Coffee Time: the ups and downs of caffeine dependence

September 8: time for a coffee.

I have a love hate relationship with caffeine. I love the part where it helps me to focus my mind on tasks. I feel productive. I feel unstoppable.

I hate the part where caffeine disturbs my sleep and wakes me up in the middle of the night with anxious thoughts. I hate the part where I need to have another cup the next day to feel somewhat normal. I hate the part where I feel lethargic after weeks or months of consuming the beverage.

I think today is particularly bad because it’s been a week since I’ve last had a coffee. Perhaps I’m feeling too relaxed at work. I have been somewhat productive though. I’ve plowed through a ton of emails and helped a variety of staff either face-to-face or through the phone.

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Summer Vacation 2021

This summer has been hot and there’s a heat wave predicted today.

I’m guilty. I haven’t referred to my blueprint for a few weeks. Perhaps its because I’m on vacation now and have been concerned with resting and relaxing above and beyond all else. But wait – now that I think about it resting and relaxing are a part of my blueprint; taking care of myself and getting some good sleeps in, exercising: yoga and a long bike ride. I’ll be heading to Victoria tomorrow for a few nights and Whistler next week for a few nights; spending time with family. No I’m good; I’m exactly where I need to be.

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Don’t forget your blueprint

Patience and perseverance are key to pushing through to the next level. Routine is important. What I do every morning and every day are key to moving forward through the forest of life. I pray and fast at least until noon. I exercise and do yoga for flexibility. But the question always remains – What things must I do to push through and hit my goals? I have been reading a lot lately about patience and how Jesus Christ taught enduring patiently through our crosses that are given to us in life. This was in the book “The Spiritual Combat”, by Dom Lorenzo Scupoli. He instructs us that enduring life with patience will bring about victories in our lives. However note the victories may not be exactly what we envisioned but they will be victories nonetheless. Sometimes it feels like we are proceeding through life blindly as in a maze with no guidance. Sometimes we feel truly lost. This is where divine providence comes in as Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange writes in his book, “Providence”,

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The state of ransomware in 2021

The state of ransomware at the moment should be a reason for everyone to take notice. This isn’t just a problem for IT departments but for all of us because they are impacting the institutions that we rely on to provide services every day. The rise in incidents is alarming and according to experts the number of incidents is increasing at an exponential rate. The types of organizations targeted typically include ones that have a large amount of personal data that can be held hostage by attackers. But what can we do? It seems like the magnitude of this problem is beyond our control. Not exactly sure what ransomware is? Wikipedia has a fantastic description on their site,

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