Running - Day 9

Last night I went out and put in a 3-miler through Johnny Appleseed Park and onto the River Greenway. It's a great place to go for a run, as there are mile markers on the ground. Makes it super-easy to keep track of distance. The weather was pretty nice, but just a tad chilly. I had my ipod and some great tunes, but I think I was pacing myself to the music, and as such I was pushing myself a little harder than I meant to. My left knee was bothering me a bit by the end. I'll have to concentrate on not over-doing it. I certainly don't want to invite any injuries...

Day 9 - 3 Miles

Running - Day 8

This morning I got up early and put in a short 1.5 mile run. My schedule doesn't allow for me to run tonight, so I had to get it in this morning. I still don't like the treadmill, but it was cold, dark, and raining outside, so the treadmill was a necessary evil...

Day 8 - 1.5 Miles

Running - Day 7

This morning I went for a run with Terri, which I enjoyed thoroughly. Well, at least the fact that we were doing it together. The run was hard, but one of the main reasons I decided to start running was so that I would cultivate a hobby that would give us more in common; something that we could do and enjoy together.

Day 7 - 4 Miles

Running - Day 6

I missed yesterday due to parent-teacher conferences, so I went a little further today than my training schedule calls for. My calves hate me right now, but it's a good pain.

Day 6 - 4 Miles (ish)

Running - Day 5

It was just a short mile and a half this time, but it seemed a little easier than the first couple of days. But, I'm not sure I'll ever like running on the treadmill.

Day 5 - 1.5 Miles

Running - Days 3 and 4

So, the running is still happening. No giving up. I'm told that once you get past the first couple of weeks, it starts to get easier. I really want to do it, so maybe that helps.

Day 3 - 1.5 Miles
Day 4 - 3.5 Miles (on the treadmill, ugh)

Running - Days 1 and 2

So, I have started running. There were several motivating factors here that led me to this decision. First, I am tired of feeling, well, tired all the time. I believe firmly that not getting any real regular exercise is making me tired. Second, I am trying to cultivate interests that Terri and I can share (she runs). In fact, she has signed up for the Chicago marathon and the idea came up that I should do it also. A daunting thought for someone who has never really been a runner, but I think I am going to give it a shot!

Anyway, the stats (I am going to post my distances, mostly for my own reference).

Day 1 - 1.5 Miles
Day 2 - 3 Miles (approximately, might be a little less)

I'll start posting my times, once I start tracking them. For now, I am more concerned with actually getting through the distances.

Browse with Firefox, Debug with Internet Explorer

NOTE: I originally published this entry on my company blog here.

As a .NET developer, it is a necessity to debug my work in Internet Explorer. However, for my day-to-day web borwsing, I prefer to use "something else".  Lately, my something else has been Google Chrome, but I'm also a big fan of Firefox.  The problem is that, by default, if I change my default to be Chrome, then when you hit F5 to debug in Visual Studio, then Chrome is what gets launched for the debugging sessions.  For basic stuff, this is fine, but it's not ideal for me, particularly when I want to be able to debug client-side script from within Visual Studio.

I have dealing with this for a long time basically by not dealing with it at all...  That is, I have left Internet Explorer as my defaut browser and just launched Chrome for my routine browsing.  This is OK, but then whenever there is a link in an email, or a blog post (I use Outlook for RSS feeds), then Internet Explorer gets launched to handle it.  Not what I want.

Well, I finally got irritated enough by it this morning to hit Google and see what I could find.  It turns out the answer is pretty simple, but differs a little bit depending on whether the project is a Web Site project or a Web Application project.

Web Application Project

In Visual Studio, if you go right click on the project in the Solution Explorer, and go to Project Properties, the on the Web tab you can configure a custom Start Action, rather than just launching using the default browser.  Under Start Action, you would select "Start External Program", and use "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" to launch Internet Explorer.  Then, for "Command Line Arguments", you have to supply the URL of the start page.  In my example, this is "http://localhost:60669/Default.aspx".  The port number is required because I have also elected to use the Visual Studio Development Server, which can be seen in the next section, "Server".  The only thing that has to be changed there is that instead of allowing Visual Studio to randomly assign a port number, you must pick one.

Here is a screenshot of some example settings that work for a project of mine.

Web Site Project

If the project in question was created as a Web Site Project, then the configuration is slightly different.  First, click on the project in the Solution Explorer, and the in the Properties pane, change the Use Dynamic Ports property to False.  This will enable editing of the Port number property.  Set the port number to some fairly high numberl I used 60668 in my example.  Make note of what is in the Virtual path property, because you will need it for the next step.  (You can also change this virtual path if you wish).

Next, right-click on the project in the Solution Explorer and select Property Pages.  Under "Start Options", choose "Start External Program:"  The executable (C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe) and command-line arguments (http://localhost:60668/Website1/Default.aspx) arethe same as for Web Application projects.   The command-line arguments need to use the port number and Virtual path from the previous step.

Here are a couple of screenshots that work for my sample project.

I Need a New Business Idea - Minipreneurship

I certainly am not one to complain about my income. I love my job and I feel like I am compensated fairly for it. But, there's always room for more, am I right?

Actually, simply wanting more money is not my motivation for pursuing potential business ventures. Sure, more money would be great, but my real goal is financial independence. That is, not being dependent on that paycheck to provide for myself and my family. The goal is to create multiple streams of income, such that the paycheck becomes the source of funding for investments and other ventures, rather than the sole source of income. My problem at this point is not one of desire to achieve my goals, it is a lack of creativity in terms of coming up with ideas for new income streams.

I read an article this morning (I can't remember what the point was or what website I saw it on), but I do remember it talking about the growing number of "minipreneurs" in the United States. These are people who are, in increasing numbers, starting up small side ventures as a way to augment their incomes or ease the transition into a new line of work. The obvious benefit of this "micro-startup" strategy is one of decreased risk. A person can continue to maintain their day job while also generating income at night.

Anyway, back to my lack of ideas. I need to come up with 2 or 3 really good ideas for sideline ventures I can work towards in some of the limited time I have at night and on the weekends. As soon as I come up with something, I'll be sure to write about my success (or lack thereof). Wish me luck.

Lame Blogger

I realized just now that I haven't written anything new on here in a while... Lame blogger, that's me. I guess I have just been busy with work and family commitments. Or maybe that's just an excuse. Mostly I think it's just that putting my thoughts down into words is not a task that comes naturally to me. I have to really work at it. Which makes blogging seem like a chore most of the time. So, I just wait until I feel inspired to write something, which seems to happen infrequently, at best.

Well, I am going (once again) to challenge myself to get on here and post something new every day for an entire week, in an attempt to spark some new creative energy. I have taken on this challenge before, each time ending in a handful of posts at best. Maybe this time will be different.