2026-06-12 · homelab
Proxmox, finally
I finally moved the home server off a bare-metal Ubuntu install and onto
Proxmox. I'd been putting it off because the existing setup worked, and
working things are dangerous to touch.
But the moment I could take a snapshot before changing something, the whole
mood shifted. I'm no longer nervous about updates. Worst case I roll back two
minutes. That confidence is worth more than any specific feature.
Next: figure out backups that aren't just "hope." A second node would help,
which is its own rabbit hole — see below.
2026-05-28 · buying
The mini PC hunt continues
I want a small, quiet, low-power box to run as a second node — something I can
tuck on a shelf and forget. The problem is everyone else wants the same thing.
Good listings on the local marketplaces sell within minutes. What's left is
usually an older NUC with a fan that sounds like it's clearing its throat, or
something priced like it's still 2021.
I've decided I'm not in a hurry. The right one shows up when you stop refreshing
the page every ten minutes. Probably.
2026-05-15 · reselling
Reselling math
Spent an evening on a flip that looked great on paper. Buy low, sell at the going
rate, pocket the difference. Easy.
Then I actually did the arithmetic: platform fees, the gas to go pick it up, the
time spent messaging three people who were never going to show. The "profit"
quietly evaporated.
Not a loss — just not worth an evening. I'm writing it here so the next time a
deal looks obvious, I remember to subtract the boring parts first.