Fri. Dec. 19, 2025 – perilously close to Christmas

By on December 19th, 2025 in culture, decline and fall

Warm and wet again. 60s and 70sF with really high humidity. Yuck. Blue sky helps, but it’s still unpleasantly damp. And it will continue for a few days yet. Probably.

I spent the day on my computer and phone. Turns out I hit my deductible and so all medical expenses until the end of the year are paid for (subject to copays and other limits.) This is the opposite of what I thought happened, ie, I wouldn’t make it so save discretionary treatment until next year. It would have been nice to know last month. I was able to schedule one office visit this year. I haz a sad because I have a half dozen to schedule. Still checking things out, no bad thing lurking.

I’m also poking at my auto insurance both for an old claim, and for the possible new one. Fortunately Ranger parts are pretty cheap, and widely available. If I decide to fix my trucks axle, no matter who funds it, it should be doable and in the ‘reasonable to do’ range for me.

This means I didn’t get anything else done. Other than laundry. So I’ve got all that still to do.

It’s always something, and there’s always more.

Stack. Because the alternative is actually working on stuff…

nick

10 Comments and discussion on "Fri. Dec. 19, 2025 – perilously close to Christmas"

  1. Denis says:

    It’s always something, and there’s always more.

    Amen to that. It’s a great life if we don’t falter.

  2. Denis says:

    Friday. Good morning. A week of my holidays passed already! Where did it go?

    I think my sinuses are punishing me for something. I am going to apply some steroids and go back to bed for a couple of hours. That might help…

  3. SteveF says:

    There is no excuse for a seasoned developer to screw it up in any language.

    Really, no news here, except that the developer screwed up.

    Disagreed that the language wasn’t a factor. Rust’s features, and I use that noun with reservations, make many ordinary tasks a challenge. If Rust stays around, most likely techniques will be developed to implement these tasks in idiomatic Rust without having to bypass Rust’s features. We (they) aren’t at that point yet. Trying to get things done in Rust is more fraught than doing them in other languages.

    Agreed that the developer screwed up and that a seasoned developer shouldn’t have.

  4. Greg Norton says:

    Agreed that the developer screwed up and that a seasoned developer shouldn’t have.

    Who exactly is a “seasoned” Rust developer outside of the language architects at Mozilla?

    Anyone with real work to get done is not going to have the time to hassle with a whole new language just to make a propellerhead manager happy that he can notch a resume entry.

    “Managed Rust developers.”

    Corporate America has a new age discrimination tool.

  5. SteveF says:

    Who exactly is a “seasoned” Rust developer

    Seasoned in general, with knowledge of many languages and frameworks and things that can go wrong.

  6. drwilliams says:

    @Denis

    Up early to make civet de marcassin (Wild Boar stew

    May I bring wine?

  7. Nick Flandrey says:

    Like I said, it’s a bit involved…

    – um, yeah.  But sounds mouthwateringly tasty.  Sometimes a scent unit would be a nice accessory to the pc.

    ————————

    40F this morning.   Not warm.  At least not yet.   Looks clear though.

    ————————

    The IR emitter that I replaced the power supply on the other day is flashing like a chinese LED streetlight.   I’ll try replacing the slightly underpowered wart first.   IAS –  it’s always  something.

    ———————–

    Kinder are moving.   Coffee smells good.   Elf on the shelf can go F itself…  

    n

  8. Greg Norton says:

    Seasoned in general, with knowledge of many languages and frameworks and things that can go wrong.

    Corporate America doesn’t want to pay for that.

    Management grudgingly altered my compensation in the last couple of weeks, and that was only due to a change in direct leadership of my group, where stability is required for the next few months to land some big sales while the Monkey Trick plates are still spinning.

    The new manager for my group tried the Jedi mind trick on me in a meeting on Wednesday regarding the age issue in the room for most of the last year due to the Go push. “You don’t want to say that to HR.”

    This is my last tech job.

  9. Brad says:

    Last ever 2nd semester programming lecture – done. Whew. Still have grading to do, but the end is in sight. I have taught that course for way too long, and the student motivation has dropped steadily over the years. During the same time, the number of non-Swiss names has increased. I expect there is a relationship.

    Of course, I am teaching programming at the trade school, but that is very different. Also still mostly Swiss, because we are far away from the big cities.

  10. Nick Flandrey says:

    I’m finding that I would like  to increase my teaching time.   I quit work before I could pass on my hard earned knowledge.   Now I would like to.

    ——-

    Not the iranians.   Probably.   https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/12/brown-university-shooter-claudio-neves-valente-also-responsible/ 

    Fox News

    @FoxNews

    BREAKING: Authorities say Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente carried out the Brown University attack and is also responsible for the murder of MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro in Brookline, Massachusetts.

    Thirty year old grudge seems a bit hard to believe.

    n

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