February 24, 2025 10:02 PM
It's aliiiiive
So, I recently put my food blog up on github, and I decided to create a new repo for it. I had cleaned some stuff up, and I wanted to make sure all of the files I included in the new repo would work on the web server. But as I tried to re-install all the perl modules, it kept failing trying to install the sqlite driver for perl.
I still don't know why that was failing. I think it hit some sort of OOM while trying to compile some C code? But as I was digging through things, I noticed that my server had been running for over 1600 days, and it was running Debian 10, which stopped being supported in June 2024. As I mentioned in a previous entry, when something is really outdated, I know that I should probably update it.
I knew this would require some downtime for my sites because I would have to reboot the system, and I thought about doing this crazy thing where I redirected all my domains to a github io page that displayed a maintenance message. Then I read that DNS changes could take up to 48 hours to propagate (not to mention this is exactly the wrong way to go about maintenance), and I gave up on that idea.
Aaaand, just like my BIOS upgrade, I had to upgrade Debian twice, because I can't just jump directly from 10 to 12. So I used this incredibly detailed guide, and I didn't understand most of it, and when I was done upgrading to Debian 11, my sites stopped working 😬
I spent a few hours of googling and looking at various files on my computer before I gave up and decided to revert my box back to a backup that I had from last week. But then when I powered it on and started up my web apps, they still weren't working!
I suddenly realized that my firewall rules weren't configured correctly, and then I had this deja vu moment, and I remembered that I ran into this exact same issue years ago. Well, at least this time it only took me hours rather than days. I suppose I need to solve the same problem several times before it actually sticks.
So today, I had to redo the upgrade to Debian 11 (which went smoothly), and then I made sure the websites were still working, and then I upgraded to Debian 12 (which went a little less smoothly).
Okay, it actually wasn't too bad, and the only issue I ran into was that it kept telling me that "initramfs-tools" kept erroring. I had never even heard of this tool before, but it seemed important. I found a few different threads on reddit and stackoverflow questions that were mostly unhelpful, but I did find someone that hit the same exact issue three months ago! And it looks like they solved their own problem, so thanks internet stranger. I'm glad I didn't try this more than three months ago :P
March 14, 2025 3:18 AM
People watching
I walked outside at 2am today to look at the moon because, well, it's a clear night and these are the things I quit my job to be able to do. Not to specifically look at a lunar eclipse, but to just take advantage of a moment to stare at the sky late at night and not feel bad about it.
As I was walking, I saw someone climb out of their window and sit, probably to stare at the moon. I saw a few people standing at the neighborhood green space, probably staring at the moon. I saw a girl walk by me, and then I saw her walk back past me in the other direction, and I knew she wanted to look at the moon too. I later passed by her a third time, and she was leaning against a pole, looking up at the sky.
I looked up as well, but I kind of enjoy observing the people observing the sky more.
May 9, 2025 5:02 PM
Feeling intimidated
When I first started playing Pump it Up at the local arcade, I was really intimidated. There was a group of regulars that had probably been playing for years and they were really good. And I was basically just starting to learn the game. Even though I had played DDR a lot as a child, this was only my third or fourth time playing Pump it Up. But it was so much fun, and it made me want to get back into dance games.
Even though Wednesdays were the time to be at Dave n Busters for their half off deal, I decided to only go during off hours where I was guaranteed to not see another dance gamer. It was something about the fact that I wasn't completely new to the game, but everyone around me was so much better. I really felt like I needed to get better on my own before I could play around others.
But I wanted to. I wanted to be a part of this community. It was this impossible longing in the back of my mind for years. As a child, it felt like no one else liked DDR as much as I did, and I was finally meeting people with the same interests as me.
I realize that many people have a similar experience to mine. A lot of people played DDR as a kid, and then fell out of it when it seemed like DDR just stopped being popular in the US. I really thought the game was dead. I had no idea there were so many other people nearby that really liked dance games. I guess I wasn't looking hard enough!
After practicing on my own a bunch, I did get a little better at Pump it Up. And I eventually got over my initial fear and I now feel pretty comfortable around other dance gamers, even the ones that are super competitive. I think it helped to not try and focus on accuracy like many others do. I learned how to play doubles, and I embraced playing without the bar, and I found it way more fun. But I'll also play a set of singles next to someone, and I'm totally okay with struggling and flailing around while the other person gets a near perfect score.
<< Older