note to self: ruby on rails

I did a lot of scripting earlier in my career but veered away from it when I submerged into the depths of Java/J2EE. Recently however, I've jumped back into scripting languages such as Python and Perl due to their expressiveness and native support for piping and manipulating output from different programs.

One scripting language I haven't learned yet is Ruby. Ruby has received a lot of "press" lately, especially with the Web development framework known as Ruby on Rails. This article popped up in a slashdot posting; it might be a good starting point after life returns to pseudo-normalcy (after the Habitat blitz build, after our move to Orange City, and after the twins are born).

habitat for humanity blitz build

As mentioned in a previous post, our church (Lord of Love Lutheran) is building a Habitat for Humanity home in a 10 consecutive day build known as a "blitz." We are right on schedule and the community support has been tremendous. KM3 News in Omaha has been running features and updates on the blitz build every day.

The build has been an edifying and uplifting experience thus far. Working towards an aggressive, common goal with other Christians has been very spiritually enlightening as well. I've enjoyed getting to know people in a different light, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn how to set walls, set trusses, nail on supports, install siding, nail up soffits, and handle a circular saw better.

The best thing, though, has been working in a ministry that binds together the whole church. Normally, different ministries at churches attract a small sphere of people. Rarely do they encompass the whole congregation. The magnitude of this Habitat project has drawn the whole church together. Almost everyone is involved, and it shows in the progress we've made to this point.

recent news

I've fallen into the "blog rot" trap. I haven't posted much of value as of late, and the items I've posted have been more link re-posting and less original commentary. I can't say what's to blame. Part of the problem is just being in a funk, but much of the problem lies in a barrage of life changes Lisa and I are experiencing. For starters, Lisa is pregnant... with twins! She is 23 weeks pregnant and is now on full bed-rest. Along with her pregnancy, we are moving to Orange City, Iowa (map it), where she intends to join a family practice clinic and community hospital. I will be working remotely as a consultant to my current client.

And, while trying to sell our home, prepare for our new home, and attending to Lisa and Ian, I am coordinating the volunteer effort for a Habitat for Humanity blitz build. Our church is building a home in 10 consecutive days (hence the term "blitz").

So, we have many life changes happening in a short period of time. We have bought the ticket. Time to take the ride.

cross-platform browser misery continues

I've updated this post with adjacent sibling selector woes.

attention college cs students

It's nice to see a company giving incentive to college students for a change. If you're a college student majoring in CS, IS, or another IT-related field, check out Google's Summer of Code. I wrote OSS during the summers when I was in school... wish they would have had this back then....