Of Late

Things of interest for me as of late:

• Home brewing. I opened my first bottle the other night and was quite tasty. More on that to come.


• Trucks. I bought a 2001 Nissan Frontier last week (traded in our Nissan Altima). I've been casually looking for just the right one for the past 6 months , and I lucked out with this find. Low miles for the year, very good condition, crew cab, locally sourced, and just the right price.


• School. I signed up for classes (a class actually) at Limestone. Next term starts in March, so hopefully I will decide not to go to  Lander by then as I'm considering it as an alternative. Main course of study will be computer related, that I'm somewhat sure of.


• Work.


• Reading. One of my (many) resolutions is to continue reading as a primary after-hours activity. Currently I'm reading through the Harry Potter series and I've just finished The Chamber of Secret, which I liked a lot. I've also been reading StrengthsFinder 2.0 which is next on my list from the Personal MBA Reading List. Also reading The Pursuit of God for homegroup, which I've been enjoying very much. Lastly I got the acclaimed 4-Hour Body and have been starting to read that bit-by-bit.

That's all for now. For those of you who need pictures of Finn (and who doesn't), go to www.finndean.net

-brian

Chilly

It's getting colder outside which means I'm less motivated to go outside and puworking in the garden (what's left of it from the spring/summer). I don't suppose there are a lot of things left to do in a garden during the winter.
I'm also less motivated to ride the bike. There are plenty of reasons one could make to not ride a bike in the cold, especially when he has the option of a car - I'm having a real hard time with that.

I read 10 Days to Faster Reading over the past few weeks. I myself have not been a very fast reader, although my comprehension was decent. This book really helped me by providing techniques and strategies to read through material much more quickly, and pointed out several bad habits that I have unknowingly  grown into. The first assumption the author makes about the reader is that he or she has never had any kind of formal reading training since elementary years where they are taught a very inefficient  method of reading, at least independently. Anyway, it helped me a lot and I can't think of anyone I wouldn't suggest it to.

Currently reading Reforming Marriage in between reading CCNA material. It's pretty thought provoking and I like it a lot so far.

-bd

Months

The past few months have been kind of a blur for me. Summers are usually that way. When I was little summers felt like they lasted a lifetime, but now it feels like just a short pause in the year, even though it's anything but. Finn coming into the world has made time go by even faster. He's a little more than two months old now and I'm looking forward to the next few months when he'll start communicating and being more alert and attentive to his surroundings.

I'm still studying for the CCNA when I can and reading various other things.

Mandy and I have also watched the entirety and continuation of Mad Men. If you can get past the immorality (I'm not suggesting that anyone should try and "get past" immorality portrayed in any medium, fictional or no) this is a very deep and interesting story that has evolved from a simple power-trip, alpha-male, womanizing-free-for-all to a character development and believability like I've never seen. While it portrays human depravity in a very raw form, it also communicates a human element that can be sympathized with. It has also pushed the envelope for re-creating of the 60's era in every possible detail down to the brands of products used in that time period.

I'd also like to draw attention to the new tabloid in Greenwood - THUMP. A recent addition to the paper, Justin Shoenberger, is writing a cycling column that's very enjoyable and informative, especially for residents of Greenwood. He doesn't talk about racing or triathlons, but about using bicycles for commuting, utility, and riding for the sake of riding, which is what I'm about.

That's all I've got for now.

-BD

Hello

Nothing new going on. Back at work and about to start studying seriously for my CCNA, definitely need to get back in the habit of  studying for tests. Harvesting some tomatoes and reading a good bit of random things. Currently reading The Hound of the Baskervilles for which I'm a huge fan of so far. Finished the LotR trilogy a few weeks ago, which was also fantastic. Also read Time Management for System Administrators which was also a good read, if not a pretty close to GTD.

Slacked off a bit on the cycling....need to fix that.

Yesterday was Finn's 3 week b-day. Happy birthday Finn!

-bd

Beowulf

This week I read through Beowulf. I tried reading it when I was in middle school but couldn't really get into it (I really didn't like reading if the subject matter wasn't computer related). But since I've been reading fiction recently I thought I'd give it another go, and I'm VERY glad I did.

This tale has such scope and epic details that I was completely enthralled from start to finish. It makes me want to consume scores of mead and wild game while gallivanting throughout the yard swinging my magical sword battling horrific creatures of ancient antiquity.

But alas....I will just read it again someday.

Crush It! a Gary Vaynerchuk book

I finished reading Gary Vaynerchuck's "Crush IT!" today. This is another web-centered, anti-traditionalist, you-can-do-it-too book that has been pretty popular recently. It guides those who have something they're really passionate about (the word "passion" is used more times than I can count in this book) into creating an online presence focused solely on communicating and sharing that passion with others. The purpose of all this, obviously, is to some day earn money sharing this passion. However, one thing I like about Gary's approach is that it's not meant as a get rich and forget- it-all scheme, or at least, not as self-centered as some other similar books (those focused on working as little as possible). His focus is family first and foremost, then your passion, then creating a legacy with that passion.

Overall it was a really good read and I would recommend it to anyone who has something they want to share with the world.

Crush It! a Gary Vaynerchuk book