New job, school about to begin
After 6 fruitful and fulfilling months at AuctionFloor.com I’ve accepted a position at a company in California! The company is MemoryTen (memoryx.com) and they are the world’s largest memory store. I’ll be working as a web developer (of course) and it’s going to be a wonderful fit. I’ve been doing some minor contract work for the company over the last few months so I’ve had a taste of what they do and I’m looking forward to the new position. I’ll continue to work from home so there shouldn’t be much of a change in that regard.
Kristen is also preparing to start school for the year. It has been a really wonderful summer having her here during the day with me while I’m working. Even though we don’t really interact much while I’m working it’s just nice to have her in the house. She’s also registered to start talking classes towards her masters degree this Fall. She’s going to attend Ball State and her class meets on Monday and Wednesday nights. It will be odd to be back in school mode again. I’m also hoping to take classes now and then to work towards my bachelors. Once she does get back into her school schedule I’ll probably start finding other locations to work from so I can get out of the house. Charlie’s was a pretty regular hangout last spring.
We’re planning to take a trip to Arizona for Thanksgiving this year, which I’m really looking forward to. We haven’t been out there in a couple of years, so I’m really looking forward to visiting with the family out there. I haven’t had the chance to take photos in Arizona since I became interested in photography so I’m also looking forward to traveling around and getting some photos.
Read MoreGetting ready for a road trip
Our plans have changed and rather than going to the New England area for our vacation, which is coming up one week from today, we’re going to take a road trip up to the Niagara Falls/Northern New York area. We’ve been trying to keep the planning to a minimum in hopes that this will be the most laid back and stress-free vacation we’ve ever taken. We know we’re driving and we know we’re going to see Niagara Falls, but other than that it’s up in the air. We’re leaving very early Saturday morning and are driving to New York, making any stops along the way to take in the scenery and any sites that might present themselves along the way.
I’ve been looking over the route on Google Earth and I feel very comfortable, as if I’ve made the drive in the past. Gotta love Google Earth. I spent most of this morning getting the car all cleaned up and prepared for the trip so hopefully we won’t mind spending so much time inside of it. I’ve always wanted to take a road trip and have never really had the opportunity until now, and I can’t wait.
So, do any of you have any ideas/suggestions of places we should see in the Niagara/Buffalo/Northern New York area? We’d love suggestions. I’m also planning to take my laptop and take LOTS of pictures so if we have internet access I may be posting some entries or photos along the way. Stay tuned!
Read MoreI’ve purchased a MacBook Pro, and I’m loving it!
Today I’m sitting in Charlie’s Coffee bar working. Last night I sat outside on the back porch and had a face to face conversation with my dad (and he’s in Arizona). I’ve finally taken the plunge and bought a laptop and it has been one the best purchases I’ve ever made. Now don’t get me wrong, if I didn’t work with computers for a living I wouldn’t have bought a laptop. However, seeing as my career, most of my hobbies and interests center around the computer, I thought it was a justifiable purchase. I was right.
Just over a week ago I decided that it was time to get a notebook computer. As much as I love working from home I did want the option to get away from the house now and then for some fresh scenery/air. Because I don’t like to use Windows any more than I have to, and all of my software is for the Mac, I decided that I needed to get a Mac notebook. I also knew that I would be running Photoshop, Dreamweaver and several other resource-intensive apps, so I knew that a MacBook Pro was really my only option. I did some research, read some reviews and went back and forth about which MacBook Pro to purchase. I even considered getting an older PowerBook so I could save a few $$, but after reading a few reviews I wasn’t confident that I could run the aforementioned power-apps with suitable speed. In the end I decided to get the 17�? MacBook Po and though it seems like a purchase geared toward a “bigger is better�? mentality, I assure you that my purchase was made strictly on logical grounds.
I ended up finding a couple of new and barely-used MBP’s on eBay for around $2500, which is almost $400 less than what I would pay if I purchased it directly from Apple or an Apple reseller. The one I decided to go with was the 17�? 2.33 Ghz MacBook Pro with a glossy display. It was free shipping and since it had already been opened (though never used) it was cheaper than some of the others.
I received the computer a couple of days ago and since then I’ve been in wireless, portable heaven. It’s amazing how much difference not being tied to a desk can make. Not only is it great for work and being able to get out of the house every once in a while, it’s also great to be able to sit in the living room and check my email or browse the web. It’s also more powerful than my PowerMac G5, which was surprising to me. I was expecting to sacrifice some performance for portability, but what I got was a portable powerhouse.
Look for me anywhere that offers wifi access around Wayne County.
UPDATE: If you care to see them, I have some photos of the “opening cermony”.
Read MoreThe state of things
2007 has been a year of big changes for us. I started a new job in February after leaving the position I had been at for nearly seven years, and we’ve both made some changes to our schedules to allow for a little more time to do the things we enjoy. I’m constantly aware of how different (and better) life has become in a very short time.
My work life has changed pretty drastically. While I’m still doing website development work the nature of the work is very different. I’m focused on a single website and finding ways to make it easier to use, a task that I very much enjoy. I’ve been able to dive deeply into the areas of development that I love and learn more about areas which I was less familiar. It’s a very interesting and creative problem space.
I’ve also been working from home since February which has been a very positive experience for me. I’ve found that it’s very easy to stay on task as long as I keep a set schedule each day, a suggestion made by some visitors to this blog. I start work at around 7:00am each day, usually catching up on podcasts or listening to music while I’m working. The glowing strawberry parfait candle and my monitor are the only sources of light for part of the morning. The mornings when I have a Lost podcast waiting for me are usually the best. It’s almost like I have company in the office while I’m working.
Despite the cautions of some others I haven’t really felt any kind of loneliness or cabin fever as a result of working from home. It’s probably due to the fact that I’m a pretty extreme introvert, but I really don’t mind the quietness or the fact that I’m inside the same room for most of the day. I actually… like it.
I’ve been reading “A Vulgar Display of Power�? a book about the murder of ex-Pantera guitarist “Dimebag�? Darrell Abbott, by Chris A. Chris is a good friend of guitarist Eric Loy (who’s website I maintain) and Eric kindly sent me an autographed copy of the book. So far it’s a great book though a very sad story. There’s actually a quote from me in the book on page 56 
In my spare time I’ve been working on a couple of side projects. I continue to work on Journler.com as needed and I’ve been doing some work on a custom WordPress template for MashupMedia. I’m also hoping to involved with some local organizations and volunteer a little. So many fun projects, so little time.
Read MorePlanning a road trip!
It has been quite some time since Kristen and I took a vacation together. Recently we decided that we were going to take steps towards taking a road trip somewhere early this summer. Well, this weekend we made it official and booked hotel rooms in Boston, MA. We’ve been wanting to visit the New England states for several years so this seemed like a prime opportunity to do so. We’re planning to drive to Boston, stay for a few days and then drive up to Maine. It’s going to be a great time!
We’re going to be staying at the Hotel Commonwealth while we’re in Boston and we’re really looking forward to it. I’ve been using Google Earth to find out what stores/restaurants/attractions are within walking distance of the hotel so we can find things to do without driving around. We are planning to drive around town but I’d like to take advantage of the nearby attractions as much as possible as to avoid the traffic. The hotel is less than a block away from Fenway Park and there just happens to be a home game against San Francisco the day we arrive, that should be fun.
We’re really looking forward to visiting lots of museums, great seafood restaurants as well as historical sites. I’m sure that my camera will get a workout. We’re planning to leave towards the end of June and we’ll be gone for around a week.
Read MoreStarting a new position
It’s hard to believe, but after over 6 years as web developer at Summersault I’ve accepted a new position. I appreciate so much the skills and abilities that I’ve gained during my time at Summersault and I will truly miss the day-to-day interaction with my co-workers and friends.
My new position is based in Indianapolis where I will be web developer for AuctionFloor.com. I’ll be doing mostly technical HTML and CSS work, which is my bread and butter, and I’ll also be doing some Javascript/AJAX work, which I enjoy a great deal. At least initially I will be working from home most of the time.
It’s a huge change for me and there’s going to be some adjusting that needs done, but it’s going to be a very positive change for us, many new opportunities.
You can read the press release on Summersault’s website.
Read MoreAbout Me
I'm a Christ-following website developer, filmmaker and songwriter. I love Jesus and love spending time and ministering to my brothers and sisters. I am owner/partner at Resonate Creative a creative services firm based in Fort Worth, TX and Systems Analyst at Gateway Church.
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