Evie Day 537

Good morning, and welcome to the first full workday of September! Today is 3 September 2024.

It’s going to be a great month.

I’m going to start telling myself that anyway. I need to keep things positive, keep things moving, exercise some discipline, and stick to the plan. Yes, I put together a plan. We’ll see if it stands up to first contact with my adversary, “distractions”.

Yesterday was a pretty quiet day. Lisa and Dane worked on a project most of the day, so we kept the TV off the entire day. It’s been a while since we have done that, and I am not going to complain. I see a little more of that happening in my future. I’ve got some goals, I have them written down, and I need to maintain my focus. Turning off the TV, minimizing my distractions, keeping my eyes on the prize… there are any number of motivational thoughts and phrases that are doing laps around my brain right now.

It will be a short work week with the Labor Day holiday yesterday. Tuesdays have never felt more like a Monday. I’ll be back in my virtual classroom in a bit. My training partner and I are switching things up this week, and he’ll take the morning sessions while I manage the afternoon content. He has two daughters who are starting school, so this will free him up a bit for after-school responsibilities.

Tonight there will be tacos. Whoa… I got through that much writing before I mentioned tacos. That’s a bit out of character for me.

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

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 536

Good morning, and a happy Labor Day to you all. Today is 2 September 2024.

August came and went, and September is upon us. We’ve been working around here… not so much on the place but at the place. Lisa and Dane have been working on a project together, and I’ve been looking at some work content for next week and for another project later this month. I’ve got an idea to track some of my tasks and goals, and today is a good day to focus on that before I return to my virtual classroom tomorrow.

Yesterday Lisa, Dane, and I went to Gracie’s for breakfast. Evelyn was in pretty good spirits, but Gracie was tired. Apparently, there was an hour and a half of not sleeping by the toddler when the adult really wanted to sleep. The lack of sleep was starting to get to both of them after we had been there awhile, so we kept out visit fairly short.

Sunday afternoon is one of those times that I normally get together with the guys, but with the long holiday weekend, family responsibilities, and at least one computer with technical troubles, the group was small. A couple of the guys played a game online (I think), and I went and tended to my ratkilling.

Not much else going on. I’ll pace this day and think about everything I have going on in September, including two trips to the airport in a couple more weeks.

Until next time…

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 533

Good morning, everybody! It’s Friday, and we’re ready for a three-day weekend! Today is 30 August 2024.

Last night the local university opened their college football season… home yet still on the road as Kansas’ Memorial Stadium is being torn down and rebuilt. Lindenwood is a small private college in St. Charles, Missouri, and they gave Kansas a game. Kansas ended up winning 48-3, with most of the second half being played by guys a little further down the depth chart. Kansas looked good, and the quarterback has a strong arm, throwing some frozen rope passes for deep receptions.

Today, I have to record a little bit this morning. There was a schedule gap in a weekday service a number of us participate in. I pushed out last Tuesday’s bit, but no one signed up for today, so I’ll fill the gap.

I have a session in my virtual classroom in another couple of hours. I should be in pretty good shape to get done what I need to get done. After I’m done with the session, I have plenty of tasks to focus on for work, but Dane and I might get out of the house for lunch.

The guys are discussing whether we’ll have adequate numbers for an adventure on Sunday. We’ll have to see what happens.

Time to think about the next steps, like remembering the trash needs to go out today as well.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 532

Good morning, and it’s a Thursday! Today is 29 August 2024.

It’s a little nuts to realize how quickly this month has passed. Two weeks into a four-week course, a little more than two weeks until I join teammates for an off-site get-together, and three weeks until I go into the studio to record a new video on document management.

Last night I was able to get together with the guys, and we discovered where the mysterious portals were leading… and we discovered the importance of aerobic exercise and re-enacted the famous “run away!” scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. We lived and re-connected with our aerobic side. Next time, I’ll bring my ring-mail ankle warmers.

Today I have a talk on data integration and the various tools we have to work with to ingest data from a number of sources. I’ve got my notes put together from the last time I talked on the subject… two hours might be a bit hard to fill, but we’ll keep the bus rolling between the ditches.

I need to take a look at my monthly goals and make sure I’m on track.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 531

Good morning, and a most wonderful Wednesday to you. Today is 28 August 2024.

Yesterday was my wife’s birthday. Today is my brother Tom’s birthday. I wish my younger brother a happy and adventurous 59th birthday.

We had a nice dinner last night, tacos and fajitas, and for fun I picked up a peach margarita that Lisa and Dane split (no worries there, Dane is 23 now). After dinner, we had cake and ice cream and opened a couple of presents.

I’m back in my virtual classroom in about another hour. This morning I have a case study with my class on storage options for non-relational and relational databases.

Tonight, if the stars align and the internet allows, I’ll hang out with the guys and get a chance to slay some baddies. I missed the session on Sunday with my mom’s birthday, so I’m anxious to get back into the swing of things, even if the thing I’m swinging is a long sword.

Not much else to report. There’s stuff in the news, but nothing I really want to render an opinion on.

Here’s a motivational quote of the day…

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Not too shabby.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 530

Good morning, and a happy Taco Tuesday to you all. Today is 27 August 2024.

Today is also my wife’s birthday, so if you happen to be walking around the Mechanical Engineering department at the University of Kansas today, wish my wife a good one if you happen to see her.

Oooh… looks like the Gallagher brothers have made up and Oasis is going on tour.
I could not care less.

I saw a funny ad last night. Lisa and I were watching some of the WNBA games, and there was an ad on for a gambling site. A guy dressed up as a Ravens fan spoke to the “football gods” and asked “Why do you hate me?”.
The reply… “We’re Chiefs fans”.
That I enjoyed.

Yesterday was a pretty productive day. I had a list of things I wanted to accomplish and I did a good job checking off almost all of the boxes. We’ll get 100% caught up today, and keep the train rolling.

I’ll be back in my virtual classroom after bit. This week we’re studying storage options for relational and non-relational databases, as well as some data integration tools.

Tonight I should plan something a little more special than just tacos. Lisa deserves it.

That’s about all I have for now.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 529 

Good morning, and Happy National Dog Day! If you are considering an addition to your family, please check with your local shelter. Today is Monday, 26 August 2024.

I had a pretty good weekend… any three-day block where I get to spend some time with my granddaughter every day is a good day. My daughter was over on Friday to get some things done, so Lisa and I were able to spend a little time with Evie. Saturday, Evie’s dad and another friend of his helped us remove a couple of trees from the yard, an old globe willow that had fallen during a storm a year ago, and a tree out in front of the house that had some big limbs in precarious spots that worried us. We didn’t want to see one of those big limbs land on a car or take out part of the front porch.

Yesterday was a road trip day to see my mom and some other family members. My mother turned 82 yesterday, although the birthday cake gave her a roll-back year… someone in the kitchen through mom was born in ’43 not ’42. That’s okay; no real harm was done. Mom’s laughter made her sound a year younger anyway.

I’m going to buckle down here in a bit and work on my week. I’ve got some follow-up business to take care of, some reading and practice to get in (tracking down a new security credential). My solutions architecture class picks back up tomorrow morning, and I want to have some new content available for them.

Tomorrow is another important day – my beloved’s birthday. I need to make a plan. My younger brother, Tom, has his 59th birthday on Wednesday… it’s that season for us here. Next month there will be a couple more, including my own.

OK, time to get focused on the day ahead.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 526

Good morning, and a happy Friday to you all. Today is 23 August 2024.

This weekend we’re going to take a drive over to Clay Center, Kansas to celebrate my mother’s 82nd birthday. My brother is smoking a brisket, and I offered to prepare a pork loin. Now I just need to find one here in town. HyVee was out, so I need to run by Dillon’s or Checkers to pick one up. I’ll run by the Ace Hardware store to take a look at their smoking and grilling accessories. They have a nice assortment of rubs and sauces for the grill enthusiasts.

I’ll be back in my virtual classroom in less than an hour. I got the garbage out to the corner already. I’ll write this, post it, then get up and make some coffee and toast some bread for my peanut butter toast breakfast.

Lisa tells me she made arrangements to have an old tree taken out of the backyard. It was a globe willow that we called Bob Ross due to the shape of the tree when its leaves were in full display. I think we’re going to get another nuisance tree removed as well before it collapses and damages a car or the front porch.

I didn’t feel like posting much yesterday. I had some things on my mind that were bugging me, and it’s going to be a while before things get sorted out. If things get better, I’ll be happy to share when it does. In the meantime, I’m just going to sit on this.

Until then…

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 525

Good morning, and a happy Thursday to you all. Today is 22 August 2024.

I’m not really feeling right writing today. My apologies. I’ve got some stuff on my mind, and I’m not ready to discuss it.

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

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 524

Good morning and welcome to Wednesday! Today is 21 August 2024.

I look at the number of days I have been alive, and (woot!) I see a full house, Twos full of Fives!

Maybe it’s a sign… of what, I have no idea.

Right now the news is on, and they’re showing highlights from some of the speeches from last night at the DNC. A short bit with Barack Obama, but apparently Michelle Obama had a few mic drop moments.

Today I’ll be back in my virtual classroom in about an hour. This morning we’ll have our first case study, which we will go through as an inclusive group project. The next round of case studies might include breakout rooms and small group projects with reports, but for now, we’ll do the first one together.

Other than that, now much new to report. I have to participate in meetings, readings, and learnings when I’m not delivering our course online. But right now, I’m thinking about coffee and toast with a bit of peanut butter spread across.

And yes, there were tacos last night.

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

Peace y’all.