I really wish I could write about something other than being locked up in this house with the kids, but it seems like time has collapsed into some sort of Groundhog Day existence.
I’ve still got this cough; I’ve been racking my brain trying to remember if this is a seasonal thing that I’ve dealt with in the past, or something else. We’ve had rain the past two days, so all the pollen has been washed away, but I haven’t noticed any improvement. I’ve been sleeping in the baby’s bed at night cause I don’t want to wake my wife with the coughing as I’m trying to fall asleep. Then I wake up barely able to talk until I can hydrate. I can probably rule out reflux as I’m not drinking alcohol or eating anything past 8PM, just water.
Today does mark a bit of improvement; I sat down with Big Kid this morning at my office desk and spent some time going through the first grade math module on Kahn’s academy, trying to close out her mastery level. Then we sat down and went over a few ReadTheory quizzes together. She reached the seventh grade level before she started running into trouble. Not bad for a second grader! She seemed excited when I showed her the progress chart and explained to her what happens when she gets to the twelfth grade level. I think the lesson here is that she enjoys it a lot more when we make it something that we do together, rather than something I make her go do to get out of my hair. Or it may be that I offered her candy rewards every time she levels up one of her skills!
I have really been delving into Django with class now. It’s been a long time, so I’ve been struggling to explain the way the infrastructure ties together. I’m trying to make sure everyone knows how to deploy their local Docker setup, and how to make modifications to the models and views. Cookiecutter-Django has saved us some time since they have the custom user model already available, but I was struggling to explain how to modify it and update the forms. We’ve got a presentation on it this Thursday to provide an update to the professor. I’ve been struggling to keep up with it lately, and have really been depending on my project team to keep me on point. It’s OK cause I’ve been going out of my way to help guide everyone, so I don’t think it’s going to be a problem. We’ve got a lot to do between now and then to get things pushed out, but I have no worries about expectations for our grade. Most people on the team have been getting 99s and 100s on our written work. The prototype is thirty percent of our grade, but I’m confident we’ll be able to demonstrate progress.
This is my priority for the week.
Side project updates: We launched the new website for the local party on Monday with a EmailChimp campaign. Had to get Google Analytics setup last night, and have been trying to get Infinite WordPress running in top shape. It’s a bit clunky, but I’m getting used to it. Making sure backups are running properly, then making sure that updates are getting run is my main priority.
Still waiting on our cornerstone client to get their ass in gear with one of our projects.
Have had an idea about a new personal domain to serve as a central home for my professional activities. I’ve got a couple ideas for clever domain names, and some spiffy WordPress themes that I can use to build it. I need to learn to leverage LinkedIn, and revisit the local startup community to see what opportunities are out there for me to go after. I still have yet to apply for any jobs. I need to prioritize my resume.
Last note, my wife is upset cause she think’s she’s being targeted by management at work. Said her supervisor wants her to transition to a role where she’ll be meeting with walk up clients. She’s obviously concerned with the increased risk that this puts her in. I suggested that she try to leverage her communications platform to do something about it. There seems to be a culture of passive aggressiveness at her office, and it seems like she wants to fall into similar behavior. She did not think I was validating when she told me after work; she was very distraught.