This year has been hard. Really hard.

It’s like 2024 decided to be 5 years at once. Maybe it’s a tax thing.

So there I was, minding my own business, when the Digital Wellbeing app on my phone decides to inform me that I’m spending an average of 15 hours a week on Tiktok.

Sir, I think at the app, how could you say something so controversial, yet so brave?

This concept, introduced by this episode of Fixable, has brought together some of my favorite things: mathematics and working smarter.

I didn’t realize I would have actual applications for what I learned in my Automate the Boring Stuff course so quickly! If you have any tasks that require the same sequence of mouse clicks, keyboard taps or anything like that to occur, then I have a time-saver for you!

Determine a fixed amount of money to gamble (e.g. $1,000).

Pick which color to bet on (e.g. Black)

Start by betting the minimum bet (e.g. $5)

Every round, increase your bet by $5, but continue to bet on the same color.

Stop play when either of the two events occur:

• You’ve doubled your total cash.

• The amount of money you have is less than your next bet.

As I near the end of my Automate the Boring Stuff course, I’m learning some very useful tools - especially as a Windows user. In order to synthesize my learning, I decided to do a little project combining a few new python functionalities I learned.

While I was reviewing chapter 5 of Automate the Boring Stuff, I learned about using Dictionaries in Python. One of the fun exercises demonstrated by the book was using Python’s Dictionary functionality to create a database for a list of supplies for a picnic.

A few weeks ago, I was listening to a special episode of the Teacher’s Off Duty Podcast with Daymond John and they were talking about teaching kids financial literacy. One idea they mentioned was having an in-class economy, where students earn classroom currency and then have to budget their money accordingly.

I asked ChatGPT to scan through my entire website and then, based on the writing there, suggest some jokes I would make. Previously I’ve asked it to suggest blog posts and their suggestions felt like light roasts, so I was excited to see what it would come up with.

I am currently interested in using Python to Automate the Boring Stuff. Recently, I found an opportunity to apply it in my work at Bleeker and it was a huge time-saver and will add quite a bit of value over time. I figured it would be valuable to write out how I did it here for my own reference, but perhaps you will find it useful too! 

January is a ripe time for wanting to start a new habit, but is it always worth it? I developed the tool below where you answer a few short questions using the Negative Five to Five (NFTF) scale to answer that very question.

In order to maintain my Platinum status at Cinemark, we have to watch 25 movies within the year. What I didn’t realize was that the free movies I get as a benefit do not count towards that total. So, here is a recap of the 28 movies I saw in theaters this year with their rating on the Negative 5 to 5 scale (starting with my least favorite).

Lately, I’ve started to question: why should I continue to work towards a routine? The reason I have come up with is that there are certain habits I need to maintain for my health and well-being, and a routine is a source of systemic support for that habit.

Approximately this time last year, I posted how I signed up for my first marathon which occurred in January of 2022. Although I made it through with a time of 5 hours and 35 minutes, you can see from my pictures that I was having a rough time. See, there is this thing called the Runner’s Cry where you push yourself really hard and begin to lose control of your emotional regulation. This happened to me at around mile 20 when my watch stopped providing accurate readings and I had hit some sort of mental wall.

Consider these two sets of compliments…Which set would you prefer to hear more often? From who? Which set would make you feel good in the moment?

For my second Independence Day as a US Citizen, I thought it would be appropriate to share how Seth and I are using the NFTF scale to vote in the Maryland primaries.

Since I was 9 years old, I knew I wanted a laptop. I don’t think they were even something that pervasive back then – we had only gotten a color computer a few years before (and had finally gotten the hang of a mouse instead of using DOS commands), so I do not actually know where things stood in terms of popular tech…

One practice I am trying to make a habit this year is to put together a project proposal for almost any action or process I do at work. I also encourage everyone I work with to do the same. I am finding that this is an essential activity that clarifies…

A colleague shared this variation of the Chris Sacca quote with me recently and it has perfectly articulated something I have been feeling lately and here’s why:

This may seem daunting, overwhelming or impossible, but it’s important to remember that these are all things you want to do. These are the things that are letting you live your core values, savor your life, connect with your loved ones - so motivation will not be the issue, it’s pure time management.