DP 1/20/22 DP 1/20/22

Upgrading my Networking Gear (2022.1)

I had always intended to make the switch away from consumer-grade networking gear but like all things, there’s ‘never a convenient time’ to up-end your setup. For me, it was IoT devices that was the driving force to finally revisit my networking plans.

DP 11/22/21 DP 11/22/21

Berry Flognarde

A super easy dessert that really follows the ‘set it and forget it’ school of thinking, this berry flognarde is a hoot to introduce to guests purely on its name alone. Most will do a double-take on the name and some might even proclaim that you are pulling their leg.

DP 11/1/21 DP 11/1/21

A Somewhat Smart Home

Over the last few years, upgrading to a ‘smart home’ has been all the rage. The typical party-trick automation is pretty cool but in practice, tends to come up a bit short. Perhaps looking at something a bit less ‘smart’ can make for a more effective system.

DP 10/4/21 DP 10/4/21

Build Log: Dining Table

Now that we have our own place, I can finally get rid of the wobbly IKEA table we were using as our dining table and build something personalized that we can use for years to come

DP 9/22/21 DP 9/22/21

Build Log: Entertainment Hutch

A fairly quick project for getting all the living room TV ‘stuff’ off the ground and into a manageable place with a home for a robot-vacuum.

DP 9/20/21 DP 9/20/21

Integrating Work-Laptops into a High-Performance Flow

Working from home can be a wonderful thing if you have a totally dialed-in workspace but one of the biggest gotchas is that, (generally), at some point -- you're going to have to use a sorry excuse of a computer to get stuff done. Some work machines are better than others, but so, so, soooooo many are mobility focused paper weights.

I took a non-standard approach to integrating the work machine into my flow and because of this, I had to come with some creative workarounds for challenges around meetings and such that popped up.

DP 9/7/21 DP 9/7/21

Build Log: Floating King Bed Frame

We recently got a new king-size mattress to replace our old queen so this was a great opportunity to build a new floating frame, add cool new tech to it and address a few small grips with the original design!

DP 8/23/21 DP 8/23/21

Buying a House, Part 3

So I’ve been low-key planning for ‘the big move’ for the last few years. Now that we’ve got the house sorted out, it’s time to see how all of the planning and preparation comes into play when moving day comes!

DP 6/15/21 DP 6/15/21

A Dive into Security Cameras, Part 1

Security cameras can be different things to different people - for some, it’s a vehicle for peace of mind acting as a deterrent or aiding in a recovery. For others it’s just a tool for package delivery notifications.

DP 6/14/21 DP 6/14/21

Pork Wellington

Everything about the pork wellington feels off — the steps are fairly straightforward, ingredients list is simple (and much cheaper than the mighty beef wellington!) and it’s still a crowd-pleaser.

DP 5/31/21 DP 5/31/21

Tonkotsu Ramen

Tonkotsu ramen was always a dish I wanted to try out but I was afraid it was going to be super-involved, super-intricate and require a lot of ‘hands on’ work. Turns out I was wrong and there’s actually a lot of waiting around. Which is great as it makes this so much more approachable.

DP 5/26/21 DP 5/26/21

Buying a House, Part 2

In general, insurance isn’t a fun process for anyone - it’s a necessary evil that we all need to have. But we can certainly look at it from a more data-centric perspective.

DP 5/17/21 DP 5/17/21

Keeping Inventory

Maintaining a home (or business) inventory can be as simple as a yearly walkthrough with a camera or an involved process that involves barcodes and NFC tags or in my case, somewhere in between - but definitely leaning on overkill.

DP 5/5/21 DP 5/5/21

Mango Chicken Wings

Unless I’m in a specific mood for it, I’m generally not a fan of super sticky/saucy wings. Even when I’m in the mood for sauce, I’ve never been a fan of the sauce packets - so this was a first attempt at trying something slightly saucy and a step up from sauce packets.

DP 5/1/21 DP 5/1/21

Build Log: Planter Boxes

Our shed was looking a bit bland so I built a couple of planter boxes to give it some contrast. This was a pretty easy project to knock out (with lots of room to simplify further!)

DP 4/16/21 DP 4/16/21

Build Log: DIY Truck Bed Divider

While Ford makes a fantastic bed divider, it’s lightweight and snaps in and our of place easily, it’s also expensive as hell so I figured why not make my own bed divider? Check out this build a 2x4 and plywood bed divider build!

DP 4/9/21 DP 4/9/21

Lobster Bisque

Made using leftover lobster shells, this soup is rich, creamy and might taste more like lobster than lobster. The best part is that lobster shells are very affordable and most of the effort involved in this recipe is sitting around a simmering pan.

DP 3/31/21 DP 3/31/21

Buying a House, Part 1

So we got our first house and this means it’s an awesome opportunity to do data collection on the process and experience as a whole. This is a fun new chapter that should synergize well with all my other hobbies!

DP 3/23/21 DP 3/23/21

Build Log: Table Saw Work Surface

My table saw has a hole on the right wing (many saws have this ‘feature’). Some users have taken to mounting a small router table in this gap, but I wanted a small work top to close off the cap and a small vise.

DP 3/14/21 DP 3/14/21

Cheesy Beer Bread

If you're a fan of bread, cheese and butter (let's be honest - who doesn’t?) check out this easy to bake loaf! Having a mixer is convenient but totally not necessary -- I made this for years mixing by hand: this is a super beginner friendly bread to make and is great for munching, as a potluck or as a gift. As you get more comfortable, there's a lot of experimenting you can do to make this loaf your own!