Enthusiasm & Passion for Programming

I am currently working in a large company as a Developer/Analyst.  I work primarily with Visual FoxPro (Mid-Senior Level), but am striving to learn .NET (Beginner).  

We are migrating our legacy software which is written in DOS FoxPro 2.5, VFP 3.0 and VFP 7.0 to .NET.  The new Windows application includes a WPF/C# front end and SQL Server back end.  We have a team that maintains the legacy applications (which is the one that I am on) and a team that is building the new application.  Sometimes, the lines cross and I do get to work on the new software. Because the lines do not cross as much as I would like, I find myself having to find ways to keep my enthusiasm at a decent level.

Every now and then I run across blogs and podcasts that help me with my enthusiasm and passion for development.  Last week’s Hanselminutes on the subject of Finding Passion for Software is a great example of the kind of content that really turns my thinking around - "maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel".

Below are some things that I do to keep myself enthusiastic:

• Attend User Group meetings and Code Camps/Tech Fests - I cannot afford to go to big conventions like TechEd and VSLive, so free local area events are the next best thing.
• Read development books and publications - There is so much content online, but I still feel that a hard copy every now and then is needed.  I subscribe to CoDe Magazine, MSDN Magazine and SQL Server Magazine as well as try to keep a book with me at all times.  That way even if I don’t have access to the internet, I can keep my learning in motion.
• Listen to Podcasts on Development and general technology - there is a plethora of podcasts out there and new ones starting up constantly.
• Watch online videos - Again, there is a ton of online tutorials. (Dime Casts, How Do I Videos, ASP.NET Tutorials, GridView Guy Video Tutorials)
• Subscribe to blogs (XML)
• Social Networking - There are a lot of Developers on Twitter and FriendFeed.  You really pick up a lot of information following other people in the Development Community.

In closing, my current work situation sometimes makes it difficult to stay interested in my chosen profession, but thanks to the abundant amount of resources, I seem to stay interested and enthused.

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Related Content

• Finding Passion for Software
• Be a Better Developer in Six Months
• Develop with Passion like Jean Paul Boodhoo
• John Bristowe on Advancing Your Career
• Creating Passionate Developers

Personal - Thinking About My Aunt

My Aunt Shirley left this world this passed November (November 25, 2007).  This passed Monday (April 7th) she would have been 70.  I have started going through some of her pictures that were on her computer again - I have tried to previously, but it is has just been too difficult. 

I ran across my favorite picture of her - one where she was handing a pop down to her baby sis (my Aunt Linda).

 

I talked to my Uncle Lee on Friday and he informed me that he is moving out of the house that he and Aunt Shirley lived in for 47 years.  I understand that he can’t help but be plagued by memories, but it is just hard to not be able to go to that house anymore.  I have been going there since I can remember.

Happy Birthday Aunt Shirley.

Personal - My Sweet Aunt

I lost my sweet Aunt Shirley at 5:18 this morning.  I can’t help but feel that I’ve lost my Mom all over again.  My Mom died in 1982 and ever since that time her two sisters have been like my Mother.

In the summer between my Junior and Senior year in High School (1985), I stayed with my Aunt Shirley a lot.  I would go to the College where she worked as a lab assistant in the computer lab.  She taught me the basics of the IBM PC and I spent all summer playing on and learning computers.  If it were not for that summer, I may not have even been in the computer field.

Aunt Shirley was a devoted Christian woman who loved God, Uncle Lee and had a passion for teddy bears and all things cute.  I remember how excited she was when I showed her the trailer to Happy Feet on her computer.  She said “I have to see that!!!”.  

I also remember when I was younger and was on her side of town, I would call her from the pay phone (before cell phones) at the convenience store right next to their house and ask her if she had any plans for the next couple of hours.  If she would say “no, come on over”, I would tell her I would be there in a while.  Of course she expected me to be coming from home (30 miles away).  When I would knock on her door 2 minutes later she would say “GIRL!!!!”.  I loved surprising her like that. 

In recent years she looked forward to weekly visits with her friends from San Jacinto College, quarterly shopping days with Aunt Linda and each December 20th with myself, Aunt Linda, Christie (Linda’s Daughter) and Caitlin (Christie’s daughter).  However, even with all of these things to look forward to, she would always look forward to getting back to Uncle Lee.  I can tell you one thing, she loved that man like nothing else.

I will miss her very much.  Before she left, I whispered in her ear “It’s Rhonda Aunt Shirley.  I love you so much.  You are my sweet Aunt Shirley, tell Mama I said I love her too — because I know you will see her.”

Shirley Terry | April 7, 1938 - November 25, 2007 | God Bless her and her family.

   

Picture gallery of my Sweet Aunt Shirley

Here is a video that Aunt Shirley just loved

Here is the handout from the funeral

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Happy Thanksgiving 2007

Sitting here watching the Thanksgiving Day parade on TV, I can’t help but think about my sweet Aunt Shirley who suffered a major stoke last night.  It just goes to show you how fast things can happen. 

With this post, I urge people to reach out and tell your family and friends that you love them.  Don’t wait for holidays or tragedies to make you verbalize your love.

God Bless my sweet Aunt Shirley.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Great Customer Service

My husband an I have a regular routine on Saturday mornings.  We get up and out the door by 6:45am to arrive at the Panera Bread when it opens at 7:00am.  This morning; however, the doors were still locked when we arrived.  We, along with about five other people, waited for about 15 minutes and someone finally opened the doors.  After hearing what I just said, you are probably going - “That doesn’t sound like great customer service”.  Where the great customer service comes in is where they said - “your order is on the house”.  In addition to that the gentleman waiting on us had a problem with the bagel slicer and instead of making us wait while he fixed it (or worse, giving us the product of the slicer), he took the time to find a knife and slice our bagels.

The purpose of this post is to give kudos for great customer service.  The gentleman that waited on us was very courteous and apologetic. I work in the IT Department of a major long term care provider and we are always being told that we need to provide great customer service to anyone we are doing work for.  The IT industry and the food industry are two different beasts, but customer service is the commonality between all industries.

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Philadelphia Vacation 2007

We vacationed in Philadelphia this year because we were in the mood for some good ole American History. We bought a City Pass for $49 (each) and had access to several major city attractions. They included The Natural Science Museum, The Constitution Center, The Franknlin Institute and The Philadelphia Zoo.

The hotel we stayed at was ok. It is named Club Quarters and is in the middle of downtown, so it was easier to get to the trolley, but the room we had was right on the alley and there was a lot of noise at 2AM when the dumpsters were being emptied. Their wi-fi was not usable in the room and very limited in the lobby area. It is a very old hotel, so the architecture is beautiful.

Day 1
We visited some of the free attractions including the Liberty Bell and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We also visited a Belgian Bar that we really enjoyed. It is called the Eulogy Belgian Tavern. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the fact that is a very old tavern and Bob enjoyed the Belgian beer.

Day 2
We were exposed to the most American History on a walking tour of Independence Hall. The tour showed us where the Declaration of Independence was signed as well as the story behind it. We also visited the Museum of Natural Science.

Day 3
On this day we took the Big Bus Tour of Philadelphia. This was the most fun to me. It was a 90-minute tour on top of a double decker bus as the guide explains the history and the sites. Some of the sites included Betsy Ross’ house and Eastern State Penitentary. We stopped and went through the Philadelphia Zoo and was able to see some tiger cubs in the Tiger exhibit.

Day 4 
We visited the Franklin Institute and then hopped back on the trolley and stopped for lunch at the Reading Terminal Market. I really enjoyed the market because there were so many walks of life in one spot. It was fun just to sit and watch the people. We saw a lot of the Pennsylvania Dutch in the market too.

All in all, it was a fun trip through history and a great vacation. I also learned that there is a food group that I did not know about. It is called CheeseSteak.

The pictures that I took of our vacation can be found HERE.

Memorial Fence

My husband was in the Pearland Post Office the other day and began talking to a group of people sending out care packages to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. They told him about a Memorial Fence located in Angleton, TX. We decided to visit the Memorial Fence yesterday and I was astounded at how many memorials there were.

         

View the rest of my photos HERE.

The Memoral Fence is sponsored by the Military Moms and Wives of Brazoria County.

View photos from the Military Moms and Wives of Brazoria County HERE.

God Bless our Soldiers.

About Me

My name is Rhonda Tipton. I have been a Developer/Analyst with Sava Senior Care since 01/2003. I have been programming since 1993. Everything from FoxPro to SQL Server to .NET.  This is where I will write about Programming, Productivity, Astronomy and other random subjects.  I will also keep updated posts on the tools I use, the podcasts I listen to and the Houston Area User Groups I attend.

I live in Houston with my husband, dog and cat. My husband owns a woodworking business called WoodenArtwork. He does a lot of custom wood items as well as laser engraving on wood, plastic and coated metal.

I enjoy going to the park and the movies. I also enjoy reading blogs (100+ subscriptions), watching addictive TV shows, looking at the night sky through my telescope, hiking, cycling and baseball (Go Astros!!!).

Contact Information
E-mail: rtipton12 [at] gmail [dot] com
The Contact form and Guestbook on my Website can also be used to contact me.

Good Coffee, Good Tunes, Great Visit

My husband and I decided to take a day trip yesterday morning. Our target destination was the Magnolia/Hempstead area. We decided to take the long Highway 6 route around Houston and stopped in at a really cool little coffee shop call the Bad Ass Coffee Company. I am one of those who likes to sit in coffee shops to read, work on my laptop and watch people, so this place was a real treat. Not only do they have they greatest name, they have really nice employees and patrons.

After the coffee shop it was back on the road. We hit 290 and pretty much stopped in our tracks in traffic. I saw an exit sign for Hockley and remembered that I have a couple of cousins that live in the area (that I have not seen for some time), so I decided to call my cousin Vicky. We spent about a half hour at Vicky’s vistiting with her and her family. She has a fifteen year old named Clayton - boy it’s been a while since I’ve seen him. They have a lot of nice land and it is so quiet out there. They also have this really cool three-legged cat named Tripod.

After that we followed Vicky to my cousin Stevie’s house in Magnolia and we spent the remainder of the day there. We were able to visit with My cousins Vicky, Steve, Debbie (Steve’s wife) and their youngest son AJ. I breifly met Steve’s daughter Kellen as well. They also had several neat cats and a Chocolate Labrador puppy named Marley. He was the cutest thing…reminded me of my Jake when we first brought him home.

I had a really good time talking with my cousins about things such as family and music. I did not know this, but my cousin Steve has a huge music library that includes everything from The Hollies to Staind and we had a great time listening to the random tunes and guessing who they were. I also found out that Steve’s son AJ plays in a local band called 4-Alarm. He played an EP for me and I totally love it. They sound like a mixture of Tool and Black Sabbath.

Anyway, it just goes to show how one phone call can bring long lost family together.

 

   

My Cousin Randy

Previous post

I spoke to my Aunt Juanita yesterday morning. She informed me that my cousin Randy had been in the hospital for a few days and the treatments they were giving him were not working. The doctors now say they can do no more and he understandably wants to go home. They are going to have hospice come in and make him as comfortable as possible.

I am not a religious person by any means. Heck I’ve never even been to church except for the occasional visit with a friend earlier in life. However, I do really believe there is an all-seeing God. What I do question from time to time is God’s plan. I do not understand why he plagues us with terrible sicknesses, but then again I have read that he also creates miracles.

Aunt Juanita said “Maybe once we get him home and off of all of the medications, God will just heal him.” — I am really praying for Randy and his family.

Clockwise: Brent, Sandra, Randy,
Travis, Gary

I took this picture at a family reunion in 2001. It is the latest picture I have of Randy and his family.

God Bless Randy and everyone around him.

Updated 11/15/2006: Randy left us this morning around 9:30 AM. He will be missed by everyone who knew him. I love you Randy.

“Randy” - written by Randy’s Mom

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