347.life

Well, here it goes. Minus any emergency calls, I’m signing off until
noon’ish on Sunday. I know, it’s a sick disease, but I’m addicted to
my computer. I’m an email junkie, an Internet-a-holic, and I can
hardly stand to be offline for a few hours, let alone an entire day.

Later this year I’m taking a 14-day trip with my dad to the remote
woods of Montana. There won’t be a computer around for miles, let
alone Internet access. The event itself will mark a major milestone
— the longest I’ve been offline since 1991, the year I first got
online. Since then, I’ve been online pretty much daily. The other
“longest stretch” was during a trip to Europe in 2001 — a 3 day
stretch. We were gone for two weeks, but got online in a few
Internet cafes.

WOW. Now that I’ve actually thought about it, 14 days seems like a
near-eternity. No electricity, computer, telephone – NADA.

Well, here’s to the next 30 hours of offline-bliss.

P.S. Does my Treo count? 🙂

March 24th is Shutdown Day (www.shutdownday.org). I am going to give it a
try. Will you do it?

___
(Sent via Treo)

I’ve been an Amazon S3 user for about 15 minutes. I’m already running my first backup from my laptop. To be honest, I’m giddy. Infinite storage that is backed up, synchronized, distributed, etc. makes me tingle. The possibilities are endless. Then, it hit me:

What if my Tivo could be configured to save directly to S3?

Whoa. I need to digest that for a minute.

That’s all for now, but I’m beginning to imagine the possibilities. What will I do with unlimited disk space? This could be nearly as addictive as email.

“You don’t drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there.”
~ Edwin Louis Cole

May this year bring you all that you’ve ever wished for. But, most
of all, may it bring you the knowledge that all you really need is
what’s around you right now.

Having your 3-year-old’s knee pressed against your back at 1:00 a.m.

This morning, my wife sent me a link to a story entitled, “What kids really want for Christmas.” The story couldn’t be more true. It reminded me of what I personally look forward to each year. It isn’t the thought of what gifts I will receive. In fact, my wife and I rarely exchange gifts, especially since we’ve started having kids. What we really look forward to are reliving the memories of our youth. We love to tell and re-tell the memories that come rushing back this time of year. There are dozens of memories – sights, smells, sounds – that keep the Christmas spirit alive and strong. I look forward each Christmas to not only reliving the memories of the past, but ensuring that my children have memories of their own that will keep the Christmas flame burning bright in their hearts.

Whatever keeps the spirit alive in your heart, may all your holidays be bright.

About every 6-8 weeks, someone asks, “What does 347 stand for anyway?” It does have a lot of meaning, at least to me, but I don’t think I’ve ever written about it. I figured it would be easiest to document it, once and for all, and then just point people in the right direction when they ask.

There’s this little book called Life’s Little Instruction Book. In this book are hundreds of little “todos” that you should follow, reference, pay attention to, etc. Entry number 347 (in the edition that we own, however I have seen editions with different numbering) says, “Never underestimate the power of saying, ‘I Love You.'” Well, I received this book back in college when I was dating my wife (then girlfriend). I sent this book to her and marked #347. At that time, we hadn’t exchanged “I Love You’s” yet. When she received “the book” in the mail, she immediately called and professed her undying and eternal love to me. (awwwwww, how sweet!)

To make a long story short, the sign/phrase/number “347” has always been “our thing.” Yes, I realize it’s as cheesy as can be, but that’s how love goes, right?

The rest is history….

Ever wished you could watch me dance? Here’s your chance.

Merry Christmas!!

Andy