Update

I haven't posted in a while so I figured I'd post a quick update on what's been going on (work and far from work-related):

  • We're definitely getting into ship mode.  Tough decisions are being made about what changes can still be made to the beta and every day they get tougher.  The good news is that it's been going pretty smoothly so far and I haven't had to answer the “Why didn't you guys find this issue earlier?“ question yet, though I may have just jinxed myself.  Nah, I'm confident (though still crossing my fingers). 
  • Advice: Don't name any of your namespaces “System.“  You just don't want to do that.  Ran into a couple of situations where people had and shipped that way, meaning they're stuck with it for now.  Whidbey makes the situation much better, but you still should avoid doing so. 
  • I recently discovered how useful LiveMeeting is for conducting “phone” interviews.  Definitely recommend it if you find yourself looking for an easier, more effective way to conduct technical phone interviews.
  • Bought a Strat a couple of weeks ago.  Still prefer my Les Paul, but I dig the Strat for some sounds but the Gibson is just so much angrier and louder it just can't be replaced.
  • Speaking of angrier (tongue sorta in cheek), I'm somehow on an Avril streak where I'm suddenly firmly believing she can write pretty good, catchy songs.  Is it just me?  Did I really just write this?  Should I be embarassed? 
  • Trying to balance work and regular life a bit more lately as well.  See Jay's recent post for a description of what I'm talking about (except for the yoga and sailing).  Let's see how long it lasts.
  • Been playing a lot more guitar again.  After ~15 years (wow, I really am almost 30 eh?) of playing tons of covers and some weak attempts at writing I finally decided to dig into the whole theory side and it's been far easier than I ever thought it would be.  My hands are in pretty good shape from playing other people's songs and solos, so physically doing it isn't that hard (though definitely have plenty of room to improve), but the theory, scales, chords, modes, and all that good stuff are so much clearer to me now.  It's interesting to see how many of the patterns (boxes, or whatever you call them) I've gotten used to playing over are clearly defined concepts.  It's definitely been fun to learn all that I've so far taken the long route on.  Over the three weeks I've read about 5-6 of the 20 or so books I've collected over time.  They all make more sense than they ever did before.  Not sure why.  Better late than never I guess.