This Weeks Update:

• After using Kagi for close to 2 months now, I’ll say it is well worth the subscription price of $151.20 for the Family Duo.
• My browser of choice now is Orion, especially for the Kagi integration. The Profiles are not as clean as Arc Browser, but Kagi integration makes it worth it.
• Walking the lake every day, full steam ahead, 15,000 steps a day!
• Decided to keep Read-it Later as my read-later and newsletter app. I’ll use GoodLinks mostly for recipes I like, since it’s paid for, but it just doesn’t show the clippings, on average, as nice as Readwise.

Previously:

• Decided on and bought subscription to Kagi, and am loving it! So happy I did.
• Have totally switched to Orion.  Someday, when Safari finally makes switching profiles as easy as Arc Browser, and now Orion, I might return.  But for now – Orion, especially for the Kagi integration.
• Walking the lake every day, full steam ahead!
• Trying to decide on a Read-it Later app.

Prior Postings:

• • After a three-day struggle with a few lousy search results mixed in with hundreds of Ads, I’m looking very seriously at subscribing to Kagi. I’m thinking of a Duo subscription for my wife and I, but also thinking of a Family subscription to help out our niece, and even better if I can get a few of my family in Michigan to join in.
    (Why pay for a Search Engine?)
    See more about Kagi here.
  • Looking at using Orion Browser on my phone
  • Recovering from a cold.
  • Hoping to walk the lake again soon! ☺️

During this past week, I

• Consolidated all of my Read-it-later articles into Readwise and GoodLinks.
• Watched the Apple presentation about their new products

Before this past week, I

• Struggled for three days with trying to automate the opening of 3 different finder folders, then having them move to an external monitor, and then have each window take up ⅓ of the screen so I can easily drag and drop files. Finally got it, using Keyboard Maestro! 🍻
• Enjoyed the peace and tranquility of China, after returning from Hong Kong
• Caught a cold, probably due to having the A/C on when I was wet, and when it wasn’t that hot out, to reduce humidity in the apt.

And Before That…

• Returned from Hong Kong
• Made 404 Pages for my websites
• Weeded out clutter on my websites

And Before That…

• Finally figured out how to start a Blog Page (actually for photos) in Divi
• Got an “Aloha” from a wonderful old friend, and hope to re-establish contact!

And Before That…

• Uninstalled Divi 5, and will simplify and standardize, with Divi 4 until Divi 5 is officially released.  Divi 5 is still in Alpha, and it really had me going! 😆
• Tried To Figure Out How To Start A Blog Page, using Divi

And Before That…

• Reserved An Overnight Trip to Hong Kong
• Walked A Solid 15,000+ Steps Per Day
• Best Of All, Started This NOW Page 😎

Today, Oct 13, I will finish “The Nightingale“, by Kristin Hannah, and begin reading “The Women“, another book by Kristin Hannah.

On Oct 7, I finished “Broken Country“, by Clare Leslie Hall.

On Oct 3, I finished “The Four Winds“, by Kristin Hannah.

On Sept 29, I finished a great, but sad book, “107 Days“, by Kamala Harris – the woman who should be our president now.  My big take-away is that the reason Kamala lost and have the MF* dictator destroying the country now, is because of Joe Biden’s ego and stubbornness. 😠 His ego for not recognizing how his age would hurt the election, and his stubborness for not including Elon Musk in the EV shindig at the Whitehouse.  Imagine if he had been on Kamala’s side, instead of TACO’s?

So sad of a book to read, because everything she predicted in her campaign came true, but the uneducated, FOX News-watching cult just couldn’t see it.

*MF = Möchtegern-Führer a.k.a “”Wannebe Leader” (def: Möchtegern-Führer Implies someone who aspires to be a leader (or dictator) but lacks the competence, legitimacy, or respect to truly hold that role and/or is often used mockingly or critically (e.g., for a self-important boss, a failed politician, or even a delusional dictator).

On Sept 24, I read “Tuesdays with Morrie, also by Mitch Albom.

On Sept 23 I finished an excellent book, “The 5 People You Meet In Heaven“, by Mitch Albom:

I listened to: “When the Cranes Fly South“, A story that is both endearing and clear eyed about the sad truths of aging — both for the older person and those who love him. Bo is a very old man in Northern Sweden; his wife is in a dementia care home. He relies daily help and some visits from his son, granddaughter, and neighbors. Central to the story is Bo trying to keep SOME independence about decisions — most especially whether he is able to keep his beloved dog SIxten. He knows he’s very frail, but his flashbacks and dreams of his earlier life (with his wife, his son, and a close friend) sustain him and somehow make him forget how disabled he actually is. Full of heart and love.

Another reviewer said, “My heart is in pieces after finishing Lisa Ridzen’s beautiful, heartbreaking novel. When the Cranes Fly South is the tender story of Bo, an elderly man navigating the challenges of his 89 years. His frank observations on the betrayals of his body and mind are balanced with heartfelt recollections of his childhood and special times with his wife and son. I don’t think I’ve read a book that so delicately captures the loss of independence and dignity an aging parent feels when they are no longer able to make their own decisions. This is an emotional, important read that highlights the agency and empathy we all need during the last days of life.

Before “Cranes”, I listened also to: The Lost Baker of Vienna, and loved it! It is a historical novel inspired by the experiences of the author’s own family after the Holocaust.

Before the above, I tried to read How to Read a Book, by Monica Wood, but just couldn’t get into it. “Not my brew of choice”. 🍻😆

Before the above, I listened to: North Woods, by Daniel Mason, a sweeping novel about a single house in the woods of New England, told through the lives of those who inhabit it across the centuries

Before the Book above, I listened to: James, by Percival Everett.  A #1 New York Times Bestseller & National Book Award Winner, “James” is a brilliant, action-packed reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and darkly humorous, told from the enslaved Jim’s point of view, and in development as a feature film to be produced by Steven Spielberg!

Before the Book above, I listened to:  “Dinner with King Tut”, by Sam Kean. Released July 8, 2025 – How Rogue Archaeologists Are Re-Creating the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations. Very fun and educational book to listen to!

Before the Book above, I listened to: “Red Sky Over Hawaii”, by Sara Ackerman. Released 2020 – Inspired by real places and events of WWII, Red Sky Over Hawaii immerses the reader in a time of American history full of suspicion and peril in this lush and poignant tale about the indisputable power of doing the right thing against all odds. The story is set in December 1941 on Hawaii’s Big Island following the Pearl Harbor attack. Lana discovers her father’s secret property in the remote rainforest of Kilauea volcano and uses it as a hideaway for this makeshift family of people being persecuted due to their ethnicities during wartime.

Before the Book above, I listened to: “Before Dorothy“, by Hazel Gaynor.  released June 17, provides a backstory for not only Auntie Em from “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” but also Dorothy and how they ended up in Kansas.

Before the Book above, I listened to: “The Frozen River“, by Ariel Lawhon. The Frozen River is a historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife, and is set in Maine in 1789. I loved this book, and know my Mom and my Grandma Coulter would have absolutely loved it too!

Mornings: I start every morning walking around a lake while listening to audio books. Once I return home, I shower, do a load of laundry if needed, and catch up on email, bills, etc. after 💧 drinking lots of water! 

Mid-Day: After a short nap, I make coffee, then do a more intensive walk around the lake a few times, while listening to audio books. When I return home, I eat a few fruits, take another shower, and 💧 drink lots of water!

Afternoons: I do one or more of the various things listed in the “Learning” section below, and prepare to prepare my dinner, generally my only meal of the day, accompanied of course, by 💧 lots of water! 

Evenings: I prepare and cook dinner, eat, then return to computer to catch up on news and YouTube channels I’ve subscribed to.  Some nights,  I go out and walk one or two more laps around the lake. Finally, I make sure to 💧drink lots of water, again, before heading to bed! 

• Read-it Later: I discovered that Readwise only exports highlights, so am looking for a replacement and will most likely settle on GoodLinks. Will also try a Clipper Plugin for Obsidan.
• Keyboard Maestro: After trying and failing with Automator, AppleScript, BetterTouchTool & Shortcuts, I finally learned enough Keyboard Maestro to get an automation working the way I wanted it to.
• Websites: Continuing to learn Divi, a WordPress theme and visual page builder.
• Notes: Converting Apple Notes and Bear Notes to the Forever Notes system.
• Apple Photos: Weekly upkeep on Apple Photos, sorting, tagging, most, and off-loading raw photos, videos, Tik-Tok videos and screenshots to Eagle Cool Media Libraries and external Apple Photo Libraries
• DEVONthink: Moving documents and creating workflows that all of our documents and records in DEVONthink, a powerful document and information management application designed for Mac and iOS devices.
• Spanish: Trying to keep up with learning and practicing Spanish, mostly with Rosetta Stone and Qroo Spanish.

Much MUCH less of TikTok. Might return after the impending Civil War has ended — the current Mason-Dixon line being, “Do you like Fox News, or do you dislike it”, a.k.a, are you a cult member, or are you not.

Meanwhile, an Excellent YouTube Video!

Some of my daily YouTube channel subscriptions are:

• Spanish with Qroo
• America’s Test Kitchen
• South China Morning Post
• Pete Buttigieg
• Arizona’s Family (3TV / CBS 5)
• MacMostVideo
• The Independent
• Cooking Con Claudia