A few weeks ago, I was listening to a special episode of the Teacher’s Off Duty Podcast with Daymond John and they were talking about teaching kids financial literacy. One idea they mentioned was having an in-class economy, where students earn classroom currency and then have to budget their money accordingly.

I asked ChatGPT to scan through my entire website and then, based on the writing there, suggest some jokes I would make. Previously I’ve asked it to suggest blog posts and their suggestions felt like light roasts, so I was excited to see what it would come up with.

I am currently interested in using Python to Automate the Boring Stuff. Recently, I found an opportunity to apply it in my work at Bleeker and it was a huge time-saver and will add quite a bit of value over time. I figured it would be valuable to write out how I did it here for my own reference, but perhaps you will find it useful too! 

January is a ripe time for wanting to start a new habit, but is it always worth it? I developed the tool below where you answer a few short questions using the Negative Five to Five (NFTF) scale to answer that very question.

In order to maintain my Platinum status at Cinemark, we have to watch 25 movies within the year. What I didn’t realize was that the free movies I get as a benefit do not count towards that total. So, here is a recap of the 28 movies I saw in theaters this year with their rating on the Negative 5 to 5 scale (starting with my least favorite).

Lately, I’ve started to question: why should I continue to work towards a routine? The reason I have come up with is that there are certain habits I need to maintain for my health and well-being, and a routine is a source of systemic support for that habit.

Approximately this time last year, I posted how I signed up for my first marathon which occurred in January of 2022. Although I made it through with a time of 5 hours and 35 minutes, you can see from my pictures that I was having a rough time. See, there is this thing called the Runner’s Cry where you push yourself really hard and begin to lose control of your emotional regulation. This happened to me at around mile 20 when my watch stopped providing accurate readings and I had hit some sort of mental wall.

Consider these two sets of compliments…Which set would you prefer to hear more often? From who? Which set would make you feel good in the moment?

This time last year, with your help and support, I was able to raise $1,500 which is the approximate amount to fund the rescue, restore and transform 5 girls from human trafficking in Nepal through Our Daughters International (ODI).

For my second Independence Day as a US Citizen, I thought it would be appropriate to share how Seth and I are using the NFTF scale to vote in the Maryland primaries.

I decided to think about things that I do fairly regularly that only work perfectly if no one is paying attention (and that includes me!).

Since I was 9 years old, I knew I wanted a laptop. I don’t think they were even something that pervasive back then – we had only gotten a color computer a few years before (and had finally gotten the hang of a mouse instead of using DOS commands), so I do not actually know where things stood in terms of popular tech…

What have I done?

In the final part of this three-part series, we will cover how to keep a series going and everyone engaged.

In this second part of this three-part series, we will cover useful insights on scripting, recording and editing.

Making a podcast is easy but making a good podcast requires an incredible amount of hard work and dedication (or a lot of money to throw at someone who knows what they are doing).

This may seem daunting, overwhelming or impossible, but it’s important to remember that these are all things you want to do. These are the things that are letting you live your core values, savor your life, connect with your loved ones - so motivation will not be the issue, it’s pure time management.

We have established that your time is finite and that you need to be clear on your values and get to your own icing point. As you figure that out for yourself, it’s important to recognize that this is also true and necessary for everyone around you (although most of them will not be ready to do that work). In fact…

Time management is my superpower. It is the thing I do best and I haven’t met anyone who does it better than me (yet). So I figured if I boast about it on my blog here and share all the thoughts, philosophies and practices that contribute to my success, I could a) gloat about something I’m great at and b) potentially help you, the reader, improve your own time management skills.

Have you ever been stuck with an indecisive group? This tool will revolutionize how you make decisions!