Why I Finally Ditched Firefox After Years of Loyalty

Have you ever realized how easy it is to fall into a tech rut? We stick with what’s familiar, whether it’s the same brand of cereal or the same make of car. For me, that rut has been Mozilla Firefox. I’ve used it for what feels like forever. Honestly, I can’t even remember when I started, but it has been my go-to browser across Windows, Mac, and my phone. Back then, Firefox felt fast, feature rich, and easy to use. Plus, it offered something I really wanted: the ability to sync bookmarks between my iPhone and Windows. That was a game changer at the time. Of course, now every modern browser does that, syncing bookmarks, autofill, and passwords so you can pick up where you left off on any device.

But last week, things changed. Firefox started driving me crazy. Pages were slow, the spinning wheel was constant, and overall performance just wasn’t great. This wasn’t just on one computer, it was happening on both my work and home machines. So, I decided to do something radical for me: give Google Chrome a full day test drive.

At first, I only installed Chrome on my work computer. Sure, I’ve used Chrome, Edge, Safari, and others over the years, but never as my primary browser for an entire day. This time, I committed. And wow, within the first hour, the difference was obvious. Pages loaded faster. Everything felt snappier. Out of curiosity, I tried Safari for an hour too. It was also faster than Firefox, but Chrome still felt like the winner. Then I gave Microsoft Edge a quick spin and again, super fast. No surprise there, Edge and Chrome share the same Chromium engine.

Here’s the thing: I’ve always had multiple browsers installed for testing, but I never thought about switching permanently. After this experience though, I officially moved to Chrome on all my devices. There’s a small learning curve, figuring out where settings live and getting used to tab behavior, but overall, I’m impressed. Websites load noticeably faster, and the whole experience feels smoother.

Thinking back, it’s funny how far browsers have come. I remember using Netscape Navigator way back in the day. Mosaic too, in the early 1990s. Netscape launched in 1994, and I stuck with it for years. Then came Internet Explorer. I used IE for a long time, mostly because some sites wouldn’t work on anything else. Eventually, I switched to Firefox, and now here I am, making the leap to Chrome. Will I stay here forever? Probably not. Tech moves fast, and I like to keep an open mind.

So, what about you? What browser do you use and why? Do you stick with one across all your devices or mix and match?

This might not be the most thrilling topic, but it’s part of my tech journey, and I wanted to share it. Until next time, have a great Sunday and an amazing week ahead!

A Weekend in Tulsa: Celebrating Eddie and Kiersten

Kiersten and Eddie Married

Carrie and I took a weekend trip to Tulsa, OK. We left Friday morning and returned Sunday afternoon. My friend Eddie got married on Saturday, and we were excited to be there for the celebration.

Picked up TBo from Airport

We met up with Eddie late Friday afternoon at our hotel. We had picked up TBo (Tommy), who had flown in from Houston. His flight was delayed, which gave Carrie and me a chance to do some shopping. Since we were all staying at the same hotel, we planned to meet at 5 p.m. when the bar opened. We had a few drinks before heading out to dinner that evening.

Sunset at Wedding Venue

I really enjoy Tulsa. It’s a fun town, and our hotel was in a great location with plenty to do nearby. Eddie’s parents, Carol and Charlie, were also staying at the hotel. They treated us to dinner Friday night and lunch on Saturday. We had a great time! It was wonderful to be able to make the trip and celebrate with Eddie. I met his fiancée Friday evening at dinner. I’m so happy for them—they’re a great match. I’ve known Eddie for over ten years. I’m not exactly sure when we first met, but he started attending the King Biscuit Blues Festival years ago, and we became friends through that.

Carrie and me with Sunset Backdrop

The weather was perfect for the wedding. On Friday and Saturday, temperatures were in the 70s with wispy clouds and a beautiful sunset, creating the perfect backdrop for the countryside ceremony. Around 50 to 60 people attended, and it was a fun night. The ceremony was beautiful, and the party afterward was lively. They served BBQ for dinner—some of the best catered BBQ I’ve had at a large event. The wedding cake was delicious too. I limited myself to one piece, but I definitely could have gone back for more.

At the Bar Enjoying the Friday Night

Friday night was a late one, spent catching up and enjoying time with friends. Saturday night was more low-key since TBo and a few others had early flights. Carrie and I headed back to the hotel and caught up on some shows.

Hanging with the Groom

We left Sunday morning to head back to Topeka after a fun weekend. The weather had shifted across the Midwest. It dropped into the 40s in Tulsa, and by the time we got back to Topeka, it was down to freezing. I’m glad the weather held out and was so nice for the wedding celebration.

Networking, Sessions, and Southern Charm: My EDUCAUSE 2025 Recap

I traveled to Nashville, TN for work to attend EDUCAUSE 2025. I made several new connections, caught up with old friends, and had many conversations with vendors. It was a great trip, though I was exhausted when I returned home on Thursday. Still, it felt good to be back at EDUCAUSE. I hadn’t attended the conference since 2012, when it was held in Denver, CO.

This year, a new feature called Braindates was introduced. These were small group discussions with peers from other campuses and vendors on specific topics. I participated in two Braindates, and on Thursday morning, I led a session focused on upskilling staff. I really enjoyed the format and would definitely do them again.

I flew out early Monday morning and returned late Thursday night. Each day was packed with sessions, meetings, and evening social events. I also had the chance to eat at some great spots. My first visit to Nashville was in June 2024 to celebrate my friend Corrie's birthday, and we had a fantastic time. It was fun to return for the conference and recognize many of the places we visited last year. I’m looking forward to going back again to explore more.

On Monday night, I attended a vendor-hosted event at Husk, a unique venue that appears to be a converted historic home. It was a great setting to connect with colleagues, enjoy some excellent drinks, and eat well. After the social, a few of us headed to Broadway to find a Chiefs bar and watch the game. After a long day of travel, I left at halftime and watched the second half from my hotel room.

While EDUCAUSE offered great sessions and networking opportunities, I did have a complaint about the conference app. It didn’t allow me to add sessions directly to my personal calendar, which made scheduling difficult. I had to manually input events, and with vendor meetings and colleague meetups, it was hard to keep track of everything. At other conferences, like ELive 2025, sessions could be added to my calendar seamlessly. I was double-booked on Tuesday and missed some sessions I had planned to attend. Wednesday and Thursday were smoother after I adjusted my schedule to allow more time between meetings.

Tuesday night, I had dinner at Jeff Ruby's with a small group. The food was excellent—my steak was cooked perfectly, and the sides were great. It was a fun evening filled with good conversation and information sharing.

On Wednesday night, I joined another small group for lively discussion hosted by a vendor. I connected with CIOs from Johnson County Community College, Nebraska Community College, UMass, and UNLV. It was a great venue and a night full of engaging conversations.

It had been a long time since I last attended EDUCAUSE, so it was great to be back and reconnect with both new and familiar faces. I’ll be encouraging staff to attend next year when the conference returns to Denver, Colorado for 2026.

Have a great rest of your Sunday and a wonderful week!

Returning to C2T Ranch: A Perfect End to Camping Season

We went on our last camping trip of the season and returned to a place we had only visited once before but loved so much that we had to go again. We stayed at C2T Ranch on the Saline from October 17 to 19. This is a HipCamp site we first visited in 2022, and we were excited to go back. This spot never disappoints. It is on a working ranch where we saw and heard cattle roaming the land. At night, after going to bed, we heard coyotes in the distance. It was a fun spot, and we ate well too.

We decided to rent a U-Haul so we could all travel together in one vehicle, which worked out great. We went with Erin and Greg, who joined us on our first trip to C2T Ranch in 2022, so we all had good memories to revisit. We left early Friday morning and already had plans for lunch in Plainville, Kansas, where we ate at The Handle Bar Tavern and Eatery. It is an excellent spot north of Hays, Kansas, where we enjoyed drinks and delicious food. The Handle Bar Tavern and Eatery has a large menu, and everything the four of us ordered was excellent. I highly recommend stopping by if you are in western Kansas.

Check-in for our HipCamp was at 2 pm, and we arrived right on time. It looked just the way we remembered from our first visit. We set up quickly and were ready for the evening with fresh hamburger meat delivered by the HipCamp host. We did this the first year and remembered how good the burgers were on the open range. Along with the meat, we ordered potatoes to cook over the campfire.

Since we had an early start Friday morning, we did not stay up very late that night. I think we were all in our tents by 1 am. It was getting rather cold, so we were ready to call it a day. It was a fun first day of travel, camping, and relaxing.

Saturday morning we all got up somewhat early to make pancakes. Waking to the sound of cattle far off in the distance was something I had never experienced before. We all talked about how, during our previous visit, we did not recall hearing any cows. We guessed they were in a different pasture in 2022, which is why we did not hear them then. This time they were loud throughout the night and most of Saturday. Mid-afternoon the winds started, just as we expected, and that helped drown out the cows, but then we had to deal with gusts up to 40 to 50 mph. Chairs were flying around, items blew off tables, tents came unlatched, and even a few tumbleweeds rolled through our campsite.

We managed to play some cornhole Saturday afternoon before the winds really picked up. We had a few tournaments, but as the wind strengthened, we realized the game had to end because the bags were turning in the air and landing in random directions. It was still a fun afternoon as we listened to the sounds of the ranch, played music, and enjoyed games.

Saturday night we planned to cook pork tenderloin for dinner over the campfire. Greg took the lead in preparing the pork, and we got the fire ready for cooking. The pork turned out juicy and flavorful, and everyone enjoyed it. Erin and Carrie made instant mashed potatoes that paired perfectly with the pork.

After dinner and cleanup, we sat around the campfire enjoying the warmth. Having an unlimited supply of firewood is a real treat at this HipCamp because it allows us to keep the fire going as long as we want without worrying about finding more wood.

When Sunday morning rolled around, we were all sad to pack up and head home. As we packed, we talked about how we need to do the Hays, Kansas trip again and stay for more nights. We will see when we can fit that into our camping schedule since this year was busy with multiple trips. We enjoy camping so much, and I look forward to doing it again next year.

Until next time, have a great rest of your Sunday and a wonderful week.

Blues, Friends, and Good Times at King Biscuit Blues Festival 2025

I’m behind on this week’s update since I was away camping over the weekend, so here’s another short recap of the prior week.

The 2025 King Biscuit Blues Festival took place over two days this year: October 10 and 11. That’s one day shorter than in previous years. After almost not having a festival at all, it was great to enjoy two days of music, friends, and blues.

Corrie didn’t attend this year, which meant Carrie didn’t either. Eddie and I headed down on Wednesday even though the festival was only Friday and Saturday. We planned to meet up with Tommy, Eddie’s childhood friend, Tommy’s nephew Eddie, and Bart, a family friend. We stayed together for four nights in a VRBO. Two nights on our own before the festival started gave us time to relax and get ready for the fun.

The house was in Dundee, MS, right across the river from Helena, AR. It was our first time staying there for the festival, and it turned out to be a great spot. We spent time relaxing by the lake, enjoying the sun patio, and watching baseball at the house while we prepared for the weekend.

Thursday is usually busy with the festival kicking off, but this year was different. We had a laid-back day with lunch in downtown Helena and plans for dinner at Kathryn’s that evening. We called ahead and heard their voicemail say they were now open Thursday through Saturday. Perfect! We left a message for reservations. But when we arrived Thursday night, they were closed. We were so disappointed because we had really been looking forward to that meal. Instead, we headed back to the house and had leftovers from the night before.

Friday, the festival began, and we had a great time. There were some solid acts, including regulars we see every year like Anson Funderburgh. The weather was perfect, not too hot, cold, or rainy. Ideal for a festival.

Saturday was another good day of music and catching up with friends. With the schedule changes and uncertainty about the festival, the crowd wasn’t as big as usual for a Saturday night, but it was still a fun day and a great festival overall.

Until next time...

Sunshine, Leaves, and a Little Dog Named Oliver

Our little Oliver has been loving the fall weather lately. Earlier this week, Carrie took him on a walk through the neighborhood. Although they couldn’t find a spot on the patio at Salute, he still enjoyed the outing. Trotting through the fallen leaves and soaking in the crisp air, he was the big dog on the block. A few times over the past couple of weeks, we’ve let him outside, and he just sits in the sun with a goofy look on his face, completely content and clearly enjoying life.

This is also the kind of weather where, on a typical weekend when I’m trying to watch football, Oliver insists on going in and out of the house a dozen times. Eventually, I just prop the door open so he can come and go as he pleases. Of course, he’d still prefer that one of us be outside with him to enjoy the weather together.

Seeing the leaves fall is a welcome sight as we hope for a long, beautiful autumn and an easy winter ahead.

12 Down, 8 to Go: The Reading Challenge Continues

I continue my reading routine, reading every day. I would normally read only in the evening before going to bed, but over the past few weeks, I’ve been reading during the noon hour while eating lunch. I can usually get about 45 minutes of reading in during the week at lunch, so I’m hoping this will help me meet my reading goal for the year of twenty books.

As of today, I’ve read 12 of 20 books for the year. I’m currently reading two books that will help me toward my goal. The first is Their Shadows Deep by Peter Golden, which is a free book I got from Amazon a few months ago. It’s been interesting and keeps me engaged. I typically read this one at night before going to bed. The other book I just started is The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown. I’ve enjoyed reading Dan Brown’s books, so when I saw this was released in September, I knew I had to splurge and get it early. I’m still early into the book, but so far, I’ve liked what I’ve read.

Last year, I came up way short of my reading goal, so I’m hoping this year I can meet or exceed it. I recently finished The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb, and I enjoyed it. Carrie told me after I finished that she had read another book by Wally Lamb, so I might have to try another one of his later this year.

Only a few months left in the year, so I have some work to do if I’m going to hit 20 books. The reading challenge tells me I need to read three books to get back on track. Gulp! I’m not sure I’ll get there, but I’m enjoying the process.