WatchDevRun

Summer has begun and with that comes warmth, ideas and of course goals!  Realizing it's been almost a full year since we've moved back to the US is kind of wild and to think how much my life has changed in the last year.  I mean I'm contemplating a marathon, I like my job again but the part of me that wants to look and analyze data hasn't left.  Instead it has definitely gotten stronger! In the last week I've been taking a more in-depth look at Numpy and Pandas, both libraries that work with Python.  The more I learn of how these two work together the more intrigued I am. The ability to work with numerous libraries is what helps to make Python interesting and insightful. As I dig deeper into the various libraries Python uses, the more I realize it really can be somewhat intuitive to work with. This doesn't mean I don't make mistakes but in order to fix these mistakes it is much easier as I have a greater understanding of what the code means and how to adjust...

Wow that's it -- school is over and summer is here...crazy to think this whole pandemic/quarantine started in March and now in June, we have riots and protests breaking out all over the nation and the world.  What a different place we're in now than when I moved back in July.  I'm pretty sure no one could have predicted what would happen and what is happening, I know I couldn't and wouldn't.  But now on to new goals and a new way of life.  School always comes and we learn what we learn. This year has been a lot of growth for all of us but now we're moving on to a summer we didn't expect but gives us a variety of opportunities to try.   Time to set the goals for the summer!  I'm a planner so setting up the goals is crucial for me to get work done. So here are my preliminary goals for the summer: 1. Work through the DataQuest curriculum to focus on data analysis work. 2. Find a part-time job to help the transition to the US a bit easier. 3. RUN - my mile...

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 differe...

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 everythin...

This week should have been a great week to focus on relaxing, getting into a rhythm of running after pushing to 40 miles last week and adding in strength training.  But that was not the case... Monday, I got the run and core in.  Wednesday, run, core and back workout and then there was Thursday...I was halfway through a 5-mile run (literally had just passed the 2.5-mile mark) when I came down funny.  And when I say funny, I mean I'm not sure if I twisted it at the same time or what but all of a sudden I couldn't put weight on it.  When I bent it, you could hear and feel the cracking sounds in the knee.  This was not good, I had been surviving the pandemic by running 5-6 times a week and now adding the strength just after my 40th birthday should have been a turning point where I would have the opportunity to get stronger.  Instead, I had to cut my 2nd run of the day short and adjust the strength workout that night so I didn't do any other damage.  At ...

Last week marked a few occasions in this ongoing saga of the pandemic.  The first included a completed week of remote learning, not only as the teacher but as the parent.  It has been a learning curve for all of us as we have worked to figure out the remote learning process that works best and how to make all the pieces fall into place.  It wasn't perfect but nothing is ever going to be....not in life and not during the middle of a crisis. Most students want to be engaged and are thrilled to have an opportunity to use Google Meets or any other video conferencing just to have an opportunity to talk to teachers and peers.  It has been enlightening to find out that students do miss the people who are a part of the school, as much as the staff does. As a teacher, I'll continue to worry about the ones I can't reach but I'll also continue to do what I can, that's all I can do. On the parent side is incredibly grateful for my daughter's teacher and the staff ...

Another week and another way to figure out how to 'survive and thrive' through the pandemic.  It's been an interesting week, to say the least... Spring break was upon us, so there was no distant learning for my child but I was walked through what my new job will be looking like during this face-to-face shut down.  And I think we'll be ok overall.  It's a total change for a lot of our families, including my one but it's one that will work out and I think we may look at education and life differently in the future. Finishing off the week was Easter, like many people, we did a virtual Easter with family.  Everyone had their own table and food and we went about it together.  It was good but different, we've always been gone for Easter so actually doing it like that wasn't much different than normal, for my family. Now we go into a week that is a learning curve for everyone involved - parents, students and teachers alike.  Monday, April 13th students i...

I've never been as grateful for this image on my morning run as I was after the news was released that Michigan will not be re-opening the schools this academic year.  As a parent, it's going to be rough. I have an only child so her whole social world will, and has been me, for the last 3 weeks already.  Add in we just moved back to the US so a lot of her friends are still overseas makes this a bit harder.  As a teacher, knowing my students are home and not sure how they're doing, except the ones who email me back, that is just as difficult.  Not knowing how to provide the right instruction to help them stay as successful as they've been this year is going to be difficult but we'll manage.  How do I know we'll manage?  We're teachers.  We walk into a classroom every day not knowing if our kids have eaten, slept much less gotten any work done.  We don't know who is getting abused at home or struggling to get electricity or internet s...

Well, we've made it through another week and this time quarantine got real with a Stay Home Executive Order in place for all in the State of Michigan and other places across the US and the world.  I've been able to keep the child's anxiety in check, mainly because I've worked incredibly hard to keep mine in check with her during the day. But it's hard, we all know it's not just for the greater good but for the health of everyone around us.  I don't want to be the one to make a decision on who gets medical services and who doesn't.  No one else should either so I can stay home.  Now, we do leave the house and for that I'm grateful.  I've gotten the child to start a Couch to 5k program as we were supposed to do Girls on the Run this Spring but that, like most things, has been cancelled so now we're doing it together.  She complains and whines but she does enjoy it...or at least has me believing she enjoys it.  Trying to keep her occupied has ...

I'm a teacher, this homeschooling thing should feel kind of comfortable right?  Oh wait, just like my first year of teaching this kind of sucks. I'm trying to figure it out and it's been a slow process.  Wednesday we started a list/schedule of to-dos.  And we did pretty well.  Still not as efficient as I'd like but hey it's a start.  Too bad it's Wednesday so still a bit off from the goal of Monday. But to be fair Monday I had my nephews and we did get some school work done.  We actually had an amazing day where I thought, yeah I can do this.  Tuesday was different as I was outnumbered 6:1 on the kid thing and we just did our best.  But Wednesday, now that was a day that could show the way everyday could work. Thankfully those that are runners know that the last thing any of us are able to give up is the run.  So we didn't.  I ran 25 miles last and was ever so grateful for it.  If I wasn't running via social distancing then Stra...

  The week started with the normal routine but by Wednesday morning I had a sick kid, limited running miles and the US was starting to worry about the COVID-19. By the end of the week people were panicked and buying as much toilet paper (still not sure about that one) as they could, schools were closing and the world seemed to be in the middle of hysteria...but let's back up.   Monday's miles were beautiful and felt great, Tuesday we had the first Girls on the Run practice of the season.  The sun was shining and the girls were excited for their shoes and getting started!  I was seriously excited for the season, although I'm usually working with Middle Schoolers this group seemed like it could be a lot of fun.    Then the child said she didn't feel good, in the middle of the night she woke up with a fever.  By Wednesday morning it was up to 102.8 and I was concerned.  Thankfully, it was "only" strep, something that can be treated and after pick...

  Wow - getting back into coding is exciting and exhausting all at the same time. I've worked my new learning into my morning schedule -- up between 4:30 and 4:55 to wake up, get some water and get started by 5 am. And I've done it.  I've accomplished the goal everyday this week which is huge for me. Plus I've ben able to run 22 miles (36k) too.  So a pretty productive 5 days I'd say.  But what have I learned?  That's always the key to figuring things out right?  So let's work it out:   Coding:       * I need some more help with GitHub.       * Dictionaries in Python don't quite make sense yet...at least not counting them to code.       * I need to work with Visual Studio more to get comfortable with it -- wondering if there's a                   tutorial course that may help (things to look into for the future...).       * I really mis...

  In July of 2019, I ended my overseas adventure and moved back to my hometown to start a new adventure.  This adventure involves living and working the US while raising my daughter but it also entails a desire to move towards the tech field and see what I can become while pushing myself in ways I hadn't before.   First and foremost, running has continued to be an important part of my day to day functioning.  It helps me settle and be balanced and for that I am grateful.  The joys of running begins with the run but always ends with friends.  Moving to a new place is hard, thankfully finding people who run isn't as hard as finding friends in general.   But since I need a challenge, I signed up for Gazelle Girl 2020 Half Marathon and RiverBank 2020 (25k).  Then on a whim, I found out that New York City was celebrating the 50th anniversary of its marathon.  The next thing I knew, after a conversation with my biggest supporter, I was signed up ...