Beatles and Hendrix Compilation
So I got in on time today. Woohoo. Apparently going to bed an hour earlier helped. I do have a musical score playing when I am working. In the morning I start with some Christian songs, I like all new artists like Mercy Me, Chris Tomlin and Switchfoot and some old ones as well like Carman. I also listen to my churchs choir CDs. I think that music calms me down in the morning. In the afternoon I switch gears towards more classic rock stuff. I listen to the Beatles, Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Squirrel Nut Zippers, The Fresh Prince, Yngwie Malmsteen, Rage Against the Machine and a whole bunch of 80s and 90s music. I have varied tastes.
It all takes me back to college when I spent 36 hours straight writing a compiler. I had a tape player that took two tapes. So one tape was the Beatles Live at the BBC and the other one was The Jimi Hendrix experience. It played each tape and automatically flipped sides. While I was intensly programming I was guzzling Dr. Peppers and smoking 4 packs of cigarettes. It kept me awake for that long. I think I then slept for 24 hours straight after I turned it in. Ah the good old days of college. I got a 100 on that assignment. It was then when I realized I could do anything on a computer if I put my mind to it.
I think the ease of writing logic is what intrigued me most about programming. It is an easy job if you know how to do it and you can think like a compiler. However, there is stress in every job. This is all mental stress. Even my current one has it. I have written this 250,000 line program and now that I am testing I am going through every line over and over again and making sure the logic is correct. I am determined now, just like I was 15 years ago, to get it 100% correct. From the outside it does not look like I am a perfectionist, but on the inside oh yes, I will complete it.
Fatigueness
Ack, so I woke up at 9AM this morning. That was when I was supposed to be at work. Of course I really question why it happened. One of my alarms did not go off. I took a count and I have 4 alarms trying to wake me up. I have yet to get my house speaking in my bedroom and that may help. This time though I got like 9 hours sleep and I still felt tired. I think I have fatigue. I think all this medicine I am taking is responsible. It may be the Actos for prediabetes, or this antiobiotic for my sinus infection or stress from work or a combination of it all. Maybe my cpap needs adjusting. I take a record 12 pills every morning. The funny thing is, I am not that sick.
So now I am thinking, what if I stopped taking most of them? I mean really, can high cholesterol kill you? What about prediabetes and rosacea? Can heartburn, depression, allergies or a sinus infection do you in? I know high blood pressure is dangerous so I shall stay on that medicine, and the heartburn medicine and zyrtec really does work. But the rest, I don't see any effects physically, except maybe in the ole wallet. Maybe I should get a new doctor as my wife thinks my doc is in bed with prescription companies. I probably should stop taking the latest meds so I can figure out which one is causing this fatigue.
So what happened when I woke up at 9AM? Well, I was going to write an email saying I was sick but I couldn't. I just had to be honest. So I wrote one saying I slept in and it probably was from fatigue brought on by my medicines. Yes there are always consequences. For instance I didn't get a raise this year and probably won't next year even though I do the work of 3 people and could save the government $15 million. I question though what in my psyche makes me think it is not that important to get there on time. Is it an interal power struggle? Maybe I hate being under control of anything and that stems from my mother controlling me growing up. Or maybe I don't like my place of work and would rather sleep than be there? Eh, my work happiness is a 6 out of 10, and I can live with that. It think it may be I hate 9AM. I once had a job where I could come in at 10AM. I was on time every day. It was the perfect schedule - 10-6:30. Maybe I should petition for a later start time. Nah, I am just going to go to bed earlier and earlier until I wake up on my own at 7:30. Maybe. I'll figure it out. More tests...
Oh, the Horror
Last night I watched a couple of horror movies. The first was a movie called Skeptic about a guy named Brian who inherits a haunted house and is skeptical. It actually had a good plot and there were some scenes that made you think. It was kind of slow in parts though. He went back into his childhood alot and it revolved around that. It was more of a thriller than a horror movie. The second one was "Orphan", another thriller. It reminded me of the movie "The Bad Seed" about a psychopathic girl who acts all nice and then does bad things. Don't mess with the orphan.
So why do I watch horror movies? Well, at some point there is a scary moment and that is thrilling. At other points there are macabre moments which are somehow intriguing, like watching a train wreck. I suppose it is in our human psyche to be interested in some kind of death somehow but I may be wrong. It might be that our lives are boring and are not really filled with the macabre and thrills so we watch it on TV to get a sense of it, knowing full well that if it happened it real life we would be really terrified. There is a presumption in it all - this is not real, so lets see if I can be entertained by it.
Of course like all movies you never know what to expect until you actually watch it. While I do shy away from cussing and R-rated movies I can very easily handle it and always try to look past the bad to the good. Growing up I saw more than my fair share of horror movies. Hopefully there is a good plot, good acting, or a good side story. I think though my senses were probably warped growing up as I became desensitized to most audio visual horrors. I wonder what will happen when I shelter Brennon from such things? I know he will experience them when he is 18, but by then movies will be in 3D and be even more disturbing. I am willing to bet at that point in history there will be recorded cases of post traumatic stress disorder from watching a 3D bloodbath. It will be then when we all realize that violence in movies needs to be limited and the stories need to be told in a way that is enjoyable. I wonder what the future of movies entails. Or should that be entrails?
Stop the Madness
Today I would like to talk about what is going on in the developer world. It is a big time for software engineers. New devices are being released like the iPad that give us another platform to work on. Then new development tools are being released. Adobe has released a new version of Flash that can compile to the iPhone, although Apple is not allowing them to. Microsoft is releasing its latest version of Visual Studio, Visual Studio 2010. That contains a compiler for the new languange C# 4.0 and will help with the new Windows Phone 7. I am currently working on C# 2.0 and have been trained in C# 3.5. It never ends. HTML5 is going to be a big thing and hopefully getting rid of flash but I doubt it. This onslaught of devices and languages is really big this year. I have been learning ever since I was 10 years old and apparently the hardware makers want me to keep on learning.
I can see why it could take a toll on a persons brain. Right now I know: Applesoft Basic, LOGO, Pascal, COBOL, VSAM, CICS, HTML, Javascript, VBA, VBScript. ASP 3.0, ASP.Net, VB5, VB6, VB.Net. C# 1.1, C# 2.0, C# 3.0, C# 3.5, ActionScript, Flash, Silverlight, WPF, Winforms, C, C++, Java, JSP, AJAX, Google Maps API, Spring, Spring.Net, Hibernate, NHibernate, SQL, SQL PLus, MYSQL, Oracle DB Management, SQL Server Integration Services, SQL Server 2000, SQL Server 2005, SQL Server 2008, Oracle 9i, Oracle 10g, RadControls, Batch Scripting and probably some more I am forgetting.
So in an effort to stop the madness I'd like to say that C# 2.0 is the most elegant and efficient language out there and everyone should go to that. For Adobe, Apple and Microsoft every time they come out with something new they say they have made things faster, simpler and better. To those companies I say, if you want things faster, simpler, and better QUIT CREATING SO MANY DAMN LANGUAGES! I am tired of having to learn something new just so the user can experience something better when they click a button. And that's all I've got to say about that.
Hangin Loose
This weekend we hung around the house taking care of Brennon. He still had some junk in his lungs. So we did the albuterol treatment in the nebulizer every 4 hours. By Sunday he had a little cough and was no longer wheezing so much. Today he is back at the babysitter. I also got the sound system in the living room mostly hooked up. It was such a mess the audio visual guy took a before picture. We are talking about 50 separate wires and 5 components just lying around. I still have to hook up the external speakers like the ones in the pool area. I also turned on the heater in the hot tub and had a soak a couple of times. I turned on the waterfall, turned on the fiber optic lights and the path lights and enjoyed my new home. It is very relaxing. It gave me time to reflect on the many blessings God has given me.
As I contemplated things I thought, what if I had done something different? What if instead of getting a new house I saved and paid debts off? Then I remembered the parable of the man who stored up all he had and then died the next day. Basically it was a parable of how you shouldn't wait to make important decisions and to live your life like you could die tomorrow. Of course staying responsible is part of it all. I have been put in a position in life to utilize leverage to make a better life for me and my family. Sure, I have played the fool many times and it is wise to owe no one, but I accepted it a long time ago that quality of life is more important than that. Recognizing that it is no longer that the quality of just my life, but my wife and child's quality. Brennon is now in a good school district. He will have opportunities I never had when I was a child. I am excited at him growing up, but I don't want it to happen too fast.
I also think about the people who move to tropical islands and live a life of luxury. There are people all over the world that live a very relaxing lifestyle. One without worries. It reminds me of when I went to Cozumel and people are like - put away your watches, we are on island time, hang loose and relax. Then I thought, well you don't have to go to an island to be relaxed. You can come to my house. So I am now the owner of a vacation home I am going to act like it. I am now on vacation from my worries. My friends and family are welcome to our home to come and visit and join me on my vacation. Of course, that pesky thing called work still happens, but I am taking it easy. Hang loose ya'll.
Brennon Growin
Brennon is doing better. We gave him some stuff in a nebulizer to clear his lungs. Right now Holly's mom is watching him. It is nice to have someone be close who can help out. I am back at work. I think I did pretty good handling Brennon all day yesterday. I think once you get a rythym going things get easier. At first I was like - got to have a schedule - eat at 9, sleep at noon, eat at 2, sleep at 3 with playing in between. It didn't quite work out that way because he didn't nap for as long as he usually does. I put him in his walker and he moved around the house. I also moved his play area in front of the TV so he could watch Star Wars and play. He loves to look at lights. I think that intrigues him the most. He also likes my goatee. However, it is time to shave it. I wonder if he will recognize me?
Apparently he has lost a little weight. He is now down to 20 pounds from 21 pounds. I think it is the ear infection that has gotten to him. He will be growing in no time though. Even though he is almost 7 months old he is fitting into 1 year old clothes. Wow, 7 months. It boggles my mind to think that he is growing that fast and time is going that fast. In 5 months he will be one year old and probably walking and talking. Sometimes I think I will miss this stage of his life and others I will enjoy the next one. I think most people say up until they become a teenager it is fun.
So what is next on the Bass agenda? Well, on Sunday we will try out a new Sunday School class. Then the third week in April Melinda and Greg are coming down to pack mom's house and get it appraised. This is going to be a chore for all of us, but it needs to be done. Once done the next steps will be to get it sold. I will be glad when it is gone. To think the last of my trips to Wichita Falls will be over with. It has been nice not having to go up there to visit mom. That town is something else, and that's all I've got to say about that.
Mr. Mom
Today I am Mr Mom. Brennon is still home sick. The doctor gave him a nebulizer machine to clean up his lungs. So I am taking care of him. We are bonding. I put on Star Wars earlier and now Willy Wonka is playing. Of course he is not really watching them, but maybe his first words will be - may the force be with you or something like that. He is fun.
Gotta go, baby's crying...
Super Brian
Well it looks like Brennon is still sick. He has been coughing alot and Holly took the day off again and is at the doctors office right now. He says Brennon has an ear infection and they have a breathing thing on him to clear his lungs. Poor guy. It could be the RSV virus. It is always hard to figure out if we should let him sleep in his carseat so the congestion doesn't go to his head or sleep on his mattress propped up. Either way he gets uncomfortable.
As for me I am having better health days. I can actually breathe through both nostrils, however this sinus headache is killing me, so there are pros and cons. I think my apnea has improved as well. The best thing is I am not coughing and sneezing at work. I am sure my coworkers are glad of that. My complexion has cleared up. I forgot what I looked like without a red puffy face. I wonder if my "rosacea" was really allergies all along. Even my scalp has quit itching. My plantar fasciitis no longer hurts as well. Maybe my body was just teeming with allergies and infection and I needed a good dose of steroids and antibiotics. However, after all of it is used up I will probably go back to normal. I wonder if my muscles have gotten bigger? For now I am Super Brian.
At work I have accomplished the porting of code. In 4 months I have done over 235,000 lines of old code. That has always been thought of something that is impossible for a team of people. It is so big I think no one will believe it. Once it is all working they will have to believe it. However, it is no big deal if people don't recognize it because that means that my methodology is successful. I think I am tired of seeking recognition for things anyways. I now do things just because I want to prove to myself that I can accomplish it. I love coding challenges. I have never done one for this long. Usually my coding challenges last a week instead of months. For now I am Super Brian.
Mr Biggles on a Diet
So Brennon is home sick today. Holly is watching him since she has more sick days. Time off is always a problem for me. I get 6 hours vacation a month. I think right now I might have 3 days saved up. I get 5 sick days a year and I think I have already used like 3 of them. I miss the part about running my own company where I could call in sick. Anyways, Brennon has a chest cough. We put him in his carseat to keep him upright while he is asleep. But his sleep is not much. He was up alot last night. I ended my shift at 1:30AM. I can't imagine doing it all alone, that would suck. I am tired right now.
So I have been narrowing down my choices for what Windows Mobile App I want to develop. Right now I have 3 apps I want to build.
1. A Rubix Cube Clone - this will be fun to build and people will automatically know how to play it.
2. The Adventures of Biggles - This is a story I created on the old Apple IIe 21 years ago. I think it would be fun to create a new story and have the user control his moves. It would be a kind of super mario style game. It will take the longest to build.
3. The One Button Diet - This is the diet I made that lost me 10 pounds. The hardest part about it is keeping track of when you can eat whatever you want. With this app it will remind you and you just push a button when you have that bad meal. This might be the easiest and fastest to build.
So now the question is, which one should I do first? I am thinking the one button diet since it will be easy to build. But I bet the Rubix Cube clone would probably get the most interest and make more money. Time to jump back into the development world after work. It is the right time to do it, especially since I am ramping down my coding at work. Always got to keep my skills fresh. That is how I know I will always have a job.
There's Gold in them there Apps
So on Friday night we hung around the house and watched movies on our big screen. We got the Rifftrax Christmas Special. It had a skit that Weird Al was in. That guy is always funny. I didn't get much sleep this weekend. Brennon is sick with a cough and so am I with this sphenoid sinus infection so it is hard coughing and sleeping at the same time, plus I think the steroid the doc gave me made me wired and has given me a headache. I hope my sinus drains and doesn't affect my brain and make me insane in the membrane. If it doesn't get better by the end of this week I might have to go to the hospital and get antibiotics through an IV. That would suck. They have to treat it seriously cause it could cause blindness, paralysis, coma and death. Sometimes I think I shouldn't look up my conditions on the internet. It could turn me into a hypochondriac.
Saturday we cleaned up a little. One of these days the last of the boxes will be unpacked. Sunday was Easter. Holly's mom came over and bought a good rib roast and ham. Holly and I picked up mom and took her to church and back to our house to hang out. It was the first time she had seen it. I turned on our waterfall and fountain for her. She liked the house. She played with Brennon too. He is quite the cutie.
I have been playing with my new HD2 phone. I have to say it is better than the iPhone, but only because I understand how to get the most out of it. The HD2 is more complicated that an iPhone as it does multi-tasking, can be a wifi hotspot and has many customization options. The screen is bigger and is in HD. Compared to the iPhone I can actually sit through an entire movie on it and not get eyestrain. However, there is a major drought of Apps. The iPhone is the king of apps. The good news is that because I have an iTouch I can hook up the wifi from my HD2 and get online access to my apps and not have to pay AT&T $90 a month.
And now I am presented with a gold rush. The HD2 had 40,000 orders placed last week and is a top phone. It runs on Windows Mobile 6.5, which is older than the new Windows Mobile 7. When the iPhone came out the apps that were presented with it grew and grew as developers found a source of income making ordinary people alot of money. However, now the App Store has over 1 Million Apps in it and it is all diluted. Guess how many the Windows Marketplace App store has? About 1,000. If I can develop and app for the phone it will be seen by all of buyers. I could charge say, $1 for it I could be looking at $40,000 coming in. So now the question is, what kind of app would be good? I already have the tools to make apps for it cause I am a Windows Developer. I would do the RideSearch thing, but I have found that people who can afford smart phones really don't have to carpool. I am thinking maybe a unique game or a utility. This will be fun. The rush is on.
