Since my Facebook friends seemed to like the picture I posted of my Valentine’s Day dinner, I figured I’d share the recipe. Note that all portions can be doubled if you are sharing with a special someone.

Pork Chop with Caramelized Onion
1 medium pork chop
1 small yellow onion
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Parsley (fresh or dried)

1. Cut pork chop into bite-size pieces.
2. Brown pork in a small amount of extra virgin olive oil.
3. Add chopped yellow onion.
4. Season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic, and parsley.
5. Sauté until onion is golden brown.

Pan Fried Potato with Sour Cream and Green Onion
1 medium potato
1 scallion (a.k.a. green onion)
Sour cream
Vegetable oil

1. Slice potato into thin (0.25 – 0.5 cm thick) slices with skin on.
2. Bring a thin layer of oil to heat in a heavy fry pan.
3. Once oil is hot, place potato slices in a single layer in oil (multiple batches may be necessary). Be careful as oil may spatter.
4. Flip slices occasionally and fry until golden brown.
5. Remove from oil and use a paper towel to remove excess oil.
6. Top with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with the chopped scallion.

Romaine Salad with Cucumber
Romaine lettuce (from a bag or off the head)
Black olives (sliced)
Cucumber
Salad dressing (I used ranch)

1. Slice cucumber.
2. Place cucumber around lettuce.
3. Top with salad dressing and black olives.

In completing the first iteration, my partner and I had mostly positive experiences, but also faced some challenges. We began by spending some time discussing the basic design of our program before splitting up the task of writing test cases between the two of us. I was too busy to spend much time working together during the first of our two weeks of development time, so we used this time to think independently about the design of our program and to each write a number of test cases for our software. This worked well for us, and by the time we had our first meeting, we had a number of test cases written, some notes about how each function would work, and even a bit of pseudocode. From this point, we did most of the work together, sitting side-by-side taking turns writing the code.

The biggest challenge we faced was how to split up work while keeping both partners on the same page. This was especially important since the two us had different levels of experience with C++. While we always made an effort to make sure both of us understood what the code was doing, our unequal experience meant that it was common for one of us to get ahead of the other, making design decisions and creating algorithms while the other person was trying to figure out what exactly a piece of code did. Also, when code didn’t work (or often didn’t even compile) the first time around, it usually fell to the more experienced partner to figure out what was wrong with the code and how it needed to be changed to fix it. For the most part this wasn’t a problem, but it made it especially important for the more experienced partner to explain what he was doing so that both of us learned from our mistakes.

Overall, I would say that our experience was successful. I believe working together served as a learning experience for both of us. Having two people working together allowed us to catch each other’s mistakes and learn from each other. I would encourage others, if they haven’t tried it, to try writing code together. Working with another person requires that you articulate your thoughts, and the process of sharing ideas with another person can go a long way towards helping one refine their ideas. My biggest take-away from the first iteration was that communication is key. As we continue to work together on the next iteration of our project, I hope that my partner and I can build upon our success and do a better job of dividing the work so that we can both make a strong contribution to the design and implementation of our software.

Edit: Just uploaded a new version with an additional command.

Since I just resubscribed to Netflix, I figured I’d share what I started watching over the weekend. Firefly is a science fiction television series that combines elements of science fiction and westerns to create a humorous but at times odd show that at times reminded me of Star Trek. Firefly only aired for one season in 2002 on Fox. In 2005 a film named Serenity based on the series was released, concluding the story.

Wikipedia

• Keeping Up with My Classes: It seems that at the beginning of every school year, I say that this is the year I will actually read all of my textbooks in their entirety. Needless to say, it takes only a couple weeks for me to begin to fall behind on my readings. By the end of the semester, I frequently have given up on textbook readings completely. My goal this year is not to read my textbooks cover to cover, a feat which would take me way more time than I have available to me. Instead, my goal is merely to be more committed to keeping up with my studies. I don’t need to read every word in the textbook, but I need to make an effort to take advantage of my textbooks, using them as a supplement to the lectures. I also need to make more use of my notes. I am going to aim to review all of my notes at least once after each lecture.
• Increasing My Activity Outside of Class: During my first year of college, I did join a few groups. I participated in one of the university choirs and I joined the choir at St. Lawrence Newman Center. I also participated in a few special activities at St. Lawrence: caroling at Christmas, the swing dance, and the all-night prayer vigil in Lent. This year, I want to increase my involvement in those activities I have already joined as well as participating in new activities. I want to become more active at St. Lawrence. I also plan to join IEEE this semester and hopefully participate in some of the local chapter’s activities.
• Strengthening My Relationships: During my freshmen year, I met a number of new and interesting people. I was lucky enough to meet several people whom I enjoyed spending time with and who held similar interests. These people helped make me feel at home at college, but yet I still spent a lot of time alone. I don’t seek to change who I am, I am an introvert and enjoying spending time by myself. I do feel, though, that I did not spend enough time with my friends. Thus, I have made a commitment to myself to spend more time with my friends and to not let my introverted nature prevent my personal relationships from becoming stronger.