Tea (PRN)**: this stuff is legit, and it tastes really good.
+
+
+## Misc
+
+- **Vitamin D₃ (1000 IU, QD)**: I started taking this on a recommendation from my therapist when I was depressed. I always say that it made my mood about 2.5% better, which doesn't seem like a lot, but when you're at rock bottom, it's pretty good for such an easy intervention. Things didn't start getting better until after I started taking Vitamin D regularly. I call them "little drops of sunshine."
+- **Vitamin B Complex (1 tab, QD)**: I take these so I don't have to get separate pills for the B vitamins I really need: 
+  - **Niacin (B3)**: the skin on my fingers used to peel because I was B3 deficient.
+  - **Pyridoxine (B6)**: since I started taking this, I don't really have nightmares anymore.