./janella.com

I just found out both my teenage kids are running iOS 26 Developer Beta on their phones. I tried explaining the pros and cons and what a developer beta is for, but it’s in one ear out the other. “My friends are doing it, dad. Why can’t I?”

I attended The Talk Show Live From WWDC 2025 in San Jose last week. It was the first time I ever attended a taping, and it happened to coincide with the first time in the last 10 years where there wasn’t an Apple executive on the panel. It was still a good show, slightly over 2 hours long, covering Apple’s announcements the day prior. I took this photo using the iPhone 16 Pro Max, about 10 rows back, stage right.

Not bad, right?

The full video is on YouTube.

About a week ago, I deactivated all of my social media accounts—TikTok, Instagram, BlueSky, Threads, and even Facebook (though, let’s be honest, I barely use Facebook anymore). No big announcement. No dramatic “see you later.” Just gone. Quietly.

Sometimes the need to disconnect comes slow. Other times, it hits all at once.

Lately, I’ve felt spread too thin—skimming through feeds, double-tapping photos I won’t remember, saving videos I’ll never go back to. Social media, for all its good, can feel like a low hum that never turns off. I wanted silence. Or at least, something closer to it.

So I signed out.

Now, I’m giving my attention back to this blog—the place that’s always been mine, even when I’ve neglected it. It’s dusty. A bit uneven. But it feels like home. There’s something grounding about writing in a space that doesn’t exist to chase algorithms or ride trends. Just me, my thoughts, and the occasional photo.

Speaking of photos…

For my birthday this year, I received a Fujifilm X100VI. I’ve been a Sony A7III shooter for years—still love it—but man, that thing is heavy. Beautiful sensor, serious performance, but not exactly casual. More of a “strap it on and commit” kind of camera. When I wasn’t using it, I defaulted to my iPhone. Which, honestly, is great in the moment but never feels like I’m photographing, just… snapping.

The X100VI hits differently.

It’s compact enough to bring everywhere, but still makes me think about the frame. It slows me down, in a good way. Makes me see again. I’m relearning the feel of shooting with intention. And more than anything, I’m reminding myself to just take more photos. Not for likes, not for a curated feed—just because I enjoy it.

The plan, if you can call it that, is to post here more often. Short entries, maybe a photo or two. Nothing big. But something real.

For now, I’m enjoying the quiet. Social media will still be there when I’m ready to return. Maybe in a week. Maybe longer. But for now, I’m making space—for photos, for writing, for something a little less frantic.

And that feels like a break worth taking.

My MINI stripped of its wheels. Don’t worry, she’ll be getting some new ones soon.

This nighttime photo was taken with iPhone XS Max. It turned out OK, didn’t it?

Concert photo of Garbage at the Fox Theater in Oakland, California last night. They played a lot of obscure or b-side tracks.

Not much of a timelapse. I’m impressed by the clouds more than the partial eclipse.

The girls and I went to breakfast at the local diner the other day. They find eating at a diner so comforting. 📷

Enjoyed the beach today with the family.

The beach last week.

I have been here blogging on and off since 2001.

Lately, I’ve been in the off mode. Life has been busy for the last six years. Raising kids, changing jobs, and dealing with the general curveballs life throws. Times for carefree thought is rare. When an opportunity presents itself, it is almost always limited to what you can do on your iPhone. So posting an Instagram photo, sharing my status on Facebook, or reblogging on Tumblr is almost only what can be done.

There is an opportunity here.

I have often been depressed looking at this space, where my blog would reside, and seeing it going unused. I still go to my Tumblr. I go to my Instagram. My Facebook. I use the web of services and tools that pervade my daily life.

This page will now be the launching pad, the hub, the Grand Central Terminal of my interweb life. A small snippet of a post or a photo that leads to other photos will be placed here. To access the main content, simply click the link after the posting.