Daily Ramblings – Thinking Thursday

Tags

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

 

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Daily Ramblings – Phoenix – Day 8

Tags

family, Friends, Gaming, Good Food, reconnecting, Relaxation, TV Series

Yesterday was a day of watching Amazon Prime, playing some video games with my brother, and meeting some friends for dinner. We met at Los Dos Malinos in Phoenix. Boy, talk about some great Mexican food. I had the carnitas plate with rice and beans and it was tremendous. It was really nice meeting with my friends yesterday, getting caught up in their lives and enjoying our time together.

Today, my brother and I are chilling out, watching some more of Patriot, playing Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and heading out to a favorite restaurant for fried chicken. Then, we are heading over to one of my brother’s favorite cigar bars, called Magnums. I’m meeting one of my previous programming consultants. We have been friends a long time.

Well, that’s it for today, folks. I realize my posts have been short, but want to enjoy as much time with my brother and friends as possible. Enjoy your Thursday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thinking Thursday

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