Things are finally getting to a point of slowdown…somewhat anyway. Still very busy at work and at my personal business, but finally getting unburied to the point that I actually had time to write this. I do miss it, and there have been so many things happen and change. So many new blog start-ups, a lot of people struggling like me to find the time or post as often. I’ve done my best to still read here and there but I’ve really in the end have had to just read a few of the *favorites*.

So how do you unthaw a dormant blog, especially one this dormant? I’m not really sure to be honest. Hopefully I still have some of my good readers here and there.

Things to say or things I have not commented on yet:
No more Nice4Rice!!! Yeah, I know, its really old news by now, but I have not been blogging. That is definitely a blog I miss. I definitely understand Spud’s reasonings, but that type of article writing and his absolutely great reviews, I will sorely miss.

I do still plan on creating more PHP Hero cards. I am still a very active PHP programmer, although I have not been able to touch the notes in forever. I mentioned the next upcoming card being one to honor Ed, but then to go without creating one, what kind of a** am I? Just a busy one, I apologize. That will still be the very next card I create, and then, after that, you will see the very first PHP Hero card for a lucky lady…I can say no more…

I still struggle with keeping a blog that is a WordPress blog. It really makes no sense for a php developer to do so, I guess in the end it is just a convenience factor. A matter of convenience in regards to making it easy to post as well as just my pure laziness of not wanting to migrate to something else. Perhaps if I had more time I would look into the other options out there. WordPress really has the ability to be something so much greater, I really wish they would take in all the advice and ideas in a non-hostile manner. I definitely understand why WordPress is number 1 - I just wish the responsibility they have as being the most popular would lead them towards some very needed improvements.

My family is doing quite well. I have the greatest times with my Wife and kids. Really, every free minute has been going towards spending time with them. And it has definitely been the most valued moments in my life.

I hope all of you out there are doing great and if you are reading this, thank you very much for hanging out there, keeping subscribed, or just stopping by. I appreciate all of you probably more than you know.

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So, first off, a big sorry to the masses that read this blog. Especially you 118,207 readers out there that have figured out a way to subscribe without it being tracked by feedburner and somehow bypass google analytics when you visit, but I still know you are out there. I have taken a great deal of time off from blogging so I can devote every free moment I have with my family and its new addition. Things are great at home and just catching up on everything at work after my leaves and such.

So, turns out, I’m a nice guy, after all, Polli of Polliwog’s Pond seems to think so. She even gave me a fancy shmancy “Nice Matters” award. You can read about it here: Crash … Aaa-ah!. So some link-love back to you in return - Thank You Polli for the award and the mention on your blog!

Back Story:
Polli contacted my via my contact page asking for some PHP help. Her needs were very minor that I would feel guilty charging her for any of the help I offered. However, I did agree to a price first, and just ended up not charging her in the end. That way, it gives her “fun money”. You know, that money that was budgeted for something else, so you don’t really expect to be able to use it, but then you get to use it on whatever you want. Polli is a mom of 6, so I told her to take that money and go have a fun day with her kids instead. I hope she took that chance after such a hard time recovering her wiped computer. I’m anxious to see if the edits I helped her with work out and see them in action on her site.

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I am a proud father once more over today! My first son was born today. My last name, which was my grandfather’s, can now live on… I was the only male left in my family with that last name so a big “woo hoo”!

Fischer, welcome to this world my little buddy. I will do my best to guide you through the crazy things that life can bring and will always be there for you when you need me. Thank you for being another piece of the best part of my life. I love you, your sisters, and your Mommy more than anything else in this world!

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Not here! Pfew! So lets time travel here for a moment. About 2 months ago you are anxiously awaiting the arrival of your newest addition. But all of a sudden you notice a good sized lump down below on one of your boys. With this following post you are going to be whisked through my journey on what happened to me and what all I had to go through.

So first off, let me say that occasional self examination is very important. Breast or Testicle, either way cancer can spread very quickly so it is important to be on top of these things. For me, it was just by some kind of random itch that I noticed it at all. If you have any abnormalities it is very important to schedule a doctor’s appointment right away. Chances are likely that it is nothing, but because of the chance of spreading, procrastination is not an option.

So now you have gone to the appointment. After waiting in the lobby 45 minutes past your appointment time you finally get to be taken to a room where you wait another 15 minutes for your doctor. Oh well, thats the way things go. So you talk about what is going on and eventually you get the examination. This goes beyond the typical “turn your head and cough” that you would get with a physical. This will involve a lot more hands on squeezing and prodding by the doctor. Once the doctor confirms your suspicion, you must now have an Ultrasound. Yes, the very same thing they do on Pregnant ladies to see the Babies in their tummies.

So now you make a separate Ultrasound appointment that is so overbooked due to all the pregnant ladies and such that it is about another month before you can be scheduled in. Again, another very important reason to be very ahead of the game. If it is cancer, the sooner you start this process, the sooner it gets dealt with. If there is any worry at all, they Ultrasound both Testicles and your Scrotum. I know, you almost just want to sign yourself up for this just out of how fun it sounds so far right?

So the month+ finally goes by and you finally get in for the Ultrasound. This part really disappointed me. In my case, I was taken into a room. Got naked and put the frock on. Unlike with pregnancies, they do not allow you to have a “viewing” monitor. So everything is done and you get no point of reference or anything to look at while it is being done. This stuff was really interesting to me but to just lay there and have no participation other than the object being scanned, thumbs down. I know I’m sure it is just to save time and prevent a billion and 1 questions from the worriers, but come on, this stuff is interesting, show me! How often are you going to be in a predicament where your boys are getting scanned, might as well make the most out of it…

So anyway, the Ultrasound process consists of the following. You know that gel that they put on the woman’s stomach? Well guess what, you get a whole lot of it squirted down on your boys and elsewhere. In an effort to not displease the ladies that normally get it on their tummies for pregnancy, they keep the gel heated so that it will not make them cold. Well heated gel may feel okay on a tummy, but on my boys, yeah, not so much. Could have been a few degrees cooler, however, I do appreciate the fact that it was not cold. The situation is embarrassing enough so the last thing you need is shrinkage. So like I said, she sprayed that on me and then the exam started. Basically other than being asked to “bear down” a couple times, it was really just laying there for 30 minutes while she sensored me left, right, and down…she works her way all around saving images here and there for the file.

After that process is done, all of your Ultrasound images are sent off to a Radiology Expert that analyzes the images. 2-3 business days later that Expert contacts your doctor with the findings. If good, your doctor sends you a letter saying you have nothing to worry about, if bad, well, needle biopsy does not sound too good to me.

I got the letter on Friday, saying that everything was benign and that the lump attached to my buddy was actually cysts. So as cancer goes, I am in the clear! I am extremely glad that I did not ever have to describe what a testicular needle biopsy feels like. Overall, the experience was alright, I mean, it had to be done. Nobody wants to have all their “parts” touched left and right by strangers and such, well, at least in this way. But you have to set aside worry and such, better to go though this kind of stuff than have to find out you waited too long and now you have it in your lymph nodes or brain…

An FDA page I just googled real quick. If you want to do any further reading on the subject:
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/196_test.html

This post was my experience. Your experience may be much different than mine, however I did want to share mine with all of you.

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Its PHP Friday!
The PHP Friday Series

It is time once again for another PHP the Language playing card, the third of its kind. I really loved collecting trading cards way back when in my youth. So I decided that if PHP had a trading card game, perhaps the cards may look just like this. We honor our Baseball and Football heroes with collectible trading cards, lets do the same for our “PHP Heroes”. If there was such a thing as real cards, the people I create cards for are the ones I would try to track down and collect.

The PHP language has some excellent personalities backing it. One of the personalities that sticks out all the time to me is Terry Chay. I had heard his name originally as it was associated many times with Plaxo back when he still worked for them. But the first time I knew he was an Engineer I needed to keep an eye out for was when I heard about his OSCON presentation titled “The Underpants Gnomes Strategy Guide: An eCards Case Study”. Anybody with that kind of sense of humor is somebody worth listening to.

I am a subscriber of his blog and always look forward to his next post. His blog is always entertaining as he mixes in technical posts right along with everything else. He has a way with mixing in comical antics along with technical posts where he still comes across as an experienced developer, intelligent, and hilarious. You can tell that Terry is so passionate about what he does. These type of people are what make us and the PHP language itself so lucky to have.

Next planned PHP the Language Card: Ed “Funkatron” Finkler

“PHP the Language” Playing Cards Credits:
The overall card design is based off of the card playing game Magic the Gathering
“Poker” style cards have already been created - Check Them Out

Terry Chay Card Credits:
Original image located here: georges flicker

Terry Links From Card & Elsewhere:
http://terrychay.com/
http://terrychay.com/blog/

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