The hard work we have done over the last couple of days has started to pay off. We have a three layer problem. We fixed the bottom two layers and identified the potential source of the problem on the top layer. This was one of the best team efforts I have seen in a long time. There is a different owner of each of the layers–me being the bottom one–so it truly was a team effort to solve a very difficult technical problem. We have not yet put the problem bed, but we are very, very close. This is another part of my job that I enjoy very much.

This has inspired me to think about my own little programming projects. The main active ones are the volcano project and the comic aggregator. A ton of work is complete on both of them so we just have to push through to the end. Both of the projects are only a month or two away from completion if it were possible to spend all my time on them, but intermixed with my current schedule, realistically, I am at least six months off.

I often forget how long it takes to do homeschool well everyday. The kids work hard and are more independent than every. My job is way more hands off than it was in the past. Still, at the very minimum, it takes an hour to do our reading and correct the math. Then it takes another half hour or so to read through book reports, science experiements, etc. I absolutely love doing this, but it takes at least two hours per day, not including the time I spend on homeschool topics on the phone and computer during the day. That is down from three and a half to four hours per day when the kids were in elementary school. All it means is that I have to give myself a reality check when it comes to planning other projects.

May 25, 2004 – Around the World
May 26, 2004 – Hay fever