Vault

• Construction going on in my office. That is the sound of custom built furniture/cabinets. #
• “The pro-life movement is the civil rights movement of today.” Alveda King niece of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. http://tinyurl.com/y8p9×33 #
• Anyone have a windows mobile twitter app that will upload pictures and tweet them? #
• Scratch that last request. The newest version of TinyTwitter had support and I didn't even see it. #
• In honor of Crabby. The worst blaxploitation movie ever, according to Rotten Tomatoes. The Black Gestapo http://tinyurl.com/ydmd7fa #
• Board planning and chapter planning for Feb meeting. Oklahoma City is looking like the place to be for #AITP #
• OK, I HATE HATE HATE the new tab open behavior in Firefox 3.6. Stop breaking default behavior I already know to just to copy apple. #Firefox #
• #AITP #OKC We have secured a new meeting location for AITP in Oklahoma City. Third Tuesday meeting at OSU-OKC. See you Feb. 16th at 11:30 #
• @ash_leigh can't breath wood stain is getting me high. But I have coffee! in reply to ash_leigh #
• I am going to write software to replace EVERY FRIGGIN ENGINEERING program that has obnoxious licensing hw requirements. All 1000000 of them. #
• So I was informed that my coffee grounds have clogged the drain at the office… probably need to find another drain. #
• RT: @MatthewWarner: Scandal and Betrayal at the USCCB? http://ow.ly/16uTsh Props Matt, I wouldn't have even known about this without you #
• Chris Grams talks about the tendency for ppl (who claim to be open advocates) to ignore it when comes to Apple. http://tinyurl.com/ydgp6so #
• What is more amazing? A pro-choice magazine writer admits his bias or his concerned with Roe being overturned. http://tinyurl.com/y8u3ls6 #
• Anyone here have experience implementing a Sharepoint type solution using open source resources… like mediawiki? #
• Is twitter down? I haven't seen a single tweet in over 3 hours. #
• @oushadow I lved Devil Doll and Radiskull. Classic internet memes. in reply to oushadow #
• I know this probably goes w/o saying; but I could really use some coffee. #
• A replacement for Xmarks? http://tinyurl.com/ybravz7 While Xmarks works, I didn't like their "added" functionality from the last release. #
• @ash_leigh Why 90's dance clubs? in reply to ash_leigh #
• Someone finally figured out how to make crispy oven baked hot wings: http://tinyurl.com/yjfrp3f #
• @xmarks Thanks for the reply. I had turned them off and it works great. I was making note in the event that Xmarks becomes too bloated. in reply to xmarks #
• @xmarks Overall though, I love your product… and it works across multiple browsers, so I will probably not be replacing you anytime soon. in reply to xmarks #
• @weeklyroast blade grinders and blade grinders? How do we tell which ones work well? in reply to weeklyroast #
• #ff @oushadow @weeklyroast @MatthewWarner @SANTATIZING @johnsterrett @ash_leigh @BrotherMagneto #followfriday #
• I organized and tweeted my #FollowFriday with @TwitNerdApps http://twitnerd.com #ff #
• Videos from nosql. I REALLY want to be a believer, but I still don't know if a single developer can do it. http://tinyurl.com/klfdrz #
• RT: @BrotherMagneto: Amazing and hilarious Live Webcast Fail: http://bit.ly/cjitoY #
• @mattwilliamson funny, we have #DaddyDaughterDance tomorrow. in reply to mattwilliamson #

I have worked pretty hard to make sure that Vault will always remain an ad free site. That said, I have a number of people ask me what my hosting service is and if I would like to be referenced when they purchase hosting.

So here is a link to hostmonster.com (just click on the picture) that will give rockerssoft.org credit. They have been WONDERFUL for me (especially compared to my old hosting service) and so I can honestly recommend them. If you never need hosting or already like your hosting service; then you can safely ignore this post.

• just watching the news from Iran b4 my flight… the hope of the free world is with you! we know you you can do it. #
• …and I land to a beautifully sunny day in OKC. #
• @weeklyroast Do you know of ANY "common" hotels that serve good coffee? I would seriously consider switching reservations if such a thing.. in reply to weeklyroast #
• Well, it looks like there were 3 of us tagging #AITP. I am making a personal objective to dramatically increase that number by next summit. #
• It's a good thing AT&T Uverse never fails because their fully automated tech support is just evil… oh wait… crap! #
• RT: @CatoInstitute: 42 Senators voted to spend more money than the once who calls himself a socialist! God help us. http://bit.ly/4X2E3V #
• How many marketing/public relations folks out their consider their medium art? Of course I am speaking of http://stopbabiesandpuppies.com/ #
• I consider anyone who tries to re-size my browser window to be nothing more than a spammer myself. #
• Anyone got a video of the iPad announcement? #
• Help with #snowpacalypse NSSL wants visual precipitation readings during the event. Simple web form @ http://tinyurl.com/ye6p9hp #
• RT: @oushadow: OG&E is on twitter now. Follow @ogande #
• @johnsterrett Ya, it was a lot of fun finding OU fans in Chicago. Tweet me when you come back into town… dinner will be on me. in reply to johnsterrett #
• @carlosdominguez Sry for +month old reply. Got the license update for 5505 2 days later. An old Linksys held us over. Users VERY not happy in reply to carlosdominguez #
• @ash_leigh I follow @okdot because I noticed a tweet by you with it… maybe a month or two ago in reply to ash_leigh #
• "…then I looked upon the face of evil; it was beautiful and terrible as the dawn." #
• FYI All Saint school in Norman is closed. Took me twice as long to get out of town this morning because of the ice. #
• …AHHHH I NEED COFFEE!!!! Worst problem we have had at Cobb in over a year and I don't have time to make coffee. Someone hates me. #
• AD network got totally hosed by a bad server in Duncan. Trying to repair with MS tech support… Duncan looses power. Long day ahead. #
• Everyone needs to follow @ash_leigh. She made coffee for me this morning and thereby probably saved my life. #
• RT: @CatoInstitute: Bush & Obama's #SOTU speeches put side by side. They are calling it Bush's third term. http://bit.ly/ax6haO #
• @ash_leigh Still at work but we got things running at least partially. Will get everything fixed when power comes back to Duncan. in reply to ash_leigh #
• For someone as obnoxiously social as myself, there isn't anything more depressing than working alone in an empty office. #

Nothing to see… please move on. Still VERY sexy!

• RP @ShawnDible "..cause in my head there's a Greyhound station, where I send my thoughts to far off destinations…" #
• @ash_leigh YES… black Jettas are definitely emo cars. in reply to ash_leigh #
• i just turn the channel from NPR because I was sick of hearing about "not for profit paid announcement." #
• "my blood runs cold; my memory has just been sold…" wow, haven't heard that in a while. #
• All I have to say is "DRAGON TWISTER!!!!" http://www.fandome.com/video/117254/Sword-Practice/?q=c #
• @ash_leigh Phase 10 the card game? in reply to ash_leigh #
• After the MA election last night, I feel like the country may have actually JUST pulled away from the brink. #
• Suprm Crt struck down campaign spending limits! Free speech wins but so do wealthy businesses/unions/corporations. I abhor what you say… #
• BRKB split 50-1 today. First time ever! Couple rules to live by. Don't start a land war in Asia and always buy BRK if you can get it < 100! #
• @AITP I am in a session about social media… any ever hear of this social media thing? #
• #AITP Things just got bad… the presenter just admitted that she had never heard of social networking before last week. #
• #AITP …I am on the front row and cannot find a way to escape. #
• #AITP Another presenter just told us about a college class he took to learn about social media… it only took 12 hours. #
• #AITP One of the panel members just started ranting about "hating" email groups and other "social media." #
• #AITP CIO forum was outstanding. Only one of them was a empty suit… the lesson, IT people need to act more like business people. #
• Walked downtown to go up in the Sears tower… $16 to go to the top. Maybe some other day when the fog will not hide the view. #

• @BrotherMagneto Wait… you were in Tulsa and didn't tell me? in reply to BrotherMagneto #
• @ash_leigh Which files where you trying to copy? How big were they? in reply to ash_leigh #
• @weeklyroast Brew my own coffee at work every morning. Bring the beans, the grind, and the press. But TOTALLY WORTH IT! in reply to weeklyroast #
• @ash_leigh I am here now, if you want coffee. in reply to ash_leigh #
• I feel wiped out today. Like I already lost some fight I didn't even know I had. #
• Just found out that the orphanage we help sponsor in Haiti is OK. Children hurt, 0. Structures destroy, 0. Some have lost family. #
• RT @MatthewWarner Dem districts go twice the stimulus of GOP districts w/o regard to need. http://ow.ly/WChO in reply to MatthewWarner #
• RT: @ptokc: OKC please RT. Help make a difference in the lives of homeless children right here in OKC. http://ow.ly/WDtb #
• Holy mackerel, a magnitude 4.0 earthquake was just recorded near Jones… OKLAHOMA!!?! #
• Including Govn't debt, consumer debt, and business debt; the US is leveraged to the tune of about 41%-50% of GDP. I fear for our country! #
• Martha Coakley just insulted every devout Catholic in Massachusetts. We may have a Republican Senator from MS. http://tinyurl.com/yj5nzz2 #
• oh… oh… oh… oh… ohhhhhh… you don't have to go. #

• OKC AITP board meeting today. My first as president. #
• @ash_leigh Thanks Ash! I tweeted that because a couple board members mentioned that we should get a twitter account. I liked the irony. in reply to ash_leigh #
• A co-worker mentioned yesterday that she believes "You become the people you hand out with." That is my piece of wisdom for the day. #
• @ash_leigh I really have never been a fan of Turquoise. in reply to ash_leigh #
• You know the day is going to be good when it starts with Mass and Reconciliation… and tiny twitter needs spell check! #

• Winter storm started early this morning, lost power for a couple of hours. Two foot snow drift blocks my back door. Crazy! #
• Oklahoma record for snow is 9"… we already got 10". 60mph winds mean that some places have whiteout blizzard conditions. Stay home folks #
• …will rogers airport is reporting 14.1" #
• @ash_leigh lol, we just got finished watching the last two… it wouldn't christmas w/o Strider! #
• I never thought I would get to say this; but I got to build a couple of snowmen with my kids… in Oklahoma… 6' snowmen… in Oklahoma! #

• I HATE Cisco! 3-5 days for a mission critical license update? We WILL be replacing our Cisco equipment with HP! Not another dollar, ever! #
• @ash_leigh You took a picture of our cheese? in reply to ash_leigh #

I understand that this is basically old news to anyone who knows me but a couple months ago (April 26th to be precise) I ran my first marathon.  The reason I am posting this now is because I wanted to document some of the event/training specifics before I forget them or loose them forever.

This whole thing basically started almost a year earlier when a good friend of mine , Jack,  and I were discussing what it was like to accomplish such a feet.  Jack has run a dozen or so marathons and 1 ultra-marathon.  I told him I could never make a 26.2 mile run, which seemed like a reasonable expectation considering my admittedly slightly inebriated state.  Jack assured me that I could do it (assuming I completed the necessary training) which, evidently, seemed a simple task, considering his less slightly inebriated state.  Jack then offered me a carrot.  He told me that if I ever attempted a marathon (after completing the necessary training) he would run it with me.  Thankfully his wife remembered making this promise because Jack’s above mentioned intoxication kept him from remembering said agreement.

You can read here, here, and here for updates on each stage of my training.  Basically I had to start from walking.

After training for the Tulsa half-marathon I immediately started planning for a full marathon.  I went looking for a half-to-full training plan.  It was harder to find that I expected mostly because I wanted one that only had me running 4 days a week, which was the upper limit of time that I could dedicate to it.  Here is my 5 month training schedule.

The marathon I chose was the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon here in Oklahoma. The OKC Memorial Marathon is generally picked as one of the better marathons in the country and it certainly lived up to my expectations. Everything seemed to go smoothly (minus maybe the pasta diner, but those always seem a little “school cafeteria” like.) Jack came as promised, along with his family, and the result made the whole weekend feel like a party (again with mild intoxication.)

My daughter decided earlier in the year to run the kids marathon (25 miles of training in the months before the marathon and the last 1.2 the day of.)  So Jack’s wife ran with my daughter (and her newborn baby) on the kids 1.2 miler.  They gave the kids mini-medals just like the adult marathon and even had them finish at the same finish line (not particularly common for kids-marathons.)  Emily ate her body weight in finish line hamburgers and cookies.

There were a couple surprises for me.  First, I have almost no recollection of running the first 8 miles.  They were so exciting, so overwhelming, so enthusiastic that I was amazed when I saw the 8 mile marker.   Second, although I thought I had prepared for the wind… there was NO WAY to be ready for what happened.  We ran with our backs to the wind for the first 13 miles  or so (I had a 9 minute mile at that point) but when we headed into the second half we hit 40 mph winds coming off of Lake Hefner.  It was like that the entire way back.

I started cramping up at the last quarter mile (as the course finished on a down-hill.)  Jack and I speed-up to finish and I can honestly say with all the excitement that I felt no pain.  It had been hours since they had run the kids marathon and I didn’t really hold out any hope that I would see anyone I knew but I was pleasantly surprised.  Jack’s wife, his newborn son, and my daughter were about 100 feet from the finish line.  I saw her and started getting tears in my eyes.  If you look at the picture above… that look I had wasn’t pain.  My daughter ran along the sidewalk, slipped past the rail barriers, and through her arms around me after I finished. Her first word were, “I am so proud of you daddy.”  My emotions poured out as I hugged her.  It was one of the best moments of my life.

Jack and I crossed the finish line side-by-side.  We finished in just under 5 hours.  It is almost impossible to go through an experience like this  not be changed by it and, I am sure that it goes without saying, that Jack is like a brother to me now.  Whatever else happens to me I will now be able to call myself a marathoner.

The website 1001 rules for my unborn son got me thinking about some of the rules I have for my life. Thought I would put down my own and list some of my favorite from 1001.

• –There is always time for a lemonade stand.
• –Perfect at least one recipe, steak doesn’t count.
• –Obstacles are ways of demonstrating our dedication.
• –Don’t complain, just work harder.
• –Take the new guy out to lunch.
• –Never swing at the first pitch.
• –Carry a pocket knife.
• –Learn from criticism.
• –X never, ever, ever makes the spot.
• #394: Try to lose the adverbs. Seriously.
• # 325: When excusing yourself from the table, you need not give a reason.
• # 270: Stand up to bullies. You’ll only have to do it once.
• # 238: Read before bed every night.
• # 231: Keep your passport current.
• # 230: Become an expert in something.
• # 206: Never turn down a girl’s invitation to dance.
• # 201: Order the local specialty.
• # 189: Learn to drive a stick shift.
• # 77: Never side against your brother in a fight.
• # 76: Memorize the Bill of Rights and your favorite poem.
• # 28: Keep your eye on the ball and follow through. In sports and in life.
• #9: Stand up for the little guy
• #5: Never be afraid to ask out the best looking girl in the room.
• #3: When shaking hands, grip firmly and look him in the eye.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

Haven’t heard this song in a long while. It is an old Boy Scout hiking tune that seeps of longing and sadness. Makes me miss camping on cool fall mornings:

The Happy Wanderer

I love to go a-wandering,
Along the mountain track,
And as I go, I love to sing,
My knapsack on my back.

Chorus:
Val-deri,Val-dera,
Val-deri,
Val-dera-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Val-deri,Val-dera.
My knapsack on my back.

I love to wander by the stream
That dances in the sun,
So joyously it calls to me,
"Come! Join my happy song!"

I wave my hat to all I meet,
And they wave back to me,
And blackbirds call so loud and sweet
From ev'ry green wood tree.

High overhead, the skylarks wing,
They never rest at home
But just like me, they love to sing,
As o'er the world we roam.

Oh, may I go a-wandering
Until the day I die!
Oh, may I always laugh and sing,
Beneath God's clear blue sky!

• U2 is playing in Norman right now. Enjoying the concert from my house… two miles away. #
• NPR says that there are 4 million tweets sent per day…. I have a lot of catching up to do. #

One of the rules of my organizational methodology is that everything that I write on paper goes into a single notebook. I keep a single notebook and each and every page is titled, numbered, and dated. Each notebook is numbered and range dated when finally filled. This means that I carry a notebook with me most of the time and, therefore, the quality of the notebook means a great deal to me.

Now I can already hear people screaming “MOLESKIN” to me; but the problem with Moleskin is that they are pretty darn expensive (remember everything I don’t type on the computer goes into this notebook… it can fill up VERY quickly) and they are generally quality overkill for something that basically holds todo lists and diagrams. Finally, Moleskins are really more about brand than need.

So my notebooks need to stand-up to punishment, not be too expensive, and have a useful layout that doesn’t make me feel like a third grader. The Foray Project Planner Notebook is EASILY my favorite. So for future reference (like when I need to order new ones:)

Where to buy: Office Depot

Description: These refillable notebooks feature smooth, white, premium bond paper and distinctive foil-stamped linen covers with high-quality double-wire binding. Each notebook contains perforated pages for easy removal as well as a date box on every page to keep you on track. There are 80 faint-ruled pages of 18-lb paper in each refillable notebook.

Item # 766134
Manufacturer # 99326FY
sheet size 8 3/5″ x 11″
number of pages per book 160
binding type wirebound
cover color Black
cover material 22 pt. linen 924 grain embossed
opening position right side
number of holes punched 0
paper ruling faint ruled
paper color white
paper weight 18 lb
acid free no
brand name Foray

• I just heard about Obama winning the Heisman Trophy after watching a college football game… amazing what that man can do! #

• I just heard a NPR listener say we should give because "so many other news sources are bias." Seriously…??? #

• This weekend, OU looked like OU again! Unfortunately OSU looked like OSU again as well… #

• This may be the most controversial tweet I have ever made but here it goes… Tabs NOT spaces! #

Human pain does not let go of its grip at one point in time. Rather, it works its way out of our consciousness over time. There is a season of sadness. A season of anger. A season of tranquility. A season of hope.

–Robert Veninga

I was on my way to work when I heard about the first plane.  I remember thinking it was probably an accident, like the plane impact on the Empire State building.  I passed by Tinker Air Force Base on the way; it was guarded but nothing too crazy.  The second  plan crashed into the second building and I remember thinking that we would be going to war with someone.  I called my wife and told her not to leave home.  Being a state employee they told us to go home ourselves.  Passed by Tinker again… there was a tank, several 50mm Brownings, and lots of concrete barricades.  I almost enlisted right there but they wouldn’t let any non-military traffic into the base (my wife didn’t find out about that till a couple years later… she was not happy.)

I got home, hugged my wife and daughter, and cried…

• FYI… if you didn't already know. PrimaCafe is much MUCH better than Starbucks. Much! #
• NPR just told me that a pair of running shoes has a "water footprint" of 2100 gallens. Makes me want to go running! #
• Every time I hear a presentation from RSA, I come away absoluyely convinced that I don't them anywhere near my data! #
• Any aspiring writers ever read, "save the cat"? #
• At McDonnalds and the guy behind me almost brushed me 6 or 7 times. I know I abuse personell space, but come-on! #