the personal site and blog of a geek named Nick

I can’t say that these last two weeks have been my most shining moment, but it is a new job after all. I’m not sure what it is, but I just can’t seem to quite get the hang of a few things.

Yeah, this is way late. But who cares… I as really planning to add more and better flesh out some of the thoughts and ideas. But life is busy, and work doesn’t provide much time for personal blabbering so here we are. But at least I can say things have gotten better. That’s something, right?

So I think I have decided to learn programming. This is a unique irony because without a programming class that I took nothing from in high school, I wouldn’t have the limited depth of knowledge I have of web design now. Irony. But is has been the web and how I’ve wanted to more without knowing how to express it or begin to try because of my aforementioned limited knowledge. At one point this actually led me to think about beginning to learn PHP, but the resources I could find seemed to require a base level of programming understanding that I didn’t possess. Please note: I took nothing from the high school class. To be fair I may have been my own worst enemy and not have given myself a chance to really try and may have given up far to easily. But for now I’ll keep blaming it on something else, it makes the rest of this sound better. Fast forward a few years past my false start into PHP to a new web with these things called Podcasts and it is here that my desire to learn programming has been rekindled.

I’ve been listening to the TWiT network for the last few years and have recently been listening to the Open Source offering, FLOSS Weekly. As the title implies it profiles software and personalities in the Open Source community. Admittedly it didn’t grab my interest initially but I’ve recently put it back on the iPod and have found myself making it a regular on the playlist. I guess it was the Ruby on Rails birthday episode that really piqued my interest in programming again. But I still told myself that I just didn’t have what it takes or that it would still be too much of a gap to overcome to get started. The episode 11 rolled around in which Leo and DiBona profiled Guido van Rossum, the creator of Python. They did the hows, wheres, and whys of Python which was very cool, but then they did the obligatory, “And for people who want to learn?”, and while I listened it wasn’t something I thought was relevant until they started describing some of the guides for newbies and I think van Rossum basically said, “and it someone is completely new to programming…”, and as you can imagine I was listening. I think it was during that part of the conversation that Leo mentioned that he uses Python as a starting point into programming for his daughter and if I was listening before I was hooked now.

Work has been keeping me plenty busy. In fact I started this post a couple of weeks ago and it wasn’t until earlier tonight that I downloaded the Python setup. So it may not be an all-day, all-night project but I’m at least going to give a decent go to something that I could really have a good time with and be able to use. We’ll see how it goes from here, and as much as I think about it I’ll update my progress here. Who knows, maybe I’ll become super-coder and learn to actually do neat stuff with my website!

So I survived my first week of my new job at “Large Telecommunications Provider” that shall, for purposes of job preservation, remain nameless and heretofor shall be referred to as “Work”.

But I did in fact make it out alive. I’ve had a decent ramp up, though. My first day was actually July 17th on which we started 3 weeks of training. Then followed by 3 more weeks of getting our feet wet with actual on the job training in a reasonably controlled enviroment. Which brings us to Tuesday, August 29th also known as my first real day on the job.

Honestly things weren’t all that bad, but the first bump in the road is that my main manager was out on vacation that first week. My core job function is the set-up of new customers with focus on upselling features and add-on products in addition to core services. While this would be both great and profitiable in a perfect world, these aren’t always the types of situations we face though we are still expected to try and find a sales opportunity in all customer interactions. I had my fair share of customer service situations, as well as general complaints, and not to mention enough things that I hadn’t learned about yet to make me wonder if it was all worth it.

But to spare all the gruesome details that I really can’t remember anymore, I did make it out alive. Not with quite as many sales as I would like, but if I’m looking for redemption in it I did lead my team in sales one of the days. Beginner’s Luck I guess! We’ll see how things shape up in Week 2…

Note: Post started 9/3, finished early AM 9/8 - Labor Day, head cold, and appointments delayed completion.

I don’t really have much to say other than that my new job, while it does have some downsides that I could definately life without one of the aspects I am most excited about is that I dont’ have to work on Mondays. While this sounds nice on its own, I have alternative motive for looking forward to Mondays even more - I get Maggie all to myself on Mondays.

Time with my family was something I was really concerned with going into this new job. We knew it would be a rough schedule because schedules are bid for based on seniority. Being the new guy, what that means for me is pretty much obvious. But I was fortunate to get both Sundays and Mondays off back to back which has benefits. I do get two days off in a row, so it feels like a real break. I’m off on Sundays so there won’t be any interference with church which I hoped beyond hope for and was fortunate enough to get. And finally being off Monday gives me the whole day with Maggie and I can be home when Lisa gets off work. Other days I get off at 7, so Mondays are a day I can really help Lisa where I won’t be able to getting off so late other days.

It won’t be a perfect schedule because it’s going in later and getting off later, but I’m looking at where I can take advantages. Daddy and Maggie Mondays will be one way, and maximizing time with Maggie and Lisa individually will also be nice - spending mornings with Maggie and taking her to school, and getting time in home to put Maggie to bed and have the night with Lisa.

So, there’s not a lot to report this Maggie Monday but they are something I going hold dear - and who knows, I may even post a blurb or two.

Today is SuperWednesday, otherwise known as the US release date for Superman Returns. As with alot of larger billed movies our local cinema did a late night showing yesterday, and as with tradition of these bigger billed movies that I want to see I end up seeing them at the late showing on opening night. This wouldn’t have been as much as an issue had it not been that I had a job interview first thing this morning, then followed by a full days work. But as it seems to be a tradition for my daughter she knows how to make getting started on these days worthwhile.

I had just gotten out shower and was doing the normal daily prep of fixing the hair, shaving, brushing teeth when my daughter that I assumed was still asleep decided to surprise me. Now the following may not seem to be the quality moment it was for me, but hey it’s my daughter so there it is. You also have to keep in mind that Maggie is just learning to open and close doors which adds a little to the story. So while getting ready Maggie, in the simplest way, walked in like she was supposed to there and said, “Hey daddy”. Immediately she walked right back out the door while pulling the door closed like there was somewhere she had to be saying, “Bye daddy.” It was definately execpected, it was cute, and her behavior was surprising all at once as this toddler just decided to assert herself as the little person she is, and unknowingly absolutely made my day.

So I managed to snag a DS Lite! Actually I dropped the money for it on the way home from dinner on Thursday night just to ensure I was able to get one. I know it’s only Alabama, but I with shortages when the 360 released this past holiday and when the DS Lite itself released in Japan made me cautious enough to make sure I didn’t get bitten by it.

With my DS - well, actually at another retailer that didn’t allow reserves of the system, but I had gift certificates from - I picked up New Super Mario Bros., Brain Age, Tetris DS, and True Swing Golf. Next on the list to buy are Mario Kart DS and Metroid Prime Hunters, although I don’t know which will be first. What I do need to get ahold of is a case of some sort to accomodate the system and some games, and even my Micro if need be. I know the DS plays the GBA games, but I’m just not ready to part with my very sleek, smaller than my cell phone Micro.

The first time I really got hooked on the DS was when True Swing came out and I saw an application of the touch screen that made sense to me. No disrespect, but petting a fake dog just isn’t what I’m looking for in a game. I actually had someone recommend the DS to me last year when I bought PSP. But at the time I was sold on the PSP and that’s what I knew I would like. Well the PSP got returned within two weeks in favor of the Micro that had recently been released. There was a lot I liked about the Micro, but even moreso I just really like what Nintendo does. What can I say, nostalgia will get you nearly every time. Back to the DS… So True Swing really had me thinking, but it wasn’t ’til the beauty that is the DS Lite was announced for Japan no less that I knew I would become a DS owner, the decision was made then and there. After months of reading anything and everything DS while waiting not so patiently for the North American release, I am now a proud DS Lite owner.

“The Wizard” is Coming to DVD

Yeah, I know. Geek, nerd, whatever. But I loved this movie when I was a kid and I’ll watch it again when it comes out because I’ll be snagging this one day of release! Super Mario Bros. 3! C’mon, what more could you want?

When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls . He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous “yes.”

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions - and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else - the small stuff. “If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. “Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first - the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

“You don’t use Google, you don’t use iPods.”

Read the article, it’s good enough that it doesn’t even need a description. But the basic punchline: Steve Ballmer to his kids, “You don’t use Google, you don’t use iPods.”

Last night during play time Maggie took me out with a cheap shot like we were in the Main Event of a WWF WWE match. But she managed to redeem herself.

So here’s the setup… Maggie and I have this “game” we play that I affectionately refer to as the “I’m Gonna Get You” game. Basically I say, “I’m gonna get you” and I begin to crawl around on all fours after her, she laughs and waddles off and when I catch her I’ll scoop her up, tickle her, and we’ll do it all over again. Well last night Maggie had a change of plan. I had chased her over to her toy corner and I was going to let her run off again but instead she put both arms out and ran right for me. Now what was to follow was in no way intentionally hostile as all Maggie wanted to do was have me grab her up or tackle me, but she took off right for me with that little pointer finger out and managed to poke me square in the right eye. Well as you can imagine this did in fact hurt a little and as one would do I put my hand over my eye. In this same instant my front support was gone and I fell over to feign injury for a moment. Well the soft carpet I had hoped for wasn’t there and instead my hip managed to land square on the corner of a toy. At this point I was just kinda plopped on the carpet thinking, “This is just a funny scene.”, when Maggie in all her infant cuteness made my day. In only the way she could she turned around to look at me, cocked her head to the side in this, “You aight dad?”, look, and basically takcled me in a hug and followed up with a sloppy baby kiss.

Despite the eye-jab (Maggie, we’ll learn to use that on boys in a few years) those are the moments that you never forget. Those moments are happiness.