8 Feb 07
Random self-improvement suggestions: Once a week, cook a big meal that’ll provide enough leftovers to last a few days. Chili, soup, and stew are easy. Explore a unique interest of yours. Exercise three times a week for twenty minutes. When next you shop for groceries, avoid the chips aisle and instead buy cheese, vegetables that […]
7 Feb 07
How to pick out a technical book: Look for pretty covers. Seriously. Attractive covers usually means well-paid cover artists, which often means a quality book. Grab the O’Reilly book on that topic. Grab anything else that catches your eye. Take them all to a table, and open to the middle of the book. Look for […]
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 […]
5 Feb 07
I carry several index cards in my pocket, on which I write reminders to myself. At the end of the day, if I’ve written something on a card, I drop that card in my paper inbox to later process onto an appropriate list. Today’s card, for example: This system works well for me. I can […]
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 […]
3 Feb 07
A few days ago, I finished reading Kate Williamson’s A Year in Japan. It’s a short but sweet read, since it’s mostly pictures. She painted watercolors of the many things she saw over there, and wrote about them. It’s a lovely, personal work of art. I’m envious. I want to make something like that now.
2 Feb 07
I came across How to Negotiate Copywriting Fees Without Turning Into an Asshole while reading blogs this morning. Besides being an excellent summary of a potentially tense aspect of business, it’s wonderfully humane. Most of its advice can be summed up by “be self-confident,” but it has great specific suggestions. Negotiations are not just about […]
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.
31 Jan 07
I taught my first class in eight years tonight. I’m teaching a web design class through the county’s adult education, and I’m developing the course from scratch. I’ve been nervous all day, asking myself: What if I lock up? What if the students are all difficult? What if none of them understand English? It was […]
30 Jan 07
Last night, I finished reading Boris Akunin’s The Winter Queen. I greatly enjoyed its rollicking mystery/adventure vibe and wry black comedy, until the last two pages. The ending was bleak, dark, melancholy, and completely unexpected. I still like the book, and want to read others in the series (The Winter Queen is the first). But […]