www.markholder.org

I lost my Dad this week. At 82 years of age, he'd lived a long life pretty much on his own terms. Congestive Heart Failure kept him in and out of hospitals for the last six months, and in ICU for two weeks. It was in ICU where he realized the end was near. We had our most meaningful conversations there, in spite of his growing weakness. Lots of "Remember when" stories, a few "What if" stories, and sadly, very few words of final wishes. Fortunately, he'd mostly settled that with my stepmother. I and a few other family members were present at the moment of his passing. There is no greater closure than to be holding the hand of a loved one as the end comes, and I'm forever grateful to have been there when the end came for Dad. A few hectic days followed, mostly involving legal documents and such. Tonight, my wife, son, and I went to see a ballet and returned to find our cat of 17 years dead on his blanket. I'm one of those "pets are family to...

After several years on a Chromebook, I've made a return to Linux. Truth is, I'm on a Chromebook that now runs Linux. Support for my Lenovo reached End Of Life a year or so ago, meaning it no longer received security updates. It also seemed a bit slow compared to earlier times, and so the research began. I knew I wanted a Debian-based distro but it had to be lightweight enough to run on the Chromebook's modest hardware. After consideration, PeppermintOS was chosen. Installation was a bit of an adventure, as I had to take the 'book apart and remove an internal screw to disable Write Protect in order to install an alternate operating system. Once the hardware hack was complete, it was time to test with a live session, which went well. Time to install. Installation was a nonevent. PeppermintOS is fast, light, and actually runs better than ChromeOS. As with all things Linux, I have access to programs far beyond those offered by the ChromeOS platform. My favorite is Gn...

Our winter in the South has been an odd one. A short spell of below freezing temps early on, followed by spring-like conditions for the majority of days, and now, in mid March, more below freezing temps. Luckily, we've had no snow this year, which happens to be the 30th anniversary of blizzard that struck the Deep South in 1993. Southern California, however, has received snow much like we did three decades ago. People stuck in their homes due to the snow experienced the same lack of preparedness I did. No food, downed power lines, inability to drive. Pardon me while I have a panic attack as I recall the experience. This event effected me profoundly and the ramifications continue to this day, one of which is prepping. I'm not a doomsday prepper (if SHTF and it's TEOTWAWKI, I'll be damned if I'm going to hang on as long as possible in that situation) but I do keep a small supply of food, water, flashlights, etc. We're more likely to lose power in a thunderstor...

  It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society. - J. Krishnamurti

It takes wisdom to know what we don't know. - Jack Bogle

 After eight months at the local health care facility, I have returned to the printing industry, to whose siren song I am seemingly defenseless. It was hard to leave my position in Medical Records but it was the right move. I've settled back in at my old job.  With my old employer. At my old desk.  Say it with me: time is a flat circle.  As told in  this post , I left my previous/now-current employer in late 2020 to return to a previous employer, one I'd left in 2008 with no plan or prospects. The company collapsed in 2021, leaving me with no plan or prospects. I took a job in Chattanooga, off of Highway 153, for a short time, just as I did in 2008 before accepting a position with the healthcare facility, which I left to begin work with my previous/now current employer in 2012.  It doesn't take a statistician or mystic to see patterns repeating as this one clearly is. The events of 2007-2008 repeated in 2021-2022. However, this exact pattern is unlikely to ...

  Just your typical 1970s Lou Reed night out I know what you're thinking, that Holder guy and his reviews of old records again. But hear me out; this is a great album.  Recorded at the Bottom Line and released in 1978, the double-album captures Reed at his sarcastic, shit-talking best, talking to the crowd, the band, roadies, even himself at times. Rather than sing "Walk On The Wild Side," which Reed admits is a song he's become bored with, he tells the story of how the song came to be written, shedding light on the Warhol Superstars mentioned throughout.  "Coney Island Baby" has always been one of my favorite songs. The studio version of the song showed Reed at his subtle best. The Take No Prisoners version is anything but subtle, with wailing saxophone, sultry background vocals, and a thundering chorus transforms the piece from a song to an experience.  Take No Prisoners is an intense, honest, even funny album. It captures Reed at an interesting time, afte...