Response to class on 10-12-09

I was actually a bit engaged in this one. Somehow we got started talking about the length of school days in the US vs other countries. Education is something that I care about, especially when we talk about the epic fail induced by poor leadership and parenting in this country. Once you have a child the world looks different to you... or at least I think it should if you are doing it right. You can no longer only perceive things from only your own point of view. Parenting requires that you be mindful of not just your own well being but your child's well being as well. This sometimes means that you have to make decisions that you know you would have not liked if you were in your child's shoes but it is what is best for the child. My job as a parent is to make sure she lives a long, healthy, happy life and is a productive successful member of society. NOT to be her best friend and make sure everything is easy for her. Its my dream to have both but I realize that it is not likely and I will do what it takes to make sure I do not fail. That said, we SHOULD be competing with the rest of the world in terms of education and we SHOULD regard public education as a first priority. Our knuckle head politicians in indiana should have saved the money that they spent on the FRACKING stadium and invested it in public schools. That way when our children grow up they will be smart enough to start businesses and bring money into the city properly.

Response to class on 10-5-09

I didn't make it, I have the swine flu. Maybe next time.

Bliss + Time + Breaking rules = ????

My girlfriend has a 2003 Subaru Outback, I think its a pretty ok car. I like the way it handles in the snow but other than that I really do not care for it. Its a tiny little car made for tiny little people. She however is a very proud owner and loves to brag about her little Subie. She loves to drive it and loves all of its smart little options like heated mirrors and seats and a built in weather radio. Well last monday she left for work and crashed it. Five cars total were involved in the crash. Everyone was ok no one was hurt, except her little subie. Unfortunatly the person who had crashed into the back of the subie drove away without first depositing any insurance information. Anyway she was miserable and upset. I decided to use my bliss time to cheer up my girls. With the extra free time I was able to pick up my daughter from school early and she got to ride in my truck which she loves. Since I picked her up that meant that my girlfriend didn't have to. She was able to drive her broken subie home and listen to the radio without the chatter of a five year old. I know its not much but .. when you are a parent, its the little things that are the most important. The music you listen to changes because you dont want to have to filter through tracks to find age appropriate lyrics. Just being able to listen to music goes away since children do not care if you like the playing track or not, they just talk over the music and ask a never ending supply of seemingly obvious questions. Mommy why... Daddy what .... Sigh.... I let my girls have my bliss time because that is what I enjoy the most.

As for breaking rules, I played with Adobe products. Rule number 1 is "Live Breath and Die Open Source Software" there is this rumor going around that Adobe products are the industry standard... rubbish. Adobe products are proprietary and if Adobe decides to change them then the standard changes. That said... that makes Adobe the industry, I think not. WE are the industry and we decide what best practices are. As helpful as Adobe products are I would encourage all of you to learn to work outside of Adobe products if you can. If you don't then your worth as a professional will be limited to your knowledge of a software package that will be obsolete in a couple of years and once your student career is over you will be paying full price for software that is IN REAL LIFE ridiculously over priced and not really worth it.