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How I See It: Reflections on spirituality, technology, and the art of everyday life

Here you’ll find examples of my writing, thoughts on various topics, and updates about my life. Sometimes the writing and video are linked; other times they stand on their own. Both are part of the same long-term practice.

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Weekly Update 10/31/26 – 11/06/26 (Election Results, New Bedroom Floor, Progress at Work)

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November 08, 2026

This week's Weekly Update covers my thoughts on the 2026 election results, installing new flooring in my bedroom, and a significant breakthrough at work integrating FACTS with EBizCharge.

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My Motivational Morning Walk Playlist 🎧 (Daily Routine, Music, and Momentum)

November 11, 2025

My Motivational Morning Walk Playlist 🎧 I’m a morning walker. My current routine is to get up at 4:15 a.m. (yes, every day—even weekends—it’s all about good sleep hygiene) and go for a walk: one mile on weekdays and 1.5 miles on weekends . To help me stay motivated and moving, I’ve built a playlist I listen to while I walk. I thought I’d share it with you. Here’s how it goes: 1) “Theme from Rocky (Gonna Fly Now)” – Bill Conti This one gets me moving right away. I even have a hill on my route, and this track gives me the push to climb it. 2) “ Breakout ” – Swing Out Sister A breezy, upbeat track that kicks in nicely after the intro. 3) “ I’ll Make a Man Out of You ” – from Mulan A fun twist: this training-montage anthem gives me a mental “you’ve got this” feeling. 4) “ You’re the Best ” – Joe Esposito ( The Karate Kid ) Perfect for the peak of the walk when I’m pushing pace. 5) “ Hit Me With Your Best Shot ” – Pat Benatar Rocking out while walk...

Weekly Update 12/06/25 – 12/12/25 (Job Search Progress, Technical Transitions, and Rainy Weather)

December 13, 2025

This has been a relatively uneventful week. Most of it has been rainy, as the Pacific Northwest has been sitting squarely in the bullseye of an atmospheric river. It dried out a bit toward the end of the week, but I’m told the rain is expected to return next week. On the job front, I’ve sent out several hundred copies of my resume to companies that use PxPlus (Providex), BBx, UniBasic, Sage 100 (MAS 90), or Infor FACTS. Since these are all cold contacts, I’m not expecting a large number of responses, but I only need one. Past mailings have led to a few contacts. Among them is the Irvine position for an Infor FACTS developer. Early in the week, I heard back that I’m still being considered. At the same time, I’ve seen the job posted on several boards, including Indeed, Glassdoor, and ZipRecruiter. So while I’m not out of the running, they are clearly still looking. I haven’t heard back from the London role yet, but I’m still hopeful. I was hoping to start something this month, but with ...

Weekly Update 12/20/25 – 12/26/25 (New Role Announcement, Vlog Launch, and Year-End Changes)

December 27, 2025

This is the first weekly update I’m connecting to my New Vlog. The Vlog entry and the Blog entry share the same information, just presented in a different format. The Vlog is more informal, while the Blog is more structured. You can see the blog at https://youtu.be/rEvOA71pvK0 I’m Becoming a Senior Software Engineer II When I asked Astra (ChatGPT) what the difference was between a Programmer and a Senior Software Engineer II , and why the title had changed since my youth, here’s what it had to say. There was a time when the title Programmer carried real weight. It meant someone trusted to write correct, efficient code on systems that were expensive, shared, and unforgiving. You didn’t deploy often, you didn’t get many second chances, and you were expected to understand not just the language, but the machine, the data, and the business problem behind it. The title didn’t need embellishment because the responsibility was implicit. Over time, that changed. As tools became eas...

Weekly Update 06/06/26 – 06/12/26 (Electrical Upgrades, Home Improvements, Home Equity Line of Credit)

June 14, 2026

This week's update is part of my ongoing Weekly Update series and covers a major electrical project at the house, along with a few developments at work. Sometimes things move quickly. Dawn raises geckos. Frankly, I have lost count of how many geckos she has, somewhere between 40 and 80. She had 20 back in December, I know because I took care of them while she visited her son for Christmas. In any case, the geckos all need light, and some need heaters. Most of them are in her bedroom. With the extra load that puts on the electrical circuit, Dawn was worried they might be a fire danger. So she called an electrician to inspect what she had set up and make recommendations. I also had concerns about the electrical system in the house. We had several outlets that were not working. I needed another circuit in my office, and the electrical panel in the house was from the 1980s and likely needed replacement. In addition, Dawn wanted a quote to see how much it would cost to run power to a sh...

Weekly Update 05/23/26 – 05/29/26 (Enlarged Prostate Diagnosis, Urology Testing, Work Progress)

May 30, 2026

This week's update covers progress at work, upcoming dental treatment, and a significant development regarding my ongoing urinary issues. Things at work are going well. I'm making real progress on the project I'm currently working on, and it is encouraging to see things moving forward. My dentist contacted me this week to let me know that my new crown is ready to be installed. Unfortunately, my appointment is not until Thursday, so I'll have to wait a little longer before that work is completed. For several years I have been experiencing urinary difficulties, including frequent urination, occasional bladder control issues, and problems initiating urine flow. In 2022, I saw a urologist and tried several medications to treat the problem. At that time, my urologist wanted to perform a cystoscopy, an examination in which a small camera is inserted through the urinary tract to determine what is causing the symptoms. I decided to hold off on that procedure until the pro...

Weekly Update 11/29/25 – 12/05/25 (Job Interviews, Outreach Cleanup, and Health Update)

December 06, 2025

This has been an eventful week. On Tuesday, I woke up trying to sneeze but couldn’t quite get it out. Then I noticed the scratchy throat and the stuffed head. Yes… You guessed it, I have a cold. I went to the doctor on Wednesday to make sure it wasn’t COVID, and thankfully, the test came back negative. Just a mild head cold. As of Saturday, I’m still a little stuffy and tired, but overall improving. On the job-search front, I had two interviews for a position in Irvine, CA. The first one went very well. They even gave me a short coding test, and not only did I solve the problem, but I also found a bug in the original code that made the tester laugh at his own oversight. I left that call feeling hopeful. Within an hour, they contacted me to schedule a second interview, which I had on Friday with three senior leaders. This round focused more on modern tools and frameworks than on my legacy strengths, so it didn’t go as smoothly. I made sure to highlight how quickly I pick up ne...

Weekly Update 08/01/26 – 08/07/26 (25 Years, Wildfire Smoke, and a Better Mouse)

August 08, 2026

This week's Weekly Update covers a mixture of memories and projects, from an anniversary that still brings complicated feelings and memories of wildfire smoke when I was young, to the work I've been doing on my office and an unexpectedly useful new computer mouse.

Weekly Update 05/03/26 – 05/08/26 (California Business Trip, Alaska Airlines, Rental Car Problems)

May 11, 2026

Weekly Update 05/03/26 – 05/08/26 (California Business Trip, Alaska Airlines, Rental Car Problems) Sorry this is late. I did not have enough energy to write it on Saturday. Last week was an eventful week. This post is part of my ongoing Weekly Update series and covers my trip to Southern California for work, a visit with family, and a few unexpected travel surprises. It started Saturday morning as I was getting ready to go to the airport. I thought I would take a minute and empty the kiddie pool that had been sitting in the backyard for months. Dawn uses it to help sterilize branches she wants to use in the vivarium she built for her collection of geckos and other lizards. She fills the pool with water and Clorox and lets the branches soak for a few days. I thought I could simply lift one side of the pool and let the water spill out the other side. When I tried, I found it was too heavy, so I had a bright idea. I could lift the pool enough to create a wave that would splash over ...

Weekly Update 10/10/26 – 10/16/26 (My Mother's 85th Birthday, Frontotemporal Dementia, Remembering Mom)

October 17, 2026

This week's Weekly Update is a personal one. My mother passed away on October 15, 2026, her 85th birthday, following a long struggle with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). I reflect on her final days, the unusual coincidence of her passing on her birthday, and the challenges of dealing with grief while continuing with everyday life. The sky was clear, the air was cool, and the sun would not rise for another hour and a half. It was 5:30 a.m. on October 15, 2026, my mother's 85th birthday, in Ventura, California.

Weekly Update 07/11/26 – 07/17/26 (Apollo 11 Memories, Technical Leadership, Office Remodel)

July 19, 2026

Weekly Update 07/11/26 – 07/17/26 (Apollo 11 Memories, Technical Leadership, Office Remodel) This week's update continues my ongoing Weekly Update series. It includes an unexpected encounter with a summer thunderstorm, memories of Apollo 11, progress at work, developments in my office remodel, and some difficult news involving one of Dawn's puppies. Thursday morning started like most mornings. I got up, took my meds, and went for a walk. I did not get very far when I heard something strange. At first I thought it was the sound of a jet airplane taking off. I live only 4.5 miles from the runway at PDX, so we sometimes hear the planes, although not very often because they normally take off and land on a path parallel to my house and do not fly over it. But I noticed that the sound level was increasing and decreasing, so it was not a plane. The next possibility, of course, was thunder. I was not overly concerned. I did notice that there were occasional raindrops falli...

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