I have been an RSS user for a couple of years now. I probably got into it around the time when Google decided to kill Google reader or whatever it was called. I have tried a couple of services and I think the one I have been using for the last few years has been NewsBlur. My RSS clients of choice, Reeder 4 and Unread: RSS Reader, always jumping back and forth between the two. Recently I have switched services, to Feedbin. I am really enjoying the service, it’s great, highly recommended. But here’s the thing, Feedbin have released their own app and even though it’s not super full featured like Reeder and Unread, or even Fiery Feeds, the app is great! It’s easy to add new feeds to it, it’s super simple and so enjoyable to use for some reason.

For now I have both Reeder and the Feedbin app installed but keep using the more the later than the former.

If you were to ask me what my favorite type of exercise (or workout) is, my answer will be anything that involves kettlebells. I find it more engaging and fun than just benching all day or strapped to a machine. At this point in my life is all about keep moving, be strong but functional. Thus why exercises that involve a lot of movement are my preferred choice. Luckily for me I have a friend that owns a “playground” for this kind of stuff, it’s called R Studio.

This morning I got to join his kettlebell class and oh man have I miss this! It was about an hour workout class, lots of body weight exercises and kettlebells, right up my alley. It felt so good to workout with a group of people and seeing old friends. This is something I have been meaning to get back into for a while but with my previous job I was working most Saturdays so I wasn’t able to join. During the week was and still is a little impossible to go because it’s very out of my way. Which is why Saturday classes work better for my schedule. I hope I can make this a thing again and join this class every week of all possible. Also makes it a great way to get ideas for my own workouts during the week when I’m on my own.

I don’t know, about a month or so, I re-opened Instagram. Well, more like I opened a new Instagram account and I remembered why I loved the service so much. Now that I don’t have a Facebook account, having an Instagram account seemed like the less Facebooky way of keeping in touch with friends and family. And it was good, until today! Why? Adds. That’s why I was enjoying Instagram again, I had no adds for a while but now they’re back and now I like Instagram less, again.

Guess I’ll never learn.

Today as I was walking towards the break room (side-note: the break room is actually pretty far from my office but I like to take breaks from my desk and walk) when I passed by the site’s manager’s office, the door said Ciriaco (can’t remember the last name) and immediately the name stuck in my head. I know I have heard this name before. Then I remembered that It was a hurricane!

The 1899 San Ciriaco hurricane, which I remember my grandparents and teachers talking about it when I was a kid. The San Ciriaco hurricane was the deadliest, before Maria, hurricane in the history of Puerto Rico.

500 people died, mostly from drowning.

Damage: $20 million (1899 USD)

Fatalities: 3,855 direct

However Hurricane Maria killed more than 4,600 people.

I did not experience neither of these hurricanes, one was way before my time and of course I was here in the states when Maria hit Puerto Rico.

The ones I remember the most When living in PR are, Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and Hurricane Georges in 1998.

Things are starting to make more sense at work, my new job’s training/learning path isn’t the most straight forward, if you will. My new position hasn’t existed before, it is a new thing so we are all learning as we go sort to speak. I am basically taking bits and pieces of everybody else’s plate and taking over those tasks. So each individual shows me what they’ve been doing for that particular task within the whole process. As I learn things, I connect the dots about what’s going on in the process and how it should go. It’s a new interesting way of learning things for me — as challenging as it is fun.

With iOS 13 around the corner and the Dark Mode along with it, we are all getting our sites, some their apps, ready for pitch-black_darkness_ .

DARK MODE ALL THE THINGS!!!

I have been experimenting with this as well, thanks to some members of the community that are a lot smarter than me for this kinds of things and to whom I say, thank you!

But if I going to be honest, dark mode isn’t for me, I like it but not a lot. Specially the “True Dark” ,as they call it, which I rarely use on my iOS devices or even on the Mac when it first came out. It makes things hard to see and read, maybe I’m saying this because I’m still “relatively” young-ish, 36-years-old, give or take?. I’m not sure if things will worsen as I get older to the point that dark-mode-everything will be a necessity, I don’t know. Comeback and we will revisit in 5 years from now. Deal? Deal!

Thus, the reason I have been including this (Dark Mode) in my Micro.blog CSS is more for others than for myself and I’m not sure how I feel about that. I mean just because it’s there doesn’t mean I have to see it. I can keep looking at my website in gorgeous-perfectly-readable light mode and forget the dark mode even exists.

Once again, thank you for coming to my TED talk.

Today at work they gave me some kind of questionnaire, as part of my new-hire orientation activities. It was kind of strange because as simple and silly as it was (or appeared to be) some questions had me really thinking (or overthinking).

First question:

• What’s your favourite color?

I really had to think about this one long an hard. Usually my answer would be Purple but then I second guessed myself. “But I also like red and pink, sometimes orange”. For the purpose of just answering the question I said Purple

Second question:

• In which store would you max out your credit card?

That’s easy — Best Buy.

Third question:

• How do you like to spend your free time?

(Ha! They said free time, hilarious!!)

When I have free time, Photography, hiking and video games.

(I forgot to add writing/blogging)

Fourth question:

• Three items in your bucket list.

Own a Porsche (but will settle for a Tesla), visit Spain and that my daughters would sleep all night — by themselves — with no mom or dad’s intervention!

Fifth question:

• Favorite food?

Pizza it’s my favourite kind of cheese and donuts my favourite kind of bread.

Sixth:

• Something we should know about yourself.

I really enjoy photography, specially street photography, I micro-blog and…_(can’t remember but I know I put something else down).

Seventh and last question (that I recall):

• What vegetable would you be and why?

Potato… because vodka and fries!!

It was random and kinda fun, I think.

IN OTHER NEWS:

This morning we woke up with a chicken in our garage. No idea where it came from or why. Now, that is random!

🐓💨

This week I got one of them EVERYDAY BACKPACK by Peak Design. I’m pretty sure I ordered the charcoal one, although it doesn’t have the red details like on the website for whatever reason. Regardless I am in love with this bag and I think I like it better without the red to be honest. Anyway, before this magnificent looking backpack I was rocking a TOM BIHN SYNAPSE 25 (on occasion I would use the 19 too).

And here’s everything that was in there.

• Nintendo Switch
• 11" iPad Pro
• iPad Pro cable/charger
• AirPods
• Powerbeats Pro
• Ray-Ban Wayfarer
• Cleaning solution (it’s supposed to be for the glasses but I use it for the iPad and phone too)
• Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III Camera Body (silver)
• Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f1.8 (Black) Lens
• Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 25mm f1.8 (Silver) Lens
• Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 75mm F1.8 Lens
• Some HP computer (my work computer)
• Charging cable for the bahamut of the computer
• My car keys and wife’s car keys
• Spyderco Techno pocket knife. You know just in case I need to cut cheese.
• Bottle opener, in case I need to fix something 😜
• Some sharpie looking pens 🖊
• A pen 🖊
• Apple Pencil ✏️
• insignia SD card reader with usb-c. It’s convenient now that I can plug it to the iPad and transfer My camera’s RAW files anytime.
• Sport-loop Watchband

When putting everything in the bag pack I didn’t put too much thought on where to put what, except for the more obvious things. I just wanted to have an idea how much of all my stuff I can fit with the standard configuration.

Pen looking things are on the right side pockets.

On the left side so far I have the Powerbeats Pro.

Top part I’ve got the iPad Pro, Nintendo Switch, probably my sunglasses will go in here too. iPad’s charging cable in the small pocket there along with my bottle opener and pocket knife. Again, in case of cheese.

In the center of the bag, like I’ve said I have the standard configuration, I’ve got my lenses and Camera at the bottom and in the mid section the charger cable for the work computer.

On the main “computer compartment” I have, obviously my work computer. There’s also a small pocket there for quick access, there I’ve got my wallet, chapstick and the AirPods.

There’s also a cool way to securely attach you keys and have quick access to them.

And voilà!

I still got some empty spaces than I could fit more stuff in. I’ll probably going to start carrying the camera’s battery charger, since I got the space. Looks like I may also have some room for a diaper or two (and wipes) if I ever need to carry those, because I’m lazy and I don’t want to carry the diaper bag with me (😅).

So yeah there it is, my new state of the backpack.

Thank you for coming to my show and tell.

First week down!

I’ve survived my first week at the new job. Today was a little mellow compared to the previous days, most likely because it’s Friday. I did get to do some hands-on data entry that I hadn’t had the chance to do earlier in the week other than that it was a lot of corporate (B.S.) compliance videos and such.

Overall it was a great first week. I love the place I’m working at (so far). The people are great, the culture is great!

Looking forward to the second week and beyond.

Side note:

At the end of the day my manager comes by the office and tells me that, since it’s a “holiday” (three-day-weekend) that it was okay to leave early. Apparently it’s a thing they do/allow here. I got caught up with something so I had to stay for a few minutes longer.

Well and as you can see, she want kidding.

I guess I was the last one leaving.😐😅