The Chatty Cat Might Go And Hide

I'm still doing my volunteering gig with 4Paws Rescue Team. I picked up cats, Peanut and Raphael, from Campbell Animal Hospital to Manassas Petco yesterday. Doctor Olivia Kim always comes out to greet me when I come for a cat transport. Her commitment to the cats is awesome.

Raphael was the more vocal one in the carrier. So when I made the choice for which cat would go on top, I chose Peanut since he was the quieter. Raphael suprised me by hiding under the cat bed and being as quiet as a stone after I put them in place. Good intentions with incomplete information don't necessarily make good decisions.

I'm sure Raph will warm to the space some but I can't fault him for hiding since it's a retail space with a lot of loud noises that are not agreeable to cats.

Not Letting Threats Distract You From the Main Objective

I also got to play some hands of Hearthstone with Elliot for the first time last night and he gave me some good critiques and advice on general strategy. I'm still running a beginner deck build but it seems well-constructed for late-game damage dealing.

There was one hand I almost won but he made some very threatening moves and I lost sight of the objective when I had a lethal winning move within my grasp. I focused on taking out minions rather than attacking his hero.

The Lesson: Threats can shift your focus from something more important to something less important. It's worth checking in with your main objectives to ensure you are making them your primary consideration.

Still Experimenting with Pour-over Coffee Brewing

I don't think I have the pour-over thing down yet. The coffee is a bit lacking in body and a fair bit more earthy than when I use the AeroPress. I should probably read up on how best to use the Tannors/Hario V60 style ceramic brewer. Note also, I am starting with Melitta #2 flat bottom filters which do not properly fit the V60.

Stumptown has a guide for V60 brew: https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/brew-guides/v60

I think I will try the 15 second bloom and slow pour over 3 minutes.

It's a bit of a pain learning a new brew process. Better than drinking coffee with some amount of diluted plastic in it, I suspect. The AeroPress seems to hold up well to heat but I have made a rule not put heated food/drink into plastic because the chance of the plastic losing integrity is higher than I would like.

Thoughts on Leadership and Time Efficiency

One of the last things I did at work yesterday was to submit a travel approval for scenario training the management wants us all to do. Maybe it's something that will change everything for us. And maybe it is a #boondoggle. I am expecting the latter.

Initially, I found myself reacting like a rebellious teenager. "I'm not wasting my fracking time on that! Maybe I'll just conveniently forget to go.". But I'd rather not miss out on a chance to hang with the team face to face. I LOVE my team.

Also, I find myself struggling with internal conflict on this matter. My desire to be a good leader is conflicting with my desire not to waste my time. As a leader, I own that every thing I do is an example I set for others on my team.

This has been an issue in the recent past, where I have set an example that created an issue for my management when others emulate me. Some junior ICs on my team thought they could flex their hours without delivering overwhelmingly good results and that is simply not the case. You need to be able to solve dire problems and ensure there is zero concern about the quality or timeliness of your work. Over-deliver! That is how you earn flexibility of work schedule. But exercising schedule flexibility often comes with a perceptual cost.

I went ahead and submitted the travel approval. Doing so gives me maximum #Optionality. I will commit to giving the training 1-2 hours, in the same way I will give a book a couple of chapters to grab me. If I want to keep reading then I keep reading. Often times I get the punchline well before the book is finished. Too much filler.

I will give this training a fair chance... And if they fail to hold my interest, I will extract and just go do work if it doesn't seem like it's worth the time investment. There are too many other important things to do to waste two full days sticking around just for the sake of making a gesture.

Also, I think I will try to book the flight on an Airline other than United because I've had it with their ridiculously tiny seats. I am not cattle.