yes, it’s a bit late for that kind of thing, but I’ve been away from my blog. I thought it wasn’t going to happen but expending Christmas in Spain, getting back in shape, dealing with a big pile of work left from last year and the year before that… too many things to do and not a lot of time, as a summary.

I also started the year playing Lord of Ultima (amongst other things), and playing Ruby programming, which is probably the most fun thing I have done (well, I tried running, but my tibialis anterior was acting weird and it was not fun anymore [I'm recovering now, taking it easy]). and reading “Reality Is Broken”, probably the book I needed to read write now (well, I presented it to myself, so it was well chosen).

and then, just yesterday, I left Lord of Ultima, and suspended several accounts from several MMPORGs, because I was not playing them anymore and I became sensible for a few minutes.

now, it’s series/music/movies time because there are lots of culture to consume/absorb and that’s something you can do while you develop, which is what I’m trying to do at least this month, or these first few months of the year. we will see each other in the webs.

¿cuántos parados habrá traído el Año Nuevo?

I’m so amazed by little gems like this, that I can hardly explain it.

anyway, this all started with a comment in a Wired about a previous article of the magazine, which is this. I would suggest you to read the story and reach your own conclussions, which are always the better because:

1. they make you think
2. for sure they’ll be of some use to you

places are full of memories. well, they hold pointers to memories, tokens connecting what was with you. I walk along a park and I remember how misserable I felt during Bad Day. a dispassionate memory, not a painful one but just a picture from the past. and suddenly I’m in an office for a job interview. something related to telecommunications and the army. secrets I didn’t learn.

hidden personal gems in the corners and sidewalks of Madrid, waiting for me sitting on benches, next to traffic lights, clinging to the ceiling of buildings. it’s not like smells, it’s that feeling of being close to time portals, knots in space and time. and it’s oh so sunny here you wouldn’t believe it if I told you. and Guru is here as well.

I finally got the piece of paper that confirms I did and finished something long ago. something I got from the strange cave that the University was, from that bubble where only people changes but EBAS and MCRO are still the same thing. I’m certified. and I’m exactly the same person I was two hours ago, except from some memories I recovered and I’ll soon forget.

let’s hit the streets again.

Coinstar may well be the greatest scam ever: they charge you around 9% for just doing something that banks and retailers should do, and then they make you think they make your life easier.
if coins are legal payment means (and as far as I know they are) why would you need anyone to count them for you, keeping 9% for them? that’s being willingly mugged, and there’s definitely something very wrong there.

andaba yo muy interesado en conseguir toda la filmografía de Harold Lloyd, que es una de esas cosas difíciles de encontrar si no se sabe buscar bien, hasta que dí con una lista muy interesante de videos allá por algún país en el que se habla eslovaco. o algo similar, porque uno nunca sabe dónde están estas cosas.
el caso es que he visto que con alguna versión de Java actualizada en el Mac (al menos en la versión 10.7.2, o sea, Lion, y con la version 1.6.0_29), JDownloader se rompe de la forma más tonta del mundo: funciona como siempre pero es imposible saber que funciona porque la interfaz no se actualiza. vamos, que JDownloader pone cara de póker y te toca adivinar de cien formas distintas que es lo que pasa. como la vida misma, como tener una conversación con alguien que apenas habla y que seguro que se entera de lo que dices y tiene ideas propias y razonables, pero que es incapaz de decírtelo o al menos tú eres incapaz de entenderlo.

en cualquier caso, la solución es muy sencilla, casi como probar a apagar y encender otra vez. se apaga, se borran unos archivos de configuración que ni me he molestado en averiguar que tienen, se enciende otra vez y, voilà, toda la filmografía de Harold Lloyd queda a tu disposición, desde la Garra del Gato a… a lo que venga después y que esté en la lista. y además te enteras, en lugar de conseguir cosas sin saberlo (como cumplir años, por ejemplo). una cosa que estaba rota se ha arreglado.

otra cosa rota es Quicksilver, al menos desde hace unos días y probablemente por algo similar. Quicksilver es el lanzador que utilizo desde que uso Macs. y lo uso porque es el primero que supe que existía y porque me va bien (los habrá mejores, los habrá que hagan justo lo que yo necesito y nada más, pero no me he molestado en investigar, porque sería como buscar un destornillador perfecto: algo que no hace falta porque te basta con que se pueda atornillar y desatornillar [a todo esto, ¿por qué nunca se han llamado "atornilladores"? los tornillos no están atornillados de fábrica. en fin...]). bueno, pues Quicksilver últimamente tiene la mala costumbre de arrancar y dar un error relativo a una caché o algo similar que no se carga bien. otra cosa rota, otra molestia más que no hace daño pero que no debería existir. lo siguiente por arreglar.

moverme por Madrid me sienta bien, aunque me salte una parada de Metro. tomar cañas, vino y unos huevos rotos me sienta bien, aunque no haya entrenado hoy. este fresco que no es frío me gusta, porque me reactiva.
ver a amigos que bajan a estar un momento contigo antes de irse, y que dicen que se acuerdan de ti cuando hacen otras cosas como comer fabada, eso es lo mejor.
gracias, niño pez y niña palacio.

empiezan para mi las vacaciones de Navidad. hace unos años era el que se quedaba en la ciudad, al que no le importaba ir a trabajar. era normal: tener a la familia cerca, menos trabajo y presión esos días, guardarse las vacaciones para otro momento…
ahora soy otra persona más de las que vuelan de un país a otro como el tipo del turrón Almendro. y también, como ellos, vuelo mucho menos que antes.

también escribo mucho peor. temo que no sea el declive propio de los treinta de enmedio sino declive sin más, que quiere decir que lo peor está por llegar. pero sobre escatología ya hablaremos más adelante, porque estamos en la época de los días locos, de los días fuera de calendario.

en fin, en Madrid nos veremos y que las celebréis.

“Bye London, until next year”, digo desde el avión.

it would be more prospecting that digging, and more abstract prospecting than real one. or not even that. I’m just trying to work again with different rubies, put in place a few rails, updated some development/deployment environments, get acquainted with HTML (HTML is the new HTML5!!) and keep learning things in general. or that’s the idea (I’m also trying to conquer two or three virtual worlds, but that’s a subject for a different time).

things I learned?

• you always need some initial setup, some toolchain that triggers the whole process. yes, you can use rvm and keep your gemsets isolated. or use bundle to handle the gem dependencies of your application, and to replicated environments, but you end up requiring the same version of rvm and bundle on both boxes or you’ll go mad because of something as silly as a system variable (BUNDLE_PATH), that’s added automatically by version 1.0.0 of rvm and not by version 1.10.0 (which is the reason it cannot find a version of rake you have installed, and your .bundle/config keeps changing).
• you always need to learn the tools. it may not take a lot of time, but it will take time and it’s an important task in its own right. command line, IDE, parameters, configuration files, data synchronization systems, DB configuration/setup, SCMs… there will always be something just before digging/brewing coffee/<insert your preferred metaphor for developing code, creating something here>
• it’s fun or you wouldn’t be doing it. ok, maybe not fun but rewarding.
• we are all dwarfs at some point.

… and get tired as well. this year I’ve been really bad with my training. while not being a professional athlete, I’m lucky enough (well, maybe I deserve it) to have nice bosses, a nice/flexible job and a gym nearby where to train even when it’s raining like it usually does.

but having the opportunity doesn’t mean I always take it and during the last months I wasn’t constant, and it’s absolutely clear why that’s not the approach I should follow. it’s not about training, really, it’s about anything: practice makes perfection may not be true, but what it does is programming body and mind towards a certain goal, creating the proper framework to keep doing what you already do and go further.

like coming back to this screens and letting people know that after almost three years in this country I’m still alive, everything is good and my perception of my linguistic capabilities is worst than ever. but, ey! I can still run 10K in less that 1 hour and possibly in less than 50 minutes, so nothing is lost.

see you on the asphalt.