Thanks Rich.

create your own personalized map of the USA or write about it on the open travel guide
8:31:51 PM    comment []

I tend to obsess. Not that it is a bad thing. Sometimes my obsessive personality produces good results. But the point is I do tend to get overly focused on work and forget to stop and enjoy the simple joys of life.

I was in one of my work induced trances while driving home tonight. Then, for some reason, I looked at the setting sun. And noticed, disappearing behind a building, a small column of light. I quickly looked on the other side of the sun and sure enough, there was another. I believe that this is a natural display known commonly as a sun dog. Some weathermen believe that it signals a coming storm. Perhaps it means that water droplets are in just the right position, in relation to the observer, to reflect (or is it refract) just right and bing, there is the sun dog.

Last night, as I walked the dogs out in the frigid air under a sky filled with stars I happened to look straight up. The moon was right above me. Encircling the moon was a halo. Probably another one of those ice crystal/water vapor things that can be explained simply by a competent scientist, but needs no explanation to the casual observer.

I can count on one hand the number of sun dogs I've seen in my lifetime. And the other hand would be more than enough to enumerate my halo observances. Two amazing sights within a few hours of each other. Thinking about it after the fact gives me a chance to pause. And instantly my Perl experiences find perspective........
8:08:08 PM    comment []

My frustration is palpable.

It feels like baking a pie, only instead of combining the ingredients, knowing just how much shortening and salt to add and giving it my own special touch, it's more like baking each ingredient separately and then combining them after the fact. Mmmmm, those are good eats! Well, probably not. At least not if you're trying to replicate your gram-gram's killer apple pie.

That's how I feel about my Perl experience thus far. It's not that the concepts are difficult. If anything they are simple. At least each one by its self. Putting it all together is frustrating me.

I'm waiting for the light bulb to come one. You know the feeling. All of a sudden everything makes sense. Like coming out of a dense fog to a bright, sunny day. Yep, that's what I'm waiting for.......
7:18:17 AM    comment []