Hello world!

That’s what it all starts with, right? In coding your first program is always a Hello world! to get you used to the basics. It is also (at least in my experience) an intro to how fiddly the language will be later on. If the basic program is a little complicated? Whoo, you’re gonna have fun later on.

I suppose this is where I introduce myself. I go by many names across the years and landscapes I’ve wandered, but you can call me Thistle. This is my little slice of the digital landscape that I’m finally setting roots down in and making choices about. Thistle’s also the most private name I have that’s mine. It’s my own little identifier in a collective I’m a part of, and if you know, you know. If you don’t know? Well, that’s alright too.

I could spill out my entire life story here, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned the value of boundaries and secrets. Privacy is an important aspect of life, especially nowadays.

As it stands currently, it’s April 8th of 2025, current mood/music is Japanese Lo-Fi, and I’m winding down from a day of decently productive studying. Study for IT certifications, remember you have an unused domain name and website hosting that has been sitting fallow for a bit, and one thing leads to another.

I’ve never been much of a journal person. Sure, I liked buying the fancy notebooks and journals back when I was younger, but I’d never use them. I needed to save them for the perfect time, otherwise I might ruin them with something silly. Older me, thankfully, has realized over the years that tools are meant to be used, and the notebooks I’ve acquired over the last few years are nicer than the ‘fancy’ ones of my youth, though not as showy. I’ve also gotten into fountain pens and inks with the understanding with myself that no matter what I get, it has to be able to be used.

I suppose this will be my small creative outlet out there. Something under my control that I don’t have to share if I don’t want to. I think everyone needs something like that – a space to call their own. And considering my current life stresses, virtual is one of my few options at the moment.

Stay safe out there.

-Thistle