It is Tuesday, 6 December 2022.

OK, there’s stuff going on in the world.

The big thing at the top of the list in the US political world is the runoff election between incumbent Democrat Dr. Rafael Warnock (not sure if his name first name is Rafael or Raphael off the top of my head) and the GOP candidate, apparently only chosen based on name recognition, Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL running back, Herschel Walker. Walker is well-aligned with former President ad current Constitution critic Donald J. Trump. Trump was a team owner and figurehead for the USFL back in the 80s and signed Walker to a huge contract as owner of the New Jersey Generals… and Trump later sued the NFL after the predictable failure of the USFL. I believe Trump was awarded $1, and then banned from NFL team ownership by the league.

Good luck today, Dr. Warnock.

Walker has no experience in a leadership role in politics, and frankly is a piss poor candidate. Start with your local school board. Learn to make sense. Focus on issues that are important, topics more critical than the desire to be a werewolf or a vampire.

Over the weekend, there was a power outage in North Carolina, and it appears to be intentional – an active of sabotage. This morning the FBI is releasing information that they received threats of such an action from domestic terrorist groups aligned with known racists.

Yay. That’s great.

Time to turn off the news and see if there’s a World Cup match on the tube.

I return to my virtual classroom in a bit. I’ll be handling a review of last week’s content, overviewing this week’s content, and asking for some feedback. This afternoon, my training partner will be driving the bus.

The dogs are being whiney this morning. Lisa is placating them with Cheetos right now.

I’m going to go rustle up a little breakfast.

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

Peace y’all.

It is Monday morning, 5 December 2022, and I’m getting my head, my life, and my to-do list together for the week.

But first, let’s review some of the mischiefs I got into over the weekend.

I commented on a story posted online about how being a working mother is impossible… and I took a bit of umbrage over the term “working mother”. I know the writer intended to talk about women who have children and have jobs/careers outside the home. I didn’t care for the term, however, as it implies that women that are stay-at-home moms don’t work. All mothers work. All parents work. My mom didn’t have a job outside the home, but she worked… and what she did was different than what my wife does, as my wife has a career outside the home. Pick better words.

The former guy made comments demanding that Americans abandon the Constitution and reinstate him immediately as President of the United States. Many people, including myself, made the observation that Trump swore on the Bible to uphold and defend the Constitution. I also noted that Trump has an extensive track record of breaking vows… just ask his wife and ex-wives (sorry, Ivana, I know you aren’t available for comment, but your sentiments have been pretty well documented).

I pointed out that Herschel Walker probably ought to leave topics relating to science to people that work in those fields.

I could talk about my weekend as a sports fan, but that’s a great big barrel of suck.

A phrase that should be used more often – “I’m not qualified to comment”. If you don’t know what the hell you are talking about, educate yourself before commenting. If I don’t understand an issue, I read.

OK, it’s about time for me to throw my breakfast in the microwave and grab a cup of coffee. I made extra on Saturday morning, and Lisa made a wonderful assortment of breakfast pastries yesterday morning. I’ll reheat the Saturday hash, and Dane can have the pastries before he heads up to campus.

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

Peace y’all.

Good morning! It is FRIDAY!

That deserves a little bit of a woot all on its own.

Today is day 21,627 for me walking on this mortal plane. I have no idea what the future holds, but I do know one thing… someday, it’s all going to be over. You never know when your warranty expires, and you never know when that engine block stops rolling over in the morning.

I better make the most of the time I have left.

Time to write more, time to play more, time to get off my ass and “do”… stop thinking about doing, and get my butt in gear.

The recent arrival of a new guitar has reinvigorated my interest in the instrument. I wonder if that in itself is one of the reasons I keep buying a new guitar every year or two. New wood, new strings, new fingerboards inviting me over to sit down and just pick some stuff out for a while.

Lisa and I went to a School of Engineering recognition dinner last night. It had been scheduled almost a year in advance, and it ended up coinciding with a Kansas basketball game that had yet to be scheduled. My suggestion to the Dean of the school was to book a dinner like this during the height of football season when the game schedule is a little easier to predict (all Saturdays with maybe one Friday early in the season).

Right now Lisa and I are catching up on last night’s game… 11 minutes left, with Kansas up 65-39 over Seton Hall. I think this is an easy one to fast-forward through the commercials.

Alright, coffee is up, and I’ve got some things to attend to prior to my session at 8:00 AM.

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

Peace y’all.

A new month begins! Today is 1 December 2022, and the beginning of the end of the year. 2022 is going to come to a close in a scant 30 days… I haven’t even gotten over 2020 yet.

2023 will be an exciting year, I’m sure. Lisa and I will both turn 60, we’ll both become grandparents. That’s just the stuff we know about.

Let’s get through this month/year first. Don’t get ahead of yourself, Bob.

Lisa has a recognition dinner tonight, and I’ll be along for the ride. Not quite sure as to the venue or menu, but we’ll roll with it. Lisa thinks the turnout will be pretty low as the dinner coincides with a KU basketball game – the dinner had to be scheduled before the Kansas basketball schedule was finalized, and the chips fell where they fell.

I have a lecture in another couple of hours… the participation in my blended learning course has been pretty solid, and my training delivery partner has been rock solid.

Time for me to get serious about Christmas stuff. 3 weeks are going to go by fast.

Watching the news… politicians are idiots.

I’ve had enough for now. I’ll look for y’all in the comments.

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

Peace y’all.

Every day is a good day! This good day is a Wednesday, and the last day of November… which has the additional benefit of being payday, too. I’ll take it.

Yesterday was a good day. I generally write my blog posts in the morning, right after I drag my tired old butt out of bed. I get my shower, drink two large glasses of water, then plant my butt in the recliner to watch some news (or soccer, of late). I then reflect…

Yesterday morning, I checked on the delivery of a guitar I bought myself, an Ovation acoustic with non-traditional sound holes. I realized the thing had been delivered the previous evening and had sat on the front porch the entire night. I got it in the house and let it sit awhile to warm up back in the sunroom where I have the rest of my guitars. I got it unpacked a little later and brought it into tune… oh, man. I fell in love with Ovation acoustic guitars thirty years ago. I was asked to accompany a singer at a wedding, and I didn’t have an acoustic guitar. I borrowed an acoustic from the bride-to-be, and my fingers did the rest. I remember offering to buy that axe as well.

I did something I never do. I played in front of a camera yesterday and posted a short video. I can talk in front of thousands, but I’ve never been comfortable playing guitar in front of people… I think I described it as “abject terror”. I played a few bars from “Blackbird” by the Beatles and posted the video, and people were very kind with their comments.

I might have to do that again sometime. I’m no pro, and my friends understand that. Maybe I should work up an arrangement of another acoustic song to record. I always liked “Dance With Me” by Orleans… maybe I should look into finding the sheet music.

OK… time for me to get myself fed and ready for my cloud solutions architecture class.

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

Peace y’all.

It is the 29th day of November 2022. Almost feels like the “dog days” of fall, as the sky gets a little more gray and theirs a more pronounced chill in the air.

Lisa and I went to the basketball game last night, Kansas hosting Texas Southern. It was fun for the home team, and the 31 point loss for the visiting squad. The tickets gifted us by the school had us sitting a mere four rows behind the scorer’s table, right at the half-court mark. Fantastic!

Today I embark on my cloud solutions architecture with a training delivery partner that I have not worked with before, but she and I have spoken on multiple occasions leading up to this delivery, so I have no concerns.

Right now they are talking about the US-Iran World Cup match that takes place this afternoon. This is one that I will be recording, as I will be in session for most of the match. If the US wins, they move on to the round of 16. If they lose, they’ll be heading home. A draw sends them home as well.

The world is a mess. More covid spikes in some parts of the world – meanwhile in the US, you have idiots out there protesting and actively promoting an anti-vaccine position that has already killed people in my circle. Ugh.

OK, time for me to get focused on the day ahead. Also, a reminder to call about refilling the propane tank, and another call to get another kitchen appliance repaired.

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

Peace y’all.

It is Monday morning, 28 November 2022, and I have meetings starting in another hour and a half.

Mondays after some time off are always a bit challenging. It always takes a little more effort to get the engine started, metaphorically.

I’m back delivering a Blended Learning course this month and next month, with four weeks of cloud solutions architecture, a solid week off with Christmas and the New Year, then right back into the Blended Learning role with four weeks of cloud administration.

Today, I’ll stay focused on the week and class ahead of me, getting my presentation stuff organized. Class notes, PowerPoint slide decks, and access to the Teams site for this course.

Later on, I’ve got some other calls I need to make as well. The dishwasher needs a repair, so I need to get that little problem addressed.

Tonight, Lisa and I get to have a little fun. Lisa scored some nice tickets to the Kansas-Texas Southern basketball game tonight, just a few rows behind the bench. I’ll have to check the replay on ESPN+ later to see if Lisa and I show up at any time during the broadcast. Shouldn’t be a problem spotting my big, bald head.

OK, time to grab a cup of coffee and get focused.

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

Peace y’all.

It is Sunday morning, 27 November 2022. I don’t normally post on Sunday but today is the last day of my vacation time, and tomorrow I return to my virtual classroom to prepare for another 4-week cloud solutions architecture course.

It has not been a great weekend for Bob the Sports Fan. Kansas fell to Tennessee in the final of the Battle for Atlantis basketball tournament – and the Jayhawks looked as bad as I’ve seen in some time. It seems that every season there’s one of those games, one where too many things don’t go right. Follow that up with last night’s football game between Kansas State and Kansas, and I have indeed experienced a moment of humility. K-State has beaten Kansas in every football game since 2008, and we might be getting closer to appearing competitive, but I think we’re three years away from beating the Wildcats.

I’m watching a little FIFA World Cup futbol right now, and the Moroccan team has a 1-0 lead over Belgium. Almost to the 90-minute mark, then extra time. Belgium is gripping.

My Kansas City Chiefs play the Los Angeles Rams in the second set of NFL games today, starting at 3:30. I’ll watch the game on my tablet while my gaming group convenes. I’m hoping some of this weekend gets salvaged for Bob the Sports Fan.

Oh… and my wife scored some tickets for tomorrow night’s Kansas-Texas Southern basketball game. Look for Lisa and me – we’ll be four grown behind the KU bench.

That’s enough for now.

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

Peace y’all.

It is 24 November 2022… and in the United States, we are celebrating Thanksgiving.

I have much to be thankful for.

I have a happy, healthy family. My wife is well. my oldest daughter is living on her own, but not too far away. My youngest daughter is happy, and healthy, with pending nuptials with her fiance, Austin, and our first grandchild on the way. My son is in a much better place than he was a year-and-a-half ago, and is back on track with his college studies – damn pandemic screwed with a lot of folk’s lives. All five dogs here seem to be doing OK as well.

My career is going well. I am doing what I love, and that is the most important thing. I’m a technical trainer. I learn stuff, then I tell people what I have learned. It’s kind of simple when you look at it that way. But, with the ever-changing technical landscape, there is always something new to learn, some tweak of the interface, or some added functionality.

Today we’ll travel to see my mom, my sister, and her family, as well as my two brothers and my nieces and nephews on my side of the family.

For my friends in the US and abroad, I hope the little things are falling the right way in front of you. Sometimes life is kind of like a virtual Tetris game, and the road before is this odd mix of mismatched pieces that just need to fit together to create the next mile in the road.

I know some of you are dealing with difficulties and losses. Some have family that they no longer speak to, some have children that have separated themselves from family. Some of us have an empty chair at the table for one reason or another. My thoughts are with you during this holiday season as well.

As always… I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.

And day turns to night. It is the evening of 23 November 2022, and I have procrastinated. I started the day with an annual to my cardiologist and then spent the rest of the day engaged in a number of distractions.

(Don’t worry about the cardiologist trip. I was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat in my 20s and I talk to my friends and family about it and how I manage it. I’m good, no worries. )

Watched some sports, college basketball and the FIFA World Cup. Kansas beat a very good NC State squad, and the soccer matches were a mix of boring and thrilling.

I spent some time playing a classic computer game that I never touched when I was younger. Mass Effect is alright… I know it’s a bit dated, but I never played it years ago, and over time it has garnered a pretty good reputation.

I was looking for a little distraction… Found it!

Tomorrow we’ll jump into the Max and head out to see the relatives. Thanksgiving, right? Not sure if we’ll have cranberry sauce from the deli or from the can… I think I prefer the can, believe it or not.

Ok, that’s enough for now.

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

Peace y’all.