Michael's pondering thoughts

I wanted to share a long-overdue health update about what has happened this year and why I can finally talk about it. I recently had my second Camzyos cardiology echo and doctor’s visit of the year. I normally go every six months, and... A man reflects with quiet satisfaction as he reviews positive echo results, surrounded by reminders of gratitude, strength, and progress in a warm, sunlit room. I wanted to share a long-overdue health update about what has happened this year and why I can finally talk about it. I recently had my second Camzyos cardiology echo and doctor’s visit of the year. I normally go every six months, and this visit gave me my best numbers yet. On Camzyos, my obstruction is much better controlled. My echo looked fantastic, so I included a table below comparing my results before and after starting Camzyos. When I first started Camzyos, I was not getting my refills consistently because of REMS requirements and the timing of my echoes and doctor’s visits. Th...

⚠️ **SPOILER WARNING:** FULL SPOILERS In "Project Hail Mary" (2026), a lone astronaut awakens to an uncertain mission, fighting for humanity's survival amid the vastness of space and the unknown. **My Rating:** ⭐⭐⭐½ (3.5/5 stars) ---... ⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: FULL SPOILERS In "Project Hail Mary" (2026), a lone astronaut awakens to an uncertain mission, fighting for humanity's survival amid the vastness of space and the unknown. My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½ (3.5/5 stars) Okay, first thing: overall, it wasn't a bad movie. The pacing drags at the beginning, and several scenes could have been explained more clearly or cut shorter. The second half and the ending are much stronger. The first half felt slow, and the premise is kind of stupid, but the story between the two main characters at the end is the best part. Ryan Gosling was okay in this movie. The film was definitely too long. It's a so-so movie and not worth buying, but I'm glad it's inclu...

Happy 250th birthday, United States of America! What a strange moment to mark a birthday, given everything going on in the world. Even so, I believe the U.S. has done enormous good and has served as a beacon for the world since at least... Celebrating 250 years of freedom and unity with fireworks lighting up the night sky above the U.S. Capitol, as the American flag proudly waves in honor of the nation’s milestone birthday. Happy 250th birthday, United States of America! What a strange moment to mark a birthday, given everything going on in the world. Even so, I believe the U.S. has done enormous good and has served as a beacon for the world since at least World War I, if not sooner. I remember being about 7 years old in 1976, during the last major milestone, America’s 200th birthday. My aunt, uncle, and cousins lived in Lakeland. I was staying with them, and we went to the train yard in Lakeland to see the Freedom Train. It did not stop in Lakeland until December 1976, but I...

As you get older, anniversaries and milestones hit you differently. I don't know why. I don't regret anything in my life, but I do feel nostalgic sometimes. The other day, driving to work, I learned that the University of South Florida is... Celebrating 70 years of USF's rich history and vibrant campus life, where tradition meets innovation under the open skies. As you get older, anniversaries and milestones hit you differently. I don't know why. I don't regret anything in my life, but I do feel nostalgic sometimes. The other day, driving to work, I learned that the University of South Florida is celebrating 70 years this year. That surprised me, because the first founding class attended in 1960, so the 70th anniversary is actually a few years off. I attended USF from 1987 to 1990. I didn't graduate; I would have had about two years left. 1991 would have been my graduation year, but I was taking it nice and slow. Most people were taking five years, so 19...

> **Star Trek: Outposts Unknown - Official Announcement Trailer - IGN** > To boldly go… and build in Star Trek: Outposts Unknown. Check out the Star Trek: Outposts Unknown announcement trailer for this upcoming narrative-driven outpost... Star Trek: Outposts Unknown - Official Announcement Trailer - IGN To boldly go… and build in Star Trek: Outposts Unknown. Check out the Star Trek: Outposts Unknown announcement trailer for this upcoming narrative-driven outpost builder game set in the Star Trek universe. Build complex research facilities through the mysterious X’Lehari System. Explore strange new worlds, guide your crew through dangerous encounters, and uncover a cosmic force threatening all life in the system. Set alongside the era of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, your journey will take you across hostile environments, abandoned ships, ancient ruins, and a fragile civilization in desperate need of aid. Star Trek: Outposts Unknown will be available on PC. A demo is out now ...

⚠️ **SPOILER WARNING:** MILD SPOILERS Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War (2026) brings intense espionage and action as Jack Ryan and his team navigate a deadly covert conflict in a high-stakes battle for global security. **My Rating:**... ⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: MILD SPOILERS Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War (2026) brings intense espionage and action as Jack Ryan and his team navigate a deadly covert conflict in a high-stakes battle for global security. My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½ (3.5/5 stars) I agree with the other reviews. I loved the whole cast. John Krasinski does a fantastic job as the lead, and he works well as a replacement for Harrison Ford in this whole new series. The problem was the format: as a movie it felt rushed and the story couldn’t properly develop. This would have benefited from another season or at least a limited one-season run so the characters and plot had time to breathe. The cast gave you everything, they just needed more room to do it. This product uses...

> **Why Gen X is the real loser generation** > Don’t cry for millennials or Gen Z. Save your pity for those in their 50s > > — @daily-reads-TheEconomist on mastodon via Daily Reads I am a Gen Xer, and I do not consider myself part of a... Why Gen X is the real loser generation Don’t cry for millennials or Gen Z. Save your pity for those in their 50s — @daily-reads-TheEconomist on mastodon via Daily Reads I am a Gen Xer, and I do not consider myself part of a loser generation. I do think my generation came up during a time when the family was under assault from companies, the economy, and a culture that made it harder and harder for one parent to stay home. I know my mother and father resisted that pressure for as long as they could. My mother was a stay-at-home mother for most of my childhood, and I am grateful for that. I also get to spend time with her now in her 70s, and I appreciate every bit of that time. My father worked and was the primary breadwinner for ...

Okay, this will probably sound controversial, but that's not my intent. I'm just sharing my thoughts because AI is everywhere right now, especially on social media and in blog posts. These views range from fairly neutral: [ 1 ] - Manton... People of all ages and backgrounds come together outdoors, connecting ideas and technology to illuminate the diverse and collaborative nature of AI innovation. Okay, this will probably sound controversial, but that's not my intent. I'm just sharing my thoughts because AI is everywhere right now, especially on social media and in blog posts. These views range from fairly neutral:   [ 1 ] - Manton Reece - Tom Casavant - Paul Thurrott - Richard Campbell To fairly positive, with the idea that you need to learn or use AI because... - Jim Mitchell - Numeric Citizen - Leo Laporte - Hey Loura - Ricardo Mendes To more negative views, often focused on whether AI's value proposition can actually justify the money being s...

Jim Mitchell adds notes to his site via a webmention. His note post tells all about it here and I am testing to see if it works and if my sending webmentions work. Jim your site looks great you done a great job with Clodd CMS.

Why 1980s Meals Were Always Garnished With Parsley - Food Republic From steak dinners to bowls of soup, 1980s restaurants topped nearly every dish with a sprig of parsley. But why was this garnish so ubiquitous? — Food Republic (@foodrepublic.bsky.social) on bluesky ( source ) I saw this Bluesky post come across my timeline because I follow Food Republic, and it got my attention. When I was a kid and teenager, I did not like parsley. But now, in my 50s, I actually do not mind it. I started using it after following some recipes from Chef Jean-Pierre , who has a YouTube channel . It really did make my pot roast pop and helped brighten the dish after a long cooking time. It is strange to think that this may be why parsley was used so often in the 1970s, when I was growing up. Parsley signaled sophistication. During the decade, French cuisine was particularly in vogue among American cooks, and the herb served as a marker of European plating habits. Subsequently, a sprig of it fun...

I came across this hilarious YouTube short from a British TV show. I think the British have some great TV, and this one had me rolling on the floor laughing. Enjoy!

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: MILD SPOILERS My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5 stars) Highly, highly unbelievable yet very entertaining. Great cast. If you want to kill about two hours and are after a fun, fast-paced movie, this delivers. It’s not profound, but it does exactly what it sets out to do, entertain. This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb .

If you ever want to see a master craftswoman at website design and theming, then you must stop over at Hey Loura! She is also in my BlogRoll. Her latest creation is spectacular and pirate-themed. She keeps outdoing herself each time she updates. I love her work and wish I could do, or get an AI to do, what she does. I have tried. I am still working on a 4th of July theme, but I can't get it to see my vision. Anyways, great job, Loura! I can't wait to see what you come up with next.

I usually watch BGT (Britain's Got Talent) clips on YouTube because the British often have really interesting acts. One I liked was the Glantaf Boys Choir from Wales. They were excellent, and it made me wonder why we don't have this kind of all-male boy choir here. We do have choruses and choirs, but they are almost always mixed. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's a different cultural tradition and it's special to see and hear an all-male choir perform. What really caught my attention, though, was KSI. I had never heard of him until this year's BGT, but he seems to be famous in the UK. He connected with the boys instantly, and their reaction was so funny. They immediately understood what he meant, so I had to look it up. Since I don't use TikTok, I discovered it was a TikTok meme and that's why I had never heard of it. Here it is, watch the interaction. They get the joke right away, and the whole group visibly relaxes. I like that a l...

I have been watching the Artemis II mission off and on. I saw these pictures on the NASA website, and here are a few that I really like. They definitely got me thinking. I have always been fascinated by space and the Heavens. I would like to go to space, but not like we do today. If I went, I would want it to be on a Star Trek type shuttle or ship. Our spacecraft, much like our planes, are little more than thin tin cans. Looking at these pictures really affected me. The Moon is very dead and very unwelcoming, and space is the same way. Then, seeing our planet "Earth" from that vantage point just shows the miracle God made for us and the love Jesus purchased for us. Why would you want to go anywhere else? Hello, World NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman took this picture of Earth from the Orion spacecraft's window on April 2, 2026, after completing the translunar injection burn. The Nearside of the Moon (April 4, 2026) - A view of the nearside ...

At a pivotal crossroads, a nation contemplates its future between the pursuit of wealth and industry or the call to civic duty and democratic engagement. I turn 57 this month, and with everything going on in the world, it almost feels like an afterthought. This year feels worse, more doom and gloom than others. I am not entirely sure why, but it is not just politics. The economy has been rough too, with gas prices staying high, in my case over $4.25 a gallon, along with rising costs across the board and ongoing tech hardware shortages. It all adds to the sense that things are off. I have never seen as much upheaval as I have this past year. I have also never witnessed in my adult life companies and wealthy individuals fawn over a President to this extent, while much of the media seems complicit. Then they wonder why their trustworthiness is at an all-time low. I believe in a neutral, fact-based media, but in reality we have never truly had one in this country except when it suite...

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: FULL SPOILERS In "Civil War" (2024), the iconic torch of liberty becomes a battleground as soldiers clash atop its flame, symbolizing the fierce struggle for freedom amid chaos. My Rating: ½ (0.5/5 stars) The movie stunk, and it stunk so bad I kept watching only for the action at the end. It made no sense to me. Why were we in a civil war? Seems more like a feel-good piece for the press. There were undertones of innuendo but no reason was given, nothing clear was given. It was basically like the viewer came in the middle of a tale and only got none of the backstory. Totally stupid movie. If you were supposed to guess about the relationship to today's politics, this movie will be bad in 25 years' time since there is no context at all, and I mean at all. Every good movie has some backstory, either through flashbacks or other ways. My big takeaway: no context, skip it. Don't waste 2 hours like I did. Yes, there were some good action and...

History was made today. The kind of history that will be written about and studied for years to come, and I was able to capture it from my backyard. Artemis II successfully launched with a crew of four and is heading to the Moon. Not as great, magnificent, or universe changing as what we will celebrate this Sunday with Easter and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, not even close. But still amazing. Here is what I get to see from my house on the other side of the coast of Florida. Not as amazing as being there, but still awesome. No Fools today on this 1st of April. Pretty surreal to watch it from here.

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS My Rating: ⭐⭐½ (2.5/5 stars) The cast has done good work in other films, but not here. They were probably paid, but the story was terrible. Calling it a 2.5 felt generous. In my view, there was nothing redeeming about this movie. This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb .