These big community events let me calibrate myself, get an idea of how many steps I have successfully made along life’s path, and get an idea of what the next few steps might hold.

The downside to the conference was that it was scheduled for the same three says as RailsConf 2012, so I didn’t get a chance to go to that while I was in town. At least the videos are going up on line now, so I can live vicariously.

We got to catch up with several old friends and to eat delicious Tex-Mex.

The day after we got back to Toronto it started snowing! Roll on spring.

I’m thoroughly enjoying working back through some Ruby Rogues episodes, and lamenting that I’ll be in Austin at the same time as RailsConf, but attending the Lustre User Group conference, and work will most likely trump play. Maybe I’ll make it to a Ruby conference next year.

Another thing I’m enjoying is working through Michael Hartl’s rails tutorial. It is staggering to see how much has changed in the Ruby and Rails worlds, and quietly working through this has opened my eyes to a lot of new and interesting gems and techniques.

Next up on deck will be Avdi Grimm’s Objects on Rails. Once I’ve finished Michael Hartl’s tutorial…

“Hello! Python” is a great read. It looks good for both new programmers to learn about programming, and people familiar with another programming language to learn Python. The tone and pace of the book are pleasant and light, yet Anthony Briggs manages to cover a lot of useful ground in less then 400 pages. If you want an introduction to programming, Python, or both then it’s worth looking at this book.

The examples start out simply, and each chapter leaves you feeling that something has been accomplished. As the book progresses Briggs digs into some of the libraries and techniques which help the programmer deal with real problems more quickly and effectively. He slips in hints about problem solving, structuring programs, and debugging without letting the fun and discovery get bogged down. He takes a tour through some big frameworks, and carries his main example to an interesting conclusion, hopefully with the reader keen to keep playing with it.

By the end of the book the reader should have a good idea of how to write programs in Python, what sort of help is available in terms of external libraries, places to look for further inspiration on-line and in real life.

At work I review the code I write, and even the most cursory reviews have benefits for the code’s design and quality. A large part of the value is having another person there to provide perspective, maintain a degree of honesty, and force the fuzziness of ideas to be exposed by committing them to words.

My initial step in a more concerted examination of my life was to make sure my recollections are accurate. For the past few weeks I have tried to write a diary entry every day, and then to read the entries every week and spend a little time reflecting. It is amazing how much I forget in a week.

I wonder if reviewing my inner life will be as beneficial as reviewing the code I write – I’m not sure if I’d like someone else going over my diary entries with me. Putting my thoughts onto paper does make me think, and reveals some interesting traits.

The notion of periodic review appeals to me, and I’ll keep at it for a couple of months.

I am relieved to be stepping down, and a little sad. Since my days in Boston where we had “Boston Area Perl Socials” before the Perl Mongers were formed I have had a deep fondness for Perl and its spectacularly warm, welcoming, and interesting community. The Perl community is my current benchmark of user groups, and I don’t think any other groups come close in their willingness to accept and encourage heretics. The Toronto Ruby scene comes close, but taking a moment to look back the Perl Mongers in Boston, New York, Austin, and Toronto have been an amazing source of friends, jobs, and social life.

Now I look forward to participating in the trenches again, and hope the next 20 or so years of Perl will be as much fun.

Good luck to Jordan, Stuart, and Alex! It’s time for some fresh blood.

A week into the experiment things are going much better, I am trying to make at least one journal entry a day in DayOne (with a regular review at the weekend, that’s a subject for another post…) and I’m slowly loading stuff into Evernote.

Now I want to see if I can get into the habit of using Workflowy as well, and see how to use it effectively. Despite a month or two of trying to make it work it seems that their way of thinking and my way of doing don’t seem to mesh.

The best thing is that all these tools mean that my notes are to hand wherever I have a computer or my phone, and it’s a lot easier to search documents than paper.

I’m not sure what, if any, the difference between “French” and “Frog” was. I do remember taking up piano because it got me off sports one day a week… I was even worse at piano than I was at sports!

Usually there is something which presents itself, for now I’m content and don’t have any ideas for posts. Maybe no news is good news.