We're three weeks into our new lives in The Netherlands. So much is happening, it's been an anxiety laden experience.

Back in 1993, I moved to Amsterdam with a guitar and $70. Not my brightest move. I spent much of the next two years playing music on the street (e.g. Busking) in and out of Amsterdam. It was an amazing part of my life. I don't regret a minute of it.

In my last blog post, I mentioned that I was pivoting to what I'm doing next. It feels a lot of people are going through an upheaval. Is it systemic?

I went to my blog the other day and noticed my last story here was in February. I guess I got a little distracted. So, what have I been up to?

So...I know that this isn't the tech content I usually have on my website, but I have a new feature-lengthed documentary called ["Don't Worry, I'm Fine"](https://imfinefilm.com).

I've been logging a long time. My wife and I were talking about it. We realized that it's been over twenty years since my first nascient online attempts.

This is an important day for me. As many of you know, I've become a little bit of a film maker over the past few years. I feel like it's been building up to this new film I've spent the last two years making.

I've been mulling this topic for a long time now. I had aimed to make this into one of my video rants, but I want to make sure the words I mean are the words I say. This is purely my view of the idea of privilege in my own life.

I was talking with David Berry when we both heard the news about MSDN Magazine shutting down after the November issue. I'm really saddened by it.

The first blog post I wrote was on April 10th, 2002. That means I’m coming up on fifteen years of blogging.

It’s been a tough couple of months here at Wildermuth central. I’m finally feeling good enough to get back on my proverbial feet. The hair is longer, the beard grayer, and hopefully a little more wise.

I love what I do. The consulting, the software development, the courses…I really love it all. It keeps me in a constant state of learning and I am overjoyed and extremely lucky for this to be my life’s passion.

I’m happy to announce that I will be working with the Humanitarian Toolbox to both help publicize this important project as well as work on some of the projects. This is an important open source project that is trying to do some real good for the world out there.

I try to keep this blog relatively technology focused but sometimes something happens in my life that requires an announcement. I am also mentioning it here because I think it makes a good story:

On the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I am reflective of a difficult time for my country, the world and my own life. I had recently been laid off for the first time in my career...so when the attacks happened, I had all the time in the world to watch all the coverage I could. I was in Portland (Oregon) so I was not close, but it felt close. Watching this news happen in real-time was profound event for me. If I was closer, I hope that I would have jumped in to help. My heart sank for the victims and their families. I tried to make sense of this violent act...and it was simply senseless. At that Twin Towers; at the Pentagon and in that tragic field in Pennsylvania - the bravery and heroism that I have to believe I am not capable of.

As many of you have known for a while, I've been running my AgiliTrain training company focusing on technologies like Silverlight, WPF and the Web. My interest in training isn't going away, but I've yearned to work with a small group of thought leaders to help companies in more innovative ways. With this goal in mind, I am launching Wilder Minds.

I buy a lot of music. I am not a hoarder like some, but I have 100GB’ish of MP3s. I don’t go around and ‘borrow’ friends collections just to up my count. What I do is buy music…just not at brick and mortar stores.

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Trish and I decided to move into an old stomping grounds of mine inside Atlanta proper.  I always forget the nasty little things that can make a move feel like hell.  In this case, the AC in the new apartment was(is) broken.  I thought we could tough it out, but once the cats started to pant...I had to do something.

Currently my healthcare plan is cash. The quality me the care is adequate but the cost is crazy. I went to emergency room today. They offer a 40% discount to people with no insurance, if they pay within the first thirty days.  I understand this is a policy to encourage users to pay their bill fast, but it seems to me that if they can afford a 40% discount, then that is nearer their costs.  If you need to spread the cost past thirty days, no discount.  So the people least able to afford healthcare are paying full fare.  In fact, I would bet that the full price care is being paid by no-one with insurance.  I would expect that the Blue-Cross's and Medicares out there have rate plans for what they pay for what.  This seems regressive to me. 

Tricia and I have been looking at houses today when we heard sirens and a car hit the car in front of us (thankfully everyone was ok).  But when the car stopped that hit the car in front of us, the sirens were right behind them.  They both jumped out and one of them ran off.  The officers arrested the one that didn't run and 3 more patrol cars went after the one on foot.  I never did find out if they caught him, but it was all a bit too exciting.

They have quite a scam going on for individual people for coverage.  Tricia and I recently applied for individual coverage and they happily took our application and the first month's premium.  Before they even looked at the application, they charged our credit card.  Then they dragged their feet on approving the application so we have to cancel the application and get coverage elsewhere.  So the deal is that if you are not approved or cancel the application, they take 30 days to keep your money and issue an out of state check for the refund.  So they are keeping our money floating in their accounts for two months while they mess around with us.  While money isn't extravagant (~$600), I wonder how many other individuals are caught up in this mess too.  I knew BCBS was a crooked organization (they are an insurance carrier afterall), but this just seems mean to do this to individuals that can scarcely deal with it, people trying to get individual insurance coverage.  Just evil...

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To whomever designed the kidney, I have a bone to pick with you.  I've spent two of the past four nights in the Hospital dealing with kidney stones.  Nasty thing is that the pain medication that usually dulls it well enough has done nothing with these new nasty sized pearls.  Now that they know what they are made up (mostly calcium), I have to change the whole way I eat, or more appropriately, drink.  I've been told to give up all milk products, colas and tea.  I guess I have to drink water...

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Elf on the TV, apple pies in the oven, ham on the table and I am blogging.  I must be nuts.  Of course I am at my mother's house and anything to get me out from in the middle of my vaguely crazy family.  Its wonderful to be home, but I am constantly reminded of why I left my hometown to begin with. 

Url: http://atlanta.com