Sunday, we took the family to the Marysville library! I said I would come home with books, right? Well, I didn't. I didn't even come home with many books for the kids, either. The children's section felt very empty, and the children's nonfiction is mixed in with the adult's non-fiction, which makes it difficult to just quickly browse for some good non-fiction. I also can't just send Saffron over to find a book herself, because then she'd be well out of sight from where I'm watching her brothers, and she's way more likely to run into topics and books that I'm not comfortable with her reading yet. Also, there were kids' books on the top shelf. Even I have to reach up to get them, how is a 7 year old going to do it? We're going to try the Arlington library next time to see if it's any better, but I'm betting it will have the same organizational system. We'll see.
I started doing other things instead.
I've started practicing code on a website called Codewars; it's basically a set of programming puzzles (the website calls them 'kata'), and solving them awards you better ranks over time. I'm still at the lowest rank, though I have done a bunch (okay... 17, since Tuesday). I was even up 'til about 1am one night fighting with a piece of code (RegEx can go sit in the corner for that. Seriously).
In terms of classes, I started one over at Udacity covering Git and Github, which are sort of project management tools. I already understand the why and general ideas of the topic, but the nitty-gritty details leaves me needing direction. I had also started a Ruby class over at Codecademy, but have set that aside for now; I think I'd like to develop more depth of knowledge and practice in JavaScript before taking on a language which I have no experience with. Also, Ruby is has some seriously weird bits.
I tried to go to a mommy meetup on Wednesday. I've lived here almost a year, and still know no one, so I thought I would try a Meetup group or something. The meetup was located at what the city's website describes as the centerpiece of the parks system. It's HUGE; a barn with petting zoo, two playgrounds, walking trails, a garden, and so on. Why am I saying that I tried to go? Because I spent 30 minutes driving what should have been a 15 minute trip, and I still couldn't find the entrance to the park. There's extensive roadwork on one side of the park, and between the lack of signage and the ambiguity of Google Maps, I couldn't figure out where an entrance was. The city's website is unhelpful as well, because it just links you to Google Maps. I wound up at a different park down the street, sitting alone while my kid played. So that was a really nice experience. :(
And now for something completely different!
Davenriche European Martial Arts on Mainstream TV!
My brother-in-law studies European martial arts (sword fighting... and stuff. Kicking butts.), and the dojo he goes to was featured on CNN's Somebody's Gotta Do it (hosted by Mike Rowe). Skip ahead to just after the 18 minute mark to see it:What is really cool about the whole thing is that in just a few weeks, my brother-in-law will be working there. I am so happy and excited for him, because it is such a great opportunity. Hit the link above if you want to read more about the dojo.
