Despite my infrequent blogging lately, I want to assure you that I’m alive and well. I’ve got some ideas brewing, but am lacking the motivation to put them down into properly formed words and sentences. I have no doubt that I’ll get my mojo back soon, so please bear with me in the mean time.
The Family
Life has been busy – as usual. It’s been great spending time outside with Casey and the boys this summer and fall. Thanks to the grandparents, they’ve now got a sandbox, swing set, and several vehicles to keep them occupied. They’ve also found the numerous leaves in our yard to be a good source of entertainment too. Asa (15 months) is now officially a walker, and Kael (3 years old in a week) has been practicing his drumming skills:
Work
At work, I’m still in the middle of a couple of long-term upgrades that I’ll be all too happy to check off my projects list soon. One is a major upgrade to our workflow system, and the other is the migration of most of our servers to VMware’s Virtual Infrastructure platform. It’s amazingly cool technology that gives us reliability and availability that just a few years ago would have been a six-figure price tag for a small business. I’m hoping to write a little more about this in the future when time allows.
Freelancing
I’ve been doing a few web design/development freelancing projects for both fun and profit. I haven’t been able to do any web design or programming at work for quite awhile, so this gives me a chance to keep myself up-to-date and also acts as a creative valve.
My goal – eventually – is to get into a niche that takes advantage of my technical and business skills. That would be “website optimization” – the art and science of incrementally and systematically improving a website to generate more purchases, donations, sales leads, etc. The idea excites me enough that it was my preferred independent study topic three years ago when I was getting my MBA, and it’s come a long way since then. What it means for me: I’ve got a lot of reading to do.
Free Time
I do manage to get a few hours of free time each week, and this year part of it has been increasingly devoted to running. I ran my first 5K in Fargo last May, and ran my first 10K last weekend in Grand Forks. Casey and I are planning to run the Fargo half marathon together next May, so we’re both working on building up to 13.1 miles. I’m excited to have that as a goal, and to do it with my amazing wife!
This fall I’ve found myself engrossed in both the presidential election and this once in a lifetime economic crisis. Both are historic in their own ways, and there are plenty of differing opinions to take in. We’ve been watching a lot less TV in our house lately, so Minnesota Public Radio and a host of website have more than made up the difference.
Books – I love to start them, but I couldn’t tell you the last time I finished one. I’ve got a growing list of books on my “to read” list, but I’m currently trying to take care of a few that will benefit our household the most, including Adventures in Gentle Discipline
Bringing it Back Home
So, I hope this gives you a glimpse into my recent life. I hope to find the time and energy to write more than the occasional tweet so I can share, in depth, what makes this nerd tick.