I recently got an opportunity to venture into mobile application development at work.  I had 2 months to develop an Android app for a client. During those 2 months, I had to build a website to manage the data that would be pulled into the app, an API to get the data from the website to the app and send data from the app back to the website, AND the Android app itself. Did I mention that this was my first foray into Android development?

Android apps are written in Java (with layouts, menus, and resources written in XML). With my experience with php, I was luckily able to pick up Java fairly easily. I did buy a couple books on Android development, and I was able to get through the first one and part of the second one before I had to start coding this app. That meant I was able to figure out some of the basics before I had to write a line of code for the app.

To my surprise, I was managed to get the website, API, and Android app done before the deadline … with a couple of days to spare (I won’t talk about the amount of overtime I put in to meet that deadline [too bad I don't get paid overtime]). We launched the app on Monday (I actually published it last Friday, but there were some issues with the Android Market that kept the app from being available until Monday … that’s another post entirely). If you’re curious to see my handiwork, you can find it here: JL Beers on the Android Market

The project for this client also includes an iOS app. I’m the one who gets to develop that one as well. I actually have an iMac on my desk at work (along side my Windows machine).

I had time to learn some basics before starting the Android app. Now that the Android app is out, I’m sure the client (and iPhone users in the area and my bosses) want the iOS version sooner rather than later. That’s leaving me feeling a lot of  (probably mostly imagined) pressure. Ideally, I’d like to get a book to learn the basics and run through some online tutorials. But I don’t feel like I have the luxury of taking the time to do that.

I have been going through some tutorials to try to figure out some of the basics, but I’m feeling very overwhelmed. iOS apps are written in Objective-C, and I have no experience in that. It’s nothing like php or Java. In php and Java, you have 1 file for a class. In Objective-C, you need 2 files to create 1 class. And that’s just the start. We want the iOS app to be as similar to the Android app as possible. Trying to figure out how to do some of the stuff that I did in the Android app in the iOS app is making my head hurt.

It’s not that I don’t want to learn how to develop iOS apps. I would love to add that to my resume. Adding iOS to my php and sql (both MySQL and MSSQL) experience, and my newly acquired Android experience would make me a force to recon with (or so I’d like to think).

There is no set deadline for the iOS app, but I know everyone wants it done as soon as (humanly) possible (or at least that’s how I feel). And I think that’s the biggest issue. I feel like I’m wasting time reading through tutorials and not doing billable work. But working through tutorials is how I learn. That’s how I taught myself php and sql. I’ve never taken a day of programming classes in my life (well, I did take a C programming class in college, but that was HOW long ago … and it was only a basic class). I learn by doing … by actually writing the code and running it and finding the errors/mistakes and fixing them and running it and …

If I could just get a handle on the basics, I think that would help. It doesn’t help that this app has some more advanced functionality. If it had been a basic app, then I wouldn’t be so stressed out (then again …). Of course, most of that stress is caused by me.

I need to figure out how to get myself to calm down. I’ll figure it out … I always do. I’m just afraid that this time it’s going to take me longer than it has in the past. I don’t want to let anyone (client, co-workers, bosses) down.

In my last post, I mentioned that I found another house to look at. I never did a follow-up post … oops. Well, here’s that follow-up: I bought the house!!!

I close on the house next week Monday (on my birthday). I’ve been slowly packing up my apartment (slower than I’d like). As I’m packing, I’m trying to figure out what stuff I don’t want to take with me to the house. I’ve got a bunch of stuff that I need to get up on CraigsList.com and/or FreeCycle. There’s some stuff that I just need to toss. If I haven’t used it in forever, why take it with me and clutter up the house.

I decided today to finish packing up the stuff in my living room and kitchen that I don’t use on a daily basis. I have a couple file boxes in my closet that I was hoping were almost empty so I could put stuff from my desk and file cabinet in ‘em. One of the boxes has a bunch of Dale Earnhardt Jr stuff in it (magazines, calendars, etc). Those are not getting tossed.

The other box is FULL of books and notes and stuff from college … when I was studying to be a meteorologist. There are also some reports and manuals from when I worked on a weather modification project for 2 summers.

What am I doing these days? I’m a freakin’ web programmer. Why am I hanging on to this stuff?

For the longest time, I wanted to become a meteorologist. I was fascinated by the weather. I went to college to become a meteorologist. I was more interested in the research side than being on tv. I’m still fascinated by the weather. I just no longer have a desire to work in the field.

So why am I hanging on to this stuff? Seriously? It’s been in this box for years. I obviously forgot how much stuff was in the box. There are some things that I’d like to keep (like my reports/papers that were printed). But why in the hell am I hanging on to notes from college courses that I took over 10 years ago?

I think I just need to bite the bullet and toss this stuff. I hate to toss the books though. You don’t by chance know anyone who is going (or planning to go) to college to be a meteorologist, do you?

At the beginning of this summer, I embarked on a new journey. I decided that I wanted to move forward on my dream of owning my own home. I’m actually surprised that I haven’t blogged about it at all.

I’ve gotten extremely tired of my apartment. It’s a one bedroom with a living room that doesn’t allow me to rearrange my furniture (I’ve tried a couple time … just not possible with how it is laid out). Plus my rent went up in August. This apartment isn’t worth what they’re charging me for it. As of the end of this month, I’ll have been living in this apartment for 6 years. It’s time to move on.

I’ve been putting money into 2 savings accounts for quite a while now. I actually started this process back in 2008, but I got laid off in October of that year, so the dream got put on indefinite hold.

I think that I’m at the right point in my life right now to own my own home. I’m 36 years old … I’m not getting any younger. Sure … I’m not making as much money as I was back in 2008 before I got laid off (by quite a bit actually … even after almost 2 years), but I have gotten raises every time I’ve had a review at work. And I have my annual review coming up soon. I’ll have been at my current job for 2 years once November hits. I’m hoping I’ll get another raise … I mean, I did build a custom CMS (both standalone and network) … that’s got to count for something, right?

I’ve looked at 7 houses (before today). I really liked one of them, but it was in extreme NW West Fargo. It was priced right and was the right size, but the location just didn’t work for me. 5 of the houses were in the same neighborhood, but they just didn’t work. One came close, but the seller wasn’t including the washer, dryer, fridge, OR stove … and no dishwasher. I could live without a dishwasher, but having to buy the other 4 appliances over the top of the price of the house … not possible.

Last Friday I found this house. It’s a little outside my price range, but not by much. And it’s in the same neighborhood that 5 of the first 7 houses were (which just so happens to be a street over from a friend of mine).

I met my realtor at the house this morning to take a peek at it. I really liked it. I’m not sure what I’d do with the basement, but I’m sure I could grow into it. I honestly couldn’t find anything wrong with it. It was in good condition, and the layout was pretty similar to Robin’s (which I like). In fact, the upstairs layout is identical to Robin’s house. It’s got a nice little yard too … even areas where I could plant some veggies in the spring (I’d have to dig out the plants that are in there now tho).

I need to do some number crunching this weekend (I was gonna do it tonite, but I’ve gotten distracted). My realtor asked my banker to send me some estimates on a loan for the house. At full asking price, and with the sellers paying closing costs, the monthly payments would be right around my sweet spot … a little higher than I’d hoped, but still manageable.

If the numbers come out in my favor … and if the bank agrees to lend me up to the full purchase price … I’ll probably make an offer on it (yeah … I liked it that much). Obviously there’s no guarantee that the sellers will like my offer or any subsequent offer, but that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna try.

So … keep your fingers crossed. I’d like to move in before the snow flies (or at least before the holidays).

Today is the 10 year anniversary of the tragedy at the World Trade Center in New York. Everyone seems to be posting memories, so I thought I would too. I didn’t have a blog back then. I didn’t start blogging until June 2002. Twitter and Facebook weren’t around back then either. So I’m going off of memory.

At the time, I was working for a company located on the north side of the Fargo airport. It was a company that had weather modification projects in various locations in the US and in other countries. The projects involved having airplanes fly around and in clouds and thunderstorms for rain enhancement and/or hail suppression.

I found out about what was going on on a Dale Earnhardt Jr message board. One of my co-workers brought in a small B&W tv, and we watched events unfold on that. Not a lot of work got done that day. They grounded all air traffic, so that put a halt on the projects that were currently in operation.

I don’t remember a whole lot more than that. I do remember it being a little surreal being at the airport and not hearing planes taking off or landing.

Like I said, this happened before we had social media. I can’t imagine what it would have been like if we had had Twitter and/or Facebook back then. These days when major events happen, you find out more information on Twitter than you do from the broadcast networks. In fact, in some cases, the networks are using information that they got from Twitter live on air. I’m watching the coverage from 2001 on MSNBC right now. They were scrambling for information to pass along. If this had happened in today’s time, there would have been pictures and tweets and more information than anyone could disseminate.

We most certainly live in a different time 10 years later. I haven’t flown since before this happened, but I’ve seen enough stories on the news to see how strict things have become. I definitely have no desire to get on an airplane now, but that is because of the security stuff that you have to go through. In all honesty, I’m glad there’s all that security stuff in place. Yes, it is a pain in the ass for those who have to fly, but I’d rather have to deal with it than have to worry about someone hijacking a plane and crashing it into another building.

And it’s not just air traffic woes. We’ve pretty much been at war overseas since this happened. The “war on terror” seems never ending.

I hope to never see anything like this happen ever again in my lifetime (or any time after that either).

Robin and I went out tonite. We went to Big D’s to see 32Below. No big deal right?

Well … this was a “school nite*”. We haven’t been out on a “school nite” in years.

But I had a blast. And I think Robin did too. I’m glad I went out.

* Ok … neither one of us is in school any more. But I do have to be at work at 7 am tomorrow. Robin has tomorrow off … bitch. LOL Good thing it’s only a half day. Oh shit … I gotta get to bed … I have to BE AT WORK in 7 1/2 hrs. Oy vey …