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27 Feb 07 – 27 Feb 07
It's been a long day. A good day, but a long and tiresome day.
And really, should I be anything other than accepting of that?
25 Feb 07 – 25 Feb 07
We've had another winter storm. Several inches of snow, plus a bit of rain. I attempted a daring escape to my parents' house in the thick of the storm, but there was too much snow, and people drove even more bizarrely than usual. When I attempted to change lanes, I lost control of my truck, nearly sideswiped a BMW, slid in the other direction, and ran off the road. I was okay and got right back on the road, then promptly turned around and went back home.
I spent the rest of the day watching The Incredibles and Astro Boy (2003 version), both of which were thoroughly enjoyable. This was my fourth time watching The Incredibles, and there were even more little bits of animation to savor. There's a moment when Mr. Incredible is thrown into a river, and just before he hits you can see him curl into a ball and land on his back. Barely noticeable even on the third or fourth watching, but it adds so much to the realism of the scenes.
And Astro Boy is better near the end of the series than the beginning. The first half is peppered with standard action/adventure stories; by the second half the main theme and plot are revealed and kick into high gear. There's some great drama in here.
24 Feb 07 – 24 Feb 07
Last night, I attended a pinewood derby at my AWANA club. The cars were simple, the kids were hyped up, the track electronics often failed, and we were usually behind in racking up cars.
But the kids jumped up and down, the parents hollered, much pizza was consumed, and everyone had a great time. It was fantastic.
23 Feb 07 – 23 Feb 07
At work yesterday, we accepted a rush job: grab an entire site, burn it to a CD, and make sure it works off the CD. The disc would be picked up by a courier at 1:00 pm today (Friday). It was assigned to one of the developers here, but I pledged to be sure it was done on time.
I couldn't go to sleep last night, one reason being my worry over this. I dreaded spending all morning checking links on this site.
I arrived at work and the burned CD was sitting on the devleoper's desk. She finished it last night.
Trust your people.
And, completely unrelated:
| Brennen writes: | Walt Whitman was the Led Zeppelin of American poets. |
17 Feb 07 – 17 Feb 07
In cruising blogs recently, I've noticed a number of references to coffee consumption. It seems that many people start every day with a cup of coffee. That's what wakes them up.
This is bad.
15 Feb 07 – 15 Feb 07
Father Winter grasps us tightly and holds us close. His white hands cover earth, buildings, streets; all things natural and man-made. The only escape is inside our homes, where we hear the wind blow, and we shiver.
Which is why I spent an hour chipping away at two inches of solid ice that blocked in my truck this morning. <em>:sigh:</em>
14 Feb 07 – 14 Feb 07
Blast. I completely forgot to upload the site, and that screwed up the display of the comic. There are problems with generating this stuff manually but also based on dates.
13 Feb 07 – 13 Feb 07
I've started my new job at Applied Tactics. I'm mostly excited now, though fear still shoots occasional lightning through my veins. I have a solid understanding of the project I'll be working on—Kidville—and I've gained more confidence that I can do it.
But I still have doubts. I fear my knowledge of ASP, SQL Server, and other Microsoft products are too weak, and that my co-workers (despite all evidence) will denounce me as a fraud and boot me out the door. Silly, but that's how I feel.
But I know I just have to face my fear and get through the next week or two. These feelings will surely pass with time.
12 Feb 07 – 12 Feb 07
I've added a comic to this site. This is the one I've been drawing for a few weeks.
Oddly, I find myself apologizing for the art quality. And, yes, the art is often poor. But that's what it is, and at least I completed it.
You can also buy a print copy of the comic for $6 (through Lulu.com, a print-on-demand site). $6 feels like a lot to me for a nine-page comic, but Lulu takes $4.39 of that. I figure it's fair for me to receive $1.61 per issue sold.
6 Feb 07 – 6 Feb 07
On Monday, I spent two hours sipping green tea and reading books at a nearby Borders. Among those books was Brendan Dawes's Analog In, Digital Out. I was inspired and humbled by his creativity and open eyes.
He tossed out a phrase that struck me: "The craft of iteration." That is, the repeated testing and reworking of an idea until it becomes a final product. He points out that this is (or should be) a craft, a careful process that we study and get better at.
Writing's like that; the initial story idea is just the first 1%; the main work comes in reworking and refining that idea into a story. Same with painting, and musical composition, and programming, and industrial machinery, and creating a dress.
4 Feb 07 – 4 Feb 07
This morning, I attended a charistmatic church for the first time.
Boy, was I surprised. I was raised roughly Baptist, then spent a few years experiencing the Anglican tradition. This was roughly the exact opposite: raised hands, lots of murmuring, speaking in tongues; even flag-waving. The service lasted for two hours, half of which we spent singing five praise songs.
But the people were welcoming; I'd like to get to know them better. I may have to endure the services to meet the people.
At least the service ends with a buffet.
1 Feb 07 – 1 Feb 07
Tomorrow, I leave my comfortable, safe job at Rockwell Collins STS, where I've been settled for years. I'll leave a lot of friends for an unknown job.
I'm scared.