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Category Archives: Thinking Thursdays

Daily Ramblings – Thinking Thursday – Udemy

21 Thursday Jan 2021

Posted by Dave Gardner in Thinking Thursdays

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

cheap, easy, fascinating, inexpensive, Learning, Life-long Learning, new courses, new material, Thinking, Udemy

As the future unfolds, many of us will need to retool and learn new things. I decided to pursue the Python programming language. First, it’s a pretty easy language to learn. There are some things that still confuse me, but mostly, particularly with what I want to do with it, the language is very “learnable”.

I’m taking a Python course on Udemy. These courses cost money, but if you are patient, you can get most of them for less than 20 USD. It’s a real bargain when you consider that you have permanent access to the course, the instructors are outstanding in the 4-star rated and above courses, and you get so much content that you’ll be busy for a few months.

I’m enrolled in an NLP course, two Python courses, a graphic design course, two Excel courses, a digital marketing course, and a data science and business analysis course. I’m taking these because my new position in a religious organization requires that I know how to do all these things (excluding python and NLP). My goal is to complete all these courses before the end of 2021. Not a problem. I’ll get there in no time. The key is to do a little each day. By doing a little learning each day, you’ll retain the information more efficiently. To repeat, since you have lifelong access to Udemy courses you purchase, you are free to go back and review anything that you forget or need to refine. It’s a terrific service. I highly recommend it.

Is there something you’d like to learn, just to learn it? Head on over to Udemy. You won’t be disappointed.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thinking/Thankful Thursdays – Lifelong Learning

14 Thursday Jan 2021

Posted by Dave Gardner in Thankful Thursdays, Thinking Thursdays, Uncategorized

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Fun, Hobbies, lifelong learning, online schools, school, Skills, Sources, staying competitive, Work

I’m a big advocate of lifelong learning. I am taking a python course currently on Udemy, but have a few more courses in the pipeline for the year. I want to get better with Excel (pivot points, charts, etc.), digital marketing, and data science. These are all on Udemy and are available for a small fee. I got all these courses with 10+ hours of content for about 40 USD. These courses will keep me busy for a while and provide me with the skills necessary to act in my new position in my religious organization for the State of Michigan.

I can’t stress how important it is to remain up-to-date with technology. My parents struggle with most of this, and frankly, so do many in their generation. Most of us in my generation learned technology as part of our jobs. We had to learn it because we needed these technologies to compete in the marketplace. Simple things like searching the Internet, using an email service, an online calendar, or a cloud-based storage system (Google Drive, One Drive, or iCloud). These things are so simple to me, but a mystery to those who have never used them. The world will continue to progress and leave these folks behind more and more.

Now, more than ever, it is important to learn technologies like ZOOM, Skype, or other video chat service. Because of lockdowns, schools and businesses particularly have had to use these types of systems to teach students and interact with their clients. They are also so cool to use to stay in touch with friends and family. My wife and I either Facetime or use ZOOM when she needs help with paperwork or something in AZ.

So keep learning. It is fun, it keeps you engaged, and will give you capabilities you may need in the future, as our societies become more “digital”. It’s also really fun to engage with people all over the world and make new friends. I have friends all over the states, friends in Europe, Australia, and even Indonesia. These technologies have shrunk our planet and give us access to other cultures. This helps us understand why other countries do what they do.

If you’ve never used services like Udemy or Coursera, feel free to ask questions in the comments section. I’d be happy to connect with you directly and help you out. I am not affiliated with any of these educational companies—I’m just willing to give you a helping hand in case you need help. These services are terrific and provide me with the ability to learn all kinds of things that I either find interesting or need to know to do something I want.

Here are some links for your use, should you take this up for yourself:

https://www.udemy.com/

https://www.khanacademy.org/

https://www.edx.org/

https://www.coursera.org/

These are some top online educational sites I have used and recommend. Most of them are absolutely free (except Udemy) and will require you to pay if you want a certificate of completion to use for college credit or employment purposes (Coursera and EdX). Udemy charges a fee for all its courses, but these are typically around 9.99 USD, if you are patient and wait for many of their sales events, which literally happen monthly.

Well, that’s it for today. I hope all you have a terrific Thursday.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thinking Thursday

03 Thursday Jan 2019

Posted by Dave Gardner in Thinking Thursdays

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Tags

Bible, Goals, God, Gratitude, Life, Love, Thanks, Travis Barker

“Thank you for life, and all the little ups and downs that make it worth living.” – Travis Barker

Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/travis_barker_468582?src=t_thankful

Life is a grand adventure! We learn, love, and laugh. We travel, we try new things, and we meet new people. When our cycle ends, others take up the mantle. Life continues.

I enjoy thinking about my life. The ups and downs, loves and heartbreaks. The scary and the serene. All these experiences weave themselves into a quilt with little facsimiles scattered about.

I look at all the technological changes that provide us access to so much information, music, and other forms of entertainment. I look at the technologies that provides us the ability to create a document, create a movie, create music, or even create a program of our own making.

Here’s what I’m up to:

Physical

I came down with a flu or cold a few days ago so the workout routine is out until I beat this bug.

Mental

I’m reading 4 books. I’m reading The One Thing, 2136, Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad, and Beyond Good and Evil. All these books are engaging. I’m goaled to read 12 books by the end of March.

I’m running through a JavaScript Project currently, employing the use of Objects, which is exciting. I had no idea that JavaScript was an Object-Oriented Language, but sure enough, it is.

I am still working on a section a day for my book and it is coming along nicely. By the end of next week, I’ll have my initial rough draft. I’m a little over schedule because I wanted to be finished by the end of 2018, but with my vacation visit to Phoenix, I over estimated how much I would get done while I was there (I had too much fun!).

Spiritual

I’m working through my bible and am on the 12th discourse of my spiritual study for the year. I’ll be starting a new course in the next month or so.

I’m looking for ways to interact with more people. Last year I got a lot done but was a hermit for most of the year focusing on the important work of book writing and the rest. I am going to look at some different venues this year to work on my book writing, so I can continue to get my work done but interact socially with other people.

My book discussion is set for the 14th of this month. I look forward to that.

Social

I’m still scanning my area for something fun to do this quarter.

Well, that’s it for today folks!

Until next time…

Dave

42.997350
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Daily Ramblings – Thinking Thursday

27 Thursday Dec 2018

Posted by Dave Gardner in Thinking Thursdays

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

End of Year, Goal Setting, Mental, Physical, Social, Spiritual

I am really enjoying the holidays!

We had a nice post-Christmas day yesterday. We had leftovers, sat around our Christmas Tree to talk about various topics, and got to watch a good movie as a family last night. We watched Infinity War and it lived up to all the hype that surrounded it when it hit theaters.

If you’re a Marvel fan and missed out on this film when it was at the movie theaters, it was just released on Netflix. It is a long movie (about 2 hours) but is really good. I won’t provide any spoilers so you’ll have to watch it.

The remainder of this week I’ll be doing my annual readings of Getting Things Done, Mini-habits, and the 7 habits. I am reading The One Thing currently, along with a fiction book called 2136.

My exercise routine will be on hold until the New Year. I’ve been going at it hard and want to give my body a little breather as we approach the New Year. Then it’s off to the races!

I’m also working on my goals for the New Year. I’ll post these on New Year’s Eve. My goals will revolve around the spiritual dimension, physical dimension, mental dimension, and social dimension. One area I am seriously lacking is the social dimension. Since retirement and moving back to Michigan, my social network (besides the virtual one) have been seriously deteriorated. This year will be a focus of getting out there. I’m contemplating doing a lot of my writing at local coffee shops to just get out there and meet and interact with people. More on this later.

Well, that’s it for today, folks!

Until next time,

Dave

42.997350
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Daily Ramblings – Thinking Thursday

20 Thursday Dec 2018

Posted by Dave Gardner in Thinking Thursdays

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Acquiring Skills, Amazon, Education, Ellen DeGeneres, Learning, Netflix, TV Series, Xbox

“Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.” ― Isaac Asimov

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/learning

Only you know what you need to learn. Take some time to think about this. Learning is something that should be life-long. Why stop learning after you finish college? There is so much in the world to see, do, and understand.

There is no reason or excuse for failing to learn new things. Take advantage of the free education available on YouTube, Coursera, Udemy, and other online universities. They cost nothing or are reasonably priced.

What are you interested in? What would you like to be able to do? Take some time during the holidays to answer this question. You’ll be so excited to begin when you find what you are looking for.

Here’s what I’ve done since the last posting of Thinking Thursday on November 8, 2018:

Exercise Program:

I’m still working through Jim Stoppani’s Shortcut to Size program. Yeah, it’s taking longer than the 8 weeks because I sloughed off at my brother’s place and didn’t hit the gym that much.

Books:

How to be an Imperfectionist, Guise – This book was terrific! Like all Stephen Guise books, it is an overview of the research around perfectionism and how to thwart it and be more productive. I recommend this book if you are a procrastinator. It will show you how everyone makes mistakes pursuing new things and avoid the pitfalls of perfectionism, so you can get on with living and producing.

2136 Trilogy (Thrush, Matthew)

(I read the below books every December—they are just that good)

  • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Covey, Stephen)
  • Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity (Allen, David)
  • Mini Habits (Guise, Stephen)

Classes:

Codecademy – I’m working through JavaScript coding currently. It is fun to get back into coding. The logic and thinking needed to work through code, line by line, is awesome!

Documentaries:

Movies:

Relatable (Netflix) – Comedy act by Ellen DeGeneres. If you’re a fan of her dry humor, you’ll love this one.

Kiss Me First (Netflix) – A good series about a world-wide multi-player game that goes awry. I think you’ll like this if you’re into tech and into CGI. I enjoyed this one.

Fun:

Fortitude (Amazon) – Great show! I won’t drop anything that will ruin the story for you. It’s just a great series. I’ve watched season 1 and 2.

Tin Star (Amazon) – Another great show about a cop who moves his family to a new area away from the big city to have an easier and safer job in law enforcement, but is their new home really safe?

Homecoming (Amazon) – Great series with Julia Roberts. This one is about an organization that helps soldiers when they return home—with a twist.

Kiss Me First (Netflix) – A good series about a world-wide multi-player game that goes awry. I think you’ll like this if you’re into tech and into CGI. I enjoyed this one.

Interesting Apps:

Nothing to add this time…

Video Games:

Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Xbox) – Phenomenal game. This was not marketed like your typical game launches but was just terrific. I’m a big fan of “Indiana Jones” type adventure games and this one truly delivers. My brother and I played through the whole thing in 3-4 days. I highly recommend this one.

Until next time…

Dave

 

42.997696
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Daily Ramblings – Thinking Thursday

15 Thursday Nov 2018

Posted by Dave Gardner in Thinking Thursdays

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Abraham Lincoln, Paralysis by Analysis, Perfectionism, Procrastination, Stephen Guise, Walt Disney, Worry

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” Walt Disney

Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/walt_disney_100644

As you’ll see below, I’m reading another Stephen Guise book. This one is called How to be an Imperfectionist. It’s a great book and will help you get unstuck, particularly if you are a perfectionist and worried about all the bad things that could happen to you if you start doing this or that before you even start!

I didn’t realize how much of a perfectionist I was until I began reading this book. If nothing else, this book will motivate you to just start something, instead of wasting time worrying about things that may or may not happen in the process. Just get on with it already!

I think this is an important point. How many dreams do you have? What goals would you like to begin but haven’t? How many projects are you still thinking about doing? Just get moving on them. This is easier said than done, I know.

Paralysis by analysis is the best description I can give in this regard. It is overthinking. It is over-worrying, it is planning for doom when you haven’t even started. It’s all those things that cause you to pause before you do anything.

You want to learn to draw—do it! You want to find a companion—get out there! You want to write that book—get on with it! Seriously, folks. Stop thinking about all the problems you’re going to have and just get moving on your projects. This is really liberating.

If this is you—read this book: How to be an imperfectionist, Stephen Guise. It’s the best $5.99 you’ll ever spend. I’m still reading the book but will finish it before the weekend is out. I’ve already begun doing the things I wanted to do without reading his book, but you guessed it—I was one of those folks that would talk about doing this or that and never get off the ground. Now, I am pursuing all of it. Life is so much better when you just get on with what you want to do and stop worrying so much about outcomes. Enjoy the ride!

One of the things I say to myself when I am about to do something that is on the edge of my comfort zone, is: The Adventure Begins. This is something I picked up in the Army. This statement was a psychological trigger that caused me to instantly focus on soldiering and forget about the girlfriend or wife I was leaving, the comforts of home I would be missing out on. This triggered my alter-ego—the soldier who was tough as nails focused on the mission, come hell or high water. The Adventure Begins is a great way to tackle some of your high-stress, high-angst projects. Just get started, folks. You will feel so much better when you do.

You can even read about Walt Disney’s life if you want. Heck, read about Lincoln too. Both men dealt with serious setbacks and accomplished great things. They looked at the situation, put together a plan and did the best they could as they went along. In the end, they went down in history as men who did things no one else could do or wanted to do. They took life as it came and dealt with all the problems and issues facing them.

Were their solutions perfect? No. They were just solutions, wrought with problems, disappointments, and challenges. They moved forward day-by-day and, in the end, accomplished great things. You don’t need to be a Walt Disney or Abraham Lincoln to do the same.

Here’s what I’ve done this week:

Exercise Program:

Jim Stoppani’s Shortcut to Size – (www.bodybuilding.com) – I’ve done this workout before and returning to it because it is just a good all-around weight routine. It’s 8 weeks in length, a 4-day split with 3 rest/cardio days mixed in.

Books:

Armor, Steakley – Recommended by an Army Buddy. Wow! What a terrific book! If you like outer space stuff, you’ll like this book. Great action, lots of twists and turns in the plot, and such a great climax at the end.

Mini-habits for weight loss, Guise – Finished this book in a day. It has some great advice on weight loss, particularly the suggested mini habits to get your program jump-started. If you’d like to leave the Yo-Yo diet world and start something that helps you change for the long-term, this is your book.

How to be an Imperfectionist, Guise – Yep, I’m on a Stephen Guise kick right now. He has written some other books and I’m going to read all of them. All his books are reasonably priced (around $5.99 for the kindle version). If you like mini-habits, his first book, you’ll enjoy the rest. They all read the same but have some different ideas. I’ll write a review once I’m finished.

Classes:

De-mystifying Mindfulness Course – Coursera – One of the largest disadvantages of the Coursera platform is the timing. I like moving through a course at my own pace. I lost interest in this course when I was forced to stop doing anything for it for over a week. I am now concentrating on one of my life goals—to learn how to write code.

Codecademy – I’m currently learning how to use Atom, a text editor that can compile your code. It is free and was developed on Git Hub. I am still working with HTML and CSS, but now am working on projects that have little to no step-by-step hand-holding. This project is a basic website and the code is all my own. I really enjoy this stuff. This is particularly fun because it is really testing my ability to generate code on my own, just like a typical developer would, working with images, a technical spec, and that’s it. This is a real kick!

Documentaries:

Looking for one that interests me.

Movies:

Haven’t found any movies that have intrigued me enough to watch.

Fun:

Ozark – Netflix – Season 2 – Ok, they did a good job with this. I won’t give you any spoilers, other than it is just as good as Season 1. I highly recommend this one. If you haven’t watched Ozark, you’ll want to add this one to your watchlist.

Homecoming (Amazon) – This is a thriller with Julia Roberts. I really enjoyed it and blew through it in a few days. What I liked most was the shortness of the episodes (around 20 minutes or so). There is also a very interesting cinematic effect you’ll see when you watch it. I won’t give it away here. All I can say is this is another series worth the watch.

Interesting Apps:

Toon Blast – Every once in a while, I come across an entertaining game app. This one is a match game of sorts but very entertaining.

Until next time…

Dave

 

42.997933
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Daily Ramblings – Thinking Thursday

08 Thursday Nov 2018

Posted by Dave Gardner in Thinking Thursdays

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Books, Consistency, improvement, Learning, Movies, Small wins, Success, Tamara Taylor

“As long as you keep going, you’ll keep getting better. And as you get better, you gain more confidence. That alone is success.” – Tamara Taylor

Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/tamara_taylor_884736?src=t_success

All of us start out in different places. This is what makes us human. You may a great artist; I may be a great speaker. The key is to recognize where you are starting from, set your sights on getting beyond your current talents to improve them.

Some advocate that we concentrate on our strengths and forget our weaknesses. I’m old school. Why should I fix what isn’t broken? Why should I neglect the parts of my make up that are not as strong as the others? I know what my weaknesses are, and I want to bring them up a bit, so they are no longer weaknesses.

Deciding is the key. Decide what you want. Decide what you want to work on. Decide on where you want to go and be. Then, formulate a plan, break it down into easy steps, and start working on each step daily. You’ll get where you want to go in no time.

Here’s what I’ve done this week:

Exercise Program:

Jim Stoppani’s Shortcut to Size – (www.bodybuilding.com) – I’ve done this workout before and returning to it because it is just a good all-around weight routine. It’s 8 weeks in length, a 4-day split with 3 rest/cardio days mixed in.

Books:

Armor, Steakley – Recommended by an Army Buddy. A terrific book so far.

The Shariyat Ki Sugmad, Paul Twitchell – This is my bible. I finished it and will re-read again. This book is a permanent fixture on my reading list.

Classes:

De-mystifying Mindfulness Course – Coursera – I’ve completed all the coursework so far and waiting until Nov 4, 2018, for the course to continue. One drawback of Coursera is the scheduling. Udemy allows you to buy the whole course, complete the whole course on your schedule and provide a certificate at the end.

Documentaries:

Movies:

Fun:

Ozark – Netflix – Season 2!

House of Cards – Netflix – Final Season. This was ok, but they ran out of gas. There were a lot of loose ends in the series and well, that’s all I got. I’d stick with the first few seasons and bail after that. Kevin Spacey made the show. After his trouble in the media and the law, the show would not survive.

Interesting Apps:

I hope all of you are having a terrific week! See you tomorrow for Funny Friday!!

Until next time…

Dave

 

42.997840
-82.517511

Daily Ramblings – Thinking Thursday

02 Friday Nov 2018

Posted by Dave Gardner in Thinking Thursdays

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Tags

Accomplishment, Choices, Decay, Productivity, Slovenliness, Waste

“The condition of health that we suffer is actually a tool to raise us another degree in our state of consciousness.”—Harold Klemp The Language of Soul

Anytime we have an issue with our health, God is trying to teach us something. Maybe it’s something we are eating. Maybe it’s something we are not eating. Maybe it’s something to do with the amount of exercise we are doing or not doing.

Each of us is a unique being. My mother has all kinds of food allergies. So, does my brother and sister. I am one of the few in the family that can eat what I want. Each member of my family that has an issue with some type of food deals with it. That’s the way life is. We are hit with a problem. We either learn to solve the problem or live with it.

I find it interesting when I run across people who complain about their life but do nothing to change it. This tells me they are either happy with their situation and just complain because it has become a habit, or they are too lazy to get off their butt and do something about it. This leads us back to the previous sentence—they are content with the way their life is, despite their complaints.

Each of us is on a trajectory in our lives. This trajectory offers a full life with rich experiences, adventures, and accomplishment or it offers a life of mediocrity, slovenliness, and decay. Life never stays in one place—it moves forward, or it moves backward.

I am beginning to learn a terrific lesson. A lesson about people. Some people enjoy their suffering. Some people enjoy living a life of waste, a life of accomplishing little to nothing, a life composed of laziness, a life of inaction. These same people complain, are bitter, and have lost any ability to improve themselves, expressing jealousy when they discover someone who is better at milking the system than themselves.

We all have a choice. We can choose to fight for our goals, set our sights high and strive for them, step out of our zones of comfort and take risks to do more, be more, and achieve more. It is all our choice.

I choose to live a life of accomplishment. I choose to live a life that strives for better. I choose to live a life that exposes me to new challenges, new skills, and wonderful experiences. I choose.

Here’s what I’ve done this week:

Exercise Program:

Jim Stoppani’s Shortcut to Size – (www.bodybuilding.com) – I’ve done this workout before and returning to it because it is just a good all-around weight routine. It’s 8 weeks in length, a 4-day split with 3 rest/cardio days mixed in.

Books:

Armor, Steakley – Recommended by an Army Buddy. A terrific book so far.

The Shariyat Ki Sugmad, Paul Twitchell – This is my bible. I finished it and will re-read again. This book is a permanent fixture on my reading list.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe – This was a terrific book. Now I know much more about the abolitionist movement during the 1800s. HBS really digs hard into the evils of slavery by depicting the horrors of slavery in this book. The separation of families, particularly for the women were absolutely heartbreaking. I highly recommend this book.

Classes:

Web Development Path – Codecademy – Currently learning HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and REACT. – Completed the HTML course. Now, I’m working through the CSS tutorials and projects.

De-mystifying Mindfulness Course – Coursera – I’ve completed all the coursework so far and waiting until Nov 4, 2018, for the course to continue. One drawback of Coursera is the scheduling. Udemy allows you to buy the whole course, complete the whole course on your schedule and provide a certificate at the end.

Documentaries:

Movies:

Fun:

Ozark – Netflix (in the cue) – Re-watching Season 1 to remind me what’s going on. I’ll kick into Season 2 when I’m back on track with this one.

House of Cards – Netflix – Final Season. I can’t wait to dig into this one. It just started today!

Interesting Apps:

Codecademy – This app is a companion app to the Codecademy website. For $19.99/month you can learn quite a few languages, work on projects, and a whole bunch more. It is terrific! This app has daily quick lessons (<10 minutes) followed by practice quizzes to test your knowledge. It’s a great app. I highly recommend this app and the companion website for anyone looking to learn how to code.

I hope all of you are having a terrific week! See you tomorrow for Funny Friday!!

Until next time…

Dave

 

42.998036
-82.517633

Daily Ramblings – Thinking Thursday

25 Thursday Oct 2018

Posted by Dave Gardner in Thinking Thursdays

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Tags

Amazon Prime Video, Codecademy, Coursera, Goals, Movies, Netflix, TV Series, Udemy

Well, folks. Another week is almost gone. Before you know it, you’ll be bombarded with trick or treaters knocking on your door or hitting your doorbell. For me, Halloween is the beginning of my favorite part of the year—the Holidays! This year, I’m going to be good and continue to push forward with my weight loss. Last year, I took a hiatus from lifting and dieting and I paid for it, although it was fun eating all the cookies, cakes, and pies that go along with the holidays in my home.

This week is a week to reorganize my priorities. As you’ll see below, I’ve been binging quite a bit. I’m not neglecting my writing or my exercise, but I would like to do some more work on my learning sessions and my spiritual pursuits, which suffer a bit when I’m so engrossed in the next great series (It doesn’t help that my brother and sister keep passing along great shows to watch). Anyways, I hit the gym early today for my cardio. Tomorrow will be another cardio day. Then it’s off to week 3 for the Shortcut to Size program I’m on currently.

I’m up to a 14,000 word-count on my book and continue plugging away at it. One day at a time and I’ll get there! I’m also really enjoying my Calm Meditation App (see below in apps). My daily practice is really helping me with calmness and focus.

I had to help my Dad set up a new computer today. He loves YouTube. His other computer died yesterday, and I wanted to get it up and running for him. It took a while because we decided to use Mom’s laptop since she doesn’t use it much and it had a whole truckload of updates to do (around 6 hours or so).

One last thing. I baked my first batch of egg bites today, so I can get up nuke my eggs and eat them straight away. I love breakfast—but hate having to make something, particularly when I want to go to the gym. The batch I made today was just scrambled egg yolks, salt, and pepper. I’ll make another batch tomorrow and experiment with additives like cheese, bacon, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and kale. These are really easy to make and because I can bake 12 at a time, I can food prep my breakfast for the entire week in about 30 minutes.

Below are the things I’m doing to improve and change. I hope all of you have a great week!!

Exercise Program:

Jim Stoppani’s Shortcut to Size – (www.bodybuilding.com) – I’ve done this workout before and returning to it because it is just a good all-around weight routine. It’s 8 weeks in length, a 4-day split with 3 rest/cardio days mixed in.

Books:

Armor, Steakley – Recommended by an Army Buddy. A terrific book so far.

Ethics, Aristotle – Very dry, but required reading if you are seeking to learn from one of the world’s greatest philosophers. I enjoyed this book and found it really cool to find the quotes I like in the book.

The Shariyat Ki Sugmad, Paul Twitchell – This is my bible. I finished it and will re-read again. This book is a permanent fixture on my reading list.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe – Still plugging away on this one. I’ve put it on hold, not because it is a bad book but due to the nonfiction reading, I’m taking on (I love nonfiction books more than fiction).

Classes:

Web Development Path – Codecademy – Currently learning HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and REACT.

De-mystifying Mindfulness Course – Coursera

Documentaries:

Movies:

Fun:

Ozark – Netflix (in the cue) – Re-watching Season 1 to remind me what’s going on. I’ll kick into Season 2 when I’m back on track with this one.

Madam Secretary (Netflix) – I just finished season 4 of this show and have to say I really liked it. If you like Designated Survivor or West Wing, this show is right up there.

Haunting of Hill House (Netflix) – I just finished this one and if you’re in the Halloween mood like I am you’ll enjoy it. This is not scary because of gore or anything, it is just eerie. You will have to pay a lot of attention as there is a lot of jumping back and forth between characters and time periods. I had to watch a few episodes over again to catch what I missed. Great cast and good writing.

The Man in the High Castle, Season 3 (Amazon Prime) – All I can say is: “Wow!”

Interesting Apps:

Calm App – This is a meditation assistant application and comes packed with all kinds of great features, soundscapes, and guided meditations. There are so many features available I do not have enough space to tell you about it. All I can say is try it out if you like Headspace or any of the other meditation apps that are out there. By far, this is the best app I have ever used. Annual price: $59.99. The price is well worth it.

I hope all of you are having a terrific week! See you tomorrow for Funny Friday!!

Until next time…

Dave

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Daily Ramblings – Thinking Thursday

17 Wednesday Oct 2018

Posted by Dave Gardner in Thinking Thursdays

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Changing, Colin Powell, Exercising, Hard Work, Improving, Learning, Success, Writing

“Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.” – Colin Powell

Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/colin_powell_386437?src=t_learning

I really enjoy learning new things and doing what I can to improve all areas of my life. I have learned over time that it’s the little things that lead to big things. A consistent effort in small chunks delivers huge results.

I run across people all the time that struggle with improving themselves. Once I begin asking questions it is easy to see why they struggle. They are not vested in change. They are unhappy with their personal circumstances but fail to act. Why? They want reality to change for them.

We cannot affect change outside of us. We must change ourselves to achieve different results. If you want to lose weight, eat right and eat less. If you want to get in shape and feel better, get consistent sleep, eat right, and exercise (cardio and strength). If you want to do something with yourself, take the time to brainstorm, formulate a plan, organize your time around that plan, and execute. This is the same thing you will read about in book after book after book.

If you want your life to change, you must change—that’s it. Nothing outside of you will bend or adjust to you. The outside reality is what it is. Accept it and live with it or change yourself and alter your circumstances.

Below are the things I’m doing to improve and change. I hope all of you have a great week!!

Exercise Program:

Jim Stoppani’s Shortcut to Size – (www.bodybuilding.com) – I’ve done this workout before and returning to it because it is just a good all-around weight routine. It’s 8 weeks in length, a 4-day split with 3 rest/cardio days mixed in.

Books:

Armor, Steakley – Recommended by an Army Buddy. A terrific book so far.

Ethics, Aristotle – Almost done with this one.

The Shariyat Ki Sugmad, Paul Twitchell – This is my bible. I finished it and will re-read again. This book is a permanent fixture on my reading list.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe – Still plugging away on this one. I’ve put it on hold, not because it is a bad book but due to the nonfiction reading, I’m taking on (I love nonfiction books more than fiction).

The Science of Success: What Researchers Know That You Should Know, Paula Caproni. I just started this book in conjunction with the author’s course on Coursera – This is a nice read. I don’t know if I’d buy the book by itself. It is the companion book for the Science of Success course below and it’s well worth it if you take the course in conjunction with it. It’ll run you around $5 for the Kindle version.

Classes:

Web Development Path – Codecademy – Currently learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Mindfulness Course – Coursera

Documentaries:

Inside the Free Masons – Netflix – Good documentary, but you’ll want to be interested in secret societies and such. It’s a very interesting documentary.

Movies:

Venom (Another Marvel Movie) – I saw this on my birthday. If you’re a Marvel Comics fan, this is a must see. Lots of action and terrific effects.

Fun:

Ozark – Netflix (in the cue) – Re-watching Season 1 to remind me what’s going on. I’ll kick into Season 2 when I’m back on track with this one.

Madam Secretary (Netflix) – I’m enjoying this one. I’m on the third season (there are four). Each season is about 20+ shows. If you like political dramas, you’ll like this one. Great cast and great writing.

Interesting Apps:

Codecademy – I’m currently pursuing a bucket list item and learning to code. I’m starting with HTML and having a great time so far. The first coding project is creating a blog from scratch—how ironic, right? The interface is awesome! You’ll need to be prepared to pay the $19.99/month to truly enjoy this one. The $19.99 version allows you to work on projects, take quizzes, and offers a whole bunch of bonus material not available in the free version.

Weight Watchers – I’m still on a quest to lose weight. After reading some research in an e-book published by Scientific American, this was one of the diet services that they believed were effective (mentioned in more than one of the enclosed articles). It runs $19.99/month and you are obligated to 3 months minimum (there is a penalty for quitting early). You can look up food, get your daily points (they use points for the types of food you eat), and have access to recipes, and all kinds of bonus content.

I truly wish the very best to all of your pursuits to improve and change for the better. Have a great, rest of the week!

Until next time…

Dave

42.997956
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