Recently I told you about how, in high school, a casual decision to take an elective added a new direction to my compass. That new direction turned towards a world I had never imagined, and the path along that direction brought me to many joyful and wonderful experiences. For a long time I followed that path towards an imagined future somewhere down the road.
But in college, once again, a casual decision to try something new added yet another direction to my compass. And that path, too, led to joy and wonder. And that path did take me down a road towards my future.
Towards my present.
At some point a few years after discovering this new path, I began to refer to the high school discovery as “my first rebirth.” That made the college one my second “rebirth.”
The term is apt, because I was, indeed, reborn into a new world of experience and knowledge. But these days, to be “reborn” has another meaning I don’t intend.
For a while I called them my “big discoveries.”
Looked at that way, theatre (and the art world in general) is my second big discovery.
The first happened at a very young age when I discovered science fiction. On my Who? page, I cite the college discovery as, “the third discovery that paid for all.”
As the world became more computer aware, about the mid-80s, I was able to start using the term “rebooted.” My life was rebooted twice by then.
The third reboot was going to work for The Company and entering Corporate America.
(There was a fourth reboot when I got married, but the disk crashed and wiped out all the data.)
The rise of social media in the last decade made the concept of “2.0” lingua franca, and that is how I can write articles about My Life 2.0 and 3.0 (no doubt with more versions to come).
In that first article I mentioned that the “rebooted” and “2.0” terminology applied even more to the next big discovery. Now you’ll see why.
What I discovered during my last year of college was computer programming.
It was the fall of 1977 when I walked into my first computer class.
I still remember seeing something written on the blackboard that appeared to use English, but which made no sense to me.
It was my first exposure to a computer language, called BASIC.
I would come to speak that language, and many others over the years, as fluently my native tongue.
At the time, computers—big ones, PCs were still a few years off then—were just becoming accessible to normal people.
For my classes we used a Data General Nova that the college funded by sharing time to local merchants.
My first coding experiences were on a teletype KSR Model 33, a noisy, sluggish machine. Spending hours in a small room with eight of them (and concrete block walls) left you with ringing ears!
Those old machines are why my first programs were stored on the high-tech medium of punched paper tape!
The next semester’s classes gave me access to the university’s IBM 360, and there I graduated up to the “fun” of punch cards (never drop them on a windy day).
As the years went on, I embraced computer programming with the same passion and joy as I had theatre and film and television production.
For a long time, this new path was a personal one, a joyful hobby.
Three years out of college, I went to work for TC as a hardware tech. In my Work Reflections post I wrote about how the hardware job evolved into a software job, how the hobby became a career.
I’ve also written about a narrow escape from career conclusion in 2004 as well as the latest round of free fall.
And how both dives brought me close — so very close — to the ground.
Last time I had two days left when I got a soft offer and one day left when that offer was locked in.
This time… my parachute opened and fully deployed with five days remaining!
Today, my friends, is a joyful day.
This morning’s interview was a call-back for further discussion, but at the end of that discussion, I was invited to join a new fold.
And since this fold interested and excited me, I was more than happy to accept.
Today is a joyful day.
(The only downside at all is that this is really going to cut into my blogging time!)
But for now, it’s party time! I’m buying. What can I get you?
Logos con carne 
September 10th, 2012 at 8:18 pm
I’ll have a sour apple martini please… congratulations!
September 10th, 2012 at 8:23 pm
Ah, excellent choice! (I discovered those, of all places, at Walt Disney World!)
September 10th, 2012 at 8:40 pm
thanks! Cheers!
September 10th, 2012 at 8:27 pm
And I forgot to say: Thanks!!
September 11th, 2012 at 4:04 am
Congratulations! 😀
September 11th, 2012 at 6:49 am
Thank you very much!
September 11th, 2012 at 6:42 am
Thrilled to hear it! Congratulations and hope it’s a long and joyful collaboration. When do you begin?
September 11th, 2012 at 6:51 am
Pretty much immediately! I was given a pile of literature and a book with which to begin educating myself on the new systems. And there’s a meeting tomorrow to discuss an element they want me to build.
September 11th, 2012 at 6:45 am
Congratulations! That’s the beauty of being alive – we can “reboot” and live a number of different lives. Good luck in your endeavors!
September 11th, 2012 at 6:53 am
Thank you! Yes; new roads in life! I can imagine you appreciate the impact of a life rebooted!!
September 11th, 2012 at 9:14 am
Congratulations. I’m very happy for you.
September 11th, 2012 at 9:32 am
Thanks!!
September 11th, 2012 at 1:21 pm
I thought I might find you here! Wonderful news! Good conclusion and something for you to be EXCITED about!!!
Excellent!
September 11th, 2012 at 3:26 pm
Yep! I’m looking forward to it. Most excellent, indeed! 😆
September 13th, 2012 at 8:18 am
It took a “mental health” day (re: I called in sick) to get to read your most recent and excellent news! Wow! I started on my emails early this morning working backwards so excuse me for not knowing sooner!
Congrats and I will take the drink sometime if our paths cross in real life! Till then, you enjoy yours!
September 13th, 2012 at 9:43 am
Thank you, I will!
December 8th, 2014 at 10:02 am
I’ll pass on the tequila, but I’ll take anything else!
December 8th, 2014 at 10:05 am
Well, as you can see, there’s vodka and gin and beer (and Jimmy Buffett)! (The irony is that the new job turned out to be the worst of my career at The Company and was instrumental in my decision to take early retirement.)
December 8th, 2014 at 10:09 am
Hey, another reason to celebrate. In fact, a better one! I’ll start with a beer and move on to gin later on when things get rowdy. Gotta keep up, right?
December 8th, 2014 at 10:15 am
That’s a good plan! (No tequila because you don’t like it or because it’s so incredibly dangerous?)
December 8th, 2014 at 10:21 am
I had a bad night once. I stay away from the stuff now, although I’ll drink an occasional margarita with food. I tend not to like those too much either because of all the sugar, but if I know it’s going to be a good one with none of that sugary mix, I’ll go for it. Really I’m a beer and scotch girl.
December 8th, 2014 at 10:26 am
I can understand that. I have a similar night involving Wild Turkey. The mere idea of drinking that again makes me shudder. I’m with you on sugary margaritas. I don’t care for the mixes, either. I have to admit, even a proper margarita gets some sugar from the lime juice (and like also from the triple sec). And for my recipe there’s pineapple juice as well (but no actual sugar 🙂 ).
This works out well. My top-shelf tequila would be safe from you, and your top-shelf scotch would be safe from me!
December 8th, 2014 at 10:37 am
Hey, that’s an easy recipe. I like that. I’ll have to remember that next time I have a party. I used to make a nice sidecar, but now I can’t remember the damn recipe.
December 8th, 2014 at 10:39 am
That’s the best part — it’s easy to remember. Comes in handy as the party goes on!