The Time Sink

Time to fire up another assistantless week at the salt mine. Janeen checked in late last week to report on the rain and cold where they were hanging out. It killed me to tell her the cold weather here had backed off some and we were in the sixties.

On the home front, I need to start in on some heavy thinking about exactly what it is I need to function as far as my computers and workspace goes. Shelley and I are trying to figure out how to keep me sane while moving Bradley into the room I currently use as a 'library'. So far, options have included creating some space in the garage and a "monk's cell" behind the bedroom. While I know I could operate okay with a newer laptop, there are still times I need to get to the server and testbed machines and those need to live in a climate controlled environment. ...and as Shelley points out: I need a place to hide occasionally. I'll likely be 'thinking out loud' here from time to time on the subject...

On other matters, I'll note that my work machine is a P-200 built in '97 from rather standard parts. It has had the benefit of every tweak I could apply, both from Dave's book and and from a few other sources. ...and I think the only real upgrade I'll make when it transitions into a department file server (the stealth Linux project <g>) will be to put in something a little better than the two meg video card it has now (although those Maxtor drives do keep dropping in price). I think both of the guys have a point here: While I won't drop a ton of money into the work box (or Athena at home), using optimization techniques has helped both machines immensely. Yeah, even that P-120 laptop I use at the coast gained a lot from optimizing. ...and I will add in my personal choice (again) for defrag and registry cleaning: Ontrack's Fix-It Utilities; there's a lot of bang for the buck in that product.

Some silliness continuing over on the alternate site... I figure if it's all serious all the time, it's a little too serious <g>.

Speaking of which, how about taking your lego mindstorms system and having a go at Rubik's cube? Yeah, elegant in its own way... (via Unxmaal)

On the home front, I'm driving my sister's Chevy Tahoe today as Shelley's favorite vehicle is in the shop once again for overheating. I admit to one heck of an issue with that Dodge: multiple episodes of various things failing make it hard to argue for another van from that bunch...

Also on the home front will be the first science fair project in about forty years... Daniel managed to score a decent idea and we'll be checking to see which types of paper float better than others. I may just have to find throw some specialty papers in if things get too boring. Then there's always the old 'detergent as a surfactant' trick...

Oh yeah, she's back! ...and with plenty of attitude <g>, although she missed posting today since the day more or less ran a steamroller over both of us.

Yeah, Stanley and I didn't get to work on the doorbell this evening... I had an appointment with the dentist in the mid-afternoon and returned home from that encounter wanting/needing a break. Sure enough, I found a diversion as soon as I arrived: tranmission fluid leaking from the van. ...the van we just got back from the shop. K'... Off to the shop, my sister's house to borrow a car, home in five o'clock traffic for the third time this week, and all of this with a numb mouth...

In the meantime, Shelley's been getting the homework routine going and working on the workflow for tomorrow morning when she takes my Mom back to the hospital for the new appointment she made this morning when they showed up for the appointment that was cancelled only they didn't know that 'cause no one told them. ...you keeping up here? Okay, then Shelley will be heading home to help handle two Valentine's Day parties in the boys' classrooms and then get ready to sub again on Friday... So, if you don't see her before the weekend, I wouldn't be surprised.

...and I'll be in to work late for the third day in a row (see above re: Dr. appointments; I'm the relief driver) and staying late to make up the time I missed while relaxing while the man hurt me today 'cause all the crazies decided the day I have an appointment is the Day To Get Things Done, which means I didn't get the things done that I had planned and now they need to be handled in between the seven new projects dished up yesterday. Oh, and it's cleanup time before my assistant gets back to the office. ...and no, Monday morning won't work 'cause she'll be down this weekend to handle some personal paperwork. ...you're still keeping up, right? That's good, because I'll be checking in by phone to see what it is I said I needed to do because the next unscheduled event is likely the loss of internet connectivity around nine in the morning.

Hey, I made it! Two weeks with no assistant! Whoohoo... But I'll sure be glad when Monday comes around and I don't have to worry about splitting my personality any more than is usual for me <g>.

I did okay though, Janeen had worked up a series of routine orders and all I had to do was place them as indicated. ...and one vendor already had copies and just showed up as he was needed. Now that's competence! In payback, she'll be returning to as neat a work area as she left, with invoices/statments, purchase orders and packing slips all ready for data entry (I do have my limits). ...and she's also covered with photos of the construction we have going on; I slipped over a few times and took some shots, one of which ended up in the company newsletter.

The only sticking point to feeling great about things is another DMV headache that I just haven't managed to get untracked on. ...but with State offices closed on Monday (and Janeen back), I should be able to have my ducks at least lined up for a phone call on Tuesday. That'll make me feel better about how things have gone.

...and I was really feeling like I had things under control. ...until I happened across this listing in my logs: studlab3.psycho-legal.northwestern.edu !

Man, I just love it when I can get ahead of the weather... The forecast for today called for rain all day. ...and I gave up on blading. But as the day wore on, the rain never showed up, just the wind and a light haze. Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer and headed out around 1630 to give it a go.

...and it was one of my better trips out this winter: the winds had shifted during the day; that meant I was working against the wind almost the entire way out. But on the return legs... Oh yeah, a tail wind that worked with me for a change on the one hill. ...and other than the one switchback near the end, I was able to really put some life into the back half of things instead of working against the wind as I've had to do much of the winter.

I dodged the rain yesterday, but I don't think that trick's going to work today... It started raining last night; but when I finally dragged myself out of bed, the sky seemed clear. ...until I looked to the west. Oh yeah, there's a party going to happen here sooner or later.

Well, the morning more or less dragged on (yeah, the science project from hell) as the sky darkened and then lightened again. ...and the radar kept saying things were headed our way. Finally some rain came, but it didn't last too terribly long and it started to look like it was clearing in the east. ...for about twenty minutes.

Right now I have thunder punctuating a very heavy rainfall and radar showing cells all over this area. ...and of course Shelley is out shopping as she escapes from the household in preparation for being stuck with kidlets on Monday.

Good grief, it's hailing now. ...and it's dark enough that the lights for the Japanese garden have kicked on! Time to get this posted before I lose power here.