2007 And Beyond!

Well, the holidays (and 2007) are almost over and it seems like a decent enough point to post about 2007, what I have been up to the past week or so, and about the new year.

2007

2007 was a pretty big year for Em and I between changing clients for the first time in a year and a half , looking or thinking about looking for new jobs, having my company get bought out of the blue and trying to find out about who is signing my paycheck now, pushing through a transfer to STL, Em graduating with her Masters, finding an apt in STL and moving, me living in Cinci without Em for a month and finishing up work at my last client there, flying to STL for a day of interviews and flying back, staring work in STL, Em finding a job here and then finding a really great opportunity for an "real" job too, adjusting to life MUCH closer to our family, missing our friends back in Cinci and me adjusting to not living in Ohio like I had for the previous 6+ years, weddings all over, getting a promotion, beginning to look for a house .....

It was busy.

Holidays 2007

These were a whirlwind of activity. I feel like I have been going nonstop for over a week now. I should learn that my lofty goals for time off never come true and I should resolve myself to the fact that if I get anything done, its a win.

Em's Aunt's dog George tired out after too much holiday excitement

Being in town for more than just a few days meant that we could attend all of the traditional family events plus others and ended up getting to spend a lot of great time with family and friends. I can think of at least 6 different extended family functions we attended over the past week or so, plus numerous smaller get-togethers, meals, and interactions.

As far as Christmas goes, Santa was very good to Em and I once again. I won't go into too much detail of what we each got, but some of the highlights included: several new Wii games, tons of pants for me, a Pujols jersey for Em, the complete work of Calvin and Hobbes, a necklace for Em, new books, 2 1GB USB sicks for $10 via a great Buy.com deal and $10 off your first order w/ Google Checkout, and two sets of Tangram pieces and books for me. Thanks Santa!

Other than family and friend get-togethers, Em and I also took in two cultural events. The first was Wicked on the 23rd. Em and I went with her mom and siblings and everyone had seen the show once before except me and her brother. It was amazing (and according to Em, better than the first). After listening to Em play the soundtrack over and over after she saw it the first time I wanted to go, but man it doesn't do it justice. It really is amazing to see people perform live compared to any type of recording. Also, we saw the performance at the really cool Fox Theater. The place is pretty big and EVERYTHING is extremely ornate and decorated to the max. Its a really cool place to see a show.

I got one picture of the ceiling before the Usher got too close

Next up was Body Worlds 3 at the St. Louis Science Center. My Dad's company is one of the primary sponsors and he was able to get us some vouchers to go see it with Em's brother and sister. All I can saw is WOW and it was INTENSE. I wasn't sure I could handle it, but I was interested and am extremely glad I went. Its such an amazing process and well done. In talking with other people about the exhibit some people are too squeamish to go, others disinterested, and others feel like it goes against there moral/ethical ideals. I think all points are valid, but I found the exhibit to be very tastefully done with respect to those individuals to volunteered to donate there bodies to science. I felt like it showed just how beautiful the human form is and how amazing our bodies are beyond what we can see on the outside. The way everything inside of us works together to give us almost limitless abilities is inspiring. And how disease or poor decisions can wreak havoc on our bodies is frightening.

I have also posted some of my thoughts about the food I ate over the holidays, a new programming project I have stared, and have contributed to and thought about a number of puzzles.

2008

If you know me, then you know I love lists, I have tons of ideas, and while I get many things done, there are countless other tasks and ideas that never quite get off the ground with me. So, in keeping with tradition, I have put together a rather lofty list of goals for myself in 2008 and intend to post them here as a public reminder of what I wanted to do. Rather than extremely abstract "resolutions" I am going to try and come up with S.M.A.R.T. goals which I have a good chance to achieve and which I can formulate a plan to accomplish.

They are, in no particular order:

• Read 6 novels by different authors (books in a series don't count, but are a good thing)
• Read 4 non-fiction, non-technical books (can be on any subject, but not computers)
• Learn 2 new programming languages
  
• Play chess with my Dad at least once a month
• Spend 1 hour each week taking photographs of something, find the best 1 and get rid of all of the rest (the goal being to take more pictures and to try and make the decision process as hard as possible for myself by taking better pictures)
  
• Cook something new that I have never cooked before each month
• Attend a JUG meeting
• Keep up with my "tech blog" and post about something new/interesting at least once a month.
  
• Bike/Hike 200 miles
• Average 2+ workout/physical activities a week for the year
• Buy our first house
• Finish the Spedini Project
  

Some of these goals may seem hard to reach (and probably will be) and others might seem easy to accomplish, but these are what I want to try and do. If I fail to meet one of them, I won't count the year as a failure, but if I don't try, I might.

[EDIT February 10, 2008]

• I have read Foundation Forward and am currently working on the first book along with Harry PotterInspecting A House: A guide for buyers, owners, and renovators.
• I have completed a project with Python and am still reading about it and trying things out
• My dad and I have played chess a few times and I am trying to keep up with it.
• I have cooked a number of new things.
• 2 JUG meetings down, more to go.
  
• I have a ton more stuff to post on tech-related subjects, but am doing ok.
• I have NOT been working out twice a week, but have gone a few times which is better than nothing.
• No house yet, and project Spedini is on hold.
  

Goodnight Sweet Prince, Good Morning Big Mess

** here, Sweet Prince refers to Interstate 64 (or just Highway 40 as it is most often referred to here in STL)

On January 2nd, the Missouri Dept. of Transportations will be closing the the primary East/West thoroughfare through St. Louis.

Sound like your kind of fun? B/c I have yet to find a resident who is excited about it.

Highway 40 has long had its problems as more and more people try to use it each morning and evening to get to and from work. The traffic jams on it and our outer belt I270 can be horrible if there is any kind of accident near there intersection.

Its going to be a mess!

Overview of closed area and other impacted highways (ALL)

Thank God! I don't have to take it to and from work, but thats only part of the problem. The real problem is that no one really knows what kind of havoc closing the highway will cause all over town. In recent months (and as late as yesterday and today) MODOT has been working to increase lane capacity on some of the other major highways in town, but when you see the numbers on how many people take highway 40 right now on a daily basis, where in the world are all of them going to go? AND if they close most of the bridges at different times over the highway as they work, how are you supposed to get East/West let alone from one side to another!?

Its going to be a big mess.

I live in the South-West corner of town, outside of I270, but I work inside I270 North of 40. Normally I would leave early enough that I could take I270 North, past 40, to my exit and traffic would still be moving .... but I270 is going to be a parking lot in a few days b/c everyone who would normally take 40 in is going to need to get off at 270 and go north or south and everyone inside 270 who needs to go anywhere will need to either go in toward downtown farther or come out and go around.

My client is allowing employees and contractors effected by the closing (who isn't?) to do "alternative work schedules" if approved by there boss and will be paying for metro passes for employees who can use the bus to get to work which is nice.

Its going to be a huge mess.

Timeline Diagram

Oh and did I mention it is going to be shut down in phases for the next 2 years!? Roughly half (the outer half) will be shut down starting Jan 2, 2008. 2009 brings the closing of the inner half of the project and sometime the outer section will open. Fun! Who knows when overpasses and bridges will be done.

Every news outlet has there own web pages detailing the construction and how people "might" be able to plan there commute around it. This blogger reminded me of a Xkcd comic that seems odly appropriate. Check it out here.

Yep, a mess.

Reading

A while back I posted on the BForum about how I wanted to read more in the upcoming year and was looking to put together a reading list of sorts as way of doing that.

Between then and now I have finished reading Into The Wild and have started and finished The Hobbit (my thoughts below). I am still in the process of putting together a list of "New Years Resolutions" but tentatively I am thinking to try and read 4 new novels by different authors, 4 tech books (this will be easy) and 4 non-tech and non-fiction books between now and the end of 2008. This may be a lofty goal, but you know me. Who would I be if not for my lists and lofty goals. :-)

Hopefully I will put together an intended reading list soon, but until then Thanks to everyone who posted there and I have talked to in person. You all have given me a list of candidates that is much longer than I can even comprehend. Now I just need to pick a few to get me started.


Into The Wild - by Jon Krakauer

This book outlines the most unusual life and death of Chris McCandless. By recounting the information found while researching the book, and a previous magazine article which originally brought Chris' story to national attention, the author tries to piece together the events that lead to Chris's tragic end and tries to understand the man.

Big abstract words aside, I found the story very interesting and thought provoking. I won't spoil too many details here, but Chris' story hinges around his unusual lifestyle, his relationships, and his death in Alaska while attempting to live out the summer "in the bush," completely alone. I had a chance to see the recently released movie just before starting the book but didn't for reasons I have forgotten. I will definitely have to see it now.

I have thought before that it would be interesting to try and live off the land, go back to simpler times and see how well I (or someone like me) could survive if put into an extreme situation without modern comforts. Its probably why Robinson Crusoe always appealed to me. Its amazing how it took our ancestors thousands of years to figure things out as "simple" as carpentry, foraging, hunting, etc and how fast a person of today can fall if these things are taken out of the equation.

The idea of moving back to simpler times. without cell phones. without computers. without the "need" of prepackaged precooked preprocessed foods from around the world. Its very provocative. Like being at our cabin without the worry that in a week or 2 you have to go back :-p


The Hobbit - by J.R.R. Tolkien

Having seen and loved the LOTR movies and never read the original books or The Hobbit, I thought this was a good starting place. I was surpised to find the book fairly light given the depth of back story and details that the movies describe and which are found in the book.

I was surprised by how what I thought would be the climax of the book, wasn't, and how the last third of the book flew by in a flurry of action and plot changes. I thought it was a great story and helped to tie together a number of things that the movies (by themselves) left without closure or explanation. I can't wait for this movie either.

Let the holidays begin!

Yesterday was my first day off for the holidays. Since my client is off all of next week and Monday/Tuesday of the following week (and my office is closed) ... so will I. I would have preferred not being forced to take 5 days vacation without a choice in the manor ... but I guess it could be worse :-p.

Luckily I will have PLENTY to do during that time. The holidays season officially began yesterday with a family brunch during the day and later that evening when we setup my grandma's new TV (the whole family chipped in) at her apartment. They will continue tonight when a large portion of Em's family and the two of us take in Wicked at the Fabulous Fox Theater. Everyone has seen the production except for her brother and I, but it should be a blast. Tomorrow they continue with multiple Christmas eve family events and church. We are still trying to plan our Christmas day ... we currently have 5 locations to be at various times which we are trying to plan for. It is going to be a crazy few days.

Other than that, nothing too big has been going on besides working and getting things ready. After Christmas I am hoping to catch up on several small projects/tasks, find some time to work on a new programming project I have been working on, keep up with my reading and get things ready for the new year.

For anyone I won't see or talk to over the next few days, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Links - Do Caring-Apple Penguins have C.L.U.E.?

• I am debating this one right now for my iMac. We got it last January. Still can't decide, but I am leaning to "no" at the moment.
  
• Interesting collection of linux software (Ubuntu oriented) for the designer/developer.
• This was all over the net the other day, but is still pretty amazing how much money you can save with such a small change (given you do it a zillion times a day)
• Jeff Atwood discusses why Anti-Virus software is flawed (and unknowingly makes a case for Virus-Fighting-Autobots)
• I wonder if you could use some of these to put extra PC terminals around the house (kids rooms, living room, etc). Either way, its a pretty cool design.
• Do you have a C.L.U.E.? I have heard about this before ... might look into it more before we start house shopping for real
• This recipe might not quite up to our standards, but probably still better than the stuff in the store
• Cool idea for trying to find a new apartment (assuming there data is up-to-date).
• You don't need to get straight A's?? What did I work my butt off senior year for then? .... in case you were wondering, you also don't have to study 3 hours outside of class for every hour in class .... if you don't go to class, 3*0=0 :-)
• I wish I had known about this in high school (and it was available). Maybe Jeff would have started working for them even sooner ;-)
  

Pencil Productivity

I thought this was a great comic (click on it for a larger view) which got me thinking ....

Every single client I have been at has some sort of cabinets or closets for office supplies that anyone can freely get when they need something. They have contained the usual things (e.g. pads of paper in various sizes, envelopes, pens, highlighters, staples, folders, etc...). In addition to these, every single one also contained mechanical pencil lead refills. Most in various sizes. And yet, NONE have had ANY mechanical pencils. To make matters worse, a number of times I have seen packs of "normal" pencils but never a pencil sharpener.

Is there some pencil fairy wandering who lives in the enchanted cube land, flying around each night after everyone goes home stealing pencils which he/she uses for food? Are there little people living in the walls who burn them for heat? Why are there never any pencils?

I don't need or want pencils very often, but with me posting the cryptogram puzzle the other day, I wanted one so that I could try a few things without having to scratch everything out. I had to go without. :-(

................

Honestly, this hasn't been my most productive week (if you couldn't guess from this post). Monday and Tuesday were spent working on/thinking about the SCEA exam. Thursday morning was taken up by part III of the exam and a lunch meeting. Today I find out that the client is hosting a large Holiday lunch for everyone (including contractors ... chicken marsala, salad, soda, cookies, side ...) and that employees have been given the afternoon off (assuming manager approval). Good thing I am ahead of schedule on my work :)

The Chaz Effect

Definition: a singularity in time and space where all matter that one can deem classified as food is erased from existence without warning

Notes: The occurrence has most often been sighted in or around the area of Dayton, Ohio in recent years ... although it has reeked havoc on local food supplies all over the world at various points in time. Historians believe the phenomena was first observed sometime in the mid 1980's.

Artist Rendering:

I'mmm Back!

I have finally finished the assignment portion of the SCEA exam and other than the short essay portion which I am taking Thursday morning, I am done!

Hurray!

I plan to post some of my thoughts about the exam and technical certifications in general on my other blog in the near future, but for now I am done. I don't plan on touching a computer tonight. That was a lot of work to do; partially b/c I wasn't prepared b/c I wasn't expecting to pass the first part, and partially b/c its an assignment with a lot of details that have to be worked out and verified (it easily took up 30-40 hours of brain time over the past couple weeks).

But for now I am done and can hopefully get to some other things I have been putting off such as several posts I want to do, Christmas shopping, finish The Hobit, etc.

I leave you, faithful readers who number in the high single digits (if you include myself), with a link to the Chicken Spedini recipe I used the other night to make a very yummy dinner for Em on her birthday.

Happy Birthday Em!

I would like to wish a
very Happy Birthday to my wife!

I hope she liked everything I got her :-p
(the preceding was in pink b/c its her favorite color)

Tonight I am cooking her Chicken Spidini ... if I don't screw it up, I will post the recipe.

On a much sadder note, I must inform everyone that our fish, Unagi (aka Ooogy, Ooog, and Ooogster) passed away this week. He hadn't eaten over the preceding week and had obviously been suffering from some type of medical problem for aprox. two weeks. Our best efforts couldn't help him, but the little guy hung on for much longer than we expected. He was a great little fish who loved to watch Em do the dishes and show off his fins to me when I came home from work. We will miss you Unagi!

............

I haven't posted many life/work updates recently b/c I have been very busy working on my SCEA exam which is due a week from today. I made some good progress last week, but the shear scope of the project and trying to figure out how to explain a piece of software's architecture with just a few UML diagrams is hard when you are being graded.

Other than that, not a whole lot has been going on. Last weekend was my company's Christmas party at our bosses house (he has a huge house) which was good. I just gave blood so my arm is still hurting a bit (gotta love the RedCross coming to your work every 2 months and doing a blood drive in your building). Last night I had to give two technical interviews for possible employees who would be coming out to my client. It was an interesting experience.

Links - Cream-of billion-dollar crazy-Japanese pork-products

By Me:

• Yummy Cream of Cauliflower Soup Recipe - 5 step soup for a cold day
• My thoughts have turned to professional worth and value in the work place lately.
• myAtoI function ... hurray for randomly remembering a use for logarithms.
  

By Others:

• This would have saved me from almost setting my room on fire. Note to self: wiring custom electronics to your computer's parallel port is best done with a well laid out plan, and an idea of what you are doing.
• Is it really Christmas, if there isn't snow on the ground, presents under the tree, and a few hundred pounds of pork products hidden in your garage?
• Those crazy Japanese are always working harder than us! All well, might as well give up and eat a twinky.
• I wish I new a guy like this in high school. Pretty impressive what he has accomplished and he is my age. $1,000,000,000. Thats a lot of moolah.
• Personal Finance rules on the back of business cards. If they are this easy, why can't more people understand them?
• 3g? Great, now I just need them to open the iPhone to all carriers and give me one for free. If only.
• I spend too much time at the computer all ready. I don't need my desktop staring back at me even when my monitor is off!
• Half a million copies sold in the first week and its a failure? Wii would like to take over the whole world? (I have heard its pretty darn good ... some day)
• This product should come in green. A tiny PC that can run off solar power is pretty sweet. Makes me want to buy one and mod it into a tree. I wonder what distro goes best with Oak. Probably Solaris w/ tons of Java apps ;-).
• Wooden plates to go with my wooden mugs! Hofbrauhaus has a great appetizer that comes on a large wooden plank. Makes everything taste better!