Somehow I've agreed to teach HTML & PHP classes on Friday mornings. Two down, at least two to go. I enjoy teaching, and you know I enjoy making websites, but the getting-up-before-dawn-at-the-end-of-a-long-week part is agony. I wind up stumbling over the finer points of the lecture and forgetting answers to questions, and then being dizzy all day from lack of sleep. It has helped me discover that Friday afternoons are the best time to group-interview job candidates, because the loopy spirit in the room puts them at ease. But it has also reconnected me to a love of the basics of building web sites, and I see the enthusiasm in the classroom that got me started on this stuff years ago. Anybody can learn how to make a web site, and it's a lot of fun to make one, and the fact that I get paid to do what I'd do all day anyway continues to make me feel like I've unlocked some secret code for happiness.


Six Replies to Happiness, That's My Livelihood

Amy Austin | August 31, 2009
Color me all kinds of jealous... and wishing that I could take one of your classes, too. ;-)

Steve West | August 31, 2009
I was thinking the same thing. That sounds like an awesome class.

Jackie Mason | August 31, 2009
[hidden by author request]

Aaron Shurtleff | August 31, 2009
Dang! And here I was thinking it would be cool to learn this stuff, and everyone's already said it!

Of course, I might be close enough to sneak in and ninja audit the class...

Dave Stoppenhagen | August 31, 2009
You do virtual classroom? I'd like to learn as well. LOL

Amy Austin | August 31, 2009
Sign me up for ninja audit, too, please. Or not. Either way, we r n ur klasrum...


Logical Operator

The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »

R.I.P. Harry

It's been a melancholy weekend since learning of the passing of a family friend. Fifty years ago, Harry and my mother went on a date. They didn't quite click, but she liked him enough to introduce him to her best friend, and sparks flew between them that soon led to marriage and a lifetime of gratitude to my mother for introducing them. Go »

Hey Saoirse Ronan, What's Over There?

Go »

When Erik Met Matthew

The spark for the idea came during the pandemic, when we here on Funeratic decided to try some Zoom conversations and games. Two people who I admire for (among other things) their ability to converse quickly and freely with strangers and to get along instantly with seemingly anyone, Erik Bates and Matthew Preston, talked to each other for the first time and of course they hit it off immediately. I knew I wasn't imagining it, because other people on the call remarked on it. Go »

Pass Me the Green, I Need Some Trees with My Tennessee

Kelly and I just took a short vacation to Gatlinburg: Two days there, with two full days of driving to make it happen. We've been itching to get out of the house during this awful pandemic (and to use Kelly's PTO before it expires), but with options limited for places to go safely, we realized that we could rent a cabin with family and just go hiking and birdwatching and grilling, avoiding crowds in favor of natural spaces. Kelly's immediate family from Illinois drove over to join us. Go »

What I Did on My Christmas Vacation

The last week and a half was some of the most fun I've had in a long time, and a much-needed vacation. I tend to take many short weekend trips each year rather than one long break, but it feels so good to be rejuvenated and rested for a change. "Christmas" came on Sunday the 23rd, dinner with my mom and Santa's usual generosity all around. Go »

March 14, 1977

I hope this doesn't set a precedent for doing this on everybody's 30th birthday, or I'm going to be busy writing these for the next few years... Top Ten Reasons Denise Sawicki is Awesome 10) She wore red on her wedding day, and she looked good. 9) She doesn't just send the DVD as a surprise birthday gift. Go »