A few times each year – once or twice a semester at Art Center, I get to explain to the uninitiated what a “variable” really is. Not the mysterious x from high school algebra, whose contents are unknown, and which we must decipher — even though there is no tangible reward! No, not an annoying mystery, but a comforting little pocket — one of many pockets, that we can put stuff in: quarters, gum, knives & marbles, for later retrieval.

I love introducing programming concepts to neophytes – it is why I teach. But I must admit, it’s a little daunting, and I’m not entirely successful at it. I figure at least half of my students are like the cook who learns to make a roux, but only uses it for the one dish for which it was initially required. They write down the recipes, but don’t really grasp the concepts.

But in each collection of the unilluminated, there are always a few “ahas”. And each time I hear an audible “aha!”, a thrill runs through me. I imagine the feeling is a little bit like the pleasure of converting the unsaved. Through the newly opened eyes of the convert, I see myself, years ago, when my own eyes were newly opened. I am young again, and feel the spark of new discovery.

I have transformed an enigma into a pocket.

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