If you were my 5/8” paddle bit, where would you be hiding?

Hello attic my old friend 🎶🎤

OMFG, new goal unlocked. German meat sweats.

Wishing y’all a better Saturday night than I’m having ⚡️🔌🔦💡 #handyandy

I’m building my fifth app in as many months, and just wrapped a 6 hour coding session. Grabbed a quick bite and back to it, learning proper dev skills from @erika_thedev. Go check out her free coding content on YouTube, which is the most non-comp-sci friendly content available. Skill up 🚀

First trip to Europe since college,when I had zero electronics to charge. Now? Laptops. iPad. iPhone. AirPods. Camera batteries. Portable charger. USB-C everything. “Modern” travel requires thoughtful power management. Check out my mighty Schuko adapter. Auf geht’s. 🇩🇪⚡️

Work to live

The value you can add to your organization with an llm and MCP is enormous. These tools are free and you don’t need to learn how to code.

Presented at #nfd40 today. Always a top notch event, thrown by a stellar organization. Shout out to @networkingnerd.net and team for a great experience 💪🏼

You know you’re putting work in when your wife: 1) learns you have a server 2) names it the “server thingy.” ❤️

Friday night rager: - Installed Python 3, pip, venv. - Created Python virtual environment. - Installed packages. - Set up Backblaze B2 cloud backup with rclone. - Configured automated nightly backup cron job. - Created and secured .env file with API keys. How was your night?

Tonight: install Ubuntu server on metal. Bad spinning HD swapped. SSD installed for OS. Fighting smart array. Fighting RAID. Created new RAID 6 array. Smart array won’t find SSD. Create logical drive for SSD. Installed Ubuntu, rebooted, GRUB pointing to invalid LVM. ~ sigh

Ok, you are all correct. DNS sucks. Been fighting with it all day. Not a fan. One star. Would not recommend. Truth be told, the main issue is me not understanding it well enough, so learning the ins and outs as I go. Trial by fire.

The honey-do list continues 🔩🪛

If this tech thing doesn’t work out, I may pivot to fixing the machines. I miss working with my hands. 🛠️

New automotive tool unlocked. Clothing iron water sprayer 💦

Engineers figure it out. We solve problems. We improvise. We make do with what’s available. Sometimes it means… Using a clothing iron as a precision water sprayer while restoring your headlights in the garage. Problem solved. Engineering mindset: Resourceful > perfect.

Most network engineering careers don’t stall because of technology. They stall because of the stories we tell ourselves. “I’m not ready.” “Automation isn’t for me.” Tonight I’m speaking about that at (PA)NUG in Philly. Details: nokia.ly/46O5S7Y

It’s 12:15 am, I should be sleeping, but sometimes ya just gotta drop dem beats! Nah mean?!

Sneak peak. Name that guest.

Heading to the sold out @usnua.com (NY)NUG – NYC Winter Event tomorrow night? Me too! I’m honored to be a panelist and help tackle topics like: • AI in networking • Network automation • IPv6 adoption • Certifications If you’re attending, let’s connect! Thx to sponsor @nokia.bsky.social

We’re proud supporters of Girl Scouts, and our daughter’s involvement in the confidence-building program. Girl Scouts teaches girls resilience, leadership, financial literacy, and community engagement. Support her and the troop by ordering cookies here: digitalcookie.girlscouts.org/scout/emily1...

Currently fighting a broken doorbell. My wife jokes that I’m not handy, but I’m gonna just keep fixing broken shit until she sees Handy Andy 🛠️

One million downloads. Not from hype. Not from algorithms. But from serving a community honestly. A million times someone trusted this space was built for them, not at them. This milestone belongs to our community. Thank you for listening, challenging, sharing, and staying ❤️

‘Tis the season to assemble gifts 🎄

Toned out some lines tonight and that sweet sound brought me back. IYKYK #cableguy #telco #toner

running miles this year, and still going. Toughness has its place, but so does accepting help. These viscosupplementation shots allow me to fight back knee arthritis and keep doing the thing that makes me feel great. Grateful for medicine. Grateful for the miles. Grateful.

The best learning moments in my career didn’t happen when things felt tense. They happened when I was curious, felt safe enough to ask “dumb” questions, and yes… when there was laughter in the room. Thanks to those who teach, while keeping it fun, like Mike and Eyvonne.

I was a proud CLI lifer. Automation? That was for devs. Then I got laid off, and every job required automation skills. This is the story of what it took to change my mind, rebuild my career, and unlearn the stories that held me back. youtu.be/tUPUlLKLrKU?... #NetworkAutomation #AutoCon4 #NetEng

Reluctant snow blower mechanic

For years I wore “CLI lifer” like a badge. Automation felt like it wasn’t for me, until the industry changed faster than I did. On my first Heavy Networking appearance, I share what finally pushed me to rethink that story, and embrace change. Episode: packetpushers.net/podcasts/hea...

Managing networks is getting harder: more scale, more complexity, less room for error. My latest blog explains how Ask EDA, the AI engine behind Nokia’s AIOps, helps network engineers simplify operations. 👇 www.nokia.com/blog/ask-eda...

I have a confession to make: I do not own an Ethernet cable tester. The horror! I’m stuck between a cheaper $10 tester and a $50 Klein. Any advice? Cheaper one: amzn.to/4pUyJi2

5 hours over 2 days and still battling these walls.

What better use of Thanksgiving day than wallfishing Ethernet cables from our basement to our attic 🦃

And more #AutoCon4 photos

More #AutoCon4 photos

#AutoCon4 photos

At #NFD39, we showed how Nokia is advancing autonomous operations through AI-driven root cause analysis, multi-vendor automation, and natural-language workflows with Ask EDA, all built on decades of success delivering mission-critical networks.

Thanks to @packetpushers.bsky.social for interviewing me on Heavy Networking at #AutoCon4. @ecbanks.bsky.social and @drewcm.bsky.social are great people and they built an incredible team. Top notch, recommend, would dine again.

4 miler around Lady Bird Lake this morning to kick off this Austin trip 💪🏼

[NEW POST] A Network Engineer’s Guide to Understanding the Model Context Protocol for AI Integration In this post I break down: - What MCP is - How the architecture works - How MCP could be a foundational part of AI in NetOps networkphil.com/2025/11/11/a...

The RAID controller’s capacitor pack on my homelab server failed, and the replacements online were all used and over $100. Was about to throw this server away and upgrade, then I found some spare parts. She lives to fight another day!

I bet my career on the CLI. Then came the layoff, and job posts read like a foreign language: Python. Git. Terraform. Out of necessity, I skilled up. Now I’m speaking at #AutoCon4 to share why automation isn’t optional, it’s survival. networkautomation.forum #NAF #AC4Speaker

Editing our next episode, pool side. The pool is closed, but the vibes remain 🌴☀️

Stranded at YOW, eating protein bars and cashews behind a gift shop because Americans aren’t allowed to access the airport lounge here 🤷‍♂️

Go @phillies.com ⚾️

Join our NEW #python study livestream this Thursday night at 8:30 PM ET. Skill up, stay employed 💰 Subscribe to our YouTube channel and click the bell icon 🔔 to get notified of future python study livestreams. youtube.com/@artofneteng