Well, I’ve done it! I’ve generated code successfully and I’m thrilled with the end result. It’s a bit more humorous than my usual academic projects, but Harry and Ron think it’s hysterical. Ron doesn’t quite understand the references but Harry does. Many of my Muggle-born classmates also love it, so that is exciting for me! It’s not often that people like what I make because, well, I don’t make things a lot.
I hope I receive a good grade on it because I worked hard on it!
Just as Alexandria mentioned yesterday, spending time working in class with our professor has helped immensely and I feel more comfortable with coding now. I’m still slightly concerned as to how I’ll make it to 50,000 words. That’s a lot more words than it sounds like. Hopefully this week will offer me some time to work on it but also relax too, because I need that! It’s been a busy week and I’d like to keep some parts of it low-stress.
Coding to me seems like magic. A difficult concept, but easy once you get the hang of it. But once you feel you’ve gotten the hang of it, a new curveball is thrown at you and you can do nothing else but accept it and combat it. I can’t tell whether or not I’m looking forward to this project of generating 50,000 words through code. I think I’m at the point of “accept it and combat it” really.
Life is picking up fast and I’m running on very little sleep, but the weather is becoming slightly less dreary and cold which is absolutly perfect for me. Mondays are always tough too and I feel like I’m on edge. I’m trying to remember to relax. It’s proving quite difficult.
I’ll admit, I am slightly concerned about generating a 50,000 word novel from code. I’m not used to code and they certainly don’t teach it here at Hogwarts! I wish I could simply cast a spell and have it done for me. But that would violate the Honor Code, not teach me anything, and be an easy way out. I appriaictae a good challenge every now and then, but this seems like it will be a huge challenge that I’m hesitant to take on. I’m hoping that we’ll learn more about coding and be offered some tutorials before we’re tasked with starting the assignment. For now, I’m just going to explore code that other people have written and take my weekend easy.
Usually, I’m a morning person, but I had a very hard time getting out of bed this morning which I believe is partially due to the weather. It’s gray and cloudy and very unfortunate. I had skipping classes, but I had a very strong urge to do so this morning. I didn’t though, which turned out to be a good idea because we discussed interesting text generation in class.
I believe I’ve mentioned before, but I don’t love writing. I’m a big fan of reading, but writing is tricky and frustrating to me. I am looking forward to code generation of a text though but I don’t know what I’ll do for it! I’m hoping an idea will come to me once we are told more about the assignment.
I had made plans to go down to Hogsmeade and explore the stores this weekend, but unfortunately it was very gray and rainy. Luckily, that didn’t stop me! In fact, I think it made it more enjoyable to settle down into the coffeeshop with a recently rented book from the library and begin to read it. It’s the little things in life that make it so enjoyable. For me, this was one of those moments.
Books are a warm blanket on a rainy day.
Today’s exercise that we did in class kept me on my toes, but like Alexandria, I’m not sure how I felt about it. On one hand, it was engaging and interactive. On the other hand, it was very stressful waiting to see if anyone would speak and trying to make sure what we were reading didn’t scroll up and away. I think it was more about the interactivity of the piece rather than what it was about, but that’s just my take on it!
Break is over and I’m ready to hit the ground running! Unfortunately, I’ve come down with a bit of a cold, presumably from all of the traveling I did during my time off and small shared spaces on planes and trains. But! That won’t stop me! I’ve fared worse!
I’m looking forward to the new lessons about technology and programming, because that’s a skill for Muggles I’d love to have and one that isn’t taught here at Hogwarts. Regardless of whether I choose to live a Muggle or Witch lifestyle after leaving Hogwarts, I’d still like to learn about digitalization and such. Knowledge is everything, after all.
It’s strange to think that I’ll be out on my own very shortly. It’s quite frightening, really. I have all of this knowledge about so many different subjects, but still feel like I don’t know all I need to in order to make it. I’m trying my best not to worry about it, but anxiety is a funny, torturous thing.
Finally, the week is over and I am ready to go home to visit my family for break! I got everything done, of course, because my time management skills are superb, even without a time turner. I’ve finished midterm exams, midterm papers, midterm projects, and am all packed. The only thing left I have to do is fight Crookshanks to get into his carrier and board the train.
I’m looking forward to reading some new books over the break, especially since I just finished House of Leaves which was a major headache to me. Thankfully, it allowed me to connect with new friends from all over time and space who also commiserated over it. I’m slightly exagerrating because it wasn’t all that awful, it just wasn’t formatted the way traditional books are. There was a learning curve in understanding it, and reading is second nature to me, so I struggled. But, I suppose struggling is a sign of gaining more knowledge in the end. And the more knowledge I have, the better!
Slowly but surely, I am surviving midterm week. I just finished my History of Magic essay and it took up four pieces of parchment! My hand is completely numb, but that’s to be expected from writing so much. Thankfully, it’s Wednesday and the week is halfway over. I’m counting down the moments until I’m home and free to read as much as I want whenever I want, without any care in the world!
