A New Day

Who has watched the show Mythic Quest? I have just started it yesterday and I have made it to season 2. It is strangeley addicting and keeps me wanting to watch more and more. I find that it keeps me involved just like the US version of Ghosts does. Something about a Dinosaur loving stripper being added to the cast and then taken away so fast. Who knows maybe he will need to return just like Pete does to ensure that his body does not disappear.

Does anyone have any game options that are kind of like Mythic Quest? I do not think that would be a game that I would enjoy but I would for sure like to try.

So today is the voting day at the Senate for the “CR”, which is not really a CR. Sadly it seems that the Democratic members are going to cave and prove once again that they have no backbone. To me it seems like a no brainer to vote no and force the Executive branch and the House to negotiate faithfully. Which to this day has yet to happen. I am also now hopping that when Schumer is up for reelection that AOC will challenge his seat, cause someone that is not afraid to stand up for the American people.

On a different note, I bought a new fountain pen that came in earlier this week. It is from Monteverde, the Titanium Inova. I was excited to have a titanium nib, which I got in a medium. Though to my disappointment it is quite scratchy and does not feel smooth when writing with it. This leads me to think that I need to focus more on steel and gold nibs that are softer and more consistent.

Well have a good weekend everyone!

Signing off,

Francis Parlet - ParletCo

Day 3

Well today, I decided it was finally time to clean my fountain pens. I had been putting it off, mostly because it can feel tedious to do, but I was disliking having to dip the pens in water to restart them whenever I wanted to write with them.

Instead of having close to 20 pens in use I decided to lower that down to a modest 9. That more had to do with the fact that I was not going to be cleaning 3 of them that are vacuum pens and were still writing well without needing to be dipped into water.

The pens I have currently inked are:

Pelikan M800 inked with Robert Oster Caffe Creme

Leonardo Momentum inked with Twisbi Orange

Lamy Nasa Vista inked with Robert Oster Fire on Fire on Fire in collaboration with The Pen Addict

Parker Titanium (2013ish) inked with Diamine Red Dragon

Jinhao 10 inked with Birmingham Pen Co. Tiger Lily

Monteverde MP1 inked with Wearingful 13 Children

Asvine V200 inked with Sailor Manyo Nekoyanagi

Retro 51 Escape Fountain Pen to Rollerball Conversion inked with Birmingham Pen Co. Mountain Thistle

It may seem like a lot but I promise it is more than worth it. Each color/pen has different use cases in my daily life from journaling, work, and random note taking. I even do some of my Postcrossing Postcards and letters to friends and family with the different pens.

Signing Off,

Francis Parlet - ParletCo

The struggle to encrypt is real…

This would be my third attempt tonight to encrypt my 2Tb NVME SSD using VeraCrypt. The first time I was not near my laptop when it completed and apparently I needed to give it permission to access the drive it just finished encrypting. Which then proceeded to fail when I attempted to decrypt it. The second time I sat through the hour long encryption process only for it to fail at the end because I did not erase the drive the from the first attempt. So now here we are at the third attempt. I made sure to format the drive first, so here’s to hoping that it works.

Now you may be asking what the ice packs are for… Well hard drives do not like to be hot. Encrypting takes a lot out of a drive with lots heat involved. I am hoping that the ice packs will help ease up some of the heat being generated since the whole Thunderbolt 4 enclosure is a big piece of metal. Only time will tell now. An estimated 59 minutes left at 2100 hrs CDT.

Signing Off (Sorta, I’ll still be on the laptop… lol)

Francis Parlet - ParletCo

Day 2

I finished the book Kindred yesterday, and it was really good. I found myself wishing it was longer, though it did feel slightly repetitive towards the end. Despite this, I began to feel genuine remorse for many of the characters.

Next up is a non-fiction pick titled Unit X. I have always felt that the government moves at what seems slower than a snail’s pace when it comes to advancing technology. During my time in the Army, I participated in many pilot runs of different software solutions such as Microsoft’s Azure Virtual Desktop and utilized a FIPS-compliant YubiKey Type C as my Common Access Card. However, I frequently encountered resistance from others who felt I should simply be content with the available technologies instead of seeking newer options.

My current position with the Air National Guard embodies this resistance perfectly. Rather than approaching me directly with questions or seeking clarification on the technologies I use, my colleagues often turn to our local Comm Command (think of them as local IT) to complain that I’m breaking rules or shouldn’t be doing what I do. For example, when I brought my personal MacBook to meetings and used my YubiKey to remotely access my Azure Virtual Desktop—taking advantage of my phone’s hotspot and a battery life greater than 20 minutes—I faced criticism instead of understanding. Efforts to make my job easier always seemed to be met with resistance. Ultimately, this frustration contributed significantly to my feeling unfulfilled in this position, prompting me to pursue another bachelor’s degree at Dakota State University.

Enjoy your weekend—I hope it is filled with many exciting plans!

Signing Off,

Francis Parlet ParletCo

My First Blog Post

I’m not entirely sure yet what I want to blog about, but I think it’s worthwhile to give it a try.

Starting Somewhere

I might as well begin with an introduction.

Hello Everyone,

My name is Francis Parlet. I am a 26-year-old adventurer with diverse interests and several distinct passions. I graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Management Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC). This summer, I’ll begin pursuing my second bachelor’s degree at Dakota State University, specializing in Artificial Intelligence.

I served just over five years as an Active Duty Army Finance Soldier, where I had the privilege of meeting and working alongside many incredible people in Kentucky, Georgia, and the Middle East. Currently, I work for the South Dakota Air National Guard. However, given the uncertainties introduced by recent political developments affecting the federal workforce, I have decided to step back and fully dedicate my attention to my studies.

My hobbies and passions include fountain pens, technology (particularly Apple products and Artificial Intelligence), Nintendo gaming, stamp collecting, casual coin collecting, traveling (though it’s been a while since my last big trip), and reading.

These interests suggest several promising topics for my blog. Although narrowing my focus might offer clarity and consistency, there’s also appeal in the freedom to write spontaneously about whatever sparks my interest day-to-day.

Only time will reveal what this blog becomes, or if I’ll even remember to keep writing!

Signing Off,

Francis Parlet ParletCo