Author: Doug McCaughan

Miraculously the dogs and cats allow me to sleep in a little. Still, I’m up before 8am. I glance at the computer. I’ve left a page open to remind myself that I have to renew my Pinboard.in account before tomorrow. It’s a quick task so I refresh the page to make sure I’m logged in. Reach into my Scottevest and grab my Paypal Security Key. Log into Paypal. I’m a little confused when it doesn’t prompt me for my 6 digit authentication number but I complete the transaction anyway. As I begin to click, I realize I’ve inadvertently logged into a client’s Paypal account. But I’ve already stepped on the landmine. The only thing I can do is release the mouse button. The click has happened. I curse my lack of coffee! I’ve charged $25 to my client’s paypal account. The only way to reverse the charge is from the merchant who is half way around the world and probably not reading email on a Saturday. I send frantic emails to Maciej Ceglowski, the genius behind http://pinboard.in/ then I eat some humble pie and draft an email to my client.

What next? I step away from the computer, prepare breakfast, have that coffee and decide to wash the car. What could go wrong?

The day job is done. Grocery shopping complete. Cooking done. Family fed. It’s 9:30 at night and time to begin my evening job…

It is a sunny, hot Sunday. The wind is blowing. Through the window, in the conditioned house, the outside looks very pleasant. But it is 101°F and rain approaches from the west. I wile away my day jumping between a recreational book (I Am Pilgrim: A Thriller), a business book (Project Management Lite: Just Enough to Get the Job Done…Nothing More), and programming for a client. I’d love to be doing yard work. On the other hand, I just roughed out a high level specification for a website I’d like to build for myself. But alas, responsibilities call: client work, planning the week, planning the week’s meals, personal finance and other paperwork. On Sunday he rest…right.

Attempted to make the zipline work. I’ve increased its length so we get more play and sag in the rope. The seat therefore bottoms out. Raising the rope and making it as taut as possible only resulted in a seat that is too high and becomes a projectile upon getting off. While the longer ride sounds fun, unless I replace the static line with a steel cable and a static line I suspect this is a bust. Wait! I could use prusiks and a come along on the static line. Hmmm. I wonder what the tolerances are?

My brain hurts.

As these last few hours of vacation come to a close, I have to take pause and assess the success and failures of the vacation. I succeeded in having an adventure with Evan and 23 other scouts as well as 12 other parents. I succeeded in not thinking about work. I succeeded in massive cleaning efforts. I failed to find Noah’s sash and merit badges for his Eagle Board of Review. I succeeded in fixing the motor on the telescope. Looking forward to seeing it track objects in the sky now. Succeeded in improving a client website but failed to complete it enough for deployment (which means billables). Succeeded in not thinking about my regular job. Failed to think about my regular job. Failed to win the lottery. Succeeded in relaxing a bunch!

When we bought our 55 inch flat screen I used the box it came it to horde all my power cables, wall warts, network cables, pci cards, memory, etc. I’ve just gone through the box and separated out the components.

I am quite sure that power cords breed while we are sleeping. I have never owned so many power cables. Has anyone ever caught the mating process on film? I get it has a male and female end but locomotion? And where do the babies come from? Has anyone ever seen a baby powercord?!

Also, does anyone need a rubber maid contain full of ide cables?
Hayes 28.8 baud modem? Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? (The US Robotics Sportster 1200 is mine!)

Where did the day (and my vacation) go?

Dear Neighbor, You left your steamroom on outside. Sincerely, Sweaty

I need to be programming.
I want to be cleaning the house.
I desire to lounge and watch television with my wife.
I am packing for 4 days of camping.
I will be shopping for additional gear.
I should be planning bunk assignments, creating a duty roster, making cheers and marching cadences, and figuring out rainy day games to occupy 24 nine year olds.