Stressing Over Blessing

A thin sheen of frost lay over the windshield in the deep dark of pre-dawn. The chill of fall hung heavy in the air. Walking across the countless fallen acorns on the gravel driveway, each stop evoked a crunch that broke the quiet of morning.

My car sat cold in the driveway matching the 38 degree chill. Hopping in the driver's seat, the vinyl seats immediately chilled my back and legs. As my very pregnant wife sat down in the passenger seat, she immediately broke into shivers.

The cold was chasing away the sleepiness as I started the car. We sat for a few minutes waiting for the windshield to clear. Between her shivers we talked about how cold it was and how cloth seats would have been welcomed about then.

After the window had sufficiently cleared I looked over at my wife.

"Let's do this thing", I said.

"Well, its not like we really can stop now. Let's go have this baby," came the reply.

And so our day began...

Looking like she was about to pop and still a couple weeks away from her due date, we were on our way to have labor induced. Regular labor can be challenging and is often painful. Induced labor can be quite difficult and is usually excruciating, as my wife knew from experience.

There were few cars on the road as I drove through the darkness, arriving at the hospital early. Its buildings seemed menacing to me. Perhaps even sinister. I shook it off and continued on.

Hospitals always have that affect on me. So many years of hospitals. So many years of waiting and receiving both bad and good news. It seems like the bad so often outweighs the good.

Walking the labyrinth from outpatient entry to the maternity unit gave us time for small talk about what lay in store this day. Not wanting to allow the stress to win out, I prayed and walked on, laughing and talking about what our new baby may look like.

We were soon checked in and after donning a revealing hospital gown, my wife climbed into the first of many hospital beds today. Soon, they started the medicine that would coax her body along the path to labor. It was time to hurry up and wait.

Walking speeds labor. So we walked. And we walked.

We walked the same four corridors for hours, a mind numbing experience. I soon grew bored and found ways to entertain myself and my wife. Walking silly, pondering technology, and varying the path were some of the ways I passed the time. It served us well to distract us from what lay in store for us both.

And those hours of walking did help. With dilation now starting, it was time to break her water. This still would be an event. With excessive amniotic fluid - nearly 3 times the normal amount - breaking my wife's water came as a bit of a shock to the nurse who did not have enough towels and pads ready to handle it all.

This brought on real contractions. Labor was now officially underway.

But when the doctor came to check on my wife and pre-born baby, he had a scowl and I knew something was a little off kilter. He immediately called for an ultra-sound machine and started probing for our baby.

"She's shoulder first. You can't have a baby shoulder first. The baby can't come out."

He looked at the heart rate monitor strip charts and frowned some more.

"The baby is stressing. Her heart rate is dropping too low during contractions."

I am fully aware of the implications of what all can go wrong in this situation. So was my wife. We were both actually relieved to hear what came next.

"We need to do a class 1 C-section now."

The next 10 minutes went by in a blur as my wife was whisked away down the hall.

"Lord, I leave her in your hands. Take care of my wife and my baby."

There really was nothing else to say.

I called my wife's mother to let her know what was going on. None of us expected induction to go fast. We all expected it to last all day. But she immediately got in the car and headed up to the hospital.

I made a few other calls, but before I knew it, here she came. My baby was here. Kara was already out and looking absolutely beautiful.

Told my wife was doing fine and would be going to a short recovery room, I followed Kara to the nursery where I got to hold my daughter for the first time.

She was warm, wiggly, and captivating. Words fail to capture the feeling of a father holding his child for the first time. Its moving, touching, enriching, and emboldens you to think you are something special to hold such a gift and you feel 10 feet tall. It also can make you feel the burden of responsibility and drop you to your knees.


But its wonderful. Three times I have done it. Each as wondrous and amazing as the others.

I have six kids in all now. All living at home with me. A boy and a girl from my first marriage. Three girls from my wife's first marriage. And now a beautiful new girl from the two of us.

Married just three years ago, we have been blessed over and over. I am thankful God has been so good to us and so amazing in the work He has done in our lives.

The day has been long. I have tried to be the husband my wife needed today. I have shuttled siblings back and forth to see their sister. I have tried to contact as many people as I could think of at the time to spread the good news. Some I even called twice because I forgot.

I love my wife. I love my family. I truly hope all six of my children know that another child does not diminish my love for them. It just keeps adding more in.

That is what it is to be a daddy. A daddy loves each child immensely, and uniquely. And with each new child, he just adds in more love.

It has been a long day, but it has been a good day.

Today I just became richer. Not richer in money. Richer in my family. And of the two, I count family of higher value any day.

And now to share a little sample of my new daughter's first day: follow me to the pictures of Kara!

It has been months since I last posted in my blog. Why the delay? Why the absence from sage and sound pronouncements and potent musings on the state of life, living, and all?


I don't know.


I think mostly because there is simply too much going on and I could never sit down and sift through life and pull out something that stood out above the others enough to warrant its own entry. Perhaps its the ennui of winter dragging out into slow spring. Or maybe I really am that ADD.

So many things have happened and so much has changed. Too much to really cover in a few pages and I would not want to bore others to the point of self-mutilation. So maybe a spring recap is in order and then perhaps I will be on track going forward.

The first thing I have to say is that being an old dad ain't so bad after all. When I first learned that I was going to be a father yet again at 42, I was "concerned" to say the least. After the shock, I added up all the kids including the one coming and my legs buckled under the weight of six kids counted on my fingers.

And yet, here I am with what has to be one of the most wonderful little girls any dad could ever hope for. Having four other girls I have to be careful with comparisons because I have learned over time that females (young and old) can get their feelings hurt pretty easy. But I also know that even her sisters would have to say that our little bundle of joy is the "most awesomest baby ever". They said so. That proves it.

So life with a 5 month old is not much different than life with a teenager with the obvious exception of the diapers. And I think my experiences and even my age have qualified me to better appreciate the joys of a new baby. The first time around I was a complete amateur. But this is my third baby and sixth child, I have been able to apply some mellow to my attitude this time around far easier than before.

I mean really, its not the end of the world for a baby to smear food on their head, or a pacifier to drop to the floor. Wipe the head down, brush the pacifier across your jeans a couple of times and press on. And for any that would say "oh my, you let your baby have a pacifier that has dared touch the dirty floor" to that I would say "yeah, and I remember seeing my pre-toddler son eat a dead spider before I could stop him." Really, babies are not as fragile as you think. Mine survived. That has to count for something.

So I have the most awesomest baby that smiles most of the time. What else could stir me so?

I have the most awesomest wife. She is the most awesomest mother. I have five other kids that are sometimes the most awesomest and sometimes the worstest - well, not really but they are kids. Those things stir me too.

I also have to say that there have been some down times this winter as well. My wife's father passed away unexpectedly. And now her mother has moved to Florida, a few states away. It also seems like it is the time in my life for those adults I remember from childhood to pass on also. There have been so many. I think back and its saddening to think of all those people that I once knew in various capacities growing up that are now gone.

But let us not dwell there. I also remember all the fun times that involved those people. I remember their kindness, their smiles, their laughs, and their presence in my life. It made my life better and from my perspective their lives were not in vain. They brought much into this world with all they did, even when they did not know they were doing anything special because sometimes, it was only special to me.

I have been blessed with the ability to recall memories in exquisite detail - with the exception of calculus, no memories there - and I can easily think back and picture those now gone. I see them from my youth and later. I can see their mannerisms and their peculiarities. Sometimes I recall events and I see them smiling, laughing, helping, caring, and just doing what they always did.

I guess the other big item that stirs me now is stress.

Anyone feeling stress from the economy? Well I am. I am stressed over my job, stressed over my work situation and the insane work distance arrangement I have. And I am stressed as a husband and dad just trying to keep it all going.

Its a good thing God is there with me because really, no man can do this on his own. Anyone is a fool to think otherwise.

And in the midst of all this what happens? Hernia surgery. Not the regular kind. Oh no. I have to have umbilical hernia surgery, something normally corrected in childhood. I remember seeing my first two kids both have this surgery and they were bouncing off the walls in about 2-3 days. For me, two weeks later I was still feeling it.

Oh well. I at least gave my family something to laugh at when they came into the living room where I camped out and would ask me questions just to hear my vicodin-induced answers. I did catch on when the 11 year old asked if she could take the tractor out for a drive. After initially nodding and muttering "sure" I quickly come to with a "what? no!".

So there it is. I reduced five months of living to just a few pages.

Oh, one thing to add. Just in the last week or so the baby has started the "da-da-da-da" phase. And when I look down at her smiling - and sometimes not smiling - face, and she says "da-da", stress is forgotten, bad memories fade, and she melts my heart. Yes, this old crusted bonehead has turned into a soft mush over the years. So I pick her up and hold her close. All is good.


Copyright 2008, Kevin Farley (a.k.a. sixdrift, a.k.a. neuronstatic)
 

It Doesn't Take Much

So often we find ourselves unsatisfied and in discontent. We see all this "stuff" out there and think that somehow if we had more stuff, we would be happier. Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and internet ads tell us all we need to really be happy. They tell us daily of the things we need, the stuff that they sell. And if we just bought enough stuff, our hair would grow back, always be perfectly styled, our skin would look younger, we would feel better, look better, be better, and somehow rise above the human condition.

Of course that is until they release their next product and then tell us how the last one was good, but this one is new and improved. That makes the first one old and inferior. And who wants inferior?

Well today I was tired of being in the house and decided to cut the grass. I have a very large yard and a riding lawn mower. It is needed, its not just stuff.

So there I was riding around the front yard, avoiding the bushes, the fire pit, the trees, and the trampoline. I looked over and saw our coon hound just loping around in the shade. One of the kids came out to pick up sticks so I could mow unhindered by such obstacles and I had to pause and be thankful for this moment. Here I was, stuff-deficient, and yet I was satisfied with what I have. Not only satisfied, but thankful to have it.

After 300 pulls to get the string trimmer started, I trimmed the weeds around the horse enclosure so the equine occupant would not be tempted to lean over the fence and eat the oh-so-much-greener grass on the other side. After running from the wasps and finally finishing, we headed off to pick up the two youngest ones who were at their grandmother's house for the weekend.

When we got back, I started up the tractor and fixed the hump in the gravel driveway that formed last winter. I really don't mind the smell of diesel exhaust, as long as I am seated on the tractor.

After removing a dead bush and a dead tree, I took the two youngest girls for a slow ride around the house on the tractor. The 10 year old was thrilled to be able to steer it. Of course my hand was only inches from the wheel at all times. I take no chances with my kids.

After putting the tractor away, the six year old asked if we could build a fire in the fire pit. Last year was horribly dry. This year has been nominally better. So we built a fire, but kept it small enough to be controlled easily.

Sitting out by the fire with my wife and at one point all my daughters (my son had no intention of coming out into the bug-laden evening), I had a lime flavored popsicle, a cup of water, and we sat and listened to the fire, the crickets, the tree frogs, and the coyotes.

Yes, I am happy, satisfied, and content in this scene.

You know, it really doesn't take much.

Or at least, it shouldn't.



Copyright 2008, Kevin Farley (a.k.a. sixdrift, a.k.a. neuronstatic)

Gynecic Familial Accession

To the more astute reader among you, it is already apparent that I have just announced that we are having a baby girl!

It has been about 17 years since I last viewed a baby in the womb via ultrasound. The quality has greatly improved in that time. There were several moments of "oh that is so cool!" and I was completely amazed even though I am something of an old hand at this father thing.

Possibly the coolest part was when the technician held the probe over the baby's heart and you could watch all four chambers of the baby's heart beating in rhythm. It was simply spectacular.

Seeing all the anatomical features of the living baby still inside the womb, moving, wiggling, and doing baby things, one has to pause and marvel at the amazing creation that has taken place and is finalizing form in the mother. It is a miracle of life.

Once while trying to get a better shot of the baby's facial features, she was holding her little arm over her face, as if covering her face in modesty. Wiggling the probe a few times, she finally moved her arm and we could see her face.

During the ultrasound the technician pointed out all the major features. We saw the internal organs, 2 arms, 2 legs, 2 hands, 2 feet, 2 eyes, 1 nose, 2 nostrils, 2 lips, etc., etc., etc.

Simply awesome.

Finally, the technician started looking for the "boy parts" or "girl parts". She said "Do you see those 3 lines there? You are having a baby girl!"

That was a mixed feeling. We have 4 daughters in the house already, and only 1 son. We both kind of wanted a son. But seeing her little hands and feet moving around, you could not help but simply fall in love with her.

I am glad to be having another daughter.

So its "hers, mine, and ours" now. Errrrr... it will be sometime late October once she finally arrives. Until then, we keep praying for her and we keep loving her even though I have never seen her directly.

I like being a father. But I really love being a daddy.

I hope she loves this daddy, because I already love her.


Copyright 2008, Kevin Farley (a.k.a. sixdrift, a.k.a. neuronstatic)

And Then There Were Six

Here's a story, of a lovely lady.
Who was bringing up three very lovely girls...

I won't even try to finish out the Brady bunch song for you. I can't make it work with our situation easily. Too many hair colors on the girls. Anyway, what we have here is a situation where boy meets girl over Internet, boy proposes to girl over Internet, boy marries girl, girl has 3 girls, boy has 1 girl and 1 boy, and now boy and girl are having 1 of their own.

Confused? Let me 'splain.

Now wait, there is too much. Let me sum up.

She had 3, I had 2, we are having 1.

Now using an advanced mathematical formula, graph theory, and a slightly used slide rule we have the following equation:

3 + 2 + 1 = 6

Yes people. My wife is pregnant and I am going to be a father again. Woot! Woot!

Wait, my math is off...

3 + 2 + 1 + 2 parents = 8 total

Dang! I need to apply for government funding. Or sell some kids for scientific research.... not!

Joyfully terrified.



Copyright 2008, Kevin Farley (a.k.a. sixdrift, a.k.a. neuronstatic)

Things You Don't See Anymore, Or At Least Not Much

I was thinking the other day about phone booths. Not the phone stands, but an actual public phone booth out on the street. You know, a Super Man dressing room complete with phone, phone book, and that horrid folding door. You just don't see many of them any more. But once upon a time, you did not have to go far to see several. They were located all over cities and small towns.

In this age of personal mobile phones, there is a seriously declining need for public phones at all. And now, you only find a phone stand, unprotected from the weather, and they never have phone books. But there really is little reason for the phone companies to do much more than that. In reality, for most people a public phone stand is an emergency phone for when their cell phone dies while they are out and about. There simply is no demand for phone booths.

Well, there are phone booths in many bars. It is intended mainly as having a quiet place to talk on the phone and not have to shout above the noise. And some of these booths don't even have phones. It is merely a place for you to sit with your own cell phone away from the cacophony of a modern pub.

And it occurs to me, there are many other things I don't see any more. Thing that once were common. Things I remember from my childhood. Heck, some things I remember from just a decade ago have nearly vanished.

Many of these vanished items that were once common have been talked about at length in blogs, articles, and emails. Everyone knows that vinyl records and eight tracks went the way of the buggy whip, itself a vanished item I never remember being common. VHS and cassette tapes also are becoming near extinct as well. So in addition to phone booths, rotary phones, and full service gas stations, I have come up with my own list of things I don't see any more, but used to see. This is not to say I necessarily miss any of these things, just I don't see them.

And here they are, in no particular order, just random brain picking:

Leaded Gasoline

Do they really have to keep saying "unleaded" now? All of it is unleaded at the pumps, or its diesel.

Quart Oil Cans

Remember those round cardboard cans that required a special nozzle that punched a hole in the top?

Gas Pumps With 2 Digit Pricing

There was a time when it was unthinkable that gasoline would be more than 99 cents a gallon and these pumps simply did not register above 99.9 cents per gallon.

Typewriters

This used to be the main workhorse of offices, now they only exist in tiny numbers.

Carbon Papers

This goes along with typewriters, there is just little use for these in most offices today.

Orange Smelling "Model Airplane Glue"

Because if its stinky enough, people won't sniff it? Right.

Merthiolate/Mercurochrome/Merbromin

At one time, this was a standard item all mother's pulled out for skinned knees and scraped chins - and other assorted cuts.

Plastic Military Model Kits

These are becoming increasingly harder to find. Sure you can still find model military planes, but finding model tanks and jeeps and such is not so easy.

Hypodermic Needle Cleaners and Reusable Needles

Many times I remember seeing the doctor take out a needle from the needle cleaner and get it ready for my behind. Can you imagine reusing needles now?

Unpowered Lawnmowers

I actually had one of these when I had a tiny lawn in modern suburbia. I got a lot of stares at my engine-less mower.

Slide Rules

Admit it, most of you don't really know what a slide rule is for or how to use one. I will give you a hint, you don't measure with it.

Candy Cigarettes

Remember these? Most were simple stick candies colored to resemble cigarettes. I got some once that you could blow through and a little puff of powdered sugar would come out to resemble smoke. Now there's a message to kids.

Reusable Soda Bottles

I remember having to keep the soda bottles in their packs on the back porch after we drank them until we were ready to take them back to the store. Often I would pick up any I could find and take them back with ours to get the deposit refund to buy another bottle of soda (of course).

Glass Bottle Soda Vending Machines

Remember those vending machines where a stack of bottles were held between two rails and you put in your dime (later quarter) and pulled out a "little coke" - one of those awesome 8-ounce wonders of the finest cola put out by Coca-Cola. You can still get the "little cokes" but you pay through the nose for them.

Lawn Darts

Now I would like to have a set of these again. Why anyone thinks giving kids a huge dart that weighs about half a pound that they can hurl at their friends is a bad thing I will never know.

Fuse Plugs

Remember those little screw-in fuses that had a glass top that were used in "fuse boxes"? Their bottoms looked something like the base of a light bulb. We went through tons of these.

"Milkmen"

There once was a time when dairy companies had local milk delivery to your house. I remember the "milkman" coming by only on certain days. We used to save up money (sometimes from returning reusable soda bottles) and bought ice cream from him. Sometimes, he would come out and shoot hoops with us when we had a basketball out.

Fins on Cars

There was a time when most cars had fins. Why anyone thought it looked good, I will never know. This is definitely one I do not miss.

Floppy Disks

Computers originally had only floppy disks (once we passed the short-lived cassette storage). If you are saving a stack of old 5" disks, good luck getting them to read. Its now becoming rare to even find a floppy drive in modern computers. And really, with a max of 1.2 to 1.4 megabytes, they don't hold much. Often now, individual docs and presentations are too large for floppies.

Well, that is all I can think of at this time. If you have suggestions, leave a comment. I would like know what else is vanishing.



Copyright 2008, Kevin Farley (a.k.a. sixdrift, a.k.a. neuronstatic)

The Morning Rush

It was cold and dark in the early winter morning. The stars were brilliant in the clear crisp air as the headlights snapped on when the engine started in a muffled rumble. As the car eased around the unpaved driveway, the crunch of gravel broke what remained of the early morning quiet. Pausing only for a moment at the edge of the driveway, and taking a quick check in both directions, the car launched onto the asphalt and ramped up speed quickly. The long commute out of town began once again.

Few if any cars would be on the roads this early in the morning and the driver was going to take advantage of the situation. Coming to the stop sign just down the road from his house, he waited for one car to roll by and then punched it, giving a short squeal of tires as he headed up the main route. Knowing that 4 hours of driving lay in front of him, he was trying to shave minutes off the drive and was pushing the speed limits as he set off into the darkness.

A few turns and a couple of shortcuts later, the driver and car began a near hour long trek through the dark country side before the lights of the Interstate junction would break the monotony of the morning.

Knowing this route well, each turn, each pothole, and where the cops can hide, he hurtled through the darkness. Inside, the heater was blowing, the MP3 player was belting out deep bass on the car's sound system, and the GPS display matched each nuance of the road's path through the foot hills.

Speed limit 55, that's ridiculous...
The driver kept a watch on the road and his gauges. Looking for any sign of deer, road hazards, and cops, he pushed well past the speed limit.

79, that's enough, I don't want to be stupid about it, but its pointless to go 55 here.

Several minutes and quite a few miles pass as he pressed on. The engine of this former police cruiser was barely getting a workout. This engine and this car can handle speed. It holds to the road and it handles well.

Headlights? Coming up from behind?

At first only a single pair of headlights back in the distance could be seen. A few more minutes pass and a second set appeared right behind the first.

No one in their right mind would be gaining on me. Not at this speed.

Easing off the gas, the car rolled along, dropping speed slowly.

Dang! 59 and these guys are right on me. Maybe they will pass.

Keeping a close watch on the speed, hovering just above 55 but not too much, these three were the only cars on the road.

Why won't he just pass me? Oh crap...

The blue lights came on both cars running behind him as they neared a church. With a knot in the pit of his stomach, the driver pulled into the church parking lot, came round a median, and stopped with easy access back out onto the road. Both police cruisers rolled in behind him with their headlights filling his car interior and the side floods turn on as well.

She's gonna kill me, I know she's gonna kill me. She told me to not get a ticket.

As he turned off the MP3 player and fumbled for the registration from the glove box, the driver took a quick look in the side mirrors. The cops from the first car were already out of their vehicle. The driver was walking forward with one hand carrying what seemed to be an overly large flashlight in one hand, and his other hand on his holster. His partner lingered back on the other side of the car in similar form, again with one hand on his weapon.

Oh crap! This doesn't look right.
Finding the registration finally, he took another look in the mirrors. The cops from the second car had emerged from their vehicle, but were standing behind their doors.

What are they expecting? Are these guys really serious?.
As the cop approached the open window, he shone the flashlight all around the inside and outside of the car.

"You were going pretty fast back there mister."

Oh crap!
Blurting out "I'm sorry!" he handed his license and registration over to the policeman.

"So... do you have some reason that you need to be going so fast? Some place you need to be? Or not be?"

"No sir. I am so sorry."

"So, are you on your way to work then?"

"Yes sir. I have a long commute. I am headed over to Raleigh."

"Did you know your inspection sticker has expired?"

"What? Oh crap! No sir! I am so sorry."

I think I am so going to jail this morning.
"So you are just on your way to work. Tell me, did you pass any cars along the road? Specifically, did you pass any little silver cars? Possibly with the back window blown out of it?"

Dang. Window blown out? Like shot out?
"No sir, not that I recall. In fact, except for you guys, I haven't seen any other cars on the road."

"Do you realize how fast you were going back there?"

"Yes sir. And I am so sorry."

"Tell me... do you have a cell phone?"

What?
"A cell phone? Yes sir I do."

"Would you do us a favor then? If you see a little silver car somewhere along the road, would you call in and report it? Don't stop or go near it, but just call it in?"

"... Sure... do I just dial 911?"

"Yes, that will do. If you see a car like that, just call 911 and tell them about where you saw it. Will you do that for us?

"Absolutely."

"Ok then. Now listen... I want you to slow down. It is dangerous to drive that fast on this road. So get on to work and watch your speed. Ok?"

"Yes sir. I will."

As he fumbled putting the registration back in the glove box, he pondered these last few minutes.

Dang. They are looking for someone. And if they had not been looking for someone... oh crap.
Looking all around, he watched the officers get back in their vehicles. He looked up and down the road, and eased onto the asphalt once again. No squealing tires, no fast acceleration, no sudden moves of any kind. Just slow and easy. For the last 15 miles of this leg of the drive, his top speed was 55.

The morning had started with a rush. But this most recent delay to his commute was more of a rush than he anticipated or wanted. And fortunately, the remaining 3 hours of his trek were boring and uneventful and within all speed limits.

Arriving at the office half-way across the state, he was greeted with "You're a little late aren't you?"

"Oh well. Stuff happens."



Copyright 2008, Kevin Farley (a.k.a. sixdrift, a.k.a. neuronstatic)

More Linux To Ponder

I cannot believe it. Someone actually asked me something about my last post (A Year In Linux) and wanted to know what Linux applications I typically load and run. Not one to remain silent, I am providing said list at this time.

All you non-nerds, just stop reading now. It will only bore you and you will whine.

When I think of the entire set of applications/packages that I load, I find four basic categories: office, connectivity, development, and other. The development category includes software related to software development and computer programming. The office category includes software related to documents, diagrams, spreadsheets, etc. The Connectivity category includes software related to communicating with others via computer. And the "other" category is... other things... like music players, games, useful utilities.

Note eveything I use and list here is open source and thus available for free use.

Office:

• OpenOffice, possibly the best desktop office suite on any and all platforms, surpasses commercial products
• Like Microsoft Office, but simply better, and free.
• database app, rival to MS Access
• presentation app, rival to PowerPoint
• word processor app, rival to MS Word
• spreadsheet app, rival to MS Excel
• AbiWord, a lightweight, but complete word processor, faster than most others
• Like Microsoft Word, without the bloat, bugs, and wait times.
• GIMP, the best open source image editing software, rivals commercial products
• Don't know of a close Windows comparison, GIMP is far beyond the capabilities of Paint and PhotoEdit.
• Dia Diagram Editor
• This is probably the closest thing to Visio you will find in the open source world.
• Inkscape Vector Illustrator
• Another diagramming tool I use at times instead of Dia.
• Planner
• A project management tool like MS Project that I only recently started using.

Connectivity:

• Firefox, the best web browser currently in existence
• MS Explorer has slowly been imitating Firefox in all areas but one: standards compliance - MS simply will not produce a web-standards compliant web browser.
• Evolution, an email client that does nearly everything
• Like Microsoft Outlook (or is that MS Lookout!), even handles MS Exchange and MS Calendar.
• Pidgen
• This is an all-in-one instant messaging app that used to be called gaim, combines AIM, Yahoo, Google, and other chat systems under one application allowing you to do all your instant messaging from multiple accounts in one place.
• Skype
• This is the same voice over IP software Windows PC users use, just built specifically for Linux, allows you to make and receive voice calls.
• Thunderbird, another email client
• Normally I have used this email client exclusively and it is far superior to many others in feature and stability. However here at work I need a closer hook up with MS Exchange and so Evolution is my email client of choice here at work, but at home, I use Thunderbird.

Development:

• gcc/g++, the GNU C and C++ compilers and associated libraries
• This is standard fare for Linux programmers, and very useful for users adding custom apps.
• GVim, the graphical version of the VIM (vi Improved) text editor
• Yes this is a modern day version of the venerable vi text editor, on steroids, yes I use it.
• GHex, a binary file editor
• Sometimes you really need to look into a file and see what is there when nothing else will read it
• Subversion, a revision control system
• This is what we use to manage the software code base we write. Most of our company uses ClearCase, but we have moved all our Linux work to Subversion because it is easier to use, easier to administer, and overall more stable and better integrated with our Linux desktops.
• kdesvn, a Subversion client
• This is the best graphical Subversion client I have found, made for the KDE desktop, but works wonderfully with Gnome as well.
• kompare, a graphical difference tool
• This works in conjunction with kdesvn and shows differences between revisions of files, makes kdesvn a snap to use.
• kdiff3, a file merge tool
• This tool allows you to merge 2 or 3 different files into one file, programmers know what pains merge tools can be, this one is excellent, but merging is always painful.
• Anjuta, a programmer's integrated developmen environment (IDE)
• Like MS Visual Studio, but different, I use this for small projects but not for the bigger ones where SlickEdit (a non-free, commercial development IDE tool) is much better to use.
• I am still looking for the dream IDE, Eclipse is not it.

Other:

• Amarok, one of the best music players available for Linux
• Made for KDE desktop, but I use daily in Gnome, fast, stable, and works well.
• Audacity Sound Editor
• The best free audio editing software I have ever found.
• Nautilus Extensions
• These are extensions to the Nautilus File Browser (think Windows File Manager) that provide some useful right-click context menu add-ons.
• Games
• There are a good number of simple, yet enjoyable games that come with Ubuntu Linux, but I did add a few, it simply depends on what you like to do during lunch at your desk.
• Other Utilities
• I also load other utilities that I have written and continue to write. These include BASH scripts and small programs for various things.

Well there it is, my list of applications and packages I add every time I build up a Linux desktop. I probably left out something and will have to edit this later. But for now, I think its fairly complete. Your mileage may vary.
I hope this proves useful to someone, somewhere. Actually, in a few months, when I reload a box with Linux, I will probably have to come back to this list to remember something I forgot to load.


Copyright 2008, Kevin Farley (a.k.a. sixdrift, a.k.a. neuronstatic)

A Year In Linux

Today I was talking technical with a colleague and we were discussing everything from web site programming to computer operating systems. We talked about all aspects of software and even computer hardware. Yes. It was one of those "geek sessions". And I say that with pride.

During this conversation, I related the fact that I had been at the company for just over a year. And during my entire year at this company I have used a Linux desktop exclusively the entire time. I had a dual boot machine available to use Windows, but I only booted it into Windows once and that was only a specific task. So for almost 54 weeks straight now, my primary desktop computer has had some flavor of Linux running on it: OpenSuse on my primary desktop machine, and Ubuntu on my secondary desktop machine.

Just to note, I am a software developer and because of this, I often use two (or more) computers at any one time to develop and test software. So a second machine is not a luxury, its a requirement.

About 10 months ago I loaded Xubuntu Linux on an old laptop to breathe life back into it. That old Toshiba laptop had 128 MB of RAM and ran a 650 MHz processor. When Windows ran on it, it was to put it in my favorite way of describing it "pig-dog slow". I don't really know what "pig-dog slow" would really mean, but I mean it as "so slow it would make you want to jump out in front of a bus".

But Xubuntu (with alternate text install) ran very well on that old laptop. And a few months later I upped the RAM to a total of 384 MB and "bam!" it ran even better. I know, I borrowed that quote from some other guy who has nothing to do with computing, but oh well.

The point is, after 54 weeks of primary usage on a Linux desktop I have come to some conclusions and I thought I would record them here. So the next part is called:

Five Things I Learned From Using Linux Exclusively For An Entire Year
or
How To Get Fresh Air Without Opening Windows

1. I did not have to change WHAT I do on the computer, but I did adapt HOW I do things on the computer.

The thing I believe is most important to many people is "do I have to change?". What I found is "yes, you do have to adapt." But what I also found out is that the adaptation was not hard and was not so utterly complex that average people could not manage it. Clearly, average people manage much more complex systems every day in all facets of life. So while some change is needed, you don't have to reinvent your basic processes.

2. I experienced far fewer system lockups and crashes than I ever did running Windows.

I will tell you that yes in fact, I did have system failures. But I will also point out that all of them were related to desktop applications and all failures except for two (yes 2) were resolved with one of single most magnificent features of the Linux desktop: killing the display server with a ctl-alt-backspace three-finger salute. What that does is kill the GUI and leave the OS up and humming. So all I had to do was "login" again. No reboot was necessary except for the 2 times noted. I think I lock up the desktop about once a month.

3. There are software applications for Linux that really are superior to the Microsoft offerings.

I have been a long-time OpenOffice user and really find it to be far superior to MS Office, especially since the most recent update to MS Office which made the entire suite nearly unusable. Additionally, Evolution is just as good (or just as bad depending on your position) as MS Outlook. I personally don't like Outlook at all and hence I am not thrilled with Evolution, but it does integrate with MS Exchange mail servers so there is an advantage there. I think I really prefer Thunderbird email client really. But our company uses Exchange and I need the connection to that... sigh. So far the only thing I can't find an equal or better for is Visio - which was bought by MS, not developed by them.

4. Just because you have a zillion choices on how to do things doesn't mean you have to explore them all.

There are hundreds of Linux distributions (called distros) and there are multiple window managers as well as multiple desktop environments for Linux. However, I stuck with the mainline distros and their default setups. I really don't have the time to experiment with all the combinations of these layers of software so I stuck with Ubuntu/Gnome and OpenSuse/Gnome on my desktops and Xubuntu/Xfce4 on my laptop. I am not a big fan of KDE and I can still run all their applications on Gnome and Xfce4 as long as I have the libraries installed. So sticking with the popular distro choices makes the prospect of choosing much easier. And for a MS Windows user, this should seem quite natural because there is only one choice on MS Windows.

5. I found that most of the time the things I do could be done on any desktop operating system.

Email, word processing, web browsing, listening to music, watching videos, photo editing, and even writing software can be done on Linux, BSD, Solaris, Mac OSX, and MS Windows in very, very, similar ways. And I think that because I stick to cross-platform and open source software, I really think it is the application environment that is much more important to most users. The applications I use are portable and so for me, my environment pretty much stays the same regardless of the underlying host operating system.

So there you have it. Completely useless drivel about how I like using Linux and why I no longer care about the OS wars. All the lemmings can use their MS Windows computers and I don't care. All the uber-geek l33t haxors can use their obscure variant distro of Linux and I don't care. The acolytes of Steve Jobs can sway to the groove of their Mac OSX and I don't care. And the gearheads can run all other flavors of Unix and I don't care.

I know what it is I need to do, and I use the tool that is best for me to do it. So there you have it. Not necessarily all that profound or novel. In fact it has been known by tradesmen for centuries. What is this great philosophical conjuration?

Use the right tool for the job.

Now back to work. I have several open terminal windows with command lines staring at me wanting me to compile software. Never fear the command line. The command line is the doorway to real power on a computer and allows entry behind the pre-school widgets that GUIs limit you to.



Copyright 2008, Kevin Farley (a.k.a. sixdrift, a.k.a. neuronstatic)

Wrapping It Up

This past Christmas, which wrapped up only last week, was an unusual Christmas for me. We were headed for the hills of West Virginia to spend time with my mother and my kin. We were going to spend Christmas as a family. We were going to spend Christmas together. And we were going to experience some firsts.

This was the first Christmas my step-children got to spend Christmas with my side of the family. This was the first Christmas for my son as an official adult (18 years old). This was the first year in a LONG time I would be able to attend the Christmas family reunion. And sadly, it was the first Christmas without my father.

But before Christmas, our dining room table was a complete mess. Why you ask? Because I was wrapping gifts and had bags, tags, papers, and tape everywhere. And so many others did around the same time in late November and into December. And I was running very late and even was wrapping up things on December 23.

Also, my mother had her own wrapping up to do. She fell a few days before Christmas and fractured the bone leading up to her thumb (or something like that in her wrist/hand). So her right arm was wrapped in a splint-like device and she was not allowed to use her hand as normal. And yes, she is right-handed.

So my wife and I, along with our kids, trundled up into the hills and came to the aid of my mother. We wrapped up party plans, gift plans, visiting, and shopping, and all the little details of life for my mother for Christmas. And we enjoyed every minute of it.

I know my father would have enjoyed being there with all the kids. He would have enjoyed having everyone in the house and all the noise and laughter and even all the tales told. Because when you get a bunch of hillbillies together, you get a lot of tall tales. Some of them might have even had some truth to them.

So my brother and I told the family tales and elaborated on our memories of our father and our adventures together. We told stories of hunting, fishing, building, tearing down, and all other antics of male family life. We want our kids to know my father even if he is not here to tell them himself. You could also say we want our kids to know my father even if he is not here to defend himself.

It was a homespun home-run if you ask me :-)

So once all the packages were opened, all the turkey eaten, all the tales told, and all the joy we could muster had been shared generously, it was time to wrap it up and head back home. We left the tall and steep hills of West Virginia and returned again to the gentler slopes of the foothills in North Carolina.

Pulling into our driveway, there was our hound dog Millie waiting for us. She had been outside for a week and was more than ready to come inside for a change. She is an outside dog and the weather was actually quite pleasant for the time of the year it was. But still, she likes to sleep inside, and she needs at least 18 hours of sleep a day.

It seems as though no sooner had we returned than we were stirring again. The kids were going to a youth camp the next day and were already repacking. The youngest two kids spent those days with their paternal grandparents and so my wife and I had the house alone for two nights. Sleeping in is really awesome. But staying up late is very exciting, if you follow me.

And so our youth finally returned, wrapping up their year with a church camp event and staying up too late and eating way too much candy. The youngest ones wrapped up their year with yet more family. My wife and I wrapped up our year mostly snuggling together whenever we could. And Millie? Well, Millie wrapped up her year the way a hound dog should wrap up their year. She slept from one year to the next.

So 2007 is officially over. It has not been a good year in many ways. And yet there are many positives to it. We pray that 2008 brings us more joy than last year and we can look back on it and say "it was a good year".

And to wrap up this post, I think I will leave this thought: its not the road behind us that really shapes our future, its the choices we make on the road ahead that has the most impact. 


Copyright 2008, Kevin Farley (a.k.a. sixdrift, a.k.a. neuronstatic)