How PHP Got Me Married
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How PHP Got Me Married
Before the turn of the century (more than seven years now), I started playing around with a little language known as PHP. I was building my Dungeons and Dragons website at the time, and wanted to give myself a bit of interactivity with it. With Perl being a pain in the ass to work with at the time, I used PHP.
I was awful.
But it was easy enough, and forgiving enough, that I kept at it. Eventually, I found myself more interested in the programming part than the actual website. So I got more and more involved with helping other people start out with PHP, and opened up newbienetwork.net. Now, back then, I offered some really bad advice for many programmers. But it was okay. These were tutorials that helped people by giving them real working code. Sure, I didn't spend much time on design theory, MVC, object orientation, or what have you, but it was a stepping stone for a lot of people.
Anyways, somehow I ended up at the IRC #php channel on OpenProjects.net (OPN). #php is now, officially ##php on FreeNode. Anyways, I became a regulard there for sometime. I could log on and be greated by a number of people. Eventually, I was made an Op there. In fact, I believe I'm still an Op there.
But that's not important.
What's important is that is where I first "met" Piera.
Piera is known as "piera" on IRC. So yeah, it's kinda obvious. Anyways, to make a long story short, after some time talking with one another, on IRC, ICQ, and on the phone, we decided we should start "dating." That was August 5, 2001. A short while after we started "dating", RainMkr decided to throw the first official #php barbecue at his house. Piera was supposed to travel there as well, but I ended up being the only guest.
Anyways, we wanted to see one another, and on September 28, after a long bus ride from Bethlehem, PA, I saw Piera for the first time.
We had met each other in the #php channel, and to ensure that we would recognize one another when we saw each other (just in case it wasn't obvious), she agreed to show up at the train station carrying a book. I didn't need the book to recognize her, but I'll always remember her. I was waiting in the station, and at the right moment, looked ahead at the escalator, and this beautiful woman comes riding up. Her arms are crossed over a book she holds across her chest. It's a white PHP book.
I get up and practically skip toward her with joy.
It was five days of heaven. I never wanted to leave her side. But I had to go back home and finish school.
It wasn't until 3 months later, on December 26th, that I finally moved up to Montreal, Canada. I'll be honest, I was a nervous wreck. She said I had a job waiting for me, she said she had hooked me up with an apartment, but I was still nervous. I was moving away from everything I knew to take a risk. It was a risk for both of us. We had only known each other for a short period of time and were committing ourselves to so much. The year was 2001. I was only 21 at the time.
It's now 2007, and I am 27.
This Saturday I'll stand before friends and family in church and announce my undying love for this woman who has changed my life. Piera has made me a better person, and we never want to be apart.
We are getting married.
These days so much bad news abounds that it's hard to see the good. But I look back on these 6 years and smile. Sure, we've had our ups and our downs, but this Saturday, we will show in the greatest way possible that we would have done it all over again, and that no matter what, we will always be together.
Piera, I love you. Since the days of #php when we would talk on the phone for five or six hours... when you'd keep me up and I'd get a few hours of sleep before running off to work... when I moved up to Canada to make sure we are always close... to proposing with you down by the Old Port... I love you.
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Anyone up in Montreal this Saturday (Jun 16) that are interested in saying "Hi" to us, we'll be up by the Old Port of Montreal at around 3:30 for wedding pictures at the top of the hill. It's where all the married couples go to get pictures taken, by the fountains at the top of the hill. You are more than welcome to stop by. And if you do, bring along a PHP book for good times. =)
-----
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I was awful.
But it was easy enough, and forgiving enough, that I kept at it. Eventually, I found myself more interested in the programming part than the actual website. So I got more and more involved with helping other people start out with PHP, and opened up newbienetwork.net. Now, back then, I offered some really bad advice for many programmers. But it was okay. These were tutorials that helped people by giving them real working code. Sure, I didn't spend much time on design theory, MVC, object orientation, or what have you, but it was a stepping stone for a lot of people.
Anyways, somehow I ended up at the IRC #php channel on OpenProjects.net (OPN). #php is now, officially ##php on FreeNode. Anyways, I became a regulard there for sometime. I could log on and be greated by a number of people. Eventually, I was made an Op there. In fact, I believe I'm still an Op there.
But that's not important.
What's important is that is where I first "met" Piera.
Piera is known as "piera" on IRC. So yeah, it's kinda obvious. Anyways, to make a long story short, after some time talking with one another, on IRC, ICQ, and on the phone, we decided we should start "dating." That was August 5, 2001. A short while after we started "dating", RainMkr decided to throw the first official #php barbecue at his house. Piera was supposed to travel there as well, but I ended up being the only guest.
Anyways, we wanted to see one another, and on September 28, after a long bus ride from Bethlehem, PA, I saw Piera for the first time.
We had met each other in the #php channel, and to ensure that we would recognize one another when we saw each other (just in case it wasn't obvious), she agreed to show up at the train station carrying a book. I didn't need the book to recognize her, but I'll always remember her. I was waiting in the station, and at the right moment, looked ahead at the escalator, and this beautiful woman comes riding up. Her arms are crossed over a book she holds across her chest. It's a white PHP book.
I get up and practically skip toward her with joy.
It was five days of heaven. I never wanted to leave her side. But I had to go back home and finish school.
It wasn't until 3 months later, on December 26th, that I finally moved up to Montreal, Canada. I'll be honest, I was a nervous wreck. She said I had a job waiting for me, she said she had hooked me up with an apartment, but I was still nervous. I was moving away from everything I knew to take a risk. It was a risk for both of us. We had only known each other for a short period of time and were committing ourselves to so much. The year was 2001. I was only 21 at the time.
It's now 2007, and I am 27.
This Saturday I'll stand before friends and family in church and announce my undying love for this woman who has changed my life. Piera has made me a better person, and we never want to be apart.
We are getting married.
These days so much bad news abounds that it's hard to see the good. But I look back on these 6 years and smile. Sure, we've had our ups and our downs, but this Saturday, we will show in the greatest way possible that we would have done it all over again, and that no matter what, we will always be together.
Piera, I love you. Since the days of #php when we would talk on the phone for five or six hours... when you'd keep me up and I'd get a few hours of sleep before running off to work... when I moved up to Canada to make sure we are always close... to proposing with you down by the Old Port... I love you.
-----
Anyone up in Montreal this Saturday (Jun 16) that are interested in saying "Hi" to us, we'll be up by the Old Port of Montreal at around 3:30 for wedding pictures at the top of the hill. It's where all the married couples go to get pictures taken, by the fountains at the top of the hill. You are more than welcome to stop by. And if you do, bring along a PHP book for good times. =)
-----
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- John Cartwright
- Site Admin
- Posts: 11470
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- Location: Toronto
- Contact:
- RobertGonzalez
- Site Administrator
- Posts: 14293
- Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2003 6:04 pm
- Location: Fremont, CA, USA
After all the above "Congratulations" posts, I wanted to just type something out of the blue like:
Green puppies
for the hell of it. But I figured you wouldn't understand my particular random humour, so I'll carry on like a lemming & wish you a congratulations & a good life
Green puppies
for the hell of it. But I figured you wouldn't understand my particular random humour, so I'll carry on like a lemming & wish you a congratulations & a good life
Real programmers don't comment their code. If it was hard to write, it should be hard to understand.
- Ollie Saunders
- DevNet Master
- Posts: 3179
- Joined: Tue May 24, 2005 6:01 pm
- Location: UK
congrats man
Congrats Jason - it's been a long time coming 
I wish the best for you both and tell pierapants "hi" for me...
I wish the best for you both and tell pierapants "hi" for me...
