It's Been A Long Time...

Sorry to be so long between posts...but life has been crazy.


I decided to take the plunge and return to school.  I followed by geeky little heart and I am majoring in computer science...and I love it!


During the summer term, I completed a introductory course in C++ programming.  It mostly served as a refresher for me, since we focused on procedural programming and not object oriented.  Now I am continuing with the next course in the series, which will delve more into object orientation.  I am also taking courses in UNIX, Java, and iPhone programming.  My schedule is rounded out with a class for emergency medical responders.  It is primarily for those going into a public safety career (which I have no interest in) but it a) fulfills a graduation requirement, and b) will teach me some really strong first aid skills (and living in San Francisco where we all are waiting on THE BIG ONE that is not a bad thing.  


I realized something...being a student is sort of a natural environment for me.  Or, more specifically, being in an academic environment is.  I have missed this sort of thing.  I love being in class, working on homework, and especially learning new things.


I have been programming for almost forty years.  I wrote my first program in FORTRAN on punch cards in the fall of 1974.  I quickly learned BASIC, and spent several years using a multi-million dollar mainframe as a personal computer before anyone had heard of a personal computer.


Over the years, I moved on to Pascal, C, and other programming languages.  I learned a bit about algorithms, and data structures.  I worked at several jobs as a programmer, and even did some work in hardware design.  But, I was always the one without a degree.  Now, I am formalizing my knowledge.  And I am loving every minute of it.


So, hopefully I will find the time to update things more...besides, Doctor Who returns Saturday, and that is always something to write about.