Why software development?

I can write scripts, SQL and configure Salesforce.com apps but I didn't code. I wanted to learn but found I had created a mental block about it from taking a C class years ago.   You probably know that the C  programming language is a lower level language that gives the programmer great control over the computer hardware.  Things like the Windows  were written in C (and C++).  But if you could give a rat's ass about how the hardware works then learning C is really challenging.

Here was my brain trying to read C code:
  Hey, I get this part but what does this symbol mean?
  What the hell is this code doing?
  Why the hell do I need this line of code?
  Is there any example code I can repurpose?
 
I would understand a few concepts then there would be this one little detail that didn't make sense. Pretty soon, there was a big backlog of stuff that didn't make sense and I was lost.  I was missing too much knowledge to grasp the concepts.  And being one of the few women in the class,  I thought I'd be made fun of if I asked for help. (silly me.. I should tested that theory and asked for help anyway).  I thought I was too dumb to code.

Then I attended a python class taught by a colleague. He was really good at  teaching programming concepts using python.  Python is a higher level language; less like machine code and more just logic statements.  I started to understand things that had baffled me before;  like arrays and objects.  An array didn't seem like some unknowable thing that you stuff variables into to.  I could create an array and read from it.  Arrays were actually useful.

I started to wonder if maybe programming wasn't so hard to learn.  I started to have hope.  But knowing Python was not enough. Users need a GUI to use a program.  How do I build a GUI?  Then there's the software program, where do you build it?  How do users access your code?  There are many parts and pieces that come together to make an app useful.  I didn't have the energy to figure it all out on my own.

Then along came Codeacademy.com. and the Web basics track.  More on this next post.

And so it begins....

Things are changing at Sassy Dumplings.  Not that there was much going on here, really. Well the post frequency is definitely going to increase. I am going to blog about my journey of going from a noob (newbie) to a professional web developer.

It's a big step to leave my job at the big High Tech Company. The significant other is stressed over the future reduction in the income stream. And the near future doesn't make him feel better as I will probably be getting paid as a junior developer rather than a senior program manager once I'm done.

But I want to be happy. I am tired of feeling my technical skills are obsolete. It's time to reboot.  It's time to become Sassy Dumpling 2.0.  I am attending the Web Development Immersive training class at General Assembly in May.

Go check it out.  About 50 hours of pre-work and 12 weeks of study. Then you can intern for another 3 months (at intern wages) and keep learning your craft.   6 months and you've changed careers, sweet.  All this without the student loans,  midterms,  finals and listening to boring lectures about soon to be obsolete technology.

More on why I decided to do this tomorrow....

Quick Fix for Grey Hairs on the temple

  A few weeks ago I visited the hair salon for a cut and some color to cover the roots. Some of the grey was showing.  The color will last almost everywhere for several months before I need another visit. It seems that the hair at the temples and near my ears seem to grows faster. There the grey hair shows up sooner.  I was using an over the counter root color product. My hair seemed to be showing damage from the frequent color treatments.

My hair dresser had a great tip. She recommended using mascara to touch up those areas to cover the grey. A few swipes and the grey is covered. I sometimes powder the hair in those areas to set the mascara.

t's nice to not have to touch up the roots between visits since it's such a small portion of the my hair that needed the coverage.  Give it a try. Could save you time and money.

Bacon-fied Brussel Sprouts

Bacon-fied Brussel Sprouts

I was hungry for veggies and wanted something really filling. What would be a good one skillet dish that would be hearty and Paleo? Looking in the fridge I found bacon and brussel sprouts and  came up with this recipe. I ate everything so fast I forgot to take a picture of the final product.. dumb!

Ingredients:

2 slices of peppered bacon (cut into small ribbons)

2 tb of grass fed butter (I use KerryGold)

8 brussel sprouts (washed and cut into quarters)

1/2 white onion (peeled and sliced)

1 cup of chopped cauliflower (I used a green one. .isn't it pretty)

Heat the butter (over medium heat) in a skillet until melted and add the bacon. Toss the bacon around and cook for a minute or so. Then add the onions. Cook until onions are soft. Then add the brussel sprouts and cauliflower. Stir fry until you get some color on the veggies. Throw in a 1/4 of water and put a lid on the pan and cook until the water is gone. Be careful not to burn the veggies. This steam fries the veggies. I repeat this a couple of times until the brussel sprouts are as soft as I like.  Serve it up in a bowl and munch down.

2nd version:

2 slices of peppered bacon

2 tb of grass fed butter

1/2 white onion sliced

1/3 cup sliced mushrooms

2 stalks of broccoli slice 

Pretty much cook the ingredients the same way as above but add the mushrooms the same time as the onion.

Here is the final result. The salty bacon and salted butter added enough sodium chloride that I didn't need any additional salt. Feel free to add seasonings to your taste.

Awesome Vegan Chocolate Pudding

One of my sons is vegan so I like to experiment cooking different kinds of dishes that fits my family's differing diet philosophies. This was was declared delicious by the family.

Chocolate Pudding

One can coconut milk
 4 oz of milk free dark chocolate (more or less depending on how much chocolate you want)
Some sort of sweetener (organic cane sugar / honey is preferred by vegan son, mom prefers stevia)
Dash of cayenne pepper
Spoon of vanilla extract or if you have $$ vanilla bean seeds
Optional: cinnamon to taste

Melt the chocolate into the coconut milk over low heat. Take off heat, no need to boil to thicken, the coconut milk is pretty thick already.  Add the remaining ingredients and portion out into serving bowls.

It's pretty rich and can be cut with whipping cream for a non vegan crowd.

- Sassy Pants

Paleo kimchee soup

Hey fellow dumplings. I surprised myself this weekend with a different take on chicken soup. Usually I take roasted chicken, chicken stock and veggies and make a filling paleo style soup. Sarah Fargaso at Everyday Paleo has a great recipe. This weekend I added chopped homemade kimchee and boy did it rock.

Homemade Kimchee

Napa cabbage
Kosher Salt
Red pepper flakes
Glass bowl
Small plate and heavy cans or bottle to weigh down the plate

My mom made asian pickles all the time. The recipe is basically watching what she did. Quarter the cabbage then cut these quarters in half. Line the bottom of the bowl with cabbage. Sprinkle on salt and pepper flakes. Repeat until bowl is full.  Lay a plate the fits the bowl upside down on the cabbage mixture and weigh it down with cans or heavy jars. Glass jars are best because they don't react to the brine mixture that forms. Brine is highly corrosive.  In couple of days the cabbage is pickled and ready to store in the fridge.

Kimchee Chicken Soup

Meat from two roasted  chicken thighs
Chicken thigh bones and carcass
Some sort of oil (olive, coconut, organic butter )
Half red onion
Inner stalks of a celery bunch (I used 4-5 with the leaves)
Two cups of chopped red cabbage
Cup of chopped kimchee
Suracha (I like this spicy hot)
One red bell pepper
Gelatinous stuff from the bottom of the roasting pan

This recipe assumes that you have already roasted a chicken and have wonderful drippings (leftover or in my case stolen before I served the chicken in anticipation of making good soup stock. I find if I leave the drumsticks nobody misses the thigh meat). The stock is made by boiling the chicken bones, carcass and the pan dripping in a pot with maybe 4 cups of water.  I eyeball and taste stuff. If the stock seems watery boil it down. If too strong add more water. If you need me to specify exact measurements, I recommend that you buy pre-made stock and take up Yoga.

Chop the onions, bell pepper, cabbage and celery.  Heat the oil in a separate pan, I used enough to cover the bottom, maybe 3 tablespoons.  Saute the chopped veggies in the oil until soft. Add to the chicken stock with the reserved chicken meat. Heat thru and season with the Saracha to taste.

I ate myself stupid on this then crocheted on the coach until I digested enough so I could move. Yes, I am crocheting a snuggle blanket for my granddaughter.

- Sassy Pants