Coding is so much better when it includes wine or beer.
Trapped in Knoxville
And then there was that one time I drove to the airport with nothing but the clothes on my back intent to leave…and the airport was closed.
A need to be numb
There’s a point in the night
A choice to be made
Power through
Or give up the fight
When the time comes
The brain turns foggy
And hides distracting thoughts
Creativity flows
But hesitate
If you slow
The fog turns solid
Hit a wall
Pass out now
Or pass out then
Both a loss
Neither a win
There’s a point in the night
A choice to be made
Sacrifice the wee hours
And give up the day
Whatever decision
The clock ticks
The night comes
You fade away.
For Labor Day, I labored
When we have three day weekends, I like to take a personal day to try to have a 4 day weekend to work around the house on all that I neglect due to work and volunteer obligations and to be with my family. More often than not, this translates to working on the computer to earn extra money. Today was no different. Despite the beautiful weather, I did no yardwork. I made no clubhouse repairs. I washed no cars. Instead I programmed, rather troubleshot a non-functioning program with little success.
I did take a few minutes to repair the door knob on our front door. It had become so loose that it failed to open the door. Fixing it you would think would be a couple twists of a screwdriver. But symbolic of all things in my life, it was not so simple and required an allen wrench (technically ‘key’), flashlight (technically iphone), phillips head screwdriver, and a pry bar.
As darkness falls, the stress of the quantity of unfinished planning for scouts, paperwork for other things, unsent communiques, failed budgeting, and misplaced dreams for this 4 day weekend are trumped only by the snarling and nattering of my overdone children and wife. At this exact moment, my aching back would like nothing more than a beer and to lounge in front of the television. Instead, some vitamin I, some coffee, and headphones with loud music will power me into the night. "Alexa, play cyberpunk."
The Final Boom’s Day
I went to the very first Boom’s Day and the next four after that. I committed to myself that I’d go to everyone but after that 5th event, I quit going. Tonight is supposedly the last Boom’s Day. I think it’s a guerrilla marketing effort to raise attendance. Nonetheless, I chose to keep the family home, not fight the crowds, and work on the house and a client’s website. A great deal of yard work was completed. So much more remains. If I had the means, I’d take a year off just to work on my home and family. It’s now dinner time. I head out to park the car and the front door complains, refusing to open if the handle is pressed down instead of raised up. I can fix it. I will fix it. The door knob is a metaphor for my life under constant repair. But I can fix it. I will fix it. I want to accomplish so much more. So much more than has been done. Nonetheless, I am content.
The day thus far
This Sunday of Labor Day weekend thus far: I’ve cursed Microsoft extensively as I fight an ASP.NET solution. I’ve repaired the weedeater and taken my ire out on the lawn. I’ve also decided the last Booms Day will have to happen without my family.
What do you do in the morning?
It’s Saturday morning on a three day holiday weekend. What am I doing? Cooking Sunday night’s dinner, of course.
The good and the bad
The good: The wife and neighbors may rejoice. The carburetor has been rebuilt and the mower is working!
The bad: Now I have to start working on the yard again.
The good: I fixed the Keurig.
The bad: It broke again.
The good: Took a day off to work on the house.
The bad: Spent the day programming for a client.
The good: It is Labor Day weekend.
The bad: This is the last Boom’s Day.
Pro Life Tip
Jeans split in the crotch? Wear blue underwear!
Inside the life of a programmer
Some days require the environment be just right for productivity. Today, I need a darkened room, incense burning, attire that doesn’t include button down anything, bare feet, herbal tea, and very, very loud cyberpunk music. Instead, I am in Cubeville. Florescent lights burn through my eyes searing my brain. The glare is so harsh. A din of conversations float over cube walls as ambient noise but not soothing as white noise, oceans, or rain. Interruptions are imminent. Such is the live of a programmer.
Deep Thoughts
Agony is needing to win the lottery and not being able to afford the ticket.
Happy Anniversary Cathy!
Fourteen years ago today, and after nearly two years of dating, Cathy and I were married at Gatlinburg’s Ye Ol’ Tyme Photo Boothe and its been one grand adventure since then!
Thank you Cathy for making my life incredible!
Thank you Internet!
This one is obviously staged but very good:
Goodbye Ultimate Boot CD
Throughout the years of helping people fix their computers, one of the handiest tools in my armory was the Ultimate Boot CD. Not this one, although I did use that version often, but this one. I had an huge number of other tools EBCD, hacker tools, some websites common Joe has no reason to know exist, knowledge and experience, and an impressive Internet searching ability (a little understanding of boolean logic goes a long way). Them: "I don’t know my administrative password." Me: "No problem." Well, perhaps a 30 second delay. Anyhow, I’ve decided to upgrade my last functioning Windows box (Windows 7) to Windows 10. See, all those Linux boxes, and Windows boxes (at one time I had 5 physical machines under my desk, several dual booted to different OSes, and virtual machines on the Linux box…I even had a laptop that I could boot to Windows 3.1, wait a min, I still have that.) have been scraped and sent to e-waste as my home has become a shrine to Steve Jobs as we became fully indoctrinated into the Cult of Mac. As the Windows 10 installer inspects my Windows 7 machine, it discovers UBDC4Win 3.60 and declares that it MUST be removed as incompatible for the installation to continue. With some sadness, not dissimilar to when your goldfish dies, I approved the uninstall. (I still have the iso of the last UBCD I built so I haven’t completely crippled myself.)
Need to plan the day
What shall I use?
- Omniplan
- Omnifocus
- iOS reminders
- Clear
- Any.Do
- Evernote
- Due
- Paper
- physical calendar
- chalkboard
- sticky notes
