Since I don't write Perl for a living I keep finding myself needing to go back and relearn something I thought I had halfway started to understand 6 months ago. I feel like I'm not making the progress I'd like, so I decided I needed a real project to work on. Something to keep me motivated and moving forward towards JAPHdom.
I've been thinking about trying my hand at writing a module for a little while, but was having a hard time coming up with an idea that might be remotely useful for at least one other person _AND_ within my meager set of Perl skills. I've been getting slightly interested this whole blog thing lately, although this is about as close to a blog as I'm likely to ever have. Since this is only my second journal entry it's safe to assume I'm not that into keeping track of my own activities. That's what the F.B.I. are for anyway. (Now, if i could keep track of my car keys... that would ROCK!)
Anyway, I've been finding lots of interesting geek blogs and wikis with plenty of good tips, what projects people are working on... that sort of thing. Way more interesting than the usual angsty dear-diary stuff.
Then I finally had what I think might be a halfway decent idea. (You're as shocked as me I'm sure!) Since I'm a Mac fan I thought perhaps I'd try something Mac and blog related.
Not wanting to reinvent any wheels, especially since this wheel will probably be kind of square and wobbly, I started looking around CPAN, Sorceforge and Perlmonks to make sure nobody had done/is doing the same thing. I also wanted to see what was already out there that I could use in this project.
While doing my searches I kept running across the same author names or links to things they had written. Two of the frequently recurring names weren't new to me, pudge and brian d foy. But while I was searching topics that were even remotely similar I kept finding links to Petdance/Andy Lester's modules or finding his answers to other people's questions on Perlmonks. I'd only recently become aware of Petdance when he kindly offered to speak at a Rubbercity.pm meeting . Chatted with him breifly once on iChat - a nice guy and obviously very knowledgable.
Since then I have run across his name so many times that it is starting to make me feel slightly creepy.
So yesterday, I was really happy to receive a copy of Perl Medic - Transforming Legacy Code by Peter J. Scott that I had requested for the Rubbercity.pm group library. I love getting good mail and a new book is high on the list of good mail.
With a little glee, I crack the virgin binding open to a random page to start checking the book out.
And there, about 3/4 of the way down page 57 two words leapt out as if they had been set in 72 pt. type with some kind of shimmering electric font -- Andy Lester!
I just want to say that in case he ever stumbles across this - I'm not a stalker! I promise!
