Evie Day 581

Good morning! It’s Thursday! Today is 17 October 2024.

Yesterday was a good day. I did my regular routine, write, breakfast, coffee, and then my last few minutes of prep before my day behind the microphone. My class went well, and we had a pleasant learning experience, with a smattering of very insightful questions, most of them coming from a learner from Montreal.

Lisa arrived home from work shortly after 5 PM. She immediately changed into more casual attire and headed out the door to spend time with our granddaughter while our daughter took care of business with a client.

I joined the guys online and had a nice sidebar conversation with one of the new guys to the group who is originally from Berlin. I’ve been to Germany a few times, so we had a nice chat… he feels the same way about Heidelberg that I do… love that town.

Our gaming commenced, but we were a little shorthanded with a couple of our players on vacation trips. The gamemaster managed the game, giving us a little situational help. I did alright, and my digital dice did not let me down.

Lucy, the senior dog, is in the kitchen barking her head off. She must’ve cornered a dust bunny with ill intent.

Today is another day in the virtual classroom, and tonight will be a relaxing evening. I’ll get some reading done, and look over some other responsibilities I need to attend to before the end of the work week. There is a team meeting on Monday, so I need to get a couple of things in order on that front.

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 580 

Good morning, and a happy Humpday Wednesday to you all. Today is 16 October 2024.

I’m currently wondering if I qualify as “the enemy within”. I’m confident one candidate would consider me such.

OK, I got that out of my system.

One thing I would like to take a moment to say – I’ve got some friends who have been dealing with health issues, some inconvenient maladies, and a couple who are dealing with issues of life and death (no, not kidding). One is an old friend who helped me move out of my apartment and into a house with my wife when we were married in 1996. Matt was attached to my brothers at the hip back in the 80s and 90s, and in the last couple of years, he married one of my high school classmates. Matt has been on my mind, as has one of the guys from my gaming group, and this morning I read that another guy from the gaming group had to go to immediate care last night with a knee injury. This getting-old business is not for the faint of heart.

Last night there were tacos. They are now a pleasant memory. Ah, Tuesday.

My class went pretty well yesterday. We worked our way through the intro and the first couple of modules, emphasizing the prerequisite module, so folks understood what they were expected to have some experience in before showing up for an expert-level course. I also pointed them toward some interactive lab simulations if they realized that there might be a little knowledge gap.

Tonight, there might be a virtual tabletop game… I hope so. I also hope one of the guys is out of the hospital so he can join in.

In the meantime, I’ll make a pot of coffee, take my morning meds, and toast a bagel for breakfast.

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 579

Good morning, and a happy Taco Tuesday to you all. Today is 15 October 2024.

Woot… it’s payday… and there will be tacos on the table tonight.

Yesterday I had a pretty good day, teaching a one-day security course. There were some issues with creating some rules, but the folks in charge are aware of the issues. Today, I begin a four-day class, the same content I delivered next week. I don’t anticipate any problems with this next course. I’ll repeat the process a bit next week, with a four-day class running Tuesday through Friday, and a Monday full of meetings.

Last night, Lisa and I were both focused on some work tasks, so we kept “Chopped” reruns in the background while the laptops were on top of our laps. We also had a few dogs on our laps as well, as Odin, Rosy, and Lily know the drill. Lucy generally just looks at us, barks, and then ignores the lowered leg rest to accommodate her 13-year-old jumping ability.

After Lisa went back to the bedroom around 9:40, I flipped the channel over to Monday Night Football to watch one of my villains lose to the Buffalo Bills. I’m not an Aaron Rogers fan… he’s cut from the same mold as some other folks who blame everybody else for their own mistakes. He had a hand in getting his coach fired a week ago, I hope the Jets don’t win a game the rest of the year.

Let’s see cloud solutions architecture, meetings, and tacos. That’s all I have for the day. Pooches need smooches.

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 578

Good morning, and a happy first day of the Western work week to you. My name is Bob, and today is Monday, 14 October 2024.

What has happened since Friday’s post? I wrapped up my class late Friday afternoon, and kicked back most of the weekend, to be honest. Saturday we had a little fun, with Evelyn’s trip to the pumpkin patch. We walked around and looked at the pumpkins, the chickens, the ducks, and the cows. I think Evelyn was more interested in sitting and playing in the dirt rather than scanning the horizon for pumpkins. It was all good, there was cider and caramel corn, and all was happy and dusty at the pumpkin patch.

I’m usually pretty focused on sports this time of year, but this past weekend was a bye week for both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas Jayhawks. The Chiefs will play next Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, and the Kansas Jayhawks will host the University of Houston Cougars at one of the alternative playing sites around the area while Memorial Stadium undergoes a rebuild. I think the Chiefs have a good chance at winning, and I think the Jayhawks have an outstanding opportunity to once again have a lead at some point in the 4th quarter then blow it.

Yeah, I’m a bit cynical.

This week I have five days in my virtual classroom, with a one-day security workshop followed by a four-day security theory course.

That’s about all I have. There’s not too much going on, really.

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 575

Good morning, folks! It is the last day of the Western work week. It is Friday, 11, October 2024.

I’ve got the news on, and they are focused on the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. It’s pretty bad – the death toll is rising, and the property damage is substantial, well into the billions of dollars. The good news spin is focused on the dramatic rescues and the stories of minor miracles. 16 lives have been lost according to the current report, and I’m sure that number is going to go up as crews dig a little deeper into the wake left behind.

There’s a review of a speech by former President Barack Obama who is now out campaigning for Vice President Harris. He was talking about the lies on the campaign trail about FEMA and aid to the hurricane survivors. There are so many people with questions, people who have lost everything or almost everything, and one candidate is lying to their faces about aid that they qualify for. Despicable.

Last night the Yankees (payroll 300 million plus) defeated the Kansas City Royals (payroll 122 million) to win the ALDS. Congrats to the Yankees and their financiers.

I like salary caps.

Odin is barking at the TV set. It seems like all of the commercials in the morning feature dogs. I think there is some intent behind that. Get the dogs barking, and then their people have to look at the TV to see what all of the excitement is about – oh, look, a dog eating dog food, or dealing with an itch (just happened, Odin and Lily are losing their minds, and Rosy is thinking of taking a more active role in the mayhem).

I wrap up my four-day class today. Small group, but engaged. Next week is more of the same, with a one-day session on Monday followed by another four-day solo delivery.

OK, it’s time for me to get going, working on the day before me.

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 574

Good morning, and a happy Thursday to you all. Today is 10 October 2024.

Florida is waking up to some pretty severe damage along the interior coastline. A couple of friends have checked in, and I look forward to hearing from some others soon.

Last night, I got together with the guys to play a little virtual tabletop. The gentleman who invited me to join the group lives in Orlando, and a newer party member lives next door to him. We were all online enjoying getting out collective butts kicked by these giant rock things named after the Stark brothers from “Game of Thrones”, and over time we would notice the absences of Dan and Marcus, as they were dealing with the several Milton-related weather and electrical outages.

Another old buddy of mine was on Tic-Toc, walking about his house as the storm was passing through, his electrical generator keeping enough light going to refill his highball glass with a quality libation. I think it was a High West whiskey.

I’m back watching the news, watching some footage of a community that was struck hard by the hurricane, watching trees come apart in the wind like frail children’s toys. The next clip will be from water rescues.

I’ll be back in my virtual classroom in a couple hours. I don’t think any of my learners this week are in the wake of the path. I know I’ve got folks from Toronto, Baltimore, London, and Milan. I can’t recall the other locations off the top of my head, but I might have somebody from Atlanta.

OK time for me to focus on the day ahead, while Odin and Lily bark their little heads off.

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 573

Good morning, and a very happy Humpday Wednesday to you all. Today is 9 October 2024.

Today we are focused on sending some positive vibes to our friends in Florida who are in the path of Category 5 Hurricane Milton who is either going to burn the building down or put strychnine in the guacamole. Do not mess with a hurricane’s red stapler.

This could be one of the most devastating hurricanes in known history. I’m not kidding. People are going to die, and a lot of people are going to lose their homes with no opportunity to rebuild thanks to the home insurance issues in Florida.

I wish the thing would just concentrate its destruction on one Florida golf course and country club instead.

Last night, we did our usual thing: Taco Tuesday. I had a few, and I picked up an alternative meal for the rest of the family—basically meat, veggies, and cheese all prepped together to be dolloped into a tortilla.

I’ll be back in my virtual classroom in a couple of hours. Today I’ll be talking about storage of relational and non-relational databases as well as data integration tools.

I still have a segment to record for my video course. The funny thing is that the content they’ve asked me to record I remember recording a couple of times. It’s a short bit, so not skin off my nose, but it’s a little confusing.

Tonight, there may or may not be online gaming with the guys. Many of our group are based in Nevada and California, but Daniel is in Orlando, and we’ll be sending our friend all the positive intentions as this hurricane bears down on him and his family. I’ve got some other friends in the Tampa-St. Pete area. I want to let Doug and his wife, Ken, Jolene, and Tyler know they are in our thoughts. Be safe.

That’s what I’ve got for now.

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 572

Good morning, and a very happy Taco Tuesday to you all. Today is 8 October 2024.

Lucy, our senior dog, is losing it. She just starts barking at stuff, whether it exists in this plan or not. It’s kind of sad, always noisy, and often disruptive.

The sports fans around the greater Kansas City ADI (area of dominant influence) are all happy today. Last night the Kansas City Royals evened the American League Divisional Series with the New York Yankees with a final score of 4-2, thanks to a grand slam by Salvi Perez. The series now returns to Kansas City for games 3 and 4. Lisa and I also flipped over to Monday Night Football to watch the Kansas City Chiefs top the New Orleans Saints 26-13.

Like I said, a good evening for Kansas City sports fans.

I’ll return to my virtual classroom in a couple of hours after I finish recording a bit for YouTube. I have a four-day class that starts today and runs through Friday afternoon. Then there’s the weekend, followed by a one-day class and another 4-day solo gig with the same material I’m delivering today.

There will be tacos tonight, although I might just grab a couple of tacos and then an Alambre, an entree we scoop into tortillas.

That’s all I have this morning. Not too much excitement in this mundane life.

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 571

Good morning, and a happy beginning to the Western work week to you all. Today is Monday, 7 October, 2024.

I spent quite a bit of time in my office this last weekend. When I went to Seattle a couple of weeks ago, the intent was to record my demos on the second day in the studio, but with my voice wasn’t cooperating with that plan. I shot demos on Thursday and Friday, but on Friday afternoon we concluded that my videos weren’t optimal (my fault). I got a primer on a different software package, then went back to re-record my demonstrations. They told me the hard deadline was today at 9:00 AM Pacific time, but I got my act in gear and was able to post all of the demos by yesterday afternoon. That made for a long weekend, and I hope the guys at the main studio don’t have to edit out too many incidents of dog barking.

Today I have a prep day, and I am thankful for it. Originally, I had a one-day delivery scheduled for today, followed by a four-day class running Tuesday through Friday, but the one-day class had low enrollment, so it was canceled. Next week, though, I’ll be revisiting that idea, with a one-day followed by a four-day.

We had an interesting weekend here in Noria (this region to the east of Lawrence and a little to the south shows up as “Noria” on some maps. Part of me wants to look for a lost dwarven mine), with some extra life forms around. Gracie took the weekend to go see a friend, so Lisa, Dane, and I looked after her dogs, Colby and Bailey, while she was away. There was a little bit of extra barking, but Gracie’s dogs are very gentle – Colby can be a little bit over-salivated, but he’s alright, and Bailey is a Great Pyrenees, and that breed is so cool and calm.

I was just reminded that one year ago today, Hamas attacked Israel in a horrific act of terrorism, killing over a thousand Israelis and tourists. There are still a hundred people in captivity, but I doubt there are that many still alive.

Tonight, there will be a quandary for Kansas City area sports fans. Game two of the American League Divisional Series, the Kansas City Royals versus the New York Yankees, and Monday Night Football comes on an hour later with the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the New Orleans Saints in Kansas City.

I need to make a plan for dinner. Wings, ribs, pulled pork, or brisket? Decisions, decisions.

OK, I only have this one prep day for the next couple of weeks, so I better shift my sail a bit.

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Evie Day 568 

Good morning, and a happy Friday to you all. The end of the Western work week is upon us. Today is 4 October 2024.

Yesterday was not as productive as I had hoped. I started recording some demonstrations then noticed a ghostly image on the virtual machine I was working on, and realized I needed to start over on a different desktop to get rid of it, losing a couple of hours’ worth of work. After that, I was able to crank out some video and audio files for demos, but I didn’t get as much done as I had hoped. I’ll be back in the sunroom in another hour turning and burning through content. I’ll get the recordings completed by mid-morning now that I have a routine built around the process.

Bonnie, my oldest daughter, came by yesterday late afternoon for dinner, and she and her dog, Ruthie, stayed the night. Ruthie is a sweet dog, half standard poodle, half something else, and 100% generator of excess dog hair. We talked and watched a little TV – “Chopped”, then the ladies went to bed, and I finished off the evening watching the tail end of the Falcons/Buccaneers game, as the Falcons scored in the 4th quarter with no time remaining to tie, and then the Falcons went on to win in overtime.

I’ve got meetings later this morning, work to keep me busy this afternoon, and a trip to the doctor’s office to get some blood drawn for labs – time to follow up on my cholesterol and A1C levels.

Tonight we’ll have some time to relax before tackling the weekend’s responsibilities. Lisa and I will watch an episode of the “Great British Baking Show” and maybe something else. The Kansas City Royals square off against the New York Yankees in the American League Divisional Series, the Kansas Jayhawks face the Arizona State Sun Devils in the early evening, and my Chiefs don’t play until Monday night. Next week is full, full, full, with a regular 4-day class by myself and a 1-day class shoehorned in to complete the week.

Alright, enough of my ranting, time to focus on the day ahead of me.

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.