Evie Day 595

Good morning! It’s Thursday! Today is 31 October 2024.

Oh, yeah… it’s Halloween.

I expect one costumed visitor today, a cute little girl named Evelyn. Other than that, probably not many or any trick-or-treaters, and at my age, that’s ok.

My training partner and I will be wrapping up our course today, which will likely take care of my four-day classes for the year. The only classes on my schedule are a series of one-day classes on working with AI prompts.

Last night the guys gathered around the flat-panel displays to play a bit, and we did. I can’t say we accomplished much, but we did enjoy each other’s company, and that’s what matters most.

I’ve got to do a little brainstorming later. I have an idea I need to build out a bit. It’s work stuff, and it has a little potential.

The news is on. I tell you what, I am so glad the election will be over in less than a week.

That is all I have. I’m a bit boring today.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 594

Good morning, and a happy Hump day to you all. Today is 30 October 2024.

I will not be wearing a costume tomorrow. Not in my idiom, Halloween or not.

I spoke the first two days of my security class, and now I’ll be monitoring the chat while my training partner takes the wheel for today and tomorrow’s sessions. I’ll be able to focus on some other projects I have going, including a little exam prep.

Tonight, the guys will gather in front of glowing screens and try to make a fictional fantasy world safer for the humanoids.

It’s hard to believe October is almost over, November begins on Friday, and the end of the calendar year is in sight. I even bought a Christmas present in October—that’s rather out of character for me, as I’m the kind of guy who does most of his Christmas shopping in December, on dates that start with a “2.”

Other than that, I can’t say that a whole lot is going on. Reading, writing, learning, waiting… but not a lot of activity.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 593

Good morning, and a most happy Taco Tuesday to you all. Today is 29 October 2024.

Two more days until Lisa and I get to enjoy the peace and quiet of Halloween out in the country. We might have one little costumed trick-or-treater, but that’s all we expect to see.

Yesterday was the first day of a four-day class, and I am delivering the first two days, and my training partner is delivering the Wednesday-Thursday sessions. That means today is my last significant day this week in front of the microphone, and then I’ll be in a support role for the balance of the course.

Last night I started off watching some football, but then flipped over to Chopped reruns for most of the evening, some old episodes from some years back. It was the Celebrity Chopped tournament, and I’m not sure I want Sinbad making dinner.

I don’t have to worry about Sinbad making dinner tonight, because there is a plan, and tacos will be on the menu.

A weird shadow is hanging in the air – it’s a week from the election. More ballot boxes have been set on fire in a few states. I can’t help but wonder if the ballot box fire bombings are part of a wider strategy to undermine the election, get it thrown out, and then the decision about the election goes to the House of Representatives, which is currently controlled by the GOP. That is a real concern, and it seems completely within the realm of possibility in light of today’s political atmosphere. That is rather depressing.

OK, time for me to get focused on the day ahead.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 592

Good morning, and a happy Monday to you all. Today is 28 October 2024.

OK, weekend sports recap. KU lost in the 4th quarter after holding a lead, again, dropping to 2-6 on the season. The Kansas City Chiefs have moved to 7-0 on the season, the last undefeated team in the NFL. Kansas men’s basketball sat three players on Friday night for a charity exhibition basketball game at Arkansas and lost by an uncomfortable margin, but it was an exhibition game, and it’s some comfort knowing that game doesn’t count.

I spent some time on work projects this weekend and enjoyed the joyful distraction of Evie. Gracie has a couple of appointments, one Saturday, one Sunday, so Lisa and I spent some time with our granddaughter. Saturday morning cookie baking has a new fan, and Evie’s Uncle Dane also enjoyed the experience. Evie sure seems to enjoy hanging out with her uncle with the big curly mop of auburn hair.

I am back in my virtual classroom in about an hour. Time for me to shift my focus and think about the day ahead, make some coffee, grab a little breakfast.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 589

Good morning! I wish you all a pleasant last day of the Western work week. Today is Friday, 25 October 2024.

We had a little rain roll through last night, and it was most welcome. I went outside on the front porch, and enjoyed the fresh rain sound and smell, and the small-scale light show.

Yesterday was a pretty good work day. We stayed focused on the material and had a pretty successful run through the labs in the afternoon. Today will be more of the same, along with my class closing.

I’ve got a little work to do on some side projects. I wanted to work on them last night, but after a full day of work and some other things that have been weighing on my mind, I didn’t dive into stuff last night like I probably should’ve.

I read (listen?) to executive book summaries every workday as part of my lunch routine. It’s kind of funny – I stick to themes of productivity, and developing better habits, and although I’ve gone through 70 or so book summaries, I can’t tell you too many real book titles. The themes remain, and they help – it’s a lot of reinforcement on the positive side, and it is kind of funny how the same themes appear and reappear in this class of non-fiction self-help books. I’ll keep maintaining the practice.

This weekend will have a couple of sports events – the KU Jayhawks will travel to the middle of the state to play the KSU Wildcats. Kansas has lost 15 in a row to KSU, and I don’t expect that to change… KSU has had a good season so far, while Kansas had the wheels come off in week two.

That’s where I’m at… not much else to focus on at the time.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 588

Good morning! Happy Thursday! Today is 24 October 2024.

We are one week away from Halloween.

I like living out in the country. No kids knocking on the door.

We might have one darling little visitor, as I expect to see Evelyn in her Halloween costume at some point during that day, and I am sure there will be pictures.

Last night we were a little short on players. A couple of guys are on vacation, and a couple of others are either on the mend or caring for others who are working through healthcare issues. I’ve been a part of this group for a few years now, and I get to play games with a bunch of pretty good guys, I am thankful they welcomed me into the party. I hope we can all get back together soon.

I took a call last night about a security issue some others have been coping with on an AI project. After the call, I started doing a little digging and I may have found a possible root of the problem. I’m going to try it out tonight to see it if helps overcome the problem.

I’ll be back in my virtual classroom in a bit, but before then, there will be coffee, leftover cinnamon rolls, and a little more research into the things I’m researching. I have a feeling it will be another mellow day, with temps right now in the 50s, eventually getting into a very pleasant mid-70s. I do love this time of year.

That’s about all I have, to be frank. My life has moments of excitement and longer periods of a fairly average experience. At my age, there’s only so much excitement I can handle.

If you haven’t participated in early voting, make a plan. Get it done, you’ll feel a little relief.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 587

Good morning! It’s Wednesday! Today is 23 October 2024.

One of the things I have mentioned to others, maybe not so much here, has been the lack of endorsements Trump has received from some of his former staffers, specifically the career military leaders John Kelly, James Mattis, and HR McMaster, all advisors, chiefs of staff, or cabinet members. One appointee, former Commander of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, has stated he believes Trump is a fascist. James Mattis has gone on the record as agreeing with Milley, and in a recent interview, former chief of staff John Kelly has made some very damaging statements about Trump, including his belief that Trump is a fascist who admires dictators, comments made after a soldier’s death pertaining to the cost of the funeral, and let us not forget the comments Kelly says Trump made in France prior to a ceremony to honor WWII soldiers that were buried there.

Lisa and I already voted, so we’re done, but with a couple of weeks to go, others might still be on the fence.

We had tacos last night. You probably could’ve guess that.

Tonight, I’ll do a little virtual tabletop gaming with the guys. A lot of it depends on who shows up… a couple of guys are on vacation, and one or two are on the mend from some recent health issues.

Lisa made cinnamon rolls for breakfast the other day, and there are a couple still in the airtight bag on the kitchen counter. I believe there will be coffee and cinnamon rolls in the future.

I’m going to get this in the can and get going on my day.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 586

Good morning, and a very happy Taco Tuesday to you all. Today is 22 October 2024.

Yesterday was a prep day, one of those days that pop up on my schedule every now and then so I can prepare for the upcoming class. This week, my class starts on Tuesday and runs through Friday. Next week, I switch back to a Monday through Thursday delivery. November… well, November will be pock-marked with a series of one-day deliveries, and December appears to be following the same plan.

Gracie and Evelyn came by yesterday afternoon. Gracie has started reading voraciously, which is a change for her. Growing up, Bonnie was always the bookworm, and Gracie was the crafty one, with projects lined up on her workbench. Something flipped with Gracie, and she’s now going through five or six books a week. She has Kindle Unlimited, but she’s not a fan of having to read on a full-size tablet, so I did the dad thing and picked her up a new Kindle. She acquainted herself with it yesterday while I spent a moment making goofy faces at my granddaughter.

The election is two weeks away.

I have been listening to executive book summaries, and I tell you what – I don’t know that I can name an author or title. 65 books or thereabouts, and a lot of positive tips on building better habits and staying focused. At this point, I listen to them during the lunch break, but so much of the content is repetitious, but it’s all positive reinforcement.

Power issues with my laptop… power keeps getting disconnected. I think I’ll be ok to get this wrapped up, but this little beast needs to sit on the charger awhile.

OK, time to think about breakfast and recording a bit for LinkedIn.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 585

Good morning, and a happy Monday to you. Today is 21 October 2024.

Ten days until Halloween.

I had a good weekend. I wrapped up my class late Friday afternoon, and I still have a little follow-up with folks, as they asked for some of my illustrations after class. I’ll get that attended to a little later. We did get done early enough on Friday that Lisa and I could make it to the polls on Friday afternoon before they closed at 6… we’ve voted, and we’re both happy to have the task completed.

Saturday was a pretty casual day. Lisa and I had breakfast with Dane and Gracie at IHOP before Lisa and Gracie went to do a little shopping and Dane and I took off down the street to the game store. After Dane & I returned home, I prepped a whole pork tenderloin for the smoker, and that turned out very well right around 5:00 Saturday afternoon.

The good news from the weekend was on the sports front. Kansas came off their bye week with a win over the University of Houston Cougars, and Kansas looked like the team we’d been hoping to see since week two. On Sunday, the Chiefs came out and played strong against the San Francisco 49ers and brought home another win, and the Chiefs are now the last undefeated team in the NFL (Sorry, Dan!).

Today is a prep day for me. I have plenty on my plate, including sketching out a couple of ideas. I also need to look at OBS and how I can do more creative recording. I have to look over tomorrow’s content and another team’s security issue with machine learning.

Tomorrow, another four-day security course. I look forward to that.

Other than that, there’s not much going on. I’ll make coffee and heat up some leftover chili and eggs from yesterday. A fresh pot of coffee will compliment that very well.

Until next time…

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 582

Good morning, and a very happy last day of the Western work week to you all. Today is Friday, 18 October 2024.

The news is on, and the primary topic is the Al Smith Dinner last evening, and Kamala Harris pre-recorded her bit, while Trump delivered a very cringeworthy talk comprised of bad jokes. He should hire new writers.

Last night was rather uneventful. I wrapped up my class at 5, jumped into a meeting at 5:05, and wrapped that a half-hour later. After that, it was mostly Thursday Night Football (not worth watching) and reading content online for work.

My thoughts now turn to this day and the weekend.

I’m not sure if Lisa has a plan for tomorrow morning. At times, we have gone into Kansas City to Sam’s or Costco, grabbing a bite of breakfast on the way. We haven’t discussed that yet, but I will endeavor to adapt to the situation on the fly.

There are some games on this weekend. Kansas will host (kind of) the Houston Cougars. This season has not gone as hoped for the Jayhawks, and I think some of it can be attributed to our home field situation – our stadium is being reconstructed, so we’re either playing at Children’s Mercy Park (soccer field for Sporting KC) and Arrowhead Stadium (home of the Chiefs). It just feels a bit disconnected. The new stadium can’t get done soon enough.

On Sunday, the Chiefs will play the San Francisco 49ers, the team they beaten twice in the Superbowl in the last five years. Both teams have been bitten by the injury bug, but so far this season, Kansas City has found a way to win all of their games so far, while the 49ers have dropped to a .500 record.

That’s about all I have. I have some mowing to do, other yard work. I probably ought to get the garage and barn space in order for our property vehicles.

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

Peace y’all.