Book Log: Sprit of Penance---Path to God, By Dom Hubert Van Zeller

I found this to be a very helpful book. I had read it years ago, but was not at a point in my walk with the Lord where I could really process what it said. It used to be that my whole being just recoiled from the subject of penance. I didn't want to go too deeply into it. I think I was just afraid that life would get too hard if I took penance seriously.

Now, I feel I've reached an age where I am starting to really reap all that I've sown in my life. My bad habits are hard to break, and I find them getting in the way of accomplishing what I want in life. I'm overly attached to food and drink. I'm overly attached to video games. I would rather read news and e-mail than work. When I try to go against any of these tendencies they put up quite a fight. I've come to the place where I can appreciate now the need for penance.

The most important lesson I've taken from this book is that the very first area of penance I need to accept is that which God sends to me against my will. This means that the trials, annoyances, and difficulties associated with my state in life are the first things to accept, offer up to God, and ask Him to join to the sufferings Jesus felt on the cross.

It is to be assumed as axiomatic, then, that the trials that God allows us in the nature of human existence are to be preferred before any that we could device for ourselves.
...Among such penances could be numbered the trials that come from one's temperament and training, one's state of life, one's contact with others, one's age and health, and one's surrounding circumstances generally.

This book has helped to inspire a deeper resolve to live my life in complete surrender to God.

Book Log: He Leadeth Me

Fantastic book.

C# Namespaces

Warning: Somewhat serious C# geekage lies just yonder. It is geared towards those of you who are software developers working with C#, especially if you're coming from a few years of Java coding. If this is not you, you're welcome to read on, but you'll probably be bored.

I just went through some pain trying to figure out why ReSharper was telling me that the namespace of a particular class was wrong. The specific error I was getting was "namespace does not correspond to file location". I noticed that the directory name the source file was in did not match the namespace. I liked the namespace, so I decided that once the project was in a somewhat stable state I would go back and clean up the directory structure.

So, once the project was in a somewhat stable state, I cleaned up the directory structure (not a completely trivial task, as I had to coordinate the solution with the project files and keep the revision control system happy), and was surprised to find that ReSharper was still telling me the namespace was wrong. I tried different names. I tried adding dots. I tried removing dots. I tried searching the ReSharper support forums. It was all to no avail. Then I dug through the .cproj file itself, and found that it contained an attribute indicating a root namespace for the assembly.

It then all fell into place: I was treating namespaces just like packages in Java. Although they're close, they're not the same. In Java, the package name must match the directory name. In C#, it appears it just has to match (or be a subspace of) the root namespace for the project.

This is one of those cases where, having Java experience hindered rather than helped my learning of C#. Of course, if the ReSharper error message had mentioned the root namespace rather than file location, that would have been helpful as well. Perhaps the ReSharper developers are coming from a Java background as well. But I can't get too annoyed with them because ReSharper is a fantastic tool.

Book Log: Prgramming C# by Jesse Liberty

I found Programming C# to be exactly what I needed to make the transition from Java to C# and .NET development. Jesse Liberty has a very clear, consistent expository style. He is readable while avoiding excessive cuteness.

The book covers the C# language itself, then shows how to build applications that use the Windows GUI, ADO.NET, web services and the whole .NET framework. Throughout there are warnings and tips directed a programmers coming from Java, C++ and Visual BASIC.

I recommend this book to any software developer moving from another language to C#.

Construction-Paper SCUBA Gear!

Sure, diving equipment made of paper may not last quite as long as other materials. But it is quite a bit cheaper.

"...lower the rescue pack"

This is another post in the "Kids say the Darnedest Things" category. It's cute. You have been warned.

A couple of months ago, Davey (5 years old) came into the room where I was futzing with the computer. With his usual earnest manner he asked, "Dad, have you seen Slowly?"

"Who?" I replied. I assumed I misheard him.

"Slowly. I've been looking for him and can't find him anywhere."

"Hmmm," said I. "I'm not sure who you mean. Who is 'Slowly?' "

"You know," he said, "Buzz Lightyear's little friend." (Buzz Lightyear is a character from the movie Toy Story. We have a Buzz Lightyear action figure with a cool space suit. The suit has a backpack with a built-in net on a string that can be lowered down and brought back up. Buzz also came with the little three-eyed green alien who fits in the pack.)

I queried, "Do you mean the little green alien with three eyes?"

"Yes," said Davey. "I can't find him."

"What makes you think his name is 'Slowly'? I don't remember them giving the little aliens any names in the movie."

"I know his name is 'Slowly' from what Buzz says when you push his button. He says, 'Slowly...lower the rescue pack.'""

Book Log: Without Roots: The West, Relativism, Christianity, Islam by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger and Marcello Pera

I read it, but don't have time (or rather, the energy) to comment on it right now.