What it means to be an Architect

For the longest time, I always had trouble understanding what it was to be an application architect. This is a problem at my work, as that is my job title. I cut my teeth on programming and am pretty good at it, but now being an architect is different. Being an architect is creating the design, but allowing freedom in how it would get implemented in the nuts and bolts to the programmer. There is always a fine line between architect and programming and there is a fine line between architect and project manager. I don't know if the arrangement of the project manager and architect being 2 different people works out well, or at least in the arrangement that we have now, simply because the project manager will end up doing a bit of the architect's work, or the architect will be doing the project manager's work...I haven't found a good division of labor in order for people to work in harmony quite yet.

Now I am starting to understand it a little bit more. I don't need to know every little thing that goes on in the application. I don't have to implement every feature that I design. But I do need to know enough so that I don't come up with a crazy design that will not work in real life. It seems that this isn't a lot of work, as you're not implementing it, but nevertheless it is important.

Last night was brutal. got home at 9pm from work, and ran at 10pm....then ate and couldn't go to sleep till 1am...this running thing is going well...I do enjoy it, but I need to take it easy so I don't injure my body like I have been...

I went to the doctor today to have my back checked since I injured it doing a pilates class. turns out that it may be a tear in the spinal ligament around T6 or so...this really sucks, cause from what the doctor tells me, is that ligaments do not heal real quick, nor do they necessarily heal completely. I'm kind of angry at my pilates class, since I put myself in their care and they failed miserably.

So now I have to do these exercises and I am now contemplating seriously a personal trainer, so that I will do my exercises right, given this injury.