Welcome to here.

July 01, 2025

I haven't forgotten about this place. Admittedly, it's a bit intimidating to think about all of the potential directions to choose from. This place is currently more or less a blank canvas.

I went to the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, Florida a few days ago, which was very nice. The place is very akin to a zoo, albeit packed into a smaller space than the zoos I've been to. I got to see all sorts of crocodiles, alligators, and caimans from across the globe! There are so so many different species, and all of them had plaques explaining more details about them. I took quite a few pictures with my iPhone 8.

They also had turtles, tortoises, lizards, snakes, etc., not to mention lemurs, birds, etc. All types of reptiles definitely accounted for, though. I'm not the world's #1 reptile fan, but it was really amazing to see them all. Probably my favorite was the Indian Gharial. I nabbed a photo of their plaque, as well. I love their awkwardly long, thin snouts. It's honestly a little hard to imagine them walking around out in the wild with those things. Also saw some Galapagos Tortoises, which I've got a soft spot for. I knew they were huge, and they certainly lived up to that expectation.

One thing I never hear anyone talk about is the stonework and statues they have on display. They give the place a certain vibe along with the animals, although I'm not sure what to call it. It's a strange mix -- I saw a Buddha, some Moai heads, several alligators, a huge and elaborate carved dragon... it was all super impressive. I can't imagine how much effort some of it must have taken.

I will say, though -- it was absolutely sweltering. I was there aroud midday. It was worth it, but God, Florida's summers are brutal. Beautiful weather, but not fit for human habitation.

I'll edit this later to attach photos.

May 26, 2025

Lately, I've been wanting to make a website for myself.

I've always been a lurker in any internet community I join. Over the years, though, I've gradually realized that's really not how I want to carry on. I want to contribute to the spaces I'm in. I want to be part of a community. I want to be online. That said, lurking for years means I don't really have an online home to call my own.

I know social media isn't for me- I have no interest in making a profile on Twitter, Reddit, or any other major site. I want a space to express myself, though, and all of my interests. I don't want to limit myself to any specific topic. I want control over my space, and to not need to conform to any specific template. And, at the end of the day, I really want to experiment with web design. I love the retro- and indie- web, and I've dabbled in the long past, but web design is a blind spot for me. I really do want to write more code to do less.

So, I made a website.

Right now, this space is one blank page with a single blog entry, but I don't plan to keep it this way forever. I have big ideas, and I want to do something different than I normally do -- I want to stick around long enough to make some semblance of those ideas become reality.

Watch this space :)