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  • Nightly Puzzling

    For the past month, I’ve been establishing a new nightly routine. First, at 10pm I have an automatic reminder to write a journal entry. I’ve been using the iOS Journal app for this, which allows me to easily incorporate photos and maps from the day. I haven’t been using any of their prompts, but rather just jotting down what I did. I like being able to look back at everything I’ve done.

    And then come the puzzles! Nothing like a little brain exercise to close out the day.

    • Both Rodd and I do the NYT Connections. Maybe this is a humblebrag, but I’m always surprised when I see people complain that it’s hard! We’ve actually been challenging each other to find the purple category earlier rather than leave it to last.
    • We also both do the five different daily puzzles over at Word Nerd. I’ve only managed to get all 23 Words like twice, and most days I struggle to hit 10. Rodd’s much better than me at that one! Maybe I’d have better luck earlier in the day with some caffeine in me. We also compete to see who can do the shortest Word Chain.
    • I do the Daily Waffle and Waffle Royale (and every now and then the Deluxe Weekly Waffle). These are Scrabble-style letter tile switching games, with a fun mechanism that highlights when letters are correct or jumbled up.
    • Rodd likes the OEC’s Pick 5 and Tradle games. These are where you have to identify which countries export certain goods. He’s really good at them both, but he thinks the Pick 5 is more fun.

    Have you got any fun puzzle recommendations for us?

  • Switching mobile plans to Boost

    When I was working full-time, I was fortunate in that my Australian employer had a generous mobile phone benefit. To maximise that, I did what most of my colleagues did – go to the nearest Telstra store and get a handset with the biggest plan that came under the cap. Now that I’m not working, I have to pay my own bills… and I know the Telstra plan is massive overkill for what I actually use. So I called them up, found out cost to pay out the rest of my contract, and worked out that it would be far more effective to switch over to a pre-paid 12-month Boost SIM. It uses the Telstra network and for $230 you get 170GB of data, unlimited Australian calls and texts, as well as unlimited calls to the US. I bought one of the SIMs at Coles and was able to port my number over and be up and running in less than an hour.

    Mobile settingsHOWEVER! I did have one issue with my iPhone, and I thought I’d mention here in case it helps someone else. See my Settings here? Even after my existing number was ported, the Mobile settings still showed the phone number that came with the SIM (that +61 6… one). It wasn’t a huge problem; I double-checked by calling and SMSing Rodd that my ported number was being used correctly. It did screw up iMessage and FaceTime though, as my ported number wasn’t listed as an eligible Receiving option. I tried changing it (both in Settings -> Mobile and also Settings -> Phone -> My Number) but it wouldn’t save. I restarted the phone multiple times. I contacted Boost, who couldn’t see any issue on their side. The agent said he thought that something was just cached, and it would eventually fix itself. But it stayed that way for weeks… until I finally figured out the solution myself.

    If you find yourself in the same situation, just go to Settings -> General -> Transfer or Reset iPhone. Click the Reset button (a bit scary, I know!) and then the “Reset Network Settings” option. It’ll ask you to confirm before it does it. And that fixed it! My ported number was finally showing for the SIM, and I was able to add it back to iMessage and FaceTime.

    (And if you’re curious about the overseas SIMs showing there, those are eSIMs that I use when travelling. I’ve been using Airalo for my overseas data needs for the past couple years and I’m very happy with them. Much cheaper than paying Telstra’s $10/day charge!)

  • Photo Post

    Week 21: final bits and finishing touches! Most of the lights are in, though a couple special ones aren’t arriving until next month. Painting is 95% done, and how lovely is our bedroom wall now!? In the living room you can see how the bulkhead matches the curve of the lower shelf. The accordion screen for the French doors looks great too. I’m really excited to have A/C in our offices, and power points with USB charging built in! The fancy Japanese toilet is being installed, as well as the heated towel rail. (I can’t wait to try out the bath.) Back security door is on too. Not much left to do before we can move in… #renovation 🏠

    Week 21: final bits and finishing touches! Most of the lights are in, though a couple special ones aren’t arriving until next month. Painting is 95% done, and how lovely is our bedroom wall now!? In the living room you can see how the bulkhead matches the curve of the lower shelf. The accordion screen for the French doors looks great too. I’m really excited to have A/C in our offices, and power points with USB charging built in! The fancy Japanese toilet is being installed, as well as the heated towel rail. (I can’t wait to try out the bath.) Back security door is on too. Not much left to do before we can move in… #renovation 🏠

    Week 21: final bits and finishing touches! Most of the lights are in, though a couple special ones aren’t arriving until next month. Painting is 95% done, and how lovely is our bedroom wall now!? In the living room you can see how the bulkhead matches the curve of the lower shelf. The accordion screen for the French doors looks great too. I’m really excited to have A/C in our offices, and power points with USB charging built in! The fancy Japanese toilet is being installed, as well as the heated towel rail. (I can’t wait to try out the bath.) Back security door is on too. Not much left to do before we can move in… #renovation 🏠

    Week 21: final bits and finishing touches! Most of the lights are in, though a couple special ones aren’t arriving until next month. Painting is 95% done, and how lovely is our bedroom wall now!? In the living room you can see how the bulkhead matches the curve of the lower shelf. The accordion screen for the French doors looks great too. I’m really excited to have A/C in our offices, and power points with USB charging built in! The fancy Japanese toilet is being installed, as well as the heated towel rail. (I can’t wait to try out the bath.) Back security door is on too. Not much left to do before we can move in… #renovation 🏠

    Week 21: final bits and finishing touches! Most of the lights are in, though a couple special ones aren’t arriving until next month. Painting is 95% done, and how lovely is our bedroom wall now!? In the living room you can see how the bulkhead matches the curve of the lower shelf. The accordion screen for the French doors looks great too. I’m really excited to have A/C in our offices, and power points with USB charging built in! The fancy Japanese toilet is being installed, as well as the heated towel rail. (I can’t wait to try out the bath.) Back security door is on too. Not much left to do before we can move in… #renovation 🏠

    Week 21: final bits and finishing touches! Most of the lights are in, though a couple special ones aren’t arriving until next month. Painting is 95% done, and how lovely is our bedroom wall now!? In the living room you can see how the bulkhead matches the curve of the lower shelf. The accordion screen for the French doors looks great too. I’m really excited to have A/C in our offices, and power points with USB charging built in! The fancy Japanese toilet is being installed, as well as the heated towel rail. (I can’t wait to try out the bath.) Back security door is on too. Not much left to do before we can move in… #renovation 🏠

    Week 21: final bits and finishing touches! Most of the lights are in, though a couple special ones aren’t arriving until next month. Painting is 95% done, and how lovely is our bedroom wall now!? In the living room you can see how the bulkhead matches the curve of the lower shelf. The accordion screen for the French doors looks great too. I’m really excited to have A/C in our offices, and power points with USB charging built in! The fancy Japanese toilet is being installed, as well as the heated towel rail. (I can’t wait to try out the bath.) Back security door is on too. Not much left to do before we can move in… #renovation 🏠

    Week 21: final bits and finishing touches! Most of the lights are in, though a couple special ones aren’t arriving until next month. Painting is 95% done, and how lovely is our bedroom wall now!? In the living room you can see how the bulkhead matches the curve of the lower shelf. The accordion screen for the French doors looks great too. I’m really excited to have A/C in our offices, and power points with USB charging built in! The fancy Japanese toilet is being installed, as well as the heated towel rail. (I can’t wait to try out the bath.) Back security door is on too. Not much left to do before we can move in… #renovation 🏠

    Week 21: final bits and finishing touches! Most of the lights are in, though a couple special ones aren’t arriving until next month. Painting is 95% done, and how lovely is our bedroom wall now!? In the living room you can see how the bulkhead matches the curve of the lower shelf. The accordion screen for the French doors looks great too. I’m really excited to have A/C in our offices, and power points with USB charging built in! The fancy Japanese toilet is being installed, as well as the heated towel rail. (I can’t wait to try out the bath.) Back security door is on too. Not much left to do before we can move in… #renovation 🏠

    Week 21: final bits and finishing touches! Most of the lights are in, though a couple special ones aren’t arriving until next month. Painting is 95% done, and how lovely is our bedroom wall now!? In the living room you can see how the bulkhead matches the curve of the lower shelf. The accordion screen for the French doors looks great too. I’m really excited to have A/C in our offices, and power points with USB charging built in! The fancy Japanese toilet is being installed, as well as the heated towel rail. (I can’t wait to try out the bath.) Back security door is on too. Not much left to do before we can move in… #renovation 🏠

    Week 21: final bits and finishing touches! Most of the lights are in, though a couple special ones aren’t arriving until next month. Painting is 95% done, and how lovely is our bedroom wall now!? In the living room you can see how the bulkhead matches the curve of the lower shelf. The accordion screen for the French doors looks great too. I’m really excited to have A/C in our offices, and power points with USB charging built in! The fancy Japanese toilet is being installed, as well as the heated towel rail. (I can’t wait to try out the bath.) Back security door is on too. Not much left to do before we can move in… #renovation 🏠

  • Photo Post

    Birthday truffle dinner! Steak tartare, tagliatelle, lamb, and dessert… ❤️

    Birthday truffle dinner! Steak tartare, tagliatelle, lamb, and dessert… ❤️

    Birthday truffle dinner! Steak tartare, tagliatelle, lamb, and dessert… ❤️

    Birthday truffle dinner! Steak tartare, tagliatelle, lamb, and dessert… ❤️

    Birthday truffle dinner! Steak tartare, tagliatelle, lamb, and dessert… ❤️

    Birthday truffle dinner! Steak tartare, tagliatelle, lamb, and dessert… ❤️

  • Photo Post

    Happy birthday to my favourite person. He’s smarter and cuter than me, but at least I’m a little bit taller? 😂❤️

    Happy birthday to my favourite person. He’s smarter and cuter than me, but at least I’m a little bit taller? 😂❤️

  • Photo Post

    The 3-colour linen stitch alpaca scarf continues to grow. I love how it’s turning out. #knitting 🧶

    The 3-colour linen stitch alpaca scarf continues to grow. I love how it’s turning out. #knitting 🧶

  • Photo Post

    Wine, wood fire, and knitting. All you need for a winter’s evening. 🍷🔥🧶

    Wine, wood fire, and knitting. All you need for a winter’s evening. 🍷🔥🧶

  • Photo Post

    Road tripping on a rainy day! 🌧️

    Road tripping on a rainy day! 🌧️

  • You have died of dysentery.

    Friday night fun: watching a 90min documentary on “The Oregon Trail” educational video game. (I’m not even kidding. This was a massive nostalgia trip for me and I learned heaps about the Minnesota tech industry in the 70s and 80s.)

    * Trivia – The phrase “You have died of dysentery” never actually appears in the game!

  • Photo Post

    Sydney sewists: If you haven’t heard yet, @wearethefabricstore moved to Newtown three weeks ago! It’s no longer in Surry Hills. It’s south of Newtown station, just past the Greek Orthodox Church and the row of shops. Hang a left at the funny old filling station on Whitehorse St, the laneway opposite the button shop. It’s a nice big huge warehouse space with lots of natural light! How good is that?? 🪡🧵

    Sydney sewists: If you haven’t heard yet, @wearethefabricstore moved to Newtown three weeks ago! It’s no longer in Surry Hills. It’s south of Newtown station, just past the Greek Orthodox Church and the row of shops. Hang a left at the funny old filling station on Whitehorse St, the laneway opposite the button shop. It’s a nice big huge warehouse space with lots of natural light! How good is that?? 🪡🧵

    Sydney sewists: If you haven’t heard yet, @wearethefabricstore moved to Newtown three weeks ago! It’s no longer in Surry Hills. It’s south of Newtown station, just past the Greek Orthodox Church and the row of shops. Hang a left at the funny old filling station on Whitehorse St, the laneway opposite the button shop. It’s a nice big huge warehouse space with lots of natural light! How good is that?? 🪡🧵

ABOUT

My name is Kris. I’ve been blogging since the 90’s. I live in Sydney, Australia, and I spent most of my career in the tech industry.

No AI used in writing this blog, ever. 100% human-generated.

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Special thanks to Matt Hinrichs for the site logo!