tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-112992192011-07-07T14:14:36.936-06:00Potentially self-contradictory title, I know. But fitting nonetheless, in that the intent is an exploration of grand concourses through micro-contextual vignettes: both forest and trees, and balance within. I guess.Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.comBlogger1101100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-86679652052592292502009-08-26T19:22:00.003-06:002010-09-18T14:53:18.175-06:00

This blog has Moved.Blogger's been having a hard time uploading images lately, especially to external hosts. Rachelle and I have struggled with it for her blog for long enough that it's no longer worth it (would stall out even when just pasting a URL into the dialog - how messed up is that?).So today we installed WordPress on her domain, and tweaked it to her liking. It was simple enough and

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-84225592213059207082009-08-08T17:42:00.003-06:002009-08-08T18:00:39.666-06:00

Once again, I've found myself the target of credit card fraud, and once again it had absolutely nothing to do with our activities as cardholders.  Not sure how they got the card number this time, probably from a weak link in the processing chain at a miscellaneous vendor.What's interesting  though was the savvy shown by the fraudster - instead of shooting for the moon with $3,500 in jewelry,

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-30239684727138549482009-06-12T17:15:00.000-06:002009-06-12T17:15:00.229-06:00

I'm going to have to take a moment and backpedal. I described the MySQL Sandcastle as an excellent construct for shared development against a large repository without stepping on the toes of fellow developers.In theory this is excellent, and in practice it's proved rather useful especially where projects call for deviation of underlying structures which can be done in a relationally intact way

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-69459143849935661372009-05-20T23:25:00.000-06:002009-05-20T23:26:01.908-06:00

Developer sandboxes are crucial for quality software creation: a place to work in a locally destructive way, trying new avenues to problem solving at minimal risk. There are several different ways to put a sandbox together, but all essentially built around the concept of a scaled down copy of the target production environment.In the case of internet applications this means an interface server (

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-90936277209526848332009-05-13T23:09:00.005-06:002009-05-14T10:52:27.207-06:00

I've written a lot about my health over the past few years, and my efforts to try and do something about it. Each little clue gave me new hope, into which I threw my full energy. I took every inch and reveled in it, moving as far as I could before inevitably declining once again (increased effort met with increased resistance). These were genuine steps forward though, rather than false starts:

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-2694651327830977442009-04-02T10:08:00.001-06:002009-04-02T10:21:12.423-06:00

As most of you probably know by now, I have returned from Seattle Washington to Salt Lake City Utah. This move was brought about the end of my employment with Amazon.com, which overall is a mixed blessing - I am with my family again, even if it does mean I'm back in the job market. The house which perpetually refused to sell now acts as a comfort and a shelter since we still have a nice place

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-22865581441395754622008-12-21T11:34:00.006-07:002008-12-21T21:31:05.932-07:00

Ah, winter. Which, generally speaking, I love - but, if it comes with any kind of persistent precipitation, cripples the Northwest. Not just because they're wimps when it comes to snow, it's at least partially justified by tendency it has to turn into ice and the number and variety of hills which make up Seattle proper. Outlying suburbs, not so much - for them it's mostly the wimpy part.The

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-71586589539337623502008-12-16T16:02:00.002-07:002008-12-16T16:06:56.354-07:00

Let It Be Known, That:Even In A Pinch, Despite Mutually Agreeable Holiday Sentiment, That:Egg-nog Makes A Really Nasty Creamer for Hot Chocolate, and That:This Use is Not Recommended and May Be Punishable By Blech.That is All.

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-65768206798645026022008-10-26T14:24:00.008-06:002008-10-26T21:14:00.966-06:00

As if the world didn't need further evidence of my nerddom, I have gone and purchased video glasses: Vuzix iWear AV230 [site is down as of time of writing], as sold by woot in a bundle with an iPod adapter for $99 (plus $5 shipping). I've wanted to try out a pair of these things since they were monochrome and $500+ in yuppie product magazines - at this price point and feature set I'm pretty

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-8741961835372333562008-10-10T13:28:00.004-06:002008-10-10T15:33:31.516-06:00

(e • KAAAAHN!! • o • MEE)As previously mentioned here, I need to sell my house due to my relocation to Seattle. The current economic and real estate climates are anything but friendly to this kind of venture - we plan on recouping some of that when it comes time to buy a new house in Washington, taking advantage of the buyers' market, but first we have to suffer through it as a seller.Enter "m4d

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-45034750115601576952008-09-15T14:14:00.005-06:002008-09-15T14:43:02.712-06:00

I've settled into the Seattle area reasonably well, and even have a few blog articles in the works courtesy of time commuting on the bus. They're enough in-depth that they need a little bit more polishing though, and that's hard to do without sitting down at a desk - and when I've been at a desk, I've been working on BestHouseEver.com:Being a geek I decided to see if I could make it a little

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-61636485722349452262008-08-10T14:11:00.009-06:002008-08-26T13:15:21.299-06:00

Effective September 1st I'll be working as a Sr. Manager of Software Development for Amazon.com in Seattle, Washington.This is a decision a while in the making, and a tremendous opportunity for the family - but not without sacrifice. There are many in Utah we'll miss deeply, and much extended family we'll be away from. Rather serendipitously, we do have some family ties in Washington, and

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-83112869369172636432008-06-25T21:25:00.002-06:002008-06-25T21:32:57.161-06:00

So, after 13,000+ words of manuscript text and who knows how many in the outlines and various scene roughs, I'm pretty sure that the current novel attempt had contracted a terminal case of World Builder's disease. This happened a few months ago, when I realized that there was quality in the writing that editing could save, but that it would require a larger effort than I could dedicate to it

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-49596598093018844462008-03-26T10:27:00.002-06:002008-03-26T11:05:08.768-06:00

A few more words and details about the Persistence of Vision hack previously mentioned. Pictured at left is a screen-shot of the application in operation. The astute observer will note that there's enough room for at least 3 more columns to the right of the one on display, and may even wonder why I didn't incorporate that space as well. Honest truth is I did - but the switching time (based on

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-4390823142428987952008-03-21T12:21:00.004-06:002008-03-21T17:38:34.266-06:00

Not too long ago I was fortunate enough to pick up an iPod Touch (bonus had come in from last year's work). The device has been remarkable, smaller than it looks and packing a nice little portable media punch. It also happens to be a fairly robust mobile computing platform, as evidenced by the strength of community development for the device even prior to the release of the official SDK. Being

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-29635639659712951342008-03-05T20:30:00.001-07:002008-03-05T20:32:26.889-07:00

I ain't dead, or even disinterested. Just very very busy.And happy. Much is going on, it's good, and active enough that several pending articles remain incomplete for now. I'll be back in a while.

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-92048869419247645422007-11-29T17:53:00.000-07:002007-11-29T19:45:07.071-07:00

It's that time of year again, when we have left-over pumpkin decorations in need of disposal.This year I decided to make multiple successive passes through a single target - and had multiple targets to eliminate. I first selected the one decorated in the lovely "barren oak tree" motif by my wife, shown here next to the same sword as last year.I made several test passes in front of the pumpkin

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-29121981128219638532007-11-26T13:03:00.000-07:002007-11-27T12:18:40.368-07:00

I can passably play the piano, which is to say that most of the time I sit down and attempt to sound competent on one I succeed. I started with limited lessons when I was nine (or thereabouts, I really don't recall), but didn't stick with it for more than a couple of months before realizing I just didn't have the patience for it on top of the trumpet. I continued to dabble since we had one in

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-914610030854205142007-10-31T12:43:00.001-06:002008-12-21T12:27:03.836-07:00

Happy Halloween!I was recently directed to Ted the Caver, a re-envisioning of Thomas Lera's "Fear of Darkness" (PDF Link). While I was unimpressed with Fear of Darkness in its entirety (it attempts to tell too much of the story, and resolves around ideas stretched for me too far beyond my willing suspension of disbelief [probably based on the quality of writing] for its conclusion).Ted the Caver

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-14223939657827312902007-10-02T21:41:00.000-06:002007-10-02T21:45:51.172-06:00

For a code slinger like myself it's a sore spot that I haven't been able to finish my wife's web site. The urgency has not been there, since most of her interaction with clients is done face to face - but now with an out-of-state potential client wanting to review her work I really needed to get a more substantial portfolio online.Though still not exhaustive, it does a better job of making her

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-16550761378782904612007-08-28T13:34:00.000-06:002007-08-28T13:36:25.944-06:00

Technology becomes effectively invisible when it ceases to be noticed as a means for the fulfillment of thought (relegation to sub-consciousness is also acceptable).

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-11745399298600719552007-08-04T11:35:00.000-06:002007-08-04T11:52:49.612-06:00

A dissatisfying or incomplete experience can leave the mind churning, testing out different avenues of resolution until some closure can be reached.Apparently the vet I saw yesterday is one of 2 at that clinic, and this one has a knack for making my wife feel bad too - even when she's taking healthy cats in for regular check-ups.I've also found out that a typical feline reaction to a scary

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-57124378668599101402007-08-03T13:09:00.000-06:002007-08-03T13:57:22.588-06:00

One of the things I do well is mitigate risk. I do this through careful analysis of a given situation, weighing possible and probable outcomes, considering the effort and complexity required, and optimizing to the shortest possible path of greatest gain for the amount of work, erring generously on the side of caution.I do this extensively both in software development as a profession, and life in

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-20843316589749119252007-07-16T07:38:00.000-06:002007-07-16T11:13:51.025-06:00

As of shortly after 7am (MDT), all scenes for Chapter 2 are finally committed to the manuscript.I tend to work on scenes piecemeal, having broken down the chapter into the events which need to occur to move the story forward, and then refining that into the appropriate narrative context and voicing for the characters and what have you. Usually a small text file for each, edited on the PDA or

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-9309504113672687832007-07-11T14:55:00.001-06:002007-07-11T14:55:03.556-06:00

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-8559115956051338742007-06-25T17:20:00.000-06:002007-06-25T16:42:52.930-06:00

First: an apology. I have several articles in the works, but none that I've had the time and concentration to bring to fruition and post. So this is a simple non-sequitor.Back in the day when Mike and I shared an office, we tried to lighten the effects of stressful duties by taking time now and then for chess (taking a break from thinking to do other thinking - a lot of people didn't get this).

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-10292538770027851652007-05-16T10:49:00.000-06:002007-05-16T10:51:09.497-06:00

I've accepted an offer, and assuming all goes well with the paperwork I'll be starting on the 29th (right after the Memorial Day holiday). I have the next ~2 weeks to spend with family, and barely a care in the world.And last night - I resumed work on the book.Life is good. Better than I deserve.

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-63669453917140554422007-05-13T15:05:00.000-06:002007-05-13T15:10:05.376-06:00

I'm sorry I haven't been here in a while. I have an excuse, but that always makes the apology seem less sincere, as tough it's followed on its heels with, "but I shouldn't have to be." I'll tell you what it is anyway. Not to excuse myself, I suppose, but maybe let you know how I've been. And I'll still be sorry.The writing was a big deal, of course - for some time I was allowing the novel to

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-10758378270972834472007-03-22T11:59:00.000-06:002007-03-22T12:00:25.618-06:00

The late Dr. Milton Erickson, a renowned psychiatrist and major innovator in terms of modern hypnotherapeutic theories and practices, once proposed that all learning is acquired in a form of trance. The conscious and unconscious minds align into a state of receptivity and thus of increased suggestibility, ready to accept the incoming information or experience as Fact and Truth. Thus, the sense

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-2008469576570157782007-03-05T14:05:00.001-07:002007-03-05T14:05:34.302-07:00

I'm still having the occasional "less than stellar" day, but that has mostly to do with being out of shape and trying to do more than I once could. The results have been positive regardless, especially the lack of cumulative fatigue from exercise; every day the routine is getting a little easier.Apparently during the years of reduced activity I relied heavily on my lead foot (right) for support,

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-47459012557433652802007-02-11T09:05:00.000-07:002007-02-10T19:35:05.245-07:00

OK, I did get the stomach flu last night, but darned if I'm going to let it last long. And minus a few inconvenient interruptions, I still feel better than many of the days before starting the experiment.

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-79973705838809441422007-02-10T15:57:00.000-07:002007-06-18T13:49:03.336-06:00

I've been trying something new for nearly two weeks now, specific to the management of my long-term cellular metabolic disorder. 2 weeks ago yesterday I was on the phone with my old buddy Dan in Washington, updating him on recent events and findings (Dan is doing well by the way, having given his notice at Clipper so he can apprentice full time under Rod Chappel). Some of the particular

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-8151790282012755742007-01-24T17:30:00.000-07:002007-01-25T16:58:10.966-07:00

Brothers and sisters are good for a number of things whilst growing up (I had 4 of them). One role they fill particularly well is that of "someone to keep secrets from."I'd say up until about age 14 or 15, the average American youth doesn't have any secrets worth keeping. The whole point of the magical "dear diary" is to pour out the superficial embarrassments and heartaches of adolescence,

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1167978232098083502007-01-04T22:32:00.000-07:002007-01-08T13:04:42.941-07:00

A Geek's Take on Multi-Hemispheric Neurology and Software DevelopmentThe BrainThe human brain is separated into two distinct hemispheres, split down the middle front-to-back. Anyone familiar with basic biology will have seen this on cross section diagrams, as well as the generalized labels of specialization for the two halves. While it's true that the functions of higher consciousness within

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1166912438723143642006-12-23T14:16:00.000-07:002006-12-23T15:20:38.813-07:00

(click for a larger version)

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1166571532554058002006-12-19T16:37:00.000-07:002006-12-19T16:38:52.566-07:00

Todays B.S. was brought to you by the letters C, Y, and A!It's interesting how somewhat loose business acronyms frequently stand for foul language, especially where it butts up against the geek realm.

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1166023014078755122006-12-13T07:27:00.000-07:002006-12-13T09:59:22.043-07:00

At least this most recent Brian Singer film falls short of being overtly self-congratulatory (unlike some films); and that's about the best thing I can say for it.I was greatly disappointed by the picture. It made frequent un-subtle alliteration to the original motion picture, attempting to attach itself to the bygone sentiment and show its "roots." However, said roots were completely

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1165905632162786282006-12-11T23:37:00.000-07:002006-12-13T08:19:35.080-07:00

Apple's default keyboard sports 55 screws and a surprisingly low tolerance to even small amounts of regurgitated formula (which, coming back up out of a 6 month old, would only contain traces of mild acid).

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1163711852382354882006-11-19T15:53:00.000-07:002006-11-19T19:37:21.260-07:00

While not a "nut," per se, I have been somewhat of a martial arts enthusiast for some years. This includes a combination of Japanese styles, both soft and hard, and their respective weapons. A favorite of mine amongst these weapons is the sword, the traditional Katana.Learning to wield one of these competently without doing serious harm to oneself or others is best attempted using the training

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1163400616132607812006-11-12T23:10:00.000-07:002006-11-14T23:49:43.556-07:00

I work in the technology biz; I have since before completing my secondary education, plying God-given talents to make my way and eventually establish a career and support my family. As such, I am constantly surrounded with reminders of the increasingly wired nature of society in all its facets and interactions.Despite this immersion, even knowing how most of it all works, I have not ceased in my

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1162857960030259342006-11-06T14:40:00.000-07:002006-11-07T11:26:22.353-07:00

Yes, a little bit more of it.A quote from a journal of mine, concerning the continuing physical struggles:"A lot of it is due to the fact that I've started working out again. My body's demands for oxygen and other blood carried nutrients increase, though they don't get them! Tests have always revealed a heightened level of whatever felt was [lacking], though the surrounding tissues still lack -

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1162400961501249412006-11-01T10:06:00.000-07:002006-11-01T11:25:57.146-07:00

A little something I created for a PhotoShop contest at Worth1000 in November of 2003.

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1160598888987626172006-10-11T14:24:00.000-06:002006-10-11T14:34:49.066-06:00

Ah, the agony of a blank canvas. In this case, the orange skin of the favorite seasonal gourd.Years past I've done a spider (apple corer carved eyes, thin slits cut from the flesh of the sides and rotated to protrude as legs), failed adventurer (leather fedora, coiled whip at the side, and an expression of mortal dismay cross-eyed toward the sword blade running it straight through), various

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1159571386841443512006-09-29T14:52:00.000-06:002006-09-29T17:09:47.193-06:00

During the Liang dynasty, Daruma Taishi sought to teach Chan Buddhism to the Shaolin monks in the Henan province of China. Owing to the sedentary nature of the scholastic life, the monks were unable to withstand the rigors of the ascetic practices which Taishi used to help focus the body, spirit, and mind along with his teaching. He overcame this by introducing exercises based on a system of

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1158611990834198642006-09-18T14:34:00.000-06:002006-09-18T14:39:50.903-06:00

I lacked the time this weekend to make significant headway on the story. I did get a few notes in here or there, and was able to rework some dialogue that wasn't sitting well with me (the feel evolved into something incongruent with knowledge already in the possession of the characters).As usual, the new draft elements are very rough and reflect the specific frame-of-mind in which they were

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1157945592714799752006-09-10T21:21:00.000-06:002006-09-10T21:33:12.756-06:00

I deeply adore the written word (the topic of my last handful of entries here), and have been devouring it since it first began resolving to more than unintelligible patterns of ink on otherwise useful paper. My self-guided literary tour has wandered through landscapes both familiar and foreign, instructing me in the authors' visions of humanity and grand concourses of "what-if."And for now, I

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1157057831128829752006-08-31T17:11:00.000-06:002006-08-31T14:57:11.180-06:00

Anyone who ever writes for a space setting needs Celestia. This is an open source, free to use, free to change (but need to share your changes) piece of software capable of rendering any known celestial object under any specified parameters. It does this in ways that are beautiful, accurate, easily controlled and comprehended, and beautifully performant on modern hardware.Just a few clicks

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1156338554388029732006-08-23T07:04:00.000-06:002006-08-23T07:09:14.400-06:00

I'm still writing frequently, just not here. Whenever my composition picks up heavily in one area, it drops in others. Previously this was a conflict between journal and blog, but now I've added book to the mix so both of those are suffering.And will continue too, I'm having too much fun with the book. I will leave a little teaser though, a favorite line from the end of the prologue:The

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1155186528995583792006-08-09T22:54:00.000-06:002006-08-09T23:16:46.513-06:00

What makes a person believe he or she can attempt something truly outrageous and accomplish it? I've asked similar questions in the past. This tendency can be seen as bravery, foolhardy, naivete, even presumptuous ego or pride, and contempt for others to conceive of being so individually deserving of esteem or accolade.At times in life I've been labeled with all of the above, simultaneously

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1153932036383942182006-07-26T10:25:00.000-06:002006-07-26T10:41:36.196-06:00

I am reminded again of just how strongly I want to get into politics every now and then.This morning during the commute I tuned into NPR as usual, catching the unfolding news of the day and looking for the subtle indicators which delineate the pulse and sway of the represented corner of humanity.Not long into my audienceship I felt the urge to demonstrate a vulgar but futile gesture at the tuning

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1153550602283733392006-07-22T00:11:00.000-06:002006-09-13T01:47:56.906-06:00

Re:DaVinci - My expectations of ever actually fulfilling that are quite low. Which doesn't mean I won't put forth effort and move along with it so far as it will go, even prodding it energetically if it slows down (just to make sure it's sill breathing, or to know when to abandon). I figure there's nothing in the experience which won't be beneficial to personal and professional growth.The way the

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1151555303892994762006-07-17T17:27:00.000-06:002006-07-17T21:28:15.923-06:00

I want to be the recipient of $2MM USD in venture capital - with as loose of strings as possible. A discussion as to why (aside from the obvious) follows:A common passive-aggressive tendency decries the fortune of wealth and opportunity of others as an unfair distribution, insinuating that were such splendor bestowed more equally or fairly (i.e., upon the complainant), similar "worry-free"

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1152549450935939132006-07-10T10:16:00.000-06:002006-07-26T14:50:29.383-06:00

I'm going to take a moment here and go off on the stupidity of the mass media. It's nothing new, everyone knows the willful ignorance is a shallow dig for viewers, and I doubt anything I say here is new. But I am annoyed enough to say it.Worse yet, my gripe is about a simple, petty story, too: not some national, international, or global issue about the evolution of humankind's insensitive and

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1152327926188565782006-07-07T20:21:00.000-06:002006-07-07T21:34:20.736-06:00

I was an excellent couple of hundred words into what I consider to be a beautiful post this afternoon.Then looked up a factoid in support of said post on a separate Firefox tab. Unfortunately the resulting site contained adverts in a format with which this champion browser couldn't cope, and after I switched back to the Blogger tab the whole thing froze, and had to be put down.This is a lesson

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1150515021267945762006-06-26T15:18:00.000-06:002006-06-27T10:08:24.836-06:00

As I've alluded to in the past, I used to be quite athletic before my current profession and medical discomforts transformed me into the... well... "well-rounded" specimen I am today.During that athletic period I had little to no access to professional training or organized opportunities - it was more of "just something I did." As such my actual capabilities were very limited to that set of

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1150600650954076862006-06-17T21:11:00.000-06:002006-06-17T21:17:30.970-06:00

I'd always expected a root canal to hurt, having heard it so often used as a superlative event in the discussion of pain.While not a walk in the park, I think it pales in comparison to the reason for it in the first place. In my case work isn't actually finished yet - just the emergency prep work. The rest of it will be completed in a week or so, after the medication has a chance to do its

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1149398426879711882006-06-04T12:44:00.000-06:002006-06-05T08:29:47.706-06:00

About 4 months after I met my buddy Mike on the job at Overstock, he began referring to me as "Doctor Pedantic," or "Doc P." for short. This was due to his observation of my continual search for just the right word for any given expression, often leading to obscure and less accessible language compared with more standard conventions. Not to be pretentious, but in search of accuracy in the flow

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1148176149886047232006-05-20T19:24:00.000-06:002006-05-30T09:28:01.766-06:00

I have been, I think, understandably occupied this week.I don't start my position at the new Company until next Wednesday. This was largely planned to allow me to be home with my darling wife and daughters as the latter became slightly more plural.Our newest addition, Amanda Melody, came into our family at 11:38am (snicker - "1138") on Tuesday, May 16th. She was 6 lbs 11 oz, and 20 inches. She

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1147446758353279912006-05-12T09:10:00.000-06:002006-05-12T09:12:38.376-06:00

Today marks my last as a Director of Software Development for Overstock.com.I've tried to avoid naming names of employers or potential employers while I've been writing here, but figure it was warranted on this occasion.For now I'll leave it at that simple statement, with a smile.

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1147035695696320662006-05-07T14:55:00.000-06:002006-06-26T13:10:13.696-06:00

Eight years ago I composed "Epic" - a 4 minute piano solo that was my release [cathartic release, not label or media production release] for a time.I have recently transcribed this into updated sheetmusic and put it and an MP3 online, both free for personal use on paultomlinson.net.While this piece is fairly simple, it helped serve its purpose and has sentimental value as being the work I was

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1146893698643325262006-05-05T23:13:00.000-06:002006-08-02T16:36:57.220-06:00

I'm finally working again with medical professionals on the diagnosis of the long standing mysteries which have made my life difficult for the past decade. As much as I'd like to believe I have a good idea of what comprises the various discomforts, I'd rather not go too far off on my own without a chance to garner the opinions of those wiser and more informed than myself in what is unquestionably

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1146029927911757672006-04-25T22:52:00.000-06:002006-04-26T14:36:06.470-06:00

I was not of particular privilege as a child. Well enough - cleaned, clothed, fed, taught. Comfortable but no thought to luxury or excess. This, I'm sure, had a very positive effect on my development, responsibility, and ambition. Well, maybe the ambition. It's served me well in many respects, but it has also created a measure of drive which has been self destructive.I can trace the origins, with

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1145859126518144872006-04-23T23:42:00.000-06:002006-04-24T16:44:48.383-06:00

Every now and then my home network goes crazy - but only those machines wirelessly connected to it. Apparently someone is saturating the bandwidth with attempts to brute-force a connection to the WAP, despite being encrypted.I'm not too surprised, honestly. Before I rerouted off the default ports for SSH I was averaging 60,000 unauthorized login attempts a week according to the logs.This one

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1145806911483491782006-04-23T09:13:00.000-06:002006-04-23T10:04:33.166-06:00

I had a much longer post drafted up to go, full of typical introspection.I found near the end, however, that it led me to self-centered conclusions eager to place the responsibility of my happiness on others - simultaneously fingering them as the culprit for any current dissatisfaction.I'll take this to mean that either A) I'm actually doing this (making them responsible) which will never provide

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1145314204457725712006-04-17T17:00:00.000-06:002006-06-13T20:43:09.520-06:00

OK, here goes: "I read webcomics." That's "reed" not "red" - active verb, present tense.Not many of them, mind you. There are quite a few of them out there, but very few that have managed to keep my fancy despite introduction to a broad range. These are the ones which keep me coming back daily for the new installment:Top on my list: SchlockMercenary.com - a far future sci-fi series with a

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1145122993009213532006-04-15T11:15:00.000-06:002006-04-16T01:09:36.386-06:00

Over the past two weeks, I've been stealing small moments here and there to score an original piano piece (nothing new - a piece which was completed 8 years ago save for very minor tweaking) in a new package of software. The experience has been rewarding and revitalizing, and is one of the few even semi-creative works which can be done in such a halted fashion and in brief episodes.The software

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1143664631995393752006-03-29T13:31:00.000-07:002006-03-29T13:37:39.903-07:00

I've finally decided to begin "solidifying" my online presence. In quotations because nothing online is concrete or permanent in any sense, but at least there's now something there which defines the space and ties my internet activities together.Though still somewhat bland, I've followed the latest standards in assembling something which works for me. Whether or not this will ever lead to

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1143212576242408932006-03-24T07:51:00.000-07:002006-03-24T09:07:58.186-07:00

Having just re-read "Exceptionism" and "Repressed, renewed..." in context with one another, I'm surprised at the prescience and solidarity demonstrated by my subconscious.The similarity and reiteration of themes is impressive to me. One of the first areas to suffer as a result of my sleep disruption is memory - my journal especially reflects this, with repetition of large areas and ideas across

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1143124901545317362006-03-23T07:06:00.000-07:002006-03-28T13:06:18.440-07:00

I was thinking yesterday on the drive to work, about the nature of writing. Why writers do, what it means to them (I don't feel qualified to say "us" by a long shot), and what it takes.As I settled onto what it takes, I realized that many of my recent attempts at prose have suffered from a need to perfectly craft the entire story: setting, characters, plot elements, all requiring an airtight

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1141410277783713852006-03-02T13:25:00.000-07:002006-06-13T21:17:45.670-06:00

In the Greek mythos, Pandora's box contained the darker sides of humanity and were unwittingly unleashed upon mankind, inducing incalculable suffering.This is an interesting take on the drives and motivations of human nature, and may offer some glimpses into the Athenian search for virtue which so occupied the culture to have given rise to this and other tenets of early psychology. The

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1139899332674388702006-02-13T22:08:00.000-07:002006-02-13T23:42:14.610-07:00

For the last 2 years, I've worked hard in an intellectual pursuit. Almost purely intellectual, in fact. The right hemisphere of my brain has been a limited-use tool in that end - for the spatial visualization of abstract concepts, and thus non-linear solutions; but that's been about the end of it.A common theme to my complaints here has been the desire to try my hand at something more truly

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1138735830987149842006-01-31T12:24:00.000-07:002006-01-31T12:31:42.613-07:00

I've been on the Schedule de la Muerte again. This time mostly by choice.Journal entries have taken up the few moments I've had available to write, and have provided a phenomenal outlet as I was hoping they would. The ability to write from any time, anywhere, has realized the intended function of revitalizing my ability to chronicle the mortal sojourn.Even it has been suffering as of late though

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1137523170868935922006-01-17T11:38:00.000-07:002006-01-17T11:39:30.886-07:00

"if we're going to allow full freedom of expression and look at social compliance as a crutch for the weak, you're going to be pretty unhappy in about a minute and a half." - MAL

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1135797867743851602005-12-28T09:39:00.000-07:002005-12-28T12:24:27.786-07:00

The ease and power of personal computing and modern communications technology provides an unfortunately easy route for the degenerates of society to represent a disproportionately high percentage of internet traffic (specifically email).Lately, this little nothing of a blog has received attention and spam comment posts from automated web crawlers. I've since turned on the comment moderation and

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1135499675377370842005-12-25T01:33:00.000-07:002005-12-25T01:35:07.543-07:00

I've been too busy working to post lately.This Christmas, I'm too busy with my family.I much prefer this kind of busy, and I'm not going to spoil it by spending time with my eyeballs glued to the monitor.I'm going to bed, and when I wake up, I won't be here (on teh interweb).I love it. :)

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1134622783004904062005-12-14T21:54:00.000-07:002005-12-14T21:59:43.016-07:00

It worked.Or, at least, has worked so far - it's only been a couple of weeks, really. But in that time I've been able to introspectively express myself in the same way, and with the same feel. The same constraints apply - taking my time, and only writing when I'm not completely bushed - and adherance thereto renders similar quality in the entries.I'm assuming those same rules apply here too,

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1133332949501170912005-11-29T23:13:00.000-07:002005-11-29T23:42:29.540-07:00

For much of my life I've been an aggressive journal keeper - 11 volumes (of various size and shape) filled with meticulous scrawl, if the two words can be combined. There's typically a beautiful uniform slant and height set to my penmanship, but it doesn't score high for legibility.Anywhoo - this practice has been for me a wonderfully meditative exercise, forcing me align my thoughts linearly.

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1133115616094647062005-11-27T10:30:00.000-07:002005-11-27T13:05:44.770-07:00

It's easy to get fed up with the current state of X. To laugh at, gripe about, and infuriate over.Eventually, perhaps, to translate into action - when the desire for change outweighs the fear of involvement and an ideal takes hold.To point, I despise American politics. The most recent mud-fights over the media inflated fears of the "Asian Bird Flu" really take the cake. Parties claiming that

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1130303254261274702005-10-25T22:48:00.000-06:002005-11-27T13:07:34.623-07:00

Sitcoms (so called "situation comedies") suck.The men are selfish idiots, the women are vindictive colluders, and lies abound. So much so that dishonesty is often the basic premise of any given plot, covered up through successively outrageous acts until they all reconcile in the last 10 minutes (so that the non-sequential re-run viewing won't have to rely on absolute canon) with little

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1129248812818243482005-10-14T00:00:00.000-06:002005-10-13T23:55:46.536-06:00

9 years ago tonight (October 14th) I sat alone in my dimly lit bedroom, cross-legged on the floor with my back against the door (I don't like surprises while I meditate).This was a time of amazing discipline for me both physically and mentally (emotionally was another story, and has been a focus for the last several years to look after that adolescent deficiency). The level of meditation I

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1128179524569663732005-10-01T08:09:00.000-06:002005-10-01T23:08:06.250-06:00

The Harry Potter books are wildly successful throughout the world in large part because the title character with which the reader is intended to identify possesses some tremendous capabilities not yet fully revealed, and surprising even to himself. This foreshadowed greatness, rather than creating a weight of responsibility and expectation of equally great burdens, instead focuses on the "hey,

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1126546166895738412005-09-12T10:41:00.000-06:002005-09-12T11:29:26.903-06:00

Once while visiting my hypnotherapy mentor I heard a brief question posed to him in the hall-way outside his office. This as he departed, so I unfortunately didn't hear the answer he provided though I'm almost certain I know what it would have contained in principle.Outside the atmosphere sizzled at 100 degrees at the time, and had been for days on end with barely any breeze - the stifling air

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1125855207876845892005-09-04T10:39:00.000-06:002005-09-04T11:33:27.883-06:00

As a child, I was granted by my peers the cruelest title they had available: Different. There were of course many appendages to this in the form of the classic Nerd, Geek, and so on. I must also admit a great deal of accuracy in these observations: received my first pair of glasses (thick black plastic rims) for myopia in Kindergarten, had a much greater than average interest in the exactness

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1125629147121672402005-09-01T20:32:00.000-06:002005-09-01T20:45:47.130-06:00

The worst of the project (which has prevented me from posting regularly for the last 2 months) is finally over. Only a few issues remain, and none of them as painful as any of those which were uncovered during an immature roll-out.There is no fanfare, no great celebration - I have been able to extract from the execusphere that some form of reward is in the works, but nothing upon which they

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1124035892208226642005-08-14T10:05:00.000-06:002005-08-14T16:19:47.293-06:00

"I don't dream [very often]." Many have used this phrase, and most are wrong in doing so. The vast majority of people enter into the signature REM sleep which twists fantasies in front of the mind's eye - however, the nuerophysiology of this sleep state deactivates the short-term memory, rendering the imagery unlikely to be remembered unless A) one wakes up in the middle or B) the subject matter

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1122871940972332372005-07-31T22:52:00.000-06:002005-07-31T22:52:35.100-06:00

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1120771760773650962005-07-07T14:10:00.000-06:002005-07-07T15:29:20.780-06:00

It's no secret that Tom Cruise has been making a bit of a fool of himself lately. Not necessarily for what he projects, but the emphatic urgency with which he does so in dismissal of all other views and possibilities.It is not a bad thing to hold a belief, or to maintain that belief as the sole truth of the matter. I do this myself - my convictions in my religious affiliations are firm and in my

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1120713514740825442005-07-06T23:02:00.000-06:002005-07-06T23:18:34.756-06:00

This morning at about 4:30, I awoke to the persistent nagging of my brain.Before going to bed, I'd been doing some pretty intense Java review - since I haven't been doing that much hands-on in the coding realm lately, and I need to stay loose technologically (especially since I'm one of the largest advocates for the Java re-implementation of our current legacy code base).During that though, I was

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1120098775740082322005-06-29T20:12:00.000-06:002005-06-29T21:10:47.473-06:00

I'd like to think I'm very good at what I do in the IT field, as a Director/Manager/Architect of Software Development (I don't do that much developing anymore, but know my stuff).The industry's been rough, though. While my current position is, for lack of a better word, stable, I've gone through a tumultuous history to get there as several other companies became insolvent. I'll spare the full

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1120009964459659242005-06-28T19:43:00.000-06:002005-07-07T23:48:26.260-06:00

Days like today drain from me the energy with focus, because the only way to get through it is to put all available focus on the constant stream of work to prevent the back-log from building up. I think I ended the day net equal - I didn't end with any new outstanding tasks, but I traded that off with not getting anything done on the long-term scale. So I still have the back-log, but at least it

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1119583827946131232005-06-23T21:05:00.000-06:002005-06-23T21:33:34.193-06:00

My wife is a wedding photographer. She has a wonderful innate talent that's startling to behold, but difficult for her to explain. So far as she knows, she just takes pictures as the situation warrants and the opportunity presents.I've always admired graphic design and photography. I took several classes toward this vocation back in the day, and have a fair idea of how it all works and what it

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1119149891852479822005-06-18T20:56:00.000-06:002005-06-18T20:58:11.856-06:00

I had a nice, long, draft to put up here tonight. I found myself drifting from the intended "Time for a Mid-Life Crisis" topic though, into dangerous territory. I'll probably post it some time in the future, but it introduces too many elements in my environment that are toxic to its well-being.I need that environment, so I'll hang on to it in the back of things until a later time.I sneezed into

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1118783280095169652005-06-14T15:06:00.000-06:002005-06-20T20:29:17.846-06:00

Some people really rub me the wrong way. This surprises and unnerves me, because one of my primary goals in my conduct is to understand the reasoning and motivations of those I associate with. Doing so allows me to review the activities and reactions of that individual in the context of the environment as he or she is aware of it.This does not mean I agree with that person, become an apologetic

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1118694423789734572005-06-13T13:58:00.003-06:002009-08-08T18:05:22.444-06:00

People are stupid. Hopefully I'm bright enough to realize that this statement also applies to myself and keep a look-out for some inane action before I compromise anything of importance. I doubt it - after all, one of the hallmarks of incompetence is the inability to recognize it in oneself. So I can, not being able to know, relax and focus instead on the stupidity of others.They tried to steal

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1117465961984829402005-05-30T09:08:00.000-06:002005-06-13T13:58:19.326-06:00

There are many things that George Lucas is. There are also several that he is not. Both of these classifications are very apparent in the latest Star Wars installment, Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith.Lucas is visionary - given the story he wanted to tell, he was quite able to assemble the components to accomplish exactly that: the production staff, special effects and technological capabilities,

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1116558238481542182005-05-19T21:02:00.000-06:002005-07-07T14:08:32.996-06:00

There are at least 2 ways to interpret the context of the title: either some mythical product known as "Mike-B-Gone" is magical, or "Magical Mike" is (or is commanded to be) gone. This is about both; and they both make me very sad.There have been some mangement changes here at work, effective Monday, May 13th. These changes complete the erosion of many concessions I helped to put in place July '

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1115189150347536682005-05-04T00:24:00.000-06:002005-05-04T00:45:50.373-06:00

A common theme in many folkloric farytales of the medieval and renaissance ages is the clever underdog. The wily hero or heroin who outsmarts the larger, stronger, and inevitably evil force or personage. This emphasis on wit and shrewd cognition have proven thoroughly entertaining throughout the many intervening years, finding their way into pop culture references such as Bugs Bunny vs. Yosemite

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1113550325894608322005-04-15T01:25:00.000-06:002005-05-10T11:07:29.636-06:00

Well, the move was exhausting but simple to execute based on good planning. We're getting comfortable in the new place and doing our best to finish the last of the tidying up at the old one, since we close on that deal tomorrow.I'm literally falling asleep while I'm writing this, so I'm going to bed. I was trying to do some blitz work to make sure everything was solid to hand off before I go off

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1112652332737243552005-04-04T15:53:00.000-06:002005-04-04T16:05:32.740-06:00

Every now and again patterns emerge in my speech which take me some time to erradicate. These range from simple components of a word or two, to repeated imagery and concepts. Some of the worst to ever strike have been "actually" and "rather." Those each took me weeks to work out of my system (which I don't consider fully purged until the replacement patterns, which have weaned me off the original

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11299219.post-1112265801353715802005-03-31T03:39:00.000-07:002005-04-04T16:07:27.593-06:00

Sometimes I get edgy. For any of a variety of reasons.I typically have 2 outlets: one is to throw myself vigorously at a task until it's complete and/or I'm completely exhausted. This removes the immediate problem, but only forestalls resolution of the underlying issue. The second method is to identify that issue, and take care of it.I'm doing the first one right now - applying myself at some

Paul Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00682036806227443919noreply@blogger.com0