Study Frenzy

I really don't miss school/college, but I do love to learn. So it is not surprising that from time to time, I choose topics to study and can sometimes overdo it, much like I find myself this week. Because of upcoming changes in my work environments, I've found it necessary to spruce up some technical skills. So I am currently reading:

• Ext JS 4: a technology for rich web user interfaces and mobile applications. You can produce some nice-looking and responsive websites and mobile apps this way.
• Spring 3.1: a technology used widely in Java to wire various components of an application. For example, I use it a lot to manage how I use Hibernate (data persistence), security, website presentation on the server, and application configuration, to mention but a few.
• Hibernate 4.1: my preferred library to handle interaction with databases, abstracting a lot of the details and allowing me to use ORM in my apps.
• Mule ESB 3.3: in an enterprise with different kinds of applications and systems, you need a data conduit that can connect everything together. I use this enterprise service bus to achieve exactly that, enabling legacy and other proprietary applications to communicate.
• ActiveMQ: a better way to move data reliably using message queuing. This is part of what will be implemented on the ESB.

All the above studies are skill/tool upgrades except ActiveMQ. Usually when I find myself using older libraries and technologies (or newer ones offer attractive features or fix old problems), I conduct a study to learn what's new and end up upgrading my entire code base. So it looks like the rest of the year will be consumed with completing this upgrade.

Besides these studies, I am also primarily still developing LeafCompass, the portal for landscapers. The first release is out, to be followed soon by a mobile version and a comprehensive support site.

As if that isn't enough, I am in self-taught mode for business administration: I'm feeling the itch to start ramping up my small business Strive Consulting, LLC and taking on more jobs, and eventually becoming completely self-employed. So I am designing a new app that will help administer that business too (so I can achieve operational automation and efficiency through technology).

Talk of busyness, I am! But the study frenzy seems like a necessary step at this stage in my life. I know it will pay off, so I do it despite how boring it is and how tired I end up.

We Fit(ness) Together

I'd be hard-pressed to find anyone that never works out and yet is physically fit. So that we look and feel good, we all must work out. Some do gyms and others get personal trainers -- we just do DVD programs at home. Enter "Insanity", which we have been doing on and off for the last couple of months. My wife does another women's Beachbody product from time to time, which has served her well.

We've seen some results, even with our lackluster commitment, so we know that if we work harder at it and be more consistent, we'll see even better results. Actually, my wife has been more successful at exercise than I, working out pretty much every weekday even if I do not join her. I realize that (1) I have a bad habit of working out in 1-2 week spurts then taking a week or two off, (2) I work out better in the evenings than in the mornings, and (3) exercise can become routine and boring, creating less of an desire to commit seriously.

So I've designated October and November as the months I intend to finish the entire "Insanity" workout. To encourage my wife in her workouts, I'll workout in the mornings with her. I'll workout everyday (except Sundays) so I can be true to the workout and see if it really delivers on its promise of serious abs and better cardio response. I'll work out to my own music though, to keep things interesting, and will "test" my physical fitness every 2 weeks with a brisk hike up the Manitou Springs Incline. Yes, this all sounds like a New Year's resolution -- and it is. Simply applied really late into the year.

At the other end though, I expect good health and vanity. I mean, why else do we work out?

Be Still

Psalm 46:10 (NIV) “He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;”

Right now I’m struggling with the stillness God has placed in my life. As my friends run around franticly with their busy schedules I sit with little to do. As Americans we fill our days and our importance is based on how busy we are. In my devotionals it talks about King David being anointed at age 15 but not made king till age 30. 15 years of waiting- wow! Not an easy thing to do. I struggle with being still and waiting on God. I’ve been calling out to God. Talking to him in verbal conversation. Even though I struggle I am finding some sweet time with Him. I see how too often I exhort God and go about my busy life but now I’m resting in Him. Take some time to be still and be with God.