It’s been over 2 months since my last blog about our trip to Skye in the Tesla, and probably the longest gap between blogs since I started on this rambling journey, exactly 5 years ago yesterday!  But yes, I am still here, just sometimes life gets in the way!

Things have been quite busy in my work life, and I’ve had some big decisions to make about my future career. They are still not fully resolved, although I did have an interview for a permanent job earlier this week, something I’ve not done for almost 20 years! That might have some future bearing on this blog, but I’ll be sure to let you know.

I’ve gone through another one of those phases of drafting blogs with titles but not getting around to the blogs, so it’s not a lack of ideas, just a lack of time and commitment to typing some words.

The Tesla is still a joy, and even some of the annoying things I’d blogged about here previously I’m starting to accept. I’d drafted a blog about the Apps I use and something related to referral codes, not just for Tesla.

I was seduced by not one but two Apple events! Firstly the iPhone 13 launch. I’d upgraded my iPhone X last year with an iPhone 12 Pro, which was a fantastic phone, and stealing some of Apple’s lines, probably the “best iPhone ever”? I had been finding it a little unwieldy as it was undoubtedly the largest and heaviest iPhone I’d ever used, and it wasn’t even the Pro Max! Some might even say I’ve downgraded moving to the iPhone 13 Mini, but it’s a perfect size and might well become my “best iPhone ever!” It has a ripple down effect, so my partner got the 12, and my daughter was happy to get her iPhone X and finally be able to send memojis!!

I’d upgraded my MacBook Air (MBA) last year, too, picking up what I suspect will become the last Intel-powered MBA. It too was a great upgrade from the 2016 MacBook I’d had a love-hate relationship with for the previous 4 years. Still, I’d also been thinking about replacing my 2011 iMac for a little while and decided to consolidate my desktop and laptops into a single device – the new M1 Pro MacBook Pro.

These looked incredible at the Apple event, and after using it for the last few weeks, I don’t think Apple was overselling them. It is a fantastic device and, with the addition of a new 4K monitor and Anker Dock, has replaced both the iMac and MacBook Air. Again, this has been passed down to my partner, so I’ll be selling a 2011 iMac and 2013 MBA shortly!

I’d drafted a few blogs about both of those and some of the trials and tribulations I’d had with some monitors, docks and HDMI/DisplayPort cables! Having used an all-in-one desktop for the past 10 years, who could have imagined getting a laptop to work with an external display could be so tricky?

I’ve also taught myself (with the help of Youtube) to solve a Rubik’s cube in around 2-3 minutes! I remember playing with them years ago and could only solve by taking apart or removing stickers, but I know a few legitimate methods now. I don’t think I’ll get down to the record-breaking 4.53 seconds, but it would be nice to get down to 1-2 minutes and maybe even sub 60 seconds.

I’ve also been disappointed by several Kickstarter campaigns this year, so I had started to draft something on that, and had also been extending my smart home with more Philips Hue bulbs, so I had drafted another blog on that.

And finally, last weekend I was at a whisky tasting event which reminded me that I’d not blogged about that for quite a while, and I’ve been buying and drinking just as much over the last 12 months!

Anyway, in answer to the question, Yes – I am still here. And I’ll try and find some time before the end of the year to write at least a few of the blogs above…