We’re half way through 2009. How am I doing on my goals for the year? Let’s see (comments in italics after each goal):

Books

  1. Code Complete - Steve McConnell (yep, I’ve never actually read it)    No progress.
  2. Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture - Martin Fowler    Ordered and on my bookshelf.
  3. Domain Driven Design - Erick Evans    A bit over 100 pages left.
  4. Working Effectively With Legacy Code - Robert Martin    No progress.

Tools/Techniques/Processes @ Work

  • NHibernate and all its trimmings (FluentNHibernate, LINQ to NHibernate, etc), which I’ll need on a project here real soon.  Done, but still picking up stuff.
  • Actually move from CC.NET to Team City (last attempt didn’t go so well).  No progress.
  • Build a more robust build script and management process - including production deployment scenarios.   No progress.
  • Messaging framework, either MassTransit, NServiceBus, or Ayende’s new Rhino Service Bus if he’s able to release it in time for our current project.  No progress as we haven’t needed any yet.

Involvement

  • We have weekly meetings to catch everyone up on what we’re doing, but I want to present on an actual topic during at least 2 of these - and present in a way where the other development teams will see the use in picking up the presented tool/technique.    Our meetings are still halted, but I’m hoping to do an intro IoC/DI presentation if they ever start again.
  • Have at least one meeting of the CantonALT.NET group and see if it can ever get up on its feet.   No progress, but we have had a few Code & Coffee get togethers.
  • The two blog posts per month target John put out there seems doable, so I’ll borrow it :)    Pretty much on target.
  • At least 3 feature/patch submissions to open source projects.  No further progress past the last update.

Productivity

  • Trim RSS feed size by 1/3 (presently at 127, so trim it to at least 85) and cut time viewing it by half. I’ve gotten much better this past year at cutting through the useless stuff, but there’s still a lot there and it sucks up too much of my time.  Down to 103. Not too bad.

Once again, the reading is killing me. It’s not that it’s not interesting, it’s just time. Between a few magazines I read (some technical, some not) and projects around the house, reading time always seems to take a back seat. I’ll get into it for a bit and fly through the pages, but that “bit” is usually only a day or two, unfortunately. Lets see how the next two months go.

I’ll update again in the begining of September.