Spring Has Sprung
Mar 14, 2010
March has been a beautiful month thus far, with fairly warm weather and lots of melting snow. I have started to get out and run again regularly, which I'm pretty excited about. My longest run has been 8k, so I haven't really tested the old legs yet. It'll take a month or two to get back into form and be ready for the spring race season. I am not feeling super-competitive this year; I just want to run in the races as something to get out and do. This year is a half-marathon year on the PEI Marathon race weekend (I alternate between the 10k and half-marathon race every two years), so that means my mileage will probably be a little higher than last year. I'd also really like to do the 25k Harvest Festival run in August, as I always love that tough course. Anyways, I am getting ahead of myself as there is a lot of training runs to do before I can tackle the 20+ k courses.
We had our family trip to Moncton and it was fun. Samantha loved Crystal Palace and all the rides. Luke travelled well, although he was definitely fed up with his car seat and stroller by the time we got home. They both slept surprisingly well in the hotel room, which was a real treat for Tammie and I. Our next trip will probably be to Fundy in the spring, but we'll see how things work out. We had a really good time there two years ago with Samantha, and I think she'd enjoy it even more now that she's older.
Tammie and I snuck out of the house to see "Alice in Wonderland" over the weekend, and we both quite enjoyed it. The weak spot of the film was actually Johnny Depp. The actress who played Alice (Mia Wasikowska) stole the show and was excellent in her part. The special effects were excellent and the whole world was a nice update from the Disney cartoon original. Definitely worth a look. I was also recently subjected to "Alvin and the Chipmunks" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" this week as well. Ahh, Alvin... he is a king among rodents. What more is there to say?
Work continues to be very busy with lots of different projects on the go. Have been working a bit with overlaying custom content on Google maps using Haversine formula to restrict the data set. It's a neat little challenge. I also wrote my first Flash file uploader (kind of like the image uploader you see on Facebook), and that was a great learning experience. Web technologies have come so far in the last ten years, and it's amazing how people have come to take for granted to incredibly complicated data exchange that occurs to make these things run. Google Street View for example... madness!
Haven't had much time with any games recently, although I polished all the songs and challenges off in Beatles Rockband. The music games are fun, but they lack staying power if you aren't playing them with people. I really hoped Tammie and I could play it together when the kids get to bed, but she hits the drums so hard that she wakes them up. I bet she could give Tommie Lee a run for his money! The Starcraft 2 public beta has been ongoing for a few weeks, and I have been addicted to coverage of it. That game is going to be so awesome that it may warrant a vacation day on release! Nah, I'm not that crazy (or am I?).
Well, there is a kitchen yearning to be cleaned in my house, so I best get to it before it gets too late. I already lost an hour to the time change! Yay, even less sleep!
Randy
How Many More Weeks of Winter?
Feb 10, 2010
February ushered in a pretty brutal cold snap, which has thankfully abated for now. Our newest team member, Luke, is adjusting well and being fairly easy on his parents. He sleeps most nights and doesn't cry continuously for no reason, which is pretty much the best you can ask for with a baby. He continues to grow very fast, and we're kind of hoping he'll slow down. If not, he could be walking by the time he's nine months old! Tammie and I are hoping to take the kids for a little out-of-province trip next week. Not very far, but just enough to change the scenery. We haven't nailed down the details yet, but we want to do something that is simple and we can all enjoy. Samantha has historically travelled pretty well, but we haven't had Luke very far yet. He's normally easy-going, so we'll keep our fingers crossed for the same trend.
No running yet this year, which is kind of a bummer. I'm starting to get antsy to lace up the shoes and get out, but the timing just hasn't been right yet. I walk to work every day, so I am at least getting a little bit of exercise. I was looking at my last year's running totals and ended up with 525km for the year. Contrasting that with 2008 where I ran 700km for the year, it isn't my best year. If my logs can be believed, I ran almost 1400km in 2006, so definitely not getting the mileage I used to. I'm hoping to at least get out for more races this year, starting with the Freeze Your Gizzard run in Montague in a few weeks. I will be totally out of shape walking up the start line, but maybe it'll get my butt in gear to get back into a routine.
I have been playing Dragon Age: Origins here and there, and it just gets better and better. Awesome game, harkening back to the original Neverwinter Nights. A lot of people say it's like the rebirth of the Balder's Gate series, but I actually like Neverwinter Nights better. Planescape: Torment is still my favourite RPG for the PC, but Dragon Age is quickly becoming something special. I've resisted the urge to play either the first or second Mass Effect, but it kills me not to pick them up. Can't justify getting them when I already have two huge games to work through!
Work has been very busy, but we managed to get the latest revision of our flagship software out the door. So far it seems to be working pretty well, so that's a relief for all of us on the team. It is shaping up to be a very packed spring and summer as well, with many different projects on the go. Yesterday I worked on tourism reservation software, an online store, a 10000 image photo library, and a Flash-powered localization of Google Maps. Variety is the spice of life, they say!
I finally got to see "Avatar", after several attempts. It is a great movie and James Cameron is the master of making big things look BIG. It certainly isn't my favourite movie ever, but I really enjoyed it. Tammie and I were kind of squished into the first row of the theatre, so I may go back again just to see it from a little better vantage point. There are definitely moments when you forget that 90% of the movie doesn't exist anywhere except inside a computer. Fantastic synchronization between the cast and their digital counterparts. We saw "Inglourious Basterds" a few days ago as well. It sucked, so not much more to say on that one. I somehow also ended up in the theatre to see "Up in the Air", which also sucked. But my faith in film was restored by watching Pixar's "Up". I loved that movie way more than I imagined I would, and it is probably my second favourite Pixar film after "Finding Nemo".
Oh yeah, I suppose this is going to be the first official post on the revised DigitalWanderer.net, which makes it kinda special. Not sure what I'm going to do with the place this time around, but it was time for a fresh coat of paint. Check back for new additions as I get the place tidied up!
Randy
Another Year Closes
Dec 29, 2009
So we just made it through Christmas and are enjoying a little snowstorm tonight. The winds are really howling and quite a bit of snow has fallen. There was practically no snow for Christmas, but I guess winter really hasn't started yet. The holidays were fun, and we all got lots of goodies. Samantha made out like a bandit, and her playroom is filled to the brim with stuff. Luke has been his generally calm self, and likes to take naps between the festivities. If we could just get his bedtime a little earlier, he'd pretty much be the perfect little baby. Well, except he is going to eat us out of house and home. At his one-month checkup he weighed the same as an average 3-month-old. Big little boy! I had a few days off from work, but we are so busy that I am back working over the few days between Christmas and New Years. I have quite a few projects due in January and am really pushing to get them all checked off.
So I haven't gotten too far in Dragon Age: Origins yet, but the parts I have seen are awesome. I also got The Witcher for Christmas, so my RPG goodness meter is filling up. I don't know where I'll get the time to play through them, but I am sure some of those dark winter days will be let me get a few hours in. My boss got me an Xbox 360 for Christmas (along with some other awesome goodies), so I picked up Rock Band 2 for it. Tammie really wanted to play Rock Band: Beatles, so we've spent some time with that when the kids are in bed.
No running recently, which has kind of gotten me bummed. It's hard to find the time and energy with the two little ones and the holiday rush. As I mentioned, work has really been eating up time too. I'm hoping come mid-January I'll be able to get the shoes back on a bit more regularly. I am definitely getting out of shape!
So with only a few days left in 2009, it looks like another eventful year. I changed jobs, had my second child, and bought a new house. Go big or go home! I'm hoping 2010 will bring us as much prosperity, but maybe without quite as many big changes. Only time will tell. Happy holidays to everyone and I hope you have a great New Year! Don't party too hard.
Randy
Welcome to the Family!
Nov 19, 2009
A few days ago I welcome into the world my son, Luke. He joins my beautiful daughter Samantha as my second child. My wife joked about how big he was the whole pregnancy, but she turned out to be completely right, as he weighed more than 10 pounds at birth. He's healthy and happy, and has his grandmothers completely smitten with a single cuddle. Thankfully my daughter thinks the world of him thus far, and can't get enough hugs and kisses from him. It wasn't too long ago that I went through this baby thing, so I can guess at some of the trauma to be inflicted in the months to come, but each child is very unique. So my wife and I will brace ourselves for those first six months and hold on for dear life. Thankfully we have lots of help and support from our families and friends, and that will certainly make things easier.
I ran the 10k race in mid-October as planned, although I ended up having a horrible flu race weekend. I almost bailed on the race, deciding in the end to drug myself up and get out there for good or for bad. I placed 8 out of 299 competitors, which is one of my best finishes ever. My overall pace was good, although I was not really close to a personal best. My lungs were not there for the last few kilometers, but I think all my training helped combat some of the fatigue from the sickness. In the end, I could not have run faster and I was pleased with the race overall. So running is pretty much on the backburner for a while, especially with the arrival of Luke. But hopefully come spring I'll be able to ramp back up again for another season.
I recently picked up Dragon Age: Origins. I am only a few hours into it, but it really is fantastic. I can't imagine an RPG fan not enjoying it. It has a very cinematic feel, and you're always questioning whether or not your last choice changed the outcome of the game you are playing. The graphic and effects are strong, if not revolutionary, but that's not why you play a game like this. I'm hoping I still have the same impression as I near the completion of the game. I also picked up Half-Life 2: Episode 2 recently. It is another solid expansion to Half Life 2 and I really enjoyed it. Now if Valve ever abandons Left4 Dead and gets back to Half-Life 2, we might see the final episode before I'm too old!
We had to replace a skylight in our house very recently. It was leaking and causing some other damage to the walls and stuff. Very expensive endeavor. I am also expecting a fairly large bill for some car repairs this month too, which sucks. Oh well, at least the car is paid for. We were hoping to take a family trip this year a little farther afield, but these unpredicted repairs might deplete some of our travel fund. I think we'll still try and get out somewhere, but it may be much closer to home. It's nice to own stuff, but it's also expensive to own stuff. Especially when you are a bit clueless on how to fix anything, like I am.
Well, the kids are quiet, which means it is time for the parents to try and sneak in some sleep time. Tomorrow is my last day of baby-home-time before heading back to work. We're really busy at InternetWorks, so they're be no rest for me at home or at work. Oh well, there are worse things than being busy, that's for sure!
Randy
Cool Runnings
Oct 6, 2009
October has rolled in and brought with it some cool and wet weather. I am currently training for a 10k race in mid-October, so that's made for some chilly runs. The 10k will likely be my last serious run before our new baby arrives, so I am trying my hardest to be ready. I've been following a training schedule I picked up from Hal Higdon's site, and am enjoying it thus far. The interval training is the least fun, especially when you get up to 12x400m, but I think it has helped get me back in game shape. When it all comes down to it, my time in the race will be determined larger by the weather, but I can be as ready as possible.
And speaking of the new baby coming, we are closing in on our due date. We're about three weeks out right now, and Tammie is having a really tough time. The pregnancy with Samantha was rough for her, but this one is even worse than before. Nothing serious that requires medical attention, just day after day of pain, discomfort, tiredness, nausea, and general yuckiness. I do my best to keep things going when she needs some extra downtime, but that is definitely more challenging with Samantha wanting extra time and attention too. It's just part of the challenge of raising a family, and nothing that many other dads have not encountered. We'll make it.
Things continue to be quite busy at work. I knocked off several large projects over the summer, and am now into a re-build of one of our core applications. I am learning a ton about PHP and how it is only kind of object-oriented. I'm hoping to get a good chunk of it done before the baby arrives, but we'll see how the scheduling all works out. I also finished a rebranding of our company's website very recently. The previous version had been sitting around for a few years and needed a new direction, so I went with what I thought would be a fun theme. Basically, we're all special agents that form of a crack team of web development experts. The whole shebang can be viewed at InternetWorks.
I was really hoping that I'd have Starcraft 2 to help soothe me during the first few months of sleepless nights with the new baby, but alas Blizzard has delayed it until 2010. I recently re-tried Dungeons and Dragons Online since it was re-launched as free to play, but can't say I fell in love. It's not a bad game, but it still lacks the immersive world feeling that World of Warcraft has. It is very much like Guild Wars, where content is disconnected and you don't see other players as often as you'd expect. I was thinking of maybe scooping up a copy of The Witcher, but we'll see how things go over the next month or so.
Well, I am going to go watch "Superman and Batman: Public Enemies" before bed. Nothing beats a little superhero action!
Randy
Mid-Summer Summary
July 13, 2009
Here we are in mid-July, and it hardly feels like summer has started. We've had a little bit of nice weather, but lots of cool and wet days. I haven't been running very much, only completing two races all year. But I have been getting out most weeks for 3 runs or so, which at least means I am in some semblance of shape. I've been battling a cold for a few weeks now, which is very unusual for me in the summer time. I guess my frail immune system is no match for the viruses that Samantha keeps bringing home from daycare! Tammie and I also had food poisoning recently, which was all kinds of fun. We had to take her to the hospital to get her fluids back up, and thankfully it was short-lived. Speaking of which, Tammie is starting to feel a little better during this pregnancy. For months and months she was sick all the time, but now it seems rarer and rarer. She's still extra-tired, but that's to be expected.
Samantha just turned two a few days ago, and we had a big birthday party for her. It is amazing that she is two years old already, as it didn't seem so long ago when she was just a little baby. She enjoys singing and swinging, and can make jigsaw puzzles on her own. She is definitely developing into her own person, with her own likes and dislikes. One of the dislikes right now is going to bed. Takes a while to get her all settled and to sleep, but I shouldn't be surprised. I was and still am a horrible sleeper.
Work has been super-busy. We are working on several web and Flash applications for TourismPEI, and I am trying to close out two of them before the end of this month. One of them is the ambitious touch screen application I've referred to before (which ended up seeing multiple delays). It's a challenge from a design and programming perspective, and I've migrated all my work to ActionScript 3.0 and Flash 10. The combination is very powerful, but requires re-learning a lot of the stuff I knew from ActionScript 2.0. It's important to me that I keep my skills up-to-date, as otherwise the tech world just passes you by. I've also been delving back into PHP-mySQL development recently as well. I slapped a new coat of paint on the Sketchjam website, doing the grunt work with PHP instead of Flash. Not only do you need to keep current, but you also need to be diversified.
The last movie I went to go see was "Terminator: Salvation", which sucked. I had such high hopes for it too. My World of Warcraft time is up for the summer, so I probably won't log back into there until the Fall. There are so many events to go to, and projects around the house to complete, so I won't be missing the distraction. Tammie and I had a good time in Halifax for our anniversary, and enjoyed Cirque de Soleil. Not 100% sure it was worth the money we spent on the tickets, but it was a very entertaining show. I'd love to take some more time off for a few summer adventures, but work is just too busy to get something together. Plus I'm saving vacation time for when the baby comes in November.
Well, speaking of work, I have some touch screen optimizations to complete, so I best get to them. As my boss would say "Excitement, she wrote!"
Randy
I Conquered the Tree!
May 23, 2009
After quite a cold and wet spring, we have finally had some warm and sunny days. I won't declare that summer has arrived just yet, but there is at least a hint of it in the air. In most years, I would be back into my running routine by now, but I have barely managed to get out once a week. There is just so much to do at work and at the house that I just haven't been able to find the time and energy. As with any homeowner, the list of things to do around your property seems never-ending, and one project often opens up another. But we've getting lots of things done, and it is nice to see the place really becoming home for my family. Back to running, I think this year I will try and focus on shorter distances, since it seems unlikely that I'll be able to carve out the necessary time for longer runs. I'll probably be doing a lot less racing this year as well, but there is always next year to get back into the competitive mode.
Work has been very busy, and it looks like we have lots to do right into the summer. Right now I am working on a touch screen application that will appear in Visitor Information Centres. It's an interesting challenge because you have to abandon a lot of the fallback conventions used in web-design and consider the application at a more basic level. I'm pretty happy with how it is coming together, and can hopefully get it launched in the next few weeks. I've been feeling the artistic bug biting at me lately too, although I haven't really been able to sit down and play with too much visually (outside of work). I got it in my head the other day that I wanted to draw a series based on Golden Age comic book characters. They would appear in their original costumes, but drawn in a more modern style. I've been reading the original 1939-1940 runs of Superman and Batman, so that theme is caught up in my head right now. Anyways, I'll post some stuff here if I get anything done.
The summer movie blockbusters are upon us, and I have seen "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and "Star Trek" so far. I really enjoyed "Wolverine", even if some of the characters (especially Deadpool) were not that faithful to the comic. Hugh Jackman does such a good job as Logan. "Star Trek" was a pleasant surprise, and is a fantastic reboot of the franchise. It pays homage to the original, but gives itself enough new direction to be its own entity. Next up will be "Terminator: Salvation", which I have high hopes for. I had no interest in the Terminator series until Christain Bale became attached to it. I expect that "Transformers" and "G.I. Joe" will be complete train wrecks, but I'll still be going to see them.
Tammie and I are going to see Cirque du Soleil in Halifax in a few weeks, as part of our anniversary celebration. It'll be nice to get out of the province for a few days, and I think the show will be fun to watch. With all the housing expenses and our second child on the way, it's a modest trip that we can afford. Tammie is absolutely addicted to "So You Think You Can Dance", so she's pretty excited to be seeing one of the world's elite dance troupes.
Well, it's been a busy day of yard work, so I think a little World of Warcraft is in order and then off to bed!
Randy
Long Time No See
Mar 18, 2009
Okay, I am pretty sure this is the longest I've ever gone without some kind of update. A lot has happened since December, and the hits just keep on coming!
Firstly, we sold our mini-home and bought a beautiful house closer to our work. It's a bungalow with lots of room and an amazing sunroom on the back. Samantha has claimed that as her playroom, but some day it will be a nice retreat for Tammie and I. We are close to the city core, but a small river runs behind our house, so we have no neighbors in our backyard. I have office space again, which is fantastic, since I'm kind of the creative type that needs a little space for that kind of thing. We're still getting it into shape, but so far we love it.
Also in the big news department I have changed jobs. I know works as web designer for InternetWorks, a small web-shop that has deep ties with the tourism industry here. I'm kind of the interface guy, doing everything from designing shopping carts to self-serve kiosks. It's very busy right now, and has been fun and challenging. I spend a lot more time thinking about design-type issues than I am used to, but am starting to get geared up and a little faster with each decision. There are some pretty cool projects coming down the pipe too, especially some Flash-specific ones. As much as I enjoy basic web-design, working on the application type stuff is the most challenging and rewarding.
I'm still working my way through the new expansion content in World of Warcraft, and it's been a blast to group up with some friends a lot more than we did during the first expansion. We get together at least once a week to run some dungeons, and I'd say we are getting pretty good at it. My orc hunter has some pretty nice gear and lots of achievements (my main WoW weakness right now), and I can see keeping the account alive for at least a few more months.
I ran my first race of the year on Saturday, even though it was literally my fourth run since Christmas. I am definitely not in game shape, but it's been really hard to get the time to get outside. I'm going to have to do a better job, or else I am going to get fat and lazy. And I definitely don't want to be the scrawny guy with the big belly, nosiree.
Well, I am off to finish a Watchmen sketch that I started. Great movie, even if it doesn't have the mass appeal of a Spider-Man or Batman Begins. I'm very excited about the new Wolverine flick!
Randy