Archives May 2026

I started off my rare solo weekend by live streaming Friday night. I didn’t have a ton to talk about but somehow still managed to carry on for nearly three hours. Both Elsa and Mia slept on their dog bed the entire time.

On Saturday I wanted to tackle projects so my Sunday would be free to ride a wheel. First I installed the smart curtain robot that I bought last week. Set up was not bad. The most challenging thing was getting it configured in the app however once I did I now have full voice control of my bedroom curtains. In addition I have it set to automatically close at sunset and open at sunrise. It’s sweet and makes me want to convert some of my other conventional blinds to smart variations.

During the afternoon I decided to tackle the screen replacements that needed to be done on the lanai. Ever since I moved in the bottom screen in the door and one large panel on the side needed to be redone. Like many projects, I am not sure why I had not done it sooner other than my knowledge that replacing screen panels can be a pain in the ass based on all the pool cage screen I replaced at the old house. Doing it myself was not the best plan either as getting the top edge in without another pair of hands helping you hold it sort of sucks.

I muddled through the job, remembering quite quickly why I did not enjoy this type of work. It took me at least a couple hours to get the two screens done. I now have a ton of screening left over for future replacements as all Home Depot had was a 100 foot roll, far more than I needed.

Saturday around 5:30 I met up with my buddy that I normally play pickleball with at lunch during the week for a rare evening session. We wound up playing a couple hours against some good competition, finishing 4-3 overall. I wish my body would allow me to just play whenever I felt like playing but every time I want to I need to do an evaluation of my current level of aches an pains. My right hip/leg did not feel great afterwards but seemed to settle down pretty quickly on Sunday.

I also got to watch my girlfriends daughter accept her diploma via a livestream during the afternoon. I was shocked just how many kids graduated. There are so many that the school held five separate graduations spanned across two days to accommodate them all.

Sunday was supposed to be my day to get a ride in but it never materialized. It rained the majority of the day and once it stopped raining I was involved in other things. I installed replacement LED lights in the two map lights in the Tacoma. They are so bright and clean compared to the dull yellow glow the factory bulbs emit. I like them so much I have a replacement for the dome lamp on the way.

I later installed the new Lasfit mats in the Tacoma, the same mats I have in my Tesla and my girlfriends vehicle. They fit perfectly and are very easy to keep clean.

I took the dogs on three different rides over the weekend. Mia especially loves them. When I open the truck door she jumps into the cab like a rabbit. She is very cute but can also be very naughty as she likes to pull stuff from the trash and any other low lying fruit like toilet paper or hand towels. However all in all watching both of them all weekend wasn’t a real big deal.

This morning I got my stitches removed. Unlike the surgery that put them in, this was a very quick process that took all of 10 minutes. I’m hoping to avoid getting cut on for the rest of 2026.

Yesterday my buddy Matt stopped by the house. I 3D printed some adapter he is going to try to use to do some Honda maintenance. I had not seen him in person for quite awhile. I know Matt back from my running club days but we have also had a few adventures doing projects on his 2019 Tesla Model 3. He still has it. The car now has over 110,000 miles on it and has needed very little maintenance/repairs over that 7 year period. I have never held onto a Tesla more than 3 years so it was good to have a first hand example of how the car can hold up over the longer haul.

I have been getting the itch to make my window coverings “smart”. The venetian style blinds on my windows are not in good shape. The issue is smart blinds which can be controlled via a remote, an app or your voice command are not cheap. I priced one out on the biggest window in the house and it was around $450. The idea for me would be having the shades automatically go up at sunrise and go down at sunset. Quite often I neglect to close my blinds which gives the outside world a clear view to whatever is going on inside, not ideal.

So although I am not quite ready to sink that kind of money into replacement e-shades I did take a step towards window covering automation by buying a “robot” that will open and close the hanging curtains over the slider in my bedroom. The robot is attached to the curtain rod and then rides on it to open and close your curtains. It works with various style curtains including roman style which is what I have. I figure this will be a good way to test the waters to see if making at least some of my window coverings smart is cool to me or not.

My girlfriend is going to be out of town all weekend. It will be the first time I have had a weekend that does not involve her in quite a long time. I already have a number things in my head I want to get done to keep me busy. I will kick things off with a live stream tonight. I have several small repairs around the home I have been dragging my feet on as well. I would like to get some of those things knocked off my mental checklist.

I will try to balance enjoyable activities in there as well. I would like to get some wheel rides in and possibly play some pickleball although technically I am not supposed to be doing things like that until my stitches are removed. I also will have both Elsa and Mia under roof all weekend so I am sure we will have a few adventures together.