Battlerobo.com

Musings of a Chicago Web Developer

September 25, 2009
by Jay
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Can’t Miss TV

ho ho ho… almost thought I would miss another day of blogging this week, did ya? Well, I almost did! Even though it’s Friday, I actually have quite a bit of work. That and I would take a minute or two to chat with some friends online. All in all, today is practically flying by! I didn’t really have anything new to write about. Then I realized that the new fall season of television has already begun! Hoorah for the return of awesome programming! I’m really excited about this new season… there are plenty of shows returning as well as a few new promising ones coming onto the scene. Let’s take a look at a couple of the one’s I’m eager to watch…
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September 24, 2009
by Jay
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Doing What I Like

I guess I can talk a little bit about my job.

When people ask me, “What do you do?” I usually respond, “I’m a producer for a website.” It’s basically a site for visitors to search for a home or property to buy. As a producer, I help a lot more with the front end stuff, working with HTML and CSS. Lately, I’ve gotten some extra projects that involve javascript and ruby, which has been a blast to work with. I do some basic coding and not any major programming, but I’ve been really happy working there. This is stuff that I usually did in my spare time during college and my last few jobs. I’m kind of psyched that all that work and learning I put in on my own time has finally paid off. And this job offers me new stuff to learn as well as the opportunity to sharpen my skills.

So yeah, I love coming to work. The people here are awesome. The environment is pretty lax; I love wearing jeans to work. Currently, I have a 10 minute walk to and from work, but that’ll change once I move to my own place. Work may be farther from my new place, but I think I’ll love the area that I’m moving to. And I’ve also grown to love working on an actual ‘product.’ This is a site that millions of users utilize, and it feels great to know that I’m putting something into that. It almost feels like something I’m a part of helping to create. If I could, I would work on websites as my career… Google, I’m looking at you! :)

It’s a great job. The only downside is that it’s a contract job. They’ve extended it, which was really awesome. But I would really like to be there full time with benefits. However, I’ve been getting more and more projects that are a bit outside of the scope of the original role they intended. So hopefully working on these projects will show them how much value I can add to the team. Keepin’ those fingers crossed. ;-)

September 23, 2009
by Jay
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Museum Memberships

I love going to museums and aquariums. It’s always fun to see the exhibits and animals, learning new things, expanding my mind, and taking lots and lots of pictures. Chicago certainly doesn’t lack for institutions such as the Field Museum or the Museum of Science and Industry. Since relocating here, I’ve managed to visit the prestigious Art Institute of Chicago as well as the always fun Shedd Aquarium. There are plenty more places that I definitely want to visit like the Museum of Contemporary Art. I’m also very curious to see what the International Museum of Surgical Science has in store…

Since regaining employment, and I hardly have the time to go visit any of these places. And I am a bit reluctant to go on weekends. I’ve learned that I really enjoy visiting during off hours, when there are hardly any crowds. It’s a more relaxing and enjoyable experience, for me at least.

I’ve been tinkering around with the idea to buy annual memberships to the museums. Basically, I pay a one time fee for a year’s membership; and I can visit the museums as many times as I would like. With a membership I would ideally go visit an exhibit after a day at work, maybe look at one exhibit for an hour or two, then go home. Instead of visiting all the exhibits in one day, I can see them all when ever I want at my leisure. I also think it’s great to support the museums themselves.

Once I get settled into my new place, I’ll definitely be looking closer at the membership criteria. What do you guys think?

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