Max Writes

Max: Protected "Seasonal foods" ([Edit=Allow only administrators] (indefinite) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite)) [cascading] Seasonal foods refer to fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural crops harvested at their natural peak of ripeness during specific times of the year. Because t…

On my walk this morning I felt my throat close from allergens. My nose got itchy. By the end of it, I had a mild headache and lots of sneezes. I get the worst allergies in spring/summer, though I also get them in fall/winter. They are different. In colder weather they tend to be more sinus-leaning …

I work for one of those companies with the AI guidelines that stop at "start using AI." In the last year, organizations have pushed employees to integrate LLMs into their daily workflows, often under the implicit threat that those who don't "keep up" would eventually become a "culture mismatch." No…

Someone I met the other day asked me if I did any writing and it was jarring. It's so embedded in my identity, processing, and understanding of self that sometimes it doesn't occur to me that it's not written all over my face. Also, it's been so long since I've put myself out there and had a conver…

May 2026. Foxglove at Winkler Botanical Garden after the rain

May 2026. Camping at Tomlinson Run State Park

Here is another doodle of a photo I took earlier this season. I'm having lots of fun doodling my pictures! I recommend it. Some people do this kind of thing sitting outside but I like to do it on days I'm not going out to get a touch of nature in my mood.

Resident count: 19 Island right now Max & FriendsBefore Moai and Max (me) started to get very serious, I took him on vacation with Sam, a guy I'd had a little mutual crush with, and his friend Castiel. After that, Moai went on vacation alone. Sam still goes back/forth on interest in Max and is inte…

Max: Protected "Manifesto" ([Edit=Allow only administrators] (indefinite) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite)) [cascading] A manifesto is a written declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer. The issuer can be an individual, group, political party, or government. Altho…

Max: Protected "Cow Parsnip (Heracleum maximum)" ([Edit=Allow only administrators] (indefinite) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite)) [cascading] [[File:CowParsnip-LateSpring.jpeg|thumb|Cow Parsnip, late spring]] The '''Cow Parsnip''' (''Heracleum maximum''), also known as '''Indian Celery…

Today's walk was all about the details. It rained most of yesterday and over the past few days. After rain the greens become greener and you can smell everything. It's my favorite time to take a walk. I have been to the Winkler Botanical Reserve in Alexandria, VA, before, but only during fall. It w…

People are openly admitting to "dumbing down" their writing so as not to be mistaken for using AI. I couldn't find a word for this. When I tried to look it up "dumbwriting" came up as a result but if you look into dumbwriting, that's more about embracing messiness/not seeking perfection, and less a…

I use AI in my day-to-day at work — yes, sometimes, even to write! Despite the hype about "removing critical thinking," somehow it hasn't taken away any of the mechanics, structure, or thought processes behind writing. Although I compose these blog posts from my brain (plus other people's research/…

Zenny as a baby (she’s 12) Hi! It’s mid-May; hope you’re keeping cozy and finding things to make you smile! Get prepared: This one’s image and word heavy 🥰 ✨ Allergies As we enter the warmer, more socially active seasons, we also enter the realm of warmer weather allergens. I don’t say I have “seas…

The 101 Things in 1,001 Days project began in 2003 and I think I first heard about it a year or two later. My best friend and I used to do this together. We blogged about it, like many others did, sharing each item and the things that we discovered about ourselves because of them. She was always be…

Max: Protected "Definitions of time" ([Edit=Allow only administrators] (indefinite) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite)) Measurement of time is a social construct. The flow of time is a physical reality, but the units humans use to track it are entirely manmade. == Origins of the Units of…

Every time I see "people who don't use AI will be left behind," I roll my eyes. When migraine brain's post came up on the trending Bearblog posts I gave out a little "huzzah!" because I love seeing the contrarian views. You know what I also heard that about constantly 10 years ago? Smart homes. I'm…

Site Modification History 2026 5/9: Added Why I Keep a Digital Garden and Wiki, Reading Habits Reflection, indexes for the folders that include descriptions of what you’ll find there, new folder for “system” files related to the setup and usage of my various tools (basically, my personal knowledge …

What I’m up to lately.

Random tiny thoughts/ideas connected to things I’ve read, learned, or typed in the garden or wiki.

Formal outlines for ideas I have, but the articles and connections aren’t quite formed yet.

Ideas that have been articulated and edited. Some are updated during reviews, others are intellectual artifacts of a moment in time.

These are the help and instructional files I create related to my PKMS and garden system.

I call all pages on this site “thoughts” but these pages really are my thoughts: topics, ideas, and all the things that I’m thinking about lately.

I drew this a few weeks ago and finally put the video together that I planned to make while I was drawing it. I feel like I have a large backlog of things I've been wanting to do, but I've also been exhausted. A lot is going on while also nothing is going on. It's just normal life stuff. Doctor app…

April 2026. Wet wetlands walk

April 2026. Non-binary ghost

April 2026. Inside the Happy Tart gluten free dedicated cafe

April 2026. Old Town Alexandria

It's only been 6 days but it's actually been AGES since my last post. The more Miis you have, the more stories compound and pile up. I was telling friends, it only takes about 20 minutes to go through multiple points of drama. It's sort of like doomscrolling but in a controlled nintendo-based envir…

I went camping this weekend. I didn't bring my allergy kit and probably should have but now that I'm home the sinuses have cleared so whatever. I'm not sure I have the brain power to chat about it so instead you'll get an image heavy post this time! It was peaceful and perfect. The first camping tr…

I'm not trying to be rude or imply that all conversations with neurotypical people are exhausting but because the AI learned on human data, it's an exaggerated form of everything that makes up the "majority" of our population, and that includes social expectations and assumptions. I often find myse…

Max: Added quote about scientific racism from a book I read last year. <blockquote>"Categorizing and ascribing meaning to difference is a common human trait; we often need to categorize to get by and make sense of the world around us. Sometimes this classification is harmless, and sometimes not." -…

I was going to wait until I made more progress because not much is happening right now aside from the normal game play everyone will experience. I am still feeling the excitement though and that makes me wanna talk about it! Here are some random updates and thoughts. The Golden Girls met! I haven't…

Took a walk in the rain this morning because I knew it was going to be very lush and vibrant and beautiful. It was cold at below 60°F (15.5°C) but it was welcome after a summer-hot week. I also drew this, but I'm too tired to finish it today. I have only the finest of details to add. I think I'd li…

There's a growing tendency to think about generative AI at work as "just another tool," something employees can learn the same way they learn new software, then fold into their workflows easily. That framing makes sense on the surface, especially if you don't know anything about how genAI works. Mo…

TL;DR: Generative AI amplifies expertise, it doesn't substitute it. AI does not make you an expert As AI becomes more available I want to address the subtle but crucial misconception that AI allows anyone to do anything. Reality (as usual) is more nuanced. AI can significantly lower friction, speed…

Where to find your AI data settings in Snapchat: Navigate to your profile, then select Settings (gear icon). Under "Privacy Controls," find Generative AI Settings and Delete My AI Data. Under Generative AI Settings, toggle your preference. Select "Learn More" to go to the Generative AI on Snapchat …

I made 3 of 4 Golden Girls. Miipedia has been good for inspiration. Mii (me) Bucky and I are good friends now. I made him relatives with the girls. Did you know Bucky Barnes was born 6 years before Dorothy from Golden Girls? Here is No Name. Still waiting for a suitable outfit to come into the shop…

I found out that Tomodachi Life is available on normal Switch and I didn't have to buy a Switch 2. Not sure why I assumed without looking it up. I took these pictures of my TV. There are some screenshots but I'm already in bed so I'm not interested in getting that all together. I forgot how many ho…

I'm going off brand here for a moment so I can participate in the April Carnival and discuss one of my favorite unconventional animals, the fried egg jellyfish. (Don't worry, I found a way to tie it the spring season.) I found out about this animal looking at weird animals, a thing I sometimes do. …

Let's talk about starting a seasonal blog right before your favorite season, and then suddenly it's spring, which is the second worst season of the year (for me). I want to upkeep and write about my experiences of the seasons but I'm currently locked inside in the flow of A/C avoiding the outside w…

Hello and welcome to the newsletter on Buttondown! early sunset lamp March felt like a big chaotic mess trying to process everything and also keep up with everyday life, but we managed and we survived! Here are some highlights from my month. Walking & eating snacks I went on a lot of weekend walks,…

March 2026. Walking around Wetlands

March 2026. Take a seat

March 2026. Winter tree on a warm day

Skeleton army (actually these were just for sale) This amazing map These amazing things Fuck yes FUCK YES Here are more things. I finished the day inspired to begin my own small build and figure out the next steps for the train set I want to build, and have been planning for a few years. I got star…

Spring has arrived, which means that people are out all the time and my weekend walks aren't as isolated like a spooky atmospheric music video in the gloom of a winter mid-morning... but they are still nice. I love taking weekend walks in the transition from winter to spring because you get to watc…

I have always loved school.

Digital garden and knowledge library

January 2026. Boats on the Potomac River, Maryland on the other side.

I uploaded some designs I made a long time ago. Monster Hunter things amongst horror things. Some of them are face paint. I guess I should categorize them, oops. I will do this tomorrow. My mom added me to her Nintendo family; after 41 years I am finally part of the family omg. Started thinking abo…

I've been playing basically daily since the update. I'm enjoying a lot of it. Here are some random snapshots from the last few days. I GOT THE CAT OMG These are my two favorite hotel rooms so far (simple and kiddie rooms). Frankly, my life is dull now that I've thought of the castle bedroom. Bluebe…

I got it I'm a star

I participated in the Christmas event and as a result I talked to Cecilia. I've been ignoring her since she moved in in 2023. Whatever. I wanted to be festive! Here is me giving gifts to all my buddies on the island. And here I am standing next to all of light decorated trees on the island. Some pi…