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Thirsty Thursday Eve - Mint Julep (April)

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If there is a drink better associated with late April and early May than the Mint Julep, I couldn't find one. Whether you watch the Kentucky Derby or not, this time of year is dominated by the event, and the Mint Julep is the official drink. When planning out posts for the year, not only had I never watched the Kentucky Derby, I had never tried a Mint Julep. Some time around then, I picked up a mint plant to grow in my bathroom windowsill. It was mostly intended to make a Mojito, but hey, mint is mint. Plus, the Mint Julep is classic enough, I felt obligated to try one. Recipe ( Original ) Ingredients 2 oz. Woodford Reserve® 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup 3 Fresh Mint Leaves Crushed Ice Preparation Express the essential oils in the mint and rub them inside the glass.  To the same glass, add simple syrup, bourbon and crushed ice.  Stir. Garnish with more ice and fresh mint. Easy enough. Other recipes I read suggested muddling the mint directly into the glass, which is the route ...
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State of the Blog

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 I've had a lot going on lately, and there were several posts that I wanted to make and simply didn't get a chance to. I got laid off in January  and picked up a new job in February , which obviously gave me quite a bit of preoccupation with the situation. Plus, I've been trying to wrap my head around the team and be the best employee I can with the new gig. In short, I simply haven't had the same amount of spare time that I had before. I didn't post a Book Report in March, but not because I didn't read anything. Originally, I was going to write about "The Universal Christ" by Richard Rohr, but I didn't finish it. One of those traditional print books, after I got another job, I suddenly found myself with less free time to read. Plus, I started listening to the audiobook for Iron Flame, a sequel to Fourth Wing . Also, if I get back around to actually reading rather than listening, "Common Sense on Mutual Funds" by John C. Bogle has been m...
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Thirsty Thursday Eve - Cuba Libre (March)

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Want to order an old favorite, but sound fancy doing it? Get a Cuba Libre! It's just a rum and cola with lime, but it sounds cultured. Plus, it's fun to say: Cuba Libre. As the Lima One Capital annual company party was approaching, I was discussing it in the office with the data engineering team. You know, before I got laid off? I really felt like if there were no hard feelings, they should've let us still attend the party to go out with a bang. Alas, I digress. At that point, I still had every intention of attending the celebration. One of the data engineers said she planned on getting a Cuba Libre. I was intrigued, a Cuba Libre? I hadn't heard of that. "Oh, it's just rum and Coke with lime." How droll. I love a rum and cola, and I frequently throw lime in it because lime is amazing. Turns out, I had been drinking Cuba Libre for years and didn't even know it. Beyond being simple and delicious, it's also cheap. When you don't have a job, you...
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Seeing Christ in a Praline

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Modern Christians are frequently concerned with being more "Christ-like," but I think we often ignore the little ways in which we can see Christ in our day-to-day lives and follow those same principles. Recently, I was able to see Christ in a simple praline. Now, before we get started, I'm not trying to boast about my own charity. I'm well aware of the caution against that; "but when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing" (English Standard Version, 2016, Matthew 6:3). It was a $4 praline. I'm just trying to illustrate how we can pay attention to those around us a bit more, and be more like Christ each day. A few weeks ago, I went to Kilwins to get a caramel apple for my wife for Valentine's day. While I was there, I started eyeing the pralines. They looked so good, and if I was already making a purchase, why not get something for myself while I was there? I decided to buy one. This was extremely unusual. ...
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The Best (and Worst) Code I Ever Wrote

As a software engineer, I've written a lot of code through the years and forgotten most of it. Some bits, though, I remember vividly. One routine in particular sticks out in my mind as simultaneously the best and worst code I've ever written. Picture this: we have a set of official forms used in nursing homes that need a UI to set the configuration for each form. There are three types: Physician Order (A), Medical Administration Record (M), and Psychotropic (P). For reasons I can no longer remember, there were two categories: the first had only Physician Order and MAR forms, the second had all three. With me so far? Herein lies a cautionary tale against the "it's just..." reasoning. The request probably sounds simple so far. It's decently easy to explain and understand. However, because of the complexities around that functionality, I wrote a routine that persisted in that code for probably a decade or more until the project was officially deprecated and shut ...
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Thirsty Thursday Eve - The Last Beer Cart Thursday

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I expected February's Thirsty Thursday Eve to be another cocktail, probably a Cuba Libre. However, much like getting laid off from work, sometimes unexpected things happen. Beer Cart was a Lima staple. When we were in office, it was the highlight of the week. After we went remote, I still went in occasionally on Thursdays when it lined up with manager training or an important meeting with the IT department. Over the past few months, I started trying to go into the office at least once per week for visibility and collaboration. If it wasn't on Coffee Monday, it was typically Beer Cart Thursday. As I left the office on Thursday, January 8, I had no clue it would be my last Beer Cart. Earlier that afternoon, I sent a picture of the beer fridge to some friends to gauge what I should get. I wanted a Ranch Water, but the officially branded ones weren't available. Instead, the Senior Director of Operations and official beer stocker recommended the High Noon Tequila Seltzer. Good ...
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My Approach to Investing

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For a long time, my only investing was through regular 401K contributions through payroll deductions. Recently, I made a brokerage account through Wells Fargo and I've started to dabble in stocks. First of all, let me point out that I am not a financial advisor. I am not equipped to give financial advice. You're welcome to follow my methods, but I cannot guarantee profit or financial success. This is simply what I've chosen to do with some discretionary funds. I've always treated the stock market as something like legal gambling. Yes, I realize that the market tends to increase over time, and that investing your money properly will make it grow while leaving it as cash in checking and savings account will lose value due to inflation. The problem is I don't know how to properly invest. My 401K seemed like a safe bet, and a reasonable way to prepare for retirement. I contribute some from my paycheck before I ever see it, and my employer matches that. It's a great ...
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Book Report - 'Lead Like a Marine' by Captain John Warren and Master Sergeant John Thompson, Ret.

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As I was considering what book to cover for February's Book Report , I received the news that my position was being dissolved and I was being terminated from the company. It felt fitting, then, to read the book written by the co-founders of Lima One Capital. I'll wax poetic about my time at Lima later, but reading 'Lead Like a Marine' was a cathartic exploration into that shared experience. I never met John (Warren) in person, but I met Top (Thompson) several times and worked closely with several of the first few employees mentioned in the book. Chris Wilhoit participated in my team's daily standup for months. This book wasn't just recounting the history of some people at some random company; it was my job for several years, with people that I knew personally. The general pattern of the book is a military anecdote from John and Top (typically from Ramadi, Iraq), followed by the principles they learned from that experience, and then how they applied that to their...
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Thirsty Thursday Eve - Ranch Water (January)

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The first "Thirsty Thursday Eve" of the new year, but certainly not the first in this series. I arrived at a somewhat unexpected drink for January. The AI recommendation went in some fairly standard directions for January: either low-calorie drinks to appeal to resolutions about health and weight loss, quintessential winter drinks, or "classics" for some reason. January Theme 1: New Year, New You.  Focus on lighter, low-sugar cocktails or drinks made with invigorating, fresh ingredients like citrus or herbs. Theme 2: Winter Warmers.  Explore boozy hot drinks like a Spiked Hot Chocolate, a Hot Buttered Rum, or a Chai Toddy. Theme 3: The Classics.  A great time to revisit foundational cocktails like the Old Fashioned, a Martini, or a Manhattan, as people are often cozying up indoors. I already did  spiced buttered rum , so that's off the table. I make hot chocolate with Bailey's or eggnog for my wife frequently, so that was an option. However, the most attract...
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Bluesky Bot

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I've been playing around with Bluesky lately and building a bot to automatically share Words on Wednesday posts to that platform.   I'm not stranger to social media automation, but it's also never been my strong suit. Back in August of 2017 , I had automation set up for a few social media platforms with presumably OnlyWire . That worked for a while, but by August of 2018 , I had swapped to dlvr.it for my social media sharing needs. At some point along the line, probably around September of 2024, dlvr.it stopped sharing to my Words on Wednesday Facebook Page . Either that, or I was manually sharing those posts each week and just gave up. In either case, that page has been basically dead for over a year now. In the past year or so, I've made a point to visit Facebook less. It was my sort of default state when I would unlock my phone to visit Facebook and doom scroll for a bit. I recognized that because the algorithm prioritizes things that make you angry, I was s...
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