Someday I’ll be a better writer of my thoughts. In the mean time, there is a lot to catch up on. My bestest, best friend got into Hackbright! She starts in September. I am so ridiculously happy for her, not in the least because I feel like I taught her most of what she knows about coding currently and I can’t wait to be able to have deep, nerdy conversations when she’s all done with the mind-meld that is programming. It’s a little bittersweet for me as I was the one who initially sent her the link. I’d been thinking about trying for it myself, but the timeline just wasn’t right this year.

Hackbright became my gateway drug, however. I found out they weren’t the only game in town. There are all shapes and sizes of programming bootcamps and after reviewing a lot of them, I’m currently in the process of applying for App Academy. Application and first coding test are a check. I’m literally taking a break from studying for the second coding test to type this up. So second round of coding and then (fingers crossed) a coding interview left to go before I wait with bated breath to find out if I get the best birthday present ever (birthday - Nov 14, start date - Nov 18!).

Besides hopefully an entire life shift I’ve been sticking to my routine of Coursera class. Startup Engineering is at its halfway point and I have a shell of a crowdfunding idea here. Oh yeah, the Code Girls and Octavia are real things, sort of. They are mostly in the brains of the three of us (aforementioned bestest, best friend and my other best friend) but I’ve said out loud to myself that I want a working project within 5 years, so obviously I have to do it now.

Other than that: quietness. I spent two weeks in California earlier this month and spent most of the time falling deeper in love with the Bay Area. I came back and bought myself a Mac (for those keeping score, I now technically own 4-5 laptops, but two have been handed down to my parents, one I received for free and it doesn’t really work anyway, the 4th is a tiny fun Linux netbook and the 5th is the new shiny MacBook Air I lovingly call “Monster”). This Mac represents my promise to myself it is my first true “dev” machine. The first things I installed on it were Ruby and Python and all the little bits that go along with that.

Wish me luck. I think I should probably be studying.

I’m up late listening to the entertaining people discuss numbers and psychics on Coast to Coast. I’m also sitting on a mattress on the floor of my best friend’s apartment. There are two tiny Chihuahuas snoring at my feet and I just want to grin.

I’m on vacation from the real world for a week. I took a week off, flew down to California and I’m basking in the sun and the closeness of friends who really get me. I’ve even made a new friend in the past few weeks and of course she lives down here too. I’m tired but happy and I’m positive now that this is the place I want to live. All the time. Everyday.

I want to move to California. I want to shake things up and become a web developer and live the life I fantasize about. I kept waffling between computers and accounting, but accounting was the safe and easy way out. I knew the path. I knew it would be another two years before I had to start making tough decisions. For computers, the tough decisions start NOW. I need to get down to California, try to get into a program and then figure out what exactly it means to work in a little development company that could disappear in 5 years. It’s terrifying and yet I can’t stop smiling.

Also, I’m back with A Small Orange hosting. I just loved them too much not to go back.