📅 Date Written: 2026-10-11
Good morning, friends!
Here’s a quick update on my journey on Earth:
- I’m failing the Networking class 🙁 — I’ve acchieved As and Bs and probably averaged an A- on the first 8(?) chapters of a 22 chapter Cisco online course. Not failing because I can’t grasp the material, but because I don’t have enough time with battling chronic exhaustion and lower back soreness due to chair ergonomics, and a 20+ hour per week part time work schedule.
- Considering that its hard to find what you are looking for if you don’t KNOW what you are looking for, this would be the optimal role for me: Entry level Software Engineer in C++, remote, part time, $50/hr, 20hrs per week with paid training, weekly 1:1 checkins, mentoring — not just being dropped to the sharks! — ENTRY LEVEL C++! Full benefits, 401K 100% matching 30 day or immediate vested, free access to LinkedIn, Coursera, and Udemy courses, unlimited. Paid/Company encouraged IT certification pathway, etc. 4 weeks paid vacation / year. Free account on which to order tech books and computer hardware / software for free. — that would be optimal. Also, free company reimbursed ergo furniture to buy a Herman Miller Aeron chair $1200.
- CarMax didn’t work out last month — Geneva Co. prepended a ‘1’ to our mileage so instead of ~25K it read ~125K, making our quote $25K instead of $38K! Kat went to the courthouse and ordered the correction on the title. Once we got it about 2 wks later, we went back to CarMax after I did a new evaluation listing no scratches or blemishes and we got $42K for it! We also bough a 2022 Jeep Compass while there and that is my vehicle. About a week later we bought Kat’s blue-gray Jeep Renegade. She loves how “zippy” it is, but most of all, we both have vehicle independence now.
- 2 Days ago (Oct 9, 2026) we experienced Hurricane Isaias. Power was out for almost a day and our ice cream went completely soft in the freezer! Everyone came out safe with no property damage, even our neighbors and we were grateful because we had prayed for their safety also. Yesterday (Saturday), Scott and Patrick Campbell and even their mom Pat came out bright and early and cut down our one tree in the front yard that was knocked over into the street. Kat and I helped haul the limbs and put them on the roadside as Scott cut them with his 18″ electric EGO(?) chainsaw. I was considering burning or chipping the limbs in our tiny woodchipper, but Kat suggested that she will call the Geneva road and bridge department and see if they’ll come out and collect. Also, I need to call the Geneva Baptist Assoc. to cut down the rest of the tree.
- I hate that I’m failing Networking because I don’t have time to complete the work. What I was able to get done takes a lot of reinforcement because much of the material is new to me. The Linux and Software Support stuff was easy at first, but when they began moving into advanced user/group admin it started to become familiar concepts but unfamilar implementations (eg, I’m familiar with ACLs, but didn’t know the commands getfacl and setfacl)
- Kat and I did some research and bought some things this week after the power outage. We bought a 2-pk of Anker Solix S2000 Portable Power Station 2-Pack (solar generator for home backup) on Amazon for about $1200 (they were half price) — she’s thinking one for the kitchen fridge and one for the mudroom freezer. Other items we’ve got on order include a super-powered handheld air-blower gun and some A+ study books
Screenshot of Amazon order for Anker Solix Portable Power Station 2-pk - While power was out, in the day I studied C++ and Algorithm books I had on my bookshelf. I mostly only got through the front matter (intro, dedication, purpose, prologues, etc.), but I read it out loud so I wouldn’t lose my concentration.
- My best class is still C++ — I’m loving it and if I had to give up all the other courses I would.
- I also ordered a workout/weight bench, a wristwatch, sapling puller, Brother P-Touch labeler, vibrating/heated massage pad, 2-pk CompTIA A+ certification study books, Aylio Socket Seat Cushion (which is helping with the Autonomous task chair uncomfortability issue, but doesn’t solve it completly). We also ordered a handheld pistol-grip air blower (WOLFBOX MegaFlow 50 Compressed Air Duster, 110,000 RPM, 3-Gear Adjustable) — all the previous was from Amazon. But, we also ordered a replacement chainsaw chain for my Ryobi 14″ 40V rechargable electric chainsaw from Home Depot.
There is much more I could share, but these are the highlights.
Yall have a great day!