Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Edit RoboHelp without RoboHelp
Great question from Lynne on Techwr-L today:
I'm using RoboHelp 7 to convert source content into html and to compile a .chm file for context-sensitive help. A customer wants to know if there is a way for them to edit individual .html files without using RoboHelp. In theory, could they use Microsoft WinHelp (or some other app) to make changes and generate new .chm files, or would that cause all kinds of problems with formatting, hyperlinks, etc ?
Of course, this is one of my favorite topics - customers editing software documentation. I wrote back this:
No. Tell them no. Then, tell them no again.
If they want changes made to the content, they can email you and you will incorporate their edits into the content. Put a feedback link at the bottom of every HTML file that sends feedback directly to you. I had fancy code that would include the HTML file name the feedback was sent from in the email. Just make sure you indicate that the documentation feedback email address is not for reporting bugs or issues with the software.
Think of your help file as software code. Would they be allowed to make "edits" to the software code? Probably not. Same idea here. Say you have a standard like using "Go to" as the phrase to begin a sentence that tells the user navigation, like "Go to Menu1 > Menu2." And they "edit" the text to say "Access Menu1 > Menu2." Who now has the source files - you or your customer?
Who reconciles your content to your style guide? What if your corporate style is to follow the MS Manual and they make edits that do not conform with it? And then, when you get asked to send an updated version of your help file, all their "edits" get lost because you have the source files and you do not have their edits. Also, who owns your help file? Your company does. Check with your legal department about if the client can edit source files.
In my opinion and based upon what I've been through with different situations, this is a very slippery slope and it will get bad for you very quickly.
All that said, technically, yes, the client can decompile the CHM file, edit the HTML with Notepad / Dreamweaver, and then recompile. They wouldn't use MS WinHelp as that is a different help format though.
I sincerely hope that Lynne doesn't give the customer the source files!
I'm using RoboHelp 7 to convert source content into html and to compile a .chm file for context-sensitive help. A customer wants to know if there is a way for them to edit individual .html files without using RoboHelp. In theory, could they use Microsoft WinHelp (or some other app) to make changes and generate new .chm files, or would that cause all kinds of problems with formatting, hyperlinks, etc ?
Of course, this is one of my favorite topics - customers editing software documentation. I wrote back this:
No. Tell them no. Then, tell them no again.
If they want changes made to the content, they can email you and you will incorporate their edits into the content. Put a feedback link at the bottom of every HTML file that sends feedback directly to you. I had fancy code that would include the HTML file name the feedback was sent from in the email. Just make sure you indicate that the documentation feedback email address is not for reporting bugs or issues with the software.
Think of your help file as software code. Would they be allowed to make "edits" to the software code? Probably not. Same idea here. Say you have a standard like using "Go to" as the phrase to begin a sentence that tells the user navigation, like "Go to Menu1 > Menu2." And they "edit" the text to say "Access Menu1 > Menu2." Who now has the source files - you or your customer?
Who reconciles your content to your style guide? What if your corporate style is to follow the MS Manual and they make edits that do not conform with it? And then, when you get asked to send an updated version of your help file, all their "edits" get lost because you have the source files and you do not have their edits. Also, who owns your help file? Your company does. Check with your legal department about if the client can edit source files.
In my opinion and based upon what I've been through with different situations, this is a very slippery slope and it will get bad for you very quickly.
All that said, technically, yes, the client can decompile the CHM file, edit the HTML with Notepad / Dreamweaver, and then recompile. They wouldn't use MS WinHelp as that is a different help format though.
I sincerely hope that Lynne doesn't give the customer the source files!
Add Comments to Your Code!
Deb Slutzky just joined the HATT list and posted a question about what specific files to provide for her RoboHelp project to foreign companies that will rebrand and translate the user interface and help files for the software she documents.
Colum McAndrew responded with the recommendation to "At the end of the day I wouldn't worry about only providing the exact files. Just give them the source files in their entirety and let them use whatever they need."
And then I chimed in with this:
I agree with Colum - give them every file in your project directory.
I would add that you have the opportunity to make the life of the person that takes your files a little easier by using comments in your CSS and in your HTML files. For example, when I was generating WebHelp to be deployed for a Desktop-based app, I couldn't link directly from a HTML file to a PDF because the PDF didn't have Mark of the Web (MOTW) so I had to create a HTML file for each PDF that simply embedded the PDF file. So, if you look at the code, the syntax to open a PDF would look weird because it was actually linked to a HTML file. I put notes in the HTML file that embedded the PDF. The way that project was structured, any link to open a PDF went to a central "Print Documentation" HTML file so I also added comments in the code on that page as well to explain what was happening. Do the same type of thing in your CSS file to indicate when specific CSS styles are being used. For example, in that same project, I created a span class for each UI element - check box, button, screen, etc. - so that I could control the appearance for every instance of that UI element. If I wanted to make all buttons bold/italic on Monday and then got feedback that they should only be
bold, not italic, I could change the definition for the button class in my CSS file and every instance of button would become bold. You can also include examples in the CSS file that could be helpful.
Even if you are not shipping your project off to be translated, I would include comments in both your HTML and CSS files.
Colum McAndrew responded with the recommendation to "At the end of the day I wouldn't worry about only providing the exact files. Just give them the source files in their entirety and let them use whatever they need."
And then I chimed in with this:
I agree with Colum - give them every file in your project directory.
I would add that you have the opportunity to make the life of the person that takes your files a little easier by using comments in your CSS and in your HTML files. For example, when I was generating WebHelp to be deployed for a Desktop-based app, I couldn't link directly from a HTML file to a PDF because the PDF didn't have Mark of the Web (MOTW) so I had to create a HTML file for each PDF that simply embedded the PDF file. So, if you look at the code, the syntax to open a PDF would look weird because it was actually linked to a HTML file. I put notes in the HTML file that embedded the PDF. The way that project was structured, any link to open a PDF went to a central "Print Documentation" HTML file so I also added comments in the code on that page as well to explain what was happening. Do the same type of thing in your CSS file to indicate when specific CSS styles are being used. For example, in that same project, I created a span class for each UI element - check box, button, screen, etc. - so that I could control the appearance for every instance of that UI element. If I wanted to make all buttons bold/italic on Monday and then got feedback that they should only be
bold, not italic, I could change the definition for the button class in my CSS file and every instance of button would become bold. You can also include examples in the CSS file that could be helpful.
Even if you are not shipping your project off to be translated, I would include comments in both your HTML and CSS files.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Iowa Men in 2013-14
"First, I have to agree with the BTN's Brett Yarina, this schedule sucks if you're Iowa. The Hawkeyes bring back all the important parts from last year's team which juuuuust missed the NCAAs, and project to be at least a fringe Top 25 team that could be a major conference sleeper. They benefited from a very favorable league schedule last year, but must play Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin twice, and get Indiana only on the road. We don't know a whole lot about Iowa's schedule this year outside of their Big Ten/ACC date with Notre Dame, but I think it's safe to say that RPI won't be the reason they miss the Big Dance this season."
Source:
http://www.landgrantholyland.com/2013/5/15/4333854/big-ten-basketball-schedule-2013-2014-single-play-winners-losers
Source:
http://www.landgrantholyland.com/2013/5/15/4333854/big-ten-basketball-schedule-2013-2014-single-play-winners-losers
Monday, July 29, 2013
Alex has a Date?!?
"Did you know your son has a date tomorrow?"
"When do I get to meet her?" was my response.
"When do I get to meet her?" was my response.
Home
We had a great weekend. It was capped off today by first beating both Alex and Louie on the golf course in Clermont, followed by driving home with Megan and having basically a non-stop two hour conversation. We stopped to see Mom in the nursing home and that was hard for Megan, but I'm glad we did.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Metal Up Your....
Yesterday, in 1983, Metallica released their debut album, Kill ‘Em All.
While the band’s style has greatly evolved, I think the album remains a classic. I thoroughly enjoy the roughness of the material. I love the lyrics in "Motorbreath" when James Hetfield sings, "Those people who tell you not to take chances / they are all missing on what life is about." I find them inspirational.
The title of this post refers to the original name of this release "Metal Up Your Ass." The record company wouldn't release it with that title so they went with the less offensive "Kill 'Em All" instead. [smirk]
The title of this post refers to the original name of this release "Metal Up Your Ass." The record company wouldn't release it with that title so they went with the less offensive "Kill 'Em All" instead. [smirk]
Karen is Leaving / Proposal for Setlist on 8/24/13
There's a lot going on in my life.
- Karen and Alex are leaving today to go to Elkader. I am staying home to take Megan up tomorrow after she gets off work at 1. We are going to Ketelsen's to take back a cup holder for the chair I bought Karen because it didn't fit and getting some other miscellaneous supplies. We will be in Elkader in time for 5:30 Mass with Father Peters and then we are going to Gunder for a Gunderburger. I don't plan to eat anything after noon. I'm not sure what plans are being made for Sunday, but I know on Monday, Louie, Alex, and I are playing golf prior to heading back to home. I took Monday off as vacation.
- As a side note, I have my mid-year review with my awesome manager on Tuesday at 9, which is immediately following our morning standup meeting at 8:30 AM. Work is going really well. We have the next version of the software going out on 8/23 (yes, the day before the gig) but the numbers for the release are not stellar. Basically, a lot of coding is behind schedule so it will be very interesting to see how the work that has been promised gets delivered by the promised date.
- Beyond that, next weekend is the Mount Mercy College Campout in Cresco. The plan is Alex and I will drive up on Friday night in order to go tubing on Saturday. I am looking forward to the weekend. Megan has inventory at Fareway so Karen is bringing her up after noon, when she gets off work. I took next Monday, 8/5, off as vacation.
- We have rehearsal today from noonish - 2:30-ish. We have to figure out what songs to play for the Saturday, August 24, 2013! I think we will have 8 total rehearsals (~20 hours) between now and the gig.
- I sat at the Yamaha set last night for about 1 hour and, basically, I can never *EVER* go for nearly two weeks without playing drums again. I had not played since the gig 2 weeks ago and my shoulders, arms, and hands protested from the moment I tried to nail "Lonely Boy." After a couple of songs, it felt better, but today, prior to rehearsal, I'm doing some Ibuprofen for sure!
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Conversion Update & "No Fair for You"
- This blog has never really been about "parenting" philosophy. I don't pass on parenting "advice" or detail the day-to-day things that happen in our home. I tend not to write about being a father to two wonderful kids, but I am the father of two wonderful kids. Along with Karen, they provide a foundation upon which I have built the life I lead day-to-day.
- The conversion status sits at 59518 File(s).
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Marj McCarty
The world lost one of the best teachers *ever*
when Ms. McCarty passed away on 7/17/13. I read her obituary last night
in the Sunday CR Gazette.
If you were lucky enough to have her for a teacher at Pierce Elementary in Cedar Rapids, your heart may be a little more sad now. I remember her wit. I remember seeing her at the Spring House Restaurant on Center Point Road. I remember her jars of animals preserved in jars on the shelves in her classroom (personally, I liked the pig). She was a dear lady.
http://thegazette.com/obituaries/mccarty-marjoria-mae-fry/
If you were lucky enough to have her for a teacher at Pierce Elementary in Cedar Rapids, your heart may be a little more sad now. I remember her wit. I remember seeing her at the Spring House Restaurant on Center Point Road. I remember her jars of animals preserved in jars on the shelves in her classroom (personally, I liked the pig). She was a dear lady.
http://thegazette.com/obituaries/mccarty-marjoria-mae-fry/
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Another Close Call
When I write about sober musicians, I am not preaching. The substance abuse issues that Shine Down's singer persevered through is inspirational. Do I really think about being sober every day? Honestly, no. It's a comfortable life style for me after 934 days. I just read about Five Finger Death Punch's Ivan Moody going through the same type of thing. The article says he almost was fired. I really like FFDP and if he had been fired, I would have been sad.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Missed It
My 25th high school class reunion was this last weekend; I didn't go. I had no desire to go whatsoever.
Conversion Update
I had grand intentions during my week off from work to make headway on the cassette to MP3 conversion. I brought over 12 hours of cassettes to the camper and thought, "This will be easy - I'll throw in a cassette, leave for 1.5 hours, come back, throw in another cassette."
If only it had worked that way.
I had issues with the converter to the extent that I am just not sure I will ever complete this conversion. It is buggy software, the USB cord seems buggy, if that's possible for hardware to have bugs, and I just didn't get as much done as I'd like.
So, that said, I added 3 MP3s during vacation, which takes my total to 59502.
When we got home last night, I was putting stuff away and happened to notice the boxes of my cassettes. Originally, I had thought I would do a box in two months. By that schedule, I should be in the midst of box 6. I'm barely done with box 1. This is going to go longer than I thought.
I also have about 400 CDs left in the CD to MP3 conversion, though I have not been exactly organized in what is done v. what is not done. Somehow, I need to find the time to do an audit. Like I have tons of free time laying around.
If only it had worked that way.
I had issues with the converter to the extent that I am just not sure I will ever complete this conversion. It is buggy software, the USB cord seems buggy, if that's possible for hardware to have bugs, and I just didn't get as much done as I'd like.
So, that said, I added 3 MP3s during vacation, which takes my total to 59502.
When we got home last night, I was putting stuff away and happened to notice the boxes of my cassettes. Originally, I had thought I would do a box in two months. By that schedule, I should be in the midst of box 6. I'm barely done with box 1. This is going to go longer than I thought.
I also have about 400 CDs left in the CD to MP3 conversion, though I have not been exactly organized in what is done v. what is not done. Somehow, I need to find the time to do an audit. Like I have tons of free time laying around.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
LCR Video
I updated the page with all the videos of me playing drums to include the one from the LCR FB page - check it out.
Or... just watch it without clicking twice.
Or... just watch it without clicking twice.
Back to the Game
I am welcoming myself back to my own blog since being offline, for the most part, from 7/14 – 7/21. We spent the week in Elkader and I had a great time.
The deeper I wade, the more I realize that this is going to be a busy week at work, per the email from Sonia that says, in part:
|
Paul,
We have plenty to do next week. Monday morning could you please start with … help text changes, and we can talk about the user guides status.
|
I am looking forward to returning to work. I welcome the opportunity to get to work. I know there is a lot of work with the user guides that I need to finish and, frankly, ideally, I would have finished prior to going on vacation last week. But, that didn’t happen, so I now need to focus and get a lot of quality work done very quickly. I would normally say that I will work 4 9 hour days this week, plus 4 on Friday, but I have a feeling that is not going to be possible.
- Monday – played golf with Louie and Alex in Clermont. We ate lunch in St. Olaf on the way home. I played decent and beat Louie and Alex!
- Tuesday – played golf with Loue and Alex in Luana. We ate at the clubhouse. I played decent and beat Louie and Alex! At night, Louie, Jean, Karen, Megan, Alex, and I went to see “World War Z” at the Elkader Theater. Alex and I liked it and I will rent it when it comes out on DVD.
- Wednesday – the 6 of us went to Galena, IL, and the kids rode the alpine slide. We left around 9:30 and went directly to Galena. In Galena, I rode the slide once while the kids rode it multiple times. After I rode, Louie and I retreated out of the sun to the lodge and played rummy until the women came back and then we played Euchre. I did not ride the Segway, though I would like to do so sometime. On the way back to Elkader, we went through Balltown so Louie could get the mail. Once back in Elkader, we played Euchre.
- Thursday – Alex and I got onto the Elkader golf course at 8 AM and played 18 holes. I beat him by 1 on the first 9 and by 3 on the second 9. It was very competitive! After returning to the camper, briefly, Megan and I went to the Elkader Library Book Sale. I didn’t find any books that I felt compelled to buy, but I did see a Dell PC, keyboard, mouse, and flat screen monitor for $25. It was the same model as what we owned and what Jean owned. Both of those PCs are virtually dead. I mentioned to Jean that they had her PC for $25 and Karen asked if I had bought it. No, I had not. We decided that we could use it in the den so I returned to get it with my work laptop (so I could check email) while making sure the Dell PC worked. That was the only time, really, I could consider myself online. Alex did figure out how to use Karen’s cell phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot, but it was unbearably slow. Anyways, after returning with the PC, we decided to go see “Despicable Me 2” at the Prairie Du Chien, WI, theater. We stopped at a hotel to look at a suite and then we made it to the 4:30 show. After the movie, we went to a department store – Peebles or Peeples – and then to Culver’s for supper. We also looked at a suite on the way home. Upon returning to Elkader, I was exhausted. While Karen and the kids sat by the campfire, I did not. I fell asleep and slept like a tired log.
- Friday – Alex and I didn’t play golf as I felt that 36 holes in a single week was enough. After Karen made pancakes, she and the kids went fishing. I remained in the air conditioning and wrote in my private journal. Later, I walked to the Turkey River. Upon returning to the camper, Karen and Megan decided to go to the Elkader laundramat and did some loads of towels. Alex and I remained in the camper. Upon returning to the camper, I learned that the landramat is not air conditioned.
- Saturday – It was Elkader Sweet Corn Days, which meant going to the parade downtown.
- Sunday – We packed up and returned to home.
The deeper I wade, the more I realize that this is going to be a busy week at work, per the email from Sonia that says, in part:
|
Paul,
We have plenty to do next week. Monday morning could you please start with … help text changes, and we can talk about the user guides status.
|
I am looking forward to returning to work. I welcome the opportunity to get to work. I know there is a lot of work with the user guides that I need to finish and, frankly, ideally, I would have finished prior to going on vacation last week. But, that didn’t happen, so I now need to focus and get a lot of quality work done very quickly. I would normally say that I will work 4 9 hour days this week, plus 4 on Friday, but I have a feeling that is not going to be possible.
Friday, July 12, 2013
It's Okay
Good for the wife in this article and for doing what she needed to do in order to save her marriage.
Newsted
When Jason Newsted left Metallica, it must have been a big deal to him. Mathematically, I remember figuring out that he was only given songwriting credit for 6% of the total songs he played bass on. I think since starting his own band, Newsted, the media / websites that talk to him all want to know about Metallica, like they are trying to fuel a war of words or a resolution to the issues that caused Newsted to leave. To his credit, I like the answers he gives in this article, but I also think it is so unreasonable for the media / websites to keep drudging up Metallica instead of talking about Newsted, the band. Maybe, someday, that will die down, but a lot of the same media / website articles I read mention that Dave Mustaine was fired from Metallica. When do people get to be free of the past and truly forge forward into the future?
Conversion Status - 7/12/13
Yes! I've been doing some work on the conversion projects. I just ran the DOS batch file and I am at: 59354 File(s).
I plan to convert some cassettes while I am on vacation next week!
I plan to convert some cassettes while I am on vacation next week!
Gig Tonight
AND YES, Lou's Classic Ride is rolling into Fat Jack's tonight. We are rehearsing from 11:30 - 1:30 and we play sometime after 8. I'm really excited. There's rumblings that some old friends I've not seen in a while are possibly going to show up and that makes me really excited.
As of now, the plan is to load at least Matthew's bass amp and bass in the back of the Ford F-150 after rehearsal today and then to pick Matthew up ~ 5:30. Serbi is arriving around 6. We play sometime after 8.
We are playing 5 of the following 8 songs we think we play well. I like this order:
As of now, the plan is to load at least Matthew's bass amp and bass in the back of the Ford F-150 after rehearsal today and then to pick Matthew up ~ 5:30. Serbi is arriving around 6. We play sometime after 8.
We are playing 5 of the following 8 songs we think we play well. I like this order:
- Lonely Boy
- Sunshine of Your Love
- Stuck in the Middle
- Saturday Night's All Right
- I Just Want to Make Love to You
- What I Like About You < -- If time allows...
- Dead Flowers < -- If time allows...
- Rocking in the Free World < -- If time allows...
Wrapping Up
The best part about where I work is that I enjoy my work. It's awesome. I am so happy to be where I am and how good life is for me. I am not bragging. It's a true blessing to be where I work. I'm looking forward to wrapping up some loose ends today and then being on vacation next week with my family.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Giving Marriage Another Try
As Karen and I close in on our 20th wedding anniversary, it seems to me that a lot of people I meet, read about, or in some other way interact with, do not take the vows of marriage seriously. In my mind, a wedding day is when you make a covenant - a promise - to your spouse and to God that you do not break.
That said, congratulations to Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich who is engaged to Jessica Miller.
That said, congratulations to Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich who is engaged to Jessica Miller.
Official: Playing Drums will save a Life
It is official: Lou's Classic Ride is going to have business cards. I also heard from my friend Todd who runs a bar and books bands that he is going to try and make it out to see us play tomorrow night.
I spent over 1 hour on the Yamaha set last night and damn, it feels good to play drums. I also am glad I played drums because when I opened the blind in the den, I saw a baby bird that had fallen into the window well. I truly doubt I would have known of its existence in a pseudo hell had I not played drums last night in the den so, yes, playing drums saved a life.
I spent over 1 hour on the Yamaha set last night and damn, it feels good to play drums. I also am glad I played drums because when I opened the blind in the den, I saw a baby bird that had fallen into the window well. I truly doubt I would have known of its existence in a pseudo hell had I not played drums last night in the den so, yes, playing drums saved a life.
Good Article
I like this article by Erick Erickson on Red State. He asks very pointed questions, including the ones in this passage:
|
Why the hell must I pick a side in the George Zimmerman trial? A 17 year old boy is dead and a man who may or may not be guilty of murder is on trial but, even if not guilty, will never again be safe because so much outrage and so much politicization has been poured into the trial. A 17 year old is dead. Why am I forced, as a conservative, to cheer for the guy who took his life? And you people who support Trayvon, how are you given a pass on seeing things from George Zimmerman’s perspective? Why must I decide on the guilt or innocence of George Zimmerman based on the outrage of people whose politics differ from mine? Why must a death and trial comport to a political world view?!
|
The entire article is definitely reading.
|
Why the hell must I pick a side in the George Zimmerman trial? A 17 year old boy is dead and a man who may or may not be guilty of murder is on trial but, even if not guilty, will never again be safe because so much outrage and so much politicization has been poured into the trial. A 17 year old is dead. Why am I forced, as a conservative, to cheer for the guy who took his life? And you people who support Trayvon, how are you given a pass on seeing things from George Zimmerman’s perspective? Why must I decide on the guilt or innocence of George Zimmerman based on the outrage of people whose politics differ from mine? Why must a death and trial comport to a political world view?!
|
The entire article is definitely reading.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Prediction of the Future
Bush still losing the blame game screams the headline.
I am hopeful that, someday, our current president is out of office and there is a different president and, when asked why the country is in such political, economic, and social disarray, that the President replies, with a straight face, "I inherited this mess. I intend to clean it up, but it's like following an elephant with diarrhea - you need lots of patience and lots of jumping over and around things you didn't create in order to get to the end of the parade which, in this analogy, is the end of political, economic, and social disarray. Thank you for allowing me to directly address what, in my opinion, a lot of the American people believe."
At this point, the reporter would look in the camera and say, with an equally straight face, "It's all Obama's fault."
I am hopeful that, someday, our current president is out of office and there is a different president and, when asked why the country is in such political, economic, and social disarray, that the President replies, with a straight face, "I inherited this mess. I intend to clean it up, but it's like following an elephant with diarrhea - you need lots of patience and lots of jumping over and around things you didn't create in order to get to the end of the parade which, in this analogy, is the end of political, economic, and social disarray. Thank you for allowing me to directly address what, in my opinion, a lot of the American people believe."
At this point, the reporter would look in the camera and say, with an equally straight face, "It's all Obama's fault."
About Me
Alex posted this quiz on FB and here are my answers:
1. Full name: Paul Hanson
2. Nickname: Stretch
3. Zodiac sign: Sagitarius
4. Best Friend: Karen Hanson
5. Song listening to: Lonely Boy by the Black Keys, trying to find the groove on my air drums
6. What color is your hair: brown
7. How Old are you: 43
8. Tall or short: tall
9. Sweats or jeans: jeans
10. Orange or apple: apple
11. Do you have a crush on someone: no
12. Eat or drink: eat
13. Piercings: no
14. Pepsi or coke: Pepsi (sorry JB!)
Have you ever...
16. Been in an airplane ? yes
17. Been in a relationship ? yes, married 20 years on 8/7/2013!
18. Been in a car accident ? yes
19. Been in a fist fight ? yes
Firsts & lasts
20. First piercing: never
21. First best friend: John Rath
22. First award: Bounce volleyball championship at Pierce Elementary
23. First Love: the girl from SuperSkate - asked my mom for a necklace to give to her
24. First word: wow
25. Last person you talked to in person: Karen
26. Last person you texted: Joe Bauer, to tell him I was on my way to Lou's Classic Ride rehearsal
27. Last friend you watched a movie with: Alex Hanson
28. Last food you ate: pizza
29. Last movie you watched in theaters: Man of Steel
30. Last song you listened to: Lonely Boy
31. Last thing you bought: Wal-Mart run on Monday
32. Last person you hugged: Karen
Favorites
33. Food ? Pizza
34. Drink ? Mountain Dew Live Wire
35. Flower ? Flowers die so I'd rather invest in the living
36. Animal ? Sadie or Sandy or Roscoe or Dexter or Daisy or Ollie
37. Color ? Blue
38. Place ? anywhere with Karen or on the golf course
39. Movie ? Shawshank Redemption
40. Subject ? English
Have you ever . . .
41. Fallen in love with someone? Yes
42. Celebrated Halloween? yes
43. Went over the minutes/texts on your phone? no
44. Wanted to smack someone upside the head? yes
45. Eaten a whole pizza? yes
46. Did something you regret? yes
47. Broke a promise? yes
48. Hid a secret? no
49. Pretend to be happy? yes
Your future...
50. Want kids? yes
51. Want to get married? how about "want to enjoy the rest of my life with Karen"
52. Career? no desire to be anything other than a technical writer where I work now
Which is better in the opposite gender?
53. Lips or eyes: eyes
54. Shorter or taller: shorter
55. Romantic or spontaneous: both
56. Hook up or relationship: relationship
57. Looks or personality: both
Have you ever...
58. Lost glasses/contacts? yes
59. Snuck out? I don't think so
60. Held a gun/knife for self defense? no
61. Broke someones heart? yes
62. Been in love? yes
63. Been arrested? no
Do you believe in :
64. Yourself : yes
65. Miracles :yes
66. Love at first sight :yes
67. Santa : Duh
68. Forever & Always :yes
TRUTHFULLY
69. Is there one person you want to be with right now: Karen
70. Who your real friends- Who are my real friends? Karen. Guy friends, I'd say:
1. Full name: Paul Hanson
2. Nickname: Stretch
3. Zodiac sign: Sagitarius
4. Best Friend: Karen Hanson
5. Song listening to: Lonely Boy by the Black Keys, trying to find the groove on my air drums
6. What color is your hair: brown
7. How Old are you: 43
8. Tall or short: tall
9. Sweats or jeans: jeans
10. Orange or apple: apple
11. Do you have a crush on someone: no
12. Eat or drink: eat
13. Piercings: no
14. Pepsi or coke: Pepsi (sorry JB!)
Have you ever...
16. Been in an airplane ? yes
17. Been in a relationship ? yes, married 20 years on 8/7/2013!
18. Been in a car accident ? yes
19. Been in a fist fight ? yes
Firsts & lasts
20. First piercing: never
21. First best friend: John Rath
22. First award: Bounce volleyball championship at Pierce Elementary
23. First Love: the girl from SuperSkate - asked my mom for a necklace to give to her
24. First word: wow
25. Last person you talked to in person: Karen
26. Last person you texted: Joe Bauer, to tell him I was on my way to Lou's Classic Ride rehearsal
27. Last friend you watched a movie with: Alex Hanson
28. Last food you ate: pizza
29. Last movie you watched in theaters: Man of Steel
30. Last song you listened to: Lonely Boy
31. Last thing you bought: Wal-Mart run on Monday
32. Last person you hugged: Karen
Favorites
33. Food ? Pizza
34. Drink ? Mountain Dew Live Wire
35. Flower ? Flowers die so I'd rather invest in the living
36. Animal ? Sadie or Sandy or Roscoe or Dexter or Daisy or Ollie
37. Color ? Blue
38. Place ? anywhere with Karen or on the golf course
39. Movie ? Shawshank Redemption
40. Subject ? English
Have you ever . . .
41. Fallen in love with someone? Yes
42. Celebrated Halloween? yes
43. Went over the minutes/texts on your phone? no
44. Wanted to smack someone upside the head? yes
45. Eaten a whole pizza? yes
46. Did something you regret? yes
47. Broke a promise? yes
48. Hid a secret? no
49. Pretend to be happy? yes
Your future...
50. Want kids? yes
51. Want to get married? how about "want to enjoy the rest of my life with Karen"
52. Career? no desire to be anything other than a technical writer where I work now
Which is better in the opposite gender?
53. Lips or eyes: eyes
54. Shorter or taller: shorter
55. Romantic or spontaneous: both
56. Hook up or relationship: relationship
57. Looks or personality: both
Have you ever...
58. Lost glasses/contacts? yes
59. Snuck out? I don't think so
60. Held a gun/knife for self defense? no
61. Broke someones heart? yes
62. Been in love? yes
63. Been arrested? no
Do you believe in :
64. Yourself : yes
65. Miracles :yes
66. Love at first sight :yes
67. Santa : Duh
68. Forever & Always :yes
TRUTHFULLY
69. Is there one person you want to be with right now: Karen
70. Who your real friends- Who are my real friends? Karen. Guy friends, I'd say:
- MMC group guys
- former neighbors (Dave D, Bill B, Fred / Julie)
- current neighbors (Mark / Jenny, Jenny / Coleen, Ron / Margaret)
- former Memphis in May buddies (Kevin H, BSS, Phil)
- Lou's Classic Ride (Matthew, Joe, Brian)
- high school / college era friends (JR, Brian G, James, Serbi)
- Karen's family (Lou / Jean, Barb, Dave / Chris, Mark / Susie, nieces / nephews)
- Anyone else
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Others Share My Dream
On Techwr-L today, Craig Cardimon asked, "Which of the following makes the most sense:
It gave me the opportunity to write the following:
Make each icon description a snippet in your tool / format you are working with. By doing so, in the future, any place *the user* needs to read information about the icon, you can include a reference to the appropriate snippet. Further, in the future, when you need to make a change to the icon description, change the snippet, do "something" (macro, click a button in the tool, whatever) that will update all the references to the snippet.
Write each description only once.
That's the dream I'm working towards fulfilling each day.
I am always learning, even after being employed as a technical writer since 2/10/95. If you pay attention to this blog, you know that I wrote the documentation for a software company in Cedar Rapids for a dozen years. Thinking about what I wrote and how I wrote makes me chuckle a bit because, frankly, I didn't use the concept above nearly as much as I should have in my daily work.
Here's a brief example. There were a trillion (or so it seemed) screens in the system with a check box called "Change Print Options" and no matter what screen you were on, if you selected the check box and clicked an "action" button (like "Submit" or "Next"), a window appeared on your screen and you could make changes to the way in which a report, list, or "something" would be printed. The options included whether to duplex and the name of the printer. In my field-by-field information, I had text like this:
|
Select the Change Print Options check box to change print options. Refer to Change Print Options for more information.
|
Even after over a dozen years of working there, I never got to see the dream I described above to Craig come true. I don't think I even knew I had the dream or could articulate it, if asked back then, but looking back, I think I must have known, subconsciously the dream existed. I say that because I eventually settled on a single version of the Change Print Options topic. I remember that I had two deliverables:
We are in the midst of a big push to be consistent as we work to eliminate the inconsistencies that have crept into our documentation. For a single "system" each client gets their own user guide. There is no single source, right now, so we might have in one manual (borrowing from another thread):
To access List Trends, click the History button in the Main Screen.
And in another, for a different client:
To access List Trends, click the History button in the Main Screen. Click Close after you have reviewed the information.
And for yet another client:
Viewing List Trends
You can view list trends that have been previously entered in the system.
My current project is to consolidate the multiple ways we have previously told the user to complete a task into a single way and then, someday, use that text in all user guides as part of a single source solution. Right now, we have separate Word docs and no single sourcing. If something changes that affects all clients, we write it once, copy / paste into each applicable user guide.
- Describe all the icons in one topic
- Describe the icons screen by screen, including repetitious descriptions for the more frequently occurring icons
- Describe the frequently occurring icons in one topic, and the screen-specific icons with their respective screens"
It gave me the opportunity to write the following:
Make each icon description a snippet in your tool / format you are working with. By doing so, in the future, any place *the user* needs to read information about the icon, you can include a reference to the appropriate snippet. Further, in the future, when you need to make a change to the icon description, change the snippet, do "something" (macro, click a button in the tool, whatever) that will update all the references to the snippet.
Write each description only once.
That's the dream I'm working towards fulfilling each day.
I am always learning, even after being employed as a technical writer since 2/10/95. If you pay attention to this blog, you know that I wrote the documentation for a software company in Cedar Rapids for a dozen years. Thinking about what I wrote and how I wrote makes me chuckle a bit because, frankly, I didn't use the concept above nearly as much as I should have in my daily work.
Here's a brief example. There were a trillion (or so it seemed) screens in the system with a check box called "Change Print Options" and no matter what screen you were on, if you selected the check box and clicked an "action" button (like "Submit" or "Next"), a window appeared on your screen and you could make changes to the way in which a report, list, or "something" would be printed. The options included whether to duplex and the name of the printer. In my field-by-field information, I had text like this:
|
Select the Change Print Options check box to change print options. Refer to Change Print Options for more information.
|
Even after over a dozen years of working there, I never got to see the dream I described above to Craig come true. I don't think I even knew I had the dream or could articulate it, if asked back then, but looking back, I think I must have known, subconsciously the dream existed. I say that because I eventually settled on a single version of the Change Print Options topic. I remember that I had two deliverables:
- in the online Help, I inserted a hyperlink to a separate HTML page where this information was included. I started doing this relatively early in the days of creating and maintaining WinHelp files - that blessed old technology that I loved working with on a daily basis.
- in the PDFs, if there was a change to the text, I *manually* went into each Word doc and replaced the text. That's over 200 PDFs. That's a lot of work!
Where I work now, we are in the midst of a big push to be consistent as we work to eliminate the inconsistencies that have crept into our documentation. For a single "system" each client gets their own user guide. There is no single source, right now, so we might have in one manual (borrowing from another thread):
We are in the midst of a big push to be consistent as we work to eliminate the inconsistencies that have crept into our documentation. For a single "system" each client gets their own user guide. There is no single source, right now, so we might have in one manual (borrowing from another thread):
To access List Trends, click the History button in the Main Screen.
And in another, for a different client:
To access List Trends, click the History button in the Main Screen. Click Close after you have reviewed the information.
And for yet another client:
Viewing List Trends
You can view list trends that have been previously entered in the system.
- Go to Main Screen > History.
- Edit the data. You cannot edit the information unless your user ID has been assigned the "Omniscient" user role.
- Click Close.
My current project is to consolidate the multiple ways we have previously told the user to complete a task into a single way and then, someday, use that text in all user guides as part of a single source solution. Right now, we have separate Word docs and no single sourcing. If something changes that affects all clients, we write it once, copy / paste into each applicable user guide.
I Love You Sweetheart
The Effect of 4 words
A group of women were at a seminar on how to live in a loving relationship with your husband.
The women were asked, "How many of you love your husband?"
All the women raised their hands.
Then they were asked, "When was the last time you told your husband you loved him?"
Some women answered today, some yesterday, some couldn't remember.
The women were then told to take out their cell phones and text their husband: "I love you, sweetheart."*
The women were then told to exchange phones and to read aloud the text message responses.
Here are some of the replies:
* Personally, I would prefer "Sweetheart, I love you"
A group of women were at a seminar on how to live in a loving relationship with your husband.
The women were asked, "How many of you love your husband?"
All the women raised their hands.
Then they were asked, "When was the last time you told your husband you loved him?"
Some women answered today, some yesterday, some couldn't remember.
The women were then told to take out their cell phones and text their husband: "I love you, sweetheart."*
The women were then told to exchange phones and to read aloud the text message responses.
Here are some of the replies:
- Who is this?
- Eh, mother of my children, are you sick?
- I love you too.
- What now? Did you crash the car again?
- I don't understand what you mean?
- What did you do now?
- ?!?
- Don't beat around the bush, just tell me how much you need?
- Am I dreaming?
- If you don't tell me who this message is actually for, someone will die.
- I thought we agreed we would not drink during the day.
- Your mother is coming to stay, isn't she??
* Personally, I would prefer "Sweetheart, I love you"
Lou's Classic Ride Rehearsal Tonight!
Both last night and Sunday night, I spent time on the Yamaha set, going through the songs we've been rehearsing in preparation for tonight's rehearsal at the studio @ 8 PM. We are going to run through the songs we are going to play this Friday. Leading contenders are:
- Lonely Boy
- Sunshine of Your Love
- Rocking in the Free World
- Stuck in the Middle
- Dead Flowers
- What I Like About You
- I Just Want to Make Love to You
- Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting
I'm treating Friday like an audition. In my head, if the person who books the bands likes us, then we might be asked to come back and play a full night, which would be totally awesome!
The Joys of Modern Technology!
I feel empathy for Brian's wife Jane. She posted this on FB today:
It's kind of hard to read so this is what I wrote:
When you say "I have EVERYTHING on there", you may want to look into an external hard drive in the same breath as replacing / repairing your existing laptop. That way, when the next PC fails - and it will fail, as you are going through now - you can make the process easier on yourself.
Get a 4 TB external hard drive for $169 at Wal-Mart and start moving your pics and documents and other stuff you need over to it. You can even install some programs to run from an external drive instead of the default location of your laptop's c:\ drive.
And these huge HDs with huge capacities are dropping in price. Before I noticed the 4 TB last week, I had my eye on a 3 TB at Target for $129. I am going to get a second one for converting VHS / video tapes to DVD.
And don't buy into a "we'll transfer your files for you" type service. You know where I live.
When you say "I have EVERYTHING on there", you may want to look into an external hard drive in the same breath as replacing / repairing your existing laptop. That way, when the next PC fails - and it will fail, as you are going through now - you can make the process easier on yourself.
Get a 4 TB external hard drive for $169 at Wal-Mart and start moving your pics and documents and other stuff you need over to it. You can even install some programs to run from an external drive instead of the default location of your laptop's c:\ drive.
And these huge HDs with huge capacities are dropping in price. Before I noticed the 4 TB last week, I had my eye on a 3 TB at Target for $129. I am going to get a second one for converting VHS / video tapes to DVD.
And don't buy into a "we'll transfer your files for you" type service. You know where I live.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Let the Festivities Begin!
It is nearly 6 PM and by 9 PM, I fully expect the festivities of fireworks in Balltown to be in full force.
I went to see Man of Steel at the Elkader movie theater by myself last night. It was in 3D and Karen doesn't like 3D movies. I thought it was a very stylish action movie. I thought the action was good and that the way the origin of Superman was told with these specifics:
I liked the movie. I wish there would have been some sort of teaser at the end, especially since the Internet seems to believe that Man of Steel is the first in the series of movies that will set up a Justice League movie.
I went to see Man of Steel at the Elkader movie theater by myself last night. It was in 3D and Karen doesn't like 3D movies. I thought it was a very stylish action movie. I thought the action was good and that the way the origin of Superman was told with these specifics:
- Lois Lane as more of a hero. She goes to a male-dominated arctic base and says, "If we're all done comparing dicks, what about..." (I can't remember the exact quote)
- General Zod somewhat more of a sympathetic character when he said things like, "Every thing I do is for the benefit of my people" which fights against the way he is going around destroying earth
- Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner) as much more of a powerful character, especially when Jonathan tells Clark not to save Jonathan while Jonathan is trying to help others during a tornado so Clark watches Jonathan perish in the tornado
- Perry White and Lois Lane clash, whereas I always saw them as friends
I liked the movie. I wish there would have been some sort of teaser at the end, especially since the Internet seems to believe that Man of Steel is the first in the series of movies that will set up a Justice League movie.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Macro Works!
I was told which line of code to change yesterday and now the macro I was trying to get to work, works.
Sub AnotherAnotherTry()
' 20130702
Dim i As Integer
Dim nSplits As Integer
Dim nParas As Integer
Dim FinalLen As Long ' <-- this is what I changed
Dim BlockStarts() As Long ' stores character positions where doc is to be split
Dim CurOutputDoc As Document
Dim CurBlock As Range
Dim DocNames() As String ' <---
Dim Para As Paragraph
Dim FilePath As String
Dim FileName() As String
With ActiveDocument
nParas = .Paragraphs.Count
ReDim BlockStarts(nParas)
ReDim DocNames(nParas)
'BlockStarts(0) = 0 ' Set lower boundary of first text block
' Set another split point at the start of each para with
' a Heading style (H1, H2, ..., H5)
nSplits = 0
For Each Para In .Paragraphs
For i = 1 To 5
If Para.Style = "Heading " & i Then
BlockStarts(nSplits) = Para.Range.Start
DocNames(nSplits) = Left(Para.Range.Text, Len(Para.Range.Text) - 1)
nSplits = nSplits + 1
Exit For
End If
Next i
FinalLen = Para.Range.End ' <-- when I ran the macro this is the line that caused it to not run.
Next
If nSplits > 0 Then
BlockStarts(nSplits) = FinalLen
End If
If nSplits = 0 Then
MsgBox "Document contains no headings of the specified type"
Else
For i = 0 To nSplits - 1
' Copy the text block between successive split points
Set CurBlock = .Range(BlockStarts(i), BlockStarts(i + 1))
CurBlock.Copy
' Paste into new doc, save & close
Set CurOutputDoc = Documents.Add
With CurOutputDoc
.Range.Paste
.SaveAs DocNames(i) & ".docx" ' <---
.Close
End With
Next
End If
End With
End Sub
Of course NOW I want to use the method to retain Tracked Changes as described on this site so that I can use it for other purposes.
Sub AnotherAnotherTry()
' 20130702
' Have you tried Dim FinalLen as Long (not Integer)?
' Iwan Thomas
Dim i As Integer
Dim nSplits As Integer
Dim nParas As Integer
Dim FinalLen As Long ' <-- this is what I changed
Dim BlockStarts() As Long ' stores character positions where doc is to be split
Dim CurOutputDoc As Document
Dim CurBlock As Range
Dim DocNames() As String ' <---
Dim Para As Paragraph
Dim FilePath As String
Dim FileName() As String
With ActiveDocument
nParas = .Paragraphs.Count
ReDim BlockStarts(nParas)
ReDim DocNames(nParas)
'BlockStarts(0) = 0 ' Set lower boundary of first text block
' Set another split point at the start of each para with
' a Heading style (H1, H2, ..., H5)
nSplits = 0
For Each Para In .Paragraphs
For i = 1 To 5
If Para.Style = "Heading " & i Then
BlockStarts(nSplits) = Para.Range.Start
DocNames(nSplits) = Left(Para.Range.Text, Len(Para.Range.Text) - 1)
nSplits = nSplits + 1
Exit For
End If
Next i
FinalLen = Para.Range.End ' <-- when I ran the macro this is the line that caused it to not run.
Next
If nSplits > 0 Then
BlockStarts(nSplits) = FinalLen
End If
If nSplits = 0 Then
MsgBox "Document contains no headings of the specified type"
Else
For i = 0 To nSplits - 1
' Copy the text block between successive split points
Set CurBlock = .Range(BlockStarts(i), BlockStarts(i + 1))
CurBlock.Copy
' Paste into new doc, save & close
Set CurOutputDoc = Documents.Add
With CurOutputDoc
.Range.Paste
.SaveAs DocNames(i) & ".docx" ' <---
.Close
End With
Next
End If
End With
End Sub
Of course NOW I want to use the method to retain Tracked Changes as described on this site so that I can use it for other purposes.
Farewell
We are leaving after work to go to Elkader. When we're in Elkader, I don't have Internet access so I'm not going to be online while we are in Elkader. We are going to the fireworks in Balltown on Saturday night and staying at Lou and Jean's so depending upon what time I wake up on Sunday, I may get back online to write something.
This will be our 6th, 7th, & 8th night in the camper this camping season.
One of the really cool things going on in my life is that we have decided upon a band name: Lou's Classic Ride.
There are three things with the name:
This will be our 6th, 7th, & 8th night in the camper this camping season.
One of the really cool things going on in my life is that we have decided upon a band name: Lou's Classic Ride.
There are three things with the name:
- Yes, Lou is my father-in-law. He wouldn't like any of the music we play so it's kind of funny.
- Lou is the name of Joe's ex-father-in-law and there's a backstory to that.
- If you were to add "ise" to "Lou", you would get "Louise" which is the name of my deceased grandma. I know I have written about her in other posts, but she truly supported my drumming when I needed it. I still have (most of) the blue denim drum cases that she sewed. I think it's suitable that she has at least a subtle link to the band.
Skillet's "Sometimes"
One of the bands that I am hoping to see on Sunday, August 25, 2013, at the US Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, IA is Skillet. The following are lyrics to a song I listened to yesterday. On the surface, it seems like they are directed at someone the speaker is in a relationship with, but the more I read them, I think the speaker is talking about a relationship with God. The interesting part of that theory is that the speaker is calling God "messed up" and that's a different idea about God that I've never considered. If you believe is God is perfect, then it doesn't really fit, but what if you think all the evil in the world comes to humankind because God is not perfect. Maybe the speaker thinks God can't be every thing to everyone because of the innate conflicts of interest. Is there anything that happens in the world that is "bad" that someone sees as good?
Now, there is a separation between the beliefs of the speaker and the beliefs of me.
Do I believe that God is imperfect? No, I believe He is perfect.
Anyways, just read these lyrics and think of it as the speaker is talking to God.
Sometimes when I lie
I know you're on to me
Sometimes I don't mind
How hateful that I can be
Sometimes I don't try
To make you happy
I don't know why I do the things I do to you but...
[Chorus:]
Sometimes I don't wanna be better
Sometimes I can't be put back together
Sometimes I find it hard to believe
There's someone else who could be
Just as messed up as me
Sometimes don't deny
That everything is wrong
Sometimes rather die
Than to admit it's my fault
Sometimes when you cry
I just don't care at all
I don't know why I do the things I do to you but...
[Chorus]
[Bridge:]
I want someone to hurt
Like the way I hurt
It's sick but it makes me feel better
Sometimes I can't hide
The demons that I face
Sometimes don't deny
I'm sometimes sinner sometimes saint
Sometimes I don't wanna be better
(Everything is wrong forever)
Sometimes I can't be put back together
(Sometimes it's gone forever)
Sometimes I find it hard to believe
There's someone else who could be
Just as messed up as me [x2]
Now, there is a separation between the beliefs of the speaker and the beliefs of me.
Do I believe that God is imperfect? No, I believe He is perfect.
Anyways, just read these lyrics and think of it as the speaker is talking to God.
Sometimes when I lie
I know you're on to me
Sometimes I don't mind
How hateful that I can be
Sometimes I don't try
To make you happy
I don't know why I do the things I do to you but...
[Chorus:]
Sometimes I don't wanna be better
Sometimes I can't be put back together
Sometimes I find it hard to believe
There's someone else who could be
Just as messed up as me
Sometimes don't deny
That everything is wrong
Sometimes rather die
Than to admit it's my fault
Sometimes when you cry
I just don't care at all
I don't know why I do the things I do to you but...
[Chorus]
[Bridge:]
I want someone to hurt
Like the way I hurt
It's sick but it makes me feel better
Sometimes I can't hide
The demons that I face
Sometimes don't deny
I'm sometimes sinner sometimes saint
Sometimes I don't wanna be better
(Everything is wrong forever)
Sometimes I can't be put back together
(Sometimes it's gone forever)
Sometimes I find it hard to believe
There's someone else who could be
Just as messed up as me [x2]
Monday, July 1, 2013
Scary Robots or Lou's Classic Ride
Scary Robots rehearsed in my basement on Friday. Songs we did at rehearsal - though not in order:
Editor's Note: as of 7/1/2013, the working title of our band is Lou's Classic Ride.
- Lonely Boy
- Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting
- Break Up Song
- For What It's Worth
- Sunshine of Your Love
- Cheap Sunglasses
- What I Like About You
- Stuck in the Middle
- Sweet Jane
- I Just Want to Make Love to You
- American Girl
- Dead Flowers
- Rocking in the Free World
- Key to the Highway
- Hey Joe
- Big River
Editor's Note: as of 7/1/2013, the working title of our band is Lou's Classic Ride.
Just one More Reason to Jam to Everclear today....
From Everclear’s Art Alexakis Interviewed by Jonathon Freeman-Anderson, I added some emphasis:
Alcoholism is a disease and I’m not ashamed of it. I’m proud of the fact that I can support my children and my wife. I fight my disease every day. I know it sounds like a cliché, but I go out there against this one day at a time. It’s really true. Even after 24 years, every day I want to go down into that hole. I fight it. It has been the hardest thing in my life.
My addictive personality has helped drive me into the guy that I am today. It wraps all of my success and failure into one and being grateful is what it is all about for me. I will wake up in the morning filled with this dark shitty cloud where I’ll just be down. Every day when I feel like that, I’ll make a list of all the things that I’m grateful for in my life. Once I get halfway down the list, I’ll realize, ‘what am I unhappy about?’ Really?
Everyone looks at me. They’re like, ‘wow, you’re doing this tour, and all this stuff,’ but they don’t know my problems. We all have problems. Even after I had success and money, I was miserable. I was much more miserable. Even though I wasn’t drinking or using drugs, I was feeding my addictive behavior with sex, power, and not being the guy that I needed to be. Inside, I was not being clean. I may have quit doing drugs, but my heart wasn’t clean.
Fighting this is a never-ending thing. It’s not just for a couple of years, but for the rest of my life. However, I can do something about my problem and with my life. I’m not just sitting around in a room doing drugs. Think about that. How crappy is that? I think about all the hours, days, and months that I spent in a room doing nothing but drugs with ugly people. We hadn’t brushed our teeth. I think, ‘what is sexy about that?’ What’s fun about that? That’s not fun.
I had my first child when I was 30 years old and that’s when I think my life really started. I got sober when I was 28. I had been clean for a few years, but I wasn’t sober. I started my sobriety on June 15, 1989. I wasn’t signed until I was 30. Success didn’t happen until I was 30!
People are going to tell you all sorts of crap. Don’t listen to them. Listen to you. Don’t ever give up. When people ask me if I can give them advice, I say, ‘no I really can’t give you specific advice except for the fact that if it is something that you really believe in, don’t give up.’ If you give up, someone else won’t. If you give up, you’ll never know. Also, that doesn’t mean that you can’t morph into something else. Maybe performing isn’t your thing, maybe it’s producing, or something else, but you cannot give up.
How has working as a sober artist affected your life? What advice do you have for other artists struggling with sobriety?
I have no problem talking about my sobriety. I have 24 years sober. My sobriety is older than my daughter is. There are other sober guys on the Summerland tour. We get together on the bus and check in.Alcoholism is a disease and I’m not ashamed of it. I’m proud of the fact that I can support my children and my wife. I fight my disease every day. I know it sounds like a cliché, but I go out there against this one day at a time. It’s really true. Even after 24 years, every day I want to go down into that hole. I fight it. It has been the hardest thing in my life.
My addictive personality has helped drive me into the guy that I am today. It wraps all of my success and failure into one and being grateful is what it is all about for me. I will wake up in the morning filled with this dark shitty cloud where I’ll just be down. Every day when I feel like that, I’ll make a list of all the things that I’m grateful for in my life. Once I get halfway down the list, I’ll realize, ‘what am I unhappy about?’ Really?
Everyone looks at me. They’re like, ‘wow, you’re doing this tour, and all this stuff,’ but they don’t know my problems. We all have problems. Even after I had success and money, I was miserable. I was much more miserable. Even though I wasn’t drinking or using drugs, I was feeding my addictive behavior with sex, power, and not being the guy that I needed to be. Inside, I was not being clean. I may have quit doing drugs, but my heart wasn’t clean.
Fighting this is a never-ending thing. It’s not just for a couple of years, but for the rest of my life. However, I can do something about my problem and with my life. I’m not just sitting around in a room doing drugs. Think about that. How crappy is that? I think about all the hours, days, and months that I spent in a room doing nothing but drugs with ugly people. We hadn’t brushed our teeth. I think, ‘what is sexy about that?’ What’s fun about that? That’s not fun.
I had my first child when I was 30 years old and that’s when I think my life really started. I got sober when I was 28. I had been clean for a few years, but I wasn’t sober. I started my sobriety on June 15, 1989. I wasn’t signed until I was 30. Success didn’t happen until I was 30!
People are going to tell you all sorts of crap. Don’t listen to them. Listen to you. Don’t ever give up. When people ask me if I can give them advice, I say, ‘no I really can’t give you specific advice except for the fact that if it is something that you really believe in, don’t give up.’ If you give up, someone else won’t. If you give up, you’ll never know. Also, that doesn’t mean that you can’t morph into something else. Maybe performing isn’t your thing, maybe it’s producing, or something else, but you cannot give up.
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