Off By One

Well, it looks like I’ve got more reason to write than ever before. And I thought that going back to school was going to be a big deal and worth writing about. If only I’d known…

So, for the one of you still reading this that doesn’t already know — and I suspect that my readership has fallen to zero at this point — I’m going to be having a baby. Char and I will become parents on or around May 23 next year (if Ali has her way, it’ll be May 22, but I don’t know that we’ll be that obedient).

I’m … ambivalent about this. Anyone that knows me even a little knows well my feeling on the subject of my having offspring. I’ve never made a secret of it. But I can’t really cling to those feelings at this point, otherwise I’ll do far worse as a parent than my child-to-be deserves (speaking of which, since the Internet is forever, there’s a good chance they’re reading this. Hi, offspring!)

So, I’m reanimating this blog. I expect it’ll have a different tone than before, and don’t be shocked if there are posts that are either private or don’t allow feedback — this is likely to become a bit more of a public diary than a sounding board, but you’re all welcome to participate. Who knows, perhaps it’ll make things easier to adjust to.

Good morning.

As some of you may recall, once upon a time I started a blog called “schoolblog” based on my progression through the educational system. It was a tiny little side project, and really, it stayed that way all along. Now, or more specifically, yesterday, that process came to its conclusion at the U of A convocation ceremonies.

So, I’m done.

And, as has been increasingly obvious, so is this blog, at least as it currently exists. I don’t seem to have the impulse to write, and if the comment rate is any indication, what little I do write is not spurring conversations either. Given these two strikes, I cannot see myself having anything to say for a while.

I’m not getting rid of the domain, so it might come back at some future date, but in the meantime…

Good night.

Convocation is coming up in a very short time, and I’m pretty pumped about it. It marks the end of a long, long road, one that should have been shorter than it was. Better late than never is my motto at this point.

Mindless Self-Indulgence (a more fitting band name I cannot imagine) is playing this tuesday, and I’m gonna go see them with a whole horde of friends. I expect bruising, which will be fun.

France is coming closer. There might be some more news there, too, but I’m not 100% (98%?) sure of it.

Simon is kindly sending us to an opera! We’ll be seeing the Flying Dutchman, which is probably going to be really odd. I’ve never been to an opera, so I hope that they don’t have a dress code

Wow, am I lazy.

I mean, I can chalk it up to being a bit hung over, what with Brady and Mel not leaving til 4 AM this morning, but waking up at noon and realizing that I really don’t have time to go out, jump, and get home…

Bleargh.

I wish I had been a bit wiser, that’s all.

Had a great time with Eric and company at his bachelor party last night. This one won’t win any awards for hardcore crazy times, but that’s more my speed anyway. The entertainments included political snarkery, literary pretensions, laser tag, and Dragonball on the Wii. All of these things are good fun, and really, what would life be like without them?

I did, however, oversleep a bit this morning. I blame the fact that I’ve not topped 6 hours of sleep in any night for around a month, which is probably not doing my body any good whatsoever.

In other news, Mother’s day is coming, and I’m pretty stoked: I remembered!

Well, to the mildly obsessive-compulsive amongst you, or to the pop-culture archaeologists, I am so, so sorry to do this:

TV Tropes is the biggest timesink I have ever encountered. I recommend starting with shout outs or Jossed or, perhaps, a favourite show.

I’ve done just about nothing in the last two days but read this damned site. It even references Girl Genius!

Well, shit. Another week, another dry spell on the blog.

Actually, two weeks. My, how time flies…

So, I was in Omaha for a week doing some integration work for the team, taking the opportunity afforded by proximity to get some grotty little details hammered out and hopefully to sell my southern compatriots on the value of the tools we make up here. I think I was successful, but I haven’t heard a lot out of them this week (mainly because I’ve skipped the morning meetings, being disinclined to lean too heavily on the good graces of my carpooling coworker).

This past week…

Well, I’ve got a new respect for (and fear of) character set encodings. And, if you wonder what that means, there’s A) wikipedia and B) wikipedia.

Suffice to say it’s hellish, but I believe that the end is nigh. I think I’ve got the very worst of it nailed, and I hope to be on to something less nightmarish next week.

On an unrelated note, this pleased me in and of itself, and saddened me due to the reactions.

Zero
Nil
Zip
Nada
Null
Void

I’m done.

… days left in my degree.

This fills me with both apprehension and joy; the latter is for obvious reasons, the former is because the desire to get into school and the drive to finish it have been a major part of my life for the last decade. Who and/or what will I be, now that this goal has been achieved?

Time will tell.