Sam's L33t Journal

Con Decisions

2008-07-19T14:32:04Z

I've decided to go to Pi-Con in August.

On the professional side, I was considering attending the Business of Software Conference, which seems interesting and is in Boston, until I saw the $1.5k price tag. (That's for two days, and doesn't include food or accommodations. Guess the speakers are making some huge profits on this one.) I guess I could ask ITA about it, but it's probably too expensive to be a good value for them...

Plans and Progression

2008-07-18T02:30:25Z

I just heard about Pi-Con (Springfield, MA in late August), and I must say the line-up of guests and programs makes me awfully tempted to go. Unfortunately, I'd have to nail down that plan in the next few days or so. Going so soon after Confluence seems perhaps overly expensive, but I had planned to explore the con scene more now that I can afford to do so.

That aside, things have been same-old, same-old. Exercising heavily, adding highly engineered meal substitute to my diet (protein powder shakes don't taste great, but make me feel a bit like a spaceman), being super-confused at work and worried that this stuff will remain perpetually over my head, trying to get more sleep, trying to get more hours in at work, trying to make the most of my free time. Going on dates with people who are nice and cute, but where things never quite "click". Finding new activities to explore. Etc.

Computer Woes

2008-07-12T23:57:38Z

I'm recovering from a Windows-related mishap that started with my user profile corrupted and wound up with my entire user directory (including settings and documents) deleted. I was able to create a new account and mostly restore with a combination of backup (several months old) and an undelete utility. I didn't lose a huge amount of work, but I need to remember to keep my backups more current...

Not So Eventful

2008-07-10T04:33:35Z

I've been watching my diet this week and exercising a lot. My weight is fluctuating heavily (sometimes up and down several pounds in less than a day), so it's hard to tell if that's trending downward or not. My strength and endurance are gradually improving, though.

I'm still trying to meet new people. I'm going to a movie with someone who suddenly acquired a boyfriend after we first exchanged emails but before we had to chance to meet. It's like a first date where I come pre-rejected.

It's my birthday.

Unwinding

2008-07-06T17:03:08Z

I'm back from camp, and back online. Camp was much as I remembered it, with the exception of the food, which wasn't as good (trying to cut expenses, I guess). There was more rain than usual, but when it wasn't raining, the weather was amazing. I got in some kayaking, a bit of swimming, some quality time with my family (including some exciting chess games with Solomon), and a lot of reading. Took quite a few photos, too, which I'll post later. Not extremely eventful, but very relaxing.

Reading list, for the interested:
Flushed: How the Plumber Saved Civilization by W. Hodding Carter
Sundiver by David Brin
Zanesville by Kris Saknussemm
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
Pattern Recognition by William Gibson
The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace
A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon

Saturday evening I spent with friends in town: DJ, Ginneh (back from California), and Aasted. We went to see Hancock (better than expected, with parts of the plot genuinely surprising, a sort of meta-surprise), then to the Sunset Grill and Tap. I was hungry enough to look at the food menu this time, and the selection there is as impressive as their selection of drinks. At Aasted's suggestion, I tried their peanut butter and jelly sandwich (billed as the peanut butter and jelly "experience", on Texas toast with honeyed fresh-ground peanut butter and strawberry preserves). It is indeed quite something, taste-wise, although I would have preferred the toast crisper; the sandwich seems ideally calibrated for those who like their peanut butter sandwiches soft and messy. I also had a "flight" of beer, four different choices from their interesting selection in five-ounce tasting glasses. Was a wonderful evening.

Technology On and Off

2008-06-27T03:54:14Z

I went to the Boston Lisp Meetup on Wednesday, which was pretty good. The main talk was on implementing run-time contracts (type-checking or otherwise) in Scheme, a necessary component in a system that uses partially typed Scheme (PDF). In particular, it covered the tricky problem of implementing run-time type contracts for parametric polymorphic functions.

On a diametrically opposed note, I'm going to Sandy Island Camp on Lake Winnipesaukee (map) with my family all of next week (Saturday to Saturday), which means I'll be without phone, computer, and internet. That bit makes me grimace, but I'm still very much looking forward to it, and I'm sure the periodic detox is good for me in the long run.

Health Food or Not

2008-06-23T01:49:58Z

Dinner was delicious, healthy, and refreshing (it's really muggy outside):
Steamed asparagus with lime and salt
Lowfat yogurt with honey
Orange juice
Carrot sticks
A few cashews

On the other hand, lunch was Sunday brunch out with DJ, so that was:
Steak
Eggs (2)
Hash browns
Pancakes (2)

At least the portions weren't IHOP level; they were fairly reasonable for a diner. Still makes me feel my Sunday diet is somewhat bipolar.

The Damage Report

2008-06-21T01:23:31Z

Results of my fitness evaluation from last Saturday:

Weight: 195 lbs.
BMI: 31.5

Fitness Scores
(1-100, 50 is average, higher is better, compared to other males my age)
Bodyfat (3-Pinch Measure): 30 (19.6%)
Bodyfat (Impedance Measure): 10 (26.0%)
Resting Heart Rate: 28 (74 BPM)
Active Heart Rate: 5 (143 BPM)
60-Second Situps: 12 (25 reps)
Maximum Pushups: 10 (10 reps)
Sit-Reach Flexion: 55 (17.5 in.)

So, not a good situation. My strength and bodyfat percentage were as bad as expected, although I was a bit surprised that my cardiovascular health is that dismal. At least my flexibility is all right, so I don't have to fix that before I can do a proper workout.

My first week of physical training has gone well. My hamstrings and lower back were sore early in the week, but they've recovered well. I'm getting in regular cardio workouts along with my strength training sessions, and I'm up to burning calories at a speed I find satisfactory (a little over 600 kCal/hr).

Another Sort of Defensive Programming

2008-06-19T01:29:03Z

From today's hacker talk and, independently, from here:

Always code as if the person who ends up maintaining your code is a violent psychopath who knows where you live.

Good advice.

Freshman 15 Plus Interest

2008-06-15T04:05:06Z

The last semester has been bad for my health. My weight skyrocketed: I'm over 190 lbs. now, and my BMI and body fat percentage both peg me at slightly into the "obese" range. My cardiovascular fitness is also unhealthily low.

I've enrolled in a personal trainer program, so hopefully more regular workouts, the weekly yoga class I'm taking at my office, and a closer eye on my diet will be enough to get me into better shape.

Spending Money

2008-06-11T00:39:34Z

Sunday brunch at The Druid in Inman is a bit on the expensive side, but their Irish breakfast is amazingly good.

In unrelated news, some graduation gifts (in monetary form) arrived in the mail from various relatives. Not sure what I'll buy yet, but I have an inkling.

Now I need to write some proper thank you notes...

A Brief Democratic Primary Retrospective

2008-06-07T05:16:53Z

I'm happy that Obama is the nominee after all. It's been a long and close campaign between extremely solid and historic candidates.

But putting a damper on this is the justified pain of Clinton supporters and the gloating of those who feel (or hope) this is the end of women in politics (it's not).

Defective C

2008-06-06T04:18:33Z

In the classroom, C++ seemed like a modern language. When I took Java, I thought it seemed rather like C++. When I took C, I thought it seemed rather messy. When I saw C++ again, this time in real code, I was shocked. Every time I've seen C++ code in actual use, it seems far more messy and incomprehensible than Java or even C. Brushing up on C++ for work, I've come to agree with the author of the C++ FQA: C++ is a horrible language.

An interesting question: How critical should a programming reference / guide / source be of the language it discusses? One of my favorite programming books is Effective Java, which I feel improved my Java skills immensely. That book contains a very detailed account of all the weaknesses of Java and notes patterns to avoid copying from the Java standard library, yet the book is very positive about Java as a whole. I'm just starting a book called Let Over Lambda, whose author apparently thinks lisp-style macros are the very definition of win, and it's very interesting so far. And the above FQA is proving quite useful in getting myself reoriented for hacking C++.

Attempts

2008-06-04T03:13:33Z

Be productive, watch my diet, cut back on caffeine, get enough sleep. Make new friends, don't let work eat my social life. Continue with Japanese, make progress on my to do list. Don't stress too much.

Housewarming

2008-06-02T04:44:15Z

Housemates and I threw a housewarming party today, which went excellently.

The house has been named "The Haunted Grotto". Grotto is more or less apt, the house is small, old, pretty, and tucked out of the way. As far as haunted goes, I'll defer to Patti's more expert judgment...

$_$

2008-05-31T22:33:25Z

Payday has come and gone, and my financial troubles are over forever^*!

Work: Getting started with bugs, learning the details of unit testing and assertions, confusing and frustrating but interesting, and I feel I'm starting to get stuff done.

Social: Evidently, I can find people to date on OKCupid. (The secret, of course, is to be direct about it so they know you're interested in more than idly chatting online.) Who knows if I'll be able to turn first dates into second dates, though. I miss Sarah, too...

I thought my cousin Amy's graduation celebration was today, in the afternoon, but in fact it's next week, in the evening. Oops. The unnecessary trip wasn't a total waste of time, since I got some reading done, but I'm still embarrassed.

^* Probably overly optimistic.

A Whole Foods Addendum

2008-05-28T03:25:46Z

Today's dinner: Seasoned shrimp, sharp cheese, and fresh avocado on crackers. Adulthood has its perks.

I would have taken a picture, but my camera was out of battery.

The Post-College Diet

2008-05-27T01:54:00Z

For dinner, I ate instant ramen. Organic, ginger-lemongrass flavor instant ramen from Whole Foods. Classy.

Launched Out

2008-05-23T01:48:44Z

The new house: My room is small, but the house is nice and the location is great, less than a mile from countless great shops and restaurants, three T stops, and my job, and right next to a bus stop, grocery store, and drug store.

The new job: Intense. I'm working on ITA's core technology, which means a code base of a million lines of Lisp or so (plus some other languages) and a system architecture beyond the ken of mere mortals. I'm getting a very different feel for Lisp than the limited use that CS classes provided. Lisp can be terribly complex and awesomely elegant. It will probably take me some time to get up to speed, though. My coworkers are friendly and skilled, the food is great, there's a movie night and a yoga class every week.

Other stuff: Went to see the new Indiana Jones movie last night with Xave and other members of DOOMCom. It was pretty sweet. Moral of the story: Harrison Ford is still Indiana Jones.

College Over

2008-05-19T00:55:51Z

I'm graduated, with a diploma and everything. I've moved into my new home. Seeing my family was very nice. I start work at ITA Software tomorrow.

Guess I'm in the real world now.

Charity Coin Jar

2008-05-16T18:02:30Z

I counted and deposited my spare change today. It came to just over $40. Haven't figured out where to donate it yet, suggestions are welcome in the comments.

Hard Times Behind the Pumps

2008-05-13T23:52:48Z

One thing I was surprised to note last weekend was the number of foreclosed or abandoned gas stations (at least that's what I assume when I see big signs seeing "CLOSED" and "Beware of Dog"). I passed two within a few blocks of eachother before I found a place to fill up the U-Haul.

Guess that makes sense: Higher prices drive up price competition, which lowers margins. Some businesses succumb to the pressure. A failed business can't come right back, so as soon as one folds, its neighbors breathe a sigh of relief and raise prices again (to the original levels or higher).

Oil hit $128 today, but it's currently hovering just below $126.

"SCOPE's Canceled"

2008-05-13T20:41:55Z

I'm done with work for the semester! Yeah!

Relationship

2008-05-13T04:58:07Z

One other note from the weekend: Sarah's back home for the summer, so we're both single again (although with plans to stay in touch and hopes of resuming a dating relationship in the fall). I'm fairly pleased with the current state of things, although I wish I'd had another chance to see her before she left town. Couldn't be helped, though...

Packed

2008-05-12T04:42:07Z

Yesterday: Mel's birthday party, ramen afterwards at the Porter Exchange, then to the Sunset Bar and Grill for dessert. Everyone else had Sam Adam's Triple Bock (the Merlot of beers, evidently; smelled quite interesting, but I held off for the sake of my stomach), a few (including me) had some of their specialty ice cream.

Today: Moving day! Walked to Wellesley Hills, took commuter rail into town, rented a U-Haul van with Maya, managed avoid any accidents and/or near-death situations (save for a few Boston-driving-induced cardiac incidents). Celebrated at Tosci's with an excellent rootbeer float (Porter Wort flavor, which has a strong molasses taste, goes very well with root beer, and makes today the second day in a row I've had beer-flavored ice-cream). After that, had dinner at the Border Cafe in Harvard Square with Laura and friends, took the Senate Bus back to Wellesley, and walked home to Olin.