Sydney after a nice long meal.
Category: Text Post
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Being A Big Nerd: Day 1
In a word… Wow. The first 2 hours of the class I was concerned that it may be a bit too basic for me. After all I had been reading a lot and what was covered I already knew. But that quickly changed and before I knew it I was having flashbacks to being in HS and was sweating. I could tell the people around me were “getting it” a bit faster and had more experience. I was falling behind and fast!
I took a short lunch and came back early to keep working and by the end of the class I was caught up. I’m used to being the most technical person in the room, but here I’m probably the least educated on the topic. I think it’s been a long time since my brain really felt stressed stretched like this. But, I have a few hours tonight to brush up on what we did today, and tomorrow I’m getting up early to read ahead in the next few chapters so that I’m as prepared as possible.
We did actually write no less than 3 applications today, and 2 were actually deployed to the iPhone for testing. It was a pretty cool feeling to see your own application loaded onto the phone. 
I’m really looking forward to tomorrow and the rest of the week. It’s a good class of people, and the two teachers (Aaron and Joe) from Big Nerd Ranch are awesome. I’ve struggled at times when I was reading and typing my own code, but having somebody right there that can look over your shoulder and explain what you did wrong is pretty awesome. More later this week!
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A Calling
Have you ever wanted to do something that you just felt was meant to be? Maybe something you’ve always wanted to try because it spoke to you in a way that nothing else did. Maybe it’s playing a sport or starting a new hobby. I think we all have at least one of those things inside of us, a seed that was planted long ago that’s yearning to grow.For me that has always been computer programming. I’ve always felt that it was something I would be very good at. I have a very logical and technical way of thinking, which plays nicely into programming. I’m also full of ideas for programs that either don’t exist, or are improvements on programs that are out there that fall short.But, I went down the path of television production long ago, and once you’ve built a career, and even more once you have a house payment, wife and now kids, it gets harder and harder to take a step in a different direction, not matter what the calling. It all comes down to responsibility and the fact that life is not just about you anymore (well, it was fun while it lasted anyway).So, it’s with great excitement that I will be spending this week in California taking a crash course on programming for the iPhone, iPad and future iOS devices. Not only is it the perfect class for me and where I am with my programming skills (very limited) but the class is with some really great people that I’ve admired professionally for years. So it’s a chance to meet and work with some of my heros of technology.
The class was not cheap, neither was the hotel (however the flight was pretty good), and my hope is that the money spent now is just a downpayment on a future return as I begging to write applications and sell them. In some ways it feels like a long shot, and in others if feels like this is where I was always headed.I’m very grateful that Brenda has been very supportive of this dream of mine. This week will be hard on her and I know she would rather I was around. And even though this is costing a small fortune for us right now, she never once made an issue of it. She believes in me, which helps me believe in myself.So time will tell where this week leads. My hope is it’s the beginning of a new chapter in my life. If not, I at least know that I gave it a solid shot without letting dream just die inside me.Time to get on the plane! -
Portable Entertainment System
Another hour before boarding starts.
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Just Made The Cutoff!
I hate the weight restrictions. Let’s go back to no limits on bags, no security, and metal eating utensils.
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