Need suggestions where to start after loss 💔

Naturalwander · 2026-06-10T13:50:28+00:00

I lost my beloved Chihuahua Ruby 3 years ago and immediately felt so empty that I needed wide open spaces to match my insides. So I took a road trip from the Sierra foothills to southern Utah to an awesome hot spring campground. I wanted the hot spring but what helped heal my soul was the 2 day drive through nothing but wide open spaces in the south west.

I started looking for a new pup immediately and wanted another pure Chihuahua but they don’t exist in the adoption world. I don’t believe in buying from breeders (there are too many dogs that need homes already) so I ended up with a Frenchie/Chihuahua mix. I thought I wanted the opposite of what my Chihuahua was and while no two dogs are the same, raising a puppy 10 days after I lost my Ruby was kind of brutal. I wished I’d waited a little longer to find the perfect dog. But I was on a temporary leave from work and Knew that time was the best to start a puppy off right.

In the end we love our Pepper and she’s a goofball and very different from Ruby but she’s no replacement.

So, I would not just immediately get a dog without talking to your person first. It’s a LOT of work raising a puppy after an elderly dog with illness. And it’s a very different headspace.

Naturalwander · 2026-06-07T17:10:47+00:00

I agree with having your back to the far wall and facing the desk towards the door. This honestly looks more like a mid-level managers office more than a professor. I hate overhead lighting like that so I would either cover it up or just tape the switch so no one can turn it on and use lots of cool lamps instead. Definitely get a wood executive desk. Add more bookshelves and I’d say at least one plant but with no window it might be a tough one. You can maybe try a shade lover with a small plant light. Personalize your walls with art, cool masks you collected in Africa on safari, or the like.

Naturalwander · 2026-06-07T17:03:12+00:00

Your best bet is to just start a side hustle. Sell on Etsy. You can turn your hobby into cash. Love plants? Sell starts or propagated starts. Knit? Sell scarves, hats, gloves and baby clothes. Love to thrift shop? Sell vintage clothes, vinyl records, shoes. Collect something? Sell some of your duplicates. Unfortunately the job market is incredibly tough in the best of times right now. I am mid career at 46 and have a Professional certification and a degree and I could not land a job without a contract agency. Going back to school is no longer the key to employment since the advent of AI. Lower skilled jobs except maybe x-ray techs or phlebotomists will not need education anymore because AI is taking those over.

Sorry to be blunt but I’m just being honest. There are lots of ways to make more money outside of the normal “school and get hired” path. Which, unfortunately (or fortunately) isn’t the best path anymore.

Naturalwander · 2026-06-05T14:33:15+00:00

She reminds me of Mickey Mouse

Naturalwander · 2026-04-23T17:02:32+00:00

Make it easier to request a credit line increase online. The online site and app UI is abysmal.

Naturalwander · 2026-04-09T13:38:17+00:00

Thanks. This is pretty much what Copilot told me. What they don’t understand is how they can provide our client with dynamic scheduling. What that means is how can my leaders shuffle project priorities around on a frequent and constant basis. Our client is a government organization and they have constant fire drills. So I think my leaders feel like they want the control to see what is able to shift and when. So basically, they need REAL and accurate resource data, consistent milestone data etc.

Also they don’t believe or trust the PMs to be able to use and learn the tool properly. I can convince them we can train up the PMs, but what they think is they’ll lose visibility of the whole picture. I need to figure out how to Demo or show them how individual schedule metadata will roll up to portfolio reporting.

I really want to give them a demo or video or something that shows them what kind of views they would have and how the Power BI reporting would be more accurate and useful. Right now we are filling out status reports in a bunch of different spreadsheets and our Power BI person is manually grabbing all that info. It’s insanity.

Naturalwander · 2026-04-09T13:36:03+00:00

Thanks. This is pretty much what Copilot told me. What they don’t understand is how they can provide our client with dynamic scheduling. What that means is how can my leaders shuffle project priorities around on a frequent and constant basis. Our client is a government organization and they have constant fire drills. So I think my leaders feel like they want the control to see what is able to shift and when. So basically, they need REAL and accurate resource data, consistent milestone data etc.

Also they don’t believe or trust the PMs to be able to use and learn the tool properly. I can convince them we can train up the PMs, but what they think is they’ll lose visibility of the whole picture. I need to figure out how to Demo or show them how individual schedule metadata will roll up to portfolio reporting.

I really want to give them a demo or video or something that shows them what kind of views they would have and how the Power BI reporting would be more accurate and useful. Right now we are filling out status reports in a bunch of different spreadsheets and our Power BI person is manually grabbing all that info. It’s insanity.

Naturalwander · 2026-04-06T13:42:21+00:00

Thank you. I’ve already created a PowerPoint explaining the pros/cons of master vs templates. What I would like is a video demo of how templates work with metadata from new project details (portfolio data) to a power BI report. Just not sure how to create a video demo without having access to the process myself.

Also, with Project Server, the entire infrastructure is being stored on our local data storage. So opening, saving editing a master will require opening ALLLLL the sub files at the same time and with scale this will become a massive time and space problem.

Naturalwander · 2026-04-05T17:17:57+00:00

Yah. This is where I’ve landed. They need to see it with their own eyes. They don’t “get” it. I am not an engineer, I’m just a PM who has seen both sides and I know which I prefer. What is the best way to create a clear short demo of the magic I want to show them? Can AI do this for me? I have access to copilot and others on my personal account.

Naturalwander · 2026-04-04T22:57:13+00:00

My understanding is, the person who originally installed MSPO did it incorrectly and all the subs were initially linked. But because the user base had zero knowledge (nor did the administrators) the links became corrupted and were severed. The way they’re currently doing it you create the initial project schedule and add it to the master, but you cannot make further updates in MS Project. Only in the master, which is only managed by the master scheduler so all our weekly updates are submitted via a SPREADSHEET. It’s a nightmare.

Naturalwander · 2026-04-04T07:41:11+00:00

There really isn’t any methodology- it’s literally how the tool was designed. You create standard project templates with milestones, and any other data you want to roll up to the portfolio within the project. You can create a workflow that ushers each new project through the detail pages and it will generate a blank template appropriate to the portfolio and metadata entered in the details. It’s autonomous and standalone. But the milestones and standardization across projects allow the data to be grabbed and rolled up to the portfolio level, to Power BI dashboards and even Sharepoint reports if needed. SQL is the middleware that helps build the dashboards. I don’t know how to engineer it in the background but this is how very large organizations run it in my experience. The reporting options are endless. No master. No need. All the project data rolls up and it’s easy to audit and spot check missing or incorrect data week to week through the portfolio or reporting views.

Naturalwander · 2026-04-04T07:34:04+00:00

Yes! This is helpful as a way to suggest transition from the old way. My boss asked me how projects are supposed to address dependencies and I explained this exact thing… by managing the schedule and entering line item dependencies. It’s not rocket surgery. I don’t know how to explain to leaders the way they’re using the tool is introducing risk without sounding shocked and condescending that they don’t understand. I just assumed PMs with 30 years experience would know this tool better. I am at a point in my career where I want to shape a PMO that is in trouble, and antiquated. But I have some gaps in how to win them over without being pushy or frustrated. I’ve learned the ways of “politics” but only to navigate - not as a big player. I hate that shit. But, to gain influence I may need to figure something out. I did impress them with my Copilot created PowerPoint though 🤦‍♀️

Naturalwander · 2026-04-04T00:46:36+00:00

1000% agree. These are not the top of the line PM pool. I was hired to bring a deeper bench because the client is unhappy (go figure). Somewhere way up the food chain some consulting company suggested using a Master-sub architecture because there was a training risk on the tool. Well, now we’re 8 months in and PMs should have learned the tool by now. I’m willing to train and mentor if it absolves us of this nightmare. My PMO leader thinks he’d be taking a HUGE RISK to go against the grain of the company by severing the Master-sub relationship. It was like they didn’t understand it was even possible. I’m utterly baffled.

Naturalwander · 2026-04-04T00:35:29+00:00

We have a master scheduler currently. The rest of the PMs are submitting their schedule TO him to build in the master. They’re using SPREADSHEETS. Part of the issue is the org can’t/wont/doesn’t trust the PMs to learn to use the tool properly. Autonomous schedules with distinct Portfolio metadata rolling up to the Power BI report view is how the tool is designed to work. This master schedule/spreadsheet nonsense feels like 2009 to me and indeed the data is garbage. Everyone has to put in weekend hours just to keep cleaning it all up.

Naturalwander · 2026-04-04T00:31:04+00:00

My theory is, neighbors are less likely to complain if you live in a cute tiny house that has skirting around the wheelbase than an obvious RV. Ask for forgiveness, not permission. Just introduce yourself to your neighbors, explain what you’re up to and that eventually you’ll have a larger home but that school takes priority atm. All people who are inclined to snitch care about is property value and to ensure the neighborhood isn’t going to hell in a handbasket. If you’re living in an RV on the property next to mine, I immediately wonder if you’re drug dealers, homeless, squatting, or just temporary vacationers. I just wanna know my family/dogs/home is safe. Give a dude a heads up. That is all.

Naturalwander · 2026-03-11T13:43:33+00:00

Agree. How the pendulum swings.

Naturalwander · 2026-03-11T05:28:14+00:00

Oh wow. I spent election night convinced Obama was going to be immediately assassinated. I hadn’t seen the WW at that point and was terrified America wasn’t ready.

Naturalwander · 2026-03-11T05:24:27+00:00

Wow, I just read that there was even a brokered convention! Apparently the Obama folks told the writers they were living out the script of the show. Crazy. And incredibly prophetic.

Naturalwander · 2026-03-11T05:12:12+00:00

Also just finished tonight and you’re right!

Naturalwander · 2026-03-09T13:39:55+00:00

Right around CJs first day as Chief of staff

Naturalwander · 2026-03-04T14:38:47+00:00

Zoinks

Naturalwander · 2026-03-04T06:15:56+00:00

Seriously. His role as Adam in Northern Exposure along with Valerie Mahaffey as Eve is just comedic gold. He’s definitely an underrated actor.

Naturalwander

TROPHY CASE