I decided to take out a bit of old cement patio that resides 3 inch below a flower bed. When we moved into the place the flower beds looked deceptively well kept. We discovered the "false bottom" when we purchased some nice deep rooted creepers and were, well, dismayed to find out that we could dig no deeper. So, for the weekend I opted to rent a 60lb electric jack hammer and set my cource on taking out 5 square yards of 4 inch thick cement. What did I learn along the way ...

This puppy is heavy and strangely enough gets heavier throughout the day. They are heavy by design and the quicker you learn to work with the designed in weight the easier the job becomes ... kind of like dancing with elephants I imagine. The term graceful does not spring to one's mind but once the steps are mastered and you don't get smashed in the process the results can be dramatic if not extreme. Learn to dance, even with elephants, when you must.

Noise. Oh, man, the noise. I McGyvered, on the spot, some earplugs from a dampend napkin recalling my fathers advice to me each time I headed off to a concert as an adolescent to not take my hearing for granted. In this situation the noise is a must, a tax so to speak, as are many undertakings in life. It is futile to fight it. So, when the noise becomes deafening, keep cool and improvise as needed. If your singing is not, well, appreciated, yet you believe very much in your song, offer earplugs with a smile and continue to sing away.

Now, I'm hammer dancing and my head isn't hurting, that badly ... I wonder, what is the most effective way to get underway? I know. I'll dive right into the middle of it all. Cool. I've got a nice little round hole smiling up at me. I'll drill another. Two little holes. Eyes. Hey, the cement is laughing at me. This isn't right. The little holes look like the kinds you see in movies where a stick of dynamite is then inserted (hmmmmmmmm, no ... don't go there) yet the cement lay steadfast. The solution, it turns out, is to chew away at the edges. The dancing hammer made relatively quick work of the edges of the cement formulating nice fissures every 3 to 4 inches. Excellent. I'm feeling pretty good about this little weekend endeavor.

I start to coast as I am now one with the hammer ... in a zen'like manner. Not so fast, I learn that I have to keep on my toes as the spike can, at times, become wedged between pieces of cement or worse the foundation of the adjacent house. Dislodging the spike takes time and most importantly an inordinate amount of energy as I have to effectively requeue the dancing elephant. Hmmmm. I can't dislodge the spike this time. What to do? Ok, abandon the wedged spike and put in it's place the alternate. Cool. That worked out nicely. Always have a spare on hand and don't be afraid to grab it when needed.

Ahhhhhhh. Job done. Feels good. I'll remove the rubble another day. Cool. Rubble instead of buried cement. I can live with that.

Took a peek at the trencher as I'd like to install a new sprinkler system. Ouch, that piece of equipment looks a bit more serious ... might have to leave that job to the professionals. My wife smiles liking the sounds of that plan all the better.

What does this have to do with kick a$$ s/w, nothing and everything all at once. You decide.

Java == platform independence
XML == application independence
JXTA == network independence

Secure End-to-End Computing

in my ears: New Order/Substance/Procession