Writing

I Teetotal

Today, on St. Patrick’s Day, I am writing down a more complete answer and explanation to a question I am regularly asked.

I don’t drink alcohol, never have, not once, and I am not going to start. When I was around 21, I never felt compelled to start drinking since I was never much of a ‘partier’ and didn’t see the attraction of getting drunk. I have been pressured to drink many times, but I was never interested in doing something because somebody or society told me to. Now, I choose to teetotal because it is part of my identity.

When I was younger, my peers seemed to drink because it was fun to get drunk. Now, they tell me that it helps them loosen up in social situations and they enjoy the taste of wines and craft beers. Using alcohol to improve my performance or the way I feel in a social situation is definitely something I never want to rely on. I like knowing I can do something without paying for a crutch. I talk to strangers, dance when I want to, and regularly speak my mind. Knowing I can controllably do that when I choose is very powerful for me.

I don’t mind when people drink around me nor do I consider myself better or more virtuous than others because of my decision. Though, I am disappointed by those who abuse alcohol and disrespect the city and an entire holiday, for that matter. Living close to bars that cater to 21-year-old drinkers probably doesn’t help my disappointment with drunken behavior.

Overall, I am very happy with my decision and I don’t feel like I am missing out on anything worthwhile. So, if I see you drinking at a bar, I’ll be respectful of your choice and if you’re respectful of my choice, I’ll be more than happy to toast my glass of water with you.

Force Ubuntu One to Rescan and Synchronize Files and Folders

I like using Ubuntu One for file synchronization because it offers 5GB of space for free. I ran into a few gotchas where Ubuntu One wouldn’t start synchronizing new files and folders and the output of u1sdtool --waiting was blank. The solution to this was to tell Ubuntu One to rescan the folder by running these commands at the terminal:

> u1sdtool --list-folders
Folder list:
id=x-x-x-x-x subscribed=True path=/path/to/folder
Then:
> u1sdtool --rescan-from-scratch=x-x-x-x-x

After telling Ubuntu One to rescan the folder that isn’t synchronizing, it will start to upload all the files and folders in that folder. This also helps when there are file conflicts or the u1sdtool --waiting or u1sdtool --current-transfers is empty and there are files or folders on your computer that haven’t been synchronized.

Random Hacks of Kindness Milwaukee

At my last Toastmasters meeting, a friend invited me to Random Hacks of Kindness in Milwaukee. I haven’t been to Milwaukee or a hackathon in sometime, so I was excited to visit the city and meet other developers.

I met my friend downtown at 6:30am, but since I was so preoccupied the night before with submitting my Apps for Metro Chicago, IL entry before the midnight deadline, I overlooked the fact that I had to buy a travel ticket in advance. I managed to get a ticket at the last-minute and was on my way with about 5 hours of sleep under my belt. Half way through the trip my friend asked me if I brought my ticket to the event. I didn’t even register! I was clearly flying by the seat of my pants on this one. At least I had my trusty T61 laptop.

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