I Have an Itch

Sometimes, when I don’t know what to write, I just start writing the first thing that pops into my head and then I go with it. That is how I came up with today’s title. It came out of nowhere.

For the record, I don’t have a real itch, I have a rhetorical itch.

But yesterday I did have a real itch. Whenever I get into a time crunch, I eat junk. And when I eat junk, it usually has wheat in it. And when I eat too much wheat, I start to itch. I need to cut out the junk and plan ahead with my snacks because this Code Academy gig is keeping me on the run, seven days a week, 5 am until lights out.

And that’s okay because I want to learn as much as possible in a very short period of time. I sort of lied about not having anything to write about. I have loads to write about, but I have to carefully monitor my time these days, so this one is going to, maybe,  possibly be brief, with little editing and hopefully only one or two typos.

So, yes, my other itch is an urgency to learn as much as possible and still see my kids, pay my bills, clean the house, put out the garbage, walk to and from the train, answer email, drive my kids to events and appointments, attend Code Academy-related events, photograph some people for my portfolio, cook a real meal once in awhile, and a big, long list of other things too. I know, break out the violins.

Oh, and did I mention I need to write a web application with a front-end, a back-end, and something in the middle too?

Thankfully, I have the encouragement and direction of a brilliant mentor who is nice and patient with me and talented to boot. The mentor program at Code Academy is a key ingredient to keeping me on task so that I actually have an application to present on Demo Day in March.

The urgency, the “itch” if you will, is hovering around me day and night. Alumni of the previous class gave us plenty of useful advice on our first day of class. I now see why they told us those things. Learning this fast is demanding, physically and mentally.

Here are some things I’m doing or at least trying to do, to keep my sanity in all that is swirling around me these days:

• I’m drinking more water and drinking less coffee. I feel better that way.
• I’m taking vitamins, omega oils, magnesium, and zinc. I don’t want to get sick.
• I am limiting the number of events I am attending so I can focus on learning and coding. I can network after our 12-week session is over.
• I am staying connected to my kids and I admit, it is hard not seeing them.
• I am meeting new people and enjoying hearing everyone’s unique story. People are so interesting and I really like the group at Code Academy.
• I am using the Pomodoro technique. My mentor is currently using this technique while she writes her first iPhone app and I must say, it works really well, especially if time management around digital devices is an issue.
• I am blogging. I need that break. We have been told to blog every week about our Code Academy experience and that’s not too hard to do because Code Academy is pretty much my life these days. The hard part is limiting my writing time.
• I go to bed early at least two nights per week and I grab a nap whenever I can.
• I am walking to and from class which is about 5 miles round trip, if you include all four walks it takes to get from door-t0-door.
• I am meeting up and staying in touch with my non-geek friends. I have some very business-savvy and life-savvy friends who help me stay balanced and grounded and I love them all.

And finally, I have made the decision to accelerate my learning curve by switching from the beginner class to the advanced class. Not only is the schedule better for me personally, the pace of the content seems more akin to what I need and should compliment what I already know.