The New Year
So with the last year now behind us, and no it was not an easy one (all things considered), I look forward to the new things that this year brings us… checks news something something Greenland something something World War 3 probably something something Rising Prices.
Ok so maybe this year is also a bad starting point but, here we are now!
I have wanted to make more blog posts but honestly finding the time has been complex over the last few weeks but I think I have started to find a rythem to work with.
Health
Since last year I have been chipping away at my health, I’ll be 40 (fourty!) this year and as time goes on I can see certain parts of my body failing so I made an active and ongoing decision to focus on health this year.
So far I have worked out every day this year laughs in it’s the 19th day of the year and my body is holding up quite well, though let me tell you now, kettlebell swings… at the right mass and speed will, FUCK YOUR LEGS COMPLETELY!!! I had to take it easy yesterday while I got my legs working again. I now know why professional gym goers do certain things on certain days.
With that lesson learned I am working on my ‘workout times’ and will switch from mornings to evenings.
Hacking
Hacking has been slowing down lately, I haven’t been ‘gettin shellz’ on all the newest things but I have been pushing my learning to actively spend a little bit each day learning something new.
In all honesty, it’s all learn no hack while I start to carve my way through the FortiNet 7.6 (NS4) Administrator course, it’s free afterall, and as FortiNet keep getting hacked they will ALWAYS need someone to plug things in and configure them (shhhh).
I plan to pick it up as well as NSE 5 ‘satus’ and maybe a cheeky 6/7 (oh god that damn meme) as it may help with future job/pay prospects, as all do we can only hope 😉
Home
Things have been going well for the most part, the family is settling into routines and I am getting more and more ‘Dad Card’ stuff done (READ: To Do List).
Today for example, as we are decorating the kitchen (half complete) I patched all the cracks and holes in the walls with some Polyfiller and plan tomorrow to sand it smooth and then the follwing day get that base coat of colour down.
I fully expect this process to require another can of paint but with the base down we can get an idea of what it would look like completed.
I’ve been finding joy in ticking off things; pots, washing, exercise, learn, tablet, read a book.
I almost forgot!
Least year starting in January I dedicated myself to reading, I wanted to actually read books like everyone else seems to be able to do and I think my problem is that, while I have a gigantic wrinkly brain and semi idetic memory… I can’t do imagination stuff.
I would love nothing more than to be able to sit with a hot drink and a copy of The Fellowship of the Ring and start devoring the content, but I can’t.
I have no idea why, it should be easy but it just doesn’t work…
Now books on a subject or ‘self help/improvement’ that I can absolutely chew through suddenly!
Cathrine tells me that they arn’t ‘real books’ and thats ok, they are books for me.
Last year I read 8 books and I am going to list them here so you can see how diverse it is:
- Honed: Finding Your Edge as a Man Over 40 - Mike Simpson - Don’t tell Mike I was 38 reading it, but it helped me!
- Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organise Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential - Tiago Forte - I learned how to ‘tag’ and highlight things with this book… I went crazy on it, then back to Honed and then applied it to the next book too (but I was better at it)
- Don’t Unplug: How Technology Saved My Life and Can Save Yours Too - Chris Dancy - I tried to read this before via the library and failed, I am glad I came back to this, I love the ‘big mother’ idea (as oppoed to big brother)
- Operator Handbook: Red Team + OSINT + Blue Team Reference - Joshua Picolet - I didn’t realise this was a reference book, so since I spent money on it, I read it!!!
ebooks
- Red Team Development and Operations: A practical guide - Joe Vest, James Tubberville
- Visual Threat Intelligence: An Illustrated Guide For Threat - Thomas Roccia
- System Failure: Cyberwar on Critical Infrastructure - Chip Harris
- Identity and Access Management: from Zero to Hero: Learn all you need about Identity and Access Management (IAM) (Identity in Cybersecurity Book 1) - Maria Bryght
Ok so it does lean towards the ‘cyber’ bracket but hey, least I am learning!
This year I set myself a side challenge to read more (goes hand in hand with working out and eating healthy). I have already made it through some of my new list/pile - google ‘PocketBook’ and get an account, download the app and read on your phone. It is actually working for me and it might help you too! Additionally you can dump .epub books in it as well as .pdfs …
For any curious, I finished the ebook version of The Unfair Advantage: How You Already Have What It Takes to Succeed - Ash Ali & Hasan Kubba AND ALSO my audiobook copy of Permanent Record: A Memoir of a Reluctant Whistleblower - Edward Snowden all by the 16th.
Turns out a chapter per day is ‘doable’ and audiobooks are just a ‘when doing something’ listening so suprisingly easy to get on with, walking, odd jobs, headphones in and audiobook playing.
Thats two so far and we are 19 days into the year… my current read is The Glass Ledge: How to Break Through Self-Sabotage, Embrace Your Power, and Create Your Success - Iman Oubou and the Audiobook version of 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos - Jordan B. Peterson – fuck it’s a long one, currently 7 hours left mind.
I have my next ones lined up too so heres to doing adult things, like reading!
And that about concludes my update for so far this year. I am hopeful I can add more here but I am actively doing A LOT(!) in the background.
I really want to get the sensory room/office up and running soon so I have a little bit of space to work (and remote work ideally) and restore the living room to being the chill space it should be.
Here’s to 2026 so far!
I don’t have any sponsors or anything but if you enjoy my work, or feel sympathy for my wife, then I have set up a Ko-Fi account as well as a BuyMeACoffee people can donate to.