Of Yesterday's Life
I sat under a street light along 8th Avenue at 14th Street reading A Confederacy of Dunces. It was nearly 3AM on a near-perfect night. These are my favorite hours of the day; peaceful, reflective. The small, normally unnoticed details suddenly standout. The building across the street, with its broad front and many columns of windows, reminds me of Bonn. In the upper corner read Steak House. The horns of impatient cab drivers are more frustrating at this hour and a man near me plays thumb drums on the table. His rhythm is horribly off.
An older man pulled from his cigarette and asked how I read here at this hour. I could have done without the small talk, but still politely entertained his question. His finger pointed out to a bar on the street corner as he let me in on a little secret. He stared at me as if to suggest I head there now. I had on gym shorts and sneakers, not to mention no desire for the sort. A group of women walked out. The man obnoxiously let out a cat call from across the street. I wondered if such tactics had ever worked. For any man, anywhere. I think I know the answer. He said in parting that he preferred reading to jazz. At that moment I, quite frankly, could care less. I continued reading.
I passed a homeless man on my walk home. He was hunched over asleep. His cart of belongings was covered in American flags. I could feel his pride. I wanted to ask his story, but continued walking. I enjoy talking to people; our lives, I fi...
SQL: Introducing Having
I was asked recently to write the SQL needed to define a class method named User.busy? that would return an array of User records with a post count greater than or equal to 2.
Let's assume we have two tables, users and posts, linked by the primary key users.id and the foreign key posts.user_id.
I knew high level that I would need a join between the two tables and some way to apply a where clause on the count of posts grouped by users. A quick bit of research introduced me to the group by plus having technique.
1 select users.* from users join posts on posts.user_id = users.id group by posts.user_id having count(*) >= 2Ta da!
Fear Not When; Fear Not Why
I finally get it.
There is a genuine love and appreciation for this town. I'm quite certain it is unparalleled. There is a level of pride found within its inhabitants. I admittedly never really understood. But I am beginning to see; as I explore neighborhoods, interact with the locals, and begin to find my place. The energy -- the life beat and sensory overload. It makes everywhere else seem to stand still. The overwhelming abundance of choice, opportunity, and possibility. The millions of people who inhabit it. It's making sense.
I'll manage anywhere thanks to my life experiences, but I never truly fit in DC. That has become significantly more apparent and prevalent as I teeter on the border of my 30s. DC has a mold and it's a mold that I quite simply do not fit. It's not that I can relate to each and every person on the New York City streets. Lord knows the majority here are the yin to my yang in every way conceivable. But here that's okay. There is a comfort in being different and I appreciate that.
This place is a people watcher's dream - history, struggle, culture, diversity. Stimuli -- some good, some bad. There is variety, oddness, acceptance, and style. DC inhabitants seem to have stemmed from the same stencil. We work the same jobs, dress in the same dull, unimaginative fashion, and share similar interests. I work for "the State Department" (or as some prefer, Treasury). I work on "The Hill" for Congressman/woman so-and-so. I work f...
Ocean World, Dolphin Swim
Few have seen the videos from our last family trip to the Dominican Republic. This is the first of several -- our dolphin swim at Ocean World.
Looking forward to the cooler weather of Fall. It is blazing hot! I had two lobster rolls the other day that made me think of you. Always welcome to come up to NYC! Love you.
by Eric on SQL: Introducing Having