Last Blog Post... I Think... I Hope...

    Just got off work, I'm listening to Kendrick's new album. It's pretty solid, all good songs, not all bangers, but a solid album nonetheless. My take on it is he's speaking on how the "culture" is a poison. I agree, this "culture" was never ours. It was manufactured in a Starbucks to keep the Black and Hispanic/Latino communities broke. The powers at be don't want us learning how to invest, they want us to learn how to load a gun. They don't us to buy land, they want us to buy gold chains and exotic cars. They don't want us to learn about our history, they want us to learn how to shake our ass for TikTok. This same "culture" always taught me to stay ready to die but never taught me how to live. I just really hope this shit opens people's eyes and we stop this "culture" bullshit and build something new that teaches the next wave to carry themselves differently, because we've been following this "culture" for too long with no changes. That brings me back to a question I had in a previous blog I posted, are we capable of change? Because we are the definition of insanity at this point, just playing the same old song on repeat. We need some change.

These Blogs Are Nearly Done With!!!!!!!!!

    I don't know what to say, I really disliked this bit of our class. It's forced me to open up a whole lot more than I normally do. There's people in my life who have no idea where I am, much less my Spring Break plans. I'm not gonna lie though, I think I'm oddly going to miss this forced form of torture. I really don't know why. I've been trying to figure it out. I think I might just miss the class. The Professor has been great, the guys got the patience of a Saint. I know I've tested it once or twice with my million and one questions, but he's always been willing to take the time to discuss things, or to be more honest debate things, until I understand things fully.  I really wish he taught courses in computer programming, I just hope whoever my Professor eventually ends up being is half as good a teacher. Thanks for all the help Professor.

    For those interested this weeks blog was accompanied by the song "Home Is Where The Hatred Is by Gil Scott-Heron", blasting on repeat as per usual of course.

Aghhhhhhhh Blogs!!!!!

    AGAIN I forgot to post my dang blog! I truly dislike this weekly task of ours. I'm currently out of ideas on what to write about, once again. I don't have enough going on in my weekly life, besides work and hustling, to write something about it. I'm old school, I keep my nose in my plate and my moves quiet so there's nothing to write about or anything I'd want to write about. I really wish this would've been a bi-weekly assignment or something, it'd give more time for something interesting to happen that I wouldn't mind making public. Well this was my blog, thanks for tuning in! This weeks song blasting on replay is "Whip You With a Strap by Ghostface Killah", have a great day/night!

My Spring Break

    So I had plans to spend Spring Break chilling in the pool with my daughter, but she ended up getting sick. Between my baby being sick and this crazy wind we had practically all week, we barely got to swim. Although we didn't get to spend the entire week in the pool, she had a blast the days we did go swimming and that's all that matters, it's not like the pool is going anywhere lol. If you're interested, the song I'm listening to today is "You Ain't The Problem by Michael Kiwanuka". Hope everybody enjoyed their Spring Break, have a great day/night! 

TD08 What I Learned

    What I enjoyed learning about with PowerPoint was 6.9.5 Motion Paths. I liked learning about it because it reminds me of video game development. Like when you have to lay out NPC's walking routes, I don't know, I thought that was pretty cool. The song I am currently listening to is "Turn the Tables by Aloboi".

Finally Got My Pool

    So I got my refund from Amazon back pretty quick, thank God! They must have read my blog. /s
I was able to buy a pool straight from a Walmart, it was a bit cheaper and a whole lot bigger. The pool takes up practically my whole backyard lol. I've felt so bad these past few days because my daughter knew a pool was supposed to be arriving like 2-3 weeks ago and she's been sad every time she visits and realizes it hasn't got here yet. I can't wait to see the look on her face when we pull up to the house this Monday. My baby loves to swim, she's my little mermaid, so I got PTO for all next week and you already know Spring Break is next week, so me and my baby are gonna spend an entire week in the pool chillin lol.

    If you're feeling like taking a dip in this heat, shoot me an email and we can set a time, all I ask is you bring bud or brew lol. As for the song I'm listening to today, I am currently listening to "Me Gustas Tu by Manu Chao" on repeat. It's a great song, super relaxing, great soundtrack to any project. Have a great day and enjoy your Spring Break!

Amazon Sucks

    The main reason I moved into a house rather than another apartment was so I could buy a pool for my daughter to enjoy privately and peacefully. I had finally achieved that goal by purchasing a nearly $1,200 above ground pool off Amazon, but the dang delivery never made it. According to FedEx, it made it to Henderson on the 21st and never left. Thanks to their stupid refund policy I had to wait till the 31st to request a refund and now on top of that I have to wait however long it takes for the refund itself to process.

    It really grinds my gears that as consumers, we can't expect our money to be returned immediately. We have to pay upfront for things, why can't we demand our money back when said items don't show up? I really think Amazon and other online shops should charge you once the delivery is confirmed by signature or something. This way if the package never arrives, I can just take my business elsewhere. Ughhh, now I got to wait like 2 weeks so I can get my money back and finally go buy a pool straight from a brick and mortar shop like Leslie's Pool Supplies or Walmart. I was actually able to find a bigger pool on the Walmart app available for pick up at a much cheaper price so it's not all bad.

    I do realize I never mentioned what song I was listening to in my previous post so I guess I owe you guys 2 songs this time around. The song I was playing on repeat last post was "HB2U by Isaiah Rashad". The song I have on repeat today is "Helicopter by Bloc Party(Whitey Version)". Hope you guys liked the read, have a good one! (Bonus Song: "THIB by Isaiah Rashad")

TD07 What I've Learned

    In this chapter of LabSim, I enjoyed learning about the IF Function in 5.7.4. It made me think of the first time I used Excel and was curious about programming. It's a really great tool and it's fun to mess with in Excel.

I'm Late to Post

    I've been busy lately with life and its many plot twists so I'm late to post my blog. I don't really know what to write about as per usual. Change, is it achievable, are we locked into our predispositions? I always think about the quote "Insanity is repeating the same thing over and over and expecting different results". Are the choices we make not drastic enough to affect the grand scheme of things. Who knows. I don't. I've always put a lot of thought into what it'd take to run a country of my own and what kind of leader I would be. Safe to say, I'd probably be a dictator, but with a big heart. If that makes any sense at all. Well that's my mind bile for today. If you're wondering, I'm listening to "Change by Deftones".

TD06 What I Learned

    In this chapter of LabSim, I enjoyed working with Macros. It's an awesome feature to save time if you do a lot of repetitive actions at work. I've been putting this new skill to use at my job. I'm glad to be learning these useful skills. The song I'm listening to is "Perdon Madrecita by Vicente Fernandez".

I Hate Call Centers That Use Robots

    I think it's the most annoying invention in the world! I wish untold horrors on whoever's soul invented these dang automated phone systems. I would much rather sit in silence for 30 minutes than have to listen to a robot tell me about stupid deals or ask me what I need, just to have me yell "HUMAN!" at the top of my lungs until I want to smash my phone to bits.

    This morning I tried paying my rent on an app my landlord has his tenants use. It wasn't my first time using the app as I had to pay my down payment and first month's rent using the app and my debit card. So I made the payment this morning, which hurt because it was $1,700, but when I clicked on "Pay Now" I got an "Incorrect Billing Address" error which didn't let the payment go through. I checked my bank account to see that the $1,700 had been withdrawn from my account, panic settled in so I sent screenshots to my landlord and called my bank. Wouldn't you have guessed it, I had to face off with a dang automated phone system for about 45 minutes and 3 hang up and redials just to finally get to a human being that I could speak to. Once I got on the phone with the agent, they helped calm me down and were able to look into everything for me and get the charges reversed. 

    This time I was lucky, but when will these automated phone systems finally do me in. I swear these automated phone systems will end up being the death of me. I know something similar to today's "Incorrect Billing Address" issue will cause me to call my bank in old age and that automated phone system will eagerly answer knowing it's bound to trigger the fatal heart attack that ends my life. 

    I think I should run for president based on bringing an end to these dang automated phone systems. A vote for me is a vote for a human being! Oh, and before I forget, the song I'm listening to today is "After Dark by Mr.Kitty". Hope this was an entertaining read at the very least. Have a great day!

TD05 2 Questions

    "If you published a blog post on Sun 2/20/2022, 9 AM and you want to publish your next blog post, you need wait until after 2/27/2022 before publishing; and to avoid losing points, that next blog post need to be published before 9 AM. *Bonus Answer = If important you can post within 48hrs, but no sooner and must be at least 48hrs of separation between your most recent post.*"

    Now for the introspection, I am in IS101 because I believe it to be the necessary building block or foundation I need to begin my journey to become the world's best programmer/inventor. I am willing to do whatever it takes to reach my goal, but I can't do anything without taking the first step and this is my first step in my path.

    I believe my proudest moments thus far have been passing my MOS Word Exam and being number 1 in every challenge lab in LabSim. I'm as competitive as the next person and it helped boost my ego knowing I was the first to finish and pass my MOS Word Exam in our class. I'm still battling someone in the challenge labs, but was able to solidify my lead in class today before writing this post at home.

    To end, the song I'm currently listening to is "Call in the Cavalry by The Shys". It's a good motivational jam to listen to if you're into it. Hope I wasn't too braggadocios in my "proudest moments" bit, and hope you enjoyed the read or at least liked the song. Have a great day!

Sometimes...

    Sometimes I just wanna build a rocket ship and fly straight into the depths of space. No real direction, no real goal, just up, up and away. I rarely dream, but when I dream, I have this vivid dream, almost like a memory, of some place I've never seen before. Whenever I have that reoccurring dream, it feels like I'm at home. I'm walking alone through a city that looks high tech and beautiful. No one in the streets or in their houses, everything is empty. I can hear a small humming coming from deep within the city, I try to get closer, but before I can find where the noise is coming from, I wake up. 

    Sometimes I think I'm just catching a glimpse of my life in a parallel universe. This dream is what motivates me to invent. I know one day I'll find a way to bridge the gap between my dream and the real world. For those of you interested, the song I'm listening to is "In My Head by Bedroom".  

TD04 What I Learned

    What I enjoyed learning the most was the System Analysis Facts. I did not realize there were so many steps involved in developing or creating a secure information system. I hope to one day become a developer, so I guess I should start reading more about these types of steps needed. 

    Well that was it, short and sweet. Hope you enjoyed the read, have a good day! Oh! Before I go, so I don't have to think of two songs next post, I'm currently listening to "Shiko by Gehlektek, TakaTuka", enjoy!

Late Nights and Good Music

    I'm now realizing, I forgot to share a song in my last blog, so I guess I owe you 2. It's 1:30 AM as I start writing this and I'm currently listening to "Loveyou by J^P^N" on repeat. The bonus song, I think has to be "I'm Not Made of Iron by Chrissy Zebby Tembo".

    Anybody else reading this play songs on repeat for hours straight? I've always been a very easily distracted person, but when I sit back and drown out the static around me by blasting a good song, I can sit and grind for hours without noticing time slip by. To be honest though, I do sometimes catch myself drifting away with the beat or the rhythm and getting distracted regardless.

    Case and point, it's taken me 37 minutes to write these 7-8 sentences. I can't think of anything else to write, and it's now 2:07 AM. I'm going to knock out, thank you for reading.

TD03 What I Learned

    The thing I liked from what I've learned so far is Google Scholar. I actually never knew of its existence and have dug myself a comfy rabbit hole diving through all sorts of research papers. I had already posted this directly to the TD03 Assignment within Canvas, but I will expand just a bit more to make this blog post count.

    The coolest thing about Google Scholar is the fact that I don't have to spend hours looking for something useful, everything is based in facts and research so I can trust what I'm reading. I like that most of the posts found in Google Scholar are proof read by other accredited, well studied contributors. 

Source Code

     Welcome one and all to this sporadic mess of a "Blog". To start, I thought I'd share the song I'm listening to while writing and make it a thing, I guess. Today's song is "Goth Babe by Surf Curse". Now for the Blog, I don't know what to say on these things because I truly do not like sharing. Not in the sense of sharing physical possessions, I'd give someone in need the shirt off my back, but sharing myself with others is just something I don't do. In my past life I've learned it's best to stick to myself. I do appreciate everyone's blogs and what you all wrote about and shared, but this is just not me. Just like computers, we all have our source code and my source code just don't understand this, it does not compute, and I honestly want to keep it that way. I honestly hoped to learn more about coding and how a computer thinks rather than how to use business professional software or hardware or how to run a blog. Not to say I do not appreciate what I am learning, I just didn't expect this. I will do my best to open up, but all I am asking is that no one expects much. Thank you for reading.

Rental Application Approved!

    I now realize I'm late to write my second blog. When reading through the A2 instructions, I seemed to have interpreted "complete step 4 by January 22nd" as "ignore everything past step 4". Well here I am, about 2 days late and a mind empty of any ideas of what to write, so I've resorted to literally writing down my thoughts as they come to mind. Blue car, pink keys, Bob the Builder.... as you can see, there's not much going on unless I crack open the door at the back of my mind that holds all my stresses like bills and I don't really want to open that door right now. Come on Ivan, think, think, think, BRAIN BLAST! I don't know, I thought that would work. Ok, here's a real attempt at sharing something of value, I just got a rental application approved for a house. That's awesome! I move in on the 31st, I have to move everything solo so that's not so awesome. I can't wait to get out of this apartment though. I'm big on privacy and love my cave, so I can't wait to set up my borough in a full fledged house. Hope this was as entertaining for you as it was for me, no sarcasm intended. Have a great day, afternoon, or night!

Back to College

    So this is what blogging is. I'm not the best at one sided conversations so I'll do my best to make this easy on who ever reads this. Please forgive any grammatical errors, thank you. It's about 8:40pm, I'm listening to a song on replay (Planet Caravan by Black Sabbath), thinking about where I plan to be in 5 years. I'm excited to begin learning.

    This will officially be my first semester in college. I was supposed to attend CSN over 10 years ago, but life had other plans. I sometimes worry about completing this time around, but I have new inspirations to draw from and keep me motivated. I don't want to say this is my year, in fear of jinxing it, but I think this time I got a real shot. Here's to high hopes and no slopes!

Thanks for reading,
Ivan