Snowflake Challenge - day one

[dragonyphoenix]

In your own space, introduce yourself! Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

At first this was a hard one to do because most days I am STRESSED!!! I AM SO STRESSED!!!!

But of course I'm more than that.

When I pause after writing, I feel ecstatic joy. I'm just so excited to write.

I love cats and my roommate Becky has five. Sweeney and Joni often sleep in my room. Under my affection Sweeney has grown from skittish never see him cat to so comfortable that sits on my chest and bumps his head against my chin to demand pets.

I'm not as fond of dogs but my last roommate had one and I now miss playing with dogs.

I struggle with depression and get caught up in fandoms to distract myself. This year that fandom was The Untamed. I've written a number of stories including crossovers with Leverage, the Addams Family, and the Cthulhu mythos.

I'm looking into coding bootcamps. I was a programmer over a decade ago but my life fell apart. I'm working in a mailroom now and want a job that doesn't leave me exhausted and pays a living wage. But I'm torn because when I worked as a government contractor, they didn't have enough work to keep me busy and instead of admitting that, they'd tell me I was lazy for not working when I didn't have any work to do. I feel scared but also brave for working towards going back into that field.

Comments

[thewiggins]

I'm sorry to hear that your stupid job has you so tired and stressed! I hope the coding bootcamp thing works out for you and you are able to find a job that treats you better than either your current or former employer. I have anxiety and depression and know very well how hard it is to manage them while working in a bad environment.

On an unrelated note, kitties! Sweeny sounds very cute. :) I live with two cats myself, Brando and Daedelus.

[paulamcg]

Hello from the Snowflake! It's lovely to hear that you've actually got cats, too, as roommates, and thank you for sharing also what's not so lovely. I, too, often feel exhausted due to my work (as kindergarten teacher), and writing fanfic makes me feel better. I trust writing will continue to bring you joy!

[dragonyphoenix]

Yay cats!

Wow, I can imagine watching kids all day would be tiring. Glad you found something to make it easier.

[double_dutchess]

Good luck with the Snowflake Challenge, but more importantly: good luck getting back into coding!

[dragonyphoenix]

Thank you!

Hmm ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Consider coding for underserved populations. You've worked in the field, think how straight-white-abled-monied-male-etc. it tends to be. Most of them code for each other. Who's coding for women, people of color, anyone with a disability? Regardless of what job you wind up in, you could make apps as a side gig or hobby and make a big splash in a small pool. If you also offered to code on commission, you might make more money that way. Build up a fanbase of followers who have little else to serve their needs.

I did it with poetry.

Re: Hmm ...

[dragonyphoenix]

I love this idea. I've always worked for others so I'm not sure how to start except I have taken part in a hackathon. It was geared towards Black Lives Matter. But I have time to think on it as I still have to get through a coding bootcamp.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Re: Hmm ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>I love this idea.<<

Yay!

>> I've always worked for others so I'm not sure how to start except I have taken part in a hackathon. It was geared towards Black Lives Matter.<<

That's cool.

You could work for yourself, or for others.

>> But I have time to think on it as I still have to get through a coding bootcamp. <<

Take a few notes and come back to it after bootcamp then.

>> Thanks for the suggestion.<<

*bow, flourish* Happy to be of service.

If you need ideas, I suggest looking for places where people complain about things not designed for them. These may illuminate gaps you could fill.

https://inews.co.uk/news/technology/these-british-women-couldnt-find-apps-to-meet-their-needs-so-they-made-their-own-297406

https://www.engadget.com/2018-09-07-fitness-health-tracking-pregnancy.html

https://guestofaguest.com/new-york/technology/6-apps-women-need-2017

https://www.federaltimes.com/smr/section-508/2016/04/18/9-examples-of-tech-making-it-harder-for-people-with-disabilities/

https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2012/01/the-10-most-racist-smartphone-apps-ever-created/2

[spikedluv]

Hi! Dropping in from Snowflake. We also have a cat, though his acquisition was unplanned. I have discovered that I love being a cat mom. We also have two dogs, both rescues. *g*

Good luck finding a coding boot camp and a better, less stressful job.

[dragonyphoenix]

Thanks.

Most of Becky's cats are rescues. Joni is the daughter of a rescue cat. Becky's daughter has Joni's mother Violet who comes to visit with Emily. She also brings her dog Willow. I love having a dog in the house, even if it's only temporary, but the cat's ... not so much with the happy over that.