Work In Progress

Category: Technology & Entertainment

  • Finding Time to Write

    I’ve had some folks recently ask me when I find the time to write. (Okay, okay, not many, but one or two.) That is a legit question and surprisingly easy to answer; but taking the easy way out of answering the question wouldn’t be much fun, now would it?

    I’ve gotten much better at getting to the point. In many ways. I have my wife, in great part, to thank for that. It’s not that she’s impatient. It’s just that I get sidetracked. Like I am now…

    Back to my point. Finding time to write. The how. Long answer to this question starts about a year ago when I joined Bank of America. In August of 2009 the bank offered me an opportunity to join an awesome program called My Work. (Google it. The program rocks!) In the interest of both work life balance, promoting green living, and (believe it or not) productivity, they allow me to work from my home office.

    One of the key pros to working from home (more on both the pros and cons of working from home later) is that I get back almost an entire work day each week. How? No daily commute. That should answer the question there. However, that still may not be enough to satisfy some people’s curiosity.

    So, get to it, right? When do I write? Considering I’m not commuting to an office, I write before work. Considering I’m not commuting home after work, I write after work. I sometimes make a quick sandwich, eat, and then write during my lunch break. I also queue stories up some evenings (however, few) and over the weekend (to a greater degree). I wrote the first rough draft of this post at 5:30 AM last Saturday morning.

    BLOG IDEAS

    Now you know. Thanks for asking.

    Happy Thursday!

  • Free Audiobook Giveaway

    I’ve always been a big fan of books. I am an even bigger fan of audiobooks. I’ve been collecting and listening to audiobooks since before I owned a cd player. Yes, that means I own books on audio cassette, or “books on tape”, as they used to be called. Linda and I are cleaning up our bookshelves, getting rid of things like old magazines, cd mixes we have digital copies of, and my collection of books on tape (most I have in iTunes now). Here are the titles I’d like to give to you:

    (1) Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar
    (2) Over the Top by Zig Ziglar
    (3) How To Get What You Want by Zig Ziglar
    (4) Advanced Selling Strategies by Brian Tracy
    (5) The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy
    (6) Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins

    If anyone would like any of these just let me know. I’d rather give them away than throw them away. As a general rule, I don’t sell books; would rather trade, or give them away. To ensure them a good home I’d even cover the cost of shipping. Just send me a note, or drop me a comment, and let me know.

    Happy Wednesday!

  • Like, Upgrades Dude

    When I started writing again last September I picked a simple one column theme for this blog. I hadn’t tweaked it much at all; until this past Friday that is. I was ready to look into making some upgrades. I started by changing the design theme. It’s ironic, because even though I changed it to what I thought was a much “busier” two column format, with lots of widgets in the right column, my wife said it actually looked much cleaner. Go figure. That, as they say, was only the beginning.

    As change begets change, the more I tweaked, the more I wanted to tweak. There were so many cool things I was able to do! Yet, there’s always something more. I was stuck.

    Turns out there is a “huge” difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. The former is all online. The latter is a self hosted format and requires a significantly greater amount of understanding and, as it turns out, work. Well, maybe that’s just because I’ve been using the other format for so long. Maybe after a few weeks (or months?) of toying with the new iteration it will be just as easy as the other. It sure doesn’t seem that right now, however.

    The changes thus far are slight. I migrated to the self hosted version, had to update the design theme again, re-added the column to the right with some (maybe) cool things I’ll describe later, and added a Facebook Like button (my inspiration for the post’s title). Thanks to Pete Icke at IckMusic.com for helping me jump thru some of the initial hoops.

    I hope you’ll like the changes. Let me know what you think if you have a minute. At least, like, click the Like button, dude. Thanks again.

    LIKE

    Happy Tuesday!

  • The Best Camera? The One You Have With You

    My first camera was a Canon 35mm SLR with a kit lens. It was a Christmas gift from mom and dad close to twenty years ago. Besides their love, and my eduction, that camera was perhaps the greatest gift my parents even gave me. While there was a period of time during which I put the camera down (film can be a hassle) there was never a time where I didn’t see things around me and consider how I’d capture the moment on film.

    My reawakening happened one overcast afternoon London, England. I was with my wife and in-laws, walking the streets, just taking in the amazing sights, and suddenly I wished, out loud, that I had my camera. “Wait a minute. You do!”, exclaimed my wife. “Huh?” I replied. Then I suddenly realized… my iPhone!

    Those were pure moments. I wasn’t worried about megapixels or a fancy lens. In that moment I became a believer that the best camera is the one you have with you. The simplicity of that experience reawakened the love. Sharing those captured moments with friends was the glue that made it all stick. I have since upgraded my megapixels but that moment reminds me never to take that, or myself, too seriously.

  • How to Recycle an iPod

    I brought my first iPod home six years ago. It is third generation, classic white, holds 4,000 songs, and predates the color screen. We have been through a lot together. It was with me on countless trips between California and Arizona, moved with me to Arizona when those trips became too much, saw Linda and I buy our first house, and our marriage. Unlike our marriage, the iPod is a little worse for wear. The battery no longer holds a charge, and after I left it outside to suffer a few days worth of Arizona summer, the wheel no longer works.

    You are more likely to either hand-me-down, or lose an iPod, before throwing it away. A little uncertain exactly what I should do, I decided the old iPod would get a permanent home in the bathroom. I bought a JVC charger / speaker deck for it to sit in, loaded it with a lot of my favorite music, and there it has sat for the last two years. The bad news is that it continues to show signs of aging, including no longer syncing to my iTunes.

    I have a nice new model that will reportedly hold 40,000 songs. It’s black. The wheel works. It plays video. I also have my iPhone (that really holds more music than I need). With the introduction of the iPhone, I realize that I will likely never buy another iPod. That isn’t the point though, is it. When the old iPod completely gives out, I will likely put it on my bookshelf along with my old 35mm camera, and gaze upon them from time to time, in thanks, and remembrance.