Results tagged “Personal” from ScottandMargo.net

It really hit home for me this year that for some reason, the end of the year has become particularly musical for me over the past three years.

In December 2005, I was struggling with learning to play a little electronic keyboard that I have here. I just wasn't getting it for some reason, and I wasn't able to find any decent resources online for learning how to play keyboards/piano. Music has always been difficult for me to understand on a technical level, so I had decided that it was time to figure it out.

In December 2006, I won the Dark Star which put me on the path of learning to play guitar. In January, I started a subscription to Guitar Masterclass, which is a fantastic guitar learning site. I spent most of 2007 practicing less than I should be practicing, but I'm a lot better than I was when I started.

In November and December 2007, I bought two more guitars...which I think officially makes me a guitar player finally.

In December 2007, I won a copy of Reason 4 from AudioMIDI.com, so suddenly, I have a software-based music production suite. Given my interest in blending guitar music and electronics (industrial and electronica), it's an interesting addition to my stable of musical gear.

For 2008, I'm going to spend a lot more time learning how to play and learning music theory and try to make something about my recent musical giftings. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens this coming December. I will be better at playing then, I'm sure..

Next week will be the last week for me to work at my current employer. I have been working at the same org in the same billet for over six years. I've grown a lot since the summer of 2001. So has the environment I worked in. I'm excited and am looking forward to taking my career to the next level in this new opportunity.

While I'm excited about the future, there is one thing about the new job that makes me a little sad. For the first time in almost 10 years, being a Lotus Domino administrator will not be part of my job.

I really love the community that has come up around Lotus as much as I love the products themselves. There's a lot of passion and enthusiasm for the Lotus suite of products that you don't often see for enterprise software. It's almost like the cult of Mac, but I think they party harder at Lotusphere.

I don't know if I'll get to work with Lotus software in my career. Only time will tell.

In the short term, I'm going to be throwing myself into my new job. Once I get settled, I'll spend time figuring out what I'm going to do about Lotus software in the future. Bruce Elgort, with his work on OpenNTF, Taking Notes and IdeaJAM is loving proof that you can be a part of the community and not work with Lotus software in your day job. While I don't expect that I can make the kind of impact that Bruce has, I may be able to find a way to contribute anyway.

I am a classic introvert. I have been for as long as I remember. Being around large groups of people is pretty draining to me. Social interactions, especially in small groups are also awkward and difficult for me which can make it difficult to make new friends, be as good as I should to old friends, and do the real life kinds of 'social networking' that relationships are made of. But for some reason I don't have trouble talking in large groups.

I went to Lotusphere 2006 by myself and found it pretty traumatic. Everybody there was very nice and several made an effort to include me in their festivities but by Wednesday, I was pretty much a mess. I have thought a lot about that week in the almost two years since...more in times like now when the new Lotusphere is approaching. While I did have fun and I learned a lot, I still would very much like to do it again sometime and have a different experience.

The pastor at my church is an introvert as well but with a big difference. He describes it by saying "I'm an introvert but I'm not shy." I find it completely liberating to think that being introverted and being shy aren't necessarily stuck together. I don't have to change my personality to get out, do things and be more naturally sociable...I just need to remember to go home and recharge.

I'm not really a "name it and claim it" kind of guy. I believe very strongly in working hard for what you want in life. I also believe, though, that you do need to come up with specific goals to be able to get there. So I'm working hard to keep "I'm an introvert but I'm not shy" in mind as I make my way through life from now on until becomes a natural part of who I am. Til I get there, I'll stumble and fall, but at least I'm trying to keep it going.

I'm feeling creative today. Saw the Friday Five and thought I'd do it. Read more to see the questions and answers.

1. Would you consider yourself an organized person? Why or why not?
No. I'm a slob and really, really disorganized. People that know me know this too well. People that don't find out quickly.

2. Do you keep some type of planner, organizer, calendar, etc. with you, and do you use it regularly?
Not at all. I try sometimes but can't keep up with it. Too much overhead.

3. Would you say that your desk is organized right now?
Oddly, yes. I have piles of things. It's organized to me.

4. Do you alphabetize CDs, books, and DVDs, or does it not matter?
I sort them to begin with, but they end up unsorted eventually.

5. What's the hardest thing you've ever had to organize?
I don't think I've ever really organized anything for real.

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