Day +19.
A lovely day!
First, my sweetie and I went off shopping this morning, where she found a dress for tonight's party. So nice.
I said hello / Happy Birthday to a high-school friend and remembered good times.
I got LQPL stepping through the assembled code in the server version. yayyy!
I did a bunch of bookkeeping.
I feel GOOD!
I'm off to a supper tonight and time with Family.
I wish all of you a wonderful 2012.
2011-12-31
2011-12-30
The Year After Next Year
Day +18.
First, a small update successfully made to LQPL. It now logs the state of the Quantum Machine after loading a program. Definitely going to get further in January than I originally thought.
At work today, I went through and booked time each week for weekly planning and a separate time for a weekly self-review. Very exciting stuff since I only had three months to worry about!
My sweetie and I had a great talk tonight about life post-Ph.D.. We got ourselves down to a few choices:
First, a small update successfully made to LQPL. It now logs the state of the Quantum Machine after loading a program. Definitely going to get further in January than I originally thought.
At work today, I went through and booked time each week for weekly planning and a separate time for a weekly self-review. Very exciting stuff since I only had three months to worry about!
My sweetie and I had a great talk tonight about life post-Ph.D.. We got ourselves down to a few choices:
- Move to Vancouver for a year — work on art and apps;
- Move to Montréal for a year, upstairs from her parents — work on art and apps;
- Move to Montréal for a year, downstairs — travel and enjoy each other;
- Go back to work for some time and then decide.
2011-12-29
A Tough Day For The Leg
Day +17.
I find it quite amazing that after 54 years or so of walking with my feet pointed out that retraining myself to keep them straight is happening so quickly. For the past two days, I have been straight with every spot check.
Not so amazing is the amount of physical discomfort it is giving me — on both legs. Ice and Arnica rub again today and both legs are still stiff, with the left one (my longstanding problem) being painful. I still managed to do a 30 minute/3 point walk today.
I find it quite amazing that after 54 years or so of walking with my feet pointed out that retraining myself to keep them straight is happening so quickly. For the past two days, I have been straight with every spot check.
Not so amazing is the amount of physical discomfort it is giving me — on both legs. Ice and Arnica rub again today and both legs are still stiff, with the left one (my longstanding problem) being painful. I still managed to do a 30 minute/3 point walk today.
2011-12-28
Workin' 9 to 3!
Day +16.
This week and next, I'm working abbreviated hours, just cause I can :).
The loveliest thing about that is the walks we take after work. Today, we made it to a full 30 minutes. (somewhere around 3 aerobic points). Even lovelier, we get to really chat during the walks.
I used the Arnica gel and ran cold water on my leg afterwards and it actually feels quite great.
In the programming front, I finally converted my iPad app to ARC. It had a couple of issues with assign type properties, making most of them unsafe_untracked, but it was easy to flip those to weak.
This week and next, I'm working abbreviated hours, just cause I can :).
The loveliest thing about that is the walks we take after work. Today, we made it to a full 30 minutes. (somewhere around 3 aerobic points). Even lovelier, we get to really chat during the walks.
I used the Arnica gel and ran cold water on my leg afterwards and it actually feels quite great.
In the programming front, I finally converted my iPad app to ARC. It had a couple of issues with assign type properties, making most of them unsafe_untracked, but it was easy to flip those to weak.
2011-12-27
I Wrote a Server
Day +15.
Today, I managed to set up the LQPL server to accept TCP connections and to assemble and load compiled LQPL programs. Part of the productivity was due to the greatness of Haskell, part due to being able to use some code from Real World Haskell.
I'm beginning to think my January goals for LQPL are a bit too easy. If so, I'll just do more on inverse products.
Work was non-remarkable. Processed about 90 emails. Had a nice lunch with a friend.
Noticed that carrying items in my pockets just spikes my hip pain immensely. Back to wearing the fanny pack again. We did a 20 minute walk tonight, which was really nice. I'm using an Arnica rub now, and ice, to see how well that can manage the pain. So far, so good, no Tylenol needed.
Today, I managed to set up the LQPL server to accept TCP connections and to assemble and load compiled LQPL programs. Part of the productivity was due to the greatness of Haskell, part due to being able to use some code from Real World Haskell.
I'm beginning to think my January goals for LQPL are a bit too easy. If so, I'll just do more on inverse products.
Work was non-remarkable. Processed about 90 emails. Had a nice lunch with a friend.
Noticed that carrying items in my pockets just spikes my hip pain immensely. Back to wearing the fanny pack again. We did a 20 minute walk tonight, which was really nice. I'm using an Arnica rub now, and ice, to see how well that can manage the pain. So far, so good, no Tylenol needed.
2011-12-26
Exercise is Good!
Day +14.
Three things of note today.
First, my sweetheart gave me the best present ever by canceling a planned Boxing day shopping trip — even resetting the alarm in the middle of the night! This was great as it allowed my to do the first true check-in (via git) of a change in LQPL in a long time. I got rid of a deprecation, switched from mdo to do rec, and added the module that will eventually become the server.
Second, we went out for an early supper. For the last few days, I've been really cutting down on my wheat and dairy, to the point that I felt like a fog was starting to lift yesterday. At supper, though, I ordered a burger (with bun). I felt crappy after eating that. More evidence for me.
Finally, for the second day, I joined my sweetie as she did her exercises. It is a nice feeling. Afterwards, I iced my hip for about 20 minutes and it is probably the best it has been in quite a few days.
Three things of note today.
First, my sweetheart gave me the best present ever by canceling a planned Boxing day shopping trip — even resetting the alarm in the middle of the night! This was great as it allowed my to do the first true check-in (via git) of a change in LQPL in a long time. I got rid of a deprecation, switched from mdo to do rec, and added the module that will eventually become the server.
Second, we went out for an early supper. For the last few days, I've been really cutting down on my wheat and dairy, to the point that I felt like a fog was starting to lift yesterday. At supper, though, I ordered a burger (with bun). I felt crappy after eating that. More evidence for me.
Finally, for the second day, I joined my sweetie as she did her exercises. It is a nice feeling. Afterwards, I iced my hip for about 20 minutes and it is probably the best it has been in quite a few days.
Christmas Was Great
Yesterday was Day +13.
Time with my wife, calls to to kids and Grandkids. Missing them and loving all.
Another walk, exercise and pain at night.
Time with my wife, calls to to kids and Grandkids. Missing them and loving all.
Another walk, exercise and pain at night.
2011-12-24
I've Been Walking
Day +12.
More walking with my feet straight today. Significant moments:
The plan tomorrow is to spend a lot of the day programming. That means sitting! Exercise at night and see how it goes.
Merry Christmas everyone!
More walking with my feet straight today. Significant moments:
- Around 3:30 PM, I suddenly experienced a jump in the freedom of the movement.
- Araound 9:30 PM, the pain had built up to a single Tylenol level.
The plan tomorrow is to spend a lot of the day programming. That means sitting! Exercise at night and see how it goes.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Merry Christmas Eve Eve
Yesterday was day +11.
The day started off very nice and slow, with a tea, a smoothie and about 400 new supplements. New vitamins, new probiotics, new me soon — at least that's the plan.
For lunch, I met with an old friend, Derrick, who is out here visiting his first grandchild. I was so happy to see him. It was great catching up and re-connecting.
Then, my sweetie and went in search of a new flat-iron for her, followed by some card searches. The point of that, is that walking was involved. I consciously made sure that I kept my feet straight for all of my perambulation! It is truly amazing how tiring that gets and how much it slows you down.
I remember an episode in Grade 4, where the teacher, J.D. Kuhn, embarrassed me by having me walk back and forth in front of the class. He then pronounced: "You walk just like your dad". By that time my dad was 63 and definitely felt very old too me.
Changing an ingrown, learned and possibly somewhat inherited characteristic takes time.
The day started off very nice and slow, with a tea, a smoothie and about 400 new supplements. New vitamins, new probiotics, new me soon — at least that's the plan.
For lunch, I met with an old friend, Derrick, who is out here visiting his first grandchild. I was so happy to see him. It was great catching up and re-connecting.
Then, my sweetie and went in search of a new flat-iron for her, followed by some card searches. The point of that, is that walking was involved. I consciously made sure that I kept my feet straight for all of my perambulation! It is truly amazing how tiring that gets and how much it slows you down.
I remember an episode in Grade 4, where the teacher, J.D. Kuhn, embarrassed me by having me walk back and forth in front of the class. He then pronounced: "You walk just like your dad". By that time my dad was 63 and definitely felt very old too me.
Changing an ingrown, learned and possibly somewhat inherited characteristic takes time.
2011-12-22
A Health Day
Day +10.
Today was the first of five days off. (yayyy!!!).
We started off with a Physio appointment — I finally decided to do something else about my hip and leg pain. Nothing too much in the appointment was a surprise. I have very limited range of motion in the hip and the stabilizers are just not doing much right now. It seems the main cause of this is a cartilage degeneration in the hip socket. This changes the bio-mechanics of the joint which then "throws the muscles into a tizzy".
It was rather hilarious trying to make my leg swing out to the left using only my gluteal muscles. The therapist first said we would do that with a Thera-band, but once she saw how little I could actually move, she agreed that just practicing getting the muscle moving in an isolated fashion was a good thing.
That same afternoon, we went to a Naturopath and discussed my general tiredness, inability to stick with an exercise plan and lack of motivation. So, I have some vitamins and a couple of other things to help with that. Additionally, for the entire month of January, no wheat, no dairy. Then we'll see where we are at.
Looking back over the first 10 days of being 55, I'm a bit shocked. I've been either sick or in pain for 6 of those days. I don't think that is acceptable or normal.
In other news.... Did some shopping for grandkids this AM, stopped by to see my daughter's new house and took her and the granddaughter out for supper. It was so nice to have an impromptu visit.
Today was the first of five days off. (yayyy!!!).
We started off with a Physio appointment — I finally decided to do something else about my hip and leg pain. Nothing too much in the appointment was a surprise. I have very limited range of motion in the hip and the stabilizers are just not doing much right now. It seems the main cause of this is a cartilage degeneration in the hip socket. This changes the bio-mechanics of the joint which then "throws the muscles into a tizzy".
It was rather hilarious trying to make my leg swing out to the left using only my gluteal muscles. The therapist first said we would do that with a Thera-band, but once she saw how little I could actually move, she agreed that just practicing getting the muscle moving in an isolated fashion was a good thing.
That same afternoon, we went to a Naturopath and discussed my general tiredness, inability to stick with an exercise plan and lack of motivation. So, I have some vitamins and a couple of other things to help with that. Additionally, for the entire month of January, no wheat, no dairy. Then we'll see where we are at.
Looking back over the first 10 days of being 55, I'm a bit shocked. I've been either sick or in pain for 6 of those days. I don't think that is acceptable or normal.
In other news.... Did some shopping for grandkids this AM, stopped by to see my daughter's new house and took her and the granddaughter out for supper. It was so nice to have an impromptu visit.
2011-12-21
Chinook Migraine
Day +9.
Chinook caused a migraine all day. Coffee made it (barely) tolerable.
Again, Ow!
Chinook caused a migraine all day. Coffee made it (barely) tolerable.
Again, Ow!
2011-12-20
Leg Pain
Day +8.
Sore legs all freaking day today. Left leg is the hip, right leg seems to be some sort of super plantar fasciitis.
Ow.
Sore legs all freaking day today. Left leg is the hip, right leg seems to be some sort of super plantar fasciitis.
Ow.
2011-12-19
A Sad Way to End My First Week of Being 55
Day +7.
For a variety of reasons, my wife and I decided this was not the right time to do a planned upgrade of our car. I notified the dealer about that today and I must say they responded very well to our decision.
What I am surprised at though, is how sad I feel about it.
I mean, it's just a thing. It's always fun to have a new "thing", but my sadness seems a bit much, even to me.
In other news, work went fine today. I had 108 unread email messages in the morning and only 8 by the time I left a few minutes ago, even with over half the day taken up with meetings.
No progress on the research side today, so I'm going to do some code studying tonight.
For a variety of reasons, my wife and I decided this was not the right time to do a planned upgrade of our car. I notified the dealer about that today and I must say they responded very well to our decision.
What I am surprised at though, is how sad I feel about it.
I mean, it's just a thing. It's always fun to have a new "thing", but my sadness seems a bit much, even to me.
In other news, work went fine today. I had 108 unread email messages in the morning and only 8 by the time I left a few minutes ago, even with over half the day taken up with meetings.
No progress on the research side today, so I'm going to do some code studying tonight.
2011-12-18
I Don't Like Sundays
Day +6.
Sundays seem to be my hardest day of the week. This one actually started off well as I focused in on the variety of household chores that had accumulated over the past few days. Being a Human Doing is always so much easier for me than a Human Being :).
Once all the finances were tracked, garbage was taken out and dishes cleaned up, I started working on my design for splitting up LQPL, my quantum programming language. My big goal for January is to actually get it working as four separate modules rather than the monolithic beast it has become. The Compiler is already available as a separate piece, so that is easy. The Assembler is not intertwined with the current UI or emulator, so that also is easy. The issue becomes when I try to pry apart the emulator from the UI. Those buggers are like conjoined twins. Separate major organs, mostly, but the circulation system is like one. I thought my first step would be to document the messages that should go back and forth, but after writing out a very few I quickly started feeling stuck. I'm going to switch it up over the next few days and reread the intertwined code again to think more about the actual connection points.
The reason for the title started soon after that. I find I often get vague feelings of crapiness on Sundays. When I get stuck like that on a task, it just makes it worse. I am expecting that as I get more in shape over the next few months, that will significantly decrease or go away. One can only hope!
A somewhat weird thing has been starting the last few days and grew quite noticeable today. Every once in a while it felt like I was stepping on something with my right heel. Whenever I would check, there was nothing there. As it turns out, I think it is actually the tendons pulling at my heel when I bend a bit. My right calf and tendon are so tight these days, it is always uncomfortable and offer a bit painful.
So, tomorrow, back to work for three days. I think things will be starting to wind down a bit, we'll have to see.
Until tomorrow!
Sundays seem to be my hardest day of the week. This one actually started off well as I focused in on the variety of household chores that had accumulated over the past few days. Being a Human Doing is always so much easier for me than a Human Being :).
Once all the finances were tracked, garbage was taken out and dishes cleaned up, I started working on my design for splitting up LQPL, my quantum programming language. My big goal for January is to actually get it working as four separate modules rather than the monolithic beast it has become. The Compiler is already available as a separate piece, so that is easy. The Assembler is not intertwined with the current UI or emulator, so that also is easy. The issue becomes when I try to pry apart the emulator from the UI. Those buggers are like conjoined twins. Separate major organs, mostly, but the circulation system is like one. I thought my first step would be to document the messages that should go back and forth, but after writing out a very few I quickly started feeling stuck. I'm going to switch it up over the next few days and reread the intertwined code again to think more about the actual connection points.
The reason for the title started soon after that. I find I often get vague feelings of crapiness on Sundays. When I get stuck like that on a task, it just makes it worse. I am expecting that as I get more in shape over the next few months, that will significantly decrease or go away. One can only hope!
A somewhat weird thing has been starting the last few days and grew quite noticeable today. Every once in a while it felt like I was stepping on something with my right heel. Whenever I would check, there was nothing there. As it turns out, I think it is actually the tendons pulling at my heel when I bend a bit. My right calf and tendon are so tight these days, it is always uncomfortable and offer a bit painful.
So, tomorrow, back to work for three days. I think things will be starting to wind down a bit, we'll have to see.
Until tomorrow!
2011-12-17
Good stuff, Dissapointing stuff
Day +5.
The good stuff was that I finalized the first draft of my three month plan this morning. I tell you, working with LaTeX is the greatest thing since sliced bread. The ability to actually control exactly what you will see in the final copy is so nice. Using Git for the versioning management with a SubVersion backend worked perfectly as well. Nice stuff.
The disappointing stuff was that we got some upsetting news in the afternoon. It took up a lot of energy through the rest of the day, which is not how I wanted to spend our time on a Saturday. Ah well, we'll just have to figure it out.
Small stuff – I love the way that OSX Lion allows you to type accented characters.(Hold the key down, choice appear, type the number of the one you want.)
Other stuff – I felt horrid first thing in the morning. Damn Flu!
I'm going to wait a week or so before publishing the three month plan, just to let it sink in.
The good stuff was that I finalized the first draft of my three month plan this morning. I tell you, working with LaTeX is the greatest thing since sliced bread. The ability to actually control exactly what you will see in the final copy is so nice. Using Git for the versioning management with a SubVersion backend worked perfectly as well. Nice stuff.
The disappointing stuff was that we got some upsetting news in the afternoon. It took up a lot of energy through the rest of the day, which is not how I wanted to spend our time on a Saturday. Ah well, we'll just have to figure it out.
Small stuff – I love the way that OSX Lion allows you to type accented characters.(Hold the key down, choice appear, type the number of the one you want.)
Other stuff – I felt horrid first thing in the morning. Damn Flu!
I'm going to wait a week or so before publishing the three month plan, just to let it sink in.
2011-12-16
Plan Progress
Day +4.
I felt much better this morning, although not completely well. One of the most interesting things for me about this flu is that I don't feel depressed. Nice change from the usual when I am under the weather.
I spent most of the AM completing a small iOS app for my sweetheart. She has to learn those wonderful US measures like cup, pint and fluid ounce for some chef trying. Being raised in a metric worl makes that somewhat challenging, so I whipped up a converter for her iPhone and iPad. At the same time it gave me a chance to practice good use of the DRY principle as I abstracted the various view controller functions into reusable classes.
After that, I managed to flesh out the January plans of my Q1 plans. Currently fitness, updates to LQPL and some background reading are on the block.
I'm finding the planning quite difficult. It has been so long since I accomplished anything significant on my research, I'm just not sure what I can get done in a month, especially while still working. To counteract that, hopefully, I'm going to spend a bit more time on detailing it out, just to see what is realistic.
Finally, I will be getting all the three month goals to SMART status. (Specific, Measurable, Acheivable, Realistic, Trackable). I'm curious to see if using JIRA can help with a couple of those...
2011-12-15
Sick is Not Fun
Day +3.
Progress today was small, yet important.
I have the flu, so I concentrated on getting better by resting most of the day. Specifically, for my Ph.D., I:
- Read a few pages about Clojure, a FP language over Java;
- Looked at my quarterly plan;
- Took care of a myriad of household chores.
Tomorrow, some Haskell!
2011-12-14
Visibly Happy
Day +2.
Back to work today, 6:30 to 4:30.
I made a bit of progress in the Q1 plans, finishing off the daily regimen plan for January through March. I'll post these plans once I'm a little further on. Progress, even though it is small!
A notable event was that two separate people commented that I am visibly happier these days. That is nice. Very nice. I know a lot of it is due to the upcoming year and being able to dedicate time to research. I also think the decision from the long weekend (staying where we are) and just having time off made a difference today.
The other notable event is that I seem to have come down with a cold. Runny nose, slight body aches and extra tiredness. Blech! Many people believe Colds equate to some sort of confusion in life. The only confusion I can think of was related to whether or not we were moving, so getting a cold after the decision seems somewhat wrong :).
2011-12-13
A decision or two
Day +1.
I did a couple of little things and with my wife, one big thing today for the Ph.D..
The little things:
- Downloaded the paper "Relative Frobenius Algebras are Groupoids" (PDF)
- Started work on my three month research plan for the first quarter of 2012.
Frobenius Algebras are somewhat important to my research as they correspond to bases for quantum computation. This particular paper seems, from the abstract, to have a fair bit of relevance as they characterize "groupoids as special dagger Frobenius algebras in the category of sets and relations". Should be interesting. (Side note - Safari wanted to correct groupoids to groupies).
The Three month plan will likely take a few more days (work tomorrow and Thursday...). At the moment, I'm concentrating on the overall goals for the three months and filling in the affected background.
The big thing though, is really big. We're staying put for the next year. We seriously considered moving for a variety of reasons. Looking at available houses, how much they cost and how much you get seems to have cured us of that, at least for the next year. Likely to be on the table again later next year. The important part is — stability now for the next year.
2011-12-12
The Half-Way Point
Today, I have turned 55.
So, as this blog is titled Angst in the 50's, we're half-way through.
This next year promises to be quite busy. I will be focussing in on getting the work for my Ph.D. rolling, with a goal of having my thesis done by my next birthday. That should keep me busy.
So, how the heck am I going to do that? A few major things:
- Quit working full-time at the end of March and completely at the end of April.
- Focus, focus, focus.
- Create plans and follow through with them.
My first thing between now and year end is to flesh out the plans for the first quarter of 2012. My work will not be as demanding as it was through 2011, so some time during those months will be dedicated to two things:
Health, of course, is very important so that I actually have the stamina to do the work of the Ph.D.. Research, of course, is the end product.
Focus is something that has been sorely lacking over the last few months. My work has been far too demanding to allow for a suitable balance of these items. To help with that, I'm going to take a stab at doing something every day that contributes to my Ph.D. and moves me closer to my goal. Part of that will be doing a blog-a-day from now until then. It could be on any of my three blogspots (This one, the fitness one or the research/tech one)
2010-06-07
Frustration, frustration
One would think that I'd be old enough and wise enough to avoid frustration at work.
The issue is, when you care about things you don't have control over, that is like a magic recipe for frustration, irritation and stress.
The latest example for me is the irritation that I no longer have enough staff to keep up with the work coming in and because of that, some of the work is being done by others. These others don't follow our standards in technology and probably in other areas as well.
I need to remember that old Mantra:
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
The issue is, when you care about things you don't have control over, that is like a magic recipe for frustration, irritation and stress.
The latest example for me is the irritation that I no longer have enough staff to keep up with the work coming in and because of that, some of the work is being done by others. These others don't follow our standards in technology and probably in other areas as well.
I need to remember that old Mantra:
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:9 Ave SW,Calgary,Canada
2010-05-21
Hectic life - depressing life?
In your 50s, the typical "Americana" picture is of a greying, somewhat overweight man that is the boss in the corner office. Hmmm.
Wow, I'm a cliché! :) Other than that my corner office is a cubicle. - See a photo.
However, I don't feel like that old guy. In the past few months I've:
Why, you (probably don't) ask?
Well, at the moment, it is because I have this exam staring at me 3 and 1/2 months from now. If I can finish that, that feels like a significant milestone and then I can take some time to re-asses, look at goals and so forth.
Then again, what is the real story....
The real story is... most likely I don't write those things down as I believe they would force me to consider what I am doing day to day and I would then have to make some changes. Changes are tough, not fun and a lot of work.
So, bringing this back to the title - "Hectic life - depressing life?". I don't believe that for a second. I may be a human being, but I really seem to be happiest when I'm a human doing. The small trick in that is - I have to be doing the right things. The right things for me. When I avoid looking at goals, vision, purpose, I start getting this vague feeling I am not doing the right things. For example - was learning all this Mac and iPhone programming the right thing when I have a comprehensive exam around the corner and I'm not fully prepared for it.
We'll see.
Wow, I'm a cliché! :) Other than that my corner office is a cubicle. - See a photo.
However, I don't feel like that old guy. In the past few months I've:
- Learned Mac Cocoa programming;
- Learned iPhone/iPad programming;
- Introduced myself to the Flickr API;
- Introduced myself to the Amazon Web Services API;
- Updated and fixed bugs in my quantum programming language;
- Come to love the effectiveness of texting to communicate;
- Procrastinated heavily regarding my PhD comprehensive exam;
- Fixed various proofs in my paper on Inverse Categories;
- Worked;
- Played;
- Loved.
Why, you (probably don't) ask?
Well, at the moment, it is because I have this exam staring at me 3 and 1/2 months from now. If I can finish that, that feels like a significant milestone and then I can take some time to re-asses, look at goals and so forth.
Then again, what is the real story....
The real story is... most likely I don't write those things down as I believe they would force me to consider what I am doing day to day and I would then have to make some changes. Changes are tough, not fun and a lot of work.
So, bringing this back to the title - "Hectic life - depressing life?". I don't believe that for a second. I may be a human being, but I really seem to be happiest when I'm a human doing. The small trick in that is - I have to be doing the right things. The right things for me. When I avoid looking at goals, vision, purpose, I start getting this vague feeling I am not doing the right things. For example - was learning all this Mac and iPhone programming the right thing when I have a comprehensive exam around the corner and I'm not fully prepared for it.
We'll see.
2009-12-21
Motivation
Over the past few months at work, I've been involved in an IT project with an immovable deadline.
As it turns out, we (a few hundred dedicated and many more part time resources) have managed to get the work done and we'll be implementing it at year end. (yayyy us! :)
It has been a long, hard slog for everyone involved though. Ask anyone in the hallway and they'll respond with something like "I'm just glad we're near the end."
One of my roles on the project has been the "wiki-master". (We use a fine product - a wiki written in Java, from an Australian company).
Early last week, I was approached with a request to take something (system health checks) that had been mocked up on a spreadsheet and put it into the wiki. The main reason was the perception that the spreadsheet could run into sharing issues, while with the wiki there should be some way to keep that separate for updating, while still showing a consolidated view. The idea was to have something that shows the state of our systems while we proceed with the project implementation.
"Sure, I'll give it a try", said I.
A couple of days pass during which I think about the health checks from time to time. My thinking goes something like: "Man - I'm never going to be able to get something that looks like that spreadsheet by including pages on the wiki....". Thursday morning comes and at my sub-teams morning scrum, I'm asked about it and I reply "I just don't think it's going to work... We'll just have to use the spreadsheet". At this point, I'm told to make sure I tell the PM that asked me for it.
One of the other features of our project is that the CIO holds a weekly standup Thursday mornings. This Thursday was the penultimate meeting, so there was a lot of information about our implementation and how it would proceed and be communicated.
The last line on the last slide read:
It is amazing how motivating it is for the CIO to promise something to a roomful of 250 people :)
So, naturally, I had a working version of the wiki built and ready to go that afternoon.
Looking back, I had two issues:
As it turns out, we (a few hundred dedicated and many more part time resources) have managed to get the work done and we'll be implementing it at year end. (yayyy us! :)
It has been a long, hard slog for everyone involved though. Ask anyone in the hallway and they'll respond with something like "I'm just glad we're near the end."
One of my roles on the project has been the "wiki-master". (We use a fine product - a wiki written in Java, from an Australian company).
Early last week, I was approached with a request to take something (system health checks) that had been mocked up on a spreadsheet and put it into the wiki. The main reason was the perception that the spreadsheet could run into sharing issues, while with the wiki there should be some way to keep that separate for updating, while still showing a consolidated view. The idea was to have something that shows the state of our systems while we proceed with the project implementation.
"Sure, I'll give it a try", said I.
A couple of days pass during which I think about the health checks from time to time. My thinking goes something like: "Man - I'm never going to be able to get something that looks like that spreadsheet by including pages on the wiki....". Thursday morning comes and at my sub-teams morning scrum, I'm asked about it and I reply "I just don't think it's going to work... We'll just have to use the spreadsheet". At this point, I'm told to make sure I tell the PM that asked me for it.
One of the other features of our project is that the CIO holds a weekly standup Thursday mornings. This Thursday was the penultimate meeting, so there was a lot of information about our implementation and how it would proceed and be communicated.
The last line on the last slide read:
- There will be a wiki with the health checks for our systems
It is amazing how motivating it is for the CIO to promise something to a roomful of 250 people :)
So, naturally, I had a working version of the wiki built and ready to go that afternoon.
Looking back, I had two issues:
- I was tired and didn't want to think. (Not motivated)
- I was focusing on the presentation (i.e., must look like a spreadsheet), rather than the need (Must communicate the systems health effectively)
2009-11-18
Christmas is coming!
And so is one of my kids!
Short post. My oldest daughter phoned last night and invited herself (and family) (including two grandkids) over for Christmas day. This always fills me full of joy because:
Short post. My oldest daughter phoned last night and invited herself (and family) (including two grandkids) over for Christmas day. This always fills me full of joy because:
- She feels comfortable enough to phone and invite herself
- I will get to play with Grandkids
- Spending Christmas with family is a blast.
- I get to play with Grandkids
- I can cook a big turkey (or roast or something) and not be eating leftovers for two months.
- Did I mention I get to play with the Grandkids?
2009-11-09
Vauge feelings and expressing them
As a recent tweet mentioned:
Lately, I've had a vague feeling that I'm not accomplishing all that I want to - difficult to put it in words, though.
So - perhaps more than 140 characters will help...
Vague feelings. This is something that seems to occur regularly in my life. (Get ready for the usual "It all started when I ..." story :).
I don't remember ever talking about feelings as a kid, vague or otherwise. Likely had a lot to do with the mores of my family. They didn't learn how to chat about them, so how could they teach a kid to do so?
Vague feelings. This is something that seems to occur regularly in my life. (Get ready for the usual "It all started when I ..." story :).
I don't remember ever talking about feelings as a kid, vague or otherwise. Likely had a lot to do with the mores of my family. They didn't learn how to chat about them, so how could they teach a kid to do so?
After my first divorce, I lucked out and started attending various self-help groups and going to counseling. Amazing transformations happen at these places.
The first few years after the divorce, the best I could do was to actually start identifying that I had some uncomfortable feelings. It took a while longer to actually identify them. The worst were when there was just the vague mass of blechh floating around somewhere in my gut. I don't think I ever really understood where that came from, it just started to fade out over time.
So, why is this germane at the moment?
Lately, I've been thinking about what I really want to do with the next few years of my career. My wife and I had come up with a plan and I was quite excited about moving it forward.
Then, the company I am working at now decided to go through a major physical re-organization. I've been assigned a role in the re-org process and it takes up all of my time and energy - or at least it has for the last two months. When you add that together with my obligations on research / school, I'm left with negative free time.
So this builds up and I start to resent it, but it is from a decision I made / accepted / agreed to, so I don't feel like I can complain / talk about it. Uggh!
I remember a book written by Heinlein that I read in my teens about a twin who is tricked into going on a star voyage by his other twin. Everyone, including the twin who goes, professes that it is so lucky and fantastic that he gets to go. Unfortunately, subconsciously, he doesn't want to go. Because of that, and that he can not voice that feeling, he becomes suicidal. Life works out (He gets the girl in the end, as is usual with Heinlein), after some psychotherapy.
So, how would I really like to spend my week? (After a few weeks of resting / relaxation / sleeping)
That's easy - programming. I adore programming - the creative aspects, the blend of "big picture" and multiple tiny details, the immediate feedback, the feeling of creating something useful.
Given that I've now burned up 30+ minutes just talking about this (to no one :), what am I going to do about it? Answer - get programming. I have a day off tomorrow and I intend to spend the day writing and creating. Let's see how I feel after that.
2009-08-01
In Honour of SysAdmin day
So yesterday was SysAdmin day - various stories circulated about amazingly naive users doing things like using their mouse as a footpedal and wondering why the computer didn't go faster and other things like that.
Not all "SysAdmin" stories need to be about computer usage :)
I was busy working away at the University when my wife finished work and called to see if I was ready to go. Answering in the affirmative, she told me she would pick me up in about 20 minutes.
Well, about 5 minutes later, she phones: "Brett, the car won't go - the brake is stuck!"
Me: "What do you mean?"
Marie: "Stuck! - The foot pedal won't come up and the car won't go."
"Can you pull it up?"
"No - how do I fix this?!?"
"Don't know - never happened to me. Try jiggling it and call me back". (Jiggling is a highly technical term used by SysAdmins when working on hardware issues)
Three minutes later - Marie: "Still stuck!"
"OK - call AMA and tow it to the dealership - no car for the long weekend." (SysAdmin last resort - threaten to take the toy away)
"OK, I'm going to try one more time first."
Two minutes later - Marie: "OK - it's going now. See you soon."
"Wait, wait - what happened?"
"If I tell you, you have to promise not to blog this!"
Me ----.
Marie: "Well, I had turned the car on to open the windows, but I hadn't started it."
Me: (Trying reaallly hard not to burst out laughing) "Ok - love you."
Not all "SysAdmin" stories need to be about computer usage :)
I was busy working away at the University when my wife finished work and called to see if I was ready to go. Answering in the affirmative, she told me she would pick me up in about 20 minutes.
Well, about 5 minutes later, she phones: "Brett, the car won't go - the brake is stuck!"
Me: "What do you mean?"
Marie: "Stuck! - The foot pedal won't come up and the car won't go."
"Can you pull it up?"
"No - how do I fix this?!?"
"Don't know - never happened to me. Try jiggling it and call me back". (Jiggling is a highly technical term used by SysAdmins when working on hardware issues)
Three minutes later - Marie: "Still stuck!"
"OK - call AMA and tow it to the dealership - no car for the long weekend." (SysAdmin last resort - threaten to take the toy away)
"OK, I'm going to try one more time first."
Two minutes later - Marie: "OK - it's going now. See you soon."
"Wait, wait - what happened?"
"If I tell you, you have to promise not to blog this!"
Me ----.
Marie: "Well, I had turned the car on to open the windows, but I hadn't started it."
Me: (Trying reaallly hard not to burst out laughing) "Ok - love you."
2009-07-27
A pointy-haired manager moment...
About a month ago, my whole team was consolidated into one floor in a new building.
It was quite nice really. We all have reasonable sized cubicles, lots of natural light, plenty of Coke (Coca-Cola... :) in the fridge and good views from the windows.
As is reasonably natural with new floors, there were a few issues with furniture and so forth.
One of the issues was that I was the only person who did not get a name tag on his cubicle.
For a while, I thought "Fine, I'll just wait". Eventually, though, I got tired of waiting and called our company help desk asking for a name plate.
As it turns out, because of the furniture in this building, they had run out of the kind we had on the floor and had no way of getting more. I got a very nice phone call from our people in the admin area explaining this and saying they would figure something out.
So - good, right? I was cool with that, I thought something would happen eventually.
Imagine my surprise when later that day, I get a nice new shiny nameplate for my cuby. This is cool, I thought. Then, I started looking around - and all the other nameplates were gone.
So, with one "pointy-haired manager moment" I managed to get rid of all the nameplates for everyone else and I'm the only one left with one.
I love big companies :)
It was quite nice really. We all have reasonable sized cubicles, lots of natural light, plenty of Coke (Coca-Cola... :) in the fridge and good views from the windows.
As is reasonably natural with new floors, there were a few issues with furniture and so forth.
One of the issues was that I was the only person who did not get a name tag on his cubicle.
For a while, I thought "Fine, I'll just wait". Eventually, though, I got tired of waiting and called our company help desk asking for a name plate.
As it turns out, because of the furniture in this building, they had run out of the kind we had on the floor and had no way of getting more. I got a very nice phone call from our people in the admin area explaining this and saying they would figure something out.
So - good, right? I was cool with that, I thought something would happen eventually.
Imagine my surprise when later that day, I get a nice new shiny nameplate for my cuby. This is cool, I thought. Then, I started looking around - and all the other nameplates were gone.
So, with one "pointy-haired manager moment" I managed to get rid of all the nameplates for everyone else and I'm the only one left with one.
I love big companies :)
2009-07-24
A bee in the bonnet
A couple of weeks ago, we went to my nephew and niece's for a barbecue and some firepit time with the family. It was quite the nice day in Calgary, perhaps a bit cool, but it did seem that summer had arrived.
They have a lovely area to eat outdoors, a shaded area built off their garage, so no one has to be ravaged by the bright sun or other slightly inclement weather. However, it appears that a few bees had decided that this area was just the right place to build a nest.
This was no issue while we were visiting, but after we started eating, a couple of the bees must have decided we appeared quite floral.
My wife, luckily, is not allergic to bee stings. As I am, I had sat as far away from the bees as possible.
Once the bees started coming near, they seemed to highly favour her, buzzing around her face and hair. Naturally, not being a fan of painful stings in the face, she would freeze, close her eyes and make herself as small (and cute) as possible. Luckily, these were the big bumble bees which don't sting, so she was in no danger, it was just a bit frightening.
After about 5 episodes of this where she was the only target, one of the other guests said "It must be that you smell good to them. What shampoo do you use?". At the same time, the latest bee was frolicking about my wife's head.
In a tiny voice, with eyes screwed shut and scrunched down as small as she could be, she replied "Bumble and Bumble....".
They have a lovely area to eat outdoors, a shaded area built off their garage, so no one has to be ravaged by the bright sun or other slightly inclement weather. However, it appears that a few bees had decided that this area was just the right place to build a nest.
This was no issue while we were visiting, but after we started eating, a couple of the bees must have decided we appeared quite floral.
My wife, luckily, is not allergic to bee stings. As I am, I had sat as far away from the bees as possible.
Once the bees started coming near, they seemed to highly favour her, buzzing around her face and hair. Naturally, not being a fan of painful stings in the face, she would freeze, close her eyes and make herself as small (and cute) as possible. Luckily, these were the big bumble bees which don't sting, so she was in no danger, it was just a bit frightening.
After about 5 episodes of this where she was the only target, one of the other guests said "It must be that you smell good to them. What shampoo do you use?". At the same time, the latest bee was frolicking about my wife's head.
In a tiny voice, with eyes screwed shut and scrunched down as small as she could be, she replied "Bumble and Bumble....".
2009-07-23
What this is about
A couple of years ago - I didn't have a blog and didn't want one. Now I have multiple ones, each with a different focus.
The focus of this one - well - perhaps "no focus" would be the right answer. Probably more of a "random thoughts, random stories, random feelings" kind of blog. Sometimes it will be a funny story, sometimes just what's happening in my life.
The focus of this one - well - perhaps "no focus" would be the right answer. Probably more of a "random thoughts, random stories, random feelings" kind of blog. Sometimes it will be a funny story, sometimes just what's happening in my life.
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