I can't believe it is almost November. This month has gone way too fast... and I am still behind on too many things. I am of course behind on blog reading and writing. I have a few entries that I have been thinking about but not enough time to put the thoughts together. I have a couple of new side projects that I am working on too that I'll hopefully have some code to post on soon.
I have been doing a lot of code generation lately. I can't believe I waited so long to start generating some of this code that you write over and over. You know the situation where you are writing business objects or stored procedures or data accessing code (using the DAAB of course) and after you write one object that is almost like the other object which is like the next object that you have to do next and on and on ... you start thinking there is a better way to do it, but yet you keep copying and pasting - while promising yourself that one of these days you'll actually automate the simple stuff.... well I finally reached that point (along with the help and support of my manager). I know a lot of people are using Codesmith, but I am actually using XML/XSLT (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1590591372/qid=1099010027/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/104-8914320-6615918?v=glance&s=books&n=507846). I have used XML/XSLT a lot over the past 5 years so it works great for me. Either way, if you have ever thought that you should automate the generation of some code (and I'm sure you even have a good idea of how to do it) stop putting it off and do it now!
I am finally getting used to my fall schedule (now that the busiest month is almost over!!!) ... earlier this year I started going to User Group meetings (2 around Boston) and then putting together some blogger event each month (comes to 3 work nights a month). I had some time to spare... now with Platt's class started and in full swing ... add another 4 work nights a week. Then grading at least 1 weekend day (4 weekend days a month!) = not much free time anymore. I am seriously thinking of taking a day off to catch up on my blog reading.
I am also starting to think about what I should do during my “Think and motivate week“ in January. The last 2 years I have been taking a week off in January to think about stuff (what that stuff is depends) and get motivated for the year (goal setting). Of course I took the idea from Bill Gates' “Think weeks“, and I bet his weeks are more productive than mine. I can't afford to go to another one of my houses (only have this 1 bedroom apartment) or even afford a hotel room so that I can be alone all week ... but some day I will. Since I can't/don't get to hide away, some of it just ends up being relax and vacation time with the wife ;) ... each year I do this I hope to do it better than the last, so I need to start planning early this time.