One of my favorite bloggers, Pooja over at Life’s Fine Wine had a great post today: A VERY HAPPY APRIL TO EVERYONE. One thing she mentioned was getting a vegan cake for her birthday. Years ago, one of my team members that I was the admin for, mentioned the he never eat any of the cakes I’d got for the team celebrations. His commitment to his vegan principles were challenged. So, for his next birthday, I made it a point to track down a vegan cake. Seattle had some vegan options, but they were pretty….inferior. I was not going to settle! I finally found a GREAT vegan bakery, with carrot cake that even non-vegans loved. My friend was delight. And he appreciated that we valued him enough to do this. I was quite proud of it.
Category: Personal Reflections
Lessons learned about life; pearls of wisdom I’ve gleaned through pain, failure and honest reflection
Cellpic Sunday, March 26th Edition
Fandango posted today about Johnbo’s Cellpic Sunday, a regular feature on his blog.
This one is from a few nights ago. And, yes, this was taken with my Samsung S22. I was really delighted with it.
A Cartoon for your Friday Edification
A friend of mine posted this cartoon in my office’s breakroom. Seems rather apropos, no?
If you’re not familiar with Pearls Before Swine, check them out.
Anyway, I hope you have a lovely weekend!
Reasons to Celebrate “Tea for Two Tuesday”
As a tea fan (yeah, I love coffee, too), I’m glad to have discovered “It’s More Than Tea” some time ago. Today Jill posted about one of those low-intensity holidays: Tea For Two Tuesday. I appreciate her wry take on all these marketing-driven holidays, but then how she dives into the benefits of taking moments to appreciate the “small” things. There are lots of benefits from taking a moment and having a cup of tea with someone. So, take a moment and give the post a read.
Cell Pic Sunday, March 12, 2023
Fellow blogger, Fandango, posted this response to another blogger, John Steiner’s “Cell Pic Sunday” prompt. I love prompts, so thought I’d dive in.
I took this photo a few days ago along the Edmonds waterfront (about 20 miles north of Seattle). I’m walking away from this squall (rather quickly, I might add) in an attempt to avoid getting drenched. Which was successful, though it was shifting from sprinkles to a steady rain when I got back to my car.
I’ve spent the majority of my life in this area. I walked this exact stretch of beach with my grandparents ages ago. I know the winds, the weather, yet sometimes get caught off guard. I was able to read the change before I got hit, while still meeting my step goal. I’ll take that as a win.
Ah, Sweet Caroline!
This morning this tweet dropped into my feed:
I grew up with Mr. Diamond’s music. My mother had many of his albums. I was saddened when he retired. So this video filled me with joy. It’s a bit sad, too, as I can see some of the impacts of Parkinsons. But, man, such grace and courage.
Oh, and here’s a link to the video on YouTube for those not engaged with Twitter, or in case the Twitter dumpster fire finally takes that site down.
The best time to visit New York is in December
A blogger I like an admire, Bernie Michalik, wrote this charming piece about New York City: “The best time to visit New York is in December. And other things NYC”.
I have a limited history with New York. Born in Rhode Island, I went to the City many times, apparently. But I haven’t been in New England since I was three. So, though my father insists otherwise, I don’t consider myself having experienced it. But I’ve long felt a connection, or at least an interest with the City. If not for family stories, then also from the many films centered there. There’s a charm, as well as an intensity of reputation, that I find compelling.
Eventually, I’d like to travel (back?) to New York. And, hopefully, I can visit in December.
Focus and Choice
I think the greatest challenge for people with any greater than zero amount of ambition is choosing what not to learn. For me, there are so many things I want to learn. About three lifetimes worth. Finding focus is hard. Focus means saying no to other, often great, opportunities. My goodness, that’s hard.
Quote of the day: everyone’s contribution is important
One thing that I need to do better: value my contributions. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of “my work does nothing”. This mindset sucks life away. Contributes to depressing destructiveness.
Remember: you have value. Your work matters. Your life matters.
Finished, and Next Steps
I just finished my final in Enterprise Architecture. By successfully completing this class, I’ve completed the requirements for some additional certificates:
I also have applied for the following certificates:
I’m done being a student for the near term, but I think I’ve accomplished a lot during these past 2.5 years. I’m proud of all I’ve done and look forward to finding ways to implement all I’ve learned.
Another goal is to land a full-time role with a company that will pay for me to continue my studies. There’s so much more to learn! I plan to start a new role sometime around the end of this year, and then be able to start classes with that company in 2023.