Justin

Side view of a silver Vincent Bach Model 37 Bb trumpet standing upright, showing the bell, valves, and tuning slide details against a plain background.

Yamaha Silent Brass practice mute system, including the black electronic mute unit with controls, attached mute, headphones, and included cables on a white background.

Front cover of “Arban’s Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet” by J.B. Arban, featuring a dark background with rocks and a trumpet, published in a lay-flat edition.

Dug out my Bach 37 Bb Trumpet, mostly untouched since high school except for a few drunk brunches in college…

Yamaha Silent Brass mute arrives tomorrow, a preemptive kindness to everyone within earshot along w/ Arban’s book.

Brass players, on a scale of 1-10, how humbling will 24 years of rust be?

It took so long we probably could’ve driven to the LA location and gotten back to San Diego in the time that it took for us to get our food! 😂 But the Mr.Sunday was delicious, the fries pretty good and the ice cream surprisingly a standout.

A crowded interior view of Mr. Charlie’s restaurant in Pacific Beach, San Diego, with vibrant red walls, yellow accents, and prominent neon “Charlie’s Mc” signage hanging above the counter. Spotlights illuminate the space, digital menu boards display items on the right, and a diverse group of about 20 patrons in casual summer clothes—wearing sunglasses, hats, and masks—stand, sit on high stools at a white counter, or cluster near yellow balloons and promotional stands; the atmosphere buzzes with excitement on a sunny day.

Close-up of a counter display at Mr. Charlie’s restaurant showing stacked red meal boxes labeled “McCharlie’s” in yellow text, each featuring a frowny face (X eyes and downturned mouth) parodying Happy Meals, arranged in a pyramid beside a napkin dispenser and “Pacific Beach” sign, with a blurred red-uniformed employee and warm interior lighting in the background.

Checking out Mr.Charlie’s in Pacific Beach with @codyrodriguez.bsky.social. I feel like I’m in a bizarro blend of Demolition Man mixed and Idiocracy with a side of Fifth Element… and not just because we’ve been waiting 2 hours for our order 😂

Look what @itsjustjustin.com got me 😍😍🤤🤤

So jealous! I’ve wanted to watch The Whole Bloody Affair for ages and am missing my chance once again!

Art

A bright, close-up shot taken on a sun-dappled wooden table on the patio of Pure Project brewery near Balboa Park in San Diego. A white Kobo e-reader stands upright, displaying the text of the urban fantasy novel A Ferry of Bones & Gold by Hailey Turner. To the right of the e-reader sits a tulip glass of golden beer—specifically "Pure Dank," a 6.3% West Coast IPA brewed with Pineapple Express terpenes—next to a pair of folded white sunglasses. The background features a blurred, sunny outdoor seating area.

Starting book 118 of 2025. I’m hoping to complete 125 before the year is out but that’s gonna be tough!

A nice IPA from Pure Project makes hitting that stretch goal easier and harder at the same time 🤪

After nearly decades of Kindles, I made the switch and haven’t looked back! Managed to switch 2 others in the process!

Pure Project beer and a Kobo Clara Color with the book Foundation by Isaac Asimov.

Love this new books and beer thing @codyrodriguez.bsky.social and I have been doing lately.

I simply couldn’t get it to work on my computer. Going off memory it worked once and then never again, as a video source for the computer. Use as a stand-alone video camera was fine (if you could translate the menus haha) I just couldn’t get it to work for my use case. But that was 2 years ago…

E-reader displaying a book and a dark blue YETI tumbler with a yellow straw resting on a white surface outdoors, surrounded by vibrant pink flowers and lush green foliage in a sunny garden setting.

Really needed a relaxing Saturday after this trying week. Iced coffee, a fun book and some hot tub time in the garden is the way.

I’m on it!
fable.co/justin-27718...

A screenshot from the Fable app showing the user’s 2025 reading progress. The user has finished 67 books so far this year. The visual chart organizes books read by month from January to August. Each month is represented by a horizontal blue bar with thumbnails of book covers. January, March, and July have the highest reading activity, each with over 10 books. At the bottom, a “Reader insight” from Fable says: “Keep it going! At your current pace, you’re on track to meet your 2025 reading goal in November.” The interface has a clean design with a cream background and dark blue accents.

It’s been a stressful year but pulling away from all the bad news has at least one upside, 67 books read so far!

Since discovering them I’ve spent more money there on books than I’m comfortable sharing 😂

Follow-up, we’re midway season 2. #CLOCKTWINK 😍🥵

I’m hooked! And not just because of the gay sex scene at the end.

Oh thanks! Watching it now. Haha

What is this? I need to do research… 🧐

And yeah that’s a LOT of books! I’m “only” on book 62 of the year haha.

I’ve still got my old SF library card 😀. I think NYC has a similar open card policy for other libraries if you can’t find a book at a current library. I just wish I had more patience, I tend to go on book series reading sprees.

Yeah I read some were doing it that way. Never would have thought of that use case myself! Next project will be ripping our Blu-rays to our Plex server but with Infuse front end.

I have used those, but these are all from my Audible library. I’ve had a membership since 2004 I think lol

A tall, vertical screenshot of an Audiobookshelf digital library interface, showcasing hundreds of audiobook covers arranged in a dense grid layout. The interface has a dark theme with a sidebar on the left, featuring icons for Home, Library, Activity, and Settings. Each audiobook cover displays vibrant artwork and unique typography, representing a diverse range of genres, including sci-fi, fantasy, romance, thriller, and non-fiction. The user’s profile icon appears at the top left, and various filters or menu options are visible across the top of the screen. The overall impression is of a large, well-organized personal audiobook collection.

I had a fu time setting up our own audiobook/eBook server with @codyrodriguez.bsky.social. If you’ve got a ton of digital books and a device that supports docker containers, I highly recommend Audiobookshelf!

Now I can control access to my books on my terms and use whatever devices I like.

I’m liking it. Kiem and Jainan both overthinking every interaction, I can totally relate to. I’m anxious to delve deeper into the Taam situation. It screams “conspiracy,” what with his cause of death, the quick nature of the betrothal, the malfunctioning wristband and pass-coded, undeletable files…

A hand holding the book Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell, featuring a colorful sci-fi cover with two silhouetted figures against a cosmic background of stars, moons, and mountains. The book rests on a round white table at Better Buzz Coffee in Hillcrest, San Diego. Beside it is a clear plastic cup filled with a vibrant red iced drink, printed with the phrase ‘Life’s Better Buzzed’ in bold white letters. The background shows a cozy, softly blurred café interior with warm lighting and a Pride flag hanging overhead.

Perfect Sunday afternoon with @codyrodriguez.bsky.social at @betterbuzzcoffee.bsky.social diving into Winter’s Orbit with loving whatever variety this delicious “iced read tea” is.

@mystgalaxybooks.bsky.social is officially my new favorite bookstore. If the killer, highly curated, book selection doesn’t win you over, their spot-on social and political takes definitely will. Smart, progressive, and totally worth the follow. 📚

Donald Trump loves Les Mis so much (and misses the message so badly) that he made “Empty chairs at empty tables” the theme of his birthday parade.

That’s why no one is there, if anyone asks.

Happy Juneteenth!

Today we celebrate Black liberation and remember that words do not become reality without work as America has yet to resolve its founding contradiction: freedom and prosperity built on enslavement and impoverishment.
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We planted one pineapple several years ago. It’s now 3 separate plants. Requires basically zero attention from us too. Too bad we go through about 1 pineapple a month. I don’t think we could handle raising 52 😂