From khampton at totalcinema.com Tue Jul 11 22:50:21 2006 From: khampton at totalcinema.com (Kip Hampton) Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 22:50:21 -0700 Subject: [Dahut-pm] Walking With Dahuts Message-ID: <44B48D9D.6020601@totalcinema.com> DAAAHUUUT!!! You know, having to make a living sucks. Consider the Dahuts. We have among us people from a pretty wide variety of backgrounds with many different interests-- stargazers, philosophers, writers, etc.-- yet, for the most part our dreams are deferred year after year as we devote the balance of our working time to the geekery that pays the bills. Are you really happy with what you're doing? Not just interested, or thankful to be in a position to pay the bills mostly on time, but fulfilled? Is that enough? Are you doing what you always thought you were "meant" to do? Is that question even meaningful anymore? Are you on course? If not, can you change it? What would it cost you to put your dreams to the test? Are you willing to pay that price? Inquiring minds want to know... -kip From geoff at modperlcookbook.org Wed Jul 12 08:03:52 2006 From: geoff at modperlcookbook.org (Geoffrey Young) Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 11:03:52 -0400 Subject: [Dahut-pm] Walking With Dahuts In-Reply-To: <44B48D9D.6020601@totalcinema.com> References: <44B48D9D.6020601@totalcinema.com> Message-ID: <44B50F58.7020908@modperlcookbook.org> Kip Hampton wrote: > DAAAHUUUT!!! dahut! > > You know, having to make a living sucks. indeed. > > Consider the Dahuts. We have among us people from a pretty wide variety > of backgrounds with many different interests-- stargazers, philosophers, > writers, etc.-- yet, for the most part our dreams are deferred year > after year as we devote the balance of our working time to the geekery > that pays the bills. I recently took solice in this http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.07/genius.html > > Are you really happy with what you're doing? Not just interested, or > thankful to be in a position to pay the bills mostly on time, but > fulfilled? Is that enough? Are you doing what you always thought you > were "meant" to do? Is that question even meaningful anymore? I can also suggest this http://pobronson.com/index_what_should_I_do_with_my_life.htm (the "big trees" story is a dream of mine). he doesn't give any answers, but the stories he relates helped me put (some) things in perspective. separately, I recently read his latest book http://pobronson.com/index_why_do_i_love_these_people.htm and found it equally insightful in the family realm. and if you're happy with family sometimes the other things (like work) fall into place. > > Are you on course? If not, can you change it? What would it cost you to > put your dreams to the test? Are you willing to pay that price? personally, I find that most of the rest of my life is more imporant than my dreams... > > Inquiring minds want to know... > -kip hang in there kip. you rock! --Geoff From chris at prather.org Wed Jul 12 09:21:44 2006 From: chris at prather.org (Chris Prather) Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 11:21:44 -0500 Subject: [Dahut-pm] Walking With Dahuts In-Reply-To: <44B50F58.7020908@modperlcookbook.org> References: <44B48D9D.6020601@totalcinema.com> <44B50F58.7020908@modperlcookbook.org> Message-ID: <86267A89-15F2-4829-BE8E-28F7AC19D3D3@prather.org> On Jul 12, 2006, at 10:03 AM, Geoffrey Young wrote: > Kip Hampton wrote: >> DAAAHUUUT!!! > > dahut! DAHUT! >> >> Consider the Dahuts. We have among us people from a pretty wide >> variety >> of backgrounds with many different interests-- stargazers, >> philosophers, >> writers, etc.-- yet, for the most part our dreams are deferred year >> after year as we devote the balance of our working time to the >> geekery >> that pays the bills. > > I recently took solice in this > > http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.07/genius.html Geoff that is an excellent article. And it has provided much solace here too. >> >> Are you really happy with what you're doing? Not just interested, or >> thankful to be in a position to pay the bills mostly on time, but >> fulfilled? Is that enough? Are you doing what you always thought you >> were "meant" to do? Is that question even meaningful anymore? I'm not satisfied no, but then I'm beginning to wonder if that dissatisfaction is part of me rather than part of the role I'm in. Going to the Wired.com article I seem to approach life more as an experimentalist ... never really getting projects done ... not really understanding where I'm heading ... just researching in a general direction that interests me always dissatisfied with the current work because it's not the perfection I am seeking. Hopefully I will eventually be a Mark Twain rather than a Fitzgerald past his prime (despite my current location, though they did share the same river). >> >> Are you on course? If not, can you change it? What would it cost >> you to >> put your dreams to the test? Are you willing to pay that price? > > personally, I find that most of the rest of my life is more imporant > than my dreams... The joys of children and families. They tend to seem more important than self actualization. I've seen what poor decisions and chasing dreams can bring to my family ... and I'd rather stay here and work a bit longer for now. I have the luxury of time though, eventually Katie will be off on her own and Jamie and I can focus on our own dreams again. >> >> Inquiring minds want to know... >> -kip > > hang in there kip. you rock! So do you Geoff! -Chris From mike at nachbaur.com Wed Jul 12 11:22:59 2006 From: mike at nachbaur.com (Michael Nachbaur) Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 11:22:59 -0700 Subject: [Dahut-pm] Walking With Dahuts In-Reply-To: <44B48D9D.6020601@totalcinema.com> References: <44B48D9D.6020601@totalcinema.com> Message-ID: On Jul 11, 2006, at 10:50 PM, Kip Hampton wrote: > DAAAHUUUT!!! DAHUT dudes > Consider the Dahuts. We have among us people from a pretty wide > variety > of backgrounds with many different interests-- stargazers, > philosophers, > writers, etc.-- yet, for the most part our dreams are deferred year > after year as we devote the balance of our working time to the geekery > that pays the bills. Luckily some of that geekery is fulfilling. I'm buoyed by the realization that at least I get to spend my days exercising my mind. My friends that have "Real" jobs are less fortunate, and spend their time living for the moments they between working and sleeping. Being with them however, it made me realize that while work and play projects are fulfilling to some extent, there is definitely something to be said for being a well-rounded in-duh-vidual. For the first time in a long time, I actually look forward to my weekends as something other than more time to devote to my personal projects. > Are you really happy with what you're doing? Not just interested, or > thankful to be in a position to pay the bills mostly on time, but > fulfilled? Is that enough? Are you doing what you always thought you > were "meant" to do? Is that question even meaningful anymore? I'm happy for the moment. I'm fairly certain that computer work will get tiresome in the future. When I'm past my prime, I wonder where I'll put myself to pasture. I'd rather not be one of those people who just codes because he has to. It's been my goal for years now to develop some sort of alternate career path in my spare time and, when things do hit a limit for me, I could then make the transition to the new career. Pilot, writer, or any number of other passions of mine? I'm not sure how feasible it is, but at least they give me joy in my off-work hours. My goals when I was younger were largely centred around what I wanted to achieve, rather than what I wanted to be. As time goes on I'm changing my earlier na?ve goals in favour of more "Adult" ones. That being said, I still don't know what those are. I suppose I just am doing the things that bring me joy, while still staying true to my core beliefs. I sometimes wonder though if the "Things" I fill my life with - flying, motorcycle riding, and so on - are just time wasters to keep me distracted so that I don't have to think about these problems. > Are you on course? If not, can you change it? What would it cost > you to > put your dreams to the test? Are you willing to pay that price? I'm still battling with whether or not my course, and my dissatisfaction with where I'm at, is an indication that I'm not doing the right things, or that I'm pursuing the wrong goals altogether. i.e. "Is the world really as I see it, or is this just depression talking?" Right now I'm not willing to pay the price to find out. I know when I was making far too much in the DotCom era, and then after when I wasn't making enough to pay the rent, that I was still largely dissatisfied by the same things. So it's not what I make or what I'm doing for a living that made me unhappy, it was how I was living my life (or, as the case was, not living it). So ever since my dad died and that shook things up for me, I've focused on finding balance in my life and becoming a more rounded person...errm, in the metaphorical sense that is. :-) > Inquiring minds want to know... Me too buddy... these days motorcycles and music bring me joy. For now, that's good enough for me. From JGSmith at TAMU.Edu Wed Jul 12 13:18:38 2006 From: JGSmith at TAMU.Edu (James G Smith) Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 15:18:38 -0500 Subject: [Dahut-pm] Walking With Dahuts In-Reply-To: Your message of "Tue, 11 Jul 2006 22:50:21 PDT." <44B48D9D.6020601@totalcinema.com> Message-ID: <200607122018.k6CKIc5q015712@moya.tamu.edu> Kip Hampton wrote: >DAAAHUUUT!!! Dahuuut! >Are you really happy with what you're doing? Not just interested, or >thankful to be in a position to pay the bills mostly on time, but >fulfilled? Is that enough? Are you doing what you always thought you >were "meant" to do? Is that question even meaningful anymore? I'm not happy with my job, but it's not because I'm doing system administration and want to be programming, or doing some programming and want to do something else. It's because I have grown into my job and need something to stimulate me. The present job has become stale. Is life fulfilling? Definitely. Even though I don't have a significant other or two with whom to share, I do have close friends. I have non-work-related interests that challenge me. They are part of the reason I moved from application developer to system administrator (though I've never left either completely in my time at the University). >Are you on course? If not, can you change it? What would it cost you to >put your dreams to the test? Are you willing to pay that price? I'm close to on course. I'll know more in a month. One of the most transformational movies I've seen is _The Hours_. That has done more to change my outlook on life than anything else I've come across. _Amadeus_ is up there, but not at the top of the list. I've learned that having a particular goal is not satisfying. When I was a teenager, my goal was to become a system administrator. Now that I have been one for seven years, I've grown weary and want to do something more stimulating. In the process, I've learned to make decisions based on who I want to be rather than what I want to be. I help people. The things that fulfill me: * learning, * being advisor for Cepheid Variable ( http://cepheid.tamu.edu/ ), a student science fiction group that puts together a yearly convention (AggieCon - http://aggiecon.tamu.edu/ ), * working on my novel for my creative writing thesis, * tai chi, * piano, * singing, * cooking, * visiting friends, * working with faculty on technology issues. What I'm working on at the moment is getting a position helping faculty understand technology so they can use it in their research projects. I'm also working on finishing the novel for my thesis so I can get my masters degree and also become (hopefully) a published science fiction author. The first is a job that I can enjoy and grow with to support the second, which is something I've always had an itch for since I can remember. If you could offer me One hour of repose In which my soul might find peace; If you could reveal to the darkest recesses of my mind My true self and the truth of the world. Were it to come to pass, I would say To the fleeting moment: Stay, for thou art beautiful! Then might I die And let fearsome Hell engulf me. (Faust, "Se tu mi doni," Act I, _Mefistofele_, Arrigo Boito, trans. B. L. Scherer) -- James Smith , 979-862-3725 Texas A&M CIS Operating Systems Group, Unix From jwalt at cpan.org Thu Jul 13 13:21:36 2006 From: jwalt at cpan.org (=?iso-8859-1?q?J=F6rg_Walter?=) Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2006 22:21:36 +0200 Subject: [Dahut-pm] Walking With Dahuts In-Reply-To: <44B48D9D.6020601@totalcinema.com> References: <44B48D9D.6020601@totalcinema.com> Message-ID: <200607132221.37021.jwalt@cpan.org> Dahut, fellow, er, dahut. > You know, having to make a living sucks. > > Consider the Dahuts. We have among us people from a pretty wide variety > of backgrounds with many different interests-- stargazers, philosophers, > writers, etc.-- yet, for the most part our dreams are deferred year > after year as we devote the balance of our working time to the geekery > that pays the bills. Only partly so. A saying goes like "Find a job you like, and you will have not one day of work in your life". While only the luckiest people really manage this, I try to live by that maxime. I have sacrificed a considerable amount of geekish pride in exchange for a job that is (despite being Java, PHP, small, ...) worth it, where my possibilities were at least recognized and sometimes needed. > Are you really happy with what you're doing? Not just interested, or > thankful to be in a position to pay the bills mostly on time, but > fulfilled? Is that enough? Are you doing what you always thought you > were "meant" to do? Is that question even meaningful anymore? Yes, I am. Compared to the possibilities I could have with my education and abilities, I live a rather humble life. But I do live comfortably, and what's much more important: In part of my work, I can have a real positive influence on people (who I train). At the same time, I get regular chances to show off my geekish qualities, working as a freelance programmer. I like the diversity I get, any long-term employment in a fixed environment would sooner or later mean boredom for me. As for "what I was meant do to": I don't think I had something I was meant do do. There were expectations of my parents, but they don't apply to me anymore. If I had followed the course I was "destined" to take, I'd live a pretty boring life by now. I am no longer cut out for a universitarian lifestyle, no great computer scientist will become of me (as my parents might have hoped), instead I am able to understand the needs of common people, which is a lot more useful for business life. I am totally annoyed that my diploma is still not finished, but in the meantime I make sure that I do something useful (as in "presentable in my CV"). > Are you on course? If not, can you change it? What would it cost you to > put your dreams to the test? Are you willing to pay that price? My dreams concern small things. I don't let go of the big clouds, but I'm content approaching them step-by-step. Since I am happy in the short-term world, I don't feel like paying any price for a big dream -- why should I? I rather trust in opportunities and catch them as they drift by, which has proven to be a satisfying strategy so far. Make your small days happy, but keep your big dreams in mind. -- CU Moe -- CU Moe