nethope @nethope@octodon.social

Upon finishing any one homework assignment, my oldest son (12) will call "VICTORY HUG!"

It's a short break from drudgery.

It celebrates a small accomplishment to build larger motivation.

It's positive physical contact (useful to build child self-esteem, and counter to toxic masculinity; both laudable).

It's positive social contact.

I completed four units of required online training (counting the employee self-evaluation as one unit), now I'm off to collect some victory hugs.

Smart kid!

I have to complete an employee self-evaluation that I've put off for too long.

I am torn between using one of these two references (or both? can I pull off both??):

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

[2] http://dack.com/web/bullshit.html

My employee morale was fine until this self-evaluation nonsense was shoved in my face.

@KthulhuKat After 20+ years in IT, I think learning on the job is the most common approach. What I bring is troubleshooting and caring.

Many problems aren't covered in any class, so troubleshooting skills are crucial. Most problems happen again so *I TAKE NOTES* for future me.

I let people know I care how they feel about shared tasks; if the UI is terrible, I call it out; I ask awkward questions like did we solve the right problem instead of the easy problem. Feelings matter.

You can do it!!!

@KthulhuKat Good luck!!! I'm rooting for you!

@filkerdave I carried a business band radio for work for 20 years. After that 20 years of training, I feel un(der)-dressed and utterly unprepared without a radio at my side. I have the instinctive sense that OF COURSE I can just grab my radio and start talking.

Having a radio to talk to work was super useful. I can't count the number of times that radio allowed me to talk someone else through what needed to be done instead of going back to work after hours to do it myself.

Radio win!

@filkerdave I want the MD-9600 because it's dual band and digital and mobile! I have a car without a radio unless I (remember to) carry my HT: needs moar radio!

@filkerdave Well, not today ...

Full disclosure: I've picked out my next ham radio (mobile), but haven't bought it because I haven't solved the antenna question yet.

@rey Have you tried http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/refrigerator-kosher-dill-pickles-380632 (or re-use pickle brine)? I prefer dill weed (green leaves) instead of dill seed, and more garlic. Sometimes I use coarse ground mustard instead of mustard seeds so the flavor is ready to mingle. I love adjusting the recipe to suit the taste I want! The worst part of this recipe is waiting 1 to 3 days before sampling. (Wait a WEEK? you have got to be kidding me!)

@ksonney Because, as they say, everything gets better with googly eyes! https://twitter.com/dd4cr/status/480025972268609536

My children subscribe to this philosophy. I have googly eyes (and a penguin mouth) on my (black) ear muffs for that reason.

Four days later: high winds today, so my yard looks like it has had a very light dusting of snow but it's only white petals from the Bradford pear tree.

Two days ago: my Bradford pear tree burst into bloom.

Yesterday: I spotted the first light dusting of pollen.

Wait, it's still FEBRUARY!?

Today: 20°F colder, I'll only go out wearing ear muffs, yes it's still February.

@phessler I recommend drinking a lot more water for just about anything! I have so many stories best resolved with water (I prefer mine cold, and sometimes in tea): my juvenile osteoarthritis, my migraines, my high blood pressure (mostly while pregnant), and so on. I aim for 3.5L per day, preferably more. Drinking more water also adds a little exercise to my day, walking to the bathroom.

@phessler I'm a huge fan of drinking more water! My migraines almost entirely went away when I doubled my water intake! That's motivation.

My doctor blames my poor temperature regulation on my iron deficiency anemia.

Ah, a mystery solved.

I wondered why my phone didn't get a full charge overnight; it almost always does. So I checked the graph in the battery settings.

Why? Because I went to bed so late but woke up so early! My phone did not get a full charge in that short time.

This week I have slept around 4 hours a night, frequently interrupted by an insistent pager.

Tonight's plan: both my phone and I will recharge fully.