rjdempsey - Learning stuff, doing stuff

My Thoughts On The Canucks 2011 Stanley Cup Final

Ryan — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 08:19:59 +0000

I admit, I'm not a hardcore sports fan. I was at one time though. As a kid I worshipped the Seattle Seahawks, the Seattle Supersonics and the Vancouver Canucks. But soon I realized that no amount of cheering could ever help my teams to win a championship. Being a fan was utterly frustrating.

2010 Resolution Recap and Resolutions for 2011

Ryan — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 00:22:17 +0000

I won't go into detail, but 2010 was a tough year for me and my close friends and family. Due to certain trials and tribulations, I had a difficult time reaching all the goals I set out to achieve at the beginning of the year. But we're surviving and making progress. Here's the 2010 list, full of fail:

1. WIN!: Learn to say 'No'

I turned down quite a lot of work this year.

Why We Hoard

Ryan — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 04:43:35 +0000

I'm currently full on into Operation Eliminate. Just now cleaning my garage, looking through old boxes and stashes. Only moments ago I saw an old fork on the ground. Just an ordinary old fork, nothing special. I picked it up and just as I was about to throw it in the trash I took note of it's design and realized it belonged to my mother, part of her old dinnerware set. And my mind was instantly flooded with childhood memories of countless family meals. Good memories and bad memories alike.

Operation Eliminate! One Year to Location Independence!

Ryan — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 21:51:48 +0000

After years of thinking about it, we're finally going to do it. 'It' being spend a year or two traveling the world in search of epic adventure. This is a big deal for us. Sure, when you're young and single, traveling is easy. And I did my fair share of traveling in my days sans wife and kids. But now with a family in tow, it's going to be a challenge. But we welcome this challenge knowing it could mean memories to last a lifetime. So stoked.

Average Time To Pay - Really Cool New Freshbooks Feature

Ryan — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 06:15:06 +0000

My last blog post was called, "When Clients Don't Pay". I ended that post on a positive note stating that the faster a client pays my invoices the more keen I am to quickly complete their work. I have no shortage of work at the moment, so I've setup an informal client ranking system. Wether that's right or wrong, I don't know. I can't help but give first rate clients, first rate service.

When Clients Don't Pay

Ryan — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 23:08:25 +0000

I have a sudden urge to rant, so bear with me.

For the most parts, I've been very fortunate to have great clients. I often hear about 'clients from hell', but I haven't had any. Most of my clients have been very pleasant to work with, and only one has ever disappeared without paying. All but one paid my invoices... eventually.

Some clients however, don't see an urgency to pay, sometimes making me wait months, all the while telling me "the cheque's in the mail".

I Am Not An Apple Fanboy!

Ryan — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 04:50:20 +0000

I hate being called an Apple fanboy. One often calls another that in the midst of an argument as if to say, "your opinion is not objective, you'd buy anything that's shiny and has an Apple logo". In my case that is just not true.

I switched to Mac a couple years ago and it's made a world of difference to my productivity in my line of work. But I still have Windows and Linux PC's around, though I don't use them much.

Remembering My First Drupalcamp

Ryan — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 23:13:08 +0000

Photo credit: gregoryh on Flickr

Menieres Disease Update August 2010

Ryan — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 20:05:30 +0000

It's been a rough few months, but I remain optimistic. I'm having a really great time with my family, being home more than usual.

I have not had any full blown vertigo attacks since the last one I spoke about that had me rushed in an ambulance to the ER but I've had a lot of smaller episodes. It's kinda of like the after shocks after a major earthquake, not that bad but still bothersome.

My Renewed Focus on Katanamite Interactive

Ryan — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 05:12:23 +0000

I have had many business ideas. Some never saw the light of day, other have. I've always been an 'ideas man', constantly starting new projects. By far my most successful business venture has been Katanamite Interactive. Though it's been my main source of income, I don't believe it's reached anywhere near it's full potential. Katanamite can be so much more. We can attract more high profile clients, do much more meaningful projects, contribute more to the open source community, provide more jobs and make more money.