Wednesday, November 11, 2009

It's been a while


It's been a while since I posted anything on the blag, so I figure I'll give you a look into what's going on with me recently.

First of all, I have tons of homework that I need to get done within the next two weeks.  It's ridiculous.  I have to do a great amount of statistics work, and that's going to be a PAIN.

Recently, I can't get the idea of being a High School Mathematics teacher out of my head.  When I was writing this down in my personal diary yesterday, the word that flowed from my pencil was 'calling'.  This almost disturbed me, since a discussion of one's 'calling' is a very powerful statement.  But I still can't stop thinking about it.  I think that I might like to teach at Catholic High for a period of time following my graduation from UALR and before I pursue more graduate studies.  I even think of lectures that I would give if I were teaching a religion class, this obsession is ridiculous.  I plan on writing a lengthier blag post about this at some point in the future.

I'm also trying to get back into my programming groove.  I recently put a small amount of effort back into the accounting program that I was working on.  It's still not at a 1.0 release, and I really need to fix that.  I don't have the file writing part of it worked out, or the file reading, or the graphical portion fixed, which is pretty much everything.

I also came up with the idea again for my networked board game suite.  This would ideally use the idea of reflection to allow users to easily patch in new games that they could play (provided they had been programmed).  I intend for their to be a dedicated server, a lobby area, inter- and intragame chat.  I have some of the design down, but zero implementation.  But I'm really excited about the idea, since it would actually allow me to make board games of my own and test them w/o a physical prototype, as well as implementing old/forgotten board games.

Lastly I decided that I'm tired of not having access to a geometric sketching program.  I want a straight edge tool and a compass tool so that I can have fun with geometric constructions.

Staying on the theme of computers, I plan on digging up old computer that I have and changing it into a Linux-based computer so that I can toy around in a Unix environment AND start programming in Google's new 'Go'   programming language.  I want to use that so much, it's ridiculous.  I had forgotten just how much I enjoy programming and such.  Also, I really wish that Google would get around to releasing some usable form of the Chrome OS that they've been working on.  I would gladly try that out on my laptop, and then I could program in Go on my laptop and I wouldn't even need that computer.



I also recently downloaded a suite of tools that I can use to begin learning how to use TeX, so that I can make professional looking documents in the future.  It's not a necessary skill, but something that some part of my brain deems necessary.

WoW is still inactive, and I miss it greatly, but I just don't have the time for it now.  However, that hasn't stopped me from thinking about it, in fact, I'm still trying to come up with potential dungeon designs as a creative experiment, but I may have tapped myself out.  Previously, I've posted 2 ideas I've had for wings of a 3-wing dungeon.  The middle wing was my most inspired one, the first wing was no slouch either, and I have some (what I feel are) really good ideas for the third wing.  But...it's missing something.  It just doesn't feel good, finished, complete.  It needs more.  It has no good middle.  I'm trying not to think about it while I figure that I 'recharge' my batteries.  It's very frustrating, because it feels like I just need a little bit more, and the entire project will be done.  /sigh

I've been trying to read more the past several months.  It's still slow going, since I only do it when I'm going to bed.  Thanks to a long road trip, I've finished several books though.  Let me say that Youth in Revolt is excellently hilarious.  Presently, I'm reading through The Silmarillion.  I think that a common problem that people have in trying to read it is that they're approaching it all wrong.  The Silmarillion isn't a novel.  It's a collection of stories, and should be read as a history or mythology.  I find it to be an enjoyable read, but it certainly isn't dramatic.  Once I finish that I don't know what I'll read.  I'd like to get around to reading more H.P. Lovecraft, but I don't want to try reading his stories before I go to bed, for fear of the dreams I'll dream.

I'm renting Valkyria Chronicles from gamefly right now.  It's an excellent game.  Challenging.  Well designed.  Well balanced.

I really can't think of anything else to say right now, but I feel very confident that this post effectively summarizes what's going on with me right now, and I feel much better having written it.  Bonsoir, mes amis.