Two more weeks

I've taken a very relaxing, and homework free, Thanksgiving weekend.  Part of me feels like I should have worked on my final project and/or the last chapter in the textbook, but the fact is, I really enjoyed taking a break from studying and school work.  Now I have to really concentrate and put in some computer time.  It should go pretty fast once I do a little more organizing for the project.  I know what I want to do and, mostly, how to go about getting it done.  It is just a matter of time and effort.  The final project, which is in lieu of a final exam, will be a web site with several linked sites.  I plan on posting it to a web service so it will be available to anyone who is interested.

There are only two more weeks of this semester/class. An indicator of how close the end really is was being able to register for next semester.  Today was the first day I could register which I did to be sure I got the class I want - another computer programming language.  It will be the last programming class I need although I still need one more computer class. I also need 3 or 4 general education classes, which I'll take later on.  I've been tempted to take more but have resisted.  I've waited this long to complete my degree and am not, at the moment, in a big hurry to finish it.  Lazy? Procrastinating? Maybe, but it's an easily handled pace and gives me time to enjoy the retired life that I have become accustomed to and to have plenty of family time.

No class today - good or bad???

I learned a good lesson during my first fall semester, when I took my first programming class.  The lesson is:  Always check you computer before you leave home for school.  The instructor always puts a notice online, somewhere - usually an email - when there won't be class that day.  It saves time, gas, and all that goes into getting prepared for a class.  The first time this happened to me, I got to school on time only to find a note on the door saying that class had been cancelled.  It's a real weird feeling - good!  I have a few hours of free time; then - bad!  how am I going to get the help I need to finish an assignment;  then good, again! - there are lots of things that I need to do away from school that I didn't think I'd have time for; then bad again! - the guilt sets in as I realize that I really should go to the computer lab and get the help there and maybe finish an assignment.  To be honest, it's a toss of the coin which I decide to do.  
Of course, reading the email before I leave, still sets up a whole new list of choices like, now I have time to read a book, take a nap, actually try to solve the riddles of programming by myself and the great lift that gives me.  What choice do I usually make?  A combination of several of the above, depending on how I'm feeling that day.  I wish I could say I always go to the computer lab (if I'm already at school because I forgot to check my email first) or work on the stumbling block myself, but I'm a born-again procrastinator and put off the school work until after a few hours of more pleasurable options. 
In the meantime, I've driven the rest of my world crazy while I "goofed" off.  (There's some twisted sense of pleasure in that, too ;-)  There's always the chance that, if I put it off, my brain will reconnect with it's fine-tuning and I'll know what to do.  How often does that happen?  Surprisingly, more often than not.  So, fellow procrastinators, there is a reason we somehow manage to succeed and achieve our goals. 

A new challenge

College level learning is very stimulating and good for the ego and morale.  The challenge of getting your brain working again is the stimulating part; realizing that you can learn, remember and the spit it out for a test is sooo  ego-boosting; discovering that nobody cares how old you are, that recent high school graduates don’t think it’s odd that an older person is in classes with them and that all the teachers assume you have a good reason for being there and are just another student is the part that raises your morale higher than it’s probably been for a long time.  College is definitely worth the time and effort for someone who hasn’t done any studying for a long time.  It has given me a  confidence I forget I had and a satisfaction that has only come from various home projects I have done.  I recommend it to anyone who has a thirst for knowledge and is in a deep rut.  I can almost guarantee that college courses will pull you right out of it.

I remember the first test I had to take in PhotoShop.  I was prepared, but scared to death that I would fail and get kicked out of the class.  I passed that first one and went on to pass all of the others, even though the anxiety level was always high before one.  The instructor in most of my other computer classes prefers to assign final projects instead of giving final exams – bless his heart!  The projects are always time consuming and involve using everything you’ve learned that semester, but the anxiety of taking a final exam is gone – something I do not miss at all.  I suspect he just doesn't like to grade tests and it is easier for him to look at the work you've done on his computer.

This week I have had another challenge – illness – that has interfered with my classwork and attendance.  Crafton Hills College is aptly named as it is in the hills between Redlands and Yucaipa and since my illness is a sinus infection, the change in altitude would be murder on my eardrums and not being able to hear well makes me feel like I’m in limbo-land and I can’t think straight about anything.  Thankfully, it is getting better and I am beginning to feel almost normal.  Now to catch up on the work.  I can do it – and enjoy the doing.  It would be more enjoyable without the pressure, but it’s still a pleasure.

The joys and frustrations of programming

First of all, the picture at the left, is the NEW library building that is replacing the beauty at the top.  Maybe someday, when all the plantings grow up it will look like something besides a block and glass box.  One can only hope.

After several hours of frustration as I tried to find an error, or 2 or 3 or 20,  in my programming textbook work, I gave up and had some fun.  Our final project, in lieu of a test, is to create a website for a fictitious business that has at least 3 divisions and each division has to have at least 3 pages attached to it.  Sounds intimidating, huh?  Right now it isn't but who knows about a week or so from now.  My fun/play was to design the banners that go at the head of each site using Photoshop.  I really enjoy using that program and so got the banners finished fairly easily.  The fictional business is DMC Specialties and the division are businesses that our family could actually have.  I showed the banners to my instructor today to be sure what I was planning was within the guidelines.  He approved my plan, so I can proceed with the hours of programming each site.  Hopefully, these will actually get put on the web.  This is the fourth class I've had this instructor for and he is very good and very direct with what he thinks of programs and the textbooks we use.  Too bad he is busy running his own business besides teaching.  He could write some outstanding textbooks for these programs.

Earthquake Victim

The beautiful building above is not really all that old.  It was built in the 1970's and has already been declared "unsafe" and closed for good.  It is to be demolished in the near future.  Why?  After the first earthquake outside Mexicali last spring, a crack was noticed somewhere on it.  The second Mexicali earthquake widened that quake, the experts were called in and the building was closed up.  Everyone that worked in that building was moved out and everything, including a computer lab was moved out to other buildings.  A new library building was being built but was 6 months behind schedule.  The infamous "they" evidently put a rush on finishing it because it is now open.  I am really sad to see that building sitting there abandoned and obviously feeling lonely. 

The adventure continues..............

along with the challenges of convincing myself that I CAN learn all of the tech nical coding that is behind every web page.  I do enjoy the challenges and have learned far more than I ever thought I could.  The biggest thing I've learned is that learning how to program is just one step in creating a web site.  Each class builds on the last and what you learned then, you need to remember now.  YIIKES!!  My brain cells are overloaded and each new computer language I learn tries to replace what I learned the semester before or maybe 3 semesters before.  For example, the class I'm taking now uses a programming language that I took 2 years ago!!!  It's beginning to come back and I don't feel as lost as I was at the beginning of this semester.  What a relief to discover that everything I learned then hasn't totally gone into a black hole in my brain. 

 One of the most surprising things about going back to school is discovering that all ages are in my classes.  Age makes no difference, nor does background.  I've met some interesting and delightful people - middle aged unemployed learning new skills, teenagers right out of high school who were convinced they were going to make a fortune in computer programming, mothers of all ages who were brushing up on skills so they could re-enter the work place and, most impressive, the military veterans who are using the VA bill to finish their education that was delaryed or interrupted by service to our country.  This mix of students adds immensely to the experience.  Added to this is the willingness of each student to help any other student that needs it. I don't know how many times another student has helped me find my way through the maze of learning new skills.  My thanks to all of them.