Maybe we need to go over a few things...

This might come across as a bit harsh but I don't really intend for it to. There are just some things that I need to say just so it's out there for the record. I have a few pet-peaves that seem to be creeping up more and more. So let's just go over them.

1. Standing to close in the checkout line
This one really bugs me and it happens all the time. I don't want someone to put their items on the conveyor belt as I am checking out. It is like you are breathing down my neck to hurry me along. Also, I don't want you standing too close to me as I am exchanging funds for my items. I usually use my debit card for purchases and I don't want to make these transactions with some stranger standing right beside me. It will happen one day that I will turn to this person and ask them if they are going to purchase my items for me.

2. Respond in some way
I send a lot of emails and text messages. This is my preferred method of communication. I choose this because my questions do not always need an immediate response. But the do need a response. I do not ask questions just to be doing something. I ask because I would need an answer. Even if that reply is "Quit emailing or texting me!". It's fine. At least you answered me. By not answering my questions is somewhat of a slap in the face because it seems that you just don't care to stoop down and answer such a meaningless question.

3. If I don't know something, don't make a big deal about it
This one REALLY bugs me! Let's say we are having a conversation and you mention some thing I have never heard of. I say "I've never heard of that" or "I don't know what that is". Please don't respond with "WHAT?? YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS??!!??" No, I don't know what that is. That's why I responded with "I don't know what that is". And what's the big deal anyway? What does it matter? In the grand scheme of things if I don't know that the prongs on the end of a for are called "tines", what does it matter?

By responding in a manner of flabbergastion with such a meaningless topic, is as if you are looking at me as an idiot savant. Which I am not. Do I look at you with utter disbelief because you don't know what the OSI model of standard TCP/IP is? Do I belittle you because you don't know how to compile your own Linux Kernel from source? Or how best to design a scalable database? Nope! I don't! You don't need to know these things. Same as I tell my wife about our animals. I don't work in veterinarian medicine which is why I ask her what do when our animals are sick.

I know these items may seem petty to some but these things REALLY bug me and they happen on a daily basis. At any rate, if these things happen at least I have documentation that I have informed the entire world that these things bother me. So if I go off on you for committing one of these acts, I will refer you to this post.

:)

The Camaraderie of it all

Anyone that has spent five minutes talking to me knows that I love to mountain bike. I love being outdoors breathing in the fresh air. I love the exercise that it brings. Getting your heart pumping and your lungs working. Feeling the burn in your legs as you pull up a hill just to look back and laugh at it. Pedaling down a hill to feel your bike under your feet as you hit berms and jumps. It's an amazing feeling to be able to do something that just a few months prior you couldn't do at all. But there is another side to it all. The camaraderie. Doing all of this with people that are like minded.

For a while now I have been biking with a group of people every Sunday. We pick a different trail each week and encourage those that are new to mountain biking to join us. No better way to learn something than to have 10 or more people willing to help you at anytime. Recently I joined another group that rides on Saturday mornings happily experiencing the same situation. The first ride for me was today and I met 11 of some of the nicest people.

If it isn't the thrill of something that brings you back to it, then hopefully it is the good friends you meet along the way.

Living Proof is ... living proof

The host of one of my favorite podcasts, The Command Line , has started a joint effort called "Living Proof Brewcast". It's a podcast on beer! Some of the philosophies behind it as well as brewing discussions. It just started but if I know Thomas, the quality will be superior.

From listening to the first show it has also got me thinking about home brewing again. I've wanted to try it but never had the time or the place to get started. Now, I have a great place to actually store the beer while it ferments. So at the beginning of the year, I am planning on getting what I need to start my first batch. Luckily there is a locally owned store that sales everything you need to home brew as well as offering classes. Sounds like a win - win.

Hopefully after the first of the year I will be starting on my first home brew. Now to think of a name for my tasty beverage :)

Time for this Outlaw to ride off into the sunset

Like most people, I am a huge fan of podcasts. Most of what I have on my portable player is all podcasts. In total I subscribe to about 20 podcasts ranging from Science, Religion and Technology. One of the podcasts that I am subscribed to, Linux Outlaws, has been removed from my podcatcher for good.

I debated this for a while and kept it in the catcher until I totally decided it was time to go ahead and remove it for good. On the last show that I listened to, I just could take it any more. I stopped listening about 15 minutes into the show. The constant screaming from one of the host of the show was getting to be too much. The constant rant of "You're stupid for thinking this way!" was all I could handle. Couple that with his constant interruptions of his co-host, it was time to part ways.

The reason I listen to a podcast is to get a good un-biased opinion on a certain subject. Be it science, religion or technology. I do not listen to a show to hear a man with a German accent scream at me about how Novell and Windows and everyone that disagrees with him is stupid and inferior.

I will continue to listen to show such as The Command Line and Tux Radar to get my technology fix. I can't say that I won't go back to listen to Fab and Dan at a later date but for right now, this Outlaw is riding into the sunset with one less podcast.

My friend has passed

It wasn't more than a week ago that we discovered that Marley, our Irish Water Spaniel of 13 years, had cancer. We knew that our options were slim but we were in no way prepared for how quickly the cancer would spread. On Saturday we spent the morning eating breakfast and simply laying down talking and crying.

It was a hard morning but she was loved by everyone that knew her. She will be greatly missed and always remembered.

A great friend is very sick.

For the almost 12 years that I have lived in this state my Water Spaniel, Marley, has been one of my greatest friends. She's been there for me every day with a smile on her face and happy to see me. Sure, we've had our ups and downs but she is and always will be one of the greatest friends I could ever ask for.

On Thursday my wife noticed that her throat was swollen. Since my wife works for a Veterinarian, the red flags went up. Marley went into the vets on Friday for a complete test on what was going on and on Sunday our greatest fear was realized when news that Marley was diagnosed with Type-B Lymphoma. Lymphoma is a very rapid spreading cancer which means that Marley will not be with us much longer we fear. We opted to not treat the cancer with chemotherapy because of her age and the advancement of the cancer already at this point.

She is fine today, eating just like she always has and still greeting us with her quirky sideways smile. She is not as active as she was just days before but she is still in good spirits. We have started her on palliative care which consists of mostly Prednisone. Our goal is to keep Marley has comfortable as possible until her quality of life starts to suffer.

It saddens me greatly to type this, but Marley and I have had a great time together over the 12 years. She will never be forgotten and their will never be another dog like her ever.

Getting Back To It

There is something to be said for taking things a little at a time. I have a bad habit of when I find something new that I am interested in, I go full force into it. This shows great excitement on my part but it also can lead to burnout more quickly.

Once the novelty of this new substance in my life wears itself off, I find myself not really wanting to do it anymore. Or at least not with as much passion as I once did. Something about the newness that really drives me to want it and want as much of it as I can get and then I want it even more. Then I become less interested in it. This has happened with a lot of situations. The latest being working out and exercising. I started about 4 months ago doing the P90X routine. I really wanted to get in shape for many reasons. Mainly because I'm 40 now and I started to really feel my age, another is because I wanted to start mountain biking again.

I did the entire routine. It took me a little longer than 90 days because life stuffs just got in the way. I had to go out of town for business a few times, family would come in town and I would visit with them. Who would want to come visit for me to just say "Wait right here for an hour while I go work out". Just seems rude. But, I did do the whole routine and I enjoyed it. I lost a bit of weight, I feel a lot better, lost about 8 inches around the waist. Good results. Now on round two of P90X, I am finding it harder and harder to "push play". I still do it, just not with the same passion as at first.

The other situation that has started to fall is mountain biking. I ride with a group just about every Sunday. Always have a good time and we like to cut up a bit. However, this past Sunday ride I rode home feeling a bit disappointed, like there was something that I just didn't obtain out of the ride as I had in the past. It kind of depressed me.

Then I started to think about everything that I do. Web site programming, Python programming, Linux, Classical Guitar, Mountain Biking, Exercising, etc... That's a lot of hobbies. All of which I go head first into and give it my all and just keep pushing at it. This can yield some great results, but it can also start to hinder the situation in the end. So where is the cut off point? Where do I need to draw the line on doing these activities? I guess I will just need to slow down and enjoy the activities that I do. Another option would be that when I start to have these feelings, to just ease off a bit. After a while it has proven to be that these feelings cease and I start to long to do them again.

Only time will tell...

Just because you can doens't mean you should...

It has always been a method of mine to show someone how to do something as if they have no knowledge of the subject at all. Not to make them feel stupid, but to not take anything granted. It was how I was instructed in pedagogically. The philosophy of this is that not everyone knows what you know. Same holds true for things in every day life as well.

My wife works in the veterinary field. Before she and I started dating I really had not thought of the importance of giving my dogs heart worm medication. After it was explained to me of how easy it is to prevent and the repercussions if I don't, it all made sense. Sometimes people just need it "dumbed down". It's not that we are incapable of understanding, it's just that we are ignorant of the subject. Nothing wrong with that. Not everyone knows everything about everything.

I witness the attitude of down grading people because they don't know how to do a particular task on a daily basis. Just because you feel that it is easy and you should be public knowledge, doesn't make it so. If anything it discredits your knowledge.

At one point I felt as those in the "IT" world acted arrogant because they felt superior. Now, I'm not so sure. It seems now that they act in this manner simply to hide the fact that they really don't know as much as they would have you believe they do.

This doesn't just happen in workforce. It happens in recreation as well. I like to ride mountain bike. I am no big time racer but I can ride pretty well now. For some reason, people tend to forget that they were not always as good as they are now. When these people meet someone less skilled than they are on the trails, it seems to be custom to force them off to the side of the trail. No need to call out to someone that is not of the same caliber as you!

It just seems that if everyone would take a second and think about it, it would make sense to them as well. Just remember, there is no need for arrogance. Someone else can do just what you do and probably do it better. And just because I don't know about a certain situation or do not have a particular skill, doesn't mean that I am inferior.

Take care.

Wondering what to do

I have been doing freelance web design for a little while now. I think about maybe...8 years or more. It has made me some pretty good money that has given some padding in the checking account. However, I am beginning to wonder if I want to continue doing this.

The main problem, customers don't know what they want. And all that matters to them is their Google ranking. Don't care about how the page is laid out and how it is W3C compliant. However, as soon as the page goes live, if they search for something about their business and they are not number 1, then they call me and ask me why. Not much I can do about it really. I'm not a SEO professional.

Maybe I'm not a "people person", I don't know. But what I do know is that I am starting to wonder what to do...