Monday, August 18, 2025

A Simple Receipt Tip: The Self-Purging System

 Here’s a polished, friendly blog-style version of your draft that feels conversational, practical, and approachable:


A Simple Receipt Hack: The Self-Purging System

Ever find yourself saying, “Jeez, I wish I kept the receipt”? We’ve all been there. Receipts can be one of those little life annoyances—you need them for a return, proof of mailing, or expense-tracking… but nine times out of ten, you don’t.

For a while, I tried keeping them all in a box, but that just turned into a messy archive of paper I never looked at again. What I really wanted was a system that practically took care of itself—keeping recent receipts handy, while automatically clearing out the old ones.

Here’s the solution I landed on: a simple 4-drawer plastic organizer. Nothing fancy, just the kind you can get almost anywhere. Then, label the drawers like this:


  • Drawer 1: Jan – May – Sep

  • Drawer 2: Feb – Jun – Oct

  • Drawer 3: Mar – Jul – Nov

  • Drawer 4: Apr – Aug – Dec

Here’s how it works:

  • If it’s January, every receipt from that month goes in Drawer 1.

  • February receipts go into Drawer 2, March into Drawer 3… and so on.

  • By the time May rolls around, it’s Drawer 1’s turn again. At that point, you just empty all the old receipts and start fresh with May.

It’s a neat little cycle—each drawer only ever holds receipts that are up to 4 months old. That’s long enough to cover returns, warranty questions, or tracking a lost package, but not so long that you’re drowning in scrap paper.

In the end, you get a system that’s:
✅ Low effort
✅ Self-purging
✅ Always up to date

Sunday, June 1, 2025

There Are Two Kinds of Music Listeners

Some people listen to music. Others just play it.

Active music listeners? We're the ones who sit down, hit play, and pay attention. We catch the little things—lyrics that hit just right, a bassline that sneaks in under your skin, or that weird synth that only shows up once. Music isn’t just in the background; it is the moment. We’ll stop what we’re doing just to replay a section. Maybe even look up who produced it or what year it came out.

Then there are folks who use music as background. No judgment—it’s a vibe too. You’ve got a playlist going while working, cooking, cleaning, whatever. You’re not dissecting each track. You just want a mood, a flow, a soundtrack to your life that doesn’t get in the way. And honestly, most of us float between the two depending on the day.

But when it comes to AI music curation, that difference matters.

Take Spotify for example. I've used it for a long time, and based on my playlists, skips, likes, and whatever else it’s watching, it claims my favorite genre is “neo-soul.”

Which is funny—because I’d never heard of neo-soul until Spotify told me I loved it.

Recently, I had it on DJ mode. Normally it’s pretty solid. It pulls stuff I’d never think to try and connects the dots in cool ways. Sometimes it says, “Here’s something new for you—because you love Diane Reeves and Carmen McRae,” or whatever.

But one day it missed the mark hard. Four songs in a row, I skipped them all. I was in full-on “mad clicker” mode. Then the DJ actually said: “Okay, you’re a mad clicker today, so I’m moving on to something else.”

I laughed out loud.

That’s the thing though—the AI DJ is clever, and I’m sure it’s learning fast. But I’m an active listener. I don’t let music just ride in the background. That means Spotify is collecting very intentional data from me. My skips mean something. My playlists aren’t random. If I save a track, it’s because I actually felt something.

So I’m curious to see how the AI evolves. Will it learn the difference between someone who’s actively listening and someone who’s just filling silence? I hope so. Because for people like me, music isn’t filler. It’s fuel.

Thursday, January 16, 2025

Discovering LiveNow from Fox: Breaking News with a Fresh Twist

Sometimes, finding a unique and refreshing news format feels like stumbling upon a hidden gem. That’s how I feel about LiveNow from Fox. It’s not your typical news channel—it’s got this no-frills vibe that sets it apart.

The coolest part? There’s next to no commentary or opinion. When breaking news happens, they often switch to a local station for coverage. For example, during the California fires, they streamed local LA stations. If something big goes down in NYC, they’ll pull in a local NYC feed. It’s like getting the story straight from the ground.

And the rawness doesn’t stop there—some camera feeds are live and completely unedited. You might just watch events unfold with zero narration, letting you form your own take. It’s a refreshing alternative to the usual heavily-produced formats.

The best part? It’s completely free. Yep, $0.

A Name That Could Use a Rebrand
I will admit, the name LiveNow from Fox might throw some people off. It can give the impression that it’s the same style or slant as Fox News. But trust me, it’s a totally different approach—just news and live footage, without the usual spin.

Where to Watch
You can catch it on platforms like Pluto TV, Roku TV, and other streaming services. Personally, I enjoy watching it on my laptop via their website: LiveNowFox.com.

If you’re looking for a fresh take on how you get your breaking news, this is definitely worth a try.