This week proved to be very boring. The motivation to improve on the website just wasn't there and gaming just couldn't scratch the itch.
But, I finally managed to get the script working to implement redirects for dead or non-existent links in the backend. While I'm still troubleshooting, it’s working fairly well so far and giving me piles of data to sift through. For a site that doesn’t get much traffic, plenty of bots are getting through, looking for dead links—mostly the non-existent ones caused by my little goof-up a few months ago.
I’ve always known I get a lot of bad bots probing for WordPress backend files. This morning, I got a bit sidetracked and made a special landing page for anyone trying to find WordPress files on this domain. It’s a Rickroll page, similar to the one I added to FartDump.com last week. Both are a bit hidden, like little Easter eggs.
I’ve added a few Easter eggs to FartDump as fun little surprises when you stumble across them.
I removed WordPress from this domain back in the spring, so I assume I’ll keep getting hits for it for quite a while. However, most of the pages bots are looking for now are sensitive areas like wp-admin, so I assume they’re hacker bots probing for vulnerabilities. That’s why I decided to give the bots a special landing page of their own.
Having a custom CMS has the advantage of making backend files trickier to locate, as you can name them anything. I enjoy getting creative with that process. I really need to add the redirect script to StellarHistory now because that site gets a fair bit of exposure, so I’m sure bots are probing it frequently for vulnerabilities. I see it as a positive, though, since it helps me identify holes in my code.
I do most of my work on the websites while sitting on the couch with my big screen. I also have a 32" TV to the side of the big screen that I use for Rainmeter widgets. It displays a clock, CPU and GPU temperatures, and things like that. I also have a weather widget showing the current conditions along with a 9-day forecast. It’s super handy, and I keep a close eye on upcoming weather. My girlfriend does too.
She refuses to wear her glasses, though, so when she passes by it on her way outside to smoke, she sometimes stops and gets within six inches of the screen to check the temperatures.
Last night, she stopped to check the upcoming forecast and exclaimed, “Wow, it’s going to be 18 degrees on Monday and 19 degrees on Tuesday. Holy crap!”
If you’re on a phone and have a hard time seeing this image, it’s clear that the 18 and 19 are the dates, not the temperatures. I had a good laugh about that. I immediately took a screenshot when she said it. She really should wear her glasses!
I should have paid more attention to the weather before heading out for my walk today. It was 68 degrees when I started, but I wore jogging pants and a pullover jacket—it got a little warm. Lately, I’ve only been walking; I haven’t gone jogging since moving to Northwest Arkansas. I’m not sure why, but I’ve lost the motivation to get back in shape like I was before moving here.
This morning, as I was crossing a crosswalk, a car was coming, so I jogged across to avoid slowing them down. It felt good, so I decided to keep jogging.
When I first started walking, I noticed a bit of side pain, like the kind you get after a hard run. But when I started jogging, it really flared up. I’m not sure what caused it, but it cut my jog down to about a minute. I’m out of shape, but not that out of shape.
Usually, I start walking at a slower pace but quickly pick it up. I’ve always been a fast walker, and walking gives me plenty of exercise. I typically cover 2 miles in under 30 minutes, which is a little over 4 miles per hour.
Once I get loose, I put on a quick-paced song and try to keep step with the drumbeat to set my pace, then do my best to maintain it. My favorite song for pacing is "Cut the Cord" by Shinedown. It’s 89 bpm, which sets a solid quick pace.
Shinedown is my usual go-to for walking or jogging music. I’ve been trying hard to get myself back on the trails during my days off because I’ve really let myself go these last few years. I miss being in great shape. The aches and pains are back, which were completely gone when I was in shape—probably from lugging this gut around again.
When I was in shape before, all I did was 25 push-ups a day, walked or ran 3 to 5 miles daily, and cut out bread and sugar. Just those small changes had me in great shape, and I felt amazing. I’m trying to get back to that. When I feel good physically, I feel good mentally. I’ve been in a bit of a rut lately, so I can either dwell on it or do something about it.
I plan to do something about it. It’s time to feel good inside and out again.
Another thing I’ve noticed about being in shape is how differently people treat me. When I’m in good shape, everyone seems friendly. But when I’m out of shape, I get a lot of weird looks, especially during my walks. For instance, women seem more wary, keeping an eye on me as if I’m a potential danger. It makes me uncomfortable, too.
A few weeks ago, I was walking through the trails adjacent to the golf course where I live, and a woman was walking about 200 feet ahead of me. I was quickly gaining on her because I walk fast for the exercise. Some older guys on the course saw me and jumped into their golf cart to follow me. At first, I didn’t notice because I was listening to music, but when I glanced to the side to check for bikes or runners, I saw them staring me down.
That kind of thing never happened to me when I was in shape. It makes me feel awful, like I’m being perceived as a predator, when all I want to do is walk and get some exercise. As a result, I keep my head down most of the time.
If I’m about to pass a woman—or even a child, for that matter—I’m afraid to say hello or even glance in their direction because I don’t want to come across the wrong way. It’s really weird to me. I understand why people are cautious, but honestly, if someone was going to do something malicious, would they start by saying hi and smiling? I don’t know. It just makes me feel bad. So now, I try to go for walks early in the morning to avoid the weird gazes and what I perceive as being wrongfully judged—probably because of my gut, lol.
It’s not just where I live now; it was the same when I lived in Jonesboro, AR. Back then, I started walking at Craighead Forest every day, determined to get into shape. When I first started, I got the same stares and uncomfortable glances. But after I got in shape, it was the complete opposite. People smiled and waved.
So, that’s another reason to get back into shape—peer pressure, haha.
