WatchDevRun

Memorial Day is a weekend I haven't been in the US for in years.  This year is different, not only am I here but COVID-19 has changed the way we look at weekends, life, everything.  So now here I sit after enjoying a beautiful weekend at home and wondering what the next year will bring.  This year we've altered plans -- camping in the backyard during Memorial Weekend instead of going to campgrounds.  We've had races that have moved to the virtual realm versus doing them in "real life". Our friends are found on Zoom or Google Meets, I'm teaching students via Google Meets instead of talking to them in my classroom.  Everything has changed but there is one thing that hasn't.  We still need to connect on one level or another and that's what we're doing. Social media is supposed to be the place where we can connect to those around us but it has gone from something that was once positive to a very negative place for many people.  If someone doesn't a

At the end of April, I received an email stating I had received a scholarship from DataQuest to work through the Data Analytics program they offer.  It's an online course that teaches the skills needed to move on to working in Data Analytics.  This is what I had been waiting for!  In the midst of the pandemic, I had received something that would help me see the world in a different view.  This scholarship is so much more than that, it gave me the feeling of someone believing in me and the way I see the world.  Most people see the clump of trees that I run by and see all the trees.  Data Analytics give you an ability to see the trees as individual and use the patterns they produce to tell you so much more about them and how they interact with the world.  It's not just important to see the big picture but to separate out the parts of it and see what it means.  Although these trees look like a clump at the end, each one is changing color at a different rate.  Each one is working i

Wow, what a change a week makes!  No snow this week, light running, some strength training and new challenges put into place.  The Al Ain Triathlon Club started a set of workouts and meets this weekend that helped re-energize me and where I am right now.  There is definitely something to be said for teammates, even virtual ones.  Certain things can help point you in the direction you know you should be going, even if your heart hasn't been in it and that's what's happening. But it's not the biggest thing on my mind this week.  No, it's the news of education cuts for next year and what that means.  The world is struggling and we all understand that.  Teachers were asked to revamp their entire curriculum in a short period and we did that.  Schools were asked to shut down and still reach out to feed students, set them up with the technology they needed and help this transition and they did that.  Now schools are being told thanks for everything you did but now you ne