Random Stuff (1)

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

*Plops down on bed*

Hi internet - it’s been a while…

Between the current state of the world, the outside-heat (like wtf; it isn’t even summer yet) and me just feeling exhausted from work, I spend most of my time lying around, relaxing.
While that is calming in a way, I also don’t really get around to working on bigger projects, which has been getting me down quite a lot lately. I just have this deep urge to create stuff, but not enough energy to do.

I also very much miss writing blog posts - I guess I wasn’t aware how big of a creative outlet this is to me.
But there isn’t really a lot worth writing about.
I seldomly find enough time and energy to make progress on my larger projects (tbd), and most of the small stuff doesn’t seem to worth a post on their own.
So, I figured I could do an Atomic Shrimp-style Random Stuff post. Where we explore some of the smaller things that brought me joy. And other stuff I stumbled upon that made me go Uhh, that is cool.

🔵 Note

This post includes content collected from January 2026 till the start of June 2026.

The post actually ended up longer than I intended. Feel free to skip to sections that interest you the most using the table of contents.

Chromebook

A couple of years ago, I bought a Lenovo Ideapad Duet Chromebook for university. I installed postmarketOS back then, and mostly loved it since¹.
I personally love smaller screens, and this tablet form factor is just amazing. The same can be said about the battery life; I literally used to charge it once every three days. And because it is basically the same as an android tablet, it can be charged using any 5V power adapter or any plain old powerbank.

Out of the box, the device comes with a magnetic clip on keyboard, and a magnetic case/stand (The lower back folds out to act as a kick stand).
The back of the case is wrapped in a pretty cool looking fabric, but after years of use, it was really dirty in most areas and the edges had gotten fringy.
As I had already ordered a cork roll for a future project, I decided to strip the dirty fabric and replace it with cork.

I honestly think the cork back looks pretty cool. A split-effect with a lighter-shade on the top or bottom half might look even better, but the way it is right now is just as good.
Obviously only time will tell how long this lasts, but for now, it gives the case a new life.

Turtle² enclosure update

Last month I published a post about where I tidied the turtle enclosure and got it ready for summer.
If you read that post (and have better memory than me), you might remember, that towards the end, I planted a small rhododendron bush.
Surprisingly, that little bush already grew quite a bit, especially in width. It also started flowering:

In that original post, I also mentioned a couple of plants my turtles like to eat.
And I thought I’d give you a small update on that as well.

At the end of May, I went on a three-day trip and to make sure my turtles had enough to eat, I planted four small lettuce plants in the enclosure.
Sadly, I didn’t take a photo of them, but I know that right when I left, the smaller turtle (Sage) had already discovered one of them.
I’d show you a picture of the left over lettuces, but when I came back all of them were entirely gone - I guess they were really good.

From time to time, I check around the perimeter of the enclosure to make sure the fence has on holes and is properly fixed in place.
On my most recent checkup, I noticed that the five-leaves ivy sprouts around the enclosure had been eaten, but only on the side facing towards the enclosure.
This made me remember, that last year I learned that my turtles loved eating them.
So I gave them more of it - the obvious solution (it is literally overgrowing many of our external building structures) - and they still love it just as much (they even stopped eating fresh lettuce in favor of it).

Entertainment

As mentioned at the start of this post, a lot of the days, I just want to relax after work.
One of the ways I found for this is playing some casual games.

Years ago, I played the first three chapters of The Room, a digital digital escape-room game, on my phone. Around march of this year, I decided that enough time had passed that I could enjoy playing them again, without remembering too many clues.
If you are into puzzle games, I’d totally recommend them. The sets are beautifully designed, and a lot of the items you can discover interact with each other or the set, which is just amazing.
Maybe I’ll get the fourth part later this year…

Another game I decided to revisit is Alto’s Odyssey.
It has such a beautiful soundtrack, which combines wonderfully with their stunning colors and scenery.
I may or may not have played it too much for a week or two and unlocked all characters…

A close friend of mine also recommended me a Color puzzle game, and let me tell you: correctly sorting the colors is really satisfying.
The daily-challenges reward you in coins which you can use to design small rooms, and the items are so cute.

I also picked up a pair of 8BitDo Ultimate 2C Wireless Controllers, to be able to play Yoshis Wooly World or Stardew Valley.
They are pretty neat - and actually the first pair of controllers I ever owned; so go me ✨ , I guess?
I must admit that I don’t know a lot about gaming or controllers, and don’t care either. I basically bought them because the pastel colors look cute af, and the reviews I saw sounded fine?

A couple of weeks after receiving them I learned that they also sell 8BitDo Ultimate 2C Bluetooth made for Switch controllers. And while I don’t like their colors as much, they come in at around the same price and have a 6-axis gyro, something I would have loved to have for Yoshis Wooly World.
Can’t have everything, I guess.

Camera modifications

I was browsing my Fediverse timeline recently, and came across this amazing IR photography thread.
Honestly, that was the first time I ever saw pictures of that kind, and they look plain out beautiful. Almost dream-like.

As so often, I immediately went down a rabbit hole of trying to figure out if I could easily take such pictures myself.
And while the proper answer is no, I read that you can remove the IR filter off the camera to achieve a similar effect.

Luckily for me, I still had a cheap ESP32 camera module lying around. And after screwing off the lens, I could easily remove the IR filter - I won’t ever be able to put it back on, because it broke, but I don’t care.

Below are some of the pictures I got while walking around our garden.
They look pretty bad - but at least now I know. It was also quite fun to walk around outside and look at our garden in a new light.

🟣 Important

Editing me here: I just noticed that I have Night Light enabled on my phone, which makes the photos look a lot more vibrant.

Shopping

I love shopping. Or at least roaming through the shops and seeing what they have in stock.
Be that cool groceries, art supplies or what not.
I’m not really the person to go clothes shopping, mostly because being fem-aligned non-binary it can be hard to find clothes I like that actually fit me.
I also tend to feel like shy or nervous and feel like others might judge me for the store section I walk through 😅 .

That doesn’t stop me from enjoying buying other stuff though.
It also didn’t stop me from discovering some new amazing products, this year:

oat yogurt (sadly I forgot the brand, and am unable to find it)
Teekanne Mate Tea
Sodastream elderflower syrup
Jean & Len Coco Body Milk

I previously used to buy vegan coconut yogurt, but I wanted to try something else, so I decided to pick up some oat-based yogurt. And let me tell you, the one I picked up was soo good, probably the best vegan yogurt I ever had. I especially liked the chunks of oat in it, as they had a fruity note to them.
However, as noted above, past me apparently never wrote down the name / brand, and I haven’t been able to find it since 😑.
I tried on one or two other oat yogurts but none of them were as good as the one I bought originally. Maybe it was a store in-house brand, which would explain why I haven’t been able to find it somewhere else.

I can’t recall how or when I got hooked on Mate tea lemonade, but when I saw hot-brew Mate herb tea from Teekanne (popular German tea brand), I just had to buy it.
And while it doesn’t necessarily have the same Mate aroma you might expect from a Club Mate, Mio Mio Mate or brewing your own Mate tea, it certainly has an amazing flavor. Genuinely the best herb tea I ever had. It has a warmth that just feels very nice.
I think I’d go as far as saying that it is the best tea I had in a long time.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that I can get myself to drink more if I add syrup to my water.
My go to syrup has been elderflower for a while now, but I only recently discovered that Sodastream is selling a variant without sugar. And out of all the ones I’ve tried so far, it is by far the best (especially out of the ones without sugar). It smells really intense when you open the syrup container, and I love the warmth and sweetness it gives the drink.

Pivoting from food and drinks to cosmetics: I also picked up a bottle of Jean & Len Body lotion, because I wanted to know if it would have a longer lasting effect than the Nivea one I usually get.
And damn was I spot on. Not only does it smell amazing, it also lasts longer and feels incredible on the skin.

So yeah - really happy with the new products I discovered.
*raises glass*

🟢 Tip

(Not sponsored; other brands exist)

Meditation

Something that I’ve been meaning to get back into for a while now is meditating. And at the beginning of this year, I decided to try and pick it back up.
My idea was that as long as I manage to do a short session every day, it still gives me time I spend with me or rather for me.

So I spend roughly the first week of the year looking for a meditation app with guided-sessions, with some subtle reminders to stay focused and most importantly streak tracking.
Medito popped into mind almost immediately, as I used it multiple years ago, after switching from Headspace.

And honestly, Medito works really well for what I want.
I think that in the long-term, I would still like to find a replacement, as the app takes ages to load some days and I had at least one day, where it flat out would not load at all.

I’m currently on a 151 day streak - which I’m incredibly proud of - and want to keep going.
There are days where I’m definitely struggling more than on others to focus. But I’ve learned to accept that even a three or five minute session can help calm my mind calm. I still try to go with a 10 minute session whenever possible, but it just isn’t possible every day.
Overall, I noticed that sitting down, just to pause is really relaxing.

I also really enjoyed Medito’s courses in general, covering multiple different techniques and topics.
I remember doing a nature mantra meditation session in a park and it was definitely one of my favorite sessions I ever did.

For me, meditation is a way of calming down, of being present in the moment.
And while I wouldn’t say I’ve become a lot more mindful in my day-to-day life, my memory certainly has improved a little, and I started remembering my dreams again.

Music

I’d say, the way I enjoy music is somewhat different from how the people close to me do.
For me, most of it comes down to listening to entire albums and enjoying them as a collective work of art.

I’ve actually been meaning to write a post analyzing how I listen to music for ages now, and maybe one day, I’ll actually get to it.
But, that time is not today.

Instead, I wanted to recommend two albums I discovered this year:

Both of them are by Riley Pearce, and damn are they ever calming.
Riley’s Voice combined with the guitar are just incredible.

Books

I would say that I quite enjoy reading, if I find the right book.
For example, I read about 30 books last year, and was feeling pretty motivated to read more books this year.
That is, until I started my full-time internship.

With me sitting in front of a computer about eight hours a day, I feel that my eyes are fairly strained afterwards, making it hard to focus both physically and mentally on reading a book, so sadly I haven’t really kept up that much.

I’m hopeful that I’ll find a way to fit more reading into my life again, I just haven’t decided how.
Normally I read the books on my phone, as it allowed me to quickly pick up reading whenever I have some time to spare, but it is also the most taxing on the eyes.
Honestly, I’m not sure how much better an ebook reader (or a physical book) would be, especially when it is getting dark outside.
I guess for now I’ll make do with reading less.

(TV) Shows

Instead of reading, something I did enjoy doing is watching tv shows (or YouTube videos).
In a way there is a big difference between focusing on reading and partially paying attention to a video.

On of my favorite shows is definitely The Repairshop (BBC). It is just so interesting to see the techniques used to repair or restore old items.
Although, I do have to say that it also makes me want to try doing it myself and learning more about it.

Recommendations

With search engines and algorithms going downhill fast, I try to rely more on things other people recommend me.
To me, this is a system about not only taking, but giving back. So I figured I’d share some of the interesting things I discovered this year.

I think we have to start the section about blog posts or other content I’ve enjoyed with the amazing the case for blogging in the ruins post.
If you look at the feed of my blog, you’ll find that it has been fairly quiet before march of this year.
While that is partially influenced by me being busy working on Precious Blocks, you can also see that I did not go back to the regular post schedule I was on last year.
That is because I still somewhat struggle with finding the energy and motivation to work on projects - like I’ve talked about, above.
Reading that post helped me get back on track, at least a little bit, I guess.

I’ve also very much enjoyed watching the 39C3 - A post American enshittification-resistant Internet talk.
I think it reflected many of my personal stances and most importantly, highlighted that not everyone has gone insane (yet).

As part of my ongoing attempt to follow more blogs, I set up an RSS feed reader on my phone and added a couple RSS feeds from larger publishers, like Colossal.
For a while, I also subscribed to History Facts, but they publish too much content for me to keep up with.
However, it did allow me to find their post titled Why Do Clocks Move Clockwise, which made me realize how interesting I find such simple questions. Like, there is so much we just take for granted, but don’t necessarily know why they work the way they do.

If you are actively following my blog, you might remember me making faux pottery bells last year - Something I actually want to pick back up, as I loved the results.
When going through my bookmarks, I discovered a How to create a faux clay look with acrylic paint post. I have no idea when I added it to my bookmarks, but damn are their results impressive - maybe I’ll give it a shot some day.

I wanted to close off this section by sharing some of my favorite Colossal posts. Their RSS feed is bar far my most-frequented right now..
If you have never heard of them before, they are basically an online art magazine about art by humans for humans. And damn do they show off some amazing stuff.
You should totally check them out on your own, if you haven’t before.
Here are some of my favorite posts, in no particular order. (titles shortened for readability & to highlight the artists):

Thoughts

Hey y’all - thanks for reading.
Hope you found some of that at least a little bit interesting.

I’ve noticed that I struggle with seeing value in the small things I do, which is something I definitely have to work on.
A project doesn’t have to be big to bring me joy, and maybe neither have to be my posts.

Reflecting on the past couple of months and the things that brought me joy was really rewarding, and I think I’ll do a random-stuff collection every so often - even if it sort of messes with the keywords.

Our personal interests are something that makes us human, and seeing a lot of lovely people sharing what they love is something that brings me a lot of joy.
I loved checking out some of the slice-of-life stuff other people put up online, and it makes me really happy to see that, every time I do.
I guess, in a way I wanted to give back to that a little bit. If you enjoyed this post feel free to say hi on the Fediverse or via email.

Well, a couple of months ago the stylus stopped working properly in non-kde desktop environments. And a couple of weeks ago something broke the trackpad support: It behaves as an absolute pointer now, which makes it pretty much unusable. But hey - at least it is still working as a normal touch tablet… ↩︎
They are Greek tortoises, but I grew up calling them turtles, and it kind of stuck with me 😅. Apparently turtle is a more generic term, and I’m fine with that. ↩︎

Chromebook on Autumn Leaves

Random Stuff (1)

Chromebook

Turtle² enclosure update

Entertainment

Camera modifications

Shopping

Meditation

Music

Books

(TV) Shows

Recommendations

Other links

Thoughts

Chromebook on Autumn Leaves

Random Stuff (1)

Chromebook

Turtle2 enclosure update

Entertainment

Camera modifications

Shopping

Meditation

Music

Books

(TV) Shows

Recommendations

Other links

Thoughts

Turtle² enclosure update