Labs

The general use computer lab at universities is going the way of the dodo. I worked part-time in a computer lab in the business school as an undergraduate and it was a great way to pick up some extra cash (I think it paid $10 an hour in the late 1980s for helping people with their projects in dBase and Lotus 123).

Now that everyone has a laptop, it makes sense to dismantle the labs. Although in my experience, supporting a bunch of people with different laptops, software and requirements is much more difficult. It is probably good training for the real world.

First

We had our first lacrosse practice of the 2009 season yesterday. It was great to see everyone out there sticks in hand and ready to go. Everyone was excited to be there and get started.

We have a much smaller team than last year (19 on the roster right now) and more coaching help which is great. At the first practice, we were able to give a lot of individual attention to players and get them started on the right foot. Many of them are beginners and we have mostly 3rd and 4th graders. We have a lot of work ahead to be ready for our first game on 30 March.

One of the toughest things is going to be to find a goalie. It takes a certain kind of mentality to maintain confidence when the ball goes in the net. At this age, it seems like that attribute is the most important.

Butt

It seems that Virginia has joined the 21st century. Tim Kaine signed the restaurant smoking ban yesterday. That brings us into line with every other civilized state in the Union.

Ready

The weather over the weekend was astonishingly good - upper 70s, mostly sunny and breezy. The week started with snow and ended in the Carribean.

We had a coaches meeting to get ready for the lacrosse season yesterday. Practice starts on Wednesday and I'm looking forward to it. I'm going to try to have a practice plan ready by then so it isn't completely ad hoc.

White

It was snowy yesterday. Very pretty. Today, it is still snowy on the ground, but the roads are clear and dry. For whatever reason, the kids are off from school again. At least they get to do some more sledding.

Status

Here is my status report on my goals for 2009.

1. Do two triathlons. Running is just about back. I ran three times this week without pain in my right foot. Now I can start to do a bit more.
   
2. Coach my daughter's lacrosse team. We've got most of the girls signed up and are starting in two weeks.
   
3. Learn something new. No progress.
   
4. Swim 50 miles over the course of the year. I put in 7400 yards in February, so I'm at 22,900 (13 mi) for the year which is ahead of pace.
   
5. Pass an SAP certification exam. I've been studying for the SAP PM exam and plan on scheduling it for late March.
   

I'm still on a pretty decent track. A couple of things will get knocked off this month.

Snow

Our first snow of the winter has arrived. So far, we have less than an inch of snow, but it is still coming down pretty steady. It looks nice in the trees but isn't sticking to the roads at all.

The prediction is for 2-4 inches by tomorrow. I'm pretty much done with winter - it's been cold and windy this year. But, a bit of snow to finish it out sounds good.