WORK FROM HOME PAJAMA POWER - MAKE UP!
I've been re-watching Sailor Moon lately, and for those of you who come across this post and need a refresh on the reference, here you go:
Now use whatever imaginative powers you need to put this in context and you have my morning routine.
I've been feeling nostalgic for things from my childhood lately. It's not like I want to return to that period of my life or anything (being an adult is awesome), but there's nothing wrong with finding comfort in stuff that brought you happiness during times when you didn't think so much about the economy, politics, social environment, the actual environment, mental health, weight, etc., etc., etc..
I think it's mostly due the onset of winter weather. We, here in central Oklahoma, briefly had snow! It's hard not to feel that little kid excitement when it snows, but I think especially in Oklahoma. It's so rare! So when some light flurries started falling yesterday morning and everything frosted over this morning there was much rejoicing! Not only because it provided some sentimental simplicity, but also because beautifully dismal days have turned into the perfect time to really dial in on my projects. Nothing says stay inside and code (and watch classic anime) like cold, cloudy weather! And gosh am I glad I don't have to go out into it for a commute to work (the silver lining of quarantine).
Lately I've been plotting an automated server set up process involving PowerShell scripts, Jira, and a continuous delivery software called Xebia Labs. For the most part, these three play well together thanks to plug ins and APIs. The goal is to get the servers from clone to production with little to no manual input! That means firewall rules are set up, connections are established, application files are present, and internet services are running with maybe only a human nod of approval at the finish line.
I'm still learning a lot about the environment I'm working in and all the nuanced procedures involved with getting it up and running, so it's certainly not a one woman effort! I'd like to shout out to the internet wind, the NSA, and whatever WWW traveler finds this - I work with a great team of engineers! Since day one, they've been endlessly kind and supportive when it comes to showing me ropes. I couldn't have asked for a better bunch to work with on getting this thing out the door! And! It's been exciting to see all of the opportunities for automation we've come up with since this project started.
Work smarter, not harder! PowerShell everywhere! Turn the pets into cattle! Automate the boring stuff!
Okay, okay, I'll settle down... But really. Automate everything.
Okay, for real, I'm chill. Anyway, outside of my professional endeavors, I'm continuously plucking away at this site as well. A little CSS tweaking here, some HTML changes there - nothing too crazy. I did finally add individual pages for each project on my Project page. I also added icon, avatar, image... things to spice it up. They aight for now.
I’ve been working on a Python script to pull Strava data into my database with the idea of throwing visualizations on my Running project page. I’m also working on a way to display site updates with descriptions on the Website project page. All of this is slowly coming together as I get distracted by all the things IRL. Man, it’s December already. That’s just crazy!
On that note, I’ll leave you here with Advent of Code 2020. I’ll be back soon-ish.