Hit all the usual suspects for job seeking. Then we get a phone call. A former coworker of hers heard about her getting laid off. Was working at a new place, and wanted her in. Interviews go great. But then a snag…former coworker had a non-solicitation agreement. I have Contrail make an appeal to the CEO of her former workplace to waive the non-solict for her, but we don’t hear back. So much for that idea. But KingsIsle is hiring, that could be interesting.  We start playing Wizard101 so she would be familiar with their game and end up liking it. KingsIsle or BioWare seem like the best options for her to quickly get a job.

Then we get another phone call. It looks like Contrail’s former company is going bankrupt, so are you still interested in working with your former coworker? Maybe for, say, twice as much money? Well, that puts a different spin on things financially. Now that I don’t have to scramble to figure out how to keep a roof over our heads, I can refocus on the Pokemon app. I design the visual look of all the screens, just need to fill them with the correct data. But Core Data is still being stubborn…

November comes and I finally (with Contrail’s help) figure out what I’m doing wrong with Core Data. A rewrite of my loading code and things are working correctly, although it now takes twice as long to load. So I add in a loading screen. Also add instructions for how to choose the Pokemon you’ve caught as that doesn’t feel intuitive. I start testing the app, both on my iPhone 3G and her iPhone 4S. Black Friday gives me a chance to go out and present the app to some people and get their feedback. Comments like “this looks like a professional app” justify my design decisions. On November 31st, I stay up late, determined to get the app submitted to Apple and not let another month go by. The recruiters continue to email and call Contrail, wanting her services. Things are looking up, right?

December and my app is rejected. The message from Apple is written in some English derivative I call Applese. I think they are saying the name of the app infringes on a trademark? Okay, I disagree, but it’s not like I get a say in this. I change the name, update the logos, and resubmit. Rejected again. This one especially grates, as there are a dozen apps on the store with a similar name, but they managed to appeal to the voodoo gods of Apple’s submission process and I didn’t. I don’t get any feedback from Apple on if a third name (which takes a couple of days to come up with at this point) will pass muster, so we decide to try it anyway. Unfortunately, this is right before Apple closes up the submittal process for the holidays, so I won’t hear anything back this month.

Having the app (mostly) wrapped up, I look to the future. I still have that game in the “mostly coded” stage and would really like to make it into reality, despite the legal challenges. I finally come up with what I believe will let me bypass that hurdle, so my first project for next year is to implement that plan.

All this puzzling out of how to work around issues seems to have infected my Christmas shopping. I decide to present Contrail with a series of puzzles that hold her presents. Her first puzzle is a puzzle box. I find a cheap one on Amazon, but it’s a: incredibly small and b: almost solves itself right out of the box. So I scour the web for a replacement. I find a really nice looking puzzle box that a guy in Romania is selling. Once that arrives, I lay out her puzzle: the puzzle box contains a set of keys and a clue. The keys open a lockbox; the clue gives her the first number of the combination lock holding a bag closed. The lockbox also contains a combination lock clue. But it also has a set of keys, and there isn’t another lockbox…or is there? I hid this one early in the month and she had yet to see it. Fortunately the keys come with a clue as to where it’s hiding (in plain sight). She eventually figures out all the clues and the puzzles and has a nice haul: a set of mana potion earrings, a couple of manga volumes, two Diablo III t shirts, and the Professor Layton movie that I knew she would enjoy. This, along with the dozen other presents I wrapped for her means she is drowning in gifts. I made out pretty well too, with the new Zelda 3DS, some vinyl stickers to make the Wii look like a NES, copies of Sonic Generations and Skyward Sword, and a selection of books to add to my already too large reading pile Her mother also chipped in, giving me a couple of aprons and a saute pan along  with a couple of dragon figurines that are fighting for dominance on top of my monitors.

Looking back, the pessimist says I got nothing done this year, while the optimist says I laid the foundation towards building Silver Moonfire into a reality. This being the Christmas season, I think I’m going to listen to the optimist. Next year looks to be a great year, and I can’t wait to make the transition from “wannabe” developer to making money doing what I love.