Evie Day 208

Good morning, and a happy Taco Tuesday to you all. Today is 10 October 2023.

Woke up, showered & shaved. Now I’m sitting here thinking about the state of the world, and it’s just a mess. There are a lot of people pointing fingers and shouting, with a lot more emphasis on assigning blame than working towards solutions.

It’s a rough news cycle.

There have been some other things I’ve had on my mind lately, too.

I haven’t always been good at having a thick skin. I used to sing, I was mocked, so I quit. When I was a kid, I used to write stories for fun – I was mocked, I quit. I went out for cross country my sophomore year of high school – I was hazed, so I quit. Time and time again in my life, if I started something, got made fun of, I would just quit. I sometimes wonder if I quit because I wasn’t good at it, if I quit because I couldn’t deal with the criticism, or if I was just trying to please people. Folks who have followed me on Facebook might recall there was a time when I changed my profile picture daily, generally cute animal pics, but I was mocked for that, so I quit. The same thing happened when I posted a daily gratitude post – did it every day, trying to come up with something to be thankful for … then I was mocked for it, and I don’t do that anymore.

Maybe I need to care less about what others think.

Something for me to think about.

I’m going to make a pot of coffee in a moment and ponder breakfast. I think we have ham, cheese, eggs, peppers, onion, and some mushrooms, so a big omelet could be in my future.

Alrighty, that’s enough for now. Time to get this in the can.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 207

Good morning, and a happy Monday to you. Today is 9 October 2023.

I posted a short note on Saturday, and this is my first weekday post since last Monday. Last week I flew to Seattle to spend some time in the recording studio to record a training video. Two days in the chair, and it was a positive experience.

I’ve got some personal stuff going on, with a couple of trips to the doctor, eye doctor first a little later this morning. I’m also going to get some stuff done in my office space here, moving my standing desks around to make for a more effective workspace, and incorporating the Open Broadcast Studio along with a couple of chromakey backdrops to try and add a little more professionalism and flexibility to my deliveries.

It was a good weekend for me as a sports fan. The Kansas Jayhawks played very well on Saturday with a win over Central Florida. The Kansas City Chiefs went on the road for a win against the Minnesota Vikings. It’s crazy to think that college basketball season begins in less than a month. Next event of note (from my perspective) will be the Thursday night game as the Chiefs host the Denver Broncos.

As far as the rest of the world goes, all eyes are on Israel following the attacks and kidnappings of civilians by Hamas. By the time this mess gets cleared up, there will be thousands dead on both sides. It hurts my heart.

Time to block out my tasks and my week. I need to create a little structure where it does not exist.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 205

Hi folks! It is Saturday, 7 October 2023.

This is my first Saturday post in quite some time, and my first post since last Monday, so I should explain.

I flew to Seattle last Tuesday morning very early, no internet on the flight, and when I arrived in Seattle, I just didn’t feel like doing much. I was jet-laggy, and coping with the anxiety of two days sitting in a studio doing the training thing. I was a bit out of sorts.

Wednesday and Thursday I was focused on work, and I put in a couple of good days… but I did have a little snag pop up overnight on as Wednesday passed into Thursday – my much-relied upon mobile device, my Samsung Galaxy S20, decided it was no longer fit for this world, and it gave up the ghost at one of the most inopportune times.

We finished up recording my sessions in pretty good time on Thursday, and there was phone store from my carrier close by, so I now have a new phone… and a new set of hassles trying to get my device set up to authenticate to my work environment.

I’m home now, and relaxing a bit this weekend. Some Premiere League soccer this morning, and some college football this afternoon, and everything will be right with my corner of the world.

My apology for the absence.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 200

Good morning, and a happy Monday to you all. It is 2 October 2023.

I’ve got a to-do list today.

I’m prepping to head into the studio to record a training video on Wednesday, so I have to get my ducks in a row, do a little laundry, and get packed today. There are some errands I also need to take care of at the bank and at the grocery store (that beef jerky isn’t just going to magically appear in my backpack). I need to go over my decks and demos again before I travel, and then once again after I arrive at my destination tomorrow. There are, of course, a couple of other things I have on my mind, and I’ll talk about that later. Let’s just say I’ve got some prayers going out to some folks who need more positive energy.

The federal government passed a bill on Saturday that will keep the government funded for another 45 days… so I’ve dodged a bullet going to the airport this week, no furloughed air traffic controllers this week. The thing is that puts another possible threat of a government shutdown just about the time for my next scheduled business trip after this week.

The Jayhawks lost at Texas on Saturday… Texas was favored, and the ‘Hawks starting QB was out with back trouble. Kansas Chiefs pulled out a squeaker against the NY Jets last night.

Time to get focused on the day.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 197

Good morning, and happy Friday! Today is 29 September 2023.

For those following the events in Washington, DC, the government is about to shutdown because people can’t get their ducks in a row. I’m watching a conservative GOP representative in the house talk about fiscal responsibility – the only time folks like this talk about fiscal responsibility is when there is a Democratic administration. These same representatives didn’t have any problem when the Trump administration created more debt year after year.

I can’t this morning… I have work to do.

Never mind this. I might be more productive on Monday. That’ll be after the government shuts down on Sunday.

I hope you have a great weekend.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 196

Good morning! It is Thursday, 28 September 2023.

One of the dogs, Lucy, is outside barking at the darkness. Odin is under Lisa’s chair, groaning and complaining until she gives in and lets him have a bite of her breakfast. Floofs are floofing, running their route between Lisa’s chair and my legrest.

I miss the one that isn’t here any longer.

Today is the last day of my class with my training partner, and I suspect it will be a while before I get to deliver with this trainer again, as it’s been probably two years since the last time we worked together. Generally speaking, I think the scheduling powers that be like to pair up the more experienced trainers with those that haven’t been doing this for almost thirty years.

It has been thirty years since I took my first training job. That’s half my life doing this.

I’ve got the news on this morning, and there is a review of last night’s GOP debate. I am thankful I have a Wednesday night game instead of watching this garbage.

I’m just not into it this morning. I’d probably be better off making coffee and strumming a guitar for a few minutes.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 195

Good morning, and a happy humpday to you all. Yesterday, I was all about the tacos, and today, I am all about productivity for today and the rest of the week.

Another bout of monkey brain last night. My beloved got up at an ungodly hour, and after she left our bedroom, I tossed and turned and had thoughts running through my brain for a couple of hours before I got up at my regular time of 5:30 AM. Today might be one of those days that I sneak in a short nap at lunchtime to try and bank a little rest before we get to the afternoon session.

Less than a week before I head into the studio to record my sessions for work. Excitement is mounting. So is the anxiety.

There’s plenty of stuff going on in the world, and right at the moment, I recognize that my commentary on those events and topics isn’t very important. I’ve got other stuff I need to focus on … like getting this post finished and getting it in the can.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 194

Good morning! It is my favorite day of the week that doesn’t begin with an “S”! It is Tuesday, 26 September 2023.

After I posted yesterday’s note, I went to check my work email and got a surprise – new manager time again. I had only been working with my new manager for about five weeks or so, and it was announced yesterday that he was moving on. He had been part of a group of folks that were getting their roles eliminated last July, then he was brought back into the fold (he had been with the company twenty years) . I wish him all the best – I like the guy.

I’ve got a meeting in another hour and a half on the matter, but honestly, I’m not too worried about it. I know my role, and I’ll keep doing what I do. I’ll get reassigned to another manager, and I’ll do my best to stay focused on the goals I’ve already laid out. It happens – this isn’t the first time I’ve changed managers since I started here four and a half years ago.

This week I am delivering with a great trainer, and I am trying to absorb everything he’s presenting. He has a depth of knowledge that is rare, and I learn something every time he presents.

Yesterday was Daughters’ Day – I have no idea if it’s a national thing, an international thing, or just some contrived holiday created to sell greeting cards. I posted a picture of my daughters – I am very proud of them – and I love them without measure, and I hope they pick out a nice nursing home for me one day, one that serves barbeque and will allow me to eat spicy food.

That’s about all I have, really.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 193

Good morning, and happy Monday! Today is 25 September 2023.

One of the weird aspects of my life is that I take pics from time to time, using whatever phone I own. I like to take pics of my dogs, kids, granddaughter, and the occasional sunset. Those are stored on my phone, and get replicated to my cloud drive… and then when I check my email first thing, I get a reminder of photos I have taken on this date. The unfortunate part is that sometimes I will get a blemish on my head somewhere I can’t see… so I use my phone to get a look at it. I had a blood vessel rupture in my eye, and I wanted to see it more clearly, so I took off my glasses, took the picture, put on my glasses, and took a look.

“Your memories from this day” has some pics I probably ought to delete. I don’t need to memorialize the giant zit on the back of my head from 2016.

Saturday was marked with rain, thunderstorms showed up early in the morning and reappeared several times throughout the day. It was too wet to mow, so I had to settle into a routine of alternating between college football and British Premier League soccer matches.

Sunday was a visit from my youngest daughter and my favorite granddaughter. We got to hang out until my wife, daughter, and granddaughter went to the big box store in Lenexa. Lisa proudly exclaimed upon her return that the best time to go to the big store is when the Chiefs’ game is on… much smaller crowds.

We had recorded the Chiefs-Bears game anyway. I had a game session yesterday afternoon and decided to defer the game until dinner time. I had caught a peak at the score, and I figured the Chiefs would win over the Bears with some of their issues with their defense and defensive coordinator, and I was right. The Chiefs locked down a 41-10 win, with almost all of the scoring coming in the first half.

Oh, and the University of Kansas won by eleven over BYU on Saturday – I need to mention that. Kansas moved to 4-0, and are showing up ranked #24 in a couple of polls. Woot! Kansas is ranked!

Time to think about my cloud solutions architecture delivery… Central Time Zone delivery, so I’ll glide into my chair at 8:00 AM for my 9:00 AM start.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 190

Happy Friday, everybody! Today is 22 September 2023.

My training partner and I wrapped up our admin class yesterday, and it seemed to go successfully. The comments we received from our learners were all positive. I haven’t checked the comments in the post-class survey, but I’m confident that it’ll be a mix of suggestions, and generally positive.

It’ll be time to get the garbage out to the corner for pickup shortly. The truck comes by between ten and noon normally. I remember I got mine out last week, but for one reason or another, neither of my neighbors out here did… I’m guessing they were depending on teenage sons to get the trash out, and something got last in translation.

I’ve got some work responsibilities today, going over a few slide decks and demos for one event coming up in a couple of weeks, and a course delivery outline for next week’s class. I’m working with a seasoned veteran next week – if I’ve been in the trainer program since ’95, anybody with a longer tenure in the system than mine automatically becomes a seasoned vet, and there aren’t that many.

In summary, my Friday is a workday, with plenty to keep me busy. Mowing and college football tomorrow, Chiefs and gaming on Sunday. Lather, rinse, repeat for the following week.

Yeah, kind of boring, to be frank.

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

Peace y’all.