text:
What we do
We are a boutique training and coaching firm committed to fully fuelling the most progressive businesses. We teach leaders to more skillfully manage their business, and how to quickly take innovative ideas through to implementation.
Knowledge and energy are key to realising opportunities in a rapidly changing market. So, we work with businesses to provide these key elements, and continuously challenge and support them so they can solve complex problems to attain great results.
Squeak Van Duyn, Director, Character Cabinets / Stone With Character
Meet Glenn and Michelle
Co-founder / Director
Glenn Taylor has spent the past 25 years as a management consultant operating predominantly as a business coach, mentor, and workshop facilitator to the Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) sector.
Glenn has coached over 75 businesses and mentored over 250 business owners/managers. He is a generalist who works across all aspects of business innovation and development. Glenn is a keen student of future technologies and researches constantly to advise businesses of future trends – those that will disrupt and the opportunities that these changes offer.
Michelle Chafin
Co-founder / Director
Michelle Chafin is firmly focused on driving energy and results in businesses. This is evident through her experience in designing entrepreneur workshops; coaching business leaders; implementation of business programs for high performing leaders.
Michelle has a natural ability to bring people and resources together that builds a strong business community.
With her energy comes a greater focus on the importance of creative thinking and innovation.


text:
'"Those weeks on Sunday where you're not dressed and you're not getting on the bus," Murphy said. "You don't have pads in the locker, you're watching on TV or go to the stadium. You're watching everybody prepare in the locker room and you're just like, 'Man, what am I doing?' That's the toughest when you've got nobody to report to, nobody's checking on you. Nobody knows where you're at. You're living in a state you're not from, and that's tough.'
Archives for July 29, 2018
Pushed aside last year, John Miller eager to show Bills he's back
'"New year, new opportunity, new mindset," Miller said. "The new mindset for me is having that focus, and that determination every play. The mindset to go out there and dominate each and every day."'
Bills QB Watch Day 3: Allen makes prettiest throw, has two picks
'The biggest cheer of the day from the crowd came when Allen hit Kaelin Clay on a wheel route up the left sideline for a 30-yard TD. What was impressive about the play was Allen's anticipation. The lofted ball was out of his hands just as Clay started to cut up field. Perfect.'
Things We Learned: Notes from Day 3 of Bills training camp
'"The window has certainly been tightened a little bit," McDermott said of how much practice time is permitted. "We all have to adjust to that. The good thing is that it's an even playing field. The important part of us coming to training camp is that we have to establish the toughness of our football team. That starts up front."'
Jay Skurski's Bills Mailbag: Is Khalil Mack's coming to Buffalo a pipe dream?
'At other positions, what about Khalil Mack? It seems like he's got a pretty frosty relationship with Jon Gruden considering the two haven't spoke since the new Raiders' coach took over. He's currently holding out of Oakland's training camp. Crazier things have happened than the Raiders making a dumb personnel decision.'
Inside the Bills: Detailing the team's annual move to St. John Fisher
'Just how much stuff? Try 18 trucks worth. That's six semis that measure more than 50 feet and another dozen trucks that measure 26 feet. From field equipment to sound systems to gum and sunflower seeds, Mazurek's job is to make sure the team's entire staff – coaches, scouts, players and every other employee – has everything they need.'
Another day of mixed bag results in the Bills' QB competition
'McCarron and Peterman didn't have quite the range of success/failure, and of the two, it seemed like McCarron was a little sharper. At one stage working with the backups, Peterman was frustrated because the left tackle jumped to kill a play, and after things were reset, running back Keith Ford lined up on the wrong side in the backfield and Peterman needed to interrupt his cadence to point it out. After he handed the ball to Ford at the snap, Peterman turned around and looked perturbed as he talked to offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.'
Veteran Chris Ivory signed with the Bills because he saw a playoff-caliber team
'"The biggest thing is I knew it was a playoff team," said Ivory. "Last year I was with Jacksonville and we got to go against these guys in the playoffs. That was one of the reasons, they were a playoff-caliber team. On top of that just knowing there was a lot of good guys on the team."'
Pollock: McDermott and Beane discussed more than McCoy
'One of the main topics was the health – mental and physical – of wide receiver Zay Jones, last year's second-round draft choice, who had off-season shoulder and knee surgery and a bizarre incident in a Los Angeles high-rise when his brother reportedly stopped his threat to jump from the 30th floor.'
It's time for Shaq Lawson to step up, says Buffalo Bills HC Sean McDermott
'"Shoot, I've been on the trading block I feel like," Lawson said. "I've just been seeing it. Yeah, it's been a wake-up call. I've been hearing trade rumors and then I kind of realized, 'I'm a first-round pick, third year now. It's time to wake up.' I know I'm a good player. I just have to put it all together and be not just a talented player but a talented player who works hard and works on his craft and skill all together."'
Lorenzo Alexander and Star Lotulelei impressed by Tremaine Edmunds; excited by his potential
'"Mike (linebacker) is probably the hardest spot outside of maybe safety because he obviously has to do his job, but he's also the conductor out there," Alexander said. "(He has to get) people in the right position and be the mouthpiece to the coaches on the sideline. That's a lot for a young player, and it's my job, (Kyle Williams') job is to help him with that, but he's doing a good job."'
Buffalo Bills training camp day 3: Josh Allen shines in pads (8 observations)
'While Allen made some big plays, the other two quarterbacks — A.J. McCarron and Nathan Peterman — didn't really show much. These are the takeaways from day three at St. John Fisher.'
Buffalo Bills hosting defensive end Ryan Russell on free agent visit
'Russell, a former fifth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys back in 2015, has spent the last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Serving in a part-time role with Tampa Bay, Russell recorded 21 total tackles and three sacks in 22 games (7 starts).'
Training Camp: Who gets the call at QB should be interesting
'Bills fans might be surprised to hear Nate Peterman's name in the mix for the starting job. He was notoriously replaced by Taylor in Week 10 last year and threw five interceptions before being benched at halftime. But according to those close to him, that game has been extremely motivating for Peterman and it showed during mini camp. He's entered this training camp with lots of confidence.'
Bills' Shaq Lawson acknowledges this is 'make or break year'
'"Six sacks in two years? I'm a first-round draft pick. And excuse my language, that (stuff) don't cut it," he said, using a profanity to emphasize his disappointment following a recent practice at training camp. "This camp's way important for me. Make or break year. Every day is important for me."'
Capaccio: Allen already a factor in QB race
'Taking all of that in and looking at the big picture, it's clear Allen is a legitimate option to become the team's starter week one at the Baltimore Ravens. Of course there is still a long way to go and he hasn't been perfect by any means, but to anyone watching practice, from fans in the stands to local or national media on the sidelines, there's no doubting who the most naturally gifted QB is on the field every day.'
Joe B: 7 observations from 2018 Buffalo Bills training camp – Day 3
'However, once it got to team drills, Allen started to shine.'
2018 Buffalo Bills Training Camp Depth Chart – Day 3
'All changes from the previous day are in bold.'
QB Josh Allen has strong day as Bills battle in pads at training camp
'Rookie Josh Allen, but all accounts, had his most consistent day in the pocket, which included a nice touchdown to Kaelin Clay.'
Shaq Lawson: "I'm fighting for a spot"
'"Look, I'm not going to hide behind [the fact that] there's a strong competition there between a few guys, including Trent Murphy, Shaq, and so it's time for him to step up. I look forward to him doing that through training camp and on through the season."'
Bills Look To Kyle Williams' Veteran Leadership
'"I have a ton of respect for who he is as a person," said Head Coach Sean McDermott. "A family man off the field and then the way he can flip the switch on the field, the great ones can do that and Kyle's een doing that for a long time. He's a guy I count on a lot for connecting my message with the team," said McDermott.'
Daboll on QB competition: "Every day is an evaluation"
'"Their ability to protect the ball and lead their team down to score points, that's his job, that's AJ's job, that's Nate's job. So, I think you set a standard offensively for your players, the coaches, myself included and we're here to try to do our best every day."'
Make or break camp for Shaq
'"I'm not going to hide behind [the fact that] there's a strong competition there between a few guys, including Trent Murphy, Shaq," McDermott said. "It's time for him to step up."'
Fan favorite Brandon Reilly is ready to play on Sundays
'"Brandon is a guy who has always worked hard,' said head coach Sean McDermott. "He was a walk-on at Nebraska, so he's earned everything he's gotten from day one. He's a big part of what we do here. You saw him on the first night, he had a big catch over the middle there, so he's off to a good start."'
Quick Hits: QB snaps with starters to include Allen going forward
'Head coach Sean McDermott confirmed Saturday morning that the rotation with the starting unit on offense will include all three quarterbacks for the foreseeable future. Whether Allen gets as many reps as Nathan Peterman and AJ McCarron remains to be seen.'
Top 3 things to know from Day 3 at Bills camp
'Through three days of training camp, Buffalo's first team hasn't just been solid, they've been downright dominant. Granted they have an advantage of being in the second year of their defensive system, while the offense is in year one while also conducting a three-man quarterback competition, but the offense is being challenged by Leslie Frazier's group on every single play.'

subset: commoncrawl


text:
About 3 years ago, I made a big change in the way that I write code. It occurred to me that in a lot of cases, my IDE was slowing me down more than it was helping me work. So, I made the drastic decision to delete it completely.
Of course, many people are shocked when they hear about this, and it's definitely not recommended for every developer. In this post, I'll share the motivations behind deleting the IDE in the first place, how I moved forward without it and who else may want to consider this as an option.
5 Reasons Why I Deleted My IDE
1. System Performance
Plus, it took it a long time to warm up everytime I would reboot my computer because it was trying to run so many IDEs. To avoid the long wait, I started to put my computer in sleep mode for months instead of shutting down which caused the OS to become slower over time.
2. System Reliability – "Voodoo"
As mentioned above, when you work with an IDE, you have to deal with it just crashing for no reason. It happened to me especially with Eclipse and XCode but also with other IDEs.
Other times, exceptions in your program cause bugs in the IDE or unexpected behavior. Most of the time either clean+build or clean+publish solves it, other times you have to close the IDE, clean its metadata and configure it from scratch.
For example, there were times I just couldn't stop the server, probably because of a bug in my code, however it's reasonable to expect the IDE to understand that I'm in the middle of development and allow me to kill the process if bugs occur.
3. Multiple Environments
My day-to-day work requires me to switch between building features, code reviews and bug fixing. I want the action of switching between tasks to be cheap (in time) and to be able to work on many things in parallel. With an IDE this is much harder to achieve. And there are two reasons why. First, because it uses a lot of CPU, RAM, etc.. And second, multiple instances of the same IDE might interfere with each other.
On top of that, when switching between branches during work, which happens a lot because I work on features and bugs at the same time, it took it forever to re-index the code and get ready for work.
4. Working on Remote Servers
For my work, I sometimes have to run multiple servers on multiple remote machines and run tests against them. I don't like to build a package and install it just for the testing. I prefer to use these machines as if they were mine, and working without an IDE makes this task much easier.
Still, it's more comfortable to edit the code using my favorite text editor (Sublime) instead of using vim or other command line-based editors. I overcome this issue by using a combination of rsync, git push/pull, sftp or even just copy/paste into vim.
5. Accessibility
Even when the IDE is fully configured with custom shortcuts, there are actions that require the use of the mouse. The problem with this is that even just moving your hand from the keyboard to the mouse for ordering, resizing views or moving the keyboard focus to a certain part of the IDE slows you down. This is a matter of personal preference, but I prefer to avoid this as much as possible.
Another important thing regarding the IDE is the amount of space it takes from the screen: one row for the window title, another one for menus and another for the toolbar. And that's even before the tab switcher between open files starts. That causes the code itself to be limited to only part of the screen and uncomfortable to work on.
So, You Deleted Your IDE — What's Next?
1. Learning About IDE Functions
First, you'll have to learn about what the IDE does for you, how it compiles the code, how it publishes it to the servers, and how the files are organized in the file system. Luckily for me, OverOps uses standard build tools like Gradle, CMake, Bash and Groovy which can be run directly from the command line.
So, I run these tools from the command line and use a combination of Bash commands in order to publish and run OverOps. Basic file operation commands like cp, mv, rm to manipulate the files and less, nohup, kill, ps, htop, etc can then be used in order to monitor and control the program. Just like it is done in the production environment.
2. Building Your Own Tooling
After a while, you will start to realize which commands are used the most and you can start to create some aliases for them.
For my own work, I put those aliases in a ~/.bashrc file which is included automatically in every Bash session. Once the file got bigger and included more valuable aliases, I decided it was the right time to back it up. I created a new private git repository (used bitbucket for it) and put the file there. I cloned the repository into a local directory and used the
source command to include it from the ~/.bashrc file.
At this point, I started to really enjoy this way of working, without an IDE. So, I decided it was time to put some extra effort into modularizing this file like I would for normal code. I created one main file to contain smaller files. Each file has a job, like
git.sh contains all the aliases and functions related to working with git, while
docker.sh contains the basic commands to work with docker. There are also some common files which contain aliases and functions unrelated to any specific program, and some families of files related to specific components in projects I work on, like moduleXXX.sh.
3. Discovering What You Can Do That Your IDE Couldn't
One interesting thing about this work style, is that you have the power to create scripts that do complicated tasks that you could never imagine having as a part of the IDE. You can create functions which automate the process of building, running, calling some internal code, waiting for close and checking the error code in the end. All of this with one simple command. Of course, this can also be achieved from within the IDE by creating a plugin, but writing a plugin takes much more effort than just writing some Bash function.
A good example of this is one of the main projects I led in my company. We needed to do a port of our agent to the AIX platform, but at first we couldn't find an easy way to run X Server with a GUI on it. Without the IDE, though, this wasn't a problem. I just installed Bash on that machine and worked on it like it was my own development machine.
At that time, I realized the real power of working without an IDE was with the remote machines. I could run benchmarks on our product across many machines and test network issues like load balancing, firewalls etc. If an error comes up, no problem, I just add a few debug prints and start it over. The cycle of rebuild is reduced to less than a minute instead of rebuilding a debug version using the build machines.
Who Should Consider Working Without an IDE?
Working without an IDE is not an easy task. It requires a deep knowledge of the technology you are working with, plus you will need to be familiar with the shell environment of the OS you use.
The learning curve of working without an IDE is steeper than working with an IDE, so this isn't recommended for beginners. Also, the benefits you get by working without an IDE won't be worth the effort. Usually, there is no need for working on remote machines or jumping between tasks as a beginner.
This work style is more suitable for technical leads who jump between tasks frequently; the ones who need to run a Proof of Concept (POC) for some new feature, fix a bug in production and review a new developed feature all within a couple of hours. In these cases, the context switching between tasks is much cheaper if working in multiple environments.
It can also work well for developers who do Ops tasks like benchmarking, bug investigation in production, networking, or any tasks that need to run on remote machines.
Debugging in Development Without the IDE
Debugging is another story. Personally, I never was a big fan of IDE debuggers since debugging skills are very specific to the language, IDE and operating system. That's why even when I worked with an IDE I rarely used the debugger. Instead I prefer to use debug prints. They work for every language, on every platform. The code should be modeled in a way that helps you to run parts of the code easily without needing to run the whole server for it. Some of the things that can help with this is to avoid shared states and to decouple components.
Luckily, deciding to work without an IDE won't affect the way you debug in production or pre-production (staging). This will only change your backend development workflow, so all of your current monitoring tools will work as usual (that means you can still use OverOps! 😉 ).
Final Thoughts
(Edited) Concerning refactoring, I will say that code refactoring is definitely easier with an IDE since they have a built-in support for it. Without the IDE, I use regexp or some other small dedicated scripts, depending on the specific task. However, refactoring with regexp will make you an expert with them and it is quite a handy tool to master. Sublime, which is the primary text editor I use, can then index thousand of files very quickly and allows you to find/replace in less than a second. (/Edited)
I won't try to convince you that every developer should immediately delete their IDE and start working the way I do. Aside from the effort of configuring the environment for the first time (which may take weeks), from time to time you still need to stop for maintenance, add some aliases, remove others, add support for a new deployment mechanism, etc.
For any developer that works comfortably with the IDE, this isn't recommended. But, for anyone that is often irritated by the performance and functionality of the IDE, you should know that there is a way forward without it.
Written by David Levanon. Originally published on The OverOps Blog
Posted on Apr 18 '18 by:
OverOps tells companies when, where and why code breaks in production. It's the only solution that provides Automated Root Cause (ARC) analysis.
Meh...lame . Once you graduate to JetBrains you never go back.
PhpStorm and PyCharm are 💯🔥
PhpStorm and WebStorm happy daily user here, and I also converted some teammates!
When I do C# coding, ReShaper is my third hand along with VStudio.
When playing with Android coding, Eclipse is really a piece of crap, but then I moved to AndroidStudio and my world went to heaven!
JetBrains FTW.
Haha, pretty much what I was going to say - "Have to use too many different IDEs, it's too much effort" Mate, just spring for a JetBrains licence... ;)
Meh... Used JetBrains (Rubymine) for about 3 years. Then moved to Atom, then to Spacemacs and coding was never better than now.
Which IDE are we talking about? Because the things you mention that you are able to do that your IDE couldn't (without needing to write your own plugin) are things that most of the IDEs I know about can do, either out of the box or with widely used plugins. And I cringe at the thought of writing your own syntax highlighting, let alone intellisense or advanced refactoring capabilities.
The question is often whether the IDE can work for me with all of the languages, frameworks, and tools I use. While it may be helpful in some, if it doesn't cover them all it ends up adding a mental burden as you need to know the tool's way plus the fallback manual way to unsupported features. Or you end up having multiple IDEs for different frameworks, which again increases memory overhead.
Quite right. If you work with a great many languages, which don't overlap well enough in IDE support, then the number+size of those IDEs becomes a factor (at least, if you want them all to be open at the same time). I'd however wager that there is sufficient variation between developer circumstances there, to make the above general dismissal of IDEs invalid/wrong.
Come on, Eclipse and XCode are utter pieces of shit, everybody ought to know that in 2018. I've never been able to use them more than 10 minutes without a crash.
Now it's like saying "I tried to drink water from the sewers and it ain't good so I'll only drink beer from now on". Although beer is good, you can drink much more water and all it takes is buying a decent bottle instead of crawling your way to the sewers.
Invest in a machine with a reasonable SSD and enough RAM, as well as JetBrains Toolbox, and you will never want to touch those awful piles of hacks that glorified text editors are.
JetBrains IDEs work with a very wide range of languages, have free plugins for many more on top, are definitely not unstable or terribly slow and heavy monsters (if you're not trying to run them on 10 years old hardware that was cheap even then).
Editing code on remote servers sounds like almost certainly you're just doing things wrong, however with a decent IDE (like JetBrains) you also have remote syncing features - edit the code locally, it will instantly sync it to your server over SSH.
No clue why you'd even have wanted to run X on your AIX machine if not running X was an option, normally people don't run their IDE on the server they deploy their code to, for a good reason.
A good IDE also includes support for remote debugging, which is much better than your debug prints. Similarly many of the things you would just add temporarily there are things many SaaS services (e.g. New Relic/DataDog/Sentry/...) would provide as things you could monitor all the time incl. in your production environment.
Having gone from literal plain text editors to "programmer text editors" to IDEs to text editors (because back then IDEs weren't very good) and and again to IDEs (because now they are) I can't really imagine seriously working in any non-IDE anymore. My time and sanity are worth the few extra euros it takes to buy a computer powerful enough to run my IDE.
A timely article, as I've just submitted a set of two posts to my company's blog on the same subject. I guess they'll be published sometime in the next few weeks. Anyway, I decided to deal with the issues you listed by seeing how far I could go in the opposite direction.
I built a lean Linux VM with 512 MB memory and installed the packages and tooling to support 35 programming, scripting, and markup languages with just one editor - NeoVim. The purpose was to prove or disprove the hypothesis that a very lightweight setup could provide a satisfactory and productive developer experience.
The laptop I've been using has 25 IDEs installed on it, by the way. The best of them exhibit the behaviors you list in your article. It goes downhill from there.
One additional point you didn't mention. IDE support for version control systems tends to be flakey and incomplete. I find it much easier to interact with those tools from a command line even in cases when I'm using an IDE. Definitely agree with you regarding refactoring, though.
Of course, I don't need support for 35 languages. I wanted to stuff the VM full of tools and see if it would still work. It did. Not all those languages are well enough supported with NeoVim or Vim to make that environment suitable, but for most of them it's perfectly okay.
In some cases, I found the developer workflow was actually smoother and better than the equivalent activities with an IDE (for instance Scala, Clojure, Ruby, and COBOL). In others, a specialized IDE really is better even if it's possible to manage without one (for example, Java/Groovy, R, and specialized things like Arduino, Android, and iOS development). I also didn't have great luck with the Lisp-like languages using just NeoVim, but it wasn't a show-stopper. .NET development feels about the same as using VSCode. Markup languages like HTML and CSS and supersets like Haml and Sass feel about the same as Sublime Text (and I mean that in a good way).
I'm an oldtimer, so I didn't have to go through what you describe in the second half of your article, and as a TDD practitioner I rarely have to resort to a debugger. I can imagine people who learned to program with an IDE might not really know what's going on under the covers, and would have to backtrack a bit to pick up that info. I've noticed a lot of programmers aren't really sure which functions are part of the language and which are part of the IDE. But I'm sure they can learn that fairly quickly.
IDEs are perfectly good tools as long as we use them as conveniences and not as crutches. In many cases, they aren't really all that helpful.
I'm running IntelliJ on Linux and it's fantastic. If I'm pairing with people I sometimes have to use their Eclipse on Windows env and I seriously wonder how they stay sane.
That is so true:
"use Eclipse on Windows env and I seriously wonder how they stay sane."
I find the tendency to stick with an IDE relates most to the use of a single language or framework at a job. As you start mixing languages, environments, and tools, the IDE becomes more of a burden than a help.
Funny, I avoided IDEs for years because I typically don't like kitchen sink solutions. I normally prefer light and fast. But a few months ago I switched to VS Code after starting to work with TypeScript, Golang, and Webpack 4. And I've been thrilled with the setup and centralized tools like git, GitHub, terminals, multipane views, and much more. Not without it's occasional headache. But, overall, it's made me better and more productive.
Same here, moved from Intelij, to subline, to Atom and finally settled on VSCode. What i realized I was just using a small subset of features on Intelij and was going into feature overload trying to memorize hotkey combination. VScode come with a basic code editor tool and allows me to customize development enviroment. Beside, the majority of my work is done by the browser dev tools and npm/nodejs scripts.
But... VS Code is not an IDE.
From my experience IDEs have previously slowed me down only because for the longest time I only used them as cumbersome, glorified text editors with intellisense. For anyone thinking about dropping their IDE because it slows them down, I'd recommend actually taking some time to learn about what your IDE can do for you if you use it to the fullest. They are the tools of our trade and learning their efficient use is absolutely worth investing some time in. For me the IDE I use is a time saver.
Umm, my IDE knows how to (re)deploy Docker, uses a remote interpreter inside it, gives me 1-click access to databases that I tunnel through SSH to, helps me avoid hundreds of tiny bugs with code analysis, does a mean find-replace accross my whole project while excluding the /vendor folder, runs tests with overrides/command-line params I have saved at a click of a button and analizes my test coverage, should the need arise automatically uploads changed files via FTP, has all kinds of version control and framework integrations, etc.
As a programmer one can afford however powerful laptop is needed to get the job done, so making performance a main issue really doesn't compute for me.
One should know how to get things done with Vim if your laptop suddenly burns down, but IDEs make for a far more effective everyday coder.
I think a lot of the benefits you list can be had while keeping your IDE and outsourcing all of your build/run/test commands to a good build tool. For example we do all of that stuff with Gradle, meaning that anyone can build/run/test the system from the command line and use their choice of IDE.
Also, as others have said, try Jet Brains for a top of the line IDE experience 👌
I like developing on lower-end machines, so IDEs are a no-go. I was a beginner and my first programming language was Java, while using Eclipse. Thing is, when I hit that 'play' button I never knew what was going behind the scenes. Once I dropped the IDE (and changing to linux might have helped for that matter) I had to read up about what was going on: compiling to bytecode / jar, call the command
java on that jar... and that clarity was such a bliss to be honest. Unless I am developing for Android, I don't see why I'd use an IDE (I'm not prescribing to anyone, it's just my own case). I like writing setup scripts anyway 😊
W...what? What did you use an IDE for? "cp, mv, rm to manipulate the files and less, nohup, kill, ps, htop, etc" ???
How on earth would you do
htop inside, idk, IDEA?
I work with Shell script, Python, Go, Scala and a bit of Java and JS. Intellij IDEA, GoLand, PyCharm and Atom.
Of course I won't open up an IDE to rename a file, run a process with nohup, or check for a stuck process. I'll use an IDE to code, an editor to edit, and a terminal for all the rest.
Right tool for the right job. That's why you should delete your IDE, if you don't use it; or not to, if you use it.
Still, OverOps is a cool product.
Once I found that Emacs + CMake can conquer pretty much anything in my needs wrt. to C/C++, Emacs + composer + npm locked down web dev, I don't use an IDE for anything other than STM32 coding with Eclipse - because of the nice debugging capabilites for embedded.
Nice read.
Total agreement. But then I also do multi-app, multi-platform, and multi-service development most of the time. I ditched IDE's for vim and bash scripts long, long ago. Mainly because I was tired of having to relearn keystrokes for each toolset. vi is everywhere and once you learn it, you are good to develop everywhere. Even when I use an IDE--which is pretty much just for integrated debugging and API-call completion--I'm usually simultaneously editing the files in vim. I'm also fond of my collection of different syntax colors for each language. For refactoring, my own custom "findgrep" and "findsed" bash scripts work just fine. Moreover, it's nice when the filesystem layout is your project structure. Many IDE's create a parallel-but-not-the-same project structure (looking at you Xcode) which just double the complexity of project organization. Using the bash command-line directory stack via aliases for dirs (d), pushd (pd), and popd (od), provides rapid navigation while working. Given all that, I'm actually working on Rust integration into Android Studio because deploying and debugging on a device is much easier with it. But I still edit the files in vim ;-)
Your point about task switching is right on. I currently work in 5+ languages on a weekly basis and maintaining an IDE for each would consume most of each day. I also use Sublime -- It works for all languages and I keep a terminal window open to do the work of the IDE. Now... If I could put my head down and work in a single language for multiple weeks, I'd totally setup an IDE, but for a workflow like ours, I agree IDE-less is the way to go.
I am wondering if you have ever tried any of the new breed editor/ides like vscode, atom or sublime or the other mentioned in the comments. VScode is a delight to work with and I can't think of doing anything without it anymore.
Sort of agree. There's no sense in firing up a fat ide like eclipse or vs to make a simple change or build, that's like starting a Mac truck to get the newspaper. Everyone should at least know vim in it's raw form so you don't end up stranded in a virtual desert island in some situations.
IDEs however, do have value. Jetbrains tools have pleasantly simple live templates and (a little kludgey) intellisense suggestions that help when you have to develop applications that are short on types, or require module/namespace management, as a simple example.
Etc: I don't know that I agree with the suggestion of atom I see in a lot of the comments. It rapidly degrades in performance, efficiency and startup time as you use use plugins to increase it's capabilities .
I used to work on NetBeans originally with Java, and later IntelliJ. I had the problem of slowness from time to time, until one day the IDE crashed, and wrote 0s on the file I was working with. Thankfully it was only an hour's work or so, but since that day I am happy with sublime and terminal. My wish is to master vim eventually, and be done with this stupid GUI gimmick xD
Delete my IDE ? No, no, no, no ... I would never consider that, even though I understand your arguments.
First, development in a language like Java is next to impossible without an IDE. Eclipse is criticized a lot (yes it's a heavy beast) but it just works, and it works well. Eclipse (or IntelliJ, etcetera) is a necessity for Java development, the whole build process (including Maven) is just too complex and heavy, Eclipse with its incremental compiler and Maven integration makes it bearable.
For scripting languages (Python, Javascript etc), yes it is possible to use just an editor. But for me the most productive setup for those languages is a mixed one - I do a lot of things from the command line, I frequently edit files using VIM, but I also use an IDE (previously I used Netbeans and Webstorm, recently I've switched to VSCode, after trying Atom).
VSCode isn't heavy (it's very lightweight, you could call it an "editor with benefits" rather than a traditional IDE), and after spending some time to set it up properly (installing plugins, configuring keyboard shortcuts) it's giving me a very productive feeling. Integrated debugger, syntax highlighting, code completion, code navigation, etc. I'm sure you can achieve most of that using e.g. Sublime, but VSCode has it 'out of the box'.
But (like I said already) I tend to "mix and match" a lot ... most of the time I do my Git commits or other Git stuff in a terminal, same for npm builds and often even file manipulations. A "mixed" approach (including an IDE) just works best for me.
On the other hand, if you argue that VSCode is not an IDE but an editor, then yes I agree with you (except for Java/Eclipse) ... :-)
Seems like it was a good choice for your specific circumstances.
I started programming using the commandline, so IDEs seemed cumbersome and dumb to me when I first encountered them. That is, until I realized IDEs are really just a bunch convenient abstractions over the set of commands and routines I was already running through the commandline.
Given how often you switch contexts though, your decision makes sense.
An IDE cannot be considered by itself only. It goes by pair: IDE-language. Not all IDEs are good for every language, and no IDE is good for all languages. I personally find it madness not to take advantage of 'smart' code completion (language and context aware), refactoring, and code generation. Again this only stands for the right IDE-language combination. Trying to hammer a nail with a shovel won't help. I think your case is against proper integration of your language in the IDE, rather the the IDE itself. And I'm not even talking about the 'I' in IDE, which stands for Integrated, meaning that the Development Environment properly integrates all the tools you need for productivity, like debugging, version control, unit tests, task management, automated deployments, etc... I'm a happy Eclispe-Java, ZendStudio-PHP, PyDev-Pyhton user/developer and really wish everyone to find his/her proper combination. As Head of IT and Software Development, I would never hire someone that sticks to the editor unless he/she thoroughly proves him/herself more productive, but I can't see how. True, this could apply to only corporate, multi-project, multi-developer, single language/technology coding. But still, tools are here to help. Discarding one is simply missing the opportunity.
I dropped IDE's years ago, Now I only need Atom and Vim to profit.


text:
Salsa Chicken
This one had my house smelling soooo good, as my friend Nancy would say, "I could have eaten the walls!"
Ingredients : (* I tweaked the original recipe)
2 pounds of skinless/boneless chicken breast
1 cup salsa
1 (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 (15.25 oz) can of corn (drain)
1 (15 oz) can of black beans (drain)
1 cup sour cream
Directions :
1. Place the chicken in the crock pot and then add the beans and corn followed by the taco seasoning.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the salsa and soup together then pour over the chicken.
3. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours. Add 1 cup sour cream during the last hour to get a creamy sauce.
Serve over rice. (I found this recipe here.)
~ Patty ~
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
(Crock pot) Salsa Chicken
Labels: Recipe
3 comments:
I've made this many times, but without the corn and beans. I'm for sure adding them next time! We usually serve this over baked potatoes or on top of tortilla chips - either one is a winner!ReplyDelete
That really does look so good!ReplyDelete
Hi Patty! This really does look wonderful. I'll be over to start digging into your walls! I can't eat really spicy foods (stomach) but this looks definitely like something I could handle.ReplyDelete
Thanks for sharing!
PS Family reunion next month? FUN!!
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
We're thrilled to announce we've expanded the Moirae Creative team with two new appointments in less than a month.
We've taken on a new creative designer and a new web developer, following our recent success at the prestigious Transform Awards Europe where we picked up eight accolades including the overall grand prix.
Daniel Jones, 26, joins us as creative designer, following three years working in the role for some of the biggest and fastest growing printing businesses in the UK, including the €400m turnover company Paragon UK.
To view Daniels profile click here.
And Karl Wilson joins us a web developer, after spending the two years since he graduated working as a junior developer and support analysist, developing and maintaining web services and databases on a nationwide scale for companies such as the worldwide services provider, ALS Global.
To view Karl's profile, click here.
Commenting on Daniel and Karl's appointment, David Plant – our managing director, said: "We are absolutely delighted to welcome both Daniel and Karl to our agency.
"We are a growing company getting more successful all the time and these additions to our team are pivotal in making sure that our current strong run continues well into the future."


text:
Cooking with Convection & Steam
product-demonstration - Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove Showroom Seattle by Bradlee Distributors
At the Bradlee Kitchen, we'll demonstrate how to cook succulent poultry and fish, crisp vegetables, and browned artisan breads that will leave your family asking for more. Your reservation is waiting ~
P. 206.284.8400 E. email@example.com
1400 Elliott Ave W | Seattle, WA 98119
*Product demonstrations held at Bradlee Distributors, do not have the ability to cater to the multitude of food allergies. Clients visiting our showroom must be aware of their own allergy risks, as Bradlee Distributors assumes no liability.


text:
Can you just give an outline of what you did at the BBC?
I worked for Radio Norfolk, doing their books, only payments and things, for 13 years and from there I did part time across the road in television, where I did autocue.
You were with BBC Television?
Yes, doing the news bulletins, Look East, and even the late – ten, half past ten, bulletin. They recommended me to Anglia Television and I did a lot of the shows there. I did the Vanessa Show, the This Morning Programme with John Stapleton, Dilemma … there was another entertainment programme with Graham Norton. Several of them at Anglia Televsion. I also did the books for a private television company that filmed Rogue Elephants and animal programmes .. like the Anaconda – very involved films with animals, that particular company. So I had a very wide range of autocue and books – figures.
Where were you when you started in the BBC?
I started at Radio Norfolk first. There, my young boss – he was made redundant but they kept me on – he took me to the private television company as well; he wanted me to work for him. So he waited a year till I was free, because I was eventually made redundant, because television and radio merged together to be in the Forum, so a lot of jobs were doubled up weren't they?
So how old were you when you started?
Oh, forty-one and I worked there for 13 years.
Then you worked in BBC television?
Had you always felt that you would be going into media?
No. It never entered my mind. I had a very serious illness for a year, so I had to stop work and I was looking for some part time work when I was then well enough to go back , so I rang up the BBC just on the off chance and said "Do you have any work?" It was an American lady, who actually rang me last week from New York, we are still in touch. She said, "I have just been allocated the money to take on an assistant." Whatever she said, I said "I can do that, I can do that – why don't you give me a trial for a month and if I don't crack it, then fine?" She said, "I've got other people to interview". We eventually worked it out and I did a month's trial and then I stayed for 13 years. So it was completely out of the blue, just pure chance.
So what did you do before you had the illness?
I was doing secretarial work in several different places. I worked for the hospital secretary in the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, when the Queen Mum came down to open the new maternity unit – which is all now finished with, isn't it?
What did you find most exciting about working in the BBC, or in the radio?
Well, the BBC was very exciting, especially the night that John McCarthy was released. People talk about the atmosphere being electric. It was magic because I was up on the same floor as everybody else, not in the gallery where they do the output, but at that point. They kept saying, "He is going to be released". The story was done and I just kept moving it down the running order because I couldn't put it up on the screen until I was told it was happening. But everybody was waiting and I think it was the last item that went out. It was a fantastic atmosphere. You hear about it, but to experience it, it was wonderful really.
So what did you do? Did you do the story?
Yes, we did the story. It went out. It was the last one – we kept moving it down, moving it down.
Was it very different working in the BBC then, what do you think? The environment, colleagues?
It was a very good place to work, the BBC. It didn't apply to me, unfortunately, had I started there years ago I would have used the facility more, but if somebody in Radio Norfolk wanted to try a job in the BBC you would get six months to try it and they'd bring somebody in who'd like to try your job. But you know you can go back to that job. You've got the security going back to it if you don't want to carry on any further. I would have done that, but it was too late in my life to start that then. To be able to do that, knowing that the job that you are doing is safe while you try – it makes you move on and you grow, don't you? I think it's a wonderful thing. The BBC radio side, I mean that was just a joy for me. I was very lucky – I was part-time, obviously, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Do you think it was very different working in radio rather than television?
Well, everybody said that it was. When I first started there they were a little bit, "Oh, you're in television!" sort of thing. But I never found any trouble. People would say, "Oh, you're going across the road!" But nobody treated me any differently. They were brilliant. I don't know if was in their mind, it certainly wasn't in mine, but people never treated me any differently. "Oh, you work across the road." Yeh, enjoying it. It might be that you get that perhaps anywhere. I didn't take it up because it didn't affect me.
So how many people were there in your department?
I worked with one person in my section. I always had a boss. I had four bosses altogether. Three women and a man – or boy, he was then. There were just the two of us. He was responsible for everything and I did all the nuts and bolts.
What is the job about?
He was responsible for over £1 million in money. You had to pay everything in, get everything that was needed for the station, work out all the running costs. It had to be sent to London every week, initially in these great big ledgers. Then all of a sudden this marvellous computer came in. Absolutely basic, but we did it and we sent all the information to London. At the end of the time it was a state-of-the-art computer where you pressed a button and all the information vanished and London got it. It was marvellous, really.
So what other programmes did you come across when you worked there?
At the BBC it was only news. At Anglia I did all sorts of entertainment programmes.
Technology-wise it must have been quite different compared to the past.
Absolutely. My second boss – she was a lovely lady – but she'd worked in television doing autocue years before when it was all typed up and stuck together on a roller. She did it well, because she was slightly laid back, she did it and it didn't stick and she was turning it round for the newscaster to read and it all fell apart.
You mean your boss did that …
Yes, that was in the television side. I don't know where you go from there. They had scripts, I mean there is always the back up with a script. I'd have been mortified if that had been me. But to think that came that far … at Anglia the script came by e-mail, you have to take out all camera instructions, all lighting instructions. All you need is the actual text. But everything was there for everybody, all the VTs. You just took all that out and left yourself with just the text for them to read. You could do that. It was brilliant, you could take it out and all the information you needed for the show. Before you had to type all that up. So technology moved on tremendously.
How did you receive it? Why did you need to type it up?
It came through on e-the mail. When you do autocue you've got the script in front of you. So you take everything out but the text. And you press a button and it is transferred to the little television screen here, plus the bank of screens. You can have 35 screens. Have you ever seen them? Perhaps on the television you might have seen them. Well one of those is for autocue. The information that is in front of me is up in big letters, so many letters to each line, and you then turn a button to make it move at the pace that the newscaster or the presenter could read. Some were fast, some you couldn't keep up with.
What kind of skills did you pick up there, and are there any special memories?
My best memory was working with Terry Waite, the gentleman who was captured in the Lebanon. He did a programme from the library at the Cathedral. That was a wonderful day spent with him. It was quite funny in a way, because we sat having a chat and Ivor and I were trying to get this house. We couldn't sell ours. Three times it had sold but it had fallen through and I was telling him I was a bit stressed about it and I think he had a word with a higher authority, because we had no trouble after speaking to him. He had been praying for us. The last hour of the recording we went right into the top, the roof, of the building that we were in, and the rain hammered, you couldn't hear yourself speak, so they couldn't record. Terry was very generous and said, "Should I come back tomorrow and we'll finish it". And one of the sound men said, "But you might not turn up …" – because he was captured before. He took it all in good part. It was a wonderful moment but he took it like that and everybody fell apart laughing.
You managed to finish?
We did, we waited a bit and it eased off and then we finished and carried on. I shall never forget that moment. It's funny how it stays with you. But it is a special time, isn't it?
Did you come across any problems when you worked in broadcasting, like with the technology?
Well, we did that day, because I hadn't used the outside broadcasting unit before … I hadn't realized that you'd got to charge the batteries. It did get to the point where the autocue wouldn't work and Terry did need it because it was quite involved. The sound men were very good, they actually got it sorted. You do panic – and there were times in the BBC autocue times where you'd be loading the stories ready … you do learn that 10 seconds is a long time – because you can be loading the story and the machine would go slow and the opening music is coming up and it has not been loaded. All of a sudden, somehow, I don't know ever how you got away with it. But it's a machine, what can you do?
It's just a gremlin in the works on occasion. Most of the time it was fine. Because I think to other people going into it … it might have just been an overload, you just don't know, do you? Stewart White, he's a lovely chap to work with. I used to say to him, "If we could record this programme in the morning – the News – we could all go home." He was so efficient at his job he wanted everything absolutely right. He'd be changing the story on his machine as the music was going up. I'd then got to load that, you know, you can't just change a story, it has got to be loaded and all printed up onto the screen. When I saw his fingers going I thought, oh no. Stewart White is the Chief presenter.
Are there people that you learned a lot from, working in TV?
Yes, there is. Although, one day, the first time I started at Anglia I didn't know that the terminology they used was different and it was an entertainment programme rather than factual news. One of the women there – called Lorelei – what a lovely name… she was the vision mixer …. Nobody really spoke to me. They were all involved, engrossed in what they were doing. I thought, I don't know whether I like this. I'd been booked for two days, so you do the two days because it was a contract. So the second day I turned up, and I said to her, "Everybody is a bit engrossed." She said, "Well, none of us have ever done anything like this before." You could easily think they were being a bit off, and all that, but it weren't that at all. They were as worried as I was, really, in their way, all for different reasons. You are under the direction of a Director and he wants certain things on the screen and he will tell her – she's the vision mixer – which one he wants put on the main screen, which is going out. The cameramen have to make sure they are in the right area for the pieces to be picked up for her to sort to give to him. There is a lot going on, there's another chap who does …when you see at the bottom of the screen the man's name – that has got to be typed up and his title all prepared to put into the machine and ready to go up when the director says "I want that now". You have to be sure you have got the right name. It is, very complicated, but because of that it is very interesting.
So Lorelei told you that it was the first time any of them had done that sort of thing?
Yes it was the first time under that director. You could see, because I was worried, only having done news programmes before.
What about the audience? There must be some difference between the audience then and now?
Yes. Like on the Vanessa programme they had audiences – and the entertainment programme they had audiences come in, like you see now on the Trisha show; that has now been axed, hasn't it? The audience would come for the day because we'd record three shows. So they'd bring them out, feed them, water them, and bring them back. Sometimes you'd see in the audience the odd regular. Seen you before…
Did they get anything for coming on the programme?
No, they'd get fed and watered, as I said before, that was all really. But parties used to come by coach just for the day. Well, it was interesting to see how a show was recorded. We didn't have a lot of problems. I know one day at Anglia – I did 13 cookery programmes, we recorded three a week – and as it happened somebody that I knew was in the audience, but I didn't know till after because we recorded this programme with Phil Vickery. We were then ready to wrap and I just said to somebody, "When we started the programme he put on a bowl of chocolate to melt, you see, but when we finished the programme he hadn't used the chocolate." It bothered me. Not one person picked it up… No-one noticed. I sat there and said, "What's he going to do with the chocolate that he's melted? "Who woke you up?" I said, "He told us at the beginning that he'd melted this chocolate and he hadn't used it." So they had to go back and it took another hour. Everyone said, "Why didn't you keep quiet?" You couldn't put the programme out if it weren't right, could you?
You were working in various news etc. How were the working hours, when you joined the BBC? Very busy?
Well, I did the early morning shift on the days I didn't work at Radio Norfolk. You'd go in seven to one. Then in afternoon shift I'd do two till the last bulletin. If there were any changes in the schedule you'd just stay till it was over, but they were very good, they'd send me home in a taxi, so I was safe. Which I thought was excellent.
Did you get breaks?
You could have tea and things as often as you like, there was never any problem. The news would go out in the afternoon every hour, so you'd got to be there to do that bulletin but then towards the end with the five-minute bulletin it became that people could do their own autocue. With the half-hour programme it was different because you need somebody there. But with the five-minute programme I think it was foot operated. You put your foot on it and the words came up so you didn't actually need somebody to do it for you. I don't know. Well, it doesn't seem to be a problem – assuming they are still using it. But to me it is something else for them to think about. You know when you are live on air you don't really want that, do you, you want that dealt with, I think. But not having been back I don't know how they do that now, whether they still cope with it.
Apart from the John McCarthy time, is there anything about news or stories that strikes you as very exciting ?
Not that I can recall specifically. But I do remember there were times, when there was the odd child murder and things like that. It is a terrible thing to say, but you don't remember, it is just part of doing what you do every day.
What about the wages then?
Excellent, excellent, very good. Autocue at Anglia was excellent, very good wages. At the BBC I started for the month on the basic money, and after three months they gave me a 15 percent rise. So they were pleased, so I was glad. Then you got periodic increases. It was very good money compared to the outside marketplace. I used to say to people, "You are very lucky. If you worked in the outside world, you'd know what it was like." In commerce, it is much harder, I found, and a lot less money.
Was there a range? Not specifically yours.
I think I started at about £4 something an hour. I could be wrong. But it must be twenty years ago, that's a long while, I can't remember. But my wages were £7 something I think at the radio station. At Anglia I was paid £8.75 an hour and it finished up at £12, and had I stayed it would have gone up to £16 an hour the next one. I think at the private television company it was £8.75, so I was paid very good money.
Were there a lot of women working in television then?
Yes, all the autocue operators were women. Yes. There is always the opportunity… Had I known years ago I would have tried all the different ones. Well I would because it is so interesting. Even the vision mixing. I didn't even think about a woman doing it, till I saw Lorelei, because they were all male at the BBC. But it was something there they had to be taken on.
Wasn't it unusual though, for women, in broadcasting … various areas?
I don't really know about that. I didn't come across only Lorelei as a vision mixer. Because if you hadn't got somebody you'd contract somebody in from away and they were always men.
So you would have different colleagues coming in, doing different jobs at the station?.
You had someone to direct, somebody with a stopwatch timing every second of the programme – what time you had got to go into the mainstream broadcasting and the time you got back. That was critical, absolutely critical. One person who I did recommend to do it from the radio station tried it for six months then I told her towards the end of that time – go back to radio, you're going to have a breakdown. She couldn't really cope with it, the pressure was so great for her. I went to her retirement party last year and she had stayed in the job that she was happy with. But she had always wanted to try it, she got the opportunity and she realized she couldn't, but her job was there waiting for her, you see. But the other way she could have made a success and she could have then moved on, couldn't she? But it is not a job for everybody. You count the words to make sure everything all fits in. It is very, very involved.
What about the directors or the TV anchors, were they usually men in those days?
No, the BBC News had many women. Penny Bustin was a very good broadcaster, she was one of the important ones, along with Stewart, and Kym Riley. Susy Fowler-Watt you see now regularly.
You said, in the BBC they were all men …
In the vision mixing, yes ….
What do you think are the qualities needed to do that kind of job?
Patience and don't panic! Panicking gets you nowhere. You've got to deal with the situation that arises.
Can you remember anything else going wrong?
Well, as I say, when the autocue wouldn't move when the opening music is coming up and you have got nothing on your screen for them to read. All of a sudden, on one occasion the autocue loaded half way down, it missed the top half completely. Somehow, I called down to the director and said, "Use the script, the autocue is playing up." By the time they got through the first story and you normally had a VT with a bit of picture work and things and by then you got it sorted. So you learned, don't panic because they've got a script. They don't like using it but it's there.
When you worked there were there any places to have lunch, etc?
Oh, the BBC canteen. When I first started it was wonderful, absolutely wonderful. And because Radio Norfolk were across the road they used to bring a trolley. The trolley lady. You'd hear over the Tannoy, "Trolley lady", and everybody would vanish from their offices down to the main office and we'd be all round her waiting. Fresh cakes, rolls – they did fresh custard creams with the fruit. She was very good about it – everything was freshly made that day. We couldn't get enough of it.
Was it free?
You paid. It was the normal going prices. You could go over to the canteen and buy what you wanted cake-wise. But it was nice that she came to us because we'd have a little chat round her and a laugh and a joke and it broke the day up, I felt. Because I'd been in since 7 o'clock and she'd come over about 11. You'd get a little bit of little gossip. And the meals in the canteen were superb. The puddings, oh….
When did you stop working, at what age?
I stopped when I was nearly 59, because I was nursing Ivor. I had to stop and look after him for 18 months and then I became ill myself so I then didn't go back.
Because the Anglia work was contract only. They'd contract me for so many days, which I did, and I moved the other jobs around to fit it in. But Radio Norfolk was my staff job, doing the books three mornings a week seven to one and any extra that was needed. So, more often than not, for the autocue, I'd finish at one, have my lunch, and start work at two. I mean, one day – it doesn't bear thinking about – I did radio from seven to one, went across the road to television and started the two o'clock job. I got a phone call from Anglia saying they were doing a programme and had been let down – could I stand in? So I had a word with the lady at television and I said, "Could I just go down and help them out?" "Yes, as long as you're here to do Look East – be back by six." So I had half an hour to get myself sorted. So I went down and did the rehearsals with Anglia – had to walk all the way along Castle Meadow – did the rehearsals, went back and did the television news till 7 o'clock and when that finished went back to Anglia and recorded the programme I'd rehearsed in the day. You'd never believe it, but when I was going down there, there was a man begging and I thought, "Just ask me for money! I'm doing three jobs today, just ask me for money." I would have lost my temper. Whether he saw my face … he never asked me for a halfpenny. I thought, "You can do what I'm doing, you know, work". That weren't a good day, but we got through it and everybody was saved, weren't they? But that was a long day. That was exciting, weren't it? You never knew what was going to happen in the day. I mean, Ivor, he was a police inspector before he did the PRS work, but he said you'd go to work and you never knew what was going to happen in a day with police work, you don't do you. So you never get a chance to get fed up.
Is there anything you'd like to say about the work, stories, or anything you'd like to tell us?
The work itself was absolutely fascinating. Different people, different personalities, and I see people come up on screen now – oh, I worked for them, I worked for them! Jonathan Ross's brother Paul – I did several programmes for him and I'd been booked to do a block of 13 and I could only do 12 because before I got the contract I had booked to go away for a week and he wasn't a happy bunny. Whether it was that, but when I had somebody to do the autocue for, I would put on the camera they had got to look at – "Camera 3", then a bit of script, "Turn to camera 2". So that all helped them with their presentation. And I did that for him and he liked that. And when I got back after my week off he said, "Wherever have you been?" So in his way he wasn't happy that I'd gone away and he'd come to rely on that. A new person coming in didn't do it. But it would have been easy enough to have asked, wouldn't it? It was nice to be missed. He brought me a bottle of champagne when the programmes were over.
That's Jonathan Ross –
Jonathan Ross's brother Paul. He's a very highly educated man. I think he studied the classics at Oxford, Paul.
You said you moved on to several other companies, private ones, to do their books?
Yes, private companies. Imago … I often see that on the air. They did elephants, the anacondas, I think there were tigers, they did lions, they did a whole series of programmes for Discovery Channel and I think for Planet. And the National Geographic.
What kind of thing did you do for them?
I did all the books for them. Under the same boss I worked for at the BBC. Because he moved when he was made redundant and he asked me to go and work with him.
So it was not the autocue?
No, I did all the finance. I looked after the stationery, made sure everything was provided. Everything that he did. Because people had to have, if they were going abroad … you had to sort out the currency, where they were staying, all the insurance. It all had to be paid for and accounted for. Again that was very interesting. They did one big programme, I did see being recorded, on sharks. That was very interesting, a bit frightening, but interesting. Again, it was a different way of doing things, because everything was recorded on site. All outside broadcasting. But they didn't need autocue. They also did a big series on Whipsnade. Have you seen that "Animal Park"? It was similar to that but all about Whipsnade. And we had to again pay the people for doing it, all their expenses, it all had to be accounted for.
Has the BBC changed a lot?
A lot of people now that I was working with are retiring, so they are coming to the end. I don't see them so much. The girls from the BBC do meet for lunch on occasion and they did ask me just before Christmas to go for lunch with all of them, but I had got two other appointments. I was ever so disappointed. I had booked lunch at the Assembly Rooms for that day. That was first, and then my doctor was leaving, they asked me to go to his reception and I couldn't go, and then the Radio Norfolk girls rang up and I couldn't go there either! But we will get together some time this year.
Do people like the radio work more than the television?
Well, you see, I don't know now, because with them being under one roof … it must have changed from that point of view, because they are now in the Forum. Whereas we were two separate buildings.
Can you tell me again where they were before they merged together?
They were at Surrey Street. Surrey Street was the big building and the TV was in a very old house with a great big winding staircase. At Christmas they had a tree going up to the ceiling half way down the landing. It was beautiful. Because it was like an Edwardian or Victorian house. All the rooms had very high ceilings because of that. It was a very elegant place. The television was in the house. I am trying to think of the name of it, that's gone. Radio Norfolk was in Norfolk House, and All Saints Green was where television was. Just further along from Bonds – a very olde worlde house.
So it was a traditional building?
Yes, it really was lovely.
The BBC was wonderful for me, absolutely wonderful. I am glad I had that time in my life.


text:
Up for consideration is VINTAGE BATES NUMBERING MACHINES STAMP 7 WHEELS STYLE E BATES MANUFACTURING COMPANY ORANGE, NEW JERSEY. This is a great antique display piece. The wheels do spins and work in sequence. As you can see in tge picture the number change. The frame is a little rusty and does dhow aging but overall is is a great piece to add to any collection. Please view the photo gallery to appreciate. The item "ANTIQUE STAMP BATES NUMBERING MACHINE STAMP 7 WHEELS STYLE E PRINTING EQUIPMENT" is in sale since Sunday, June 9, 2019. This item is in the category "Business & Industrial\Printing & Graphic Arts\Bindery & Finishing Equipment\Numbering Machines". The seller is "truckerpal101″ and is located in Palm Bay, Florida. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada.
- Brand: Bates
- Country/Region of Manufacture: Jersey


text:
And You Call Yourself a Scientist!
"What fateful mission sent you hurtling through space to our planet Mars?"
Ford Beebe, Robert F. Hill
Starring: Larry "Buster" Crabbe, Jean Roberts, Frank Shannon, Charles Middleton, Beatrice Roberts, Richard Alexander
Screenplay: Ray Trampe, Norman S. Hall
Synopsis: A deadly beam from space is threatening the Earth. Believing that the beam emanates from Mongo, Flash Gordon (Buster Crabbe), Doctor Zarkov (Frank Shannon), Dale Arden (Jean Rogers) and stowaway reporter, Happy Hapgood (Donald Kerr), leave Earth in a spaceship to combat the attack, but find that the beam is coming from Mars. Landing on Mars, the team discovers that the wicked Queen Azura (Beatrice Roberts) has formed a partnership with Ming the Merciless (Charles Middleton), who plans to destroy the Earth by extracting all of its nitrogen. Azura is planning a war against the Clay People, with whom the Earth people form an alliance. Azura keeps her people in subjection by using magic powers bestowed by a white sapphire. Flash and his friends must battle the fierce Forest People to obtain the black sapphire which can neutralise Azuras powers, and find a way to destroy Mings nitron lamp before the Earth is doomed.
Comments: This feature film version of the fifteen chapter serial, Flash Gordons Trip To Mars, the first follow up to the enormously successful Flash Gordon (1936), fails to reproduce the naive charm of the original. The gangs all here, though: Flash himself, looking more like a glass of milk than a super-hero; Dr Zarkov, the "scientific genius" (i.e. bearded and boring); and a brunette Dale Arden.
As the latter, Jean Rogers is worthy of comment: her Dale may well be the most useless and irritating "heroine" in the history of science fiction. There is simply no point to her; she barely even needs rescuing. She spends the whole film either being told that shed "better stay here" or bursting into the room, opening her eyes wide, and exclaiming "Flash!" (You could easily turn this latter characteristic into a drinking game, like the "Hi, Bob" game for "The Bob Newhart Show"). It is a relief when the Forest People drug her with "the incense of forgetfulness" so that "her mind belongs to the great god Kalu". It makes no difference at all to her actual performance, but it does shut her up.
Much more interesting than this set of bores are the bad guys (aint it always the way?), Ming the Merciless and Queen Azura, the former carrying on his war against the Earth, and the latter planning to exterminate the Clay People, just because she feels like it. Its a great disappontment when, inevitably, she falls for Flash and gets reformed.
As for the rest of the film, its greatest pleasure is probably its set design: what a boon for the cardboard industry these serials must have been. The costumes are a hoot, too, and theres an odd minor detail in the choice of "Land Of Hope And Glory" as the theme music for Ming the Merciless. One can only speculate that, with war looming in Europe, this was a dig at the British by the isolationist Americans.Check out all the details of this movie on the IMDB


text:
I typically don't link to seething morons when they say stupid things. Because, frankly, they don't deserve the traffic, nor my time. But, I'll make an exception with this one (No, not Brian, he links the blather in question).
Apparently when a liberal expresses their viewpoint, it's free speech. But, when a "conservative" does so, it's racism. Even though Reynolds is rather far removed from what I would consider a true conservative, the fact that he believes in that whole 2nd Amendment thing puts him over there with the people blowing away abortion doctors, or such as it is among the galacticly stupid.
These people are completely, entirely, insane. But, I don't care, because it's proof that we're winning the war to de-infringe the 2nd Amendment. So, to that I'll say this.
On an entirely more interesting story via insty (who gets spared the 'puppy blender' tag just this once, because, well. Because.), Canada is preparing for its first attempt at a Space Flight.
A Canadian team of aspiring astronauts has set an Oct. 2 launch date for the country's first manned spaceship, as it tries to win a $10 million prize set up to spur commercial space travel.
Unveiling an unfinished version of their rocket, the Wild Fire, at a former air force base in Toronto on Thursday, the da Vinci Project said the craft will launch from the small town of Kindersley in the western province of Saskatchewan.
Bravo. I wish them the best of luck, and I hope they pull it off. While it's unlikely that they'll beat Scaled to the X-Prize, they will have accomplished what 50 years of Canadian socialism couldn't: Going to space.
Ah, I love the smell of Capitalism in the morning.
One thing though, guys. Couldn't you come up with a better name than Wild Fire for a frickin' rocket? Let's hope it doesn't live up to its name.
posted by Mr. Lion | 08/05/04 @ 21:55 | comments (1)


text:
Brand awareness and client engagement are two important pillars on which a business stands. In order to spread the word about your product or service, using marketing techniques is the first thing that comes to mind. However, there are numerous aspects of a marketing department, that need to be followed up continuously while working. This can take its toll on your employees.
An easy way to collaborate with your co-workers and discuss future strategies is with the help of MS Teams. It is a dedicated work environment created for organizations. Here different departments of a company can communicate either with each other or within their respective channels.
Below is an insightful article on why using MS Teams is a good idea for your companys' marketing department.
Common collaboration challenges faced by marketing teams
Learning about the challenges that a marketing team faces on a daily basis is the first step in solving the problem. MS Teams have been created keeping these common challenges in mind, so that, they can be overcome easily.
1. Indecisiveness
When a group of people is working together in a department, there is bound to be a difference of opinion. This gives rise to indecisiveness when it comes to important business decisions. This can be sorted by using a common communication platform where everyone can give their inputs.
2. Email-fails
Another problem that is quite evident with marketing teams is email-fails. In simple words, the break-in creating a perfect communication chain can lead to bigger problems in the future. By using MS Teams, you will be able to pass on important information through one single platform, to everyone in your department.
3. Syncing of process
Marketing plans and strategies usually work in stages. Therefore, syncing the process with other people in your group is important. MS Teams allows you to create a well-planned process, so that, everyone knows what needs to be done and when.
4. Getting feedback
When we talk about feedbacks, we are not referring to only customers. Once you float a marketing strategy within your department, it is always a good idea to get feedback on the same from the rest of the group. But this step is usually overlooked, due to the complex communication trail. This is yet another reason for using MS Teams.
5. Dealing with "Negative-Nancy's"
What do you do with people who continuously turn down your business ideas and have nothing positive to say? We all know one or two such people working in a department. This marketing team challenge can be taken care off by collaborative tools like MS Teams.
6. Market time acceleration
The time it takes from creating a product to delivering it to the customers is also a crucial factor for marketing departments. This can be reduced significantly with the tools and features that MS Teams has to offer.
After reading through some of the common problems faced by marketing departments, its time to see how MS Teams can be utilized by your company. To make it easy for you to understand, we have created a list of tasks that you can be completed using the application.
Usage illustrations of Microsoft Teams
1. Social Media
Social media planning
MS Teams can be used for planning your social media marketing strategies. You can create a dedicated channel for social media and discuss all the relevant points.
Content collaboration
When it comes to marketing, content is always the king. You can collaborate with your co-team members and create content that is the most effective for your brand.
Content organization in the library
You can even organize your social media content in the MS Teams library. It allows you to see the content that has been posted and others that are scheduled for a future date.
2. Events
Event ideas discussion
A successful marketing event can only be hosted when you do it collaboratively. You can use MS Teams to discuss potential event ideas and strategies.
Event planning and organizing
Along with idea discussions, you can even share an online event planner or calendar with your team members. It will allow your team members to see which events are coming up and when.
3. Public relations
Brand promotion strategies
Promoting your brand is important if you want to keep your customers engaged. You can strategize about the same using your MS Teams channel.
Crisis management
Managing a crisis is another factor that can be ticked off your list of concerns when it comes to using this collaborative tool. You can discuss in detail how you would handle a crisis in case it ever happens.
Managing and implementing customer feedback
Sharing customer feedback with the rest of your team is important in order to move forward. Moreover, getting it implemented is also a crucial step. It can all be done with the help of your MS Teams channel.
4. Budget
Designing budget models
When you have a budget model in place, it becomes much more convenient to allocate funds and use them precisely. MS Teams gives you a platform to communicate with your co-workers and come up with the best budget strategy.
Analyzing financial information
Another thing that is important for a business is analyzing its financial information. This can include everything from your expenses to the revenue generated based on your marketing activities.
Review budget requests
Official budget requests can be made using MS Teams as a platform. This eliminates the complex communication string that would otherwise be generated through an email.
Implementing budgeting policies
In case there is a new budgeting policy in your organization, then you can inform the rest of the crew with the help of this single platform.
5. Marketing Planning
Marketing activities yearly and quarterly planning
Marketing activities are never planned one at a time. They are usually done in batches for a quarter part or the entire year. Your team can keep an eye on such activities with the help of this channel easily.
Quarterly reviews
You can use your MS Teams channel to collect reviews and analyze them after regular intervals.
Sharing different product launch plan
Sharing information with the entire company can be difficult even through emails. But when it comes to MS Teams you can share details like product launch plans instantly.
6. Market Watch Channel
Discussing trends and competition
A market watch channel can be created by your department to discuss the latest trends and keep track of them. This will allow your marketing department to come up with effective strategies in the future.
Searching a new marketing tool
Here you can even search for new marketing tools and share it with the rest of your group members using MS Teams.
Coordinating marketing strategies
Coordination of marketing strategies becomes much more easy when you communicate through a channel like MS Teams.
7. Campaigns
Campaign planning discussion
Before you can launch a marketing campaign, you need to plan it thoroughly. It includes everything from discussing the first draft of the campaign to designing it. You can do it al with your MS Teams channel.
Assigning campaign duties
If you want to allocate duties regarding your marketing campaign, then your life can be made easy with MS Teams. You can have a dedicated channel for campaigns that looks after all your communications.
Tracking campaign progress
You can even use this platform for tracking campaign progress regularly. You can see which campaign is working well with the viewers and the ones that are not.
8. Press Media
Planning press releases
Your marketing team also needs to handle press releases. If you want help and views of your entire group on a press release, then you can plan the same using MS Teams
Content creation for briefing
You can use the platform for creating content for press briefing as well. You can directly create word documents in MS Teams to keep everything in one place.
Assigning content projects
Even if you want to assign content projects to another team member or guests, you can do so using this platform anytime. It will allow you to keep track of the assigning date as well as the deadline.
9. Team Meetings
Scheduling interdepartmental meetings
You can schedule virtual meetings on this platform quite conveniently. It gives your chance to connect through audio and visual modes within your group.
Coordinating multi-department meetings
If you want to connect with other departments of your company for a quick meeting, then too it is possible with MS Teams. You can schedule the meeting and invite people to join the same.
Narrowing down meeting criteria
Discussing the meeting criteria and keeping a list of the same becomes much easier when you are using the same platform for everything.
10. Team Life & Fun
Discussing team goals
Who says there cannot be a casual conversation between members of your marketing department? You can discuss things like team goals and personal progress.
Planning casual team events
Keeping up the morale of your group becomes easy by indulging in casual events. You can organize team activities that are fun can help you take a break from your busy work life.
11. People & Management
Communicating with the management
Getting in touch with the management of your company is always difficult. Since there is a hierarchy to follow. With MS Teams, you will be able to communicate with the management conveniently.
Coordinating with other team heads
You can even use the platform to coordinate with team leads or department managers.
Apps that can be connected & used by your marketing department
In order to facilitate your departments' experience of using MS Teams, you can also connect it with a number of different applications. These can be anything from project management apps to social media channels. Here is a small list!
- Adobe Creative Cloud
- Assistant @ Zoom.ai
- Forms
- Calendar BOT
- Flow
- Egnyte
- Emojify
- Google Analytics
- Hootsuite
- Mailclark
Since now you know how using MS Teams can be a game-changer for your marketing department, get in touch with us at SalesTim. We will give you an idea of how we can assist you further by being your perfect virtual business assistant.


text:
Emulsion and paints for the walls are fading. Plumbing isn't working properly; leaky roofs and damp walls making your home a nest for molds and mildews; cracks on the exterior wall are prominent along with the window sidings are broken. Yes, your home is looking ugly and sick; you have to provide it with a renovation.
Diy and residential remodeling are done to renovate the exterior and interior of your house. At the same time, it will help you add some extra space some times. Planned remodeling can effectively increase living area. Adding a roof covering over a wide open place or creating a door in a suitable position can allow you make optimum use of accessible area.
To maintain your home in good condition you should repair your home at the regular interval. All the homeowners choose home improvement at least one time each year or two. Remodeling not merely keeps your own home in right condition, but makes it attractive and good-looking at the same time.
Aside from thorough diy and remodeling, you may need to repair small constructional problems through the year. Leaks, small cracks, wiring defects etc. should be addressed once they are detected. Otherwise the little problem can result in serious damages at a later date.
Diy is really a wide and extended process; it's not about repairing concrete walls and applying paints. Properly planned home improvement makes your house look esthetically correct. In addition to constructional retouch, residential remodeling adds a topic to your dwelling.
Hence, while remodeling your home, you'll want to consider every areas of your building. Constructional defects, paints, windows, window sidings and shutters, furniture, garden and garden furniture, patio and deck, awnings and canopies, curtains and upholsteries, electrical wiring, plumbing works, functionalities and safety – each of the areas should be thoroughly checked for virtually any scope for improvement.
Be sure that your home reflects your taste and culture. Pick the colors according to your likings. The bedroom for him or her needs to be designed and decorated with images of cartoons, animals and birds painted about the walls. Plus the patio or porch, decorate the ceiling with hanging plants.
More details about concrete visit this useful website.


text:
info | ACCESS | AMENITIES | HOW TO APPLY | FAQ | PAST AIR
1 Feb - 15 May 2018
Mural Painting On site, 25 March - 4 April 2018
After living at Omahku for nearly 2 months, Noe decided to take over one of the walls in Omahku. Currently running self-initiated projects with other local artist studios, he spent his free time pondering about the sketch and completed this mural facing the rice field across the tiny river between the residency house. Host Veri provided advice on suitable paints used locally for the project and where to purchase it, as well as provided support in other logistical matters to facilitate the project.
Collaborative Projects, 4 April - 28 April 2018
Noe produced a limited edition run of hand printed (silkscreened, linocut printed) artist books during a residency at a local printmaking studio. Being new to self publishing, he enlisted the mentorship of Host Mei in binding them whole.
These artist books were produced for the exhibition 'Feed To Last' at Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta from 3 May - 12 May 2018.
This triggered another project where he worked together with the assistance of Host Mei in putting together the content with advanced book binding techniques in producing a publication for his solo show at Kebun Bibi gallery, books and cafe, which comprised of a compilation of images, artwork and writings of his 3 month residency in Yogyakarta.
Solo Exhibition, 28 April - 19 May 2018
Noe had wanted to paint murals as an expression of his mind, so his hosts introduced him to the art director of Kebun Bibi, Mas Sigit Bapak, who hosts the Kiss On The Wall project on the property of Kebun Bibi.
His initial plan was rejected on the account that his portfolio didn't show a street artist's profile, but was offered to do a solo exhibition in the gallery space of Kebun Bibi instead, where he was given the freedom to express and explore the entire 4m x 7m space.
To sum up his journey in Yogyakarta, he showed images enlarged from his self publication, wheat pasted on the walls, installations of music videos he shot in collaboration with other local artists and also offered some stencilled posters for sale.


text:
I discovered Rashays Punchbowl at Broadway Plaza when waiting for Elizabeth to get a small filling done at the Dental Partners Practice opposite. The members card cost $10/year and you get three types of deals:
- 10% off on any non-discounted menu item.
- All-day $10 pizza or pasta on Mondays
- Children eat free on Sundays (1 free child's meal for each adult present)
There is a $2 per person surcharge for Sundays which is basically offset by the 10% discount. Mains range anywhere between $15-$25.
It was the third deal that caught my attention. The plan was to get a few mains, 4 free kids meals and then share the lot. It worked out well! We fed 4 adults and 3 children for only $61.10.
I had always wanted to end Sunday with a dinner for the members that go soulwinning, but having to prepare two meals for a group on a Sunday was just too much for me and Elizabeth. The Sunday Rashays deal seems like a good alternative. Soulwinning is exhausting work that really builds an appetite, so it's nice to not have to worry about preparing dinner when you're done at the end of the day.
2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
Follow the links below to stay connected with us via email or social media:
If this was a blessing to you, please like and share to help spread the word.


text:
When do you take down the christmas tree
My decorations come down January 15th.
Our tree goes up the first week in Dec so it is ready to come down at Christmas!
Everyday, for good or ill, we intersect with some else's story and become a part of it.
I usually do it right after New Years but have not yet - started to though. Brought the tub downstairs and took the icicles off (they are aluminum). Pobably would have it down if I were not spending so much time voting every day.
The 7th day of January... right after Epiphany.
Permission to quote in whole or in part, other than usage on this forum, is entirely forbidden.
Epiphany - that is the end of the season.
People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy.
~ Anton Chekhov
All starts to come down after the Epophany. It take us a good week to take it all down. Hoping the weather stays as good as it has. It feel like spring. Hardly any snow this year. When it it did snow it left in 2 days.Now this has been a wonderful holiday season.


text:
I don't know which is worse: that I feel burnt out by 27, or that I'm not afraid of never amounting to anything anymore? I've spent the majority of my life with a bit of a laissez-faire attitude about everything. As long as I was fed, clothed, happy (or at least content), and surrounded by people I loved, what I did didn't really matter. I guess that's still true, to some extent. But I'm an adult now, right? People all around me are getting married, having families, setting goals and achieving them. I know people who are buying houses. People my age own fucking property! When the hell did this start to happen?
When I was 6 years old, my best friend Nikki and I (really my only friend at that age) used to play pretend. We'd make believe we were older, wiser, and as such more interesting people who had their shit together. We'd pretend we were … wait for it … 17. Teenagers in highschool was the one thing we so desperately wanted to be. Every now and then we'd even pretend we were 20! At the time, that seemed like a lifetime away. The age of real adulthood. Now I'm 27 and all I've successfully learned since then is that to consider yourself a real adult in your 20's is laughable. And what I've started to gather in my mid-now-entering-late-twenties (with the help of some feedback from my brilliant and kind mother) is that you never really become an adult. You always feel like you're almost playing pretend, while trying to tackle that next major life goal. To climb that next highest proverbial mountain, whether it's finishing a master's degree, getting married and squeezing a kid out, or owning fucking property.
To me, owning property is the scariest thing in the world. Maybe it's because it's the final frontier of adulthood. That once you own a house, you're kind of financially obligated to this life-force-sucking entity that doesn't even shit or cry. It is, in my mind, scarier than having a child. Owning property is more frightening to me than giving birth to a living, breathing, screaming, shitting creature that is going to dominate my life for he next 18 years of its existence. Explain that fucked up shit to me, will you?
Then again, maybe my fear of owning property comes from watching my parents struggle to live together before their separation. Maybe it stems from watching them do this clumsy dance around each other in the initial days of their trial separation, attempting to keep my brother and I in the house we'd grown up in, while trying not to live together. It was an awkward time, one I vaguely remember. What I remember most about that time, however, is love. Unadulterated, unequivocal love.
You see, although my parents were splitting up, and while we lived in at least four different homes, including our own, during that tumultuous period of flux and change, things never felt bad. By any logical conclusion, that time should have been the most difficult in my young life. I sure as hell know that when they sat us down to tell us they were separating, it felt like the end of the world. But that gaping hole was very quickly filled with the most important thing in my life: love.
All of it was worthwhile, and none of it was scary, because no matter what, we had each other. I had my Mom (who, over the years, I've lovingly come to call Marmee), my Dad (I've periodically called him Pops, which has now progressed into Popsicle, and I am not sorry), and my older brother, Derek. Yeah, sure, Derek was a typical older brother in that he tormented me, but I'm old enough now that I can see how little that actually mattered, where as at the time it was fucking cataclysmic.
When my Dad finally found a new place, after the decision to fully separate (they wouldn't divorce for a number of years after, for no other reason than convenience), Derek and I shared a bedroom. It was a small two bedroom apartment on the 7th floor, if I'm not mistaken, in the middle of three apartment buildings next to Bayview Village. A mall for the wealthy in the middle of a neighborhood for the very much not. It's odd how often that happens.
We had two twin beds in the one room, a small closet by Derek's feet, the window in his corner, and two nightstands on either side of us. Those nightstands and at least one of those beds are still in our father's basement in Ottawa. It was in that room that I read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone for the first time, a book that was originally bought for Derek. He couldn't have been less interested (he still hasn't read them), and I was bored that day with nothing to do. So my Dad told me to pick it up and see if I liked it. I did. I'd go on to spend the next 15 years trying to convince Derek that he should really give it a try. He still hasn't. I should really stop prodding.
It was in that room I'd cry and ask him impossible questions like how did he get so many people to like him? How did he have so many friends? How should I behave so that I could fit in better? How did I get kids to stop picking on me? How could I stop feeling so alone at school?
He'd get frustrated and tell me how he couldn't possibly answer such questions, and why would I ask him dumb things? A blend of older brother protectiveness and concern, and older brother stubbornness and frustration came out in that room in a very strange way. Both loving and dismissive, he'd tell me to just be myself, and then he'd tell me to stop bothering him.
It was in that apartment that we'd marathon Party of Five and Boston Public with our Dad on the couch after dinner. Tuesday nights were scrambled eggs, like clockwork, and Thursday nights we had Uncle Ben's rice and chicken fingers. If there's anything I know I've inherited from my father, it's his innate ability to be a creature of unshakable habit.
In all of this, the tidbits that made me, the details that molded me into the stunningly uncertain creature typing this out right now, as I said, we had love. A kind of comfort and warm solemnity that permeated everything we did as a family, together and apart. So my parents separating never scared me, because I always knew how much we loved each other. My brother picking on me never really hurt that much, because I knew even as a kid I'd do anything for him, and he'd do the same for me. That in all of it, no matter what, we had each other and that was enough.
So I think I'm afraid to own property because it's symbolic, to me, of no longer requiring love. I've lived nomadically, to a certain extent, hopping from home to home while my parents got their shit together (and honestly loving every minute of it). Staying in the same town, for the most part, but bouncing from room to room, bed to bed, roof to roof. And throughout all of that, the most comforting thing I ever had was the love of my family.
I always fantasized about the idea of owning a home, as a kid. That the home my parents lived in would one day be mine, and that our whole family would always come together for holidays. We would gather in the same place, and be together, full of love. I can remember attributing that memory to the house in Home Alone, for some reason, as well as Little Women (1994), when Jo gets Plumfield. Odd combination, I know. I'm still trying to explain how my brain works, so don't ask. But then my parents split up, and our home was kind of this through point, a border control where we'd all pass, but we'd never stay. And that idea of the Home that Always Was kind of faded, and eventually vanished. I learned quickly at a young age how insignificant property truly was, so long as you had love. That your home would always exist in your heart, and the heart of the people who know and love you. Property was just a vessel.
So maybe that's why I'm afraid of owning property…