Logic, Life Changes, and Mobile Makers

First off, I'd like to admit that yes I failed on my new years eve resolution gift thing to Bekky. Perhaps I was a little ambitious. Alas, the first step to succeeding is failing... or something like that.

For the next two months this blog is going to be a little different.

(as an aside: I've often thought that I'd be more interested in writing in my blog if it was less blah and more actual Jen. I guess this will test it.)

Why are the next two months different? Because four months ago I decided to change my life. I was sitting at work, miserable because an attorney had just yelled at me for being the devil (or something akin to a demon), when I read an article about something called a "Programming Bootcamp." Now it might surprise you (nine) readers that I'm interested in programming... but let me explain the logic behind it.

(HA GET IT?! Programming is all about logic and so I made a joke referencing that.)

As you may have gathered, I love knitting. It is normally quite impossible to make a living from knitting, so with that off the table I decided to look at what I like about knitting. I love that it's repetitive and you can sink into a rhythm, I love that you can create a finished something, I love that you're constantly learning and pushing yourself to do something new, and most of all I love the community that surrounds it. All these things can be applied to programming.

So long story short, I've spent the last four months saving money, studying objective c, and applying to Mobile Makers.

Let me also say that I am a very skeptical person. I like to believe the best in people and businesses and education, but as my dad always says, "Plan for the worst, hope for the best," (I come from a long line of pessimists realists). Maybe I've also grown jaded from working in legal finance.

That being said, for the next two months I'm going to do a daily blog about my experiences coding at Mobile Makers. I'm going to try and make this a mostly positive blog but it may contain some rants and breakdowns.

Enough introduction. We learned segues today and I have a lot of night work to do to make sure I get it.

DON'T WORRY I'LL STILL BE KNITTING ON THE TRAIN AND POSTING YARNY PICTURES.

Poly Yarn

Remember those two yarns I showed you in the last post? When I initially spun them I had visions of plying them together into one epic yarn. But the more I looked at them, the more I fell in love with each of them as individuals. Before I start waxing poetic about yarn, let me explain what you are seeing below. You see, after you spin a yarn, you have to set the twist. I mean, you don't HAVE to, but I think it creates a more balanced yarn? I should probably read up on that. Point is, I'm sort of cheap and very thrifty. In order to set a twist, you have to soak the yarn in warm water, and then stretch it out and set it (that's what she said....). This involves our favorite physics force...

GRAVITY! Sure gravity plays favorites (RIP Dresden Dolls), but it works excellently for setting a twist. What you do is put something heavy on the bottom and the heaviest things I own that easily attach to my yarn are...

 Boots. Lovely expensive boots.

These boots are probably the most expensive thing I own. Long ago in a life far far away, I worked in retail. Retail is probably the worst job anyone could do. If you need to torture someone, I would suggest making them work retail. Anyways, one of the good things about my time working in a dark pit of despair was that I got 50% off really expensive shoes, which is why I bought those boots.

Super exciting right? But yea, they are excellent at setting twist.

After having that hanging in my closet for a couple weeks, I was falling more and more in love with each of them. I mean one was multi-colored and a little shiny and beautiful.

And who am I to make it share it's pretty with an equally gorgeous but slightly less flashy soft cousin?

So I'm thinking of keeping them as singles and loving them both at the same time. I may have an idea to showcase the pretty for both of them. Stay tuned!

Dangerous Passions

One thing you should know about me, when I'm passionate about things, I get obsessed.

Case in point?

*Brushes shoulder off*

Saturday morning

Want to know why today has unlimited possibilities?

Because of...

Fifty shades of earl gray at work.

Dear readers,
I realize the worst part of reading a blog is when it is updated with the frequency of an alien invasion. I apologize. I could make excuses (i don't have internet at my apartment, I'm too cool for blogging, I've transcended space and time... Etc) but I will not stoop to that level.
Turns out, working in a call center early on a Saturday morning allows for many things. Namely, I get to show you my desk and all the knitting related things on it.
I do a lot of knitting at work. I also (surprisingly) do a lot of finishing. It turns out weaving in ends is not as tedious as doing nothing. Alas, I have collected a number of yarn bits over my six months of full time employment. I've also drank a lot of tea, which had led to one of my favorite desk ornaments: my fifty shades of earl gray box.

I've been finishing projects like crazy, so it's only a matter of time before you get to see actual knitting. AHHH!!!!!!!