In the past years, I've developed a couple of things that I want to make known as sites that y'all might find usefulness or entertainment in.

First, let me mention GrumpLog. This is the key site that I think would be useful for people, as it allows you to either publicly or privately get your frustrations out in a place where it's encouraged and doesn't lead to arguing or judgement from others.

On GrumpLog, you can post your frustration and flag it as public or private. If it's private, only you will be able to see it. I've established a commitment that I will not view your private Grumps, and I will hold to that commitment. If you want an extra layer of security though, you can set an encryption phrase in your profile, and all your private Grumps will be encrypted in such a way that makes it even harder for me to view. But the same commitment holds up here: I will not exercise any of the tools or technologies I have to dig into your private content.

If you post a public Grump, or if you share a private share link to your private Grump, others can see the content and can (if registered) cast an Apathy vote, or they can cast an Empathy vote.

• Apathy (noun): lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern.
• Empathy (noun): the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

All in all, GrumpLog is a great place to get your frustrations out any time you need to.

The other is a newer thing, DazeMaker. Simply put, DazeMaker is a platform of worker nodes that take a user submitted phrase (77 characters or less) and uses neural networks to "imagine" a picture that would relate to what was submitted.

It often results in some really odd things, but it also can provide some very thought provoking imagery for your given phrases.

The generated images, or Dazes, are presented in a thumbnail view, and can be enlarged for full 512x512 views of the things. In either case, users can vote a thumbs up or thumbs down on them and share them with others.

DazeMaker also has a Discord Community where a variety of users gather to talk about the images, gaming, investing, or whatever else happens to be going on.

I encourage you to check out both of these sites and consider participating in them. One is a therapeutic outlet, while the other is just a bit of fun and oddity.

I have been struggling with whatever the heck this is a lot these last few weeks. Back in April, a good friend took me up in a Cessna 172 and allowed me to spend time in the left seat, departing from KLBX, flying down to the northern end of Matagorda Bay, then back to KSGR. I did the takeoff and downwind pattern departure, flying south/southeast, fighting turbulence and heat the whole way. Just as we approached the Gulf coast, the cramping started in. I had to tell my friend to take the controls again. A while later he handed them back to me, but it was short lived and I had to return control of the aircraft to him.

The remainder of the flight was quite unpleasant for me, and made me second guess my qualification and desires to become an actual pilot, not just a sim pilot.

This was a demoralizing blow, but I've been trying to come to terms with it. But since then, things have continued to be really rough.

I haven't been able to do much in the garage, as you all know me to do. I haven't been able to ride my bike at all this year. I haven't felt up to spending time with friends and family. All because I'm in so much pain that it limits my ability to function, I can't trust my own muscles to not cramp up or spasm in such a way that could lead to injury, or because I'm medicated such that all I can do is recline in my chair and watch something online.

Whatever this condition is, it's limiting my ability to set a good example for my son, and to spend time with him doing things that I remember my own Dad doing with me when I was young. It's also causing my car to develop flat spots on the tires, my 3d printer to collect dust, and my bass guitars to be nothing more than wall art. It's not a good way of life and I hate it.

I have an appointment scheduled with another neurologist, as the one I saw shortly after the last post about this was dismissive and ignorant to the new symptoms and only wanted to treat me for a thing he wasn't even certain I had. I'm praying that the next neurologist will listen to it all, not attach their diagnosis to one aspect of it, and help me find a means of getting back to being a functioning member of society.