In the spirit of full disclosure, I assure my readers that I did not create the original code. I'm just altering it so it'll do what I want. I have to ask for help, sometimes, but I can basically look around at code on other objects and piece together what should happen. I don't truly understand why certain pieces of code work. I don't need to. It's a bit like watching a foreign movie; you follow the parts you can, and context fills in the rest.

Math is this major psychological deal for me. I am probably pretty bright, although I don't know that for sure. I've always been ahead of my class in reading, writing, comprehension, and jazz like that. But I can't remember math formulas, or understand anything but the most basic algebra, and I go into waterfalls of tears when faced with math tests. So there's this part of me that is quite convinced I can't do anything technical, period.

For years I wondered if I was stupid. On account of the math, you know. Even though girls weren't expected to be good at it, they weren't generally thought to be utterly incapable of getting through the basics, which was my problem. The pain and humiliation of spending summers indoors working on fractions remains with me still, I assure you. Anyway, I finally decided that if I was able to program, and balance my checkbook, and cook, I had learned math somehow, and maybe I wasn't completely stupid, and I wanted proof. So I went in for an IQ test.

You know, those things are just plain magic. I can't figure out how come they tell so much about a person based on how fast you put together little cartoons into a logical story sequence, or draw a picture of a boat. The Rorshach test was especially demented. The tester kept showing me ink blots and I kept seeing...ink blots. I just made stuff up, after awhile. At the end, I got really carried away and said, 'I call this one Dance of the Amoebas!' The tester carefully wrote it down. Imagine explaining that one. Still, they put together a very insightful report on me, and guess what? I have a very obvious math learning deficiency! I was thrilled to pieces. Funny, huh?

I'm especially pleased because I want to finish my B.A. someday, and I know universities have math requirements. This way, I'll have a chance to learn at my own pace if I absolutely have to take algebra. But even if I don't, I feel a deep sense of satisfaction at finally being able to say, 'I TOLD YOU I WAS BAD AT MATH!' Now, get out of here. I'm going to work on my robot some more.