Chris Marsden @ chrismarsden.com

So last night was the night. I redesigned and reset up my whole site. Next comes the migration and the redesign of this domain. In order to make that smooth, I have turned off all comments on all posts at ChrisMarsden.com. It is not that I don’t want your input. In fact, it is because I want your input that I am holding you off for a week. I want your input to count and not get lost in the migration.

I am hoping to launch the new blog (with all current content and comments in tack) this week, but I am wanting to get the redesigned ChrisMarsden.com up at the same time, so rather than pulling the trigger ealry, I am going to give it another day or two. Hope you don’t mind.

[The good thing about having a baby that doesn't let you sleep is that my all-nighter to get the design done doesn't feel all that exhausting.]

So it’s been crazy busy the last few weeks getting ready for little baby Marsden #3. And today is finally the day. I’ll have updates later, but you can check out pictures over at Flickr as I get a chance to upload them.

http://flickr.com/photos/cruciformity

So I wrote about the windows day I had last week over at The After Mac. It wasn’t really Windows fault. I was mostly venting. But the outrageous number of options for Window’s Operating Systems is kind of ridiculous, especially when you can’t get all of them in any local retail stores.

Anyways… the actual problem that triggered the crappy day (which turned into a crappy weekend) was a failing hard drive. The creepy part of the whole scenario was that this exact hard drive had the same problem 3-6 months ago. I stuck it on a shelf (I have pack rat issues) and ruled it out. But when my other POS (that’s point of sale, not what you were thinking (although its that too)) started having problems, I tried this computer again on a last ditch attempt.

And it worked. It has worked for the last month.

Until it didn’t.

So after a long weekend of debating my options (rebuild data from paper and accept missing data vs. sending off for recovery ($900-3900), I was pretty much worn out. So why not plug the hard drive in for one more try. What do I have to lose, right?

And it worked. Sort of. But it at least worked well enough to get my data back.

And that’s why I quit my potential IT career. I couldn’t deal with intermittent problems. How can you feel confident that you have fixed something if you didn’t actually do anything and the problem just goes away (and comes back).

But this has got me thinking about relationships and human interaction issues. Do we have solid consistent connections with reality and others? Or… Do people see as intermittent problems? We are inconsistent, so avoiding us for fear of the uncertainty of how we’ll react.

I try hard (especially over the last year or two) to be consistently me. Good or bad, I’m me. You see the beauty of a consistent problem is that it is recognizable and addressable. Often, it is recognizable before it becomes a critical problem. So while I want to consistently me and have that me be a problem free experience, I want my problems and issues to be consistent as well.

So for future computer experiences and for my own life, I pray for problem free experiences. But when there are problems, lets hope for some consistency so we can identify the problem, troubleshoot it, and move on with life.

Yesterday morning I had to go to court. It is a long story, but the short version is some kids spray-painted my fence and I was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subpoena">subpoenaed </a>to appear in court in regards to the case. [of course I didn't actually get the subpoena, but the lady on the phone was pretty particular about me coming.]

So yesterday morning, my wife and I rearranged our schedules and I drove to the other side of town for this court case involving one of the boys who spray-painted my fence.

Let me tell you a bit more of the story…

Hours after my fence was tagged, a police officer knocked on my door to inform me that the boys had been caught and had me sign a paper stating that I did not, in fact, give them permission to spray paint my fence and that I would be willing to press charges. He felt confident that the repainting of my fence would be paid for and would let me know if anything developed.

A few weeks later, a guy called me from a program called Restorative Justice. He told me that two of the boys involved had opted to enter his program. This program kept the kids out of the court system (no record) and gave them an opportunity to restore the damages they inflicted. My wife and I picked out a paint color, and over the course of three weekends, these boys repainted my fence (all 285 feet of it). It actually looks better than before they spray-painted it.

In the mean time, the third boy pleaded not guilty. He chose not to enter the program that kept him out of the system. He chose not to take the opportunity to restore the damages he inflicted. He chose to "take his chances in court."

And that brings us to yesterday.

While I was there I got to watch a couple different trials take place. Some of them more serious than the one I was involved in and some about the same. The "take your chance in court" catch in the system, apparently, is this: If the victim doesn’t show up, you walk.

So because I showed up, he changed his plea from not guilty to guilty.

Did you catch that? Not because of my testimony on the stand. Not because of my eye-witness account (I didn’t even see this happen and don’t know this kid from any other kid). Simply because I showed up. I signed in, it was confirmed I was in the courtroom (prior to court), and that was it. Nobody talked to me. I wasn’t questioned. I didn’t sign anything. I wasn’t sworn in. Nobody even checked my ID to make sure it was me.

Anyways…

I feel like I was victimized twice. Once by this kid (and friends) when they spray-painted my fence. And once by the court system when they wasted my morning.

But all this has me thinking about justice and our justice system. I have been thinking about it for a while, but this is my first encounter with it first hand. I still don’t have my head wrapped around this thing.

It seems unfair to me that this kid’s friends spent three weekends painting my fence and if I hadn’t shown up in court he would have walked away completely free and clear. I don’t feel vindictive, in any way. I don’t feel like he deserves to pay for the crimes he committed.

If my fence was still a mess and the other boys hadn’t already painted it, maybe I would feel stronger about getting justice for myself, for getting what I deserve. I actually felt like I was getting justice for the boys who had already righted the wrong.

So if by some chance you are out there (you know who you are), I hope that you will overcome the obstacles you have created for yourself. I wish that you had made better choices (like not painting my fence or pursuing the chance to right the wrong through hard work rather than chancing the court system). I hope that in the future you will make better choices for yourself and for those around you.

As for Justice… I am still thinking about what that means. I don’t know if what happened yesterday was justice, or just our court system following the rules and the procedures. But maybe that is all "justice" is. (kind of sad if that is the case).

Tags: justice, crime

So… BIG NEWS!!!

I am now a professional blogger!

Seriously.

I have been kicking the idea around for quite a while. Debating about whether I should try and set up my own niche site or join a network or what. I want to write and I want to help people. Blogging seems such a natural easy way to do that.

So anyways… I was surfing on problogger’s job board, not expecting to find anything (at least anything that fits me) and sure enough, they were looking for a Mac blogger who could cover GTD apps as well.

Ding!

So as of last night, it is official. I am a b5media.com blogger on TheAfterMac.com. Stop by and check it out. I will see you at TheAfterMac.com soon.

BTW… I do not forsee this in lessening the posts here at ChrisMarsden.com. In fact, the constant research and writing has given me more to write about, so stay tuned here, as well.

A year and a half ago I was firmly on the GTD wagon and had a great workflow for how to process information and actually turn it into something useful to myself and to others. Today, I just kind of try my best to get things done and hope it comes out ok.

I have spent the last couple days and will be spending the next couple days evaluating how I work. I am looking at what is the most efficient way to get things done, how to manage myself, and which programs to use for what.

At the start of this process, I am using Qumana to write blog posts, NewsFire to read my RSS and Firefox to surf. I am also using Apple Mail, gmail, twitter (via phone and twhirl), Addressbook and ical. There are other programs I am using here and there, but the part of the problem is that I am not using them. OmniFocus is being neglected. Quiken and Quickbooks are being updated only as often as I have to. My text editors are sitting in my dock collecting dust.

Also, I don’t like all of the programs on the list. And while I have Quicksilver installed, I am not using it to its full extent. So I am re-working it all. I am going to try alternatives. I am going to play with quicksilver to get more seamless integration. I am going to schedule things through my week. I am going to follow my junk mail rule on Internet sites. I am going to close firefox everyday (as opposed to leaving 10 or 15 tabs for tomorrow which becomes 43 that I closed yesterday). I am going to practice inbox zero. I am going to have an inbox.

I could go on, of course, but you get the idea. There needs to be organization and order in my life. My mind needs to "flow like water".

—-

Stay tuned for a big-ish announcement later today (or tomorrow).

BTW… I know I didn’t link to any of those apps. Rest assured I will be writing about what each of them does and how I use them and their alternatives in the near future. If you are impatient and must know now… try google.

One of the most rewarding things I get to do as a dad is teach my girls some of the simple little things in life. Oh sure, they need to learn to read and write. And math is critical. But who is gonna teach them how to put their socks on right side out if I don’t.

When My oldest was a bit younger, she used to struggle getting her shirt off. So I taught her my "trick" and now she can dress and undress herself with ease. Sometimes she still needs help, but mostly she does ok.

Now her little sister is at that stage and so the other day I taught her my trick. And sure enough, after a tentative start and only a little help, she got her shirt off all by herself.

So yesterday, My oldest is trying to turn her socks right side out. So she is taking the toe and trying to shove it back into the sock. So I showed her my "trick." She was impressed, of course, at having such a brilliant daddy, but what impressed me was that she did it this morning, all by herself. (of course the little one went to school with inside out socks. she doesn’t know the trick yet.)

I don’t know about you, but I get excited when I can teach someone something. And it is always the little things that get me most excited. The ability to take off your shirt and put your socks on the right way are pretty basic, but so much more satisfying than teaching 2 + 2 = 4.

And it is true in other areas too. Teaching complex thoughts, while deep and profound, are far less satisfying to me than seeing someone get a basic concept that changes their life.

So my little can take her shirt off now (which explains why she came to the dinner table naked) and my oldest can get her socks turn right side out. I am a proud daddy and can’t wait to teach them something new.

Coming soon to a city near you (Ok, not near you, unless you live near the little city of Ocoee,  FL)…

A New Adventure Begins

This summer is going to bring with it some huge changes. Huge changes for this site. Huge changes for my company, No More Box. Huge changes for my life (did I mention we are having another baby and it’s a girl). Things are going to be different and it is going to be an adventure.

Except…

That word adventure keeps getting stuck in my brain. When I write it like that… Adventure… it feels ok. But when I think about putting it on my business card (presently designing a new one), or on my about page (did I mention I was redesigning the site), it comes out as Chris Marsden… Adventurer.

And that, I guess, is an accurate description. I am Chris Marsden and I am engaging in the adventures of life.

Except…

I keep picturing myself climbing to the Summit of Denali (Mt. McKinley to most people), or more likely dying/giving up trying to climb to the summit of Denali. Maybe it’s just the PBS special I watch the other night, but that’s adventure.

Except…

I think I had it right the first time. Adventure is life. Or at least it should be. Too often we get stuck in the rut of getting through life instead of embracing the twist and turns, whatever they may be, and embarking on adventure. If necessary, that adventure will lead me all the way to the backyard, or the grocery store, or perhaps Disney World. Of course it could lead me further. It could lead me to actually climb Denali (unlikely since I heard it is kinda cold up there).

The key, I think, is to embrace whatever adventure is thrown your way.

As a famous man in a yellow suit once said to a curious monkey, "you brought adventure to my life." Now I don’t plan to wear yellow anytime soon, and it is not to a monkey but to the three (about to be four) wonderful women in my life, but "You brought adventure to my life."

So…

New adventures begin. Life gets a little messier (literally with a new baby), and we keep going. My new business card, about page, and email signature will include adventurer in the job description, and someday maybe I’ll go on the kind of adventures that get you into National Geographic or on PBS. And if not, at least I’ll know that my life was filled with adventure.

Thanks girls (and little one yet to be).

[btw... anyone else in the mood to hear Jack Johnson Now?]

If you aren’t using RSS to read your favorite websites, you should be. Everything else is just a waste of time. So save time, be more productive, and check on the updates of your favorite sites via RSS.

On a related note…

RSS Feed publishers…

PLEASE publish your whole feed. I hate having to click through to read something. I know you are only doing it to get the ad revenue traffic. I hope it is working for you. Quite often I do click through to leave comments, bookmark your article, etc… but if I find that your site is too much trouble to read, chances are I won’t be reading it for long.

Over the past couple of years, I have had the great "privilege" of introducing people on stage. I have never quite been sure what to say. In February, I got to do a string of introductions MC-ing the Ocoee leg of the Vox World Music Jam. As always, I felt like I was rambling, but I was assured that I didn’t do too bad a job, even though I introduced Berkana as Berkana, Ansus Berkana, and Erica.

However…

Here is a great introduction. I am going to have to up my game before next years World Music Jam.