Slack’s Place

A real-time account of life among the Earthlings…

And, we’ve moving…

by Slack, on April 1st, 2011

Time for Slack to grow up and have a more ‘middle-aged’ presence rather than this 20 something space… Was it a 20 something space? At any rate, I’m moving over to http://AllenTrevethan.me for my personal blog now. No idea if I will be keeping up with it or not, but I have a lot of learning to do on the CMS and you know the best form of learning is doing, so here we go. :)

Fare Thee Well…

by Slack, on January 18th, 2009

Well, I’ve opened the Pandora’s Box that is C++. The pinnacle of programming as we know it today. From what I have heard it also carves out a piece of your soul when you learn it. Ok, that’s going overboard, but I do hear it carves out a piece of your social apptitude — and I must say that every C++ programmer I have met stands as an example to that statement. What? It’s true…

My wife purchased a C++ tome that I’ve had my eye on for awhile, and I cracked it open today to begin studying. I’m not sure what I expected to find in this tome, but so far I’ve come away with a slight distaste if not disrespect for C#. I also feel the pull of the Open Source magnet once again. I don’t think it would be prudent just yet to start moving back to that area, but again, I’ve come away with a broader horizon, and bigger picture of the way things are. The jury is still out on if I have what it takes to become the next John Carmack, or even a quarter of what skill that man possesses, but I’m certainly going to start down the road and see where it takes me. :)

PS: I’d like to apologize to my family in advance… I love you guys for supporting me during these times of intense study. :) You are my inspiration and the reason that any of this matters a damn. :)

The Transition

by Slack, on January 2nd, 2009

We’re finally in our new house, we have internet, and things are mostly put away and in their place. It’s been a long road to get to this part, but we’re finally here and glad to be here. Yes, I realize it’s not that big of a deal — the things we went through — but the weight of many little things is what I feel like we experienced.

Either way, we are now ready to start out new life, in our new house. I still don’t have my desk, so I’m working on folding tables, but, at least I have my precious internet back and Heidi can get her fix as well (don’t let her tell you she’s not as addicted to the internet as I am).

I still don’t quite feel recharged and ready to have at everything, but I think now I can start recharging again. This time, I will allow myself to do so, and not throw myself into a whirlwind of life changing events again. I’ve got one weekend left to enjoy the peace before I get back to work. I’m looking forward to getting back into the game, both figuratively and literally (I miss my Eve).

So, I think 2009 will FINALLY be our year! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

by Slack, on November 27th, 2008

Hey gang! I just wanted to wish everyone who reads this blog a Happy Thanksgiving! I hope both of you eat lots of food, drink lots of drink, and fight with your family — the way American Thanksgiving should be! :) In all seriousness, let’s all put aside our personal troubles and challenges, and come together to be thankful for all the things we have.

I’m thankful for my wonderful family. All of you are so very important to me, and I really should say so more often. You all love me anyway, and I’m thankful for that. I’m thankful for my job, and the ability to provide for my immediate family. I’m thankful for my family’s safety and health and a chance to get together to eat some good food! Even my hippy wife will have good eats today — yay side dishes!

It’s Ketchup Time!

by Slack, on October 27th, 2008

HA! I made a play on words… No, I’m not watching Pulp Fiction right now, but, hey, GOOD IDEA!

So, let’s play ‘ketchup’. Everything’s the same! I can’t believe I’m too boring even for a personal blog like this. Even *I* don’t want to read this drivel. But, I’m writing for posterity… It’s my generation’s version of a photo album and journal wrapped into one…

Ok, it’s not all the same. My Tito Rudy is in the hospital right now. I’ve been visiting with him, and with family that I haven’t seen in such a long time. I seriously regret my part in allowing that gap of time to pass between now and the last time we all had a chance to talk. Seeing Tito Rudy brings back some pretty heavy memories about my dad. I am, however, glad to see Tito Rudy in good spirits, very alert, and quite well it would seem. It’s nice to get the chance to talk with him, and with the family, so I’m am definitely grateful for that.

We’re still looking to take advantage of this down housing market, without shooting ourselves in the foot. The first house we put an offer in on, went into electronic bidding… What that means is, some other company out there is providing realtors/banks a means to put a house up for bid… And then charging them $5,000 per completed transaction — which of course the bank/realtor is passing off onto us. So, when that happened, we lowered our offer by $5,000 and were promptly out bid…

The second house we put an offer in on is MUCH better. We’re still waiting to hear back from that one. Hopefully we will hear on Wednesday — or sooner. It has a pool, fireplace, big office, great room, and none of that wasted space people seem to call the “family room”… or whatever.. You know, the space up front that people put furniture in and never use? So, we wait…

My mom is still in the Philippines and seems to be having a good time there. Eating good food, and catching up with her sisters. She has tasked me with purchasing for her the $79 18″ LCD Monitor for her computer. After pointing out that this delusion of her’s did not in fact exist, I will be more likely getting her a $179 19″ LCD Monitor. :D

Rhys and Heidi and I are fine otherwise. Just doing the do. :) We’re starting the process rolling on getting our house rented. Hopefully we will have some news on that front soon.

Stop Motion Musician

by Slack, on September 26th, 2008

Here’s a random hit I found on the internets. ;) Enjoy!

Stop Motion Musician