RSpec
After you get the VCR gem installed, use the configure_rspec_metadata! option to get VCR to automatically name your cassettes based off your test’s spec description.

Here’s a sample VCR confguration (spec/support/vcr.rb):

VCR.configure do |c|
  c.cassette_library_dir = 'spec/cassettes'
  c.hook_into :fakeweb
  c.configure_rspec_metadata!
end

RSpec.configure do |c|
  c.treat_symbols_as_metadata_keys_with_true_values = true
end

There are more details about the configure_rspec_metadata! option here: https://www.relishapp.com/myronmarston/vcr/v/2-0-0/docs/test-frameworks/usage-with-rspec-metadata

After this is setup, you just need to tag your specs, with :vcr. Here’s a sample:

it "should make me a sandwich", :vcr do
…
end

Cucumber
For Cucumber, you need to use the use_scenario_name option. (This option isn’t in a release version of VCR yet, so you’ll have to use the master branch version on GitHub.)

Here’s a sample VCR confguration for Cucumber (features/support/vcr.rb):

VCR.configure do |c|
  c.cassette_library_dir = 'features/cassettes'
  c.hook_into :fakeweb
end

VCR.cucumber_tags do |t|
  t.tag '@vcr', use_scenario_name: true
end

Then after this is setup, you can tag your scenarios or features with @vcr and it will automatically name the cassette using the scenario name combined with the feature name.

@vcr
Feature: Truffle shuffle
…

It’s really simple to setup VCR for automatic cassette naming for both RSpec and Cucumber. Which makes it really effortless to use VCR with the :vcr and @vcr tags. Which makes using VCR a no brainer.

Having a convenient way to see my goals or todo items is way more conducive to me to make them happen. Versus if I can’t see them, I’m more likely to forget and never take action, as they say, “Out of sight, out of mind.”

Now I look for and embrace that kind of uncomfortableness. To me, it means that I’m growing, learning something new, trying something different or improving on something. I think to myself that the opposite is being comfortable which means I’m not growing, learning or improving. So that’s what the reminder to myself to get uncomfortable is about.

Tools

First, I used the Kana-a-Day Practice Pad and a series of flash cards with the stroke on the front and how to pronounce the character on the back (I couldn’t find a link to the specific ones I used). I checked out some websites too, but ultimately those were the two tools that I stuck with for the last 30 days.

Starting Out and How I did it in 30 Days

I remember the first Hiragana character I did in the practice pad, あ. I practiced that first one about seventy times. At first, it felt so awkward and difficult to write, but I did it. And at the end of the day, it felt very satisfying to have just learned one character since I had always been very intimidated about learning kana (and kanji), it always looked so hard to learn to me. But hey, I just learned one! That was a good feeling. I only did one character the first day and it felt great! The next day I did two characters. Then the following day, I also did two characters. After that I realized if I kept at this pace, learning one or two a day, it would take me half a year just to learn all of them! So, I started doing five per day to learn the initial 46 characters, then I would do six, nine, ten or twelve per day for the modified/combined characters depending upon how much time I had and how ambitious I was feeling. It took me 16 days to learn all 104 Hiragana, then I basically repeated the same thing for the Katakana, learning five per day for initial 46 characters, then doing a half a dozen or more after that. Once I got momentum going those first several days, it made it easier to stick with it. I think taking it slow those first couple of days helped me build confidence too.

Repetition, Forgetting and Remembering

When I was learning the kana, I would practice them in the Kana-a-Day pad. But then throughout the day I would write the characters I learned in multiple places: I would write them on the white board in my office, I would write them on the marker board on the refrigerator, I would use a dry erase marker to write them on the mirror in the bathroom and I would practice them on sticky notes. Throughout the day, I would forget the characters I had learned, but forgetting them and then remembering them again, seemed to make me remember them better. I would use the flash cards at random times throughout the day too. I think spreading out the learning worked better for me vs. trying to do them all at once and cramming them in my brain. I would spend several minutes in the morning learning a new batch of characters and then throughout the day it would only take a minute or two to practice/review them all. I would always try to review the ones I already learned and the ones I just learned too. And then if I forgot one, I would just look how to do it and then that would make it easier to remember for the next time. So, I think the first key that worked for me was forgetting them and then remembering them throughout the day. And learning/practicing them in multiple sessions throughout the day vs. just doing one session.

Mnemonic Devices

The other method I used was trying to find mnemonic devices for the characters. I found it easy for some of the characters, but for others it didn’t really work. Like an obvious one is the Katakana character for shi: シ, so I think, she’s smiling (or smirking). Or for the Hiragana characters, ku: く, I remember “less than” which helps me remember the next character, ke: け, which I think of writing “lt” (for less than). Anyway, this helped me learn some of them, but for others I just had to learn them without a mnemonic device.

Summary

I know these tools and techniques won’t work for everyone, as everyone learns differently. But hopefully there’s something in here of value to someone out there. In summary I just took it slow for this first few days which built up my confidence. Writing the kana in different environments seemed to help. Practicing and reviewing them at random intervals throughout the day seemed to help too. And creating mnemonic devises and stories for each character made it funner and easier to remember.

I thought the yellow bag turned out nicer, it was my second attempt. This one has the red bias tape around the edges and I thought the handles came out a little nicer. I think if I do another one, it will turn out even nicer. Nonetheless, I think they both turned out all right. I really like how you can put them in the washing machine to clean them, unlike most of the cheaper reusable bags you can buy.

Install Node.js
This will install Node.js v0.4.12, currently the latest stable version. Remember even-numbered versions of Node.js are stable, while odd-numbered versions are considered unstable.

$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install git-core curl build-essential openssl libssl-dev
$ git clone https://github.com/joyent/node.git && cd node
$ git checkout v0.4.12
$ ./configure
$ make -j2
$ sudo make install
$ node --version

Install NPM

$ curl http://npmjs.org/install.sh | sudo sh
$ npm --version

Install CoffeeScript

$ sudo  npm install -g coffee-script
$ coffee --version

Set up NODE_PATH
This step will let you use/include all your Node libraries (including CoffeeScript) in Node.

Add this to your ~/.bashrc file:

export NODE_PATH=/usr/local/lib/node_modules

$ gem install rails --no-rdoc --no-ri

But there’s another way to prevent documentation from being installed. Create a .gemrc file in your home directory with the following:

gem: --no-ri --no-rdoc

Now you don’t have to worry about supplying the command line options, this will give you no documentation by default.

Here are the pieces I had to work with. The top and middle sections broke. Also notice how weathered and worn it looks.

Some of these fractures were from the last time it broke and I didn’t fix it properly. This time, I used Liquid Nails to glue it back together. I also used a cement caulk to fill in the gaps and cracks.

I used a textured spray paint from ColorTex called Quarry. It’s meant for interior applications, so I sprayed it with some clear coat spray paint as well. Here how the pagoda looks finished.

I think it turned out pretty good and it only cost about $20 in materials.

First I wrapped the handles with some old telephone cord to give them more girth.

On the bottom handle, I used some smaller cord for finger grips. I also secured the cords with duct tape.

Finally, I dipped the handles in Plasti Dip to give them a nice rubbery grip. Notice how the bottom handle has a slight curve to it.

My grass shears still look old and worn, but they work solidly and the handles are very plush and comfortable. In hindsight, I probably wouldn’t have wrapped the handles with duct tape as this made them somewhat lumpy after I plasti-dipped them. Also, I probably would have picked the red Plasti Dip, the black one is a bit dull to me.