mindful iterations

So, those of you who read this blog know that I love technology and programming.  I thought I'd take some time to express some of the things in life, both technology and non-technology related that I also love.  Here are ten things that make me happy (in no particular order).

1. Good conversation - Yes, good conversation.  There's few things that I enjoy more than good conversation.  Discussing the deeper things in life, such as philosophy, spirituality, and sociological issues over a good cup of coffee is something that will usually put a big ol' smile on my face.  Small talk usually drains me and to be able to connect with someone on a deeper level, even if we have differing views, is something that energizes me.  I love it!
2. Good coffee - I have to admit it - one of my biggest vices is a good cup of coffee.  I started out a Starbucks fiend, and while I still enjoy a good iced vanilla latte (1/2 the flavor, thanks) from Starbucks, I really enjoy branching out.  A friend of mine actually roasts his own beans and whenever I get the chance, I love to experience the joy that is fresh roasted coffee beans.  Mmm.  I typically enjoy cold coffee over hot coffee.  Although, in the morning, I definitely need my steaming hot coffee.  Not too strong, not too weak, with a touch of sugar and a few touches of cream.  Oh java bean, how I love you so.
3. Checking out beta software - I'm sure that somewhere on this blog there are accounts of KDE 4 installs gone wrong.  I love things that are new and exciting, and since I'm a big ol' dork, I find new software to be new and exciting.  This is why I ran Gentoo Linux for quite some time - because of the wide availability of bleeding edge software.  Sure, you can download subversion or git repos of beta software, but the power of emerge made my fingertips dance with joy.
4. Good pens - Some of my fondest childhood school memories include those of back-to-school sales.  The look and smell of an untainted Pink Pearl eraser.  The feel of a freshly sharpened #2 pencil gliding across college ruled paper.  Fresh ink on a blank piece of paper. While my adoration for Pink Pearl erasers and #2 pencils has faded, my love for pens has not.  I typically use the Parker gel ink pens, although my curiousity is starting to grow for fountain pens.  I used to favor .5mm, although now I tend to stick with .7mm.  There's nothing quite like watching your thoughts and words come into existence, like when you put them down on paper.  With a good pen, of course.
5. Good paper - What use is a good pen without a good piece of paper?  When it comes to ruled paper, I have always loved narrow ruled.  More narrow than college ruled, I always loved it when I'd find a store that carried narrow ruled paper.  I never liked wide rule.  Perhaps it was too reminiscent of the old school paper that was used in kindergarten.  Whatever the case, narrow ruled has always been my paper platform of choice.  My latest vice?  You guessed it - the Moleskine.  I have one with squared paper, and a reporter's notebook with - you guessed it again - narrow ruled lines.  Give me my Parker gel ink pen and a Moleskine and I'm really damn happy.
6. Good music - Music speaks to me in a way that nothing else can.  I play several instruments, including the violin, guitar, and the drums.  I haven't touched the drums in many years, but I've had many a night to remember hanging out at a bonfire playing my djembe or my conga.  My partner gifted me with a very old violin for my birthday a few years ago and I'm not quite as good as I was when I used to play in Junior and Senior High school.  Not only do I enjoy playing music, I also love listening.  My music collection is diverse and I love most any type of music except for Polka.  I can spend hours just listening to music - finding myself absorbed in the instruments, vocals, and lyrics.
7. Good food - I make some killer hot wings.  Let me tell you this now.  Once upon a time, I could cook macaroni and cheese, oven-fried chicken, and scrambled eggs.  In the past several years I've expanded my menu to make many things, including some blow-your-mind gravy, steaks, chicken dishes, beef dishes, and even an oh-my-G-d-this-is-good baked cheesecake.  I love to cook for my partner and whenever we have friends over.  I also love to eat good food.  I lucked out in that my partner is an incredible cook who makes manicotti I don't ever want to share, and crepes that are so good your eyes will roll back into your head.  Seriously.
8. Family and friends - I love spending time with my family and my friends.  Whether it's playing games, watching movies, hanging out having a beer, or just spending time together without ever saying a word, there's something about being with loved ones that provides a sense of home.  I've always believed that friends are the family one makes for themselves.  I read that quote in some book in my high school library and I've adopted it as a heart-held belief.  I am blessed to have friends across the country and family across the globe.  Each one of them holds a place in my heart that is so very special and I love them all so dearly.
9. Our doggies and kitties - A mini Noah's ark, our household has two dogs and two cats.  Emma, our black labrador retriever, Hogan, our mutt, Obsidian, our long haired cat who is shown shaved on this blog, and Mazzy, the grey little bundle of feline fury who is named after Mazzy Star.  These babies bring such love and laughter into our lives.  I can't imagine life without them.  Even though having pets is a huge responsibility, it's one that I wouldn't trade. 
10. My partner - I am blessed to have the Best. Partner. Ever.  We've been together over five years and she is someone that enhances my life in so many ways and makes me want to be a better person.  She has taught me so many things in the past five years and has stood by my side through many trials and tribulations.  And, beyond that, she 'gets' me.  It's very rare for people to 'get' each other. I'm lucky in that I 'get' her (she's told me!) and she 'gets' me.  I am grateful for every day that I get to spend with her and look forward to growing old together. 

So, there you have it.  A little more to babygeek than meets the eye.  There are plenty more things that make me happy in life, but these are just some of the things - both big and small - that make my life a happy one.

What makes you happy?

Really. I'm still here.  I've been trying to lead more of a 'balanced' life as of late, spending a little less time on the computer, a little more time with my partner, and some more time with myself, taking that much needed downtime.

As much as I love technology and computing, I don't want to reach the point of diminishing returns.  So, I've been focusing on some of my other hobbies, such as writing, playing the guitar, and reacquainting myself with one of my first loves - the violin.

I'm going to set myself a goal of at least 2 posts per week.  I think that's a decent amount - not enough to overwhelm myself or my loyal subscribers (yay, loyal subscribers!) but just enough for me to not feel like I've abandoned this blog.

Ah, balance.  Really - that's what it's all about. 

Growth feels good.  Sometimes.  Not always.

When one's ass grows, it doesn't feel good.  Personal growth is sometimes painful.  But growth when it comes to learning, knowledge, and understanding, though like personal growth can be painful, it can also feel really damn good.

Today my entire day was spent refactoring, testing, and working with Capistrano.  I also had a nice discussion about has_and_belongs_to_many and has_many through...  I didn't have one moment where I was drowning in confusion, or where I wanted to hang up the computer and invest in a hot dog cart as a new line of business.  No, I don't have those hot dog cart days very often, but every once in a while, they come up.

In any case, today was lovely.  Yes, lovely,  I feel like I'm getting a lot more comfortable with developing, reading code and understanding what I'm reading... It's a great feeling.  To wax poetic, it feels like I've been walking around with blinders on, and slowly but surely, they are falling away.  I'm beginning to see more things.  

And now, I raise my glass of Diet Cherry Coca-Cola and make a toast - to growth - the painful and the comfortable. Because if I'm learning, I'm growing, and if I'm growing, I'm happy (as long as it's not my ass that's doing the growing).

I've made it through a day of not smoking.  I'm walking around in a perpetually pissed off place.  I keep telling myself I only have to make it until Friday for this 'stint'. Good times. I didn't have any coffee today, either.  Just green tea.  No coffee.  Ack.

In other areas, I've been going through my book on Conceptual Database Design. Someone whose technical knowledge and opinion I hold high regard for, recommended a couple of books to me.  I've been reading one of them and I've found that mind-mapping while reading a book such as this, is a great way to reinforce the material.

I don't always retain what I read as much as I'd like and when I do, it's normally because I take notes while reading.  Last night I tried mind-mapping for the first time and it really helped me.

So, why am I interested in database design?  Everything that I program, whether writing or maintenance programming, deals with databases.  I feel like in order for me to really be effective at designing a web-based application, I need to have a solid grasp of database design. It's not enough for me just to have a shallow understanding of how things could possibly work together.  I need to know theory.  I like theory.

In any case, I was going through an introduction to the Entity Relationship Model, and where the book was discussing what determines a one-to-many, one-to-one, many-to-many relationship, the light bulb came on and it really made a lot of sense.  The language in the book is very 'meaty' so it's not something I can just read through on a whim.  It requires some concentration.

I'm just excited about the prospect of securing a better foundation with these concepts.

note: I've gone through and edited this post 3 times.  My sentence structure and grammar is crap. I'm tired and nicotine-deprived.  I shall put the keyboard down before I drive myself even more insane. 

So, just checking in here.  Today was supposed to be my quit date to stop smoking.  We were going to go downstate (near Detroit) so, I knew that quitting during a 5 hour drive probably wouldn't be a very wise decision.  With that in mind, I decided to set my quit date for Monday. Due to incredibly shitty weather, we decided at the last minute to stay home.  I'm still quitting the whole smoking thing on Monday.  We're planning on going downstate next weekend (weather permitting), for which I'll allow myself to smoke.  Then, it's back to the quitting.  So, that's the plan.

As for the health thing, my knee has been jacked up for a couple of weeks, which has kept me from really doing a whole hell of a lot on the exercise front.  I have, however, been eating much better and I'm happy to say that I've lost somewhere between 6 and 7 pounds since the first of the year.  23  - 28lbs to go to get to my goal weight.  I have an appointment to get my knee checked out on Wednesday, so we'll see.

What happened to my knee?  I'm uncoordinated.  That's what happened to my knee.  On Christmas Day, while at a family gathering, I was standing at the top of the stairs waiting for someone to come out and smoke with me. (Ha!) And so, as I stood there, 100% sober, I lost my footing and fell on my knees on the stairs.  Luckily I didn't fall down all of the stairs.  Seriously.  In any case, the thing that hurt the most was my pride.  And so, I got up, laughed it off, and went on my merry way.  

About a week and a half ago, maybe two, my knee started hurting really badly.  Whenever I walk down the stairs, it feels like it's going to just ... stop working.  So, I'm seeing the doctor on Wednesday to make sure it's just a bruised bone or something.  Again, I'm not the most coordinated person.  Now, stop laughing at me.

On the technology level, I'm currently reading a book on database design. I'm hoping to get a stronger understanding of table relationships, how data relates to other data.  The whole Entity-Relationship stuff.  I have some more thoughts on that topic, but that's another post for another night.  Stay tuned.  Really.

And with that, I'm off to do other things.  Like listen to music and read my book. 

Happy New Year.

I have to admit it.  I'm thrilled that the holiday season is over.  While I adore spending time with family and friends, eating wonderful food, and engaging in great conversation, the amount of pressure and just plain business that comes along with the season can be overwhelming.

My Holiday Soap Box

This year I was particularly bothered by the blatant consumerism of advertising everywhere I turned.  Everytime I watched television, I was informed that every kiss begins with Kay or that I should have gone to Jared in order to make the person that I love happy.  C'mon.  Really.

When I was a child, I enjoyed the receiving of gifts.  What typical kid doesn't?  But, for some reason, even though my family gatherings weren't large and plentiful, it wasn't all about gifts for me.  Many of my holiday gatherings were spent with close friends of the family.  We exchanged a gift or two, but the most memorable parts of the event, consisted of laughter, food, and hugs.  That was the big deal.  While I used to circle toys that I wanted in Toys 'R Us circulars, I loved the holidays because of being around the people.

I wonder if kids today (oh, God - Did I REALLY just say that?) have the same experiences, or if it's just really all about the toys, Santa, and getting the latest cool thing.  When the time comes for me and my partner to have children, I certainly hope that we can instill the values regarding the holidays that we grew up with - that holiday values aren't synonymous with consumerism and having meaningful interactions with loved ones is often the biggest gift that can be both given and received.  I hope that we'll create special traditions that they will pass down with their own families when the time comes. 

Looking Forward - Hopes and Goals for 2008

So, enough of my soapbox.  In my last post, I said I'd spare the soapbox, but it's something that has been bothering me for well over a month now.  In any case, I'd like to talk about my hopes and goals for this brand spankin' New Year.

Professionally, I'd like to sharpen my programming skills.  Just yesterday I was reviewing some code with my Manager who told me that I've 'leveled up'.  The majority of my recent coding has been in Ruby.  I was pretty stoked yesterday when I sat down in my editor, opened up a method declaration and just started writing.  I'd like to have many more of those coding-with-ease moments this year.  To help further that goal, I've registered over at http://rubylearning.org for the free Ruby course.  Even though I pretty much use Ruby on a daily basis, I'd like to close some gaps in my knowledge.  The course teaches Core and some Advanced Ruby.  I'm hoping that this will make my knowledge base less bumpy. 

Personally, I'd like to concentrate on having a more healthy year than I had last year.  This encompasses several areas and several goals:

1. Quitting Smoking - I was down to about 2 cigarettes a day, which grew to 4 cigarettes a day, which is now at around 1/2 a pack per day.  With the amount of heart disease that runs in my family, along with the desire to have kiddos eventually, I really have no business whatsoever smoking.  I'll be bold here - I'm setting my quit date for January 19.  Now that I'm accountable to all 5 of you, hopefully I can stick with it. :)  While I don't want to say, "I'm never having a cigarette again," I'd really only like to smoke every now and again, such as when going out with other smokers to a bar or something of that nature.  Not on an everyday or even several times a week basis.
2. Losing Weight - While I'm by no means a bovine, I am not in the same shape that I was just a few years ago.  Also, while I don't expect to be the same 125lbs that I was at 21 years old, where I'm at now just isn't acceptable.  I would like to at least be where I was at the age of 27 - 28.  This will require a loss of about 30 - 35 lbs.  If I can lose 2 pounds per week, I can be where I want between the end of March to Mid April.  Ideally, I'd like to be less than that, which should be completely doable at a rate of 2 pounds per week by the end of June.  Again, with heart disease and diabetes prevelant in my family, I have to be mindful. Which brings me to my next goal which is...
3. Exercising More - I'll admit it.  I'm a computer geek.  I'm a nerd.  While I'm not the most uncoordinated being I know, I'm also not the most athletic.  My partner M can pick up any sport she's introduced to and if not excel, at least maintain an average skill.  Me?  Not so much.  I don't love to exercise.  I would rather spend an hour reading a book or tinkering with my computer than taking a walk outside.  But, I am going to commit to at least 30 minutes of exercises at least 3 times a week, and this winter, snowshoe at least once or twice a month.  I also have the ability to go cross-country skiing, which I tried last year and loved.  So, once or twice a month on that one, too.

I do have some other goals, some of which will remain in my own private offline journal. I normally keep the 'personal/emotional' stuff off of this platform, but hell, there are some things I want to do and sometimes putting it out there for others to see is a good way to make sure you do it.  After all, I'm a Leo and don't like to be embarassed. :)

My Wishes for 2008

• I wish for world peace.  While that's not likely to happen anytime soon, it would be a nice thing.  And, maybe if enough of us wish for world peace, one day it will happen.
• I wish for safety for our soldiers.
• I wish for health and happiness for all of my loved ones.  Actually, I wish it for everyone, really.
• I wish for positive changes in the economy.
• I wish for positive growth when it comes to the things we can do regarding global warming.

Finally, may the New Year find you happy and healthy.

Here's to a great 2008! (excuse the rhyme.  really.)

In a previous entry, I discussed my recent acquisition of a moleskine.  I've spent a week using it and I've finally got the majority of my 'system' figured out.

I'll post in detail later on, but as of writing, the system is as follows:

I've sectioned off six months worth of pages to use for my 'daily/weekly planner'.  I have Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday on the left page.  Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are on the right page.  I use the Moleskine's ribbon to keep track of the section I'm at.

After my planner area, I have my 'brain-dump' type section.  Anything I think of that I want to do or need to do goes there.  I still need to make my context lists, but for now, the ones I think I'll be using are @appointments & calls to make, @home, @errands, @computer, @things to buy.  While I haven't completely implemented my context lists yet, what I do each night before bed is look at the big ol' list, pick a few things to get done the next day, and write them in my planner.  If I do not get them done, they get moved to the next day. 

Speaking of getting moved to the next day, I have to admit - the holiday weekend didn't get a whole lot accomplished.  I cooked for the holiday, spent time with M and her family, and then on Saturday, we celebrated her birthday.  Today I really just relaxed and spent the day with M and the doggies driving around town.

This week should see a return to the daily productivity that I was starting to experience this last week.

When it comes to productivity and organization, I'm still finding my groove.  I know things don't instantaneously improve overnight, but there has been some improvement.  Even with tasks that I don't exactly enjoy doing.  It seems that when I write them down and pay attention to them, being able to cross them off of my list is very gratifying.

Additionally, I don't feel as stressed out because I'm not trying to remember every minute detail of everything I need and want to do.  If I hear a song on the radio and want to find out who it is and whether or not I like their other music, I write them down - that way I'm not trying to force myself to remember.  Having a place where I keep all my mental stuff is really nice.  I'm hoping that within the next month or two, I'll get more used to the flow of things and be more productive and organized.

As for 'next actions' - I'm trying to use those more with bigger projects that have the potential to get me stressed out.  When things are broken down into smaller steps, they just seem to be more doable.

Once I have a flow going and am more settled with my Moleskine layout, I'll post it.  However, I have to say.  I <3 my Moleskine.  I've been using it, I enjoy using it, and I've been sticking with it.

I went out and acquired a Moleskine.  I have a pen sitting nearby that I adore.  I've had this pen for years.  I've been using the same type of pen for years.  It's a black and silver Parker pen.  It uses gel ink.  It makes me happy.  Yes, I'm a dork.  Pens make me happy.  That was my favorite part about school each year - going out and buying school supplies - pens, paper, notebooks, and folders.

In any case, I have a Moleskine - the kind with squared pages.  I like using graph/squared paper for writing and flowcharting. So, with that in mind, I chose this one.

Thing is, I won't write in it yet.  I'm spending some time reading about different Moleskine hacks for organization, as well as different things on productivity, including Zen to Done: The Ultimate Simple Productivity System. I'm not 100% sold on any one particular system.  I really want something that will make sense for me.

There are a few things I know:

1. I need something that will help me remember the tasks I need to do.
2. I need something that will help me stay organized and productive.
3. I need something that I will enjoy using.
4. I need a system that makes sense to the way my mind works.
5. I need a system that won't complicate my life - if it does, what good is it?

So, with these things in mind, I am waiting to write in my Moleskine.  After all, it's going to be my organizational system and I don't want to mess it up without putting some good thought into it.

Once I come up with or find a system that I like, I'll post it here.  I'm really excited about venturing deeper into a method of organization.

I'll be the first to admit it - I'm not the most organized person.  Certain things that come really easy to people like my partner M, don't always come that easy to me.  For example, her desk is the shining example of organization.  Her desktop (real desktop, not the PC kind) calendar is filled with appointments, relevant notes, and other things that help her stay organized.  Right near her desktop calendar, one can normally find a To Do list.  This list is generally categorized, with each item sitting in its appropriate category.  There are several file folders holding important papers.  They are all sitting in a plastic inbox.  When it comes to organization, she is someone that I envy.

Let's compare my desk, shall we?  I have a cup full of pens, (probably a couple of which don't work anymore), a picture of me with my dad a couple of years ago, multiple bills and papers along with a magazine scattered on top of my desk, and a spindle of CDs.  There are several cutesy notes on post-its that M wrote for me that I also have posted to my desk.  On top of my monitor there is an orange lei that I received at a campout I attended in Texas, circa 2001.  I think it was 2001.  If it wasn't 2001 then it was 2002.  It very may well have been 2002.  In any event, it has sentimental value and so I keep it near.  

The description of my desk is neat. 

What about my desk at work?  My desk is usually organized.  Quite well. 

Granted, my description of my desk just made me straighten the piles of paper, it's still nowhere near the condition that my desk is at work, or M's for that matter.

Over the last month, possibly more, I've been reading several blogs that deal with the concept of something I call betterness. What is betterness?  It's really about bettering oneself - in the realm of many things, including organization.  These blogs have inspired me.  While I've longed for better organizational skills for quite some time now, these skills seem more attainable for whatever reason than they once did.  Perhaps these resources that I've been reading where others admit to not being the most organized, yet seem to have their proverbial shiznit together, give me the idea that there is hope for someone like me, someone to whom the heavens didn't endow with an innate mastery of organization.  To M it seems to come easy.  It probably doesn't come as easy as I imagine it does, but it comes easier to her than it does to me.

I'm still debating as to whether I'll document my quest for organization here or not.  Since I have opened the can of worms, I'll probably continue to document, although it may not be a regular feature.

In any case - wish me luck!