Apparently the little puddle jumper plane I was supposed to take from Pellston to Detroit needed some repairs. I’m actually happy they chose to repair the plane as opposed to crossing their fingers and going anyway — but it does make for an inconvenient morning.

Plus, now I’m not arriving in Houston until 6PM. That kinda stinks.

Wow. November 3rd. That’s the last time I posted to my blog. Largely, that’s been due to my work load “harshing my mellow” when it comes to recreational writing. Also, I’m not sure if anyone else noticed, but the theme I was using in WordPress was very slow to load. I changed themes (although I’ll be tweaking it for a bit), and it seems to go much faster. This pleases me.

Let’s see, what’s new… Well, after my laptop died, I didn’t restart on NaNoWriMo. That’s a little depressing, but really I didn’t have time anyway. I also didn’t have time to go without a laptop for the better part of a week, but I survived.

I’m also leaving on Tuesday, bound for Texas. It should be a fun trip. I’ll be at Supercomputing ’08 in Austin, and then back in Houston for a day or so at the Linux Journal corporate office. I’ll be sure to post lots of photos and video. 🙂

Holidays are coming! This year, Donna and I are trying really hard to figure out how to handle Internet access for our children. I can’t go into too much detail, what with Christmas just around the corner, but suffice to say it will be an issue pretty soon. I’m not a big fan of blocking all the potential naughty sites, because it really seems to be starting with an attitude of mistrust. Also, I’d rather our girls approach Internet creepiness with their eyes wide open. It seems that education and trust trump electronic countermeasures any day. Since I see the worst of the worst at work (a school), it’s difficult for me to separate that reality from our own. And yes, it is different when parents actually care and talk to their children.

So, how have you been? 🙂

NOTE: No flogging, the photos were sent. 🙂

If I don’t get my photos into the Hot Blogger Calendar ladies in the next 2 days — you all have my permission to flog me publicly. I have to get them done. This weekend didn’t work for reasons outside of my control — but I MUST get the photos in.

Because really, who would want photos like THIS on a calendar? “Uh, yeah, Shawn… we’re gonna put you on the second February of 2009…”

UPDATE: Just to clarify, the above linked photos are NOT something I’m sending into the calendar ladies. 🙂 Those were from an old article at Linux Journal. hehehe

No, I did not have chili last night for dinner. And, eiw.

The smell I’m referring to is that which emanates from a microwaveable bag of popcorn after it’s been in the microwave under power for too long. It’s not just a burnt smell mind you, but rather an unholy death stench that invades the very innards of the microwave.

Here’s what I don’t get though: I never know it’s burning, until I open the door. Then the biting putrid odor spews out like a disemboweled zombie all over the kitchen once the door is open. And here’s the odd part — every time AFTER that, whenever the microwave is on, it smells like burnt popcorn. Why didn’t it smell that way when it was actually burning?

I really hate that smell.

It’s like I Tivo’d myself or something. 😉 Anyway, here’s the Linux Journal Live from this evening, happy Thursday!

Tonight, at 7:30PM CST (or 8:30 for those of us on the east coast), don’t miss the Halloween edition of Linux Journal Live. Click on the graphic I made to get to the show. Oh, and don’t make fun of my graphic. 😀

Over at Linux Journal, I do a weekly show. This week, I’m soliciting horrible computer stories from people, so I can pick the worst/funniest/most_interesting and give out prizes. Doesn’t that sound peachy?

The details are here — as of yet, the responses aren’t nearly as numerous as I’d hoped. Perhaps you could be the poor soul with the worst story. Head over to that link I supplied, and see if you’ve got what it takes to make me gasp, laugh, or a combination thereof. There be prizes you see..

Ok, not pickle farmers. Calendars and todo lists have been on my mind a lot lately though. Aside from making me think of The Wizard of Oz, “todo” lists have always been something I struggle with. Don’t get me wrong, I know how to make them. I have created categorized, prioritized, color coded, device syncing, auto-reminding, loads of todo lists. The problem is that I never check anything off. No, I don’t mean I never do anything, but rather I spend about 2 days getting my todo list loaded up, and then get back to my actual work — and never check off an item or add new ones. I have some theories and thoughts on the matter, and I’m curious what your thoughts are as well.

The Artsy Fartsy Argument

I’m not convinced that just because a person is creative, they have an inability to be organized. Granted, the evidence sure does support the idea that it’s harder for those people to keep in order. I see this in school classrooms all the time. Those teachers in the creative arts tend to have cluttered classrooms and a disorganized desk. It’s not a steadfast rule, but it’s common enough to warrant notice. There are, however, several fine arts classrooms that are impeccably neat, orderly, and precise. What makes those people able to be creative and organized at the same time? Well, quite honestly I’m not sure. Maybe it’s discipline. Maybe it’s just happenstance.

The Too Busy Argument

I guess if I had to pick an argument, this one would make the most sense for me. I often find that I don’t have the time to organize, don’t have the time to schedule, and don’t have the time to keep track of my comings and goings. This argument, by the way, is a total load of crap. Yes, it’s true that I know where most things in my messy office are — but there are days I spend hours looking for something that isn’t where it “goes” in my piles of junk laying about.

Being too busy to stay organized is like being too thirsty to drink, or too hungry to eat. It makes no logical sense, but at the same time, I find myself claiming I’m too busy to do just that. A clean office is awesome, I won’t lie. Anyone that tells you they prefer a mess is lying — they just don’t want to clean.

The “I Forget” Argument

I think this argument, while it sounds the least sexy, is often the most honest and targeted reason for lack of organization. I don’t mean it’s a good excuse, I mean I think it’s a real excuse. I tend to forget the very things that are supposed to remind me. Todo list? Yep, forget about it until I have already done a handful of items on it, and should have added just as many to it. Calendar? Yep, if it weren’t for beeps, emails, and SMS texts, I’d miss 90% of things I’m scheduled to do. Need me to do something? Better remind me over and over. It’s nothing personal, I just forget constantly. If you think it frustrates you, try being me for a day. The only upside is that you forget just how frustrating it can be!

What’s a Loser Like Me To Do?

If my above post rings true for you, you probably have a collection of Palm Pilots, Paper Planners, Sticky Notes, Online Calendars & Todo Lists — and have used each one for a day or so before it begins to gather dust literally or virtually. I’ll share the only sliver of success I’ve had with organization, and maybe it will help you too. Google Calendar (or any online one I suppose) is the only thing I’ve really kept around long enough to consider at least marginally successful. If you’re like me, which you should be pitied for BTW, perhaps a todo list isn’t really something you need. Track with me on this for a minute.

Why not take your calendar, and schedule your to do items? You won’t add another mechanism for failure to your already poorly executed organization plan. If you don’t get them done, just drag them to the next day, next hour, etc. And here’s the real advantage: If you create your todo lists as scheduled events, you can estimate the time it will take you, and if you can’t fit all your items in your day — you can visually see why you’re failing. If you can’t fit your todo items in your daily calendar, how can you expect to actually do them?

Anyway, it’s what I’m trying now. So far, it’s worked better than anything else I’ve ever tried. This very blog post is proof. It’s on my calendar to write and edit every day from 5AM – 7AM. I’ll keep you posted as to how well I do at keeping this up. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll schedule a time to clean my office. 🙂