Memory Day: Snapshots

This picture was taken 25 years ago today, on April 17, 1999.

I was at Busch Gardens with my band friends: Rosie & Jason (not pictured), Doug & Becky, Jen, and myself. This picture was taken with one of the very first Canon Powershot digital cameras, which my dad had given me the day before.

1999 was the final year in my 20th century style: 1/4" buzzcut, glasses too big for my face, a Members Only jacket, and a Casio wristwatch.

20th Work Anniversary Day

Last Friday was my 20th work anniversary. I've worked at one company (through renamings and acquisitions) for my entire career apart from a brief experiment at a commercial startup followed by some stay-at-home-dadding back in 2017.

Career highlights include:

• 2000: As an intern, optimized a database load process by over 200% by creating a SQL-to-Java conversion language.
• 2008: Accidentally deleted all the rows in a production table but figured out a way to regenerate the data from other tables before anyone noticed or was affected.
• 2011: Convinced two diametrically-opposed ontologists to compromise on the definition of "Physical Entity" by inserting six extra words.
• 2015: Conceived, developed, and taught a six-session training designed to help our engineers earn the AWS Solutions Architect and Developer associate certs simultaneously.
• 2019: Was the sole proposal writer for a 30-page past performance volume that led to a win on a $950M IDIQ.

Chad Darnell's 12 of 12

12 pictures of your day on the 12th of every month

6:16 AM: Showered and ready for the day, after a 5:30 round of Beat Saber.

6:30 AM: Bagel for breakfast.

6:59 AM: Getting ready to go to the bus stop.

8:33 AM: Working on my 20th work anniversary.

9:59 AM: Prototyping different visualizations for a training module.

11:37 AM: Unhealthy lunch, also known as the "Tallahassee Friday Night".

2:41 PM: Home from school and making a dandelion bouquet.

3:10 PM: Clearly not napping, while Maia plays Pokemon on the Switch.

3:37 PM: Expanding our under-sink storage potential.

5:22 PM: Playing basketball.

5:45 PM: BBQ spare ribs for dinner.

7:22 PM: A game of 5-Minute Dungeon before bedtime.

Stuff in My Drawers Day

A poem I wrote for my mom's birthday, 32 years ago today.

Weekend Wrap-up

On Friday (a day off of school), we took the kids over to my parent's house to celebrate Grandma's 83rd birthday.

On Saturday, we went to Riverbend Park to view the bluebells, arriving in the perfect early sweet spot: trails had been flooded and closed the day before, and a $12 "Bluebell Viewing" festival started 2 hours after we parked.

Here is a zero-effort, no-post-edit picture of bluebells taken with the camera on my new Samsung Galaxy S23.

There was also a raptor demonstration occurring in the nature center with two owls and a loud kestral.

Afterwards, we stayed in the park for a bit so Ian could play in the sandbox, then had IHOP for brunch. Dinner in the evening was baked chicken thighs.

On Sunday, Rebecca took the kids to church while I cleaned the house. In the afternoon, we weeded the garden then Maia and I played Princess Peach: Showtime! while the rest of the house napped. We went to Cascades Overlook for a dinner at Fire Works Pizza, where Maia earned a free dessert from the manager for proclaiming unsolicited, "This is the best Tartufo pizza I've ever had!"

How was your weekend?