"Finally" written by Carolinian on estrip.org

Category: iphone

07/24/08 09:08 - 66ºF - ID#45117

Finally

About damned time someone said it.

Permalink: Finally.html
Words: 10
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: suburbs

06/02/08 11:27 - 61ºF - ID#44526

To move or not to move

I've been contemplating moving out of the City of Buffalo to the suburbs of Orchard Park, which is where I work.

Pros:

- If I buy the right house, I can basically walk to work. I can basically cut at least $150 off my gasoline bill. Gas is killing me right now.
- The above would also be good for the environment.
- If I bike/drive, my commute is 5/2 minutes respectively. So I get home earlier and I have an extra hour to spend with my family.
- Ari would probably get a nice backyard to play in.
- Good school system

Cons:

- I love Kenmore. One of my less grandiose dreams is to live in a cute house in Kenmore.
- I like the city of Buffalo. I don't want to be thought of as "one of those wusses who moves to the suburbs".
- If the Suburban Collapse happens because of increased gas prices, the suburbs will be a bad place to live. Especially if I end up working in the city someday. The city will (possibly) have much better public transportation in the face of this event.
- A house in OP would probably be more expensive than one in Kenmore, and definitely more expensive than one in the city.
- OP is boring. The city has lots of stuff to do.
- A place with greater population density would have more kids for Ari to play with. I don't like the idea of moving to a neighborhood where there may not be many kids for my son to play with. I want him to have the social life I never had as a child.

Permalink: To_move_or_not_to_move.html
Words: 279
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: baby

05/07/08 01:07 - 53ºF - ID#44258

Name Redux

As of last sunday, Mr. Wiggles has been officially named Ari Nachshon.

Ari is Hebrew for Lion. We named him this because it was a name we could agree upon. Nachshon is from (WIKIPEDIA - Nachshon), a biblical figure who I've always admired since my childhood Rabbi gave a sermon about him doing great things even though he had a lowly name that meant "snake".

Ari is loud. And very, very demanding.

dcoffee writes at 03:41:56 07/18/08 - Comment #37162: Congratulations! Looks like a cutie. Despite being demanding I hope he's cuddly sometimes. I like the name too, it was hard enough choosing a name for our new kitties, I'm not looking forward to naming children.

museumchick writes at 11:50:50 05/11/08 - Comment #34994: That's a perfect name. I always thought Ari would be a good name for a boy!

tinypliny writes at 11:30:02 05/07/08 - Comment #34836: He looks awesome. His name sounds awesome as well.(and I mean it! I am just having a word-variety crisis because of (e:jon) viral video). It somehow sounds very much Indian and not Indian at the same time. :)

metalpeter writes at 06:42:34 05/07/08 - Comment #34821: I was going to make a Joke about if you named him after the Character on Entourage and what is kinda funny is then I read he is loud and Demanding just like the character. On a serious note for a second sometimes people really are like there names or vice versa. I was some place and they had these writings on paper it would say a persons name and then under neath maybe about a page of writing describing the person and a lot of them where right on about people I knew. Of course with things like that you notice the stuff that is spot on and forget the stuff that isn't like them. nice picture by the way.

jenks writes at 02:39:43 05/07/08 - Comment #34801: oh, thanks for posting this- I'd been meaning to ask!
Looks like he has a swollen eye- hope it's ok!!

libertad writes at 02:04:19 05/07/08 - Comment #34799: I have some friends that just named their daughter Aria Madea. I guess I could assume that means lioness?

mrmike writes at 08:52:18 05/07/08 - Comment #34790: Trust me, this is the easy part. And welcome to the world, Ari

drew writes at 08:33:11 05/07/08 - Comment #34788: Cool name. I liked reading about Nachshon (and feel bad that I didn't already know his story.)

lizabeth writes at 01:28:53 05/07/08 - Comment #34782: Ha! That's babies for you - loud and demanding. :)

Permalink: Name_Redux.html
Words: 72
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: politics

05/01/08 12:51 - 56ºF - ID#44209

Same Ol Same Ol

In response to (e:jason,44190) and (e:dcoffee,44207)

Politics has largely been about stuff tangential to real issues since its inception. We've actually progressed quite a bit considering that voters a century and half ago voted for candidates on the quality of their jawlines and candidates would routinely hold drinking parties to ply voters with booze (which is why alcohol sales on election days are banned in some places). And that's why we require a strong education system, because critical thinking is required to ignore the BS and objectively evaluate candidates' pre-political-compromise-plans for dealing with real issues.

Permalink: Same_Ol_Same_Ol.html
Words: 97
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: baby

04/24/08 09:38 - 59ºF - ID#44133

Baby's first week

Okay, so my first week of fatherhood is past me now.

We took the little guy home on the 17th. It became a little stressful when he had some difficulty feeding, but eventually stuff worked out. Right after he was born, he got jaundice, which he still has but which we're working to lower. Apparently, newborn jaundice is common, but it's a little upsetting seeing your son have yellow eyes.

(e:inscrutable)'s family came up and helped us with stuff, like laundry and keeping sane.

Lesson's I've learned:

- You really have to watch them every second
- While you want to be gentle with them, they're hardier than they look.
- The "you'll have to change them every several hours" warning is bullshit. You can change them and they'll go in the new diaper thirty seconds later, and another clean one thirty seconds after that.
- Never be more than five feet away from a pacifier if you lack the ability to lactate.
- Not being able to lactate doesn't mean they won't try to get milk from you anways.
- Having a new child is like meeting somebody new whose personality you're trying to figure out.

Permalink: Baby_s_first_week.html
Words: 198
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: baby

04/15/08 11:28 - 38ºF - ID#44024

Newest Peep

Born at 10:55AM, weighing in at 8lbs 8.8oz, it's Mr. Wiggles!

tinypliny writes at 08:02:24 04/25/08 - Comment #34409: Wow. How did I miss this wonderful post!! Congratulations on the tiny new and such a splendid little heir!!

leetee writes at 08:54:25 04/17/08 - Comment #33995: Congratulations!!

jenks writes at 07:28:57 04/16/08 - Comment #33988: aww, congrats. he's precious. and I love the little pooh hat.

museumchick writes at 05:42:21 04/16/08 - Comment #33983: Congratulations!!!! Your son is adorable, I'm really happy for you!

metalpeter writes at 05:16:12 04/16/08 - Comment #33982: First of all congratulations and since a few other people said it Happy Birthday.

Now for a little sillynes or maybe it isn't really silly. You said there is a new (e:peeps) and that his nickname is Mr. Wiggles . 1. Does the nick name have any thing to do with the singers/kids show the wiggles? 2. Will Mr. Wiggles also be his (e:strip) user name and if not what will it be? 3. When can we expect to read his first post (maybe in baby language about how he doesn't want a bottle he wants a big boy cup but he can't hold up his head yet so that isn't really an option for me yet). 4. Didn't you two have a cat that posted ? 4a. If that is correct will that cat start posting again and what is the cats view on the new (e:peep)?

In all seriousness congratulations and I wish all of you the best of health and wish you and the family well, I'm sure you will be a good dad. If I smoked I'd some a Cigar for ya so I'll smoke one in my mind.

carolinian writes at 12:52:00 04/16/08 - Comment #33970: He's a tax baby and we can't even claim him as a deduction this year. What a ripoff!

lizabeth writes at 12:37:07 04/16/08 - Comment #33968: ZOMG, bebeh!!!!!

Congratulations, y'all!!! :D SO cute!!!

Aw man, poor kid's birthday is tax day, tho'.

carolinian writes at 12:36:57 04/16/08 - Comment #33967: Mr. Wiggles is his nickname.

According to tradition, I'm not supposed to announce names until after eight days and the ceremony, to confuse either the Evil Eye or the Angel of Death or something else otherworldy and nasty.

His initials will be A.N.V.

The A can be found in Numbers 24:9

The N can be found in Numbers 1:7

jason writes at 12:10:08 04/16/08 - Comment #33964: Hi Mr. Wiggles! And congratulations, Dad!

james writes at 09:43:16 04/16/08 - Comment #33958: Is Mr.Wiggles named after someone? Your Uncle Mr.Wiggles perhaps?

Congrats.

terry writes at 09:31:36 04/16/08 - Comment #33955: Congratulations!

megan writes at 09:24:11 04/16/08 - Comment #33953: aaw he's beautiful! congrats!

jbeatty writes at 08:39:03 04/16/08 - Comment #33952: congratulations!

fellyconnelly writes at 08:30:54 04/16/08 - Comment #33949: HAPPY BIRTH!
wow congrats!

drew writes at 06:59:43 04/16/08 - Comment #33943: congrats!

imk2 writes at 05:11:27 04/16/08 - Comment #33940: oh wow! this is awesome...congrats.

ladycroft writes at 03:08:50 04/16/08 - Comment #33939: woah! happy birthday little guy!

let the parenting begin ;)

zobar writes at 12:20:35 04/16/08 - Comment #33937: Mr Wiggles.

I don't think that's a name that I would have picked, but if that's what feels right, then that's what you gotta go with. Congrats.

- Z

theecarey writes at 12:05:15 04/16/08 - Comment #33936: hello new lil (e:peep)! congrats to both of you :)

paul writes at 11:38:30 04/15/08 - Comment #33935: Congratulations! What's his name?

mrmike writes at 11:33:16 04/15/08 - Comment #33933: Congrats!

Permalink: Newest_Peep.html
Words: 21
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: work

04/04/08 05:24 - 43ºF - ID#43904

Frog Blast The Vent Core

Dammit, I need to let off some steam.

I'm trying real, real, hard for the image of my infant son relying on me for food and shelter to get me past the image of the enormous, ridiculous brick wall that my predecessor's built into what I'm working on.

I have tried my damnedest to redirect these people I work for around this problem, and every attempt I make to take the loaded gun they're pointing at their foot out of their hands has led to one more loaded gun they manage to somehow pull out of their cavernous desks/other spaces.

No matter what workaround I try, it's just not good enough for them. Yeah, I could easily make something new that would solve their problems now and in the next 20 years, but that's making something new, and that's something that they don't want to do, even if during the timespan of me modifying something old I could have made at least three new things twice as better.

People, please, momentarily stop rearranging the f'ing deck chairs on the Titanic long enough to understand what the heck a tradeoff is. Yeah, things are far from perfect. Yes, I hate the way I to get around them as much as you do, if not more-so. What I'm working on has been so enormously damaged and limited for so long by the people who came before me that it should be expected that there's a whole freakin laundry list of stuff that is going to suck and that you're going to have to put up with.

In the tradeoff, you accept having to deal with one thing for the ability to acquire another; in the case of this business, it's putting up with lack of explicit detail they so crave yet don't understand themselves in order to get what they want working at all. In the case of me, it's putting up with this situation so I get money to support my family.

Permalink: Frog_Blast_The_Vent_Core.html
Words: 331
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: life

03/14/08 05:30 - 47ºF - ID#43668

Opportunities

When a great opportunity drops into my lap, I sometimes don't take the maximum advantage of it that I could out of consideration for others.

I need to remember that when I do this, it's often because I'm acting like a wuss and I'm concerned about what others might think of me, and also often because I lack the confidence to make full use of such an opportunity.

What I need to remember most of all is that when I don't take full advantage of an opportunity and water it down out of concern for others, the opportunity is utilized in a half-assed way, and the opportunity:

1. Either completely fizzles out with the net effect of the opportunity being nil and me not having another opportunity like it for a very long time.

2. The opportunity blowing up in my face and possibly in the face of the person to whom I was trying to show consideration, because half of an opportunity can be more unstable and explosive than a full one.

3. Both #1 and #2

4. #1, #2, and the people around me being dumbfounded as to why I made such a half-assed decision.

I guess that the best way to deal with my latest experience with this is to turn it into a learning experience. Yeah, it cost me something, but I'll learn to be smarter the next time around.

Permalink: Opportunities.html
Words: 226
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: programming

03/09/08 08:18 - 22ºF - ID#43596

Longer Answer

To answer (e:jenks)' question, yes I'm downloading the iPhone SDK and I'll be trying to start writing iPhone applications. It would really help if I actually had an iPhone, but with a baby on the way, I've really been trying to justify it.

I'm not a very well-paid programmer, as I make less than a buffalo elementary school teacher, and once the little one comes into the world, I might as well have my employer do a direct deposit to my landlord, daycare, univera, whatever infant daycare provider I manage to find, and the bank that does my car payments; after those get taken out, we're eating and buying baby clothes off of (e:inscrutable)'s paycheck, which is about half of mine. I'm not going to complain, because people in some other area of the world would kill for 1/100 of what I have, but the situation has me scared shitless.

I probably will end up getting an iPhone, because I can justify it with trying to earn extra money for my family by developing and selling iPhone apps by whatever mechanism Apple sets up. I'm also studying Google's Android phone development environment, so I can enter something into their contest, which has some pretty lucrative prizes. There's so much crap I have to cram into my head to make money on the side, but the more I can cram into my head better off things will be for us.

Screenshot of estrip on a simulated Google phone

Permalink: Longer_Answer.html
Words: 250
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: job

03/07/08 02:19 - 32ºF - ID#43572

Dodged the bullet

Before I got my job in Buffalo, I was severely underemployed in NC and desperately looking for work.

I wanted to work for this one mobile content divider; they seemed cool, and I knew some people in the company who might put in a good word for me. I also really wanted this one social software engineer position at Apple. I got neither job, and ever since I came up here I always replayed in my mind the "what if they hired me" scenarios.

This week, I learned that the mobile company was laying off a lot of its staff and quitting the area I wanted to stay in.

I also read the blog by the guy who got the social software engineer position, and he says the position was pretty limiting.

I guess the point of this post is that it's kinda weird to look back and see the smoking craters of decisions I might have made if my life had gone exactly way I wanted it to, and to feel I'm lucky that it didn't.