For the record, my nickname has been 'Dutch' for well over 20 years, because I was raised in the Netherlands as a kid. I'm unfortunately English, and live in England. No idea where the Barracuda part came from. Just sounded cool.

I actually have a ride planned for this week, which needs to be done regardless of conditions. My friends have gone to Scotland for the holidays, so I need to their house and check on the cats. Landlady is feeding them, but I'm the one dealing with their... 'little gifts'.

Finally managed to get out of my own head for a bit and went for my second solo ride. Muscle memory for changing gears is getting better. I just keep telling myself, people stupider than I can do this, so I'll get it right eventually. #125cc #Suzuki #Marauder #Motorbike

Good morning. Happy Winter Solstice. May your cup be full, your fire roaring, your socks dry, and your food filling.

One of the more frustrating habits I have is telling myself to 'Concentrate' or 'Focus'. To clear my mind and centre on one thing. My neurodivergent brain does not work like, and I KNOW it does not work like that. I keep trying to apply neurotypical methods to a brain that does not accept them.

There are days when the internet doesn't feel as big as it used to, and it has much fewer secret places than before.

I think what I miss is the ritual inconvenience of 90's/00's tech. Cassettes, disks, and tapes, stored on shelves. Having to go somewhere to find an old movie, watching new movies at cinemas and waiting 6-12 months for their VHS/DVD release.

Had a dream about electric sheep. Wonder what that was all about.

I'm trying to put into words the euphoric feeling I have, when I get a like or positive comment on a selfie.

Sometimes I do scrub up rather nicely. A little older, a little wiser, and a little less merciful.

Today, is my Level Up Day. I am now at Level 41, and since I've actually spent the last year going to the gym, losing weight, lifting weights, doing cardio, etc, I'm actually going to put 2 points into strength this year for a +1. Blog: dutchbarracuda.tumblr.com/post/8028393...

You shouldn't make decisions nor declarations on the internet after 9pm. At that point, just sleep on it and see how you feel in the morning.

As the UK faces one of the nastiest flu seasons ever, and the fact that ya know, COVID is still a fucking thing, maybe practice some common courtesy and sense, and wear your fucking facemask if you're feeling under the weather. Or if you're surrounded by others who might be ill too.

Why do I have the executive dysfunction without a matching executive salary?

I would like you to read for a moment, and while maybe fictional and exaggerated, it is true and accurate. I want to share with you my visceral disgust at LLM's and AI models, and how they are jammed into everything. I fucking hate AI. sightlessscribbles.com/the-coloniza...

Good morning. Yesterday my players defeated a brush of Twink-blights, faced down some evil cultists, committed another war crime, and I got to hit one of them with sad backstory mystery! One player is also planning an NPC's mortal ending for their own benefit. I love D&D.

Did I find a slice of life anime about motorbikes? Yes. Is there a schoolgirl in the first episode that doesn't take off her helmet and is called THE STIG??? Yes.

Faced with the eternal struggle. An oil change bolt that refuses to budge. Will return to it later after the WD40 has done its job.

Oil acquired. Is it the best? Probably not. Is it the worst? I don't fucking know. I'm not some Oil-Sommelier. "Mhmm, yes, an overwhelming bouquet of dead dinosaur, and hints of military industrial complex and capitalistic exploitation. Very good."

Behold... My stuff! QRP with yours! #art

Good news! Replacement frame cover fits on GG just fine. Bad news! I might be wrong but I think I need to completely replace the oil. Levels were nil! Did I really ride 50 miles with no oil? Fuck!

Didn't get the librarian job, again. My rule of thumb is that if after two separate applications to the same company for same/similar jobs get turned down, I'll just cross that company off the list for the next few years.

This is the christmas music ambience you're looking for. Any other is wrong. youtu.be/htLHXBtASXs?... #HomeAlone #Christmas #Ambience #JohnWilliamsTuggingAtThemHeartstrings

Should I? Perhaps. Will I? Noooo. Do I enjoy being difficult? Moooost definitely.

Ok, so this is kinda embarrasing. When I got back yesterday, I realised that a small side cover was missing from the Marauder. Only, I cannot for the life of me remember if it was never there to start with, or it fell off at some point on my ride. My short term memory can be an utter bitch.

Now that I have a motorbike, I'm falling down the rabbit hole of finding parts. Really wishing there were 3D models available so I can print my own fairing molds.

Remember kids, you can tell how old a Christmas tree is by counting the rings of tape around the box it comes in. #xmas #christmas #tree

I FUCKING DID IT! Bought the damn thing and rode it all the way home. Fucking freezing weather, no wonder bikers hate winter, and today was sunny and dry no less. Just fucking cold. But goddamn am I riding a high right now. Parked up, and this week I'll do some QoL improvements. #Motorbike #Suzuki

Vroom? Could it be? Might it be? Am I finally getting my hyperfixated heart's desire today? Check back in four hours, after I've either woefully returned home by train, or crashed my ass somewhere on the A12.

Why do I get this feeling I'm about to get gazumped by a third fucking seller? I just want a goddamn motorbike for fucks sake!

Yeah I really don't fancy Thanksgiving as a concept and holiday. America's fucking weird. ..... Shut up, James Bond and Flash Gordon ARE mandatory christmas movies, I don't care what you say!

I realise I have very few tumblr followers. Also that I follow very few people. Time to change that! Hi, you can call me Dutch, and actually use Tumblr to blog, not just reblog endlessly. dutchbarracuda.tumblr.com #Tumblr #Blog #FollowMe #Please

Ok, 'first time riding a geared motorbike' and 'first solo ride' nerves are starting to kick in again in anticipation of this weekend. What that actually means is my AuDHD is overthinking horribly, and demanding an Adultier Adult. Unfortunately, I'm the Adultiest Adult I have available to me.

Picking a fight with #Elegoo about failing to deliver the AMS upgrade they promised for the Centauri Carbon. The only compensation offered is discounts on spending more money with them. Poking them with consumer law and unfair trading regulations :D

🧪🪄

End of Day Brain dump: - Want to bake bread. Loaves, cobs, bloomers, etc. - Motorbike soon. Not soon enough. - We making any progress on that stackable wooden toolbox design based on Japanese Tansu? - Ubuntu is good. Missed it.

Goddamn my ass is cold. And that's just 20 minutes on the cargobike taking my daughter to college. And I wanna ride a motorcycle in this weather? Dafuq is wrong with me?!?! Saying that.... vroom vroom, baby!

It's been about 15 years, but we're back on Ubuntu, baby! Was given the dual boot option, but honestly there's nothing Windows can offer me that Linux doesn't already. Perhaps somewhat more cohesive documentation and UI support

Here we go again: a #MutualAid 🧵 There are many people more worthwhile than me, but I need to ask for help. Again. I'm in arrears on my credit cards and maybe 2 loans,. I'm eating 1 meal a day, I missed last month's rent, and I think a tyre on my car has a slow puncture; maybe 2 tyres.

Dear lord this brings back childhood memories. #Muppets #Nostalgia www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAUa...

The motorbike hunt continues and I've expanded the search to London. Perhaps a 1999 Honda VT125 Shadow? It looks drop dead gorgeous and makes a nice low rumble.

1/ 'Hindsight is always 20/20' as the saying goes. And one might say that when excusing the previous government's handling of the Covid Pandemic. But seeing as it was the Tories, that they made money out of it, made one law for us and one for themselves,

🕯 Today we pause to remember the trans people whose lives were taken by violence this year. Those lost to hatred, and those lost to the unbearable weight of living in a world that too often refuses to see their worth. We hold every name and every story in our hearts. #TDOR

Today, on Transgender Day of Remembrance, we remember the transgender lives lost to violence. The Green Party stands shoulder to shoulder with transgender people in the face of increasing transphobic rhetoric in our society and politics.

Another let down in the search for a 125cc cruiser. Almost had a Suzuki Marauder.

My widow's peak has suffered coastal erosion to become a widow's bluff.

Something something DECENTRALISED INTERNET something something SINGLE POINT OF FAILURE something something OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE!

At the gym: "Why the hell do these 10kg dumbbells feel so heavy? I do 10kg at home usually." Gets home. "Oooh that's 7.5kg. I can maths." At least I'm pretty.

The seller I was going to buy a suzuki marauder from was given me vibes, so I found a newer model nearer. New seller is taking it to the mechanics tomorrow to sort out 'a rattle', and after that we'll see. Might work out cheaper as well!

I had a terrible night's sleep. My AuDHD kicked in with looping thought patterns. So today's D&D session is going to be interesting, and so help me if they change their mind to go the wave echo caves before Thundertree, I'm throwing D4s at them.