Finding the muse after so long
Posted by mcummings
It's been a good eight or more years since I put word to paper in an effort to actually write a story. I'd like to think I've learned a lot since then, but it seems there are some things I had to learn all over again.
Back in the day, I didn't make much, so we didn't have much in the way of fancy toys. My dream back then was to get a laptop some day - I'm a pretty speedy typist (true), so I reasoned if I had access to a laptop I could dash of a short story, or at least work on something, anywhere. It'd be great! But while we waited to hit that jackpot, I wrote by hand and transferred.
The sad part is, now that I have a laptop, the muse still only speaks to me best when I have a pen in hand (and not any kind of pen, but a pen where the ink rolls off the tip) and a notebook in hand. Bah - then why do I have so many ideas when I'm on the road??
So, to counter that, I thought I'd try out the record functions on my mp3 player today. Turns out my muse didn't like that too much either. While I have all of these ideas driving, desperate to be put down, trying to talk them out loud ended up with a lot of stammers and "oh, change that bit a little bit ago to this..." Not exactly conducive to writing if I'm trying to transcribe this and don't remember that I changed my mind six times later on.
So yes, that's what I'm playing with right now. That and gearing up for Katy's first day of Kindergarten next week, Tara's first birthday, and the wrap up of the big review at work. Joy!
Top 5 ways you know it’s time to retire from Gentoo
Posted by mcummings
5. You choose to watch Barbie Fairytopia with your kids instead of working bugs
4. You cron a cvs commit to tell you how far behind you are on your packages
3. You write scripts to track, test, and bump ebuilds so that all that is left is for you to nod and commit
2. You go from scorning to chortling when emerge -u is referred to as the gcc screensaver. Alas, if only it worked so consistently you hear yourself mutter
1. You install Ubuntu on your primary desktop because it takes too long to recompile portage (yes, it only takes a minute, that's the joke...)
Last rites, perl-dev/mcummings
Posted by mcummings
Yeah, its true - following this post, I took time off from Gentoo and spent it doing things like being with my kids, and getting my professional life back in order. Almost a month later and I realized that I was still pressed for time, and that's without Gentoo even being a factor. With that in mind, and the fact that lately I honestly haven't had the time needed to maintain a Gentoo system (I get about 4-5 hours of sleep a night, so there is no 'down time' that I can set my pc off to do updates in)
So I once again, and this time with finality, bid Gentoo a farewell. It's been a fun ride, and I hope to still be able to talk to the folks that have become my friends over the years, but I just don't have the time and will to keep it going.
Have fun, and thanks for all the fish!