Security Testing Journal Entry | w/e Friday May 30, 2026 - “Memorial Week” Ed.

Highlights for the week

Gloomy start to the week. Cold, gray, and lots of rain which gave way to a gorgeous sunny day. The perfect metaphor for how things, including this unemployment, will turn around for the better.

This is another banger of a quote from Simon Sinek, "Leadership isn’t about being in charge; it’s about taking care of those in your charge." -- it might just reshape my approach to leadership. I've always been the person to take on the lead of a project. I was a Maitre D' at HTH, then later a personnel manager. I've been in lead roles more time than I care and all it taught me was that you have 2 bosses: the people you report to, and your subordinates. You have to keep both happy to keep your job. So annoying!!

MONDAY

Affirmation: INCOMPETENCE SHPULD NOT BE REWARDED WITH BLIND LOYALTY " - Lord Vary , GOT

Given the current state of the job market, and the toxicity of the workplace, one can only wonder what the new expectations are when the trust between employer and employee has been irrevocably severed.

TUESDAY

Affirmation: ONCE YOU KNOW YOUR WHY YOU BECOME UNSHAKEABLE - S. Sinek

One of the greatest pearls of wisdom from listening to the video this morning, during my workout, was this statement: "Failure is the raw material success is made from." My entire life, from high school sports, to college, and beyond, I've always felt like a failure. I drifted from job to job with no real sense of purpose. Now I'm learning, you have to fail 9 times to get to the 1 success. The key is to NOT repeat the same failures but rather learn from them. And if a new one presents itself, embrace it. Recognize it as your instructor. I should learn to ask myself: What is it teaching me? or What could I have done better?.

In the end, failure doesn't define you ... it refines you.

WEDNESDAY

Affirmation: POSITIVITY IS DISCIPLINED MOVING TOWARDS PURPOSE

Small, daily habits done consistently over time. Strength, optimism, and presence.

What you tell yourself daily. What you commit to. Stay rooted, even when it is hard.

THURSDAY

Affirmation: LIFE IS A MIRROR NOT A WINDOW

Your world is a reflection of who you are. You can choose accept it or you can change it.

There are times when thoughts of her enter my mind and I think - "what if" - but then I laugh because we just weren't going to make it. The fantasy of who she was is not the reality of who she is. She's a cat person, I love dogs. She's jewish, I'm far from it. Our cultures are way off. And for all I know, she would be a bad cook. Or not, who knows. I am just so grateful for God bringing her into my life and teaching me what love feels like. And I realize now that she was just one of many incidents that were a reflection of what I wanted.

Fast-forward to now, my unemployment situation is trash, my marriage is at an amicable stand-still in the romance deptartment, and the world doesn't make sense.

FRIDAY

Affirmation: THE PERSON YOU WANT TO STRIVE TO BECOME IS THE PERSON YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN!

As I was cleaning the apartment, I was listening to a brilliant podcast and there was a mention of the Golden Bhudda. The story was that to protect it from thieves, the citizens of the town where it sat covered the statue in dirt. When theievs and passers-by looked on, all they saw was a mound of dirt. Centuries passed and the dirt hardened. One day someone accidentally chipped a corner of the mound and found a bit of gold shining through.

The metaphor: There's a lot a good man (like me) has to chip away at to get to the gold that lies underneath. There is gold within me, just have to overcome the traumas, heal the hurts, and stay consistent and true to my values. So far, so good!

What We’re Grateful For

1. Grateful for another awesome week of working out, staying healthy, sleeping well, and eating clean.
2. Grateful for listening to a ton of motivational podcasts and videos. The lessons are the blessing.
3. Grateful for a loving family ... the only thing that really matters in this insane world.

What We Loved

1. Outside of not working, loved everything about staying faithful, staying focused, and remaining true to myself. Even when the temptations are everywhere.

What We Learned

TO DO

1. Google Project Management [Status: TO DO!!] Thinking about this a lot.
2. INNER WORK [Status: TO DO!!] Rollover from last week. I keep sleeping on this.
3. QA DAY - "SevereQA" business idea [Status: TO DO!!] Writing up the business plan and how to use agents.
4. Cloud Pen TestingGoogle Cloud [Status: TO DO!] | Azure [Status: TO DO!]

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IN PROGRESS

1. Web App PT - Pinterest [Status: BLOCKED!] Both test accounts got suspended by Pinterest Admin. Submitted a ticket to BC Support team.
2. QA DAY - Playwright CLI [Status: BLOCKED!] Ran through my tokens and have to wait for June to reset.
3. AI/LLM Pen Testing - Wraith.sh [Status: IN PROGRESS!] Completed M1. On to M2
4. Cloud Pen Testing - AWS [Status: IN PROGRESS!!]
5. Android PT - HexTree [Status: IN PROGRESS!!] Working through Android Intent Module. Staring on Android Bindermodule.
6. READ Finish reading "Zorro" [Status: IN PROGRESS!!] Almost finished with Part-III ... need to make time to get this done.
7. Writing - "Husb" [Status: IN PROGRESS!!] On my list for Saturday (5/30).
8. Side Hustle Substack Account [Status: IN PROGRESS!] Near-complete. Will port over my Medium content soon enough.

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DONE

1. Appium w. Python - Practice [Status: DONE!]. The app is straight forward on android; blocked on iOS.



What We Longed For

1. A good job, with great people, making decent money, doing something enjoyable .. QA Engineer or Security.
2. Lack of certifications are impacting my job prospects so we can declare certifications a lack.



What We Loathed

1. Six months into 2026 and there have already been 240k layoffs. More on the way.

Security Testing Journal Entry | w/e Friday May 22, 2026 - “Manifesting a Soggy Dollar” Ed.

Highlights for the week

Kicking off another great week to cherish and be grateful. The idea of starting a business is taking root. If not a Tiki Bar, Testing-as-a-service / Freelance. Anything to escape the idea of depending on an employer for a living. It's gross.

The theme of manifesting "Soggy Dollar" at BVI stems from my computer's wallpaper. But more importantly, it's about manifesting succcess, prosperity, financial stability, and both personal and professional growth.

MONDAY

Affirmation: YOU ARE NOT WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU. YOU ARE WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO BE - JIM ROHN

The grind continues. Got up early, welcomed the day, crushed at the gym, and celebrated wins.

TUESDAY

Affirmation: STAY FAITHFUL

Quiet day. The job I wanted didn't want me. Dedicated the day to closing out old jobs and finishing lingering work.

WEDNESDAY

Affirmation: LIFE DOESNT BREAK PEOPLE. WEAK THINKING DOES! - JIM ROHN

Find comfort in doing the hard things. If you fail, ask:

• What did this teach me?
• Where did I struggle?
• What can I do better?

THURSDAY

Affirmation: NO DAYS OFF!!

Show up > Give it 100% > Get it Done! > Celebrate the Win.

FRIDAY

Affirmation: Nonce

Another blesssed week. Still no job to speak of, but learning a lot and making new connections.

What We’re Grateful For

1. Another brilliant week with good health and wellbeing.
2. Grateful to have the chance to learn new things and grow as a person.
3. Grateful for another solid workout. Feeling the progress .. t-shirts feel tighter!

What We Loved

1. As always ... happiness is a full fridge, warm meal, a comfy bed, and harmony in the home.

What We Learned

TO DO

1. Google Project Management [Status: TO DO!!] Thinking about this a lot.
2. INNER WORK [Status: TO DO!!] Rollover from last week. I keep sleeping on this.

3. ---

   IN PROGRESS

4. AI/LLM Pen Testing - Wraith.sh [Status: IN PROGRESS!] Completed the Intro. Module. Need to start on the prompt injection vuln module (M1)
5. Finish reading "Zorro" [Status: IN PROGRESS!!] Started on Part-III
6. Writing - "Husb" [Status: IN PROGRESS!!] I finished the scene where Diamondback was shot down and about to be tortured; need to expand on it a litt more.

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DONE

7. WebApp Pen Test - MyFitnessPal [Status: DONE!] Since I don't know when I will get to the mobile apps, I figured to finish the web app pt report and write a follow up a.s.a.p.
8. [QA DAY] Demoblaze on mobile device w. Playwright [Status: DONE!!]
9. [QA DAY] Appium refresher w. Python [Status: DONE!] 4hr battle with android bringing the environment up to current; iOS is failing to launch at the moment.

What We Longed For

1. Employment .. of any kind. Preferably in

What We Loathed

1. The layoffs are not even at the end of the begininning. It's getting really bad in 2026. I'm beginning to question my career choices.

Security Testing Journal Entry | w/e Friday May 15, 2026 - “Keeping The Faith & Winning The Race” Ed.

Highlights for the week

Not a lot of wins. The unemployment stats are lies. The job search process is fundamentally broken. When applicants do apply, there are AI pre-screeners that effectively knock out 90% of applicants before a human has even had the chance to look at it. When they do, another set of biases are employed to whittle down the number of candidates to single digits. Then, the games really begin. I have to believe countries on the other side of the globe are getting first dibs on all the postings. By the time I get to it, 200 applicants will have already beaten me to the punch. And if the screening process is to accept the first 50, I'm cooked!

I asked Google Gemini the following: To date, what has been the total number of tech layoffs? And given the number of people going through long-term unemployment, along with those who have given up, what is the most accurate figure that truly represents the current job market?. It answered with a verbose posting, but the short-version: The U-6 Unemployment Rate: 8.2% ... yay!

Looming is the threat of a Hanta Virus outbreak. Will we go on lockdown? Probably not. But that was the same circumstance in November of 2019, before we were forced in.

MONDAY

Affirmation: SUCCESS IS NOT ABOUT MEETING SOMEONE ELSE’S EXPECTATIONS. IT’S ABOUT LIVING UP TO YOURS

I hate when wife and I yell at each other. Worse still, I hate letting myself get to the point where I'm yelling. I'm just tired of being beaten up over and over for the same issues of the past.

Yes! I've stumbled and made a lot of mistakes but I am NOT a loser. I am just in a weird quandry. I have to heal from the hurts and retrain the brain for success. Work in progress for sure!

Sidebar: Didn't make much progress with Android .. the application used in the module is failing. Will probably have to go through the lessons as a spectator.

TUESDAY

Affirmation: WHEN LIFE CAN NO LONGER THREATEN YOU WITH DEATH, WHAT ELSE IS THERE?

Don't let fear keep you from your potential. Don't let failure compound to the point you sabotage your dreams and relationships. Move anyway! Take the risk! Apply for the job! Ask her out!

It pays to be patient. Took a second look at the module and had missed something I didn't see yesterday. After slowing the video down several times, I caught what I was doing wrong and made the adjustment.

WEDNESDAY

Affirmation: A SAFE MAN IS GOING TO MAKE MISTAKES, BUT ...

He is going to take accountability for his actions. What makes him safe is his willingness and commitment to repair and grow when challenged to be the best man he can be.

Big wins today as we learned more about android pen testing using Frida-Trace to understand how to hack button interactions on a native app.

More wins as teaching my son Spanish is progressing at a good pace.

Had a tremendous heart-to-heart with him at the gym. We dropped the ball on Mother's Day, but finances aren't there to have done more. We have got to fix this!!

The Pen Test for MFP has taken a back seat for the android learning. TBH, the website was ok, but it's the app that has me intrigued. Not a total waste, but I've let the report fall behind intended schedule. FML!!

THURSDAY

Affirmation: MAKE IT OK TO FAIL!

Anything worth doing is worth doing right, as we have been taught. But if you were never taugjt, keep doing it until you get it right. (Les Brown)

FRIDAY

Affirmation: WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS, THERE WILL YOUR HEART BE ALSO - [LUKE 12:34

And what a perfect way to close out the week.

What We’re Grateful For

1. Another wonderful week
2. Having the opportunity to see my mother on Mother's Day.
3. Enjoying the small wins, starting with sleeping well, getting up ahead of schedule, and crushing it.
4. Bonding with my son has been awesome.
5. Doing the inner work, even a little bit at a time, and healing the trauma. The inner dialog has been all positive.

What We Loved

1. Spending time with Mom, even for a little bit.
2. Hitting my goals for the week.
3. Feeling more at peace spiritually and mentally.

What We Learned

TO DO

1. Google Project Management [Status: TO DO!!] Thinking about this a lot.
2. AI Pen Testing [Status: TO DO!!] I created the account for https://wraith.sh/academy and it looks amazing!!
3. INNER WORK [Status: TO DO!!] Rollover from last week.
4. Finish reading "Zorro" [Status: TO DO!!] Rollover from last week.
5. Android Pen Test - MFP [Status: TO DO!!] Rollover from last week ... momentum was derailed.

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IN PROGRESS

6. HexTree Android PT - Dynamic Intstrumentation [Status: IN PROGRESS!] Wrote scripts to call functions and record actions (trace).

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DONE

7. Playwright CLI [Status: DONE!] Refactored my test framework and added chaos testing for web and APIs. +500 tests in 1 week.

What We Longed For

1. At this point, a consulting job, preferably in pen testing. Will accept QA Engineerign for the right salary.

What We Loathed

1. The Job Market in 2026. Beginning to think I may have made the wrong career choice.

Security Testing Journal Entry | w/e Friday May 8, 2026 - "The 4th Is With Us .. Always" Ed.

Highlights for the week

A great quote from Andy Stumph, former Navy Seal and author of "Drown Proof", "WHAT YOU ALLOW IN YOUR PRESENCE IS YOUR STANDARD"

MONDAY

Affirmation: PATIENCE, PERSISTENCE, AND POSITIVITY

Avoiding discomfort doesn't protect you; it hollows you out. As I keep hearing from so many motivational speakers, you need to go outside of your comfort zone. The land of familiarity belongs to the dead.

The 4th is here and gave myself a little chance to nerd out with "Maul: Shadow Lord" and holy jeebus was it a great episode.

Spent the better part of the day on continued learning for reverse engineering android apps. It's really about knowing how to read the code and where to look for the treasure. Brilliant program!!

TUESDAY

Affirmation: YOU HAVE COME BACK POWER

Another great quote I hear often, "a setback is a setup for a comeback." Lord knows I need this. The family needs me to prosper.

Nothing got done today on account of personal priorities. We had Cinco De Mayo to attend to, so pen test and HexTree are 1 day behind.

WEDNESDAY

Affirmation: COMMIT TO THE HOPE OF TOMORROW, NOT THE MISTAKES OF THE PAST

Don't wallow in yesterday's bad .. live hopeful and joyous for tomorrow. That's where the promise of your best self lives. So don't carry old baggage into new beginnings. Learn, don't repeat, and keep moving. Love this!

Spent the better part of the day with the Android modules. Some are pretty challenging. The videos move fast, but the learning is enjoyable.

THURSDAY

Affirmation: IN LIFE, YOU DONT GET WHAT YOU WANT, YOU GET WHAT YOU ARE

Ooof .. this one hits hard. Something I've been meaning to correct for the past 25 years is the idea of who I should be. But as I learned the previous day, dwelling on the mistakes is what's kept me down all these years; repeating the same patterns and never learning. So the larger question is, who will I become, and what will be the outcome?

FRIDAY

Affirmation: VIEW YOURSELF AS THE ARCHITECT OF YOUR LIFE

A perfect plan executed poorly is going to deliver garbage .. words to live by as I close out the week. Hit a lot of my goals ... yay!!

What We’re Grateful For

1. Grateful that I have another week of good health and good vibes.
2. Grateful to have the medical insurance that covered my blood work. The results came back favorable.
3. Grateful to be closer to my weight loss goal. Turns out the muscles gained might be adding weight, which is why I've not come close to my goal.
4. Grateful to be with a wonderful family.

What We Loved

1. Hitting my goals, especially with learning more about android reverse engineering.
2. Learning AI + QA. The skill to automate using AI reduced overall setup time from weeks down to hours.

What We Learned

TO DO

1. Google Project Management [Status: TO DO!!] Thinking about this a lot.
2. INNER WORK [Status: TO DO!!] Adding this entry to the list for future use.
3. Finish reading "Zorro" [Status: TO DO!!] Maybe this weekend we'll finish the section I'm on ... maybe
4. AI Pen Testing [Status: TO DO!!] Referred to an interesting framework to playwith ... courtesy of a connection on Linked In.
5. Android Pen Test - MFP [Status: TO DO!!] Need to find a AVD compatible with the app that can be rooted.

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IN PROGRESS

6. Android PT (Hextree) App Module: Reverse Engineering 2 [Status: Done!] Learned how to read through the code with jadx and add a custom class.
7. "Husb" - Chapter "Time for Monsters, Pt. 1" - [Status: IN PROGRESS!] Working through a small section about Husb's wife and son in the natural. Six and Jessica need to find Diamondback.

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DONE

8. Web Pen Test - MFP [Status: DONE!] Report is late. Acceptable due to delay in installing app in emulator.
9. QA DAY: [Status: DONE!] Learned how to use Playwright CLI to set up a fully fleshed out test harness. After the refactor, total was 4 hours.
10. Android PT (Hextree) App Module: Advanced Reverse Engineering [Status: DONE!] Was able to complete some labs (get flags), but others were not working to spec.

What We Longed For

1. A great job, working on cool things, with amazing people, for good pay and benefits. In other words, something like Google Mandiant Security Consultant.

What We Loathed. The layoffs are not stopping anytime soon.

1. 2026 Job Market
2. Late rejections for jobs I don't remember applying to.

Security Testing Journal Entry | w/e Friday May 1, 2026 - “If we can look up, we can get up!!” Ed.

Highlights for the week

Let's kick off the week with the following acknowledgement: GOD IS GOOD! & CHRIST IS KING!

I expect to reach my goals. This week, this month, and certainly this year.

It's time to make the next 25 years count. Been doing it the hard way for far too long.

I hate that I wasn't able to go see Mom for her birthday, but after running the numbers, it will cost roughly $200 (USD) and a full day to see her for a pair of hours. That being said, there are far less tomorrows than yesterdays. Need to stop with the excuse "we don't have the money" and start making moves.

MONDAY

Affirmation: IF WE CAN LOOK UP, WE CAN GET UP!

Happiness is a full refrigerator.

Love this statement. Yes, life has handed us a crap sandwich. And yes, we are to blame. But God isn't through with us yet. I will find my purpose.

Have I mentioned that Mondays are notoriously bad for job hunting. 2 applications submitted, both IDGAF about. They seem ok, but wouldn't flinch if I get rejected.

TIL - read the code, don't overthink the solution. This is for the Android Hextree App solve, where I got tasked with looking for the flag by reading the code to understand how it works.

TUESDAY

Affirmation: GET READY! LOOK THE PART! STAY HUNGRY!

Had a tremendous day: solid workout followed by productive day with pen testing and the Hex Tree learning modules.

Wrote a bit for "Husb.: Time For Monsters" chapter. Things are getting good.

WEDNESDAY

Affirmation: IMPACT DRIVES INCOME!

Kicked off the morning with amazing pancakes and sausage. Thick, fluffy, and so delish!!

TIL - how to pull the android .apk file installed on a device. So .. friggin' .. cool!

THURSDAY

Affirmation: BUILD RELATIONSHIPS!

Need to work on getting out more, volunteer, and network.

FRIDAY

Affirmation: YOU DON'T JUST GO THROUGH IT, YOU GROW THROUGH IT!

Working on getting myself better and healing the boy within.

What We’re Grateful For

1. God is not through with me yet.
2. The wisdom I've been praying for has been in all the lessons learned from failing so much. God IS Good!!
3. Said earlier .. happiness is a full 'fridge.
4. Grateful for the love of the family and finally finding the YT channel to help heal the wounded boy within.

What We Loved

1. Wife has been on the bread-making kick with fabulous results.
2. Loved that wife has joined me at the gym in the mornings. Hoping she stays consistent.
3. Loved that the wisdom I've been praying for has been there the whole time, sadly in the form of failing so damn much.

What We Learned

TO DO

1. INNER WORK [Status: TO DO!!] Adding this entry to the list for future use.
2. Finish reading "Zorro" [Status: TO DO!!] Maybe this weekend we'll finish the section I'm on ... maybe
3. AI Pen Testing [Status: TO DO!!] Referred to an interesting framework to playwith ... courtesy of a connection on Linked In.
4. Android Pen Test - MFP [Status: TO DO!!] Need to find a AVD compatible with the app that can be rooted.

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IN PROGRESS

5. Android PT (Hextree) App Module: Advanced Reverse Engineering [Status: IN PROGRESS!] Working through the module. The demo app isn't side-loading onto the device.
6. "Husb" - Chapter "Time for Monsters, Pt. 1" - [Status: IN PROGRESS!] Lady Hecate/Cetus are gone. Amayra is now on earth. Six and Jessica need to find Diamondback.

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DONE

7. Web Pen Test - MFP [Status: DONE!] Completed a full sweep. Found some goodies but reported, and fixed, by another person (drats!). Mobile is the focus anyway
8. Cloud Security Fundamentals [Status: DONE!] Read the one .pdf. It was high-level and not complicated, but it didn't answer the "how" probably because AWS, GCP, and AZURE all require different approaches. As stated last week, the CCSP is expensive.
9. Android PT (Hextree) App Module: Reverse Engineering [Status: Done!] Learned how to reverse Engineer an app, pull it down from a device and decompile it with apk tools.
10. QA DAY: [Status: DONE!] Learned how to set up and use Playwright CLI. Need to watch the videos and get more info. Also managed to fix the failing login tests due to the DOM elements not being found. The AI "healed" the test in seconds. AMAZING!! It would have taken me half-a-day to troubleshoot and fix.

What We Longed For

1. A great job, working on cool things, with amazing people, for good pay and benefits. In other words, something like Google Mandiant Security Consultant.

What We Loathed

1. 2026 Job Market. Unemployed for 11 months without so much as a blip on the recruiter radar. 1 rejection note in the last two. It's all so awful.
2. AI Companies are going to drive this economy into the ground for the sake of greed and ambition.
3. Politicians on both sides are going to severe their own interests and drive this country into the dirt. And that's when the monsters will show up.