me talking out loud

Well I have done it - scheduled my PHP5 ZCE test for July 13th. Why you ask - for the same reason I took the first. I want it - plain and simple - no more no less.

Also plan to take the MySQL5 certification test as well - maybe Oct… luckily all I need is the Core to Developer upgrade exam instead of having to take their new format of 2 tests. I can live with that.

I have to admit though that the MySQL cert means more to me though. as much as I love PHP - DB is where my heart sits. Need to also work more about the DBA stuff. TML enjoyed reminding me how little I know and have to learn which is kinda nice.

Sorry for being so quiet lately. Hubby is in the Gulf right now doing his military thing and won’t be home any time soon (He was told one day and the next he flew out - plenty of warning don’t ya think). So with him gone I have been working hard on the book when not at the normal job. Have managed to get a little ahead - though I have been a bit lazy these past couple days trying to relax (over working and not sleeping well - never do sleep well when the hubby is gone).

At least I am not sleep deprived anymore - though not completely relaxed either. Probably won’t be till he gets back. You would think that after 11 years of having to do this it would be easier… *sigh*

Anyway - life is quiet and yet hectic at the same time. Feel like hurry up and rush is all I seem to be doing lately. Ok - I’ll stop whining now.

Well it seems that like last year we were meant to start the new year shaking things up. In the last 2 days in the early morning hours we have had 2 earthquakes - one on the 7th (5.0) and one this morning the 9th (4.5) local time. Now I wouldn’t normally mention them since they are so small - but dang - they woke me up and that irritates me. doesn’t help that I live in the hills on top of the fault line.

Well the PHP Throwdown Registration is now open for contestants to sign up.

If you haven’t heard about it by now - it is a PHP coding contest to see what can be created within a 24 hour time frame. It is open to either individuals or teams to compete for various prizes and bragging rights. The actual contest will be on Jan 27th. Check out the website for more information and the rules.

Oh and as scary as it is to contemplate - I will be one of the judges.

This is for my family (though I admit i doubt they will get it) since most of my friends already know about this comic. I have to admit - even I don’t understand some of them but these two bust me up every time.

From the xkcd comic strip:

I have to admit - I am not one of the great PHP coders. Just a normal Joe (or in my case Jane) here. But I wanted to look back on the year to see what I have learned and done as well as how much the year has changed me.

Well I started 2006 with an earthquake on the January 4th. Talk about shaking up the new year. The only really interesting thing I posted about was a simple question - Who owns your code? Well and a plug for the #phpc channel on freenode.

February had me reading “Objects, Patterns and Practice” (which I still haven’t finished), learning about the phpDoc plugin for Vim (I love that thing), changing hosting services (had to do some modifications on the site to get it working on the new one), and having to cancel my trip to the Philippines to see my dad while he is out here.

March had the first release of the Zend Framework - which I promptly played with for a while but didn’t come back to until the end of the year, and my taking and passing the MySQL4 Core Certification test.

April saw my good friend Davey start of the PHP thinktank channel on freenode (yep - another channel I normally am on), the start of the call for the Google Summer of Code, and my Dad flying out from the Philippines to visit me.

May was quiet since my dad was visiting. I was writing a few basic phpt tests for the QA team at the time and made a couple of notes to myself.

June saw me upgrade the blog and bring it to it’s current implementation, my daughter come out from California and get diving certified, me becoming a codewalkers admin, an apress technical editor, and get Part I of my MySQL Stored Procedures article accepted for phparchitect’s A/R/T.

July was when I almost killed myself out of good old fashioned stupidity. That was fun and I still have the scars. Anyway - it was also the month when we took our Australia trip which was fabulous. Have the pictures to prove it.

August had Part II of the MySQL Stored Procedures article go up on A/R/T, my posting of 25 ways to help PHP and the guys on Pro::PHP podcasting mentioning me because of it, the first glimmers of the PHPCommunity site being moved to ning (which it later did do), my daughter flying back to the US to live with her biological father, and my being hired for a new job.

September saw me start my current job, remember Sept 1t1h and cry again, and do a blog post on MySQL user defined functions. So it was a pretty quiet month.

October had me turn a year older, make the call for PHP women to stand up and be counted (which in turn lead to the start of the PHPWomen.org site). I also managed to take and pass the PHP4 Zend certification test.

November saw the beginning of the holiday craziness, my mother-in-law coming out for a visit, and my husband reenlisting for the last time (he will be retiring from the military after this). Basically anything PHP related was put on a back burner.

And finally, December had the book I was tech editing being published, my being asked to help write a book with a friend, and though I haven’t posted on it a return for me to working with the Zend Framework.

All in all it has been an incredible year for me with so many opportunities and lots fun along the way. So what are my goals for this next year?

1. finish the book I am helping write and see it published
2. get PHP5 ZCE
3. get MySQL5 developer certified
4. learn Javascript and DOM
5. either go back to the little bit of C# I know and become more comfortable in it - or try a new lang. Not sure which
6. Attend a PHP conference

Cross your fingers so hopefully I get to do them all next year.