Category: Miscellany

Wordpress expects every post to have at least one category. If you just roll with the vanilla setup then Wordpress will call your default category “Uncategorized.” To me, this suggests a lack of rigor; a lapse in attention to detail; a sense of “who cares?”

Well, I care.

Some posts are going to be just for fun. Slices of life. Miscellaneous. So I’m taking Austin Kleon’s cue and have renamed “Uncategorized” to “Miscellany.”

Much better.

Double-toasted sandwich sliced Vogels smeared with super crunchy peanut butter and boysenberry jelly.
I prefer smooth peanut butter as a base for PB&J but it would be poor form to pop out for a small jar of Fix & Fogg on the second day of a Level Four lockdown.
Coffee is served in a JoCo cup I received for efforts in a Xero hackathon.
#breakfastsofinstagram https://ift.tt/39s3QKd

A bit of a treat to start Level Four lockdown. A Peanut Butter, Date & Oat Smoothie.
It’s a sipping smoothie. Creamy and sweet, with some natural yoghurt stopping it being sickly, but not a drink you’re going to chug in a minute.
This’ll get me through a day of arts & crafts with the kids, hangouts & slack messages with workmates, and some form of exercise in the local area.
Stay home folks. We’ve got this.
#breakfastsofinstagram https://ift.tt/3duhuzt

Tom Hanks doesn’t know how to use Marmite. He posted a photo with twelve weeks with of the stuff slathered over his sourdough. That led to a run on Marmite and Vegemite at the supermarkets leaving only Our Mate on the shelves.
Readers, Our Mate is the good stuff. It is proper English Marmite, rebranded for our shores. Lighter brown. Almost runny. It tastes better.
Put some in your Click & Collect order and enjoy Marmite Eggs like I just did.
#breakfastsofinstagram

How to clean your butt without toilet paper

One thing this pandemic has certainly drummed home to me is the importance and mechanics of washing my hands properly. Every second thing in FB is a new video on “how to really get stuck in with hand washing cos yer doin’ it wrong, dummy.” I appreciate everyone who’s brought proper handwashing technique to my attention.

Let me repay the favour by taking it to the next level and introducing you to Indi Samarajiva‘s excellent article How to clean your butt without toilet paper.

All you need is a jug with a spout, soap, and water. And ditch the squeamishness that comes with decades of using toilet paper. Good luck!

Subscribe to the workout of the day archive in your feed reader

Since we’re all stuck at home I’ve been looking at how I can do some kind of CrossFit style workout on my own. I’m currently sans-box, so I figured mainsite (as we call it) would be a good place to start. Being a nerd of a certain vintage I wanted to subscribe to the workouts in my feed reader but no such feed exists.

So I made my own.

The code is free software and is hosted on GitHub.

It’s currently Shitsville

Jason Kottke recently talked about Kurt Vonnegut’s six seasons: Spring, Summer, Locking, Winter, Unlocking, and Autumn. He noted that in Vermont the two extras are unpleasant and go by different names “Stick Season” and Mud Season.

New Zealand, and especially Wellington, also follows a six season notation originally posited by Adam Shand and made into a real time calendar by @dmanww

The six seasons: Summer - Jan to March Autumn - March to June Winter - June to Mid-August Spring 1 - Mid August to Sept Shitsville - September to Mid-Dec Spring 3 - Mid-Dec to Jan

Unfortunately we’re right in the middle of a classic Shitsville season. Temperatures are cool even when it’s sunny. It’s grey and rainy more often than not. It’s always onshore at the beach. I can’t wait for Spring 2.