I have been spending a considerable time with my friend Meadow. We went to grade school together.  I really enjoy talking to her.  I wish that we had taken the opportunities in school to get closer, but we didn’t, so it’s all good.  I am just really glad that we are now.    She and I have a lot in common, and have a lot of similar issues, so it really comes as no surprise that the powers-that-be decided to bring her back into my life at this point, as I am actively changing and moving on from my demons… and she is too.  In talking to her about some things, it is like I am talking to myself.  I am telling her the same things that I should be telling myself…  and that is good.  It is also good to have someone in the same boat – someone that understands.  I am not alone in the feelings I have, and there is a tremendous amount of comfort in that, and it helps re-enforce the truth that I am not weird, subpar, or otherwise inferior to those around me simply because the circumstances and situations that make up my history have tainted my outlook for so long.  I just have dwelled on it and not moved passed it when others have.  Of course others’ lives have been different, too…  some are easier, some are harder, but they are all different and we all just have to “grow a pair,” deal with it, and move on. 

I have kinda taken a break from working out like I have.  I wasn’t going ALL that much, but some things have come up, some time has been taken away from when I would normally work-out, and a slight break never hurt anybody.  I am still losing weight, and I am still eating SO much better than I ever have…  so it is all good.  It is not the end of the world if I do not work out for a couple of weeks.  I plan on going back on next Monday.  We’ll see how it goes.   So far, though, according to my scales this morning, I have lost a total of 48 pounds so far.  I started at 274 lbs on Nov 1, 2009 and today, I weight 226.  I am SO proud of that progress and I know that I will continue that momentum.  I think that when I hit 50 lbs, I am going to have a party. and eat!  Heck… I will have earned it.

Nashville in Harmony is still going well.  We finished the promotional materials for the most part, and the poster is at the printer, so that is good.  Just a few more tweaks to work out, and we will be all done.

I have decided to stop sharp-blogger.  I came to this decision after realizing that I was just re-inventing the wheel.  I think that I am going to morph sharp-blogger from a blog system to a C# blogging programmer’s reference where I, and others, can collaborate on C# projects.  Heck, I may just make Sharp-Blogger my site for technology blogs.  IDK.  I know that I am going to split out bretthperkins.com and brett :: open source.  Maybe I will move brett :: open source to sharp-blogger?!  Anywho, I am going to use the ‘Blog Engine .NET’ framework as my primary content management system and build a custom site around that.  It will be significantly less work with an identical payoff, so it is a win-win.

With that, it’s now pretty much 1:00 so I should get back to work.  I’m playing in Info Path.  And it kinda sucks.   BUT… it is work… and I wanted work.

-=brett=-

Nashville in Harmony started this weekend, and I was pleasantly surprised.  I have a bad habit of getting ideas in my head about what something will be be before I actually get somewhere, or see something.  And NiH (Nashville in Harmony’s abbreviation) was no different.  While I had seen media online about the group that would completely invalidate my thoughts of the group, I still had the thoughts that this choir would be a great group of people that put forth an honest effort at singing, sing, and move on.  I thought that it would be mediocre at best…  and I could NOT have been more wrong.  These people are serious, and I am so fortunate to be a part of their ensemble.  As it stands now, we are in the top 3 of the largest community GLBT and Friendly choirs.  There is a focus, a goal, a vision, and organization.  And above all else, there is a tremendous pool of talent.  The family here is diverse, special, and you can really feel the love coming from these people, and I know that I will be a part of it for a long time.  I did know a couple of people going into this, but not well, but I have more than made up for that with all the friends that I have met so far.  The choir is 114 members strong, very large for a community choir, and we are growing.  This season is going to be a lot of fun, the music selections are fantastic, and the director is awesome!  I could probably go on forever, so I think that I will just stop there. 

I actually had some time this morning to work on Sharp-Blogger, which was awesome. I have almost completed the Common portions of the code that will handle event logging and exception handling.  This is the biggest part to build in the underlying structure as all of the parts will build from this part of the system.  I think the other areas will fall in place rather quickly and I will be able to build the administration console.  Once that is done, all that will remain is the view model (loading the data into the site so it can be viewed).    I wish that I were further along that this at this point, but it is all good.  I am MORE than happy with where the remainder of my time is being spent.

And that is about all.  I guess I should head to bed.  I want to get to work AT 7 tomorrow, which means that I have to be up and out by 6:15.

-=brett=-

To prepare for the season, I have been recording myself on my phone while driving, then listening to it and picking out when I don’t sound right and working on my trouble spots.  I have not actually paid attention to my voice, in terms of proper sounds, in a long time.  I love to sing, and I do that quite frequently, but I never really analyzed anything after I stopped singing in Choir at MTSU.  I am hopeful that once I get back in practice, and get around other singers, I will start remembering all those tricks and techniques and begin working with Eric on his voice.  It will just be a challenge for both of us to find the time to rehearse.  We’ll get there, though.

I have kinda stalled on Sharp-blogger…  I still think that I have done a LOT and I am pleased with my progress, just really need to find time to focus on it.  I think that buying the new desk will help.  I am going to develop the program on my desktop at home, and while I loved my old desk, I had never REALLY worked on it, or spent a lot of time actually coding, writing, or otherwise attempting to focus using that desk.  What was wrong with the old desk is that it was not designed for more than one monitor.  I was able to make it work, though… and make it look nice, but in the end, it just was not right.  The monitors were too high, I couldn’t sit with my legs under the desk, I was really far away from the monitors, and the desk surface was too high.  I was always re-adjusting the monitors, removing and adding the keyboard drawer, and otherwise fidgeting with the desk, and I spent more time doing that then actually working.  I am reminded of Ellen when she sits at her desk to work.  She will say that she should write, then she will sit at the desk and look around and say, “Wow, that’s dusty.  I can’t work when my desk is that dusty.”  So she will go get a rag to dust, then on the way to get the rag, she will pass the cat on the stairs, pet the cat, then get a call from a friend…  and never actually work.  Ok… so maybe my real problem is procrastination.  lol.  *shrugs* whatev.  I still like  my new desk.   It may seem trivial, but a good work space is necessary to do good work, and now I have that, and there is less to fidget with, so I should be set.  In theory.  lol  I am still on track to have a beta ready to test by late spring.

My diet is still coming along…  have lost close to 30 lbs now…  and going to the gym more will hopefully yield faster results.  I have also started traversing the staircase at work 5 times after lunch every day.  It is not much, but I think that it helps in fueling my metabolism, which helps me burn more fat in my idle time.  However, I am growing more and more impatient with myself, so I must take this opportunity to remind myself that it took YEARS to get as big as I was, so it is not going to all fall off overnight!  To myself:  “Get over yourself!  You are doing GREAT!!”

And with that, I suppose I should get to work.  I am building an Active Directory Test Query app at work so we can troubleshoot Active Directory bugs and communication problems.  It is coming along fast and I am learning a TON about Active Directory.  Forests and nodes and principals oh my!!

-=brett=-

Carolyn –

Carolyn is getting better, which is good news indeed. But it is different this time because Dad actually called us all to tell us that she was there. It is, of course, not her first stint in the hospital. She has been there many times before with various “smoking-related” health problems. She is a smoker and over the last few years, it has all caught up with her. Usually, Dad just takes her to the hospital, they stay for a bit, she gets better, and they come home. Dad usually doesn’t even call us (my siblings and I), as I suppose he feels like it is not that serious (Although, I would prefer he call, regardless of severity, but that is another entry). This time, though, he did call, which leads me to believe that these visits are becoming more serious… and I don’t handle loss and death very well. I will not remark on fortune thus far in life, for good luck’s sake… I will just leave it at my dislike for loss. Anywho… back to now: She is doing better, after a scary Saturday night… Dad told me this morning that she may be able to come home on Thursday. He asked me to help get the house ready for her, and to get some things together to occupy her time and mind because this time, coming home also means no more smoking. He is settled and convicted to making sure that Carolyn actually QUITS smoking. NOW. To this effort, I pledge my support unconditionally. And for all those that read this, and have any direct interaction to Carolyn’s life, I am asking for your commitment as well. There are several smokers in the family, and it may be very easy to say “Okay” if Carolyn asks for a cigarette, or even just a puff. Please honor Dad’s wishes and say no, and accept my sincerest gratitude in advance. For the other smokers in the family… I am asking you to reconsider the choice to continue. I am SO grateful that my Mom decided to quit year ago. There is no way of knowing how things would have turned out had she not, but my belief is that things are better. I do not want to see another person for whom I care suffer they way Carolyn is now, and I can probably safely bet that everyone else feels the same way. I feel myself getting close to my “Stop-Smoking” soap-box, so I digress. We all know the outcome. I just pray that informed decisions are made.

Moving onto other things:

Sharp-Blogger: Is WELL underway. I created the database over the weekend and began the creation of the Stored Procedures to retrieve and send data to the Database. For those reading this with limited knowledge of Database Design, think of a Stored Procedure as a “door” and the database as a building with many rooms. To get into a building’s room, you have to use a door. Data is stored in the various “rooms” and “doors” must be built to every room in order to enter or exit. Once this is done, I will be able to build the actual content code to accept and display data from the Website. My goal is to complete the stored procedure creation by the week’s end. Then, I will take the weekend to build the code layers and content logic. Once that is done, I will begin the website design. I am SUPER-EXCITED about this site, although I am detecting more complexity than I anticipated. Luckily, the world today has a wealth of information on the Internet… and I am able to look up how people solve their problems and incorporate their solutions. Of course, the plan is to also document my methods as well, so I can afford the next developer the same privilege as my predecessors.

The Audition: for “Nashville in Harmony” is tomorrow at 7:40 P.M. and I am REALLY excited about that too. Of course, with Sharp-Blogger, I doubted if I should continue with the plans to join this musical group. I juggled it in my mind, and I decided that I should. There is something dangerous about having a hobby, Sharp-Blogger, that consumes too much time. I could potentially burn-out and/or lose interest… which puts the project at risk. This group will give me the time away from Sharp-Blogger that I anticipate I will need. Plus, I like to sing, and am very rewarded by that, as well as writing programs… so it is a win-win!

Balance: Like I said in the last paragraph, I just have to really make sure that I am keeping my ADHD-like mind hopping. So bouncing between movies with friend, Sharp-Blogger, Work, and Singing, I should be OK to NOT burn out. Just gotta keep the cycle going… and get BACK to the Gym!!

And, that is about all that is on my mind. Work continues to be a wash, so I keep learning and doing what I can. Maybe soon, I will be given more to do here, not that I am complaining.

-=brett=-

• Singing
• Writing Music
• Writing in general
• Technology Enthusiast
• Software/Web Development

So… now that I have time, I am going to really start focusing on my hobbies!

Next Tuesday, I am going to audition for a musical group in Nashville named “Nashville in Harmony”. It is a choral group made up of men and women. It is an LGBT and LGBT Friendly group, so maybe I will be able to meet some more people in the LGBT community. I am also beginning to write music again. I did this for a while in college, and think that I can be really good at it, just need to work on it more. Unfortunately for that hobby, it is on the bottom of my list.

My number 1 hobby has been, and will likely be for some time, writing and developing software. And since I like writing, it makes sense for me to build a blogging system first. So I am. With that decision, though, came MUCH realization that I know VERY LITTLE. Okay… I know more than I thought, honestly, but there is SO much more out there to know that sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed. I just have to make sure that I take a minute each time I begin to stress and remind myself of two things: 1) This is a hobby, so don’t let it get to you and 2) It’s okay if it takes longer than you wanted. It’s a hobby! At least, though, I can chronicle what I have learned thus far in my research and development experience:

Stuff I already know:

• Site Visual Design
  • CSS and HTML
  • Proper Layout Design
  • Java Script
  • JQuery
  • AJAX
  • Telerik
• Site Functional Design
  • ASP.net Administration
  • Site Configuration
  • Membership and Roles (Access Restriction)
  • Database Connection
  • Interfaces
  • Objects
  • File System and Folder-level access
• Site Code-behind
  • C#
  • VB.net
  • Database Connection
  • Database
  • Schema Design
  • Implementation
  • Connection to ASP.net and the Web
  • Using custom DB for Membership and Roles in ASP.net
• Third Party API
  • Facebook (Still learning)

Stuff that I really still should learn prior to, and I guess realistically during, the development of the blogging site:

• Site Visual Design
  • Flash
  • Silverlight
  • Browser Customization and Optimization
• Site Functional Design
  • Database driven Site Mapping
  • Site-map based access rules
• Database
  • Proper T-SQL/Stored Procedure Creation
  • Optimal Indexing
• Third Party API
  • Twitter
  • Myspace
  • Anything else to which I can connect
• Many things that I do not yet realize that I do not know.

So with that… Tonight, I believe that I will begin documenting the structure of the site. That structure should include:

• Database Schema and Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD)
• Object Definitions
• Stored Procedure Definition
• Data Flow Diagram
• Draft UI (User Interface) Design
• Development Controls to use
• File System Mapping
• Access Role and Rules

I think that I am going to start with the Database design. Maybe I’ll even get the database built tonight.

Sorry, this entry turned out to be more technical than I thought, but it was very helpful to write it out. Now I have a list from which I can work.

-=brett=-

Mom work – After I left work, I headed to mom’s where she made some left-over turkey and we had some broccoli and cheese.  It was good.  I am back on my diet starting today.  I kinda cheated ALL of last week… but it was Christmas.    I will likely cheat a little this week…  so I am going to prepare and allow for that.  But next week:  NO CHEATING!  kk.  Anywho, after dinner, we took down her Christmas stuff and packed it up.  I also played with the dog, Max.  Poor Max, though… he was playing outside the other day when his leash got caught around a bird bath, and the bird bath fell on his foot.  Staci, my sister, is going to take him to the vet tomorrow, I am sure he is fine, but he will NOT put his back paw on the ground, so he hobbles on 3 legs. It was cute when I came in, though, because Max was all happy, he grabbed his ball, and came to play, but then he remembered that he had a hurt foot, dropped the ball, and started whimpering.    Anywho, Staci came by with her daughter and husband to grab Max, my mom was dog-sitting.  Then I came home.

Dad work – After that, I spent about an hour on the phone with my dad.  His printer stopped working after I upgraded his computer to Windows 7.  Anywho, that is about all.  Eric and I are watching Disney’s UP.  It is SUCH a great movie!!! 

On second thought… I think that I will go back to doing nothing… if only I could. 

-=brett=-

At Kroll, it’s a totally different code world than school or Deloitte. They are a true Object Oriented (OO) shop with control over just about everything… at the part of Deloitte in which I operated, you were good if you used parameters and a stored procedure or two. At MTSU, we touched a little-bit on objects and practically wrote our queries in the “Button-click” event. Here, everything is so explicitly defined into objects and everything from the Databases is retrieved/stored using stored procedures.

-= Techno-babble Offshoot - For those that may read this with limited, or no, OO or Database knowledge, an Object is essentially a defined collection of data that can be passed from one method, or procedure, to the next as a complete entity. For example, instead of passing employee personnel attributes (name, address, phone, email, and fax) individually, an object allows for the aggregation of those attributes into a single entity, lets name that entity “Employee” or something similar. Once aggregated, that collection of attributes now makes up an Object; that Employee Object can be passed as one entity rather than the 5 individual attributes mentioned above. It is so much easier to pass objects than the individual attributes. When passing data from one method to the next, ( a Method is a sequence of commands to achieve a desired result) the order in which the data is passed matters, and minimizing the “things” required at the time of a pass is a huge way or reducing error and debug time. (Debugging is when you step through the code to make sure the code is achieving the desired result – it is also used in troubleshooting errors.) A Query is a block of structured text that allows for data to be retrieved from a data store , or database, based on selection criteria. A Stored Procedure is essentially a method used to retrieve a pre-determined grouping of data from a database. A Stored procedure accepts a parameter and acts as a barrier between the UI (User Interface) and the DB (Database). Stored Procedures prevent malicious text from being pinned onto a query as well as allow for a more controlled interface to the database. - End Offshoot =-

It’s a different world here, and I am glad that I understand how they are doing things…. And I am REALLY HAPPY that a majority of the “things” that I am seeing in their code is something to which I have already been exposed.

::COMING SOON::

nickel4free.com | a Nickel’s worth of FREE information about the Technology I use and my opinions about the coming technology trends and products. Be on the look out for new upcoming articles!

Well… back to my analysis of the programs at work!

-=brett=-

Night night!

-=brett=-

Hardware:
EVGA nVidia Sli Motherboard with up to 1600 MHz FSB
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ 2.4 GHz
4GB Crucial Ballistix Memory – Crappy Windows only uses 3…
EVGA Nvidia GeForce 9600GT 512 MB DDR3 Graphics Card, Dual DV-I
Antec 650 Watt Power Supply (enough power for a CRAP load of stuff)
Wireless N Adapter from Belkin
Western Digital 7200 RPM 1,024 GB Hard Drive
12x DVD-RW (Didn’t spend any money here.. I never burn anything)

Operating Systems:
Windows Vista Ultimate
Soon to have Leopard on a Dual-Boot (hopefully)

If OS X will not load for whatever reason, I expect that I will have Ubuntu as a dual boot.  IDK.

So, I installed everything last night, and it all went together with ease, but I am not happy with how jumbled the cables winded up being.  There was no way around it, unfortunately.  I got my old PC back together too, but for some strange reason it no longer boots.  IDK…  Whatev.  I am going to format it anyway.  It makes me sad, though, because I had some sentimental stuff on there that I REALLY wanted to keep, but for some reason, those files got encrypted and I could not move them to my new PC.  Everything else transferred right over.  Its not a HUGE deal, but it is frustrating.  I will try again after the 4th to get that computer to boot before I wipe it and start anew.  I actually had to spend a little more money than I wanted to on the PC, as the Power Supply that I already had did not have the cables for my graphics card.  So I went to Best Buy, grabbed up my power supply and I had to get one more thing, but I can’t remember… OH!!!  My wireless card.  I got one of those, too… And Nick was there in the lil car shop thing, and he is still cute, and Jeff said he was checking me out…  Maybe he was.  There is always awkwardness when I talk to him.  I will go back and see if he is there in a few days, maybe arrange for us to hang out or something. *slaps self to get back on track* 

Anywho…  the new computer is SMOKING fast on EVERYTHING!!!  And I am not even to the point where I am stopping useless processes.  I let everything run and its GREAT!!!  I think that I will actually even install some games on it this time and ACTUALLY use my graphics card!  I did forget to copy over my copy of Sound Forge, so I am going to have to go get that again, but that shouldn’t be too big of a deal.

I went to Wal-Mart today to get my grill and patio set.  I am excited about that!!!  We are having a grill-out this Saturday.  After we eat and it is dark outside, we’re gonna hit the fireworks tents and get some discounted fireworks.    Its gonna be fun.

As for work… where to start!!!  I am SUPER excited because they have concluded that I am finished with my training a week ahead of the rest of the group.  I start projects Monday and I will be working on training materials for some other groups within our facility on Monday.  That was SUCH a huge compliment for me.  I really like it there and the people just keep getting better and better.  I am really getting close to some people on my team, and I am starting to see the groups form.  You know how it goes.  But, that having been said, I am avoiding the whole group thing.  I feel like the more people that like me the better, and the second I start getting clicky with other people, I lose the advantage in terms of comradery and reputation.  I mean, I don’t expect that everyone will like me, and I certainly don’t like everyone there, but I know that I need to maintain the middle position if I am serious about moving up and moving up quickly.  I have already had about 10 different people tell me that I should be the one training, etc, etc….  Its REALLY hard not to let that go to my head and be one of those know-it-alls.  But for the most part, I am succeeding at that.  I just sit back and let people come to me if they need help, and I am not just SAYING anything to SOUND like I know what I am doing.  People there sometimes act like it is a bad thing to say, “I don’t know” and seek assistance.  I am not.  I am not some fool that is going to make mistakes because I am too proud or whatnot.  There are people there that are doing just that, and guess what?  They are f*cking up everything they touch.  *chuckle* Anywho, enough about that.

Tomorrow is going to be fun.  I am grilling out with my family at my sister’s. w00t!

-=brett=-

Doorbell rings. . .  I will post the rest later.

-=brett=-