I have a friend. No, really. Look, I’m not going to continue until you stop laughing. That’s better. We will call my friend Jonathan (because that’s his name). Jonathan is about my age, around 6’ 6” tall, has a deep booming voice, a big beaming smile, and is an all-round good guy. Admittedly, he does have a penchant for blowing his shofar in his friends’ ears when they least expect it, but we all have our little foibles (some of mine are quite large, although I try not to boast).

Jonathan has been going through some trying times since shortly after I met him a couple of years ago. His elderly mother, who he looks after, suffers from poor health and dementia. She’s taken to hiding things and then claiming that people are sneaking into the house and stealing them. An operation on Jonathan’s neck earlier this year went badly and will require a lot of rehabilitation in the coming months. And, just the other day, a homicidal deer flung itself in front of his car, writing off the machine and almost killing the man.

Not surprisingly, all of this has brought Jonathan down low. Thus, for several months now, I’ve commenced each day by sending him a short text explaining why that day is the “Best Day Ever.”

A slap in the face with a wet kipper

Of course, lady luck is not averse to slapping anyone in the face with a wet kipper, as it were. We all have to take our turn, and mine came a few days ago as I pen these words. “Oh dear,” I thought to myself (or words to that effect), “color me surprised.” There’s no need for us to go into details here. We all have our ups and downs. Suffice it to say that things went pear-shaped for a couple of days, during which I had to remind myself why each day is the “Best Day Ever.”

But “it’s all good,” as they say. At the time of this writing, I’m preparing to fly out to Silicon Valley to speak at the Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) where I’ll be presenting two papers: Crossfade & Scroll-Back Effects, Switch Bounce, Metastability & More… and AI Apocalypse: Is it Time to be Scared Yet? I’m really looking forward to presenting my papers, meeting up with old friends, and networking like a champion. It’s going to be the Best Week Ever!

Another fine cheese…

Gilbert Keith Chesterton was an English writer, poet, philosopher, dramatist, journalist, orator, lay theologian, and biographer. In his spare time, he was a literary and art critic. As Gilbert once noted, “Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.”

The reason I mention this is that, in addition to being outrageously handsome, a trendsetter, and a leader of fashion, I’m also one of the finest technical writers of my generation (according to my mother), and I continue to mature like a fine cheese (according to the blurb on the back cover of my most recent book).

I don’t think it’s fair of me to hide my light under bushel, so — In addition to my technical writing and consulting activities — I’ve decided to post my cogitations, ruminations, and rambling musings on my new Cool Beans Blog (the one you are currently reading). If you see anything you find interesting, it would be great if you could share your thoughts with the rest of us in the comments.