My hunting trip was successful. On my fifth day out there, I found a spot that was so ideal for attracting deer, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. I took a doe, shot through the heart, leaving a Quintin Tarantino blood trail. Next year, if I hunt that spot, I think I will wait for a buck. I dropped off my deer at the processor on a Monday morning, and they called me the following afternoon to tell me it was ready. It’s in my freezer, and I haven’t tried any yet. Oh, and I was finally able to take some game with my custom .358 WSSM.
I definitely like my new Eureka K-2 XT tent. As intended, there was plenty of room for me and all my gear. There was some strange weather resulting in some strong, gusty winds, and the tent just laughed at it. Some light rain, which was not a problem. Who knows if I will ever get to experience snow on the thing. Ventilation was good so condensation was easy to control. I’m very happy with it, and it was well worth the money I spent. The ground cover I made worked great, too.
This Thanksgiving was the first with just my brother and me. When it had occurred to me months ago, I had planned to set some new traditions, but really the dinner wasn’t far from what we have traditionally done. I smoked a bone-in turkey breast on the grill. I tried a stuffing recipe, and it wasn’t great, but I know how to make it better next time. The pie was pretty good. I’ll get the timing of the whole preparation down better next year.
The sixth and final season of Longmire came out, and I blitzed through it on three different evenings. It was worth the wait, and the tying up of loose ends was satisfying.
Thinking more about robotics and unmanned underwater vehicles, I went out and bought a Raspberry Pi and a book. I actually bought two: a Pi 3 Model B in a starter kit, and a Pi Zero W. I can’t believe how easy it is. It’s a fully contained computer, and the Raspbian operating system is well-integrated and apparently quite solid. This will take all the difficulty out of building a computing platform for robotics projects. I need to learn about the GPIO and get a development platform set up. I think I’ll probably use Java, mostly because it will be good for me.
My big, big project at work, shutting down a data center, has finally reached the point of completion. There are still plenty of loose ends to deal with, but the urgency and the risk are over. I’ve been trying to take it easy, and trying to use up my vacation. I haven’t really adjusted to a new pattern of work. I’m going to have to work on organizing myself, because now I will be responsible for myriad details without the aid of five project managers. My A.D.D. tendencies will be a problem if I don’t make an effort to counter them.
I’ve been reading Oathbringer for more than a month. It came out on the day I left for deer camp, so I was reading it in my tent, I was reading it on the plane and in my hotel room during my subsequent business trip, and I’ve been reading it when I can since then. It’s a big book, and I’ve been busy. I will probably still be reading it before the year is up.
