Today at work, we had this huge switch over to a new IT setup. The assurance leading up to the process was, "You'll be able to come in the next day, and you won't even notice the difference." Bless them, they tried their best, but, well, computers will be computers, which means they are going defenestrate your beautifully laid plans and do whatever they feel like doing.*
Anyway, the disruption didn't really bother me, because I have about 150 boxes of paper to go through, so I can keep busy without a computer. The funny thing is, my computer really did seem to transition quite smoothly. The tech guy came in to download programs, I wandered off to do other things, and when I came back it was ready to go. In fact it was unnerving how smoothly it went, because everyone else seemed to have one snag or another. (My boss actually had an error that they'd never seen before, and they've been transitioning thousands of computers. I feel like he should get a prize or something). The lack of hiccups made me seemed abnormally ominous. Anyway, the tech guys ended up spending half of their day fixing things. The best part is they get to come in and do it all over again with the other half of the building tomorrow. Better them than me.
Nope, I'm content to sit around with my boxes of paper, where the biggest technical problems are staples, excessive use of binder clips, and the occasional paper cut.
*This isn't really that surprising. I mean, they are made by people, and people aren't very great at perfect. The really mind-boggling thing is that we continue to think that this time will be different. And that we have basically turned our world over to them. All those sci-fi books about computers taking over the world? Yeah. Try history. It's already happened.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Vroom Vroom
Today after church, I got in the car I rented and I just drove. I drove all over town, not worried about being on time for anything or being anywhere in particular or putting miles on the car or gas mileage. I drove just to drive. I really enjoy driving, which is probably unfortunate because I have a feeling I'm not the greatest driver (I am better without people in the car. When people are in the car with me, I feel like I need to play hostess and entertain them. Not something you should do while driving).
I thought about stopping at different places--the lake or the river, but I realized what I really wanted to do was just drive. Drive and drive and drive. I would have driven longer except I was running out of places to drive to. What I really wanted to do was leave town, but I figured I should probably go home and eat something. (Boring.)
The whole time, I thought about stuff. I thought about all the worries I've got, and I thought a lot about how I miss having a car and all the things I could do so much more easily if I had one. Like, go to a park, or go to see the lake or the river, or visit someone. I live in a place that has a decent bus system, but I have to add at least half an hour to any travel time (and that's only one way). Also, the bus doesn't go to a lot of places, so there are things I can't do unless I want to walk. A lot. Which means there's no time to do what I actually want to do. Also, buses mean you have to have a schedule. You have to be back at a certain time, so a relaxed outing isn't an option. It's a huge waste of time in one way or another and there isn't a lot of freedom.
So, today I just enjoyed having something to drive. And maybe sometime soon, I can plan a real trip with lots of driving to go somewhere more interesting. One can dream.
I thought about stopping at different places--the lake or the river, but I realized what I really wanted to do was just drive. Drive and drive and drive. I would have driven longer except I was running out of places to drive to. What I really wanted to do was leave town, but I figured I should probably go home and eat something. (Boring.)
The whole time, I thought about stuff. I thought about all the worries I've got, and I thought a lot about how I miss having a car and all the things I could do so much more easily if I had one. Like, go to a park, or go to see the lake or the river, or visit someone. I live in a place that has a decent bus system, but I have to add at least half an hour to any travel time (and that's only one way). Also, the bus doesn't go to a lot of places, so there are things I can't do unless I want to walk. A lot. Which means there's no time to do what I actually want to do. Also, buses mean you have to have a schedule. You have to be back at a certain time, so a relaxed outing isn't an option. It's a huge waste of time in one way or another and there isn't a lot of freedom.
So, today I just enjoyed having something to drive. And maybe sometime soon, I can plan a real trip with lots of driving to go somewhere more interesting. One can dream.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Random Facts about Me
Nicknames: I have been called Leesy, Leesypeesh, Mona-leesy, and the Cake Fairy. And I had a friend who would sing Elise Navidad every time he saw me.
Things I collect: movies with main characters named Elise, books, and money, maps and flags from places I travel to.
Three words that describe me: Introvert, trouble, funny
One place I want to go: Iceland.
Something I never expected to do: travel to Vanuatu (where I spent 4 days on an island with an active volcano). Or China. Or anywhere really.
Accomplishment I'm really proud of: Master's degree, receiving honorable mention in a writing competition.
Favorite number: 35173
Favorite word: Defenestrate
Favorite story to tell about myself: the story of my appendectomy. Hilarious.
Unofficial Occupations: Shoulder Angel/Devil (yes, both); Conscience; Cool Aunt
Places I've been that I want to go back to: Australia and Puerto Rico
Best talent: being an audience member
Types of Podcasts I listen to: British podcasts; economics podcasts, history podcasts, church podcasts, and current events podcasts.
Quirks: I tend to pick up the accent/speech patterns of books that I'm reading (or TV shows I watch, or podcasts I listen to.) I also tend to really get into movies when I'm watching alone, and I make faces that mirror the emotions of the characters. This is a bit embarrassing when I catch myself doing it.
What I would do if I had a lot of money: lots of things, but one would be start a scholarship for normal, average people.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Great Ideas
I have an aptitude* for coming up with really good ideas.
For example, I have this great idea for a life broker service for the introverts in the world. There are certain skill sets I lack such as the ability to haggle over prices and know the right questions to ask when it comes to major purchases. So, why not have someone who will take care of it for you? We have it for real estate, why not for car buying, or computers, or other purchases? I would definitely think it worth my time to have someone else do all the research on cars, have them checked out, haggle over price, etc. Narrow it down to 2 or 3, and then I decide which one. Of course, I'd probably be too poor to afford this service, but I do think it would be great.
My latest great idea is creating resumes using Badges/Achievements. Like what you get when you are playing games online. "You have earned the Ninja Fighter badge" or "You have unlocked the Snowball of Doom". So why not use the same concept on resumes? Instead of skills, we give ourselves badges. Instead of Work Experience or College Degrees, we have unlocked achievements. Resumes would be SO much more fun.
The problem with my great ideas is that I lack the aptitude for execution. I don't know how to turn them into reality. Assuming that they aren't already a real thing and that they are actually worth enacting. So, if you ever need an idea, I'm happy to sign up to help. But after that, you're on your own.
*Note the lack of adjectives describing this aptitude. I don't know how I compare with other people, and I imagine I don't have any more ideas than the next person. I may even have fewer. This is more a relative strength. So, I don't know if it is something I'm good at or not.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
A Special Ordinary
I've been thinking about my grandma lately. She's my mom's mom and she is just the kind of grandma I want to be when I grow up. If I ever get to be a grandma.
My grandma, GMC (that's how she signs her name in letters and stuff), is a spunky lady. She's dealing with Alzheimer's now, but she's still got spunk. And while she's still pretty healthy, she is in her 80s, so she can't do all the things she used to, but she's still the same at heart.
I remember when I was younger, she would come over and wrestle with my brothers. Not wrestling on the ground, but she'd still wrestle with them. She was always the one to throw the first cup of water at the family reunion, but she never got wet. And she still has a bit of mischief--not too long ago, my brother was bringing her up to Idaho (maybe a year or two ago), and at a rest stop, while he was inside, she made some snowballs. When he came back, she pelted him. Totally unexpected. (I think maybe I got a little bit of that mischief streak. Sometimes, it shows itself).
When I was in high school, I worked a part time job not too far from my grandma's house and I would sometimes stop by on the way home. It may seem strange that a teenager would want to go spend time at grandma's, but I loved to be there. I could talk to her without any interruptions, and she always had time for me. I would visit when I came home from college, too. I remember once her asking me if I thought she should redo her living room. I have this memory that someone else had suggested it. I opined that it didn't matter what anyone else thought, it was her living room. She did eventually make some changes, but I still remember that conversation. Maybe because she was asking for my thoughts and treated me like they mattered.
I don't have many specific memories of those visits, other than they happened, but I remember them and they really mattered in my life. I live a long way from Grandma now, and I don't see her very often, and with 50+ grandkids and Alzheimer's, she doesn't always remember me. But I still look up to her and I hope to be like her someday.
My grandma, GMC (that's how she signs her name in letters and stuff), is a spunky lady. She's dealing with Alzheimer's now, but she's still got spunk. And while she's still pretty healthy, she is in her 80s, so she can't do all the things she used to, but she's still the same at heart.
I remember when I was younger, she would come over and wrestle with my brothers. Not wrestling on the ground, but she'd still wrestle with them. She was always the one to throw the first cup of water at the family reunion, but she never got wet. And she still has a bit of mischief--not too long ago, my brother was bringing her up to Idaho (maybe a year or two ago), and at a rest stop, while he was inside, she made some snowballs. When he came back, she pelted him. Totally unexpected. (I think maybe I got a little bit of that mischief streak. Sometimes, it shows itself).
When I was in high school, I worked a part time job not too far from my grandma's house and I would sometimes stop by on the way home. It may seem strange that a teenager would want to go spend time at grandma's, but I loved to be there. I could talk to her without any interruptions, and she always had time for me. I would visit when I came home from college, too. I remember once her asking me if I thought she should redo her living room. I have this memory that someone else had suggested it. I opined that it didn't matter what anyone else thought, it was her living room. She did eventually make some changes, but I still remember that conversation. Maybe because she was asking for my thoughts and treated me like they mattered.
I don't have many specific memories of those visits, other than they happened, but I remember them and they really mattered in my life. I live a long way from Grandma now, and I don't see her very often, and with 50+ grandkids and Alzheimer's, she doesn't always remember me. But I still look up to her and I hope to be like her someday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)