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 »

Pandora

[This post wound up being very long-winded and self-absorbed, but that's what blogs are for, I guess.] For years, I've gotten increasingly picky about how I listen to music. Sometimes I just want to listen to everything I have on shuffle, but sometimes I want to get more specific like only music from one genre on shuffle or all songs by one artist in chronological order, and sometimes I want to get really specific, like songs about dreams or artists from Michigan or recordings featuring violins. Go »

R.I.P. Pam

Pam was a co-worker from the 2000s who recently passed away. Kelly worked with her much more closely than I did, sharing a cubicle space with her for years and getting to know her very well, though I had plenty of conversations with her too. She was always ready with a compliment or a joke or a homemade treat, and she was a source of light in a job that could be quite a grind some days. Go »

Crikey

I saw a trailer for a new Free Willy movie coming out soon, starring Bindi Irwin. They're going to cash in on that kid for as long as they can, before she breaks down and can't be Miss Junior Croc Hunter and more. Maybe working in the same career that killed her dad is good for her psyche; who am I to be skeptical? Go »

The Time Has Come

My kingdom for an alarm clock that beeps once, gently, 60 seconds before it really begins going off. That way you're woken up comfortably and given a chance to turn it off, instead of being startled awake by loud shrieking and having to scramble for it. Go »

Trial of the Century

I served on my first jury last week, for the gripping case of the Walmart Protein Bar Bandit, accused of a $1.46 theft. Voir dire was oddly focused on whether grazing (eating groceries before you pay for them) was acceptable, whether eating protein right after a workout is important, and whether any of us had strong feelings about the Walmart corporation. Go »

alt.tv.bitchbitchbitch

Continuing in my tradition of discussing pop culture 5-to-10 years after its shelf life: Once upon a time, I was an enormous fan of ER. From the time I started watching early in season one, I didn't miss a single first-run broadcast until I finally stopped watching late in season five. I learned the medical jargon; I memorized every minor character's name; I speculated about and debated the future plotlines endlessly. Go »