Carousel

A blog carousel.

This has been edited!

It works \o/

What would Sparks be like as a blogging platform? A full page carousel...

It wouldn't be individual posts, more back to the idea of daily threads that grow down the page.

It now has Markdown handling.

Here's another post, just another spark file (a txt file) with some markdown.

Started work on a lot of changes to the view. Up next is post editing.

Carousel now checks if there is a post today and, if logged in and there isn't, will give you a blank textarea. Submitting the new post then saves it to a new file titled with the current timestamp and updates the display.

Editing posts isn't in yet but will follow the same process.

Post editing is now a thing.

Double tap, type, hit save, boom...

I've been thinking about this and how much more I would want to add to the functionality. I think the only things I'd really want are:

• an RSS feed (daily)
• file uploads so I can handle images

Sparks used jQuery but I'm removing that dependency.

I might start working on the RSS feed tomorrow.

The RSS feed is now in. As I wrote on the blog I've sorted a way to link to each post from the RSS feed but I can improve on it further.

Tidied up a few things, removed some unnecessary code and styles, and generally made things a bit cleaner. The RSS feed has been streamlined and permalinks improved.

Not touched code in a few days so no more changes yet. My focus has been elsewhere (I've also not blogged) and my brain can't task switch.

Still no further updates to Carousel but I just wanted to type stuff in a place that just let's me type — no uploads, no comments, just words.

It's fair to say I'm struggling at the moment.

Anyway, fixed an issue with the RSS feed where the wrong dates would be used for posts. It was based on the file from the blog but was using unnecessary variables that have now been stripped. Also tidied up some code around editing & cancelling edit and regenerating permalinks etc.

Extricated Carousel from the main site by removing the reliance on the database driven authentication. Replaced it with the file based system from hyblog.

A few more tweaks and it also scores 100 across the board at Pagespeed Insights.

Well, here we go...

I'm removing the pressure of posting on the main blog and messing about here instead. It's just a place for words, nothing else. (Although I could upload images to the blog itself as normal and use the links here but that's a sufficient degree of friction for it not to happen often.)

If you're seeing this in your feed reader it's because I've redirected the blog daily feed to this one. I'm not posting there for a while, see here for the details. In short, I'm struggling and wanted to dump thoughts somewhere even simpler. Plus, this just feels different enough.

# There'll probably be some notes tomorrow. I'll be going in to the office for the first time since November so will need to take a couple of breaks.

So, first day in the office for over four months. I almost fell into a panic before leaving and lost the plot when I realised I'd left my travel mug at home. If I had noticed earlier I would have come off the motorway at the next junction and turned round.

I ended up buying a new mug at motorway services so I could get a coffee at work. (There is a 'no single-use cup' policy so you have to bring your own.)

# As part of the investigations by the doctor I had a number of blood tests. They took quite a lot in big vials (I had Hancock's "that's very nearly an armful" line in my head.)

Most things came back okay but some were abnormal:

• vitamin D deficiency
• triglycerides up
• ESR (inflammation) up

Nothing too serious or that needs medication beyond some vitamin D pills. I have, however, been given a nasal spray and an inhaler as the ongoing impact of chest infections and covid seems to have triggered my asthma.

I'm back on the promethazine to help with sleep and have been given the option of taking the vortioxetine again for the depression. I said I'd go away and think about it.

Did my first exercise on the treadmill in months. It wasn't a run, more a brisk(ish) walk but on an incline. I didn't want to push myself too hard as I still have the persistent cough and shortness of breath.

I don't necessarily feel physically good after it (I'm not flooded with endorphins) but it feels good (mentally) to have done it. It marks the start of a new phase, a turning of the corner.

# Kev wrote about anonymous blogging and the notion stuck with me for a while considering the current circumstances.

I could have easily taken Carousel to a new domain and started afresh. Instead, it's on my main domain, I wrote about and link to it so no chance of anonymity there.

I ask myself why. What makes me always write under my real name?

As a lifelong introvert (whose introversion has only grown with age) I've never seriously entertained anything else. I think the introversion leads me to want to connect as my real self, not as a pseudonym who could be anyone. There's a whole bunch of insecurities and issues that have always made me seek approval and I don't think I would have the same reaction to comments or connection it if I wasn't presenting myself as me.

Maybe there's something performative about the whole thing — I am very bad at being the centre of attention IRL (except for certain scenarios where I am in total control) so perhaps compensate online with a "here I am, this is me" approach in lieu of that.

It's obvious that I have no issues (any longer) opening up about my mental health issues. Some might feel the need to avoid connecting the details to their identity but I, however, see it as a step in dealing with it.

I wrote about Carousel being text only with sufficient friction meaning I likely wouldn't upload images etc. Well, don't know why but I repurposed the blog uploader.

I'm pretty much set on going back on my meds and am going to get an appointment with the GP to discuss it. I think I need them to settle me again.

# As is always the case, I get really excited for the next upcoming expansion of World of Warcraft. This time is no exception with the three expac 'Worldsoul Saga' due to start later this year.

I've written about my excitement in advance of the last couple of expansions only to get bored when playing it. Okay, everyone admits that Shadowlands was bad, and Blizzard themselves say they made mistakes with Dragonflight, so it's not all down to me.

There are so many threads that can come together in the next story arc that it is genuinely exciting and interesting. A lot of lore points should hopefully be resolved that have been strung out over many thousands of years. The potential is staggering.

The problem is, however, that I need to get back to the point where I can continue my journey in the world of Azeroth. I started a new character a while ago but didn't make it to max level before getting bored. I need to get past that. So, we reset a laptop and WoW is being reinstalled.

Last time, I was just intent on levelling as quickly as I could, rushing through quests without reading the story. Skipping from one are to another with no real consideration for what I was doing. That was a mistake. I've likely got at least until September before the next expansion drops so, this time, I'm going to take my time. I'm going to read all the quest text, watch the videos, and absorb the story to reimmerse myself in the game.

I'm also going to be playing a different race/class combo which will force me to pay attention to what I'm doing.

WoW will be 20 years old later this year and has been such a big part of my life — it seems strange saying that of a video game. I started playing at some point in 2006, before the launch of The Burning Crusade in Jan 2007, and even when I've taken a break I've still kept an eye on things and watched the 'Race for World First' events and Mythic Dungeon competitions.

There is a lot I'm not familiar with in the current expansion (Dragonflight) so I need that immersion to fully appreciate the story and how everything is being set up for the future. I've been watching lore videos on YouTube and generally trying to whet my appetite for all things WoW. Knowing that Blizzard recognises their recent mistakes gives me hope that at least some of them will not be repeated and the in-game experience will improve. Also, the laptop I'm going to be using is better than the one I last installed WoW on so I'll be able to play on higher settings.

For some reason I've been thinking a lot about Carousel lately and how it does things differently. I wrote a little while back (on the main blog) about the urge to redesign things but that it is too much effort due to how integrated the design is with the code but still wonder what I could do.