As JOhn Denver sang, "Some days are diamonds, some days are stones . . . "

Some days, it is easier to move away from whatever your profession has been for so long and some days it isn't.  Some days, just seem to draw you back in almost like you are on one of those retractable dog leashes.  I gues any addiction or compulsive behavior is like that though.

As I was driving home from work on Friday, I realized that I had, once again, drifted back into a "work compulsion" mindset.  I was already planning what I would be doing on Monday, as though the intervening 2 days were already over.  As I realized that, I forced myself to modify my thinking (which was not at all easy ;-) and to, instead, consider what the next 2 days could be.

Given that it was Friday, February 12, My immediate thought was that Valentine's Day was "the day after tomorrow" and I decided to make a stop to get something for my wife.  (There is this fantastic place called Chokolat . . . where they do all kinds of wonderful chocaltes.  If you're ever in San Antonio, TX, it is in a shopping center in the NW corner of the FM1604 and Blanco Road intersection. ;-)  My wife is a "Chocoholic" and I had been inspired to get her a couple of Valentine's Day cards the previous weekend, so I decided to boost the impact by adding a bit of chocolate. 

I know that this doesn't sound like all that big of a deal; however, you have to understand the nature of being a "computer geek."  One of the things that we geeks seem to have a deficite of is the sense of time that most people (and especially women) have.  We may remember to get a card for an occasion . . . and then we may not remember to give the person the card.  So, while my remembering to get the cards is not terribly spectacular, adding the chocolates and remembering to give the card moves me outside of the IT-Life. ;-)  (I have set up the cards and chocolates as a surprise for tomorrow morning . . . this being Saturday night ;-).

However, I still managed to "ackslide" . . . but it was for a good cause.  I spent a good bit of time this afternoon getting a wen site registered/initiated for a group my wife and I are involved with.  The group is a team of people who do medical mission trips to Guatemala to provide medical care for the indiginous Mayan Indians who would otherwise not have medical care.  The team usually has about 85 members and my wife (being a pharmacist) and I tend to be heavily involved with gathering the medicines and supplies for much of the team.  As the team has gotten more and more experienced, we are getting more organized and that has led to the need for the web site . . . and, being in IT, I am involved in that aspect.

Still, if I were to keep score, I would probably only give myself a slight deduction for the IT oriented work I did today . . . after all, "it was for a good cause." ;-)  I also off-set that time by spending time getting my woodworking magazines a bit more organized.  Just reading those gets my mind off of computers and onto wanting to build things.  IfI can keep my mind focused in that direction, I can finish getting my woodworking shop up and then it will be even easier to maintain that focus. 

Over the years, in doing consulting with small businesses, I have often made the omment that "Computers are addictive . . . once you start using one, you'll find it hard to not use one."  I firmly believe this is true . . . but I have also come to realize that, like virtually every other addiction, dependence on computers is not really a healthy thing for individuals.  Too heavy of a dependence on computers can lead to diminished social skills, ineffective human interactions, and serious issues with "significant others."  That is part of the reason I am working at finding other things in my life.

Is there life beyond IT?

When I first bacame involved in IT, I would have replied to that question with something like, "Beyond IT?  What do you mean?  Is there anything beyond IT?"  I was absorbed by IT, programming, designing, enhancing, hacks (not in the "Black Hat", destructive form but in the original meaning of the term), and all things IT.  I learned any and all languages that I could. I delved into any and all subjects IT (from assembler design and development to databases to artificial intelligence to telecommunications and anything else).  At one point I was receiving 12 publications a month from ACM . . . and 12 from IEEE.  (I had to take a speed reading course in order to keep up with them . . . but, of course, I never considered the alternative of not receiving some of them. ;-)  yes, I was absorbed by IT.

However, as the years have gone by and, among other things, I have been in a second marriage, I have begun to approach the point where I am no longer satisfied to be absorbed by IT.  I have always enjoyed some hobbies . . . although, admittedly, not very many that didn't involve IT.  Yet, as I entered into my second marraige with Amy (my wife), I learned that there were more things to do in this world, like SCUBA, travel just for fun (and not just for IT conventions ;-), photography, and being involved with my church, to name a few.  I also came to appreciate cooking and the joy of having someone not only to cook for but also to appreciate being cooked for.  In other words, I began to realize that there actually is Life Beyond IT.

Don't get me wrong, I still have areas of IT that fascinate me.  For instance, I have been doing database work and I have come to really enjoy that . . . more so than developing in conventional programming languages.  However, with our (fairly) recent move to a new home where I will, for the first time ever, have my own woodworking shop (albeit a small one), I am finding more and more of a desire to enjoy my personal time and more and more resentment at my work-hours encroaching on that personal time.

So, I have decided to make a concerted effort to track my on-going drift from being all-consumed by work in the IT profession toward actually having a Life Beyond IT.  I don't know that anyone will have the slightest interest in this but I know that I need to write down my hopes, dreams, accomplishments, and "back-sliding".  My plan is to minimize the mention of things IT and maximize the mention of the rest of my life . . . thus the title: Life Beyond IT.

And, so it begins.