Headed to Boot Camp
Mon, Mar 15th 2010 2:47p Kathy Brown Quickr Boot Camp, that is. I am excited to say I just got approval to attend the SNAPPS Quickr Boot Camp this April. I am looking forward to learning all about Quickr from *THE* Quickr experts.
There are only 12 slots, who else is going? Let me know if you'll be attending! [read] Keywords: quickr
72
My Session Abstracts from Developer2010
Wed, Mar 3rd 2010 4:24p Kathy Brown As I mentioned in my last post, I will be speaking at the View's Developer2010 conference in May.
Here are the abstracts for the two sessions I will be presenting:
The top things all Notes developers need to know
Fill in the gaps in your development knowledge with valuable tips and best practice advice to polish your techniques and skills. Get coding best practices on commenting and learn how to find the new comment templates in Domino Designer 8.5.1. Find out why understanding your bu [read] Keywords: domino
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Speaking Again
Mon, Mar 1st 2010 7:53a Kathy Brown I am going to be speaking again (I guess Tom Duff didn't traumatize me that much). This time I'll be speaking at the View's Developer 2010 conference in Boston, May 12-14.
Details on the sessions to follow, right now I'm working hard on slides! [read] Keywords:
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9 Months of Running Every Day
Sun, Feb 28th 2010 3:09p Kathy Brown Kind of obvious from the title, but I am celebrating 9 months of running every day. It's hard to believe, and yet not hard to believe. I started running every day on June 1, 2009. It's funny, this seems less of a milestone than many of the earlier milestones. I think partially because it's just become habit at this point. Many of those milestones were such a struggle to achieve, and now, the streak just happens. I am eternally grateful to my treadmill. Without it, running through winter and a bu [read] Keywords:
141
Lotus User Group Dev Tips Newsletter
Tue, Feb 16th 2010 11:34a Kathy Brown I am pleased to announce I will be co-authoring the Lotus User Group Developer Tips Newsletter starting with the March issue. Here is a link to the February issue. It's free, so if you aren't already reading, please sign up! I will be taking over for Rob McDonagh, which he announces in this month's issue. I am looking forward to the opportunity to write with Tom Duff, after presenting with him at Lotusphere. (I know, I am a glutton for punishment.)
Please check it out and let me know if there [read] Keywords: lotus
lotusphere
lotususergroup.org
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Thought Soup
Tue, Feb 9th 2010 1:38p Kathy Brown I hate winter. Every year this time of year, I hate winter. This is my third February since I've started running, and every February, I hate winter. But what is funny, is that I don't hate winter. I always think I do. But then I have some fabulous winter run in the cold or the snow or both and I realize that I love it.
Why do I love it? What makes those runs so great? It isn't the temperature, or the wind, or the snow, or lack of it. It's the thinking. I love running because I can think. And [read] Keywords:
159
Use The Tools - Part 2
Mon, Feb 1st 2010 9:49a Kathy Brown A couple of weeks ago I blogged Use The Tools, about using tools to help you. Yes, you could do it the hard way, but why? Last time I wrote about Noteman. Today I want to mention Stephan Wissel's DXL Magic. I wrote about it way back in May 2009. I happened to need it again yesterday and luckily I checked OpenNTF to see if there was an updated version. Guess what? There is! And it's super easy to use! Lots of options, easy to use interface.
In my particular instance, I wanted to search through [read] Keywords: dxl
application
database
interface
openntf
xml
183
Lotusphere 2010 - Wrap Up
Thu, Jan 28th 2010 7:17a Kathy Brown I've had a really hard time pulling my thoughts together about Lotusphere. I still have so many thoughts leaping through my head and haven't completely processed any of them.
First, I love the way Lotusphere always motivates me to be better than I am. I always learn something new, and more importantly learn how many other cool things I need to learn. It's that shot in the arm to learn more, do more, blog more, tweet more (is that possible?).
Anyway, on Sunday, I had my first ever gig speak [read] Keywords: domino
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Running at Lotusphere
Wed, Jan 27th 2010 10:22p Kathy Brown So sadly, @RunningNotes was a miserable failure. I still like the idea, so am hoping we can try again at some future conference. It really is fun and motivating to run with other people, and to know that they'll be out there waiting for you!
Even though we didn't meet up as a group, I still managed to run every day. Without the streak, I never would have run every day. I might not have run at all, it would have been too easy to keep telling myself “I'll run tomorrow”. On the one h [read] Keywords: lotusphere
twitter
20
Lotusphere 2010 – The Surreal Year
Wed, Jan 27th 2010 11:11a Kathy Brown This was my third Lotusphere, I attended in 2008 and 2009. Both years, I mostly hid out on my own, attended sessions and not much else. The first year, I didn't even go to the Welcome Reception, for fear of not having anyone to talk to. (Please feel free to approach me with your hand in the shape of an L placed on your forehead the next time you see me.)
What a difference a year makes. Since Lotusphere 2009, I really started blogging and tweeting. I got involved in the community, which meant [read] Keywords: lotusphere
blogging
community
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17
Nerd Girls 2 - Don’t Call It A Comeback
Wed, Jan 27th 2010 11:11a Kathy Brown Others have already blogged about the Nerd Girl panel this year at Lotusphere, so I won’t rehash the details, except to say that I went last year and it was different than I expected. I had feared it would be a man-bashing session, and it wasn’t at all. It was instead very informative, and interesting to hear about the panel and how they got where they are.
So what hasn’t been blogged about much (and isn’t at the moment on the lsonline.info site) is the Nerd Girl BOF. [read] Keywords: connections
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Perambulating at Lotusphere
Wed, Jan 27th 2010 11:11a Kathy Brown Just a reminder, if you'd like to run/walk/crawl/hop/skip/jump (don't want to leave anyone out!) with others at Lotusphere, then don't forget to pack your gear and follow @runningnotes on Twitter.
I'm planning to run at 7AM each morning, and we can meet at the Atlantic Dance Hall. Feel free to send a DM to @runningnotes if you'd like to join me, or if you'd like to organize a different time or location. DMs to @runningnotes will go to all followers.
See you in just a few days! [read] Keywords: atlantic
lotusphere
twitter
15
Use the Tools
Wed, Jan 27th 2010 11:11a Kathy Brown I have to remind myself to use tools now and again. Frequently in Domino development, I will slog through and do things the way I know how to do them, whether or not it is the best or most efficient way, simply because it is the comfortable way.
That’s just plain dumb. I admit it.
I maintain an application, like many others it has documents and responses to those documents. Occasionally users need to “re-assign” the responses to a different parent document (and of course, [read] Keywords: domino
application
development
10
Running at Lotusphere
Wed, Jan 27th 2010 11:11a Kathy Brown Thinking about running at Lotusphere? I will be! If you'd like to join me and several others, we'll be heading out each morning at 7AM. We can meet in front of the Atlantic Dance Hall in the Boardwalk area. The loop around the "lake" is a little under a mile.
This is completely informal. Please run at your own pace (or walk!) and run as much or as little as you would like. A few of us got together at IAMLUG to run each morning, and it was very enjoyable. Please don't be shy, feel free to join [read] Keywords: atlantic
lotusphere
archive
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33
Multiple Values in a View - Now With More Special
Wed, Jan 27th 2010 11:11a Kathy Brown Okay, so in my last (technical) blog post, I noted a problem I had with getting multiple values in a view via LotusScript. I learned and posted that the NotesViewNavigator was the solution.
The wise Nathan Freeman posted a comment, which I think has quite a handy littly tidbit in it, but I fear not enough people read my blog, let alone read the comments on my blog days after a posting, so I am blogging about his comment. With an example and screenshot.
Here is what Nathan said:
"Make a [read] Keywords: lotusscript
notes
application
blogging
16
Happy New Year
Wed, Jan 27th 2010 11:11a Kathy Brown I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year!
I was randomly talking with someone a couple of weeks ago about the "holiday" (interpret as you will) most celebrated around the world. I said New Year's, since it is not based on any one religion. My google search was inconclusive.
Anyway, whether you see it as a special day, or just one more on the calendar, I hope 2010 brings you all that you want and more.
And for those of you who have seen "The Princess and the Frog", I hope 2010 brings [read] Keywords: google
89
Problem With Multiple Values in a View
Mon, Dec 21st 2009 1:43p Kathy Brown I had a view with several columns that had "Show multiple values as separate entries" selected. Obviously, these columns showed fields with ... wait for it...multiple values. I chose to "Show multiple values ad separate entries" because I wanted the multiple values shown alone, each in its own row. Crazy talk, huh?
Okay, so the view is set up and displaying exactly as I want it to. For example, five documents, two values in the field, show as ten rows. Perfect.
Elsewhere in the application [read] Keywords: agent
ibm
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application
blogging
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7
Weekend in Paradise
Thu, Dec 10th 2009 7:30a Kathy Brown As many of you know, I spent last weekend in Anguilla. It was an amazing, incredible, life changing experience. It was indescribable. Really. I've tried. And since I can't accurately describe what I felt and what happened, I'm including a link to some of the photos. A picture paints a thousand words, right?
I tried to provide a little "story" with the titles and the order of the pictures. They make me smile everytime I view them.
Enjoy! [read] Keywords:
8
6 Months!
Tue, Dec 1st 2009 9:33a Kathy Brown Or, How Running Taught Me I Could Do Things I Never Thought I Could Do
*Warning: the following is dorky, but this is my blog, if you don't want dorky, then move along.
Today I hit a big milestone. I have been running every day for the last six months. On June 1, 2009, I decided to try running every day. I started with a goal of 7 days. That moved on to two weeks. Then one month. Eventually I had a goal of 100 days. Then 150. Today marks 184 days. The longest run was a half marathon in Octob [read] Keywords: blogging
7
I'll be speaking at Lotusphere
Wed, Nov 18th 2009 7:43a Kathy Brown I am thrilled beyond belief to say that I will be speaking at Lotusphere in January! I have the pleasure of speaking with Tom Duff in a Jumpstart session (Eek! Two hours!):
The Top Things All New Notes Domino Developers Need To Know
Are you a newbie developer? Are you just getting started in the world of Notes and Domino? Do you wish you had someone to tell you the top mistakes to avoid? What about the top tips you need to know to create successful applications? Join Kathy and Tom as they [read] Keywords: domino
lotusphere
notes
applications
14
Couldn't Preview in Web Browser
Wed, Nov 18th 2009 7:12a Kathy Brown This falls into the case of, I am blogging this in case I forget, but the other day I was playing with XPages and the "Preview in Web Browser" wasn't working. I didn't get an error of any kind, the page just loaded a blank page and said it was done. After way too much time spent trying to figure out WHY, it was discovered that on my Windows XP workstation, I could not have Skype open and still Preview in Web Browser. Blah blah, port 80, blah blah. [read] Keywords: lotus
xpages blogging
skype
6
Wanna Run?
Mon, Nov 16th 2009 4:29p Kathy Brown Just noticed on the calendar that Lotusphere is a tiny bit under 9 weeks away. At IAMLUG, some of us ran together in the mornings. If you want to run at Lotusphere, you've still got time even if you don't run now!
I (and several others that I know) got started with the Couch to 5K program. The program as written takes 9 weeks to complete. Go for it and go for a run at Lotusphere! [read] Keywords: lotusphere
2
Oops - An Update
Tue, Nov 10th 2009 11:55p Kathy Brown Oops. It occurred to me today that tomorrow will mark three weeks without a blog post. Hmm, where has the time gone? Will anyone notice? :)
I've been busy, with life and work and stuff. I also seem to be stuck in the mode of "Is this topic article-worthy or blog-worthy?", which has led me to do nothing. And I went away on vacation. We took the family to Disney World. Which isn't exactly relaxing. Fun, but exhausting. A few days ago, I passed the 160th day of daily running. Yes, I ran at Disne [read] Keywords: lotusphere
13
Find "WhichFolders" via Lotusscript
Wed, Oct 21st 2009 12:00p Kathy Brown Follow up to my prior post where Denny commented that he wants the @WhichFolders available in Lotusscript. Well, back in March 2008, Bob Balaban blogged about a routine to find what folder a document is in. He blogged a code snippet that was written in C#. An alternative or two, and the timing of the various methods were blogged by Steve McDonagh, so check that out.
Here is my little snippet of the same basic idea as Bob's, but in Lotusscript. The v.IsFolder bit is a little slow. And obviousl [read] Keywords: document
lotus
lotusscript
show-n-tell
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How did I miss this? WhichFolders
Mon, Oct 19th 2009 2:10p Kathy Brown Thanks to Charles Robinson's most recent blog post about the All Documents view in the 8.5.1 mail template, I saw that you can now see in what folder a particular document is located. While this is exciting for my mail template (and for many users when they find something in All Documents, but have no idea where the doc is located), it is even MORE exciting from a development perspective. HOW did they do that? A quick peek in the design of the mail template reveals, @WhichFolders.
Apparently, [read] Keywords: document
domino
formula
notes
template
development
5
Winter Running Tips
Fri, Oct 16th 2009 1:07p Kathy Brown Several people have asked me what to wear when running in winter. I began running in September 2007 and ran all that winter outside and all of last winter outside. I live in New Hampshire where “winter” can be late October through the beginnin of March. The weather is also very changeable. They have a saying here, “Don’t like the weather, wait 15 minutes”. January averages a low of 15F, a high of 34F and 4.2 inches of “precipitation”, which is usually sn [read] Keywords:
8
Lotus Knows They Shouldn’t Have Called It Lotus Symphony
Sat, Oct 10th 2009 12:23p Kathy Brown It should be called Lotus Wildfire, ‘cuz that’s how it’s spreading!
A Domino Administrator told me about his company. They use Lotus Notes for email and several homegrown applications. They use Microsoft Office for documents and very complicated, very customized Excel spreadsheets. The Excel spreadsheets have so many macros and programming, they have nearly grown to application status. They are currently using Office 2003 and due to the customized Excel files (1000s of them) [read] Keywords: admin
document
domino
lotus
notes
symphony
application
applications
email
microsoft
office
5
Smuttynose Half Marathon - Race Report
Sun, Oct 4th 2009 3:06p Kathy Brown Today I ran the Smuttynore Half Marathon in Hampton, NH. As I posted last week, I had three goals. One of which, was my super secret goal. This is the dream goal. Not the goal you actually think you will reach, but one you aspire to. That goal was to break 2 hours. My previous best time for a half marathon was 2:11.
So, the race report. First I have to say what a great race this is. VERY well run. Before the race even began several weeks ago, I couldn't remember if I had registered or not. I [read] Keywords: twitter
2
And Tips from a Twitter Addict
Fri, Oct 2nd 2009 10:56a Kathy Brown As I said in my last post, I think the reason a lot of people don’t “get” Twitter is because they don’t get involved. So following are a few tips to hopefully help new Twitter users (and old ones, too) get involved.
Follow people. This one *may* seem obvious, but if you only follow 5 people, you aren’t really going to get a lot of value out of Twitter. Someone compared Twitter to a giant cocktail party. The more people there, the more conversations you can listen [read] Keywords: lotus
blackberry
desktop
facebook
google
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4
Frustrations of a Twitter Addict
Wed, Sep 30th 2009 1:43p Kathy Brown Should I bother with this post? Will non-Twitter users even bother to read this? In the last few days, I've seen several posts by people who don't USE Twitter and/or don't see the point of Twitter.
Add to that another study (this one with a whopping 350 users in the sample size) that says 80% of Tweets are "me now" or vanity tweets. So what? I'd wager close to 100% of Facebook is vanity "news", look at my kids, look at my score on Bejeweled, look at my drunken college pics. No one is putting [read] Keywords: lotus
community
email
facebook
linkedin
network
twitter
3
"Official" Lotusphere Registration?
Wed, Sep 30th 2009 7:07a Kathy Brown The call for abstracts recently went out for Lotusphere 2010. I clicked on the official link from the Lotusphere website to the call for abstracts page and noticed a link to registration in the upper left-hand navigation...*seems* official, but I know there was a link floating around out there before that was "unofficial".
What do you think? The real deal? [read] Keywords: ibm
lotus
lotusphere
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You Were Right, Okay?
Mon, Sep 28th 2009 9:37a Kathy Brown I can admit when I'm wrong. Unless you're my husband, but he doesn't read this blog.
A couple of months ago, I posted a mini rant about Domino Designer 8.5 here. Several of you had 8.5.1, but were under NDA so couldn't tell me specifics, but you said I would be happy. I didn't believe you. I did however join the beta program for 8.5.1. Sadly, I didn't have a lot of time to play with it. Last week, I finally broke down and installed 8.5.1 on my "working" machine and forced myself to use it. An [read] Keywords: designer
domino
ibm
lotus
notes
2
Tips for Running Long, and Race Goals
Sat, Sep 19th 2009 6:26p Kathy Brown Today I had 11 miles on the schedule. It’s always a little hard when it comes to this point in the schedule. I have many 2-6 mile routes planned out. It’s harder to think of 10- and 11-mile runs. One thing I do is to combine two shorter routes.
The one I did today worked out really well, and provided a great idea for long runs in the future. I did most of my usual 6-mile loop, however just before the last half mile, I turned onto my usual out and back route. Because it is out and [read] Keywords: blogging
2
Scared Witless
Tue, Sep 15th 2009 8:48p Kathy Brown I am a rational, intelligent person. Mostly.
Tonight in order to keep my running streak alive, I had to run in the dark. The last time I did that was last year with a running group. I've never run alone in the dark. Before I left, I was mostly worried about getting hit by a car. I wore a reflective strip on my arm and was prepared to jump in the bushes if a car came too close. Upon starting my run, I realized a much bigger problem would be the fact that I was running in the country. Running i [read] Keywords:
16
Two Domino Dev Gotchas For the Price of One
Fri, Sep 11th 2009 9:49a Kathy Brown Two semi-related gotchas in Domino development. I *was* planning on calling this post "Gotcha for Newbie Devs" until last night, when I got gotcha'd.
Originally I wanted to write about GetAllEntriesByKey (and similarly, GetAllDocumentsByKey and GetDocumentByKey). A commonly used piece of LotusScript. It often looks something like this...
set myEntries = myView.GetAllEntriesByKey(myKey)
That works just fine, giving you a NotesViewEntryCollection with entries selected by a key. The gotch [read] Keywords: domino
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lotusscript
application
community
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8
I did it! 100 days...
Tue, Sep 8th 2009 9:00a Kathy Brown Today was the magical day, I had my 100th day of daily running. I went for my run this morning at 6AM. I usually run in the afternoon, but that's how the schedule worked out. It was a fantastic run. 53 degrees, cool, and perfect for running. It was 6AM, so it was very quiet out. Perfect for reflecting on 100 days of running. Normally, I don't think about running while running, but today I did.
I thought about how I first started, almost two years ago with the Couch to 5k program. Before that [read] Keywords:
3
No Garmin? No Worries...
Wed, Sep 2nd 2009 2:30p Kathy Brown Hey running friends!
For those of you that have an iphone and don’t want to get a Garmin (although really, WHY WOULDN’T you get a Garmin? My love note to Big Red is here) check out Paul Mooney’s review of Runkeeper, an iphone app that uses GPS to track your distance. [read] Keywords: iphone
4
9.1 for 91
Sun, Aug 30th 2009 11:33a Kathy Brown What a beautiful day today! After a horrible run yesterday (which was day 90) during which rain was blowing sideways into my ear, the weather was a perfect 57 degrees at the start of my run.
Today's training schedule called for a 9 miler, but seeing as today was day 91 of consecutive running, I had to go for 9.1 miles. It was a great run, too. Perfect weather. I picked a nice route with only a tiny piece that was out and back. I felt really good, too. Didn't really start to tire until mile 7 [read] Keywords:
4
Lotus Marketing and Alternate Universes
Fri, Aug 28th 2009 7:24a Kathy Brown WOW! Many people in the Yellowverse are excited about the new Lotus Knows marketing campaign. Hey, I am too. Ed Brill recently blogged that the site, www.doyouknowlotus.com, is accepting video submissions. I was going to blog and tell everyone to submit a video, *but* I was thoroughly distracted by this...
Do you see it? "We know registration can be a hassle..." I think I may pass out. IBM actually acknowledges that accessing their stuff is a bit of a pain in the ass. And you know? That [read] Keywords: ibm
lotus
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Fun with Lists!
Thu, Aug 27th 2009 11:35a Kathy Brown Lotusscript lists, that is. Frequently underutilized by developers (including me), but a very useful tool nonetheless. I had a need recently to loop through some documents, and create a unique list of names from those documents, and then count how many unique names I had. I needed to do it in Lotusscript. I would also need to do something with those names later in my code. Oh, and the number of names would depend on the document collection and how many were actually unique. Addtionally, I had mo [read] Keywords: document
lotus
lotusscript
3
Saunders 10k Race Report
Thu, Aug 20th 2009 10:28p Kathy Brown Tonight was the Saunders 10k in Rye Harbor, NH. Last year I ran this race and came in with a then PR of 57:48. Since then I got a new PR in June at the Market Square Day 10k, coming in 57:15. Given that today was day 81 of consecutive running days, I was hoping to see a new PR. However, it was supposed to be in the 80s today, so I wasn't holding my breath for any fantastic running.
Boy, was I wrong. I got a PR by MORE than two minutes! Official finish time...54:58!! A course PR by almost thre [read] Keywords:
On Your Mark. Get Set. JAM!
Mon, Aug 17th 2009 9:07a Kathy Brown Think you're creative? Think you have better ideas than marketers and ad people? Then go here to register. Add your ideas for the new Lotus Knows campaign. Vote on other people's ideas. Join in and help Lotus form a successful campaign.
Lotus Knows you want to. [read] Keywords: lotus
ideajam
ideajam.net
4
Race Coming Up!
Sun, Aug 16th 2009 4:53p Kathy Brown Just realized I have a 10k race coming up on Thursday. The Saunders 10k in Rye, NH. I really enjoyed this race last year. It was warm, but not too hot. It starts at 6PM and part of it runs near Rye Beach. It is a little hilly, but not too bad.
Some interesting (to me, anyway) stats. My time on this race last year, 57:48. My PR at this distance (from June of this year) 57:15. Now that means running 9:15-ish minute miles. When I ran those races, my training runs were around the 10, 10:30, even [read] Keywords:
It's Official! I'm Published!
Wed, Aug 12th 2009 12:18p Kathy Brown It is officially official. My article has been published on The View's website. Yes, I am a dork and I am very excited about my very first article getting published. The site does require a subscription, so if you don't have one, go get one! My article is totally worth it!
It is titled "Input Validation and Translation Formulas - The Paring Knives of Lotus Notes Application Development". (Running readers, I know you are SO disappointed you don't have a subscription!)
Anyway, check it out! [read] Keywords: lotus
notes
application
development
7 for Day 70!
Sun, Aug 9th 2009 2:47p Kathy Brown Today marks 70 days in a row running. 70 days!! That's CRAZY. So I celebrated with a 7-miler. Okay, not really, that was just what was on my training schedule, but still, it was cool. 7 Miles on Day 70!
The last week or so has really been an eye opener as far as running is concerned. I used to think that you had to properly fuel your body, and hydrate it, and get the proper amount of sleep, and rest between runs. Since I was traveling last week at a conference, I neither properly fueled my bo [read] Keywords:
3
Damned if you do... My Two Cents
Sat, Aug 8th 2009 6:54p Kathy Brown Francie wrote a terrific post on her blog about women in IT (but really it could be any male dominated industry). If you haven't already, go here and read it. I was just going to put a comment on her blog, but realized I had a little more to say on the subject. Please do read her entry first, as my comments will make a lot more sense in context.
Another side to this issue (besides those mentioned in Francie's post and the comments, such as being labelled a bitch or having to listen to off-col [read] Keywords:
3
Twitter IS DOWN!
Thu, Aug 6th 2009 10:31a Kathy Brown I think I may need help. Not because I am particularly worried. But because it went down this morning, and at least five people pinged me privately to "jokingly" see if I was okay.
I then practically had my own little Twitterverse going on my screen with five different chat windows open, trying to explain to be people that I was fine. I was coping. I could handle it. Really, I am okay.
So the question is, how many times have YOU hit refresh? [read] Keywords: twitter
6
IamLUG Final Day, Wrap Up and Run Report
Thu, Aug 6th 2009 7:25a Kathy Brown Yesterday was the final day of the IamLUG conference. I attended several sessions, Eileen Fitzgerald and Jamie Magees's "Obedience for Developers", Matt White's XPages session, Michael Masterson's Plug-in and Sidebar development, Rob Novak's session covering MyDomino. I especially pleased to attend Matt White's session since I had missed it at Lotusphere.
Twitter
I really *can't* get away with writing a wrap up about this conference without discussing Twitter. As many of you know, I am an av [read] Keywords: lotus
lotusphere
xpages community
development
mobile
twitter
2
IamLUG Part 3 (Official Day 1) and Run Report
Tue, Aug 4th 2009 9:57a Kathy Brown Today was the official first day of the conference. The day kicked off with registration, breakfast and then the Opening General Session. Kevin Cavanaugh spoke, and I am sure what he said is covered in much more and better detail on other people’s blogs. My big take away was the new marketing campaign, “Lotus Knows”. Pretty quickly people were jumping on the hashtag #LotusKnows all over Twitter.
I attended some great sessions throughout the day, John Head’s Integration [read] Keywords: lotus
blackberry
development
integration
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twitter
2
IamLUG Part 2 and Another Run Report
Mon, Aug 3rd 2009 4:58p Kathy Brown Sunday at IamLUG. After the run described in part 1, I went to the St. Louis Cardinal’s game with several IamLUGers. People met back in the hotel atrium for beverages, dinner at the burger place in the hotel, then we… [this entry was edited for general audiences]
The Run Report
Johnny Noltensmeyer joined me for my run this morning, and much to my surprise, so did Paul Mooney. Despite his protestations that we would have to (and should) leave him behind, Paul managed to keep up. [read] Keywords: lotus
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4
IAMLUG and a Run Report
Sun, Aug 2nd 2009 11:39a Kathy Brown My worlds collide, a post about Lotus Notes AND running!
I flew to St. Louis yesterday. Got here in a reasonable amount of time. Checked into the hotel. The rooms are terrific, they’re all suites with a living area and a separate bedroom. Met up with some IAMLUG’ers, had a few drinks, and wound up at a rap concert of all places. Apparently they have concerts by the arch during summer. I saw that guy, you know, the one with the two CDs. Unh huh. Him. Right. Sorry, I don’t rea [read] Keywords: lotus
notes
twitter
2
Hug An Admin!
Fri, Jul 31st 2009 8:39a Kathy Brown Hug An Admin! It's Sys Admin day!
If you're a developer, they might actually let you do something on the server!
If you're a user, hug them twice, buy them a drink, say you're sorry and back away slowly.
Sys Admin Day [read] Keywords: admin
server
3
60 Days!
Thu, Jul 30th 2009 6:43p Kathy Brown Today marked 60 days of daily running! 189 miles!
It's hard to believe, and yet, not hard to believe. Tomorrow will be two full months of running every day. I feel great. The last few days have been a little tough due to the temperatures in the mid-80s and high humidity, but so far so good! It's better than snow, right?
I realize logically that this is a huge accomplishment, and am proud of myself. But, it really doesn't feel like it's been hard to do. I just run, every day, but still [read] Keywords: lotus
notes
2
And you thought IdeaJam was Good...
Mon, Jul 27th 2009 11:30a Kathy Brown Okay, I know others have already blogged about it, and tweeted about it, and probably every other type of communication around, but here's my two cents.
I really think IQJam is going to be a great product, that is an easy sell to management. Go HERE to check out the announcement. I think a frequent concern of most corporations is how to pool information and knowledge. What looks great about IQJam is not just the ability to pool that information (and put it somewhere where everyone can find i [read] Keywords: ideajam
3
50
Mon, Jul 20th 2009 4:10p Kathy Brown Today marks 50 days of daily running. It’s really kind of crazy since it doesn’t feel like it was a big accomplishment. If anything, running daily has been EASIER than running every other day, or even 5 days per week. It’s not a question of *will* I run today, but *when* will I run today. It’s routine. It feels fantastic! No more dragging my feet about a run. I was practically jumping out the door to get #50 finished today! I try to mix it up. Sometimes I run with my frie [read] Keywords: php
3
Loved This!
Fri, Jul 17th 2009 10:16a Kathy Brown I am attempting my first embedded video so bear with me, but this was too funny! (Thanks @kalechi) [read] Keywords: application
3
I AM IAMLUG
Thu, Jul 16th 2009 9:00a Kathy Brown I AM IAMLUG
Que Ironman (Black Sabbeth, not the movie)
I’m not the only one that sings Ironman when I think of IAMLUG, right? Right? Anyone?
Anywhoo, I am going to IAMLUG in August. Details HERE.
I am really looking forward to it, lots of great sessions, lots of great speakers, and it’s FREE!
If you’re going, don’t forget your running shoes! I heard there are some beautiful routes to run along the river. [read] Keywords:
The Thirteenth Tale, a first for me!
Mon, Jul 13th 2009 11:58a Kathy Brown This is a first for me since the third grade...a book review. I don't read NEARLY as many books as Tom Duff, so don't worry I won't be doing this often. However, I just finished The Thirteenth Tale, and it was good enough that I wanted to write a review.
The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel by Diane Setterfield
The Thirteenth Tale is a story within a story type of book. Vida Winter is a famous author who is old and unwell. After telling multiple (incorrect) tales of her life to journalists, she [read] Keywords:
3
Frustration with Designer 8.5
Wed, Jul 8th 2009 9:50a Kathy Brown I am an Application Developer in Lotus Notes and Domino. For the most part, I love what I do. I love developing applications for the Lotus Notes client. Seriously, I do. And I know better developers than me have bitched plenty about 8.5, so I do feel a bit like I am beating a long-dead horse.
However, I am ready to throw my computer out the window.
My day-to-day work is done in Domino Designer 8.0.2. I have a laptop and a test workstation with 8.5 installed so I can get used to the new Do [read] Keywords: designer
domino
lotus
notes
notes client
application
applications
email
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28 days!
Sun, Jun 28th 2009 2:09p Kathy Brown Today was my 28th day of streaking! As I mentioned in a recent blog post I have been running every day. Today marked a full four weeks.
Some interesting observations:
I feel great. Yes, this is surprising to me. Like many runners, I really believed that rest days were just as important as running days. Now that I am running every day, and reading up on running every day, I am seeing that this isn’t exactly true. It might be true if I was training for a marathon and going really long [read] Keywords:
4
Quickr Best Practices?
Mon, Jun 22nd 2009 8:26a Kathy Brown Anyone have input for some Quickr Best Practices?
My situation: my customer is looking to implement Quickr as a document management system (among other things, but this is first priority). The current system consists of a server drive with folder and subfolders. I’m looking for input on the best Quickr implementation.
Let’s call the server “Fruit”. There are two main folders, “Apples” and “Oranges”. Within both Apples and Oranges, there are s [read] Keywords: document
notes
quickr
best practice
server
3
Daily Running
Tue, Jun 16th 2009 10:24a Kathy Brown So I'm experimenting with daily running. I have to say, I LOVE it! The shortest run was two miles, the longest was the 10k race last weekend. Yesterday was 15 days in a row running. I feel great. I thought I would be sore, but not yet! Granted, most all of my runs are very easy, and as I said there were a couple short ones, which I'm guessing worked similarly to days off.
Daily running is a terrific motivator! There have been several days over the last two weeks, which I normally would h [read] Keywords:
5
Market Square Day 10k
Sat, Jun 13th 2009 7:56p Kathy Brown Today I ran the Market Square Day (MSD) 10k in Portsmouth, NH. Much like last week, I didn't have any big expectations for this race. I've only run two other 10Ks. I ran MSD last year. Last year, I had hoped to break 60 minutes and came in with 1 hour, 2 minutes and 3 seconds. My second 10k was the Saunders 10k last August. I managed to break the one hour mark with 57:48.
So, I didn't care about a PR, would have liked to come in under 60 minutes, but wouldn't be upset no matter what.
I lik [read] Keywords: blogging
4
Why do People Need to Print?
Thu, Jun 11th 2009 10:27a Kathy Brown I was polled on a request for ongoing printing needs of documents in a Notes application. Documents to be printed off at regular intervals and copied and bound for certain sets of users. These are all documents easily available to view in a Notes application. So that got me to wondering WHY a user would want them printed.
Several reasons occurred to me, some with easy solutions and some not. What do you think? What are your solutions?
Here are my thoughts…
Reason #1) Users go R [read] Keywords: notes
application
blackberry
email
2
I p0wned the Smuttynose 5K!
Sun, Jun 7th 2009 4:28p Kathy Brown Okay, maybe not by elite runner standards, but by MY standards I kicked that race's a$$.
So for a little backstory...my PR (personal record) for a 5k was 27:46 from a 5k in May. This was a GREAT time for me. I started running in September of 2007. My first 5k in November of that year was 34:40. Seven minute improvement in one and a half years isn't too bad in my book. I will never forget the 5k that I ran last year when I was THRILLED to have broken the 30-minute mark. When I first started ru [read] Keywords:
4
More Running Motivation!
Sat, Jun 6th 2009 8:47a Kathy Brown I just finished a run this morning. A run so great, I had to blog about it. Imagine that! So what was so magical about this run?
Well, I was eager to do it this morning, which is a change. Although I love running and how I feel AFTER a run, I don't generally look forward to them. While I was running, I was having fun. It was one of those great runs where my mind just wanders. I wasn't bored, or counting down the minutes, or constantly checking my pace or distance. I wasn't griping in my head [read] Keywords:
4
House MD and How The Show Relates to IT
Fri, May 29th 2009 3:02p Kathy Brown I like the show House MD. If the Twitter-verse is any indication, I think lots of other Lotus/IT-types like the show also.
One day at work, I was sitting with several users trying to figure out unexplained application behaviour (it couldn't be a bug, I wrote the app, it had to be user error, right?). I sat there and asked them several questions, they responded and in turn tried to suggest possible reasons for the unexplained behaviour. At one point, one of the users said, "Wow! You're just li [read] Keywords: document
lotus
notes
template
application
bug
google
openntf
server
twitter
9
Redhook Brewery 5k Race Report
Mon, May 25th 2009 6:53a Kathy Brown Yesterday I ran the Redhook Brewery Memorial 5k. I ran this race last year and it was HOT. The course feels like a gradual uphill for the first mile and a half. There is no shade to be had at all on this course. Last year the son was blazing and it was hot. Did I mention it was hot last year? Last year I ran a disappointing 30:25. Disappointing because I had hoped to break the 30 minute mark. I had at a race a couple of weeks before, but the heat just killed me.
Luckily this year, it was cool [read] Keywords:
4
Betrayal
Fri, May 22nd 2009 3:52p Kathy Brown Today I was betrayed. Betrayed by Big Red. I've posted previously of my love for Big Red and today Big Red failed me. I started my run as I normally do. And about 1/4 of a mile in, I glanced down at Big Red to see what my pace was. Sadly, Big Red had gone dark. That's not a euphemism, the screen had gone dark. My Garmin Forerunner 305 was off. Despite the fact that it had just been ON. And despite the fact that I had just recently charged it. Sadness kicked in. Then panic. What will I do? How wi [read] Keywords:
6
“Push Through the Pain”
Tue, May 19th 2009 9:52a Kathy Brown While plodding today (er, um, running) I came to a realization. First however, I must explain. I am not fast. I don’t try to be fast. I don’t come anywhere near top placement in races for my gender and/or my age. Heck, 90 year olds can beat me. I’m not concerned with that. At most, I just try to beat my own time on a particular course or distance. Although that isn’t even a goal sometimes. Just last April I ran my second half marathon, my goal was not to beat my first hal [read] Keywords:
9
DXLMagic for Dummies
Thu, May 14th 2009 6:50a Kathy Brown I recently needed to look through an application to determine if a view was used anywhere in the application. A common requirement, right? A quick Tweet, and several people said DXL was the answer to my question. Dump out the design into a file and search through it for the view. Done. But how to accomplish it?
A few posts ago I dabbled in DXL. Just one folder, which I manually exported to a file, but used DXL to create a new one from the file. So, how to export the design of an entire applic [read] Keywords: dxl
lotusphere
notes
application
blogging
java
openntf
twitter
3
In Case You Missed It
Tue, May 12th 2009 10:25p Kathy Brown In case you missed this on Twitter, or on Facebook. You HAVE to check out this item on Amazon, and be sure to read all the reviews!
Amazon Item
For extra fun, check out the "Items Other Customer Viewed" [read] Keywords: facebook
twitter
2
JUST GET OUT THERE AND RUN
Mon, May 11th 2009 1:32p Kathy Brown I haven't run in a week. And I don't feel like running today. But I know that I should. I know I'll feel great when I'm done. But right now I feel like a three-year-old, stomping and kicking and screaming, "I don't wanna!!!".
Suck it up. JUST GET OUT THERE AND RUN.
That's what someone needs to tell me.
The sad thing is that I regularly go through this, and yet still I let it get to me. I don't feel like running, and one day I give in to that feeling. Then the next day I feel bad about n [read] Keywords:
7
It's Never Easy, Or Is It?
Wed, May 6th 2009 2:57p Kathy Brown Today I tried my hand at a DXL Import. Guess what? It didn’t flipping work. Surprising, eh?
So, what I was trying to accomplish: I needed to generate a folder for a user, if the user did not already have a particular folder in this application. The folder needed to be able to be updated by the designer whenever requested changes were made (if a change was requested, each folder needed to have the new design), hence I could not use a shared-to-private view. DXL seems all the rage, so why [read] Keywords: designer
document
domino
dxl
lotusscript
rich text
application
database
desktop
profile
3
Margaritas Mexican Fiesta 5K
Sun, May 3rd 2009 5:44p Kathy Brown As mentioned in my last post, I got a last minute entry into the Margaritas Mexican Fiesta 5K. Basically, my mother-in-law registered for the race and then, the night before decided not to run and gave me her number. (To be clear, she has breathing issues, she didn't just cop out). So that is how I happened to be registered for a race that I didn't know about until the night before. I was registered as a woman 50 to 59 years old. (To be clear again, I am NOT 59).
This was the first running of [read] Keywords:
4
Daydreaming about a Marathon and Running a Surprise 5k
Sat, May 2nd 2009 5:53p Kathy Brown So I've been daydreaming about running a marathon. I've run two half marathons now. Hey, does that count as a marathon? :) It won't be this year, maybe not even next year. But more and more I am considering running one. It used to be a "never, no way" kind of thing, but it keeps creeping back into my brain. This last half marathon wasn't so bad, hey, it was even fun. Why not?
Which leads me to wondering WHICH marathon should be my first? Conventional wisdom says your first should be flat (duh [read] Keywords: twitter
8
AutoUpdate a Notes View
Tue, Apr 28th 2009 11:37a Kathy Brown While trying to diagnose a problem within an agent, I realized (with a little help-Thanks Bob!) that I needed to set the AutoUpdate flag on the view to False. The application is large and used by many different users concurrently. The view is changing almost constantly, even while the agent is running. Therefore running an agent on the view, particularly an agent that walks the view (GetFirstDocument, GetNextDocument), really needed to have the AutoUpdate turned off.
Okay, so somewhat obvious [read] Keywords: agent
document
ldd
lotus
lotusscript
notes
application
best practice
3
Running Secret
Thu, Apr 23rd 2009 8:51a Kathy Brown Psst. Wanna know a secret? It’s about running. And, it’s a little crazy. I hate hills. That’s not the secret, that’s the set up. I would guess that most runners dislike running up hills. It’s hard work, your legs burn, your lungs burn, it sucks. You want to slow down, or walk. But I don’t. And it’s not because I’m a great runner, or really strong or any of that. It’s because I’m stubborn. I refuse to walk. I refuse to slow down. It really is mind over matter. That is the bi [read] Keywords: blogger
3
The Value of Twitter
Fri, Apr 17th 2009 8:50a Kathy Brown A LOT of blog posts have been written questioning the value of Twitter. A lot. I know. So move on if you aren’t interested in reading another. But, I think (hope) mine has a slightly different slant. Many proponents of twitter will argue that they get value by following like-minded individuals, mining through the worthless tweets (“I’m at the grocery store!”) for the valuable nuggets (“Oh, to fix that, just do x”). And I agree there is value like this to be had on Twitter. However, [read] Keywords: applications
blogger
community
twitter
2
Lotus Temper Tantrum
Tue, Apr 14th 2009 11:52a Kathy Brown (Commence Temper Tantrum) I want to go to Developer/Admin2009! I live 45 minutes away! I went last year and had a great time! Waaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! (End Temper Tantrum) Okay, I'm okay now. I will just have to live vicariously through everyone's tweets. And sit and wait and be patient and hope details come out for IamLUG really soon, so I can have something to look forward to that is sooner than Lotusphere! [read] Keywords: lotus
lotusphere
blogger
2
Weird Behavior in Designer Client?
Mon, Apr 13th 2009 2:51p Kathy Brown Anyone else have this? When I am in the Designer client (8.0.2) and am working on some Lotusscript, say in an action or something, if I get an email in my Notes client, the focus in Designer is taken from the action and puts me up in the "Window Title". I don't have popup notification (because it's too distracting!), just the icon in the system tray. This behavior drives me a little nutty when I'm in the middle of coding something and it loses focus. I have enough trouble keeping focus! [read] Keywords: designer
lotus
lotusscript
notes
notes client
blogger
email
5
Has it really been over a week?
Mon, Apr 13th 2009 1:51p Kathy Brown Oops. I ran the half marathon on Sunday, April 5th...and haven't run since. I took training easier this time so I wouldn't get burned out. I don't think I did. I didn't run on purpose for the first few days. Then, I just got lazy. It was too cold, or too rainy, or too windy. Basically, I needed to HTFU. So, today, I am running. In about an hour. It is a sunny and windy 49 degrees out. I am looking forward to it, which probably means it is going to be a terrible run. But, I am okay with that. I [read] Keywords: blogger
php
3
WOW! Amazing account of an incredible journey
Thu, Apr 9th 2009 9:51p Kathy Brown Some of you Lotus peeps might know Tim Lorge, well he Tweeted this: Wanna read a great running story? My GFs friend ran the 6 day 156 mile Marathon des Sables in Morocco. http://sportsrlife.wordpress.com/ Her story is phenomenal. Parts 1 and 2 are up now and it is an amazing read! Check it out. [read] Keywords: lotus
blogger
3
Should I Call The UI Police?
Tue, Apr 7th 2009 6:51a Kathy Brown So, while filling out an online application for a race (look, running and developing in one post!), I came across this field… Seriously? The form had radio buttons for other fields, so clearly they are aware of the technique. They just chose not to use it, but THEN they have to include instructions (that no one will read), for the user to select only “a Maximum of 1”. Ugh. That isn’t even well written. Ignore the fact that it says “Mens” shirts, but that the shirts are Unisex. Oh, [read] Keywords: notes
application
blogger
Great Bay Half Marathon – April 5, 2009
Mon, Apr 6th 2009 2:01p Kathy Brown The forecast kept changing from 56 and sunny to 47 and rainy and back again. I woke up Sunday morning to what looked like a sunny day. I decided to wear my running capris and a long sleeve shirt, but bring a running skirt and short sleeve shirt just in case. Jess and I got to the Newmarket high school (which was the finish of the race) at 9:30. The race website warned that it would be hard to find a parking spot after 10AM and they were right, I think we got the last one. Well, actually it wasn [read] Keywords: blogger
14
THAT Makes Sense – Lotusscript to Excel (a vent and some tips)
Thu, Apr 2nd 2009 10:50a Kathy Brown I was asked to take some data from a Notes application and make it into a pretty report in Excel. Okay, no problem. A little lotusscript here, a little lotusscript there, a dash of VB. And VOILA, lovely report in Excel with shaded cells, borders, date formatting. Except for one little problem. I couldn’t get the Page Setup.FitToPagesWide to work. I checked and re-checked my code. Went home and came back this morning and checked it again. It was correct and yet it didn’t work. Huh? A quick G [read] Keywords: lotus
lotusscript
notes
application
applications
blogger
google
microsoft
3
Facebook – Not Interesting or Multiple Personalities?
Wed, Apr 1st 2009 9:50a Kathy Brown I’m not feeling the love for Facebook lately. Or maybe I’m just not using it right. Maybe I’m like one of those people who signs up for Twitter, doesn’t follow anyone and then “doesn’t get it”. I signed up for Facebook sometime last year, probably May, judging by the date on my first profile photo. I friended a bunch of actual friends. It was fun. A great way to share photos, catch up, etc. I put in my high school and college information and a bunch of people from that part of my [read] Keywords: domino
lotus
notes
blogger
community
facebook
profile
twitter
5
Speaking of Bob Balaban... (2nd Time Post)
Mon, Mar 30th 2009 10:54a Kathy Brown I mentioned talking to Bob Balaban a few posts ago. I am thrilled to say my employer was lucky enough and smart enough to hire him for a bit. I have gone from self-taught-struggling-newbie to self-taught-struggling-newbie who is working with Bob Balaban!! Can you tell I’m excited? It’s like a dose of Lotusphere every week for me! The best part is that he hasn’t looked at my applications and said “Oh my god, you’re a complete moron, this is crap”. Not that I was afraid that was what [read] Keywords: lotus
lotusphere
notes
applications
blogger
planet lotus
3
Half Marathon Coming Up (2nd try)
Mon, Mar 30th 2009 9:54a Kathy Brown So I suddenly realized today that the Great Bay Half Marathon is 9 days away. That’s coming up quick! It’s close enough that there are weather forecasts! Not that they’ll be accurate, but still, there are forecasts! (High of 50F and “Few Showers”, if you were wondering). [ETA: Apologies to those that have already seen this post, but Planet Lotus didn't pick it up for some reason and I am such an ASW that I am re-posting it). This will be my second half marathon. My first was the Seac [read] Keywords: lotus
blogger
planet lotus
2
6 Days to Half Marathon
Mon, Mar 30th 2009 8:53a Kathy Brown Eek. 6 days left. Weather forecast for 56 and Sunny. Just a few "short" runs between now and then. Deep breaths. I need to figure out what I'm going to wear. Not so much from a fashion standpoint as from a comfort and the weather standpoint. I *am* going to be wearing these clothes while running for two+ hours! And there WILL be professional photographers there. Let's just say last half marathon, I looked like I felt. :P [read] Keywords: blogger
4
Defensive Programming
Thu, Mar 26th 2009 3:56p Kathy Brown I need to improve my defensive programming. This kind (the third bullet from Wikipedia): “Making the software behave in a predictable manner despite unexpected inputs or user actions.” I use the tools that are available to me. I make fields that should receive numbers into number fields. I make required fields, well, required. I use field validation and translation. I don’t allow pasting or deleting in applications where users shouldn’t be pasting or deleting. I use drop down lists wher [read] Keywords: lotus
application
applications
blogger
development
openntf
4
Help me find new music!
Wed, Mar 25th 2009 10:54a Kathy Brown So I’ve realized that since I’ve had an ipod, I rarely listen to the radio, which means I don’t really hear new music. I put my CDs on my ipod and I listen to them. I don't hear any new music. The only new music I buy is new music from the artists I already listen to. Occasionally, the iTunes store makes a recommendation that I might try out, but not usually. Oddly, I don’t listen to music while I run, but I do listen to music at work. It does not have to be work appropriate. :) So, wh [read] Keywords: blogger
ipod
5
Only 10,000 hours to master Lotus Notes!
Mon, Mar 23rd 2009 9:59a Kathy Brown I just finished reading Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcom Gladwell. I’ve been obsessing a bit about the 10,000 hours thing. I'm not doing the book or the idea justice, but he asserts that most “masters”, regardless of what they are master of, have amassed around 10,000 hours at their specialty. He uses violinists, computer guys, hockey players, etc. as his examples. This is actually good news for me. I’ve been doing Lotus Notes development full time for four years now. Let’s see [read] Keywords: lotus
notes
blogger
development
2
Poor Twitter
Mon, Mar 16th 2009 3:39p Kathy Brown I coincidentally got two new followers (that appeared to be junk) seconds before Twitter died today. And is it just me or does EVERY TV show/news broadcast mention Twitter in an effort to come off as cool? Doesn't that mean Twitter is completely lame? I hope not because I am totally addicted to it. I love that I get both useful information and entertainment out of it. I have nothing insightful to say about it. Just that I love it and am sad that dorky "newscasters" think they are cool because t [read] Keywords: blogger
twitter
2
Why I Love Running *This Time*
Mon, Mar 16th 2009 2:53p Kathy Brown I think I've mentioned this before, but prior to September 2007, I HATED running. Really. I wouldn't have run unless a bear was chasing me. So, now I'm running half marathons. Lots of people ask me, HOW? I think a HUGE part of it is starting slow. A few times in my life I've tried to take up running and hated it. I got stitches in my sides, couldn't run more than 1/2 mile without feeling like dying and just generally felt miserable. This time I started with a program called the Couch to 5k. Th [read] Keywords: blogger
