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
It’s a beautiful Saturday!
The weather is gorgeous. It’s tax free weekend. Whatever shall we do? Let’s sit inside and program on the computer!
Changing habits
Humans…we get in ruts because we like consistency. Change is good but for the most part, we silly humans despise change.
An eon ago I traveled to Dallas for consulting work. While there, my friend and I would tour mansions being built. (I grew up exploring houses under construction. I love the smell of the wood and imagining the final design.) I noted how the millionaires all seemed to have bedrooms with his and her (separate) bathrooms connected to the bedroom. These bathrooms were HUGE and often were part of a walk-in closet that is comparable in size to one of my children’s bedroom. This creates the opportunity for one of the couple to awaken, go into the closet/bathroom, closet the door, groom and get dressed without disturbing their domestic partner.
I awake before my wife. I try to be as respectful and quiet as possible. She interprets this as me trying my damnedest to wake her with loud talking to myself, banging, clanging, cursing, and spotlights…bright, bright, fiery lights. I use my cellphone to guide myself through the darkened room sometimes having to turn on the flashlight, go into the closet, close the door, turn on the lights, … you get the picture. I glance over at my sleeping beauty and she’s pulled covers and pillows over her head. I grimace but repeat the process the next day and the day after that and so on.
A couple of days ago, I thought I should begin my day by setting everything I need out the night before. This is a productivity habit that I should be ingraining in my children and exercising in my life anyway. This morning, I glanced at the wife with pillow over head and redoubled my commitment to really think about changing my habits. Then I arrived at work and eventually went to the restroom. Glancing in the mirror, I see a guy looking back at me in an orange button down shirt that goes nicely with the black pinstriped dress pants, and…the brown belt. I find it striking and out of place. My new habit begins tonight! (Now I just need a much larger house so I can have one of those his/her bathrooms and one of those clothing valets
And he’s off to camp
I dropped Evan off at Camp today. Last year I had the pleasure of being a campsite host. I passed on being part of the staff this year. I had the pleasure of seeing several adults and scouts who were part of campsite #8 last year. Really enjoyed speaking with them again. Some were staying at camp and for half a moment I thought how fun it would be to simply hang out with the other adults (the parents are being kept away from the children); however, duty calls.
It was bittersweet dropping Evan off and just leaving. I didn’t even wait for them to hike away from the check-in. He was laughing with new faces, new friends, and didn’t need me around. They grow too fast. I’m quite happy for Evan.
Guided meditation
Been trying to learn to meditate most of my life. Think I finally get it!
One minute time machine
The long weekend has ended
Why are holidays and vacations always exactly one day too short?!
This weekend entailed yard work including progress on what will be the foundation to the storage shed. The grandparents bought fireworks for the children and we took an evening to dine with them then have an explosive show. And computer work of course. I don’t take vacation from my clients so there was computer programming.
Today’s magic trick
Today, I make Caldera Forms export to Excel.
PSA: Bras make your breasts sag
Jean-Denis Rouillon has been studying breasts for 18 years (I’ve been studying them my whole life! *wink wink*). His technique? I slide ruler, a caliper, and 330 volunteers between the ages of 18 and 35. Holy Hell I’ve lived my life wrong! Why didn’t someone tell me this field of research existed?! I would have gotten my PhDD!
"Medically, physiologically, anatomically — breasts gain no benefit from being denied gravity," Rouillon said, as quoted on TheLocal.fr. "On the contrary, they get saggier with a bra."
[Source, Livescience.com, Bras Make Breasts Sag, Study Suggests, 2013]
