This time from a watersports resort said to be the best in the world for wakeboarding. I'll give it a shot, although I haven't worn my swimsuit in ages...

Random Emacs symbol: gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines - Command: Strip all blank lines.

Goal: inbox zero by New Year!

This will be somewhat easier if I don't check mail between now and then, of course... ;)

Random Emacs symbol: eshell-glob-include-dot-files - Variable: *If non-nil, glob patterns will match files beginning with a dot.

The code base used to be in a bad shape but it has gotten a lot better. The reason for this is that the developer (Syela) who in a few months put together a working AI had suddenly disappeared. His bright ideas could only be matched by his inability to name variables and to comment the code. Subsequent AI developers were not brave (or stupid?) enough to start from scratch, taking instead a small bite here and there, trying hard not to break much, to understand Syela's original design and only then to throw it away. Or perfect it.

Heh. You gotta love open source docs. They tell it like it is.

Random Emacs symbol: conf-space-mode - Command: Conf Mode starter for space separated conf files.

So my sister's drafting a letter to this guy she really likes, and she ends up explaining her feelings in terms of croissants - plain or with jam. ;)

Random Emacs symbol: gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines - Command: Strip all blank lines.

Me: "So, what are we doing today?"

Mom: "Nothing."

<brain implodes>

Hmm. Maybe I should meditate a little bit before going to the next item on my TODO list... ;)

Random Emacs symbol: message-insert-newsgroups - Command: Insert the Newsgroups header from the article being replied to.

Over the last five months, I've added all sorts of code to my Emacs to make it a contact relationship management system that fills the salespeople I know with envy. =)

1. 2006.07.20#1: Emacs BBDB magic: Greeting people with nicknames
2. 2006.07.24#1: Emacs: Automating the insertion of text
3. 2006.08.10#3: Sharing the link love
4. 2006.08.30#3: My Big Brother Database and social networking sites
5. 2006.09.01#2: Emacs: Keep track of messages sent
6. 2006.09.01#3: More Emacs coolness: List of contacts
7. 2006.09.01#4: More Emacs fun: Composing mail to everyone with notes
8. 2006.09.02#1: More Emacs goodness: Refresh your memory when you e-mail using notes from BBDB
9. 2006.09.15#2: Emacs: Changing the font size on the fly
10. 2006.09.15#3: Emacs clinic at the Linux Caffe
11. 2006.09.28#2: Emacs + LinkedIn: Another totally idiosyncratic bit of code
12. 2006.09.28#3: Emacs: Show only people whom I haven't pinged since...
13. 2006.09.28#4: Emacs: BBDB rapid serial visualization
14. 2006.09.28#5: Emacs: Animation in presentations
15. 2006.09.29#2: Emacs BBDB: Filtering tags with the power of lambda expressions
16. 2006.09.29#8: Emacs BBDB: Prioritize exact matches
17. 2006.10.02#10: Crazy idea for Emacs: Random Emacs taglines
18. 2006.10.02#11: Crazy Emacs: Personalized signatures with random taglines
19. 2006.10.04#1: Developing a better sense of time
20. 2006.10.04#2: Emacs Gnus hack: Prioritize based on the number of recipients
21. 2006.10.11#4: Emacs: Hideshow
22. 2006.10.12#3: Emacs: Quick way to collect references
23. 2006.10.12#4: Emacs and a British voice
24. 2006.10.23#1: Excited about my DemoCamp presentation!
25. 2006.10.27#4: Keeping track of the age of messages
26. 2006.11.02#2: Contact report
27. 2006.12.12#2: Personal contact relationship management

On Technorati: emacs, pimpmyemacs

Random Emacs symbol: browse-url-firefox-arguments - Variable: *A list of strings to pass to Firefox as arguments.

I've thought a fair bit about life this year, and I'm getting a better idea of what I want to do. My short-term focus is research, and technology evangelism seems like a good medium-term thing.

1. 2006.05.24#10: More thoughts about what I want to do with my life
2. 2006.05.27#4: My goal in life: sales and marketing?
3. 2006.06.25#8: What I want to do with my life: tell stories
4. 2006.07.02#1: Purposeful interaction
5. 2006.07.03#1: Thinking and not thinking
6. 2006.07.08#1: Imagining the future
7. 2006.07.24#2: Remembering my purpose; hooray for writing!
8. 2006.08.21#6: Living with others and living alone
9. 2006.09.02#4: A passion for social systems - clues to my next short-term step?
10. 2006.09.05#4: More thoughts on what I want to do with my life
11. 2006.09.07#3: The Secret
12. 2006.09.13#2: What makes a good life?
13. 2006.10.02#5: Life!
14. 2006.10.27#1: Looking for a personal board of directors
15. 2006.11.02#1: Microsoft evangelism - tempting!
16. 2006.12.12#3: Found my vertical: HR

Random Emacs symbol: browse-url-default-browser - Function: Find a suitable browser and ask it to load URL.

Here are my other favorite blog posts:

1. 2006.01.07#2: Things every geek should know
2. 2006.02.05#2: Why I like the Emacs editor
3. 2006.03.18#3: Upon reflection
4. 2006.03.26#1: Forks - breaking up with Dominique
5. 2006.03.27#2: I love my life!
6. 2006.04.13#3: Reflections
7. 2006.04.18#1: How to wear a malong
8. 2006.05.02#1: Linux Caffe - first date with Simon
9. 2006.05.17#1: Aftermesh
10. 2006.05.24#6: Microsoft Word in schools
11. 2006.05.30#2: Networking with Moleskines
12. 2006.06.23#1: First taste of the Canadian medical system
13. 2006.06.25#4: What's the value proposition of a student?
14. 2006.06.25#6: Listening
15. 2006.07.10#1: Finally on a phone plan
16. 2006.07.16#1: Barbecue
17. 2006.07.22#4: The best birthday gifts
18. 2006.07.30#1: Simon
19. 2006.08.15#1: Rock-climbing
20. 2006.08.22#1: Networking for Geeks: Advertise with your laptop!
21. 2006.08.30#2: Backlog: A great weekend
22. 2006.08.31#9: The power of proactively networking
23. 2006.09.02#2: Networking tips: Bring your own nametag
24. 2006.09.05#2: Sometimes I just get homesick
25. 2006.09.06#2: Break glass in case of emergency: For homesickness
26. 2006.09.28#6: Conference Commando: Networking with Nametags
27. 2006.09.29#4: Networking: Create value with your business cards
28. 2006.09.30#2: Capsule summary
29. 2006.10.13#1: Wow.
30. 2006.10.20#2: Notes from CASCON2006: Passion is the key to Web 2.0
31. 2006.10.24#1: Democamp a blast! Blew their brains to bits
32. 2006.10.30#2: Activity ideas, or Spending-time-with-Sacha-HOWTO
33. 2006.11.19#3: Nov 13 to Nov 19
34. 2006.11.21#1: Dinner with a technology evangelist
35. 2006.11.25#2: Woohoo! Global organization for technology evangelists!
36. 2006.12.14#1: Kudos to Kevin Magee: sales and networking tips

Random Emacs symbol: eshell-mode - Function: Emacs shell interactive mode. - Group: This module contains code for handling input from the user.

We spent the afternoon at the Camsur Watersports Complex. My sisters and I tried wakeboarding. Now I can barely raise my arms, and it's such a good thing that I brought my Twiddler one-handed keyboard...

Wakeboarding was tons of fun. We started with kneeboards, kowtowing close to the water. I found it a bit difficult to navigate the cable course without eyeglasses or contact lenses. I nearly made it first time around, but I wiped out on the last leg of the circuit because I couldn't see the buoys. I swam to the side and waited for the golf cart to pick me up. Then I was back in line for another try. After several tries, I finally got the hang of the course. I learned where I needed to brace myself for the sudden slack and jerk as the cable changed directions. My sister Ching teased me about the fact that I stuck with the kneeboard instead of trying the waterskis as soon as I could, but I figured that becoming familiar with the course and the feeling of gliding over water was a good idea--and it was.

I eventually graduated to the water skis. After two faceplants right in front of the launching pad, I figured out how to crouch. I even made it all the way around, coming in almost standing. Yay!

I couldn't get the hang of starting on the wakeboard, though. I always plowed into the water. Maybe tomorrow.

I remember coasting along on my skateboard behind Jed's bike, pulled by a power cord we scavenged from discarded electronics on the street. That was tons of fun, too. And picking myself up after faceplanting on that hill... Yup, that's me, getting back in line after clearing the water from my nose!

Wish my usual adventure buddies were here. I know they'd love it too!

Random Emacs symbol: message-send-actions - Variable: A list of actions to be performed upon successful sending of a message.