mindful iterations

In keeping with my 2 post a week goal, here is a post.  It may not be the post to end all posts, but it's a post nonetheless.

Today we took one of our cats to get a haircut.  She's a long haired cat who often gets mats in her fur.  This is the end result:

She is a bit groggy in this picture, but that's because of the stuff they used to sedate her.  I was looking it up on the Internet, and apparently it's like PCP.  So, I'm guessing it was probably really surreal for her to be walking around.

Aside from that, we also spent a lot of time with family today.

In the land of technology, I've been doing a lot of reading of code these days.  I'm actually quite enjoying the process and it seems that the more I'm reading, the more I'm digesting, and the more my mind is understanding what's being done, as well as thinking of other ways something could be done.  That growth is quite exciting.

I definitely miss coding in Ruby.  There is a certain ease that comes with coding in the language.  Yes, perl is a great language, and one that I'm growing to enjoy.  I also want to dabble a bit in Python and expand my knowledge base even further.

I've also put together a list of things that I want to focus on.  It's a mix of my 'weak points' as well as some things I'm just plain interested in.  I'll be hammering away at things one at a time.  (If I can... my attention span certainly wants to jump around quite a bit!)

I can't believe that I've been programming full-time for 8 1/2 months.  It's still a passion and something I really enjoy doing.

In any case, I'm going to sign off now.  I am also thinking that a 'regular' posting schedule might be a good idea.  I definitely benefit from structure.

Early in my professional coding career (which at this point, is just over 8 months), I was told to commit early and commit often.

Originally I thought that this was just so that important work wouldn't be lost, should a computer crash - temporarily or long term. Eight months later, and I have a confession to make - I don't commit nearly as often as I should, and when I do, there's usually a long string of A's or M's and a bulky commit message.

In addition to my embarrassing confession, I also have a nice realization - committing isn't only for security's sake. I've found it to be a very nice precaution in helping to make sure that a certain change doesn't break shit. Nothing like wading through diffs and commit logs to figure out what the hell and when the hell you broke your app.

It also seems invaluable when it comes to making sure that if you had one iteration that was close to working, you can get it back relatively easily.

Of course, all this would be true for me if I made a more consistent habit out of committing.

When it comes to committing, I'm making a vow right here, right now, to become more committed. Yes, I'm committing to committing.

One of the things I used to say about being a 'baby programmer' was that I didn't have bad habits and could be molded quite well. And here I've been, getting into some bad habits. No more, I say. No more! Boo on you, Bad Habits. Boo on you.

And speaking of version control, I've been playing around with git this evening. I've also been messing around with mercurial.

This last week or two has left me with plenty to blog about.  I've been knee-deep in the bowels of code with ruby-debug as my trusty sidekick.  The interesting thing, well, one of the interesting things, anyway, is that the more I end up debugging, the more it seems I learn.  Which, is fucking annoying since debugging is a huge pain in the ass and nowhere near as fun as actually writing code is.

But, I've heard it said time and time again, that you learn things by reading other people's code... and well, when you're debugging other people's code, you're doing more than just reading it - you're getting inside of it and their brain, and figuring out how both their brain, and their code works.

Another upcoming post, should I ever find the time to write it, is about some of my philisophical notions about program, and how those thoughts are changing.

This 31 year old 'baby programmer' has formed some opinions about things and it's time to expound on some of the new and scary ideas that are forming in my brain.

In any case, Bells Oberon is back for the season.  What does that mean? Winter is over.  We may get some snow showers mixed with rain, and you can never count out an April snowstorm, but all I know is this - Bells Oberon. Is. Back. 

Update...

9:54pm...

I just realized as I was tagging this post that my tags are: programming, opinions, and beer.  That just struck me as wildly amusing.  And no, I'm not intoxicated.  :) 

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.)