It's interesting how a conk in the head and subsequent mild concussion can change one's world view. (In case you're wondering, a couple of years ago I got conked in the head with a rubber tire, resulting in a mild concussion. Looking back, I believe that was the major turning point of my life as I know it.)

I hate computers. I hate computers with an unnatural passion. Well, not all computers. Just the ones that don't do what I tell them to do, regardless of how specifically I specify the specifications. These for the most part fall under the category of Windows and Windows-derivative systems. I hate these so much that I've pretty much decided to take a drastically different direction for my life.

In a previous post, I had mentioned that I was toying with the idea of leaving the computer industry altogether for a change of scenery. A week later, I got a nice kick in the pants, and a lot of encouragements and exhortations, and have decided to go for it. The plan is to quit my high-paying, high-stress, desk job to go to culinary school to become a pastry chef. Yes, you read that right. Pastry chef. "So, what do you do for a living?" "Oh, I'm a pastry chef."

While pondering this decision, I came to the conclusion that I'd regret it more if I were 50, sitting in a cubicle, and wishing I'd taken this opportunity, than if I went to school, paid many dollars, and found out it wasn't meant to be.

So maybe one day you'll see me at a pastry chef competition, or you'll run into my work at a wedding reception. Maybe I'll be on Iron Chef one day. Or maybe I'll end up back in a cubicle churning out code like the good little Code Monkey I am. Either way, the road will be much more interesting, and marked with fun and tasty dessert-y creations.

One day it'll be, "You know, your Grandpa used to be a pastry chef." How many Grandpas used to be pastry chefs?


¶ 4:25 PM