Bits and bobs

Hi all. Just a bits and bobs post. In short ;

• My backyard paving is almost complete. I've spent 4 months (weekends) digging, sanding, edging, moving, shaking, swearing, compacting and laying, but it's worth every aching pain ; I did it myself.
• There's a reasonable chance we will be moving, but there's a few options ; stay in Canberra, move to Wollongong / Kiama (by the coast), into Sydney, or back to Norway. Once the decision is made, expect a huge rant about everything that's been going on the last few months.
• Why do people think that architecting systems in a RESTful way somehow means you can be less devoted to the project? Is the apparent simplicity of REST one of those things that make people forget to take it just as serious as other alternatives? Forgetting that you still need to be good at what you do, and that you still need to design it well?
  
• There's some interesting upcoming changes to this website coming up. I noticed my ISP had installed PHP 5.2, so I have decided to revamp the whole thing using two recent sub-projects ; 1) my SQLite embedded Topic Maps engine, and 2) an XSLT based XML templating framework for GUI's. It's all built around a completely RESTful architecture, and it uses Blogger's external publishing capabilities to blend your blogs into your site without the need for replicating your blog template with your site's templates. More on this as we move along.
• The kids are a joy to watch grow and evolve, and my wife is still as exciting and hot as when I first met her. No matter what happens in life (see my previous post for a drop of depression) I am so darn lucky to have them. (And I mean luck here as there is no way that I could have designed anything as wonderful as them myself ...) My next life-choices revolve around them, and not me. Nuff' said.
• The amazing Happy Rhodes have released a new CD after a long while. Please go and have a listen at her CD Baby page ; support the most hearable unheard-about artist ever.
  

I think that's it, at least until some big decisions have been made. oh, and thanks to those who responded to my last post. Appreciated. Peace.

Sorry everyone

I've been under a somewhat depressive spell the last few months, which effectively has rendered me into somewhat of a recluse. The reasons are several (but reading my last blog postings certainly will give you good clues, although my eyes and migraines certainly has added a lot to it), and hopefully they will be improved upon shortly, one way or the other. All my energy and efforts have gone into being a nice husband and a good dad, so some sorries are in order ;

• Magnus, Karen, Hanne, sorry for being too far away, and for not being better at emails.
• Donna, sorry that I haven't followed up your recent big news and for not being more a proactive caffeine pursuer.
• Matthew, sorry that we haven't talked in a while, and for not being there through your troubles.
• Mark, Steve, sorry for being a bore at work, and for not engaging much.
  
• Kent and Alison, sorry for not talking much anymore, and for giving up hope.
• Mum and dad, sorry for being low on sending you emails and pictures of the kids.
• Julie and Stefan, sorry for being a neglecting (albeit far, far away) brother.
• The library world, sorry for giving up.
• The Topic Maps community, sorry for being absent.

I can only promise to try and think about perhaps evaluating if I should think about being better at dreaming about getting better at all things of personal matters. I'll provide updates and newsflashes soon enough. Big things are afoot.