I am working for a software design and consulting firm this summer. A new (to me) company, new coworkers, and a new language: I am learning . After all the work I have done with , ASP's "" require a complete shift in thinking. This was to be expected. I have learned something new during every one of my internships, and I am glad this summer is no exception. Armed with the requisite 800-page reference book, I jumped headlong into development when I started last Wednesday. I hope to write a post about ASP once I get more familiar with it.
I bought some new buttondown shirts to replace the old oxfords I have worn for at least four years. One had a hole in the elbow, another I accidentally washed with a black pen, and a third seemed to stay perpetually wrinkled no matter how many times I ironed it. Wearing one of those would not have been a good way to make a good impression on my first day of work. I bought three wrinkle-free, cotton blend, fitted dress shirts. If you have never worn a fitted dress shirt, you should. On a trim guy like myself, fitted shirts fall much more naturally and look O so much better than a wider, billowy cut. I still had a terrible time finding decent colors. Designers, please throw all your pastel, neon striped, paisley print, and above all, pink dress shirts in the dumpster behind your building. The men of the world thank you.
My morning commute is about ten minutes longer than the previous summers'. I am still trying to determine the best route. I am thankful I can still avoid the interstate. Each day I have chosen a different path to work and used an old stopwatch to time how long it takes me to get there and back. I have found the most direct route takes the most time due to traffic. I was inches away from putting together a spreadsheet to average times across several days and determine a day's deviation from the mean.
I was pleased to learn that my employer has a deal with the YMCA, reducing the monthly membership cost by about $15. Today I did some analysis to determine the best YMCA at which to work out this summer. Using , I plotted the length of the drive from work, to a YMCA, and back home. The Y to the west requires 16.6 miles for the whole trip; the one to the north requires 14.1; and the one to the southeast requires 15.6. It figures. I could not have chosen a worse location to place work in relation to nearby YMCAs. Fortunately, the one to the north has the most direct path and the nicest equipment. This analysis also led me to send Google a feature request asking for directions through a series of waypoints.