Rants and musings, without care for substance.
Posted in life in general on Dec 2nd, 2012
Two months ago I started at Cloudera, a mid-sized Silicon Valley startup that focuses on open-source software.
The decision to leave my old job was hard.
To start, I had many of the same reservations that I did back in 2008 when I left a previous project for “something new, something promising, something challenging,” except this time [...]
Posted in events, life in general on Jan 16th, 2012
This past weekend I tagged along with the crew of Sterling Volunteer Fire Company’s Engine 611 on a thirteen hour shift. I was free to observe, with no responsibilities other than to stay out of the way. I learned quite a bit. I’m still processing a few things, and no doubt I’ve forgotten some of [...]
Posted in life in general on Nov 19th, 2011
As I tweeted, change may violate design of a program, but changes to implementation that violate our expectations are worse.
In software development, the design becomes useless if the user elects not to use the application. You might have the most amazing and thorough design, but if it doesn’t attract and entice users to use the [...]
Posted in life in general on Jul 2nd, 2011
It’s been a month. It feels strange, not because I haven’t been blogging, but because I haven’t written anything in that time.
To say I’ve been distracted lately wouldn’t be completely accurate. I haven’t been busy all the time, either. One of those periods where what the hell am I doing frequently crosses your mind; not [...]
Posted in life in general on May 31st, 2011
I jumped out of this plane last Saturday afternoon.
Include the pilot, the thing seats five. For my run, it was still fairly cramped with just me and my instructor. After a brief taxiing we took off, climbing quickly from the runway at Ridgely Airpark and into the clouds.
It took about ten minutes to get up [...]
Posted in culture, life in general on Nov 11th, 2010
To those who have chosen to serve, thank you. Today and every day.
While we remain largely unaware of what you’ve had to face in the line of duty, you are not forgotten. We appreciate each and every one of you, who tirelessly made sacrifices so that we could sleep soundly and continue to pursue our [...]
Posted in life in general, outside, things i'd like to see on Sep 19th, 2010
The last two weeks have been absolutely gorgeous, a perfect example of the best weather Maryland has to offer.
It’s about letting the cool breeze flow through the house at night, without the need for a down comforter or heat. It’s the ability to wear shorts or jeans and being comfortable in either. There’s no humidity. [...]
Posted in life in general on Sep 6th, 2010
Denim jeans are rugged, comfortable, versatile, easy to care for, and quite possible the greatest clothing ever.
Under typical conditions, a pair of jeans will last for years. They offer good protection against the elements and seem to be able to take harsh environments just as well, be it a construction site, muddy field, or snow-filled [...]
Posted in life in general, photography on Aug 23rd, 2010
Inspired by two Flickr groups, I decided to document my everyday carry. That is, the items that I carry with me on a daily basis.
Nothing really fancy here.
I’ve got the usual ring of keys to various houses, offices, and vehicles, most of which are infrequently used. There’s a ten-year-old wallet, filled with a modest amount [...]
Posted in life in general, the system on Aug 6th, 2010
After it was announced that consular fees would be rising effective July 13th, I decided that it was time to renew my passport. It was due to expire later in the month anyway, so I figured I’d take care of it and save $35 in the process.
I went to Penn Camera in Laurel to have [...]
Posted in life in general on Jul 11th, 2010
I’ve been reading a lot, both for school and for pleasure. So much, in fact, that my writing has subsided considerably. As a stopgap, I’ve been more active on Twitter lately.
It isn’t the same, but I feel like I should be writing something on a daily basis. There are things that affect me that [...]
Posted in college, life in general on May 15th, 2010
About a month and a half ago I wrote a fairly cryptic post about life changes. It was intended to be vague, but not that ominous. More than a few people perked up and offered their opinions and guessed about what it might be.
It had nothing to do with my (or anyone else’s) pregnancy, although [...]
Posted in life in general, travel on Apr 5th, 2010
New Jersey is home of cheap gas ($2.49/gallon) and expensive cigarettes ($6.80/pack), two metrics I use to mentally calculate inflation and cost of living. I recently spent a weekend vacationing there with some good friends.
Rather than taking the infamous New Jersey Turnpike and paying an absurd amount of money to deal with lead-footed drivers, I [...]
Posted in events, life in general, photography on Mar 31st, 2010
Now that the RNR XXI run is complete, struck and done with, I’m beat. It’s an incredible experience, but exhausting too. All at once. If you’ve never been involved in a live production, I don’t know how to explain it. The queasiness of opening night. The laughter and handshakes on closing night. The quickness with [...]
Posted in life in general on Mar 19th, 2010
I heard her accompanied by drums. So did everyone else. Her voice echoed through the beach side windows, bouncing off the brick walls across the corridor.
I knew it was her, but I had to see.
I walked down the row and out the door, creeping through the adjacent classroom, like I had done many times before. [...]
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