Tag: Food & Lifestyle
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Week Six – Leaving DEC
Reading Time: 2 minutesFrom VAX to Cellular: The Birth of a Build Engineer By the early ’90s, I had a few years of training under my belt and a clear career path ahead of me. I was serving as the primary operations person in VMS engineering before moving into a systems management role. There, I…
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Brazil Futebol Survival Guide
Reading Time: 7 minutesThis is part of my living in Brazil series. Since I am 5-6 posts deep, it seems appropriate to talk about Futebol. The sport is so ingrained in the culture that it becomes part of your life. You may have noticed a past post on my first trip to Maracana Stadium, which…
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Daily Gripe February 14, 2026
Reading Time: 2 minutesDaily Gripe: The Low-Rider Pandemic I’m 62 years old, and I’ve seen some questionable trends in my time—mullets, bell-bottoms, and neon tracksuits, and the corduroy suit (yes, that was a thing) come to mind—but this current “sagging” situation has me genuinely concerned for the future of the human race. I look at…
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The WhiteHouse Press Briefing 2/13/2026
Reading Time: 3 minutesA Fictional Press Briefing from the White House White House Press Briefing Room — Late Afternoon The air smells faintly of disinfectant and burnt coffee. The press corps is packed in shoulder-to-shoulder, knees touching, dignity optional. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt steps to the podium, eyes forward, smile tight. “Good afternoon. Before we…
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The Daily Gripe: February 13, 2026
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe 2:00 AM Betrayal: A Battery Story Let’s talk about smoke detector batteries—those high-pitched, plastic-encased demons that apparently share a collective calendar and a profound hatred for my REM cycle. Why is it always 2:00 AM? It’s never 4:00 PM on a Tuesday when I’m already standing upright and have my faculties…
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How America Built Its Own Immigration Crisis
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe Evolution of U.S. Immigration: From Open Doors to the Modern Labyrinth 1. The Era of the Open Door (1700s – Late 1800s) For the first century of American history, federal immigration law was virtually non-existent. 2. The Era of Selective Exclusion (1882 – 1920s) The government began using law as a…
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Week Four: The First Move To A New Position – The Engineering Word Of DEC
Reading Time: 3 minutesFrom Tape Loader to the Heart of VMS Engineering At this point, I had been working in computer operations across both third and second shifts. I was learning a ton, but I had no idea how my skills stacked up against those of others doing similar work in DEC. I guess it…
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The Daily Gripe: February 8, 2026
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe Daily Gripe: February 8, 2026 Topic: Starbucks Coffee I’m just your basic 62-year-old guy. When I walk into a coffee shop, I want coffee. Hot. Usually black. Sometimes—if I’m feeling reckless—cream and sugar. That’s it. I’m not trying to express myself. I’m trying to wake up. Starbucks, however, turns this simple…
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You Can See More With Your Ears
Reading Time: 2 minutesBetween Five and Six Between five and six in the morning, I am always awake. Coffee first, then the balcony. It’s my small ritual—standing still while the city stretches itself awake. Rio, surprisingly, is quiet at that hour. Quiet, that is, except for the two damn birds. I know exactly where they…