Since April 2023, my schedule has changed to a compressed work week. I work Mon-Thu from 7:30am-6:00pm. It has been a good change for me.

I work in healthcare. I found that when I worked a traditional schedule, I would very often work past my scheduled shift. Working 10-hour days isn’t that much more difficult for me than working 8-hour days.

Having every Friday off has made a big difference. When I have a medical appointment or other business to do, I don’t need to take time off. I am able to spend more time relaxing.

I don’t think I would make any changes to my job (I love what I do), or my schedule at this point.

Since April 2023, my schedule has changed to a compressed work week. I work Mon-Thu from 7:30am-6:00pm. It has been a good change for me.

I work in healthcare. I found that when I worked a traditional schedule, I would very often work past my scheduled shift. Working 10-hour days isn’t that much more difficult for me than working 8-hour days.

Having every Friday off has made a big difference. When I have a medical appointment or other business to do, I don’t need to take time off. I am able to spend more time relaxing.

I don’t think I would make any changes to my job (I love what I do), or my schedule at this point.

I had a great time having lunch today with fellow psychologists from the NC Psychology Association. We serve on a committee together and generally only see each other virtually. We discussed committee business, but had a nice time together as well.

I had a great time having lunch today with fellow psychologists from the NC Psychology Association. We serve on a committee together and generally only see each other virtually. We discussed committee business, but had a nice time together as well.

The first work week of the New Year went well. I am grateful to have a job that is fulfilling and also for good coworkers.

The first work week of the New Year went well. I am grateful to have a job that is fulfilling and also for good coworkers.

Happy New Year. I hope your first day of this year was positive. If not, tomorrow is a new opportunity.

Happy New Year. I hope your first day of this year was positive. If not, tomorrow is a new opportunity.

2023 was a good year. I was much healthier this year than in 2021 and 2022. My oldest daughter graduated from Law School. My youngest daughter has adjusted to her move to New York. I made happy memories with my family.

I had a good year at work. I am blessed to have a job that meets our financial needs and is also very fulfilling. I am looking forward to 2024 and the challenges and joys that are to come.

Happy New Year.

2023 was a good year. I was much healthier this year than in 2021 and 2022. My oldest daughter graduated from Law School. My youngest daughter has adjusted to her move to New York. I made happy memories with my family.

I had a good year at work. I am blessed to have a job that meets our financial needs and is also very fulfilling. I am looking forward to 2024 and the challenges and joys that are to come.

Happy New Year.

My favorite holiday photo this year.

My favorite Christmas photo this year.

A Wonderful Christmas with Family

Here are some photos of our family’s time together during Christmas 2023.

Christmas 2023

The Spriggs family enjoying Julie’s birthday dinner

Dave and Julie are grateful for the blessings of 2023. We are grateful for fulfilling work. Julie works as a mail carrier for the post office and Dave is a psychologist at the Department of Veterans Affairs. We are grateful that we have both had good health in 2023. We are grateful for our family.

Amanda’s Graduation Picture

Amanda graduated from Wake Forest Law School and passed the bar exam. She has been living in Winston-Salem, NC and working for a law firm in New York. It may turn into a permanent position, but she may also need to find another job and may need to relocate. Her husband, Will, sold his business in 2023, which is a great achievement.

Emily was recently hired as part of the grounds crew at a nuclear power plant. She is looking forward to starting her new job. She lives in New York. She is engaged to Marshall who works at the power plant. We plan to visit Emily this coming Spring.

Julie brought home two additional rescue dogs this year. She found Duke by the Duke Power Plant. She found Deacon (we call him”Deacon”) on her way home from work. We now have 3 rescue dogs, including our beagle-dachshund mix that we have had for about 11 years. She doesn’t plan to bring any more dogs home.

Lux

Deac

Duke

We are reminded of God’s goodness and mercy each day, and especially at Christmas. We look forward to what 2024 has in store.

– Dave and Julie Spriggs

Christmas 2023

The Spriggs family enjoying Julie’s birthday dinner

Dave and Julie are grateful for the blessings of 2023. We are grateful for fulfilling work. Julie works as a mail carrier for the post office and Dave is a psychologist at the Department of Veterans Affairs. We are grateful that we have both had good health in 2023. We are grateful for our family.

Amanda’s Graduation Picture

Amanda graduated from Wake Forest Law School and passed the bar exam. She has been living in Winston-Salem, NC and working for a law firm in New York. It may turn into a permanent position, but she may also need to find another job and may need to relocate. Her husband, Will, sold his business in 2023, which is a great achievement.

Emily was recently hired as part of the grounds crew at a nuclear power plant. She is looking forward to starting her new job. She lives in New York. She is engaged to Marshall who works at the power plant. We plan to visit Emily this coming Spring.

Julie brought home two additional rescue dogs this year. She found Duke by the Duke Power Plant. She found Deacon (we call him”Deacon”) on her way home from work. We now have 3 rescue dogs, including our beagle-dachshund mix that we have had for about 11 years. She doesn’t plan to bring any more dogs home.

Lux

Deac

Duke

We are reminded of God’s goodness and mercy each day, and especially at Christmas. We look forward to what 2024 has in store.

– Dave and Julie Spriggs

Merry Christmas.

Our tree is up and decorated.

It is time to decorate the tree. I hope the dogs don’t knock it over.

It is time to decorate the tree. I hope the dogs don’t knock it over.

I began using social media in 2008. I found reconnecting with people I hadn’t spoken with in many years, being able to share video and pictures with family, and being able to meet new friends compelling. After slightly more than 10 years, I realized that social media (at least in its current form), was not for me.

In February of 2022, I stopped posting on social media and deleted my social media accounts. This change was not because of any single event, but because in spite of the many potential positive features of social media, they are not worth the cost (at least to me).

All the large social media platforms generate revenue by developing a profile of each user and selling it to advertisers. There have been documented cases of privacy breaches, including individually identifiable information, such as date of birth and passwords. A large medical organization inadvertently passed on patient names and primary care provider names, among other protected healthcare data to Facebook through a tracking pixel.

In addition to these security threats, big social media has created a toxic environment in which people are increasingly divided, and uncivil. Regulatory bodies have requested internal data from social media companies to help study the mental health impact on minors, but at least in some cases, the social media companies have not cooperated.

While I have left the big social media companies, I want to have an option of sharing photos and thoughts with others and reconnecting with people. I am trying a new version of social media, known as the “Fediverse”.  Some of the services I am trying include Mastodon and Pixelfed, but there are others.

The key feature of these platforms is that they are open source and their means of generating revenue is not through building an advertising profile on their users.  I believe they are safer.

The Fediverse is tiny compared to the big social media companies, but bigger isn’t always better.

Thanks for reading. Stay in touch.

I began using social medial in 2008. I found reconnecting with people I hadn’t spoken with in many years, being able to share video and pictures with family, and being able to meet new friends compelling. After slightly more than 10 years, I realized that social media (at least in its current form), was not for me.

In February of 2022, I stopped posting on social media and deleted my social media accounts. This change was not because of any single event, but because in spite of the many potential positive features of social media, they are not worth the cost (at least to me).

All the large social media platforms generate revenue by developing a profile of each user and selling it to advertisers. There have been documented cases of privacy breaches, including individually identifiable information, such as date of birth and passwords. A large medical organization inadvertently passed on patient names and primary care provider names, among other protected healthcare data to Facebook through a tracking pixel.

In addition to these security threats, big social media has created a toxic environment in which people are increasingly divided, and uncivil. Regulatory bodies have requested internal data from social media companies to help study the mental health impact on minors, but at least in some cases, the social media companies have not cooperated.

While I have left the big social media companies, I want to have an option of sharing photos and thoughts with others and reconnecting with people. I am trying new version of social media, known as the “Fediverse”. Micro.blog is the service I use and there are others, such as Mastodon, and PeerTube.

Micro.blog tries to avoid the toxic culture of other social media by not having follower counts, liking posts, or an algorithm that determines what posts you see. If you see post you like, reply to it or bookmark it. Content stands on its quality.

The Fediverse is tiny compared to the big social media companies, but bigger isn’t always better.

Thanks for reading. Stay in touch.

I went with 3 coworkers to University of North Carolina at Greensboro for their accreditation site visit. Other practicum supervisors from other facilities were also invited. It was good learn from other supervisors and also to provide information for the surveyors.

I went with 3 coworkers to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for their accreditation site visit. Other practicum supervisors from other facilities were also invited. It was good to learn from other supervisors and also to provide information for the surveyors.

We have a rescue dog and he was neutered today. I hate to see him in pain. I hope he feels better soon.