My 10th Komen 3-Day Event

I have been trying to complete my 10th Komen 3-Day for several years now.  I have been interrupted by family issues, covid, and changing jobs.  I registered for the 2022 San Diego 3-Day last fall and had met my fundraising minimum by the end of January.  Then I started having respiratory issues.  I had Covid in December and again in March and my lungs had been giving me all kinds of issues off and on that made training a real challenge.  I got to the point in June that I put my 3-Day registration on hold because I just didn't think I was going to be able to do it this year.  Well I decided today that one way or another I am going to try and walk in San Diego.  Over the last month I have worked with my Doctors and tried different medicines and right now I have been able to exercise for a couple weeks straight and my lungs are actually feeling pretty decent.  It's time to get into some more serious training and get ready because San Diego is waiting.  I e-mailed the San Diego coach and asked for my registration to be reactivated.  I worked hard to raise the money and I really want to complete my 10th event.  After that I am not sure what the future holds for participation but we shall see.

A New Job

After an extensive interview process that had some scheduling issues that took a bit of time and coordination to work out I finally completed the process and received and accepted a new job offer.  I will be retiring from AT&T and going to work at NorthwesternMutual.  I am really excited about the new job.  The environment is going to be a bit different than what I have been working on but the locations are local and I can split work from home with being in the office.  I am looking forward to actually working with a team in person again.

Calibrating Weather Station

 This Spring I received a Weather Station for my Birthday.  It was something that I had wanted to do for some time and so far I am happy I did it.  The Tempest Weather Station is a newer technology for Weather Stations as it has no moving parts.  For the most part I have been very please with the Tempest and it has been fairly accurate with one exception.  That exception is rainfall. The haptic rain sensor has been off by quite a bit according to the rain gauge that I have about 10 feet away.  I am currently going through the process to have the station calibrated by the vendor to see if we can increase the accuracy.  I hope so but even if the rain is not the most accurate, I have found the rest of the station to provide good data and I enjoy having it.  

Interview Experience

 Had an interview today and it was kind of a different experience because of Covid.  I was on a Zoom call with an interview with members of the organization that I would be working in.  The interview was a mixture of technical content along with getting to know more about me and how I might fit in with the company.  I think it went well.  

Restarting the Search

 I have been working on developing some skills and updating my resume and have been getting antsy about waiting until closer to the end of the year to find a new job.  I have actively started looking at Jobs and have applied for a couple that I thought were interesting or a good fit.  I really hope this works out sooner rather that later.

Getting Ready for a New Job

 I had started looking at new jobs but after looking at quite a few different posts I have decided that I am going to try to stay at AT&T until later in the year.  This will help me maximize my current salary but will also give me time to develop some new skills and refresh some old ones.  In looking at job posting for Network Engineers, most employers are looking for certifications and programming experience using python and or ansible.  I have identified a couple projects in my current job that I can justify learning ansible for and that should help me when I am looking for a job.  I am also looking at what it will take to pass the CCNP test again.  I let my CCNP lapse many years ago because it was really not doing anything for me within AT&T.  

Looking for a Change

It looks like I am going to be looking for a new work place to call home.  I met with my financial advisor and she told me that based on the information that I provided, with a couple caveats, I would be better off financially if I can find another job and take my pension from AT&T and invest it.  She gave me the name of a friend that is a recruiter that I have contacted and I have started looking at jobs on LinkedIn and Indeed for a start.  There are a lot of Network jobs out there and I have started looking at what they want in experience and skills.  I have let some of my current co-workers know that I am actively looking for a new job.  This is a new experience for me

New Weather Station

After many years of wanting to get a personal weather station I finally ended up getting one for my Birthday this year.  I looked into a number of different stations and ended up deciding to try the Tempest from Weatherflow Technology.  It was pretty easy to setup and has no moving parts so I am anxious to see how well it works out.  Looking forward to a now be able to help with local observations for Milwaukee Skywarn and the NWS.  I will still have my CoCoRahs Rain gauge to compare to since the is usually the biggest complaint about the Tempest.  

Considering a Career Change

 Since AT&T announced some rather significant benefit changes, I have been researching the possibility of leaving and going to work somewhere else.  It’s not a trivial thought.  After 35 years here I am rather used to this environment but I have to consider it.  I have started seeing a financial advisor to help me evaluate whether this would be a positive change or not.  Very anxious to get her feedback.

Start of Lent 2021

 Today is the start of Lent and I have been struggling to figure out changes to make for Lent.  I have decided that as a start I am not going to argue with people on Social Media when they post things that I disagree with.  I have also decided to fast each Friday during lent instead of just on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.  I am also going to make a concerted effort to attend Mass each Sunday during Lent.  During Covid I have been sporadic in my Mass attendance.  With my Asthma I have been very careful to avoid any situations that might put me at greater risk of catching covid.  I think my Parish has done a good job of mitigating risks to the best of their abilities but there are still times that I do not think it's best for me to attend.  Today is one of those days.  I had planned to attend Mass tonight for Ash Wednesday but have been second guessing that since I have had a bit of drainage that has resulted in a bit of coughing and hacking this afternoon.  I don't think that would be a good thing to do at Church even if I am wearing a mask.