Learning Java is feeling like a wild ride. I'm sitting here, trying to make sense of abstract ideas like SOLID principles, OOP, inheritance, and polymorphism, while also wrestling with the more hands-on stuff like JOptionPane (?), loops, arrays, and Java's strict syntax. Honestly, I'm not seeing how it all connects yet, but I'm trusting that it'll click eventually. At least, I hope it will.

I have to admit something: Peterson and Charles are lifesavers. They're the reason I'm even keeping up. Sometimes, they straight-up do the assignments for me. If my teacher is reading this after giving me a good grade—sorry! I know I should be doing it all myself, but it's hard to keep up when everything feels so overwhelming. I promise I'm trying to learn, even if it doesn't always look like it.

One of the hardest parts is dealing with the red squiggly lines in the IDE. Every time I see them, it feels like the program is yelling at me. They're everywhere, pointing out every little mistake I make, and it's honestly terrifying. It's hard to feel motivated to try again, fail, and try again when the IDE keeps reminding me how much I'm messing up? It's like the red lines are saying, "You're a dumbass".

The abstract concepts are still the most confusing. SOLID principles sound like rules I should follow, but I don't know how to apply them yet. OOP feels like this big, important thing, but I'm still figuring out why it's better than just writing everything in one file. Inheritance makes sense in theory, but I don't know when I'll actually need it. And polymorphism? It sounds fancy, but I'm not sure I fully get it. These ideas feel like pieces of a puzzle, but I don't know what the final picture is supposed to look like.

The more concrete stuff, like JOptionPane, loops, and arrays, feels a little easier to handle. At least I can see what they're doing. But even then, Java's syntax is so strict that it feels like I'm walking on eggshells every time I write code. One missing semicolon, and the whole thing breaks. It's frustrating, but I'm trying to remind myself that this is part of the process.

Right now, I'm just focusing on what I can do today. I write code that works, even if it's messy. I ask for help when I need it (or when Peterson and Charles offer to just do it for me). I try to celebrate the small wins, like getting a program to run without errors or finally understanding how a for loop works. I'm trusting that the abstract stuff like SOLID, OOP, inheritance or polymorphism will start to make sense as I keep practicing. Maybe the next logic class will connect some dots. Maybe it won't. Either way, I'm showing up and doing what I can.

It's not easy, but I'm holding onto hope. I don't need to understand everything right now. I just need to keep going, keep asking questions, and trust that the pieces will eventually fall into place. One day, I'll look back and laugh at how scared I was of those red squiggly lines. For now, I'm moving forward, even when it feels messy. Just going for it anyway.

See ya.