Journal Entry: July 16, 2009

Yesterday I finished my software course. It's a pretty cool program. I threw together a MaskedFox icon in it, and then drew an Eye of Horus that was pretty acceptable. That was killing time. For the actual training I built a workflow process flow chart, an organization chart with decorative groupings for the various departments, a cubicle map that imported database info, and a Word document with an embedded calendar object.

Boring stuff.

I know how to use the program now, which is what my work was paying for. I don't know how to design (or really read) an EE schematic, though, so I don't know how practically useful it will be. If an engineer who spends all day every day working in CAD software needs to tell me every little line I need to change, wouldn't it be faster for him to just make the change and hand it off to me? I mean, I could understand if the goal were to have him say, "Reroute this circuit from J4 to $A1X33+ and put in a resistor." That would save him a lot of time. But they're going to have to send me to a lot more classes before that happens.

Okay, it just occurred to me that apart from the handful of work associates I left behind in Tulsa, I don't know a single other technical writer in the world. So this post has been a real waste of time so far....

Yesterday after work I grabbed a way-too-short nap while AB climbed all over me. I finally got tired of that and agreed to take her to McDonalds so she could climb on the play equipment instead. D-- and my sister's family were already there when we got there, and K-- and N-- joined us a little later.

Oh! Okay, I went to check out Redbox for new movies last Monday when they sent me a coupon for a free rental, and there was nothing worth getting. Just before I walked away, though, I noticed one of the many "Coming Soon" covers and when I looked closer I saw that it was The Color of Magic. That's a Terry Pratchett novel -- the first one in the Rincewind series (I think). So, of course, I had to get it. Hogfather, you'll recall, was extraordinarily long and most people found it tiresome, but I loved it. I'm certain this one will be the same, but with the added features of Tim Curry and Rudy from the movie Rudy. But no Susan, which is a real shame....

Anyway, I went back Tuesday (the aforementioned "Coming Soon"), and they didn't have it. I figured it was a pretty low-demand item, so it probably wasn't too heavily stocked. Still, there's another Redbox about a quarter mile from the one I'd checked, so I hopped down the road to try that one, but no luck. There's another one on my way home from work, at the McDonalds right by our house, so I checked that one, too, but still nothing. I decided to add it to my Netflix queu, and promptly forgot.

So then last night when T-- told me to take AB to the playground while she got in line to buy our food, I spotted the Redbox and took AB over there instead. And there was the movie! Haha, in your face! I say that because now you're going to have to sit through an extraordinarily long and timesome movie, but I'll love it.

Ahem.

After dinner, T-- took AB to church, and I went back to the house with D--. We started watching Dexter, about which I'd heard some really rave reviews, but it's just oppressively dark. It's hilarious, when it's not soul-crushingly bitter. We watched most of two episodes before AB showed up and made us change the TV to WordWorld.

Then we put her to bed, D-- headed home, and T-- and I watched the penultimate episode of Flight of the Conchords. And then, both of us still exhausted from our Harry Potter adventure, we went to bed before ten. That's our glamorous lifestyle.

Other than that, it's just things and stuff.