Sat Aug 08 2026

Sleep 0300 to 0830 (6-1/2 hours)

• Another AT&T Business twist of the knife as they charged us an early termination fee for our current contract. I had assumed after our 12-month contract expired a couple of years ago we went month to month that's how they could keep raising prices every few months.

Sun Aug 09 2026

Sleep 0300 to 0900, 1345 to 1600 (8-1/4 hours)

• I've been reading Supergirl (1996 and 2005) comics and especially with 2005 the storylines have been a bit confusing. Finally realized it's because of crossovers, where a story goes from one comic book title, continues to another title, then back to the first title. In the old days (like the 1980's) it used to be that the first page recapped the story so far even if it was the same title. But now they don't so it takes a while to figure out what you missed. Also don't help that the trade paperbacks sometimes don't make it clear when one issue ends and the next issue starts which makes it more jarring.

Mon Aug 10 2026

Sleep 0730 to 1430 (7 hours)

• I finally setup the QNAP NAS that my brother gave me (it's a hand-me-down). Unlike the Drobo the QNAP RAID uses the smallest disk size so mixing drives sizes wastes space (I think that's standard RAID behavior, Drobo had Beyond RAID technology to use all the drive space). Researching a bit and QTS Hero OS also uses the smallest drive size.

Tue Aug 11 2026

Sleep 0300 to 1100 (8 hours)

• Copying files to the QNAP NAS. It's nice having a WiFi network that is as fast as my External USB HD connection. About 36 MB per second which is the same as when I was doing External USB to External USB copy.

Wed Aug 12 2026

Sleep 0115 to 0915 (8 hours)

• Humble Bundle's BattleTech RPG Book Bundle. It doesn't mention anywhere that this is an exact repeat of an April 2025 bundle which I might have missed but noticed the URL has +'-encore" at the end. Reading what I wrote before it's still a valid reason not to buy this bundle.

Thu Aug 14 2026

Sleep 0630 to 1430 (8 hours)

• Nemo asked me to relay a message to one of her stalkers asking him to stay away from her. Initially he replied apologizing saying he would. Then a few days later asking if he can meet her one more time. Then a few weeks later a couple of long rambling messages where I can see he's slowly convincing himself that she didn't mean it and she really likes him. Meanwhile I have not replied and only sent that one original message. I'm not sure what to do because when I talk I'm not really that decisive so I'm afraid anything I said would leave small rooms for him to keep encouraging himself.

Fri Aug 14 2026

Sleep 0245 to 0945, 30 nap. (7-1/2 hours)

• Next Door has a few mailing lists and I didn't see any settings to unsubscribe, so when I get an email I click the unsubscribe link. So far four different categories I've unsubscribed in 24 hours. I'd guess there may be a weekly or monthly email I will receive and unsubscribe.

I set up the QNAS NAS that my brother gave me (he upgraded and gave it to me after my Drobo died). First I had it with 6 4-TB hard drives because I didn't have enough 14-TB or 8-TB hard drives. But that only gives me 16.9 TB space and it turns out you can't reduce the number of drives in a RAID set -- you have to delete the RAID set and create a new one. So now I'm thinking:

RAID 5 Set 1 - 6 TB, two 8 TB (leaving me with one 8 TB spare) = 12 TB
RAID 5 Set 2 - three 14 TB (with one 14 TB spare) = 28 TB

I lose a bit of space with Set 1 but I don't have a fourth 8 TB drive and if the 6 TB dies when I replace it Set 1 will automatically start using the extra space. Set 1 would also have the QTS software installs.

Plan:

1. Change MBP M4 Time Machine backups to two WD EasyStore HDs. This frees up the 6 TB and 8 TB drives I've been using.
2. Move data off one 14 TB drive -- I have them as two 2-drive mirrored sets so I don't need to move off the other one yet
3. Redo NAS
4. Move data onto NAS
5. Backup NAS data to 4 TB drives -- I like to have one backup that I update weekly or monthly in case of catastrophic NAS failure

Humble Bundle's D&D Classic Collection 2026 Bundle is mostly stuff I have on GOG. I'm not sure if this is a Steam bundle or not.

New to me:

DeathKeep ($3)
DragonStrike ($3)
Fantasy Empires ($5)
Silver Box Classics ($5)
Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace ($5)

Stuff I already own:

Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse
Dark Sun Series
Demon Stone
Dragonshard
Forgotten Realms Archives v1 to 3
Krynn Series
Ravenloft Series
Stronghold: Kingdom Simulator
Temple of Elemental Evil (this bundle includes it as a 33% off coupon)

So $12 for $18 I don't own is probably not worth it. I can wait for the 2027 bundle.

Sat Aug 01 2026

Sleep 0230 to 1100 (8-1/2 hours)

• Corina's sister's husband Victor died earlier this week. He was like 60. C3 are visiting today.

Sun Aug 02 206

Sleep 0600 to 1200 (6 hours)

• Yesterday signed up for Viki Standard 1-year subscription ($80). I changed my CC to AMEX and Apple charged it immediately. Maybe because of AMEX or maybe because it was a large enough charge.

Mon Aug 03 2026

Sleep 0300 to 1300 (10 hours)

• Since I bought the Supergirl comic book bundle I tracked some Supergirl media on CheapCharts. Supergirl (1984) movie is on sale for $5 so I bought it. Vaguely recall it was pretty bad.

Tue Aug 04 2026

Sleep 0300 to 1115 (8-1/4 hours)

• Checked for jury duty tomorrow. Nobody is getting called in the morning and we all have to check tomorrow at 1115 for possible afternoon call-up. I am in group 1008 and the groups are already randomized so I guess they'll call groups 1001 to 1007 before mine. Chances low I'll have to report.

Wed Aug 05 2026

Sleep 0145 to 0945 (8 hours)

• Everyone excused from jury duty.

Thu Aug 06 2026

Sleep 0345 to 1145 (8 hours)

• Apparently Audible.ca is a separate account than Audible.com. First off going to CA will divert you to your country site. But then you have a link to "I really want to go to CA site" and then if you sign up for a free trial it's only there not in the regular USA site. I guess that makes sense since licensing must be different.

Fri Aug 07 2026

Sleep 0045 to 0715 (6-1/2 hours)

• DDO. We played the fourth Magic of Myth Drannor quest, The Key to the Mythal. It's a very long quest with no particularly tough fight. I did die a lot.

Dungeon Age 2 Bundle of Holding is a $10 set-price of Joseph R. Lewis adventures for various OSR RPGs and all set in his Dungeon Age world.

Orbital Vampire City ($7, 75 pages) - "This is a dark sandbox. Players will explore a vast city of undead people and monsters in outer space, full of homages to classic horror and science fiction films and literature." For D&D 5E and OSE.

Carcassay: Titan Rat City ($10, 130 pages) - "Carcassay is a sandbox city setting. Players can explore any place around, above, or under the city, and may radically reshape its politics, economy, religions, and physical existence."

Lovely Jade Necropolis ($10, 80 pages) - "Weave your intrigues and fight your battles with a necromancer prince obsessed with pleasure and adoration, a necromancer general driven to conquer the world and avenge her parents' murders, and the Twilight Empress of the fey striving to destroy the undead and reclaim her realm." For Shadowdark, OSE, Cairn.

The Undying Sea ($10, 102 pages) - "The Undying Sea is a standalone "Mark of the Odd" FRPG that uses a rules-light design similar to Into the Odd and Cairn. Its depth-crawl system, used to generate new island locations, is similar to the procedures in The Stygian Library and The Gardens of Ynn."

Wicked Little Delves V1 to V3 (each $6 and 24-28 pages) - each "includes three one-shot dungeon delves with conversion notes for Shadowdark, Old-School Essentials, and Cairn" for levels 1 to 9.

Harthbreaker ($3, 70 pages) - "Harthbreaker is a rules-light 2d6-based fantasy RPG Powered by the Apocalypse."

Seems worthwhile to purchase.

Humble Bundle's From Rivers to Fjords is a bundle of Chaosium's Basic Roleplaying books. $18 gets you


Basic Role-Playing - The current version of Chaosium's house system and I think this bundle includes all three published products

CHA-2036 Basic Roleplaying: Universal Game Engine (2023)
CHA-2037 Basic Roleplaying: Gamemaster Pack (2024)
CHA-xxxx Basic Roleplaying: Universal Game Engine: Quickstart (2025)
CHA-2039 Basic Roleplaying: Creatures (2025) - 200 creatures

Rivers of London - an RPG based on Ben Aaronovitch's contemporary urban fantasy novels, all products included in this bundle except for Underground, Overground: The Case File Collection (2026)

CHA-2301 Rivers of London: The Domestic (2023) - 36-page solo adventure
CHA-3200 Rivers of London: The Roleplaying Game (2022)
CHA-3202 Rivers of London: Going Underground (2024) - introductory adventure
CHA-3203 Rivers of London: The Font of All Evil (2024) - introductory adventure
CHA-3204 Rivers of London: In Liberty's Shadow (2025) - sourcebook of the USA plus two adventures
CHA-3205 Rivers of London: Jimmy's Last Dance (2025) - adventure

Age of Vikings - an RPG set in mythic Iceland, 4 current products all in this bundle

CHA-2038 Age of Vikings: The Roleplaying Game (2025)
CHA-2041 Age of Vikings: Gamemaster Screen Pack (2024)
CHA-2044 Age of Vikings: Quickstart (2026)
CHA-PDF Age of Vikings: Cursed Form (2025) - Demo scenario


Both Rivers of London and Age of Vikings are standalone RPGs which is both a benefit of BRP (the system is tailored to the specific game) and a detriment (each game feels like you're playing a variant rather than a universal system).

It's nice that you get all published products to date for each group (with one exception). It's just not that much stuff and only Rivers of London includes a good amount of adventures. I'm ambivalent about buying this bundle.

Sat Jul 25 2026

Sleep 0400 to 1100 (7 hours)

• DDO We started Magic of Myth Drannor and did Safehold on R5.

Sun Jul 26 2026

Sleep 0430 to 1130 (7 hours)

• Annoying that YouTube will log you out mid-watching a video. Especially for a live stream and you suddenly can't type in chat. Typical Alphabet lack of UI refinements. (I've probably mentioned this before.)

Mon Jul 27 2026

Sleep 0300 to 0945 (6-3/4 hours)

• Didn't realize Leagues Cup starts next week. That's going to be a lot of games and I'm going to fall way behind on my MLS viewing.

Tue Jul 28 2026

Sleep 0100 to 0945 (8-3/4 hours)

• GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition Revised now up on pre-order. The marketing email has "Backward compatibility with all GURPS Fourth Edition materials, no rule changes, and no page-reference changes!" And I just realized that when 4E was released they made the unusual decision to do continuous page numbering from Characters to Campaigns so the GM's book starts at page two-hundred-something. So now they can put them both in one book without page numbering weirdness (they could have had normal and a separate page numbering Character-xxx and Campaigns-xxx and still keep it in one book).

Wed Jul 29 2026

Sleep 0500 to 1200 (7 hours)

• I finally got around to collecting a bit of poo and mailing it for the Fecal Immunochemical Test. Beats getting a colonoscopy. I see, all they're doing is testing for blood in your poop. Seems like a cheap test. Well, cheap for a medical test. All the safety stuff probably adds quite a bit to the cost.

Thu Jul 30 2026

Sleep 0145 to 0945.

• Stopped by Mi Rancho and got some Chicharrones, a large can of refried beans, and pan dulce.

Fri Jul 31 2026

Sleep 0345 to 0915, 1800 to 1845 (6-1/4 hours)

• Check retirement investments. Down $60k this month though YTD still up $130k (including selling $50k though I guess that's more like selling $25k since ORCL lost almost 50% since I sold).

Looking at my collection are there any RPGs I'd like to run? Something different than before. Boxed sets that have both enough adventures to run for 12+ sessions and complete rules so you can run your own home-made campaign. That leaves out most boxed sets since most don't come with an adventure or it's an adventure (Basic D&D with Keep on the Borderlands is close and I did run it for 10 sessions including character generation but in general they were shorter sessions. Starter sets are out as they only include rules to cover whatever intro adventures are in the box.

Mothership 1E - Nice small boxed set with complete rules and six adventures. Science fiction horror.

Call of Cthulhu 2E, 40th Anniversary - A reprint of 2E boxed set with a deeper and adds 5 2E books -- 2 supplements, 3 adventure books with probably 12+ adventures.

And that seems to be it. Honorable mention:

Lamentations of the Flame Princess + Carcosa. LotFP may be too adult and the author problematic but it's a nice boxed set though only rules in three volumes. Carcosa is a small format hardcover sandbox campaign though also fairly dark and adult. I appreciate the production quality and I am incapable of running a really serious campaign so it would be much lighter than intended.

(And I guess since I included LotFP I could include King Arthur Pendragon + The Great Pendragon Campaign but I don't have those in print just PDF.)

Star Trek Fleet Command (STFC) overhauled their daily events and I am still getting used to it.

Voyage Across the Void

• Mon: Into the Unknown - Away Team missions. Been spending speedups to place first or second but starting to get low.
• Tue: Perimeter Breach - Waves and Hostiles. This one I don't have much of a chance placing high since we rarely do Waves.
• Wed: Singular Strike - Solo Armadas and Hostiles. Dominion and Borg solo armadas for me.
• Thu: United Offensive - Group Armadas. This is the time to do Eclipse armadas since I have lots.
• Fri: Command Mobilization - Build, Research, Officer XP, Ship XP. Old school scoring where high power items get more points and yet with no Officer XP events in a couple of months this is the chance to spend Officer XP.
• Sat: Subspace Surge - Solo Armadas, Wave Defense, Hostiles. A second solo armada event. Both don't care about rarity so keeping it UC is best.
• Sun: Echoes of War - Armadas, Hostiles, Build, Research. These are set costs so efficient to build and research low-power items.

Nothing specific for Artifacts though upgrading them counts as Research. Same for Bajoran and Augment faction favors. All three probably better in Command Mobilization than Echoes of War.

Officer upgrades and XP is unfortunately Command Mobilization which is overloaded so I've not been upgrading officers and not getting shards either.

Interstellar Dominance

• Mon: Advanced Command Protocol - Fleet Commander upgrades (Khan and Lorca), Forbidden Tech, Epic Ex-Borg, Epic Wrath, DTI, Galactic Acclaimt spend. Won't be doing well here as my Khan is mostly out of XP to increase skills.
• Tue: Scientific Exchange - Research. Special research and Syndicate XP.
• Wed: Station Advancement - Specific buildings: Facade, Transogen Forge, Artifact Gallery, Court of Q, War Room, District 56. Now maxed out almost all of these so will not be placing high anymore.
• Thu: Starship Armament - USS Reliant, Serene Squall, USS Voyager, Enterprise NX-01, NSEA Protector, The Vindicator, SS Revenant, GS-31, USS Dauntless. A great excuse to upgrade ships.
• Fri: The Grand Exchange - spend latinum. They want you to spend a lot of latinum which would burn through my reserves.

I like Station Advancement and Starship Armament because I can finally spend those husbanded resources. But eventually I'll max out and it's been the same buildings and starships since the overhaul.

Sat Jul 18 2026

Sleep 0345 to 1045 (7 hours)

• Pinnacle Entertainment's new store kind of sucks in that you can't tell if a product you bought has been updated. Also the UI seems to be designed for mobile cause it has that big and sparse mobile look.

Sun Jul 19 2026

Sleep 0300 to 0915 (6-1/4 hours)

• Spain beats Argentina 1-0 to win the World Cup. Sadness.

Mon Jul 20 2026

Sleep 0245 to 0945 (7 hours)

• Besides the World Cup Final yesterday there was the Belgian Grand Prix which Kimi Antonelli won. After 10 races Franco Colapinto has 19 points and Oliver Bearman has 18. That would put my virtual team in 7th place in the Constructors' Championship.

Tue Jul 21 2026

Sleep 2345 to 0830 (8-3/4 hours)

• Cashed in the reimbursement check. Then will use the money to do another early mortgage payment so I'll be ahead three months.

Wed Jul 22 2026

Sleep 0814 to 1415 (6 hours)

• MLS resumes. We're not even halfway through the schedule though must be close since the all-star game is next week. In any case, for a few days I was caught up with MLS viewing and now I'll starting falling behind quickly with 15 games today and another 15 on Saturday/Sunday.

Thu Jul 23 2026

Sleep 0115 to 0945 (8-1/2 hours)

• HOA Meeting. Went well. Tree trimming coming up though I guess we want to limit the trees that will be trimmed. Termite inspection in mid August and I volunteered to be 2nd floor monitor though hopefully I don't have jury duty.

Fri Jul 24 2026

Sleep 0515 to 1145 (6-1/2 hours)

• DDO: DW and I finished Legendary Slavers at R3. The last fight is tough but we concentrated on the main bad guy who shields his buddies. Took three or four deaths then we killed him then another death and we mopped up the rest. I had forgotten at first that you can have a guy hide out in the SW corner of the room. When the bad guys think everyone is dead they basically patrol NW to about the middle of the room so that SW corner is a good place to raise the party then try again.
• Also DDO level cap went up from 34 to 36.