Newest Members of the Family

I was planning to post the second installment of my article series on code conventions, but I've just been too darn busy... having fun with the newest members of my family. I adopted two new cats from the local SPCA and have been spending most of my spare time playing with them. The two actually seem to like each other, and our existing cat, Edison, seems to actually tolerate them as well. It did seem a little touch-and-go at first, though... lots of hissing and growling in the Lehmann household for a few days.

And just because it's against the laws of the internet (and cat-lovers) to talk about their new furry friends without posting at least one picture, here are some shots of the new kitties:



Roxy - exploring bags on the kitchen floor



Gessle - and his humongous tail!

Both are still a little on the skinny side, but gaining weight fast. Roxy started out kind of quiet, but now that she's getting used to her new home she's starting to become more and more lively. Gessle's just a sweetheart. He acts like a big kitten at times, but he's also an affectionate lover boy.

So, who can guess the source of the names? Roxy's diminutive for Roxette, one of our favorite musical groups. Gessle's named in honor of Per Gessle, the male half of Roxette.

And just so he doesn't feel left out, here's a pic of Edison, at almost 10 years old, he's the "old man" of the family:



Edison - our sleepy, 20 lb "little guy"

Hello, World!

Oh look, here's another blog about programming

Why write (or for that matter, read) yet another blog about programming? I'd considered starting a blog (and before blogs I'd considered creating a home page) several times in the past but I always thought I didn't have anything compelling enough to say. So what's changed? Well, I realized that even with the plethora of blogs already out there dedicated to programming, science fiction, and everything else in the realm of geekdom, there's still room for another voice, another opinion, another take on things. This may not be the penultimate, "must-read" blog for all things geeky, but it doesn't need to be. There have been several times that I've needed a little help figuring out a programming problem -- especially when trying to learn something new -- and I've found the answer I needed on someone's blog. If one of my posts helps someone else in a similar situation, then it's served its purpose and I'm happy.

I've been designing computer programs since I was 14 and I got my very first Commodore 64, which shows you how long I've been doing this (and suddenly makes me feel fairly old). I hope that somewhere along the way I've picked up a few tricks that someone else might find useful. This blog is largely about my experiences as a software engineer. I'll be talking about various aspects of programming, problems I've found interesting and the ways I solved them, my philosophy on the "art" of programming (whether a program can be considered "art" is a topic that's generated enough heat to melt the arctic icecap -- hey, another theory of global warming!), and sharing bits of code. Along the way, be prepared for some small detours as I talk about what TV shows and movies I've been watching, what books I've been reading, and whatever else strikes my fancy at the time.

So, consider this my "Hello, world!" of blog posts! Since it's almost inevitable that I'll eventually reveal a little bit more about myself at some point, I'll even label this post hello world so you can find it and other posts that expand on who I am, where I come from, and where I'm going all in one place.

For those of you who are wondering, I've been working mainly in .NET these days, so most of my programming posts will be related to .NET-related topics. However, you might see an occasional post about JavaScript, Java, or other languages. I'll also be writing about concepts like design patterns that can be applied to almost any language. So while there's probably not something for everyone in this blog (I don't plan on talking about knitting, for example; well, maybe except for this), hopefully there'll be something interesting to somebody out there once in awhile.

Well, I guess that's about it for right now. Check back soon for my first real tech post.