Yep

Definitely thinking I'm a natural born Web developer, as opposed to software engineer. But at least I understand object-oriented programming.

Reconsidering Programming

The past month has been a real time of adjustment for me. I've adjusted to the flow of things a lot, but it's come at something of a cost.

My main programming course has been Data and Program Structures. We have learned about several interesting things such as stacks, queues, linked lists, trees, and other things up to now. In theory, these things aren't all that hard for me to comprehend. In practice, I'm struggling insanely to apply them as the assignments require. This is actually quite surprising, because I've never really struggled like this with programming. Sure some things have been difficult to get my brain around, but it just seems the things we are taught in this class get in my brain, but the full concept of the things take a while to really settle with me, more time than we have. I can explain most of the things we have been taught no problem, but applying them in programming assignments just eludes me. Heck, even recursion - which honestly I don't find to be a terribly hard concept - is a pain for me to implement. If it weren't for me visiting a teacher's assistant for every assignment, I probably would have lower grades than I do now. And perhaps most ironically of all, I'm still pulling a 90-something in the class.

It's to the point that I'm actually reconsidering things a little bit. Maybe pure programming isn't the thing for me. I have at least a dash of understanding of several languages: C++, Java, and Python to name a few. I can do basic things, and some advanced stuff, with them. But once you get beyond that, I'm going to look at you with a blank stare.

My personal field of expertise has always been Web programming. If asked what my native programming language was, I'd tell you JavaScript. Which, technically is a scripting language. I can also do HTML, CSS, Ajax, PHP, and some SQL. Put simply, I'm a natural born Web developer. Which is good because it's a technical field, but not so good because these days, ten year olds are learning to make websites. Seriously, web devs are becoming a dime a dozen. That's not to say they're all good at what they do, but website construction is hardly an elite skill these days. Nonetheless, there is money to be made in this profession and I don't see myself being a software developer very much anymore. Oh sure I know Java and could brush up on the languages I've already learned but there's a certain level of technical proficiency that seems to be required to use true programming languages and right now I just don't have that. I'm trying to get that in school but it's such a challenge for me that it almost doesn't make sense. How could I be barely understanding things which are what I proclaim to be my area of expertise? Either this is just part of the process of learning things, and eventually I'll catch up and shine, or it's something that I'm simply not wired for.

Another Money Ramble

There's money to be made on the Internet. I, for one, am interested in cashing in on this. There seems to be a certain level of freedom to really pursue the things that I have a passion for. I have had my go at working a standard job and although I didn't mind having a boss to answer to, it didn't really give me much change to go after my interests.

I don't delude myself into thinking that I could make enough money over the Internet to replace having a job. Although that would be nice, the optimal for me would seem to be having a part-time job done in the morning, and then in the afternoon producing the content that I would then put on the Internet, in however way it would be done. As I've mentioned in a previous post that has to do with this, I'm something of a morning person. I have that Puritanical notion of "work first, then play," and since I'm at my sharpest in the morning, that's a good time for me to work a formal job. Then once the formal work is out of the way, I feel more free to let loose and be creative, without the worry.

Apparently there's this thing out there called "passive income," where you don't really put much effort into things besides setup. You would, say, make a website, put ads on it, and then let it automatically generate income. After several years you'd be able to retire early and suck on piña coladas on some Jamaican beach for the rest of your life. Not only is that unrealistic... that's also boring, and I can't see myself ever really wanting to do that. I am not nearly materialistic or capitalistic enough to seek that sort of lifestyle. To be honest, I don't even want to be all that rich. As far as money goes, my goal is to have enough that I can make ends meet, and also be able to buy what I want without having to worry if it will put a big dent in my checkbook. But I would love to be able to do the things I am passionate about, and make money off of them. And the things that currently are my passions can actually be done on the Internet. My desire isn't to set up some automaton that makes money for me while I sleep the days away. Rather, it's to actually be involved in the content I'm making. The stuff that will eventually make revenue are, at least in some part, stuff that I put time and effort into creating.

It seems one of the easiest, and most popular, manners of making money on the Internet is with the use of advertisements. Those things that appear on the sides, top, and/or bottom of the website that most of us tend to ignore. I guess I'm not the consumerish sort of person, because I don't think I've ever seen an ad and seriously considering buying what it was showing off. But it seems people do. That's why they're so prominent. It looks like most serious websites that aren't kept alive by donation or out of the owner's expense has advertisements on it somewhere. Even Google or Yahoo searches have text-based ads on them! This is a passive system and can be integrated into other things I do. For instance, blogging (which I will mention). Put ads on the blogs. Or my personal website. As I keep refining these and adding content, more people will check them out. This may increase the number of ads getting clicked, and for each of those clicks, a little bit of money will be paid to me.

As I said before, it seems that you can make money by keeping an active blog. From what I've read, it's not so much the blog itself that generates money. Mostly it's advertisements. A related thing would be writing posts about a product, person, company, etc., that I could get paid to do. The main way to profit from this is simply having good content on the blog, stuff that makes people want to come back and see more. My Minecraft and After Adults blogs are two examples of this. Nobody else quite writes and plays like me, so there is some original content there, and I'd sure hope it's not bad.

Related to blogging is writing. Blogging helps develop my writing skills, and shows prospective employers what kind of talent they could expect from me. People will pay me to write stuff for them! It could be a product summary, a thesis about some topic, and what have you. Then there is story writing, which I have two blogs dedicated to. I could go one step further and turn them into e-books.

Freelancing is something else I've considered getting into. I kinda dislike it because it would mean I'd have a boss to be accountable to for the duration of the job, but there is a lot more leniency in who I pick as a boss. I could focus more on the fields I'm interested in, and the commitment is only as long as the assignment. Web development and writing are the things I'm good at online, so naturally the freelancing would mostly take place in these areas.

Recently, I've started getting involved in making YouTube videos. There are people out there who record themselves playing Minecraft, upload it to YouTube, and get money from it. The main ways are advertisements and donations. My style of Minecraft is a weird mix of technical and construction, with less emphasis on adventuring and more on achieving goals. There are all sorts of things I could do. The key to doing this is making myself unique. I had an idea for something called "The Ultimate City," a settlement built in Minecraft that is as automated as possible and self-sufficient. To make a video series of this being constructed and operated definitely would count as unique. If it's been done before, I certainly haven't run across it. Actually, I tried creating this City, but then university went in high gear and time just hasn't been available. Which is a shame because several people signed up to be on the team.

Then, of course, there is the idea of actually making something not related to any of those. Not just a blog or video, but an all-out project. An example of this is a game I tried developing a browser game similar to OGame. It even had a blog devoted to it. However, it seemed to be too out of my knowledge base to be accomplished, and as a result of lack of motivation it has fallen into inactivity. As well as being a magnificent test and testament of my coding skills, it would also be a possible way to make money. The three things that come to my mind are third-party ads on the sides of the pages, purchased Premium accounts that have special in-game features, and temporary upgrades which increase the efficiency of some mechanic. If the game ever comes into being as a start-up project I intend to maintain for a long time, a donate button wouldn't hurt either.

Being the leader type, I could go one step larger and start a group or company that does something. I have flirted with the idea of starting a programming company. In addition to programmers there would also be artists, a CEO, a financial officer, and probably other roles. This is something that would require a good part, if not all, of my time.

A simple Google search shows a great many ways to make money using the Internet. The possibilities abound.

This is all about creating stuff. I have a drive to create. If I could get some magical software that netted me $2,000 a month every month then hey, I'd be happy. ($2,000 does sound like a rather low goal, but I'm a single person and not terribly materialistic.) I'd still put my time into creating stuff. Realistically, though, that's not going to happen, so I will need to utilize what I'm good at doing and have a drive for. Make stuff, build community, monetize. Enjoy life.

College Reflections

It's been exactly one month since I moved into my campus dorm. Since I have some sort of free time, I felt I should write a bit, explaining how I've come to feel over the past month.

Starting from the first day, one thing that delighted me and continues to do so: the food! Apparently my college is ranked 14th in the nation for best food, in some list or another, and it sure does live up to the number. Before I arrived on campus, my diet consisted mostly of Ramen noodles, cereal, and Pop-Tarts. This was mostly my own choice, so as not to expend too much money. But ever since the first day, at least twice I've been able to have a meal of a variety of foods. And a lot of it, as well. Trust me when I say I'm eating well here.

One of the things that has surprised me about this place is the relatively strong Christian presence. Universities are known as places where secular thinking is prominent, and people tend to lose their faith. I anticipated the place being somewhat antagonistic to faith. What I've found is pretty much the opposite. A lot of people here are Christian, with differences in how serious they are about it. It's not uncommon to hear people playing Chris Tomlin songs on their laptops. Several campus missions exist here, of which I've hooked up with Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ). One of my teachers, who I assumed was a non-believer due to his strongly analytical nature, is actually a faculty advisor for one of the groups! I don't have to be as defensive about my faith as I thought I would, because several others here are at least somewhat open about it, and I've yet to hear them (or myself) get any crap because of it.

Something else I am discovering is that I'm lacking in the necessary levels of self-discipline and time management. Starting about a week ago, you could say I've been pretty busy with schoolwork. Seriously, all my time not spent in class is usually spent doing something related to school work. The reading and assignments take up lots of time, perhaps more than they need to. And I believe part of the reason they expend so much time is because I'm so easily distracted. When I'm working in front of my computer, I usually have Internet access. What's on the Internet? Facebook, Twitter, message boards, etc. So many things that, often, are more interesting than what I'm supposed to be doing at the moment. One of the skills I'm developing out of necessity is being able to say "No" when I need to concerning the Internet and distractions. It's strange, but my location does affect how easily I fall into this pattern. If I'm at my desk in my dorm, it's likely I'm gonna end up at twenty other Web sites instead of my homework. Yet put me in my floor's lobby, or perhaps a library, and I'll be much more focused.

Time management is also a pain. Part of the way I operate is that sometimes, I'll find something intriguing or a creative idea will pop into my head and even if I'm trying to do something, the excitement of this new thing will hijack that. Combine this with being wont to procrastinate if something isn't due for a few days and you get a little bit of a mess.

These two things may seem a bit strange coming from a type A personality person like myself. But I suppose that in the past, my natural intelligence allowed me to do well in school and other things without much hassle. Yet somehow university is different and that kind of thing isn't cutting it. It seems I need to (gasp!) put effort in order to do well. The purpose of university is to teach us how to think, and it seems that in some aspects my thinking skills haven't grown sufficient. But hey, that's why I'm here!

Something that I've repeatedly experienced here is near informational overload. Reading seventy pages for a week's worth of discussion? Needing to know things to the most minute detail? This is new for me. Having to sort all this out is quite the challenge.

As an introvert, I've been slow to integrate myself into any social circles. Beside my roommate, I can't say I've developed any quality friendships. I have plenty of acquaintances, but not really any friends. This is something I've been proactive about since just about the first day I've arrived. Knowing my pasts follies, one of my goals has been to get active in social groups. Loneliness is not fun. It seems my main method for getting to know people better is adding them on Facebook. Admittedly, this is something of a flawed technique as people aren't really the same online as in real life. I think what I need to do is start getting to know people on a personal level. To the college's credit, I have found most people to be receptive and kind. A lot of people are willing to engage, I just need to do so as well.

This post seems like more complaining than what I intended. I do enjoy being here. Being away from home in a setting where I can better shape myself and my lifestyle. Where I am better set to pursue my goals. With this kind of freedom comes responsibility and I am slowly developing the skills to utilize this freedom to its maximum.

Abstraction in Programming

There is a topic I've been learning in my computer science class that caught my attention recently, and I thought I'd share it with my readers. It's something called abstraction, which apparently is one of the foundational concepts of programming. It's something I've done before I even knew what it is, and now that I look back, I'm sometimes confused by it.

Abstraction is all about using something when you don't really know what it truly is. We use a symbol of some kind to represent it and use it in the program. Does that sound confusing? Let me give you a basic example.

Perhaps you know that computers think in a number system called binary, which is expressed as zeros and ones. The use of zeros and ones as symbols is a form of abstraction. The computer isn't really operating on actual zeros and ones; rather, there are electrical strengths flowing through the circuits of the machine. We represent the higher voltage with a 1, and a lower voltage with a 0. That makes it easier to understand and work with. I don't know the deep electrical mechanics of the computer, but I know how to handle zeros and ones. It's easier to think of zeros and ones than high voltages and low voltages.

We could have some fun with this. Suppose instead of using electrical currents, we utilized water streams. There could be two possible states: water flowing, or water not flowing. These could be represented by 1 and 0, respectively. Because water flows are so similar to electric current, they could be used to make huge water-based computers, although the graphics wouldn't be very nice.

Let's take this to the next level of programming. At the very base, computers operate by handling sets of zeros and ones in a specific manner programmed into their hardware. There is something called assembly language, which is very primitive and one step up from the ones and zeros. It may look something like this:

LD A, 0
INC A
LD HL, BC
RCCA
RET

Doesn't look very readable. The letters and numbers correspond to specific pairs of numbers. This is abstraction because we don't need to know the exact zeros and ones in order to make the computer operate. We just need to know this vaguely more English-like set of commands.

Take this one more step into languages which most programmers are more familiar with - Java, C++, PHP, JavaScript, and so on. They look much more like written language, even though there is a lot of mathematical appearance. These are a large leap of abstraction. Consider a FOR or WHILE loop. You don't know all the bits and bytes being moved around, but that's alright. You don't need to, you can just run these loops to make it work.

Or think of variables. They have all sorts of types and names. This is touched on in fields of math like algebra and calculus. You have a variable x. You don't know what it is but you still do stuff with it, such as solving or simplifying equations for it. In JavaScript, you might do something like this:

function showMessage(x) { alert(x); }

The function doesn't know what x is, and indeed you could throw any kind of value into it and it will work nonetheless. One example which we did recently in my CIS 300 class involved abstraction when it created an array of type T. This was part of a class definition and went something like this:

private T[] arrayName = new T[10];

It was done in C#. This is a cool example because T means that the data type could be anything the user wanted, be it int, string, long, bool, object, Thingamadoozy, or whatever! You didn't need to know what the data type was when you made the code, you could just use T as a stand-in until the data type was given.

I think that abstraction, along with the very structured hierarchy that many languages, particularly Java, show are some of the things which are catching my interest these days.

Programming Rant

This is a rant. I usually don't rant, but this is an exception.

Since I was about 12 years old, I've been involved in computer programming of some sort. At first it was HTML and CSS. I was able to put together static websites, once even using it for a math class project revolving around the Pythagorean Theorem. When I tried getting into JavaScript, the very simplistic nature of it was hard for me to grasp in terms of their usefulness. I couldn't even get the if-else statement wrapped around my brain so I gave up on it for a couple years.

About freshman or sophomore year of high school one of my friends introduced me to the programming language called Python. When I read a tutorial that led to me making my first Python program, I was amazed on how I could use it as a calculator, and more. I think in a way, Python was really the first programming language I learned. It took me back to JavaScript, which is what I've come to specialize in.

I think it was junior year of high school that we took a programming language class. For the first half it was HTML. The second half, the teacher gave the option of more HTML or JavaScript. I chose the JavaScript route and although I was hardly pleased with my final project, it nonetheless showed I knew how to use the language. My initial plans for it were too lofty which costed me a lot of time.

Then in senior year of high school, my calculus teacher also happened to be a C++ programmer. He let me borrow a textbook and get the compiler they used and I taught myself C++. In my second year of college I was taught Java, and excelled over most of the people in my class.

This semester I'm learning C# and Scratch. In my free time over the past year or so, I've been self-educating in PHP and SQL.

If you need someone who has an understanding of several languages, I'm the person you want to go to. My skills are mostly in Web development, but my Java skills aren't that shabby.

Yet for some reason, it just doesn't seem like I can get myself a job using these skills. I'm a member of oDesk and Freelancer, two sites where a person can get a short or long term job in whatever fields they are good at. In addition, companies in my area are hiring programmers. But no matter what job may be there, it seems like I'm just a little too unexperienced in one little spot. Often there is a need for someone who can use Wordpress or Joomla or whatever else is out there. I have next to no experience with those.

This is frustrating. I really want to get a job with my programming skills. I spent three years in the fast food industry and I have exactly zero desire to do anything even remotely similar to that. Sure I'm able to do other fields of work, but I'm going to school for programming. The government is essentially paying me to become a programmer.

A place on the campus had a job opening for students who wish to do programming, and I applied for that. Hopefully I'll be able to do what they require of me. I have the brain to handle the jobs they'll give me, it's simply a matter of knowing the programming languages they have us use well enough to accomplish the tasks.

Programmers make a pretty good amount of money, especially if they're full time. I've been told on numerous occasions that the entry-level pay for someone in the programming field is double what my father makes in a year, and he's been in the car part manufacturing industry for over a decade. That money is most certainly a plus and doubtlessly a small reason of why I pursue programming. But more than that, it's a passion of mine. Been one since I was 12. Something I've been brought up to believe by our otherwise faulty public education system is that we should try to get jobs doing what we love. I believe that, and it's part of my modus operandi. I want to live life doing what I love.

Another bother to me is how programming languages keep changing. Once, a dude much younger than me showed me a program he had written in Python. My computer couldn't run it, because I had an outdated version of Python installed! I mean, really? Am I that out of touch with the times? Or consider one of the more recent changes in the language PHP. It's trying to phase out mysql_* functions, something that has been relied on for years. One of the alternatives being favored is PDO, but it repeatedly gives me trouble. (Yes, I understand there's also the mysqli library. Perhaps I should look at that.) Or HTML, my old stomping grounds of a language. It's already in its fifth release, now coming out with strange new features that seem utterly unfitting for what's supposed to be a markup language, not an interactive one. That's the role of JavaScript. Oh and by the way, I'm outdated on that too! I learned it using W3 Schools, which appears to have tutorials which are outdated and in some cases incorrect. JavaScript is in version 1.8 now apparently, and my knowledge of the language is 1.6ish.

So what am I to do? I need to get in touch with the news concerning these programming languages. I'm fairly sure that each one has a website or group that maintains it and releases news about them. Hopefully they have some sort of RSS feed, blog, or Facebook page that developers could look at.

I also need to get my skills a bit more refined. I'm a multi-faceted person. I have several interests, but it's likely the only one I'll be making money from, for the time being, is programming. And working is a vital thing in a capitalistic society. Oh sure, I could possibly find bottom-of-the-line housing, depend on the government, and do some part-time hobby work for income. But that wouldn't be much of a life. In today's world, having a job is basically mandatory to get yourself in a better position. For me, this means programming. If I'm going to get better with coding, I'm going to have to put more time into learning and practicing coding, even if it's at the expense of other interests.

Still, it'd be nice to get a job where I can actually program for once.

Intro to K-State

I am now writing this blog from my laptop in Kansas State University. I arrived here yesterday,  August 18th.

Not much happened in the days leading up to my arrival. I quit work on my birthday (August 3rd) and besides packing up the belongings I would take with me, there was barely anything to do. I was intensely bored. My roommate was in Yellowstone for school stuff.

The morning of the 17th, I woke up around 5:15 AM. Due to nerves I could not fall asleep and somehow stayed awake the rest of the day. It seemed as though my two cats were more insistent than usual of being around me - perhaps they could sense that I would soon be leaving? By nightfall almost all of my belongings that were to come had been put in my father's car. I failed to realize that was also a day I had to put more minutes on my StraightTalk cell phone. My mother and I went out to the car and pulled out my bookbag, which is where I believe to have put the time cards. They weren't in there. So with an hour left before the phone would be deactivated, I performed the umpteenth online transaction in recent memory to get more time on the phone. I don't like how much I've been using my debit card recently, and will be quite happy to have some physical money back in my possession.

I was asleep at my usual time that night, about 12:30 AM. The alarm clock woke me up at 6 AM. I did some last minute things, and we loaded up into the vehicle and set out. The three hour ride felt shorter this time. Partially it was because we had done this before. The latter two hours of the drive were spent reading an online copy of H.G. Wells's book "The Time Machine." I had read it before but was in need of something to keep my attention. Ah, the inner nerd in me had found an outlet. I imagined the scenes in my mind, using the Tenth Doctor as the Time Traveler. I even read the appropriate words in his voice. The cell phone's battery went low but with this model, I could continue to use the app (Opera Mini) until the battery completely died, which it eventually did.

As we entered the city, I became a little more anxious. The traffic was thick but we got to the dorm building quickly. We were lucky enough to find a parking spot near the building, called Marlatt Hall. My mother and I walked in, carrying a couple bags. At the front desk they asked for my college ID card. I didn't even remember being given one. I went through my wallet and did find it. I showed it to the guy who advised me that card was very important and I shouldn't lose it. We went into the elevator and to the sixth floor.

There I filled out another paper, and was given some introductory documents. My mother went outside to hopefully find some students who had dollies. They were helping people lug their stuff into the rooms. When I finished I stood up and my roommate was already there, waiting to greet me. We shook hands and proceeded to our room. He would proceed to spend most of the day instructing me on directions, rules, and just about anything else. He offered to help bring stuff up and followed me back to the car.

There, I found my mother had successfully found a work pair with a dolly. They were loading things up, while my father assembled the blue bicycle which we had put in the trunk. He made sure to look over the tires, brakes, and so on, to ensure it was in good working condition. The workers took the stuff to the room while my parents and I went to where all the bikes were. I found a good spot for my bike, near the doors to the building. They wrote down the bike's serial number so I could later register it with the university, in case it got stolen.

Not too much later, my mother hugged me and the parents were off. I went into the room and started organizing the things I had brought with me. The two biggest pains were deciding how to wire my electronics and where to put clothes and other accessories. But I managed. I still have a microwave and coffee maker that need to be plugged into something, somehow.

My roommate gave me a brief tour of the building, and also showed me where to walk for campus meals. It's a smaller building right next to our dorm building. The serving sizes and sheer amount of stuff we can choose from is awesome. In terms of food variety and quantity, I have eaten better in the past two days than I have in the last few weeks. I was going to sit in a relatively secluded area but he saw a friend of his and we went to sit with them. I didn't say much - obviously.

After that, things calmed down for a while. At one point I needed to order textbooks and, with assistance, ordered them online. Then I tried registering my bike via the Internet but got a funky response page, so I attempted to go to the parking office to get it handled. Unfortunately I had no idea where exactly to go so my roommate had to walk to where I was and show me. Then we walked off campus to the main branch of the bookstore to pick up books. As it turned out, they wouldn't have all my books until possibly late that night or the next day (today). We headed back to the dorm, I repeatedly failing to cross the street until we were basically at the dorms.

I relaxed at my laptop for some time while he went off to dinner. By the time I went for dinner, about 6 PM, there was nobody there I knew. I think I just sat quietly at my table, enjoying the food provided.

Checking on the campus calendar, I noticed they would be playing the film "The Hunger Games" at the student union. It was an outside event so we were encouraged to bring blankets to sit on or cover ourselves with. The books sound interesting and I would still like to read them. But the movie was the next best thing. Shortly before 8:30 PM I headed out and found a few female college students that were also going. I tagged along with them to the place where the film would be aired, chatting a little bit when questioned. Somehow I did not come off as creepy.

"The Hunger Games" was a pretty good movie. A lot of people tend to deeply analyze movies; I just watch them and enjoy. The premise was interesting, and overall it was a decent movie. Maybe three or four cuss words, no sex scenes that I could recall, and there was only a single instance when I noted what appeared to be innuendo. Toward the end the plot used a few cliches which should have been avoided. Rating: four mockinjays out of five.

I walked back to the dorm, still wrapped in the blanket I brought, walking a bit too close for comfort to the highway. I must have looked like a drunk, but I have just enough lack of self-conscienceness to be concerned about it.

Returning to the room, it was time to shower, and this is where things got uncomfortable for me. Our wing has four shower stalls and the curtains don't seem thick enough to provide sufficient privacy. I also could not figure out how to get from the bone chilling water to the comfortably warm water, so the first few minutes of the shower were cold. A student on crutches came into the bathroom and I asked him if the showers were simply a matter of "hop in, do what you need to do, hop out." His reply was "Yeah, as far as I know." That's when it had hit me that I asked a guy on crutches, who can't use the shower stalls, how they work. I was "that" guy.

After that insanity was over I returned to my room. It was approaching 11:30 PM. The roommate returned and about a half hour later I was in bed. The bed was comfortable, although in this kind of setting and specific set of stuff, getting comfortable enough to sleep took some effort. Sleep anxiety didn't help either.

The next day (today)...

Alright, it's just after 5 PM when I'm writing this. More interesting stuff may happen in the next few hours that won't get recorded here.

Briefly woke up this morning at about 6:45 AM. Roommate got dressed and left to wherever. I fell asleep and woke up just before 8 AM. I went to brush my teeth, only to discover I had no toothbrush! Oh well.

Last night I felt like I wanted to watch "Doctor Who." I couldn't find any of the episodes online then, but this morning another search revealed them. I watch the first half hour of the 2005 series's first episode, then went to breakfast. A few random dudes sat and chatted with me. I intended on going to church shortly and they were also. (My roommate is Catholic and he attends a church around here.) Back at the dorm I finished up the episode. At about 10 AM I left and, after going the wrong direction for a little bit, made it to the first of possibly several churches I will be investigating in the coming weeks: College Heights Baptist Church.

The building itself is one floor high and in a square U shape. It was colored with earth tones, and sported a nice stained glass picture over the altar. After briefly speaking with the pastor I sat down near the back of the sanctuary and met a couple people who also attend this university. The service itself was a bit different from what I'm used to, with the music part broken into two parts. It had a more laid back feel which appealed to me, different from the Assembly of God churches I've attended for the past four years.

When it came time to take the offerings, the college student who initially greeted me asked if I wanted to manage an offering plate instead of him. Without thinking very much I agreed. Things went pretty smoothly, even if I did things slightly out of order.

The message itself was based upon verses from Ecclesiastes, my favorite book in the Bible. That fact, as well as the pastor's simple preaching style, caused me to pay attention for the most part. It seemed like the sermon was a bit short, but then again the same building is used by a Korean church, whose service is scheduled for Sunday at noon. A fair trade, in my opinion.

Back on campus I finished up the last 15 minutes of the Doctor Who episode then went to lunch. Until this day, I was never really sure how one eats biscuits smothered in gravy. Then we were served it for lunch. I sat at a solitary table again, and then another group of people I didn't know joined me. They were also church hopping, looking for a good place to attend. I'm really surprised how many people here attend church, considering the fact this place is a university, the sort of place not known to be kind on faith.

Getting on to my computer, there were a few things that needed to be done. First, I printed out my schedule and looked at a campus map to see where my classes were located. It's not a difficult walk from place to place, luckily. With the schedule I have, I'm done with classes by 2:20 PM every day. Thursdays are an especially light day. Then I set up the account needed to find work at the campus. Since my desired career is with computers, it's about time I start getting my personal website in order, since it's intended to be a portfolio site of the various projects I've done. I also did a couple other menial things.

I got on my bike and headed to the bookstore. I received my books and was surprised to find they're relatively small! This will make things easier when classes start, tomorrow. As soon as I got back to my room I remembered I needed a toothbrush. Where the campus cafeteria is located, there is also a small convenience store. I went in there, doubting they would have toothbrushes. Yet they did! I hoped to have some physical cash on hand but only had some coins, certainly not enough to pay for a toothbrush. So I had to use my debit card. Been using that thing far too often for my preference lately.

And here we arrive at present moment. The events of the day are passed. Time to relax until tomorrow, when classes begin.