:Jason A Tratta:

Well….it’s been a fairly long time since I have updated this page. Lots has been happening I guess. So here are all the updates I might have posted here….had I actually been a good blogger.

Chicago:
I spent a week in the Chicagoland area this summer visiting family and friends. It was great to see everyone…there was much drinking and it was VERY hot while I was there. Also…as an added bonus…I ended up in a hotel room with a couple next door screaming all night. Not that kind of screaming…it was the I’m leaving you here kind of screaming. It wasn’t exactly a rest filled vacation.

Fairbanks, AK:
Yup…I spent a week in Fairbanks, Alaska this summer. The sun never went down…which really screws with ones sense of time after a while. It’s absolutely beautiful there. I would love to go back…in summer….because when an Alaskan tells you that -40F in winter sucks, someone like me would probably struggle to top that description. I also noted on several occasions that someone with my set of skills would be hards pressed to make any sort of living there. Sadly…I did not spot any moose.

Motorcycles:

I want one…and plan on getting one next riding season. It should be one of these if you’re looking to buy me a gift.

Code!
I have successfully gotten my first OSX and iPhone apps running. It is all my own code. I still have quite a bit more learning to do but, seeing as I knew next to nothing about computer programing 6 months ago, I’m pretty excited about this step in my learning curve. Apps and downloads coming soon.

Julius Caesar and Anthony and Cleopatra…in rep. There are many live percussion instruments in Julius Caesar…which is cool.

The shows close on July 6th at the Shakespeare Theatre in DC.

The Washington Ballet performing at Sidney Harman Hall.

*Not an actual performance photo

Here is a video that I created for all my friends in WoW. I don’t play anymore however, I thought this was a fun tribute to everyone in my old guild. Yes…I was actually a GM for a guild called Knights of Waffle.
Anwho…I really enjoyed making this even though it took my 8 year old computer neatly 12 hours to render a minute of the giant waffle fly arounds.

http://www.knightsofwaffle.net

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Oddly enough the month has been horribly busy. First it was my apartment kicking everyone out to refurb the place into condos then, it was my third flat tire in less than a year. Not to mention the whole looking for a new place to live and that other little thing I do called work.

Some how I have also managed to get really into computer programming again. I have always loved OSX and have has several ideas for great apps that I’d much rather make myself than give away. So…I have been building a self education road map for myself.

The internet is a pretty amazing place. (duh) But what is blowing me away lately is all the free lectures, books, and course-ware there is popping up all over the place. Trying to learn C from a book is kinda wonky…but watching various lectures has been supremely helpful.

Now if I can just stay on course…my curiosity has me preemptively jumping ahead to the work of Objective-C and Cocoa to see what is to come. Anywho….back to learning about Pointers.

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