(almost) Wordless Wednesday - Which is worse?

...

Bus error, or the fact that my source control repository doesn't contain my last several hundred lines of code changes? I'll let you decide...

The last week of class...

Since the deadline for submitting work was last Thursday (the last day of class), I'm sure you're all dying to know the story of yet another coding marathons. So here are the official stats from last week, starting Monday morning and ending Thursday at around 11:00 PM.

Hours of sleep: 8
Hours programming: 50
Cans of Mountain Dew: 6
Cans of Sobe Adrenaline Rush: 3
Cans of Red Bull: 2
Pushups (another stay awake tactic): 320
Protein energy bars: 2
Real sit-down meals: 2
Lines of code written: somewhere in the neighborhood of 4000 (I started one project completely over at about 4:30 Thursday morning.

Some pictures:

In the beginning (well, Tuesday morning):
After 24 hours (Wednesday morning):
After 48 hours (Thursday morning):
After 60 hours (Thursday night):

Yes, I was very wired, but due to an increase in physical activity since the last time I participated in this kind of insanity my resting heart rate stayed below 86. Last time I even scared myself as after about 50 hours my resting heart rate never dropped below about 100.

Oh the weather outside is getting more frightful by the day...

At least for a few days...

Perspective

I am a schemer. I am also a horse-trader. Whenever my dad or I would say to the other, "I'll make you a deal..." my mom would leave the room and tell us to let her know how it shook down when we were done wheeling and dealing.

I also love a good project. Whenever I started thinking to myself (usually out loud, because I do that), "I wonder if I could..." Nicole rolls her eyes at me, usually so hard I wonder if they are going to roll right on across the floor at me.

I am a very curious person. When I discover something I like or am interested in, I study it. I do research on the internet, read books, talk to people who are knowledgeable on the subject, and pretty much every other thing I can to learn about it and/or become better at it. This is a sub-feature of my "project-ivity" that also causes some eye-rolling around here.

I'm also not very patient. I can watch a hillside for hours waiting for a woodchuck to show his little rat head, but when it comes to waiting months or years for something, I quickly reach my limit. And then I have a project on which to scheme. Perfect.

My bike was just such a project. It began with a realization: since I'm in school, I no longer have time to boulder for hours ever day. Then it was realized by a horse trade. I traded my brother I snowboard that I had purchased with the intent to learn how to ride it, but also didn't have the time or money for, and a rock-climbing hangboard for a Liahona Mission bike. Then I started to do my research. Being fairly mechanically-minded, it didn't take me long to recognize the features of higher-end bikes that make them higher-end bikes, and superior to my Liahona. Then I started scheming. I scrounged, saved (usually not for too long, see impatience, above) and started buying upgrade parts. New handlebars, stem, pedals, and fork made a noticeable difference in ride quality and comfort, and finally my birthday came around and made possible a horse-trade-ish deal. I found a new, lighter frame on eBay. It was listed at $90, which was $10 more than I had managed to save, but being impatient and scheming, I watched it anyway until it closed without receiving any bids, at which time I contacted the seller and asked if he'd take $80 for it. He agreed, and even better, said he was driving from Vernal to Salt Lake City that very afternoon and could drop the frame off so I wouldn't have to pay shipping. Perfect. I started with a $400 bike, and through scheming and slow project-izing (I've since replaced the handlebar yet again, the pedals yet again, and the saddle) I have a bike that would spec out at around $900 sold new. It's not a full-suspension bike, which means around here I'm still in for a rough, slow ride everywhere I go, but it'll do.

The reason I tell you all this is because I had a flash of perspective the other day, which led (surprise surprise) to a new project, and some more scheming. I realized something. I've spent 3 years and lots of brain cycles on my bike. Don't get me wrong here, I've enjoyed that bike immensely and will continue to leave patches of skin cells scattered around the hills and canyons anywhere I can get a chance. However, this is a sport that I can only enjoy for about 4, maybe 5 months of the year. I've also realized, in this same flash of perspective, that I'm not likely to be in as good shape any time in the near future (at leas while I'm a student) as I was 10 years ago. Spending time with Nicole is way too high on my priority list (and time in the weight room too low, because of the opportunity cost factor) for this to happen. So on to my new project.

Some of you may know that I play the guitar, and even fewer of you may know that once upon a time I was quite good. In yet another horse-trade, a little over 4 years ago I traded my electric guitar for a Pocket PC, which was incalculably valuable to me in my job back then. However, this means I have been electric guitar-less for almost 5 years. That is much, much too long. In my flash of perspective the other day, I also realized that playing my guitar is a perfect way to unwind for a few minutes when every thing looks like a semi-colon, or I can't tell which bracket closes which block of code any more because the whole world looks like mono-spaced text.

So I'd like to introduce you all to the new scheming, horse-trading, impatient project: the Fender Highway One Telecaster.

I've never owned a Telecaster before, but I've played a few, and owned a couple other kinds of electric guitars. The telecaster has a very unique sound that I really like, and the fact that Jimmy Page played a telecaster on "Stairway to Heaven" is a definite bonus. The guitar solo from "Stairway" is my favorite sounding guitar of all time. I now have a new project. And so I'm saving. And scheming. And, of course, impatient.

Some Telecaster highlights I patched together from the Fender Highway One website.

Ah, mutated MormonAds

Remember those MormonAds that you used to see all the time? Well, Divine Comedy (a comedy group at BYU) has really had a good time with them. I think this was about the funniest one:

And the results are in...

Okay, I know you've all been anxiously waiting for the results of my little contest, so here they are.

1. With 1.5 points, my Dad.
2. With 1.33 points, my Mother, and my sweet wife, Nicole
3. With 1 point, Insanity, Mari, and Bob

So, I know you're all wanting to know what the answers are, so here ya go:

1. I have never performed CPR on a human being. Lots of training dummies, but no people
2. I gave varying degrees of partial credit for this one: First, they are saying that you need to know how to protect your PC, but they are using a picture of an Apple MacBook Pro with the luminous apple photoshopped out. They are saying that you need to protect your PC from viruses and spyware, but Macs don't suffer from viruses and spyware. Finally they mention that you should get anti-virus software, when there is only one company that makes anti-virus for Mac and it sucks. So there you have it.
3. "What is and what should never be" is the title of one of my favorite Led Zeppelin songs. I'll play it for ya sometime if ya remind me.

What is and what should never be...

So today I saw a funny article on the Popular Mechanics website. 25 things a man should know how to do.
While I can think of a few things on the list that I wouldn't necessarily have on such a list, and a few not there that should have been, it was fun. Incidentally, I know how to do all of them, and have actually done all but one. So now we're going to have a little game, the winner of which will get a prize, determined by me when I see who wins. The game will consist of 3 questions.

1. Name the thing on the list (there's only 1 of the 25) that I haven't actually done.
2. The picture above is a screenshot of one of the items. There is something seriously wrong with it. Name what that wrong thing is.
3. What is the significance of the title of this post?

You may post your answers in comments, as I'm not the best blog keeper-upper in the world. Good luck.

Visitors...

We recently (last weekend) enjoyed a visit by Natalie, Jay and the munchkins. Despite the fact that I am bogged down in the middle of a semester and spent a good chunk of the time on campus or in our office room working on projects, it was great to have them. Nicole had someone to talk chick-stuff to, I watched most of Eragon with Jay (Nicole won't watch that and many other movies that I like) and I was constantly amused by 2 and 4-year-old-isms. Every morning when I got up, and when I came home from school, or when I came out of the office after a while, I was greeted by Chelsea's cheerful little, "Hi Awix!" Every so often while working on my projects, Jayden would wander by and say, "What your doing, Awix?" That, combined with his cheerful, "Hey! What your name is?" when my Mom stopped by with our pumpkins, took me back to my (much) younger days growing up on Army bases and hearing the same kind of phrasing from my (older than Jayden) friends.

We had a great time while they were here. Nicole and I introduced Natalie and Jay to "Munchkin", our current favorite time-sink, we watched a couple of movies together, and Jay brought some of his tasty chili. So thanks for coming guys, and come back any time.

Some of my favorite pics from the visit:

Chelsea finally tolerating my presence because "the wittle puppy show" was on:
Jayden knows good footwear when he sees it (when you're that small it doesn't matter which foot you put them on)
Clearly this is someone who knows what is coming next...
Who doesn't like cupcake batter?

Better late than never...

Well, Nicole and Natalie have pretty much covered the Newport Beach trip this year, so I'll just say that any week I have 2 gyros at the Mad Greek in Baker is a good week, even when I'm sick for half of it. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the trip.

I'm rather proud of my steady hand.
This was a 1 second shutter opening just before the fireworks.
Ostensibly a "tame" ride, those rocket ships can pull some serious G's if you go all the way up and then head for the deck as fast as you can drop.
For good reason, Mater is probably my favorite character from Cars.
Apparently Chelsea likes him too: "Mater, a-funny Mater"
Believe it or not, Sleeping Beauty's Castle is one of my favorite sights at Disneyland.
Jayden sure loved his Mickey Ears Hat, not to mention the carousel.
Chelsea and I both love It's a Small World. And look how we're wearing matching shirts...
Me and an old friend.
Someday I'm going to build and program my own R2-D2 to clean up after me.
I like naps, although it appears that Chelsea didn't quite get the concept...
The Tallest One (Nicole's Grandma L*) got a kick out of my signature vacation facial hair.

Warning!

While we were in St. George for our anniversary we made a small trip to the bike shop. While talking to one of the guys there I learned that what I thought was a relatively harmless crack in the shell of my helmet could be very dangerous, and that any time a helmet takes a significant impact it should be replaced. So I picked up a new helmet.

The fun part started when I began reading the manual that came with it, and the warning stickers on the inside. Some examples:

WARNING: No protective headgear can protect the helmet wearer against all foreseeable impacts.

So don't get shot in the head while wearing this helmet?

Your helmet will not protect against injury in all types of accidents. Even while wearing a helmet, low speed accidents may result in serious head injury or death.

Yeah, so go faster and you won't get hurt as bad?

Because every accident scenario is different, it is impossible to know whether use of a helmet will provide partial or complete protection. Studies have shown that you are better off with a helmet than without one.

"You might live through it" is better than "You won't live through it" after all.

WARNING: Do not take risks just because you are wearing a helmet.

Don't be stupid.

Note: The useful life of your helmet may be less than five years as a result of exposure to sunlight, rough handling/storage that results in dents or cuts or as a result of heavy use.

I guess. I'm on my 3rd helmet in 3 years.

And finally, my two favorites.

A bicycle helmet does not protect what it doesn't cover, and as noted it may not protect what it does cover. A bicycle helmet will not protect against injuries to the spine, neck, or face.

We make no guarantees. At all.

WARNING: A bicycle helmet is for bicycling only! Always wear a helmet when bicycling. When you get off your bicycle, remove your helmet. Do not wear a helmet while climbing trees, in play areas, on playground equipment, or, at any time while not riding a bicycle. Adults: Instruct children to follow this warning. Failure to follow this warning could result in serious injury, death by strangulation, death.

A: Apparently sombody sued because their 10-year-old fell off the merry-go-round while still wearing his bike helmet and died anyway. B: Apparently death by strangulation is not as bad as death.

My own little artistic touch...

Yes, Alex can take a picture also. Here are a few of my favorites from our little anniversary trip.

The last 4 years

Well, Nicole and I got married 4 years ago today. Most of you have probably read her blog today, which pretty much sums us up. Most people who knew us both separately before we were married thought we were both crazy. Most people who knew her and met me thought she was crazy. Most people who knew me and met her thought I was crazy. Crazy or not, the last 4 years have been the best of my life. We've both had to give up a few things, and pick up a few things, and given that we are both in school we don't always have the time/resources to do things that we'd really like to do or that we grew up doing, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Here are a few pics from the last 4 years.

The big day:











My first trip to Hawai'i:











A new world for Nicole:









A new world for me:












One of our favorite places to be:









It's been lots of fun. Luv ya babe.

Senior year thingey...

I thought everyone that reads both my blog and Nicole's would get a kick out of this...
1. Who was your favorite teacher? I'd probably have to say my band teacher Mr. Sorbe (aka "Sir") I played the bass guitar for our jazz/pep band and my brother the drums, and every now and then Sir would bust out the trombone and man, that guy can get down. The whole class except me, my brother, and Sir would be laughing their heads off (Nathan and I usually were too, but you can play drums and bass guitar while laughing).
2. Were you considered a flirt? I had a girlfriend who lived 250 miles away in Pleasant Grove, so not so much. Plus, most of the girls I would have flirted with had already dogged me by then, and I spent most of my time in the weight room so I'd have to say no.

3. Who was your best friend? My guitar, my gun and my dog Kane. The closest thing to a best friend I had was Sherri, the sister of the guys I worked with.

4. What did you drive? I drove a '76 Dodge Ram 3/4 ton with a 400 horsepower big-block or my mom's little Chevy Spectrum, which went some places it had no business being able to go...

5. What sports did you play? I wrestled and ran the 100 and 400 meter dash. I would have done cross-country and played football but my high school didn't have either.
6. It's Friday night, where are you? In the fall, out shooting or camping. In the winter or spring, going to bed early because I usually had a very early, very long bus ride to a wrestling tournament or track meet on Saturday morning.
7. Were you in the band, orchestra, or chorus? I was in the concert band (I played the baritone), and the jazz/pep band (I played the guitar and bass guitar). I was the bane of the orchestra teacher's existence, and she probably wouldn't have let me in the orchestra if I had wanted to be.

8. Where did you sit during lunch? By myself. My high school didn't have a cafeteria so we ate lunch at the grade school. I could run down there faster than everyone else could drive, so I was usually done eating by the time 2/3 of the school got there.

9. Who did you take to Senior Prom? We didn't have a "Senior Prom" but I took Jenny Lamb (the girl from Pleasant Grove) to the Junior Prom that year.

10. Can you sing the fight song? Not even a little bit. I know that the phrase, "Down in the valley" is in there somewhere...

11. What was your favorite class? Heh heh. Half of my senior year I had released time work study for 4 hours. Other than that, I'd say the track & field PE class or band.

12. Were you a nerd? Does being the school AutoCAD guru make me a nerd? Or being the only person in the school who liked Dungeons and Dragons? I graduated 2nd in my class and turned down whatever graduation thing goes to the 2nd ranked person. If the difference between an A- and an A was 10 minutes of studying I would have taken the A- and spent the 10 minutes in the weight room. So I guess you could say that there were arguments for and against me being a nerd. I sure am now though, hee hee.

13. Did you have a job senior year? I had a job every year from 6th grade on. Senior year I had released time work study for 4 hours a day doing construction work at the Zion Ponderosa Resort. I helped build almost everything you'll see there.14. If you can go back and do it over, would you? The only thing I can say is I'd wrestle 152 instead of 140. I decided that just after wrestling season was over, so I can say it. I had gotten in the worst of my trouble before my senior year, and overall had a pretty good time. So I'd just change weight classes, and I only said that because I thought of it then.

15. What did you do after graduation? I went to Lake Powell on Saturday, flew to Salt Lake City on Monday to get re-sworn in to the Army, and flew to Basic Training on Tuesday. Some party, eh?

She's Back!!!

As most of you know, Nicole was gone last week helping her sister start to get settled in their new home. For lack of anything better to do, I kept a tally of sorts while she was gone.

Food:
Pounds of meat eaten: 6
Gallons of milk drunk: 1
Otter-Pops eaten: 75 (plus or minus a few...)
Gallons of Gatorade drunk: 2
J-Dawgs eaten: 1
Quarts of ice cream eaten: 2
Boxes of brownie mix used/eaten: 1

Recreation:
Action movies watched (that Nicole won't watch with me): 5
Miles ridden on my bike: 32
Miles ridden off the pavement: 16
Characters created for Dungeons and Dragons Online Games: 2

Other:
Hours of sleep: 24 (I don't sleep very good when Nicole is gone)
Days I cooked on the grill: 5 (of 7)
Programming projects done: bits and pieces of 3