It’s a very cold Thursday evening in rural Douglas County, and I’m kicking back with my beloved, and watching a little TV. Did the Star Trek thing a little bit ago, and now falling back on one of her standards, “Law and Order:SVU”.

I finished up my class a full day early. It helps when your one student is an experienced technical trainer with an extensive background in Exchange server. I’ll spend some time online tomorrow and make myself available if she should need any other assistance.

I’ve got a pretty good stack (e-stack?) of courseware I need to go through over the next few weeks. Class was cancelled for next week, and I had some other prep time scheduled, so it will keep me pretty busy as I go through, try to figure out where they’re going with the labs, and also outline what I need to add to the course to give a little more value to the curriculum. I’m a trainer… it’s what I do.

Dane had school canceled tomorrow, so we might go grab a bite of lunch at one of our favorite spots. He’s busy with college-related paperwork. I’m almost a bit jealous of where he is in his life, on the verge of the most exciting adventure in his life to date.

Enough for now.

Peace y’all.

It’s a cold, freezing rain kind of day here in Kansas City, Missouri. I have a student performing labs remotely from Phoenix, Arizona, and she’s trying to avoid the cold weather there, with temperatures in the 50’s. I’m worried about driving home on a sheet of ice an inch thick.

I understand, though. Our opinions of tolerable weather are completely subjective. Some people get stressed over the need to wear a light jacket, others are fine in six feet of snow.

I like seasons. That doesn’t mean that I would be “put out” if I found myself sitting on a beach in Hawaii (preferably Kauai, that’s been my favorite island so far). The summers in Kansas can get unbearably hot, and winter weather can take a life just like it can inside the Arctic circle.

At this point, however, I’m avoiding the inevitable. Driving on ice is never a good idea. They’ve closed the schools in Lawrence, including the university, and they never do that unless they absolutely have to.

Tomorrow, I’ll be back at it, though. Get on the highway at twenty ’til seven, and probably take a little more leisurely drive in, slow and steady, pausing to count the vehicles in the ditch.

More discussion for another day, I guess.

Peace y’all.

It’s a Tuesday night here in rural Douglas County, and Kansas is about to go on the road to take on the Wildcats of Kansas State University in Manhattan.

The way KU plays on the road, it’s as reasonable expectation that K-State should win at home. It’s also reasonable that whoever wins February, wins the Big 12 conference regular season championship.

I’ve bee focused on work stuff today, the utility things, accounts and passwords, and supportive things.

Tomorrow,I head back to the classroom to teach my Exchange 2016 class. It’s been pretty good so far, but had to dial it back today in support of my student.

So many things going on around us right now, with Gracie, Bonnie, and Dane. Lisa is making travel plans. I should be making travel plans.

K-State off to strong start. Already finding myself adjusting my attitude. KU is not good on the road.

The words aren’t flowing quite as easy tonight. Other times, I can get focused on a topic and let things flow, but tonight is a bit different. Things I want to say, but can’t find the words to express, or things I’m choosing to suppress rather than express.

It’s just kind of an awkward night, and awkward time for self-expression. Like I said, sometimes it flows, sometimes it doesn’t.

I’ll get this wrapped up and get back to just “being”. Something will likely strike me later. Hopefully I’ll remember it and add it into tomorrow’s entry.

I’m just a guy trying to fulfill a pledge to myself to write two hundred words a day. Some days those words have a little more meaning than others.

Peace y’all.

Not all days are made the same, and that might be about as obvious a piece of faux wisdom I’ve ever placed on a page.

I returned to the classroom today after a prep week, and did my due diligence in preparation of the day. It’s going to be a great week, this I know, but at the same time there have been some strange things that have popped up. Nothing really major, nothing that can’t be addressed, that’s for sure.

The one student I have seems to be a bit of a kindred spirit. She knows what she needs for her job, and the other stuff she really couldn’t care less about. What’s a trainer to do other than adapt the curriculum to her needs? After all, it is her class.

It’s part of the job. You have to think and adapt on the fly based on the situation. After four or five days (sometimes when you only have one student, you can cram a five-day course down to four days, especially if the consume the material like a scout troupe with s’mores), the student gets what they need and what they want, and hopefully, a little bit of what they like as well.

Anyway, she’s got some stuff to tend to tomorrow, so I’ll hang out here. I’ll get some work done, and then take care of some other explorations. Wednesday, back to the primary gig, one student, and three more modules on Exchange 2016.

I’ll make dinner for Lisa tomorrow night.

Peace y’all.

It’s an unseasonably warm Sunday evening in rural Douglas County, and despite the fact that it is Superbowl Sunday, Lisa and I have been enjoying a bit of a sports respite as we watch Cate Blanchett’s outstanding performance in “Elizabeth”.

Patriots one, as if that outcome wasn’t predetermined.

Tomorrow, after a week of to prep some classes coming down the line, I return to the classroom for the next two and a half weeks to teach Exchange, Skype for Business, and a little bit of Azure in the third week.

Dane has had a very busy weekend, with his activities up on KU’s campus on Friday and Saturday.

He’s dealing with the anticipation now. That wondering about when and how he’ll hear about outcomes. I understand that. No one likes going through protracted periods of uncertainty. But, as it was for me, it is for him. Others control that outcome. As we get older, and have more control of our destiny, that uncertainty gets shifted from people that sit above us making decisions, to some higher powers. All we can do is hope that whatever happens, happens for the best reasons, and that our reactions to such things reflect our true and humble selves.

When I started writing this, I wasn’t really clear on my intent. Was I writing this for me? Was I writing this for others? Eventually I decided I wanted to write for my future grandchildren, who I may not know in this reference.

Know this. I am 55 years old. I love my family. Any decision I make in this reference is an effort to affect your lives positively. Be kind. Be considerate, empathetic, and humble. Work hard. Listen to your parents. Quality matters. Accept praise, but don’t let it go to your head. Love.

If all that goes around, comes around, then the most selfish thing you can do is give as much as you can to those around you.

You probably won’t. I’m selfish. I didn’t. I try to be better about that now. You can be better than me.

Peace y’all.

It’s a calm, surprisingly Saturday night in rural Douglas County. Temperatures rose up into the 50’s today, and may very well hit the 60’s tomorrow. It presents an opportunity to get a little work done around the front of the house where the willow tree has been victimized by cruel and biting winter winds.

Dane and I got up early and headed into town for some breakfast at IHOP. Dane ordered the smokehouse platter and a side of pancakes and destroyed that plate. That young man, age 17, still growing, apparently, can put away some breakfast. I ate half an omelet. I brought home leftovers.

But, when I was 17, I probably could have eaten that plate of food like the boy did.

After that, we headed up to the hill for Dane’s engineering scholar day event. It was nice, as my eldest daughter, Bonnie, was one of the ambassadors for the engineering school. I guess Bon gave the primary presentation for the chemical engineering department. She can really turn it on when the situation calls for it.

KU men’s basketball surprised me today. They came out and showed up as they hosted the Texas Tech Red Raiders. KU was up by twenty at the half, and just maintained an even pace in the second half. Gives a fan a little hope. Tuesday night at first place KSU. We’ll see if we can get this road monkey off out backs.

Not much else to add really. I’m going through my courseware and checking links and correcting the mistakes where I find them.

That’s enough for now. Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Peace y’all.

It’s a Friday night in rural Douglas County, and Lisa and I are getting ready to head off to bed. I almost forgot to write tonight, but just remembered before shutting down the system for the night.

It’s been a busy day for us here. I had to get Ruby (my red and white Ford Flex) in to the shop for an oil change. That was followed up in short order by a trip to see my cardiologist for the year. No real issues, a little elevated blood pressure, but that can be written off to some anxiety I’m dealing with.

Dane had the busiest day. He had his interviews up on KU’s campus for a unique scholarship opportunity, the same scholarship Bonnie earned when she was a senior in high school. We’re sitting here with our fingers crossed, hoping that he get selected for this opportunity.

Lisa and I went into Kansas City tonight for my company’s holiday party, the first time we’ve gone in a few years. Lisa was really impressed with the new facility. Time flew by, and by 9:15, we needed to hit the road to get home. Dane & I have an early morning tomorrow, as he has another Scholar’s Day up on the hill.

Enough for now.

Peace y’all.

It’s been an interesting day here in rural Douglas County. Appointments have been made, pickups have been arranged, and engine lights have come on.

Ugh on that last one. Every time an engine light pops on, my checking account pulls a hammy.

I’m watching a little tv with Lisa, a bit of a sci-fi spoof called “The Orville”. Funny how a comedy can still be science fiction and still bring in the tiny little morality plays of the cosmos originally conceived by Gene Roddenberry. Praise Gene!

Tomorrow is an important family day. Dane heads up to the hill to make a run at some additional scholarships to help him out. The boy has a busy day, with a few interviews and some other important interactions that give him a shot (a decent shot… no shoe-in, but a decent shot) at a good engineering scholarship.

I wish I had his sensibilities when I was a senior in high school. He’s a much better student and much better human being that I was when I was his age.

That’s his mother’s influence coming through. I’m still very much a work in progress. Dane is definitely a couple of notches up the maturity ladder than I ever hoped to be at seventeen.

I hope he does well. He’s a good kid. A smart kid.

Peace y’all.

It’s a cold, windy night in rural Douglas County, maybe the coldest night of the winter this year. Temperatures have been in the negatives today, and all across North America, people have been struggling to keep warm. In North Dakota, there were temperatures of -57 degrees Fahrenheit. There have been many deaths due to exposure in this polar vortex cold spike.

I’ve been inside all day, staying warm by the fireplace. I’ve taken care of some emails, answered some questions, and focused on Microsoft’s Azure platform.

I’m a Microsoft Certified Trainer. I learn it, then I share what I learned. I love what a person can do with these tools.

I look forward to the classes that are coming down the road. I hope I can effectively transfer to the folks I have in class the substance of what I’ve learned and what I have yet to learn. It’s a very exciting time.

Tomorrow I’ll dive back in and work at it some more. There’s a lot to learn, and I’ve set some goals for myself. I want to get the Solutions Architect certification under my belt sooner rather than later.

I’ll get there. It’s a matter of time and effort, of course. It’s also going to take some of the most serious focus I’ve ever had to muster.

It’s going to get very interesting.

Peace y’all.

OK, went back through the old “How many days since I was born?” site, and it once again looks like I screwed up my dates and times. I should check this more frequently.

KU lost tonight to Texas. So, that kind of put a damper in the evening. Tomorrow the temps are going to low, low, low. They’ve already cancelled school for the district, so Dane gets to chill out at home and play computer games, but he is barred from consuming bandwidth when I need it more.

Which I will.

I’m prepping for some new courses through the day. Lots of material, different perspectives on Azure that I haven’t looked into very deeply before, but I have to admit, it makes sense. The hard part, as is with any new course, is getting the talk to flow. When you’re in front of the classroom, you want things to flow out in as natural a manner as you can make it. Some of it comes pretty natural to me, other aspects of it require a little more practice.

I’ll get there. I have done pretty well in the past, with the possible exception of the first time I tried to teach Sharepoint and Project way back in the 90’s.

The thing is, I have to be honest with myself about what works and what doesn’t. I have to identify the weak points early on, then jump into the supporting material on Microsoft’s website to round out the rough spots.

That’s enough for now.

Peace y’all.