Since October 2023, I have been traveling for work at a grand total of fifteen weeks. Fifteen weeks of lonely nights in cheap hotels, a measly per diem that allows for groceries and fast food only and a longing for home. From Cincinnati, Ohio to Houston, Texas and all points in between.
This next week will be my last run before I turn in my truck and equipment back home into an uncertain future.
I say uncertain because eventually, I will be back on the road but this time to move cross country to the gulf coast of Florida and a new life. I do not know where I will be employed, what I will be doing or if this is a smart move. It feels right and I want a new life with new opportunities and a launching point for another location out of the country.
Debugging, in computer programming and engineering, is a multi-step process that involves identifying a problem, isolating the source of the problem and then either correcting the problem or determining a way to work around it. The final step of debugging is to test the correction or workaround and make sure it works.
Each month, and the corresponding day, I will run a systems diagnostic and report on either the overall performance or list any bugs that may still need to be addressed. The first diagnostic and reporting will be done on February 2nd or 2/2. The following will be on March 3 or 3/3, etc etc until December 12 (12/12.) Then one year from now on 12/31/2024 I will run more more systems check and prepare for another hard reset.
This is the first diagnostic check of 2024 on the personal operating system.1
There are a few known issues, or bugs in my personal life that I need to identify, isolate and correct the problem.
Bug #1: To maximize system performance, I need to focus on the overall health of the personal operating system and that is to stay physically fit. Sure, the outdoor work that I do does help but there is more I can do. Time to access the walking and yoga sub-routines. These will both be done on a daily basis. Yoga in the morning to stretch out and purposeful walking for cardio.
Bug #1 Performance Analysis: fail. Sure, the weather was too cold everywhere I went to enjoy walking but this is a flimsy excuse. Yoga practice was a total of 2 out of 31 days in the new year so far.
Bug #1 Task prior to 3/3: Walk a minimum of five minutes daily to get the blood flowing. Yoga a minimum of 15 days out of February’s 29 days2
Bug #2: Nutrition is a crucial component to all of this because I have not eaten well the last quarter of 2023. 2024 will be a rocky start since I will be traveling for work but I will be mindful and look for healthier food options.
Bug #2 Performance Analysis: Critical. I am back on the road and do indulge in fast food. But to note, I have consumed a lot of salads, grilled meats and healthier choices.
Bug #2 Task prior to 3/3: Maintain or improve current intake of greens and meats.Limit sugar. I do need to watch the salt intake as it corrupts the personal OS.
Bug #3: Smoking pipe tobacco and drinking alcohol is inserting bad code into my system and so, once again, I will work towards debugging those substances to enhance system performance.
Bug #3 Performance Analysis: Critical. Back on the tobacco pipe while on the road, but also drinking no alcohol.
Bug #3 Task prior to 3/3: …
Inputs
Other applications will be used to maintain the mental health of my personal operating system such as:
Reading (finished 3 books in January!)
Creative writing ( writing almost daily!)
Journaling (maybe 3 times a week)
Meditation (daily!)
Overall, these benchmarks for analyzing and evaluating overall performance will help maintain my personal operating system for years to come.
Next Systems Diagnostic will be on 3/3.
While writing this I was listening to:
if you haven’t sorted it out by now it is me. I am the personal operating system operating system↩︎
If you know me at all, you know that I have always been a fan of public art, especially mural or wall art. From early on we’ve been painting in caves, on the ceilings of chapels and now on city streets. Big cities like Houston have art initiatives and institutions that support local artists to come out and create these murals to beautify city streets and create outdoor museums for everyone.
I won’t name the institution here but I do appreciate their work for the community and also discovery of these works with an interactive app that provides a map of installations and allows you to scan the art and it will provide backstory and artistic bios. Love to see it. I wish I could do more with my images of murals. Inspiring.
A new year means a fresh start with new goals. In addition to the 365/2024 photo project and 24 books read in 2024, I want to add another resolution: no new technology. I am confident that all of my hardware will not need to be replaced or upgraded. Now, if anything should happen to a device, I’ll have to make an exception. As for now, I am content.
Debugging, in computer programming and engineering, is a multi-step process that involves identifying a problem, isolating the source of the problem and then either correcting the problem or determining a way to work around it. The final step of debugging is to test the correction or workaround and make sure it works.
This is the last day of 2023 and tomorrow begins the hard reset, or rebooting the system for a fresh start. After that I will begin to run some routines to help debug my personal operating system.
There are a few known issues, or bugs in my personal life that I need to identify, isolate and correct the problem.
Bug #1: To maximize system performance, I need to focus on the overall health of the personal operating system and that is to stay physically fit. Sure, the outdoor work that I do does help but there is more I can do. Time to access the walking and yoga sub-routines. These will both be done on a daily basis. Yoga in the morning to stretch out and purposeful walking for cardio.
Bug #2: Nutrition is a crucial component to all of this because I have not eaten well the last quarter of 2023. 2024 will be a rocky start since I will be traveling for work but I will be mindful and look for healthier food options.
Bug #3: Smoking pipe tobacco and drinking alcohol is inserting bad code into my system and so, once again, I will work towards debugging those substances to enhance system performance.
Each month, and the corresponding day, I will run a systems diagnostic and report on either the overall performance or list any bugs that may still need to be addressed. The first diagnostic and reporting will be done on February 2nd or 2/2. The following will be on March 3 or 3/3, etc etc until December 12 (12/12.) Then one year from now on 12/31/2024 I will run more more systems check and prepare for another hard reset.
Inputs
Other applications will be used to maintain the mental health of my personal operating system such as:
Reading
Creative writing
Journaling
Meditation
Overall, these benchmarks for analyzing and evaluating overall performance will help maintain my personal operating system for years to come.
Let’s ignore the fact that I already plotted which novels I am going to read in 2024 and have more than enough, but what if some of those picks were duds and I wanted more?
Well Amazon made me an offer I did not refuse and that was 3 months of Unlimited reading for $0.99USD. Right away I snagged three titles and added them to the list. It didn’t help that I received a paperback book 1 in the murderbot series, “All Systems Red” for Christmas and KU has the rest of the series listed there so consider that money well saved when I do get around to starting/finishing the series?
So many books and not enough time is a blessing/curse!
I have been an avid reader since I can remember, and that memory goes back quite the distance. And in that whole time I’ve always felt that there is a story for me to tell, something that hasn’t been written yet and it was up to me to tell it since no one else will. The trick is to tell a compelling story that is unique or maybe offer a small twist. I do not have lofty aspirations nor fancy myself as a brilliant writer- at all.
Now that the disclaimer is out there I can proceed.
The idea of a my first novel came from a photo book documenting the Angkor province of Cambodia from the Khmer Empire, a topic that hardly anyone knows anything about so of course I was intrigued and have been pursuing research and ideas on how to tell a story there. That has been burned in my brain for the past thirty years.
During this past month I was in a hotel room alone with my thoughts and there were plenty of thoughts for other novel ideas. Work by day then come back to the hotel at night to read and write. As I said, for one month I have generated almost thirty-five (35!) novel ideas and concepts. I have even gone so far as to come up with plot lines from start to finish on most of these. At least ten unique characters to be interjected as well.
To break them down I’d say at least 20 of these are novel sized with the remaining 15 are more like individual short stories that can/will be combined into one overall story with a common theme.
My brain and fingers are swollen from over use but I am pleased.
There are so many issues though with the most difficult being- which story do I want to start first? Which one do I invest my time in research and development? Should I start on a smaller series and build from those small victories?
All titles shown are incomplete, personal property and are subject to change
