Archives June 2025

Yesterday I tried my first multicolor print on the X1C. Things appeared to be going great until the 50% mark where it had to load black filament for the first time. It failed. I tried to just do an unload and reload manually but the color did not load to the hot end. I am not sure if there is a blockage in the hot end or something else but it was too late at night for me to worry about it. I’ll have to dig deeper this weekend.

Speaking of weekend it will likely be a busy one. I have three projects that I need to get done sometime soonish. The oil in the Tacoma needs to be changed, a task I do far less often than I once did. I also bought leaf guards for my gutters that I want to install at strategic locations. Of course before installing those I need to clean out the gutters first. Finally I need to refresh the mulch in the landscaped areas around the house, a laborious but simple process. It would be nice if I get at least one of those tasks done over the weekend.

Yesterday the shocking news, to me at least, that Elon and Trump are now engaged in all out warfare, was all over the internet. Somehow just now Elon found out just how full of shit the new budget bill is and is angry about it. Things quickly escalated to personal attacks on both sides with Elon claiming credit for Trumps victory as well as accusing him as being prominently mentioned in the Epstein files. I believe this morning I heard he also called for Trump’s impeachment. Trump said Elon was just mad about the EV mandate being revoked and made direct threats to various connections/support Elon’s companies receive from the federal government.

Just last week Elon was in the White House getting his ass kissed left and right by Trump, even being given a golden key to the capital. To have things reverse so quickly is pretty crazy even by today’s standards where insanity is the new norm. Both men are certified egomaniacs and I don’t see either choosing to back down. Where this escalation leads nobody knows. The irony of it all…

I have mostly separated myself from the circus which is now the US political system. It’s corrupted to it’s core and I can do nothing to change it. I try to keep things I have no control over from having a significant impact on my day to day happiness and quality of life.

I had a very productive night, not only working on tasks related to getting back from the trip but a number of other things as well. One of those things was getting the X1C set up in the office. To make room I did a printer shuffle which included moving one of my Prusa’s to the guest bedroom. Setting up and calibrating the X1C took some time.

My first test print messed up so I think I have some more tweaking to do yet. I also set up my Prusa Mini for the first time in over a year just to make sure it still works. The printer has been collecting dust on a shelf for quite awhile. My plan is to sell that printer and possibly two more. If I am not using them, why keep them.

I also unboxed a sand art device that arrived while I was gone. I ordered it over a month ago. I have seen these for years and always wanted one. It utilizes a small metal ball with a magnet underneath to draw patterns in fine white sand. When combined with the RGB lighting it sets a very chill vibe. I really like it.

When I was doing the set up of the X1C I was having an issue seeing well because the lighting in the office is less than fantastic. I remembered another box that came while I was gone, a head mounted light device.

This thing is fantastic. Sure you look a little ridiculous but man does it light up whatever you are working on. No more need to try to awkwardly use your phone light as the head mounted option lights up whatever you are looking at. I’m not quite sure how I have managed to go this long with out one.

When I finally retired to bed it was with a feeling of satisfaction for making my Tuesday evening especially productive.

I returned last evening from a long road trip to Texas to attend my niece’s graduation ceremony. It was a very condensed trip over 5 days which included a total of roughly 48 hours of driving, yes 48 hours. I will get into some details about the drive in a bit.

I had not seen my sister or her family in around two years. In that time period the kids, especially Griffin have grown like crazy. I am pretty sure he has sprung up at least 7 or 8 inches since I last saw him.

I got to see their dog and my good buddy Ozzy who of course was beyond excited. Their house was looking great. Damon had completed a number of projects since I last visited. I have always wished I had the same degree of construction expertise as he has. He has the ability to build an entire house himself, if he wanted to.

Emily’s graduation ceremony was very cool, held in a big ballroom. The event included dinner, the ceremony itself, and music/dancing afterward. It was very well done. Afterward we headed back to their house where the kids kicked my ass in some video games, one of their favorite things to do with Uncle Shawn. We also went out for a dinner and a couple big breakfasts while there, the last of which was Sunday morning, the day I pulled out. It was really nice to see everyone and made me wish that 1400 miles was not always between us.

The drive back was just as long of course but thanks to the Tesla full self driving feature it was way less stressful than it could have been. FSD was nothing short of amazing.

If I were to guess the car drove itself for 95% of the trip and it did so pretty flawlessly. This was not a case of just allowing it to take over in wide open highways. I allowed FSD to navigate crazy busy Dallas rush hour traffic and the car did not flinch. It handled people cutting in and out, squeezing over to get to the correct exit and every other scenario you could imagine without issue. It totally changed the stress level of the journey.

Of course I could drive in that traffic but it requires your head being on a swivel as you are limited to your maybe 145 degree field of vision as opposed to seeing 360 degrees in real time as the car does. Being able to just pick a destination and have the car do the heavy lifting is a real game changer when it comes to being able to tolerate long drives such as this. In addition the seats are so comfortable that even with that amount of saddle time my ass or back was never in significant discomfort.

Charging the car was easy as well as it automatically routes you through superchargers as necessary. Most of the charge stops were 15 minutes or less. People view having to charge more often than filling up your car with gas as a huge hassle. It’s not in reality, at least for me. Each driving segment is normally between one and a half and two and half hours in length. After that period of time getting out to stretch my legs, use the bathroom and grab a drink or snack is welcomed, not annoying. To me the Tesla gets an A+ for it’s performance during this trip.

I am tired today as I did not allow myself an additional day off to get things back in order with this trip but I will survive. It was a good experience in every aspect and I’m glad I did it.