Month: August 2025

End of Summer Update 2025

My summer semi vacation is at an end. I didn’t accomplish most of what I had on my to do list but I managed to get a few things done. This summer was one of my best in fact as it was not marred by some sort of trauma and was pretty benign much to my relief.

I finally finished Mario & Luigi Brothership. The game while decent in the end badly needed an editor. The last 1/3 could have basically been cut and the last boss battle was likewise seemingly endless. It’s the weakest entry into the Mario RPG series that I’ve played so far and I would rate it a 5/10.

The month of August also brought a heat wave that crippled my motivation (and frankly ability) for about a week. I did manage to get 5 more books read during this time however but it was sword & sorcery fantasy instead of science fiction this time around. I read the five books in the “Cadderly Saga” by R.A. Salvatore in the D&D (Forgotten Realms) fantasy genre. I did so because I had finished the first 6 books in the Drizzt storyline a few years ago while in hospital and I read online that the “Cadderly Saga” was considered required reading for what came after in the series for Drizzt. I guess it introduces characters that will pop up in his upcoming books but I haven’t read them so it’s only speculation on my part.

The 5 books in the “Cadderly Saga” by R.A. Salvatore

They were not as engrossing as the previous 6 entries by R.A. Salvatore (The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, The Halfling’s Gem, Homeland, Exile, Sojourn) but I like the D&D world so enjoyed them immensely nonetheless. They are quite different than the Drizzt books and Cadderly as a character isn’t one of my favorites but the rest of his cast are solid.

While reading the books I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the novels in the D&D (Forgotten Realms) universe and decided to start collecting them after I finished the series. I need another collection like a hole in the head but the heart wants what it wants.

Other than that there’s not much been going in the world except it seemingly about to fall apart. It looks to me like we are in the decline phase of the American empire but I have become resigned to it all. Voltaire said that it’s dangerous to be right when when the government is wrong (or something to that effect). I think the quote is apt for this time. What else can I do as a Canadian that would change things? For that I have no answer.

Becoming A Jack Of All Trades 001 – July 2025

July is not my favorite month but at least it’s good for canning. I would bet it’s going to be my best month earning money this way. I was out and about sweating a lot in July so I did a bunch of canning because of the opportunity and managed to raise $36.50.

July 2025 Canning Earnings

The Tools

I have to start with a review of the grabber I picked up on Aliexpress. It’s not great. I like that it’s foldable so I can conceal it in a reusable grocery bag but that’s where my appreciation ends. The way the jaws clench means it struggles to hold onto any can or bottle and it’s frustrating as hell to use because the cans slip out of the grip all the time. I’m going to have to modify it somehow so the jaws close tighter. They are plastic riveted in place so I can’t disassemble them. What I will have to do is put some combination of a foam weather stripping (usually used to seal air leaks in windows when installing air conditioners for example) and a grippy piece of material like rubber. I was thinking that one side of the jaws will have the weather stripping while the other will have the rubber giving me the ideal balance of grip and holding power. Either way it’s been filed away in my mind for a future project because I don’t plan on purchasing anything to make the modification anyway.

I’ve also put it on the back burner because I was discussing the grabber problem with my mom and unbeknownst to me she went out and purchased a grabber for me from a Dollarama.

The Grabber Tool My Mom Bought me

I was a bit annoyed with her for having done so (and secretly annoyed with myself for not having done so already and instead paying up the ass at Aliexpress). I tried to pay her back a few times but she was unwilling to accept any money from me on any of occasions I tried. I’m thankful she’s an understanding and kind person because even though I’m middle aged now my guess is that it’s rare for a parent to have to deal with their offspring digging around in the trash. She knows that I’m doing it because I want to pay my debt off first and using this separate money to buy tools so I don’t accumulate more debt. She’s always been a great mother to me and even if I lived a 1000 lives I wouldn’t choose to have anyone different. So I have another grabber now and suffice to say it works much better thank jebus.

The first thing I’ve come to realize is that the way I’ve been buying tools isn’t ideal. My preference is to save money and buy higher quality tools. The problem is that higher quality tools are more expensive and getting them at discounted prices will take time. In the interim I’m facing the issue of needing a tool but not having one. Instead of framing it in my mind as a high quality tool purchase vs a low quality tool purchase I should have been thinking of having no tool vs having the tool I needed regardless of quality. So I decided at least until I have the tools that I need I will try just to get SOMETHING whether or not it is cheap or high quality just so that I can just get the job done with it.

The second thing I’ve come to realize is that purchasing individual tools is more expensive than just buying a kit. I did not know that retailers like Home Depot, Canadian Tire or Wal-Mart sell “Project Kits” which are basically small toolkits with most common tools that someone might need and they are priced competitively. Which leads me to my one and only purchase for July:

The only thing I bought for July was a drill toolkit from Wal-mart for $33.34. I happened across it online when I was buying litter for my cats. I thought it was a fantastic deal. It had all the basic tools I was looking for in addition to a cordless drill which is something I thought I would acquire way down the line.

Financial Summary For July 2025

Revenue

  1. Amount carried over from previous month: $0.02
  2. Cans/Bottles: $36.50

Total: $36.52

Expenses

  1. Cordless Drill kit $33.34

Total: $33.34

Summary

I know that the drill kit I purchased is considered by some to be cheap Chinese tools but to me being able to get a task finished no matter what I use is more important that not being able to at all.