Day 4

What if all you understand
Could fit into the center of our hand?
Then you found it wasn't you

I have 11 straight days of vacation.  Today is day 4.  I thought I was getting burnt out before vacation;  its only getting worse.  So far I've managed to re-learn php and mysql and create a website login system that follows most of the security best practices that aren't dumb (its funny how much more code you have to write).  Now, all I have to do is prototype an integration with a web payments system, redesign part of the data prototype, finish a stand-alone skin quiz app, write an app that shows live DOTA2 scores which requires figuring out how to automatically discover and connect to live DOTA2 games AND also some friends at work and I have discussed yet another app idea involving taxi drivers.  In addition, I need to get my car fixed, get my bike fixed, deal with my car paint, get some work done on the apartment, consult an FAA medical examiner about getting my medical back, start meditating again, start lifting every day again, start eating smoothies every day again, cook more to avoid spending so much on going out, try several new healthier foods, buy a new [nice looking] motorcycle jacket for impressing girls, go salsa dancing a lot to work on my dance game, and check out some kind of male fashion sub-reddit so I can finally start dressing better.  And simultaneously lose and gain a ton of weight.  And train myself enough so I can start bicycling to work.  I also need to take some stuff to the computer recycling center, get a second seat for my motorcycle so I can carry a girl, and get a consultation for hair transplants so girls stop mistaking me for a 32 year old.  Also, I need to get more sleep.

Also, somewhere in there I need to relax or go outside or something.  Vacation.

So...as you can see its not going as well as I'd like.  I did a lot of programming, but it was the difficult kind.  In fact, I have a theory.  Let me share it with you.  Its called "the fog."  The fog is what happens to my brain when I try to do the following all at the same time:

1. design work

2. learning (new API, best practices, etc)

3. implementing (writing code)

All three of those are a cluster fuck that taxes my brain and prevents me from coding for long periods of time, which means lots of breaks.  During those breaks, I have to avoid video games that use a lot of brainpower.  So, Starcraft is out.  I've had some luck with Classic Unreal Tournament (UT '99) -- that game is a purely twitch game.  It also makes me miss Lan Parties.

In contrast, when I am only doing #3?  Implementing?  I can code for 10 hours straight.  But here is the problem:  I will rarely only be doing #3.  Most of the things worth doing, where you break new ground or make money where other people havent, are going to require more than #3.  If you just want to write code that you already know how to write, you're just going to be another employee at some software company that is not in the top 5 in the world.  Maybe I should do that for a while to take a break;  I don't know.

Anyway.

I've been fairly productive.  I mean, at least the login part of the website is done.  Thursday I played some weird game at the salsa club where I tried to get girls to turn me down for dances and discovered that that was surprisingly hard--the less effort I put into asking them the more they wanted it.  Its sad that you basically have to sacrifice all of your human empathy in order to get good at hitting on girls, but its still fun.  And yesterday I rode my bicycle for far longer than I can normally endure, until I felt like I was about to pass out and my left hand started going numb.  And then I rode for another hour.  And then I turned back to come home.  I did make it all the way across the water to almost-bellevue before turning back, but by the time I got home I was limping.  Given that I didn't even make it to bellevue, I don't think I will be able to commute via bicycle all the way by the end of my vacation, but I can sure as hell try.  I suppose when commuting I wont need to save any energy for the return trip.

Today was kind of a waste.  I hardly got much programming done.  I played a lot of video games and watched TV and did a bit of walking around outside by my mind just feels cloudy, like its difficult to concentrate.  I probably need a real vacation--one where I don't have to do any work.  However, I only have 7 days left and a shit ton of stuff I want to get done.

Oh and I also need to do laundry.