Evie Day 600

Good morning! It’s Taco Tuesday, and tonight there will be a proper dinner! Today is 5 November 2024.

Yesterday was a good day. I studied a bit, and when 2:30 came around, I was dialed in – well, dialed in enough, anyway. I passed my certification exam, and it feels like a substantial weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I still have other certifications to pursue, but nailing this information security cert was a pretty big deal for me.

I won’t be in my virtual classroom until tomorrow, so I’ll have some time to review the content I’m covering today. Of course, I’ve got some other responsibilities, but there’s an obvious primary and a couple of secondary.

I stayed up a little bit last night. The Kansas City Chiefs played on Monday Night Football versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Chiefs looked ok most of the night, but the Buccaneers rallied to tie the game at the end of the 4th quarter. That meant we were going to have some overtime – and the Chiefs won the toss, scored a touchdown, and the Chiefs fans went home happy.

Tonight, Kansas has their first regular season basketball game on the college hardwoods. The Howard University Bison will be welcomed into Allen Fieldhouse. No word if one of their famous alumni will be present – probably not, as it is election night. (Note: I just realized that the Jayhawks played last night while I was focused on the Chiefs game – KU wins!).

Election night. It’s going to be interesting. I have my preferred outcome, and I’m sure others feel the same way. I have a feeling I’ll be watching anything except the election coverage. There’s a part of me that just doesn’t want to deal with anxiety all night. Then again, if KU has trouble with Howard, I might have more anxiety.

It’s time to get this in the can and get focused on my day.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 599

Good morning! It’s Monday! Today is 4 November 2024.

My focus today is on a 2:30 certification exam. After I’m done with it, I’ll grab breakfast and some coffee and then shift my focus to achieving that goal.

I’ve been alive 22,330 days. My granddaughter will be on day 600 tomorrow (woot!). The average person lives around 28,500 days… leaving me around 6200 days. What am I going to do with it?

This weekend I was a bit focused on studying and working. KU didn’t play a football game, and the Chiefs play tonight. I played a bit with the guys yesterday, a slightly abbreviated session due to technical and timing issues. One of the guys burned out his extension cord. I had to tell him that if I found out he had a fully-powered laptop battery I was going to mock him viciously. He has a desktop, but the image of somebody telling others that their laptop was on an electrical vacation was amusing.

The Chiefs play tonight on Monday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Salute to the Chiefs fans in Tampa/St. Pete… I know there are a couple.

OK, time for me to energize and focus on document management.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 596

Good morning! It is the last day of the Western work week! Today is Friday, 1 November 2024.

I saw a little girl dressed up in a monkey costume yesterday. Gracie popped over late yesterday morning for a visit with my granddaughter, just long enough to grab a KitKat and change a diaper. I was teaching an East Coast time zone class, so it was not a scheduling problem, I was going to lunch an hour earlier with the time zone difference.

Ooh… that’s a reminder. Time change this weekend. I’m sleeping in on Monday.

It’s already November. This year is going by fast. I’ve got one Christmas present covered – I thought of that as an ad for Hallmark Christmas Romances popped up on the morning news channel… I think I’ll block that channel on the remote until January.

Just kidding. I have one daughter who would stop talking to me if I did that, and my wife wouldn’t be too happy either.

I just saw an ad featuring three senior women having coffee, telling each other how Trump will keep them safe. Never mind that violent crime was higher during the Trump administration than it is now, and those ladies ought to be happy they aren’t alone with Donald Trump in the changing room at Berdorff-Goodman. Would you trust Trump to watch your puppy over the weekend?

It’s time for me to shift gears. Trash day, coffee, breakfast, and a couple of meetings.

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

Peace y’all.

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.