A couple of music things today. First, it is the 40th anniversary of KISS' first show. From their humble beginnings of playing in front of 10 people for $50 to now, when they charge at least $50 a ticket person, KISS has achieved what hundreds of bands will not come close to achieving. Some bands spend months in a basement and never play a gig (thinking of summer 1989 with Assume).
Moving on, I've been to a festival in Memphis, TN, twice - once in 2003, once in 2007. This is the press credentials section for the festival on their website:http://www.memphisinmay.org/mediacredentialrequests
It's a bunch of crap.
The third bullet wipes out dailyvault.com and my attendance. There should be some sort of first come, first granted clause. I guarantee you that I, someone who writes for an independent site, am not going to approach my review like someone from a national site. As an independent writer, I am a fan of the bands that play the festival. I'm not forced to go - I want to be there. Those writers that are assigned to cover the event or forced to go will simply write a meaningless review that has no credibility. I've read those reviews over and over. For a long time, there was a concert reviewer that covered heavy metal concerts in the area. Without fail, she would criticize the bands that played. She would complain about the volume, about the acoustics of the arena, and the actual song titles? She couldn't be bothered to mention them correctly five out of ten times. Thus, attending a music festival should be based upon previous articles published, whether on the Internet or in print. It should be based upon your portfolio and if you are a first-time writer, sorry, denied. I have no idea how many press credential requests are submitted, but it seems to me, the attitude of this festival is that they have been burned previously by amateur writers just looking to get in to a show for free. They ruin it for the rest of us.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
There's Not a Lot to Say
Today was a pretty awesome day.
Karen left for work and, shortly after she left, she called to say that if I was going to go into work, I should leave sooner than later. I was out the door and at work shortly before 7, not going above about 40 MPH on I-80.
Work was like a graveyard. I went to my 8 AM meeting and at 7:55, I was the only one there. The Project Manager arrived right around 8 and then about 6 others on the project team arrived at about 8:10 AM. The meeting was interesting and I'm glad I went. I was tempted to sit at my desk and dial in to the meeting using WebEx. Kind of at the last minute, I decided to go down to the actual meeting room.
The reason the meeting was interesting is that there was a demo of some new functionality. The new functionality performs the same type of task that is performed in a different part of the system. The way the user accomplishes the task is different. The UI is different, the way the screen is laid out is different, the buttons used to do the actual task are different, and it just has a very different look and feel. The question that was asked was, "Why are we requiring the user to learn two different ways to accomplish the same task?"
Crickets.
During the meeting, when the developer started asking questions, I didn't add to the discussion. I could have spoken and added my perspective at the meeting but, for whatever reason, I did not.
During the 5 minute walk back from the meeting room to my desk, I talked with both a Quality Assurance software tester and a developer (not the one who had raised the question) on the team. The discussion centered around how the system shouldn't look like one team did one area and another team did another area. There should be a single look and feel. I said that from a technical writer perspective, as someone who has the assigned task to document how to accomplish tasks, it would be much easier if there was a single way instead of having one area work differently than another. The QA tester agreed. He would have the same issue - in one area, the functionality works one way and in another area, the functionality works a different way.
After the meeting I saw the developer who had raised this discussion. I apologized, whether I needed to or not, and said that I should have jumped in and added to the discussion. We talked about how there should be a central way to do the same task in different parts of the system and that it shouldn't look like a different implementation of the same functionality somewhere else. We talked about sharing code within the system. I talked about the vision I have a single source solution for our documentation where instead of writing a procedure once and pasting it into multiple documents, we'd have the procedure written once and that 'chunk' of text would be used for all clients that can do that same procedure in the system.
It's an ideal I will probably spend a lot of time writing about on this blog between now and the end of the year. It's really important to me. I do not want to be writing at the end of January 2014 the following:
"Well, a year ago, I wrote about having a single source and writing a procedure once and using it for all clients. What should have been accomplished between now and today has not been accomplished."
If I have to write that on January 30, 2014, I will be unhappy, to understate what I would feel.
There. I feel better.
The rest of my day, from about 10 AM until 5, was also kick butt. I worked on documentation changes for our next release. I updated a user guide to use the new standard template I want to use for all documents. There are character styles for every time you would want to select text and then press Ctl+B to make that text bold or to change the indentation of the text or any attribute that defines what the text looks like. All of that, like CSS does for HTML, controls the formatting and separates content from presentation. This is not a new idea - there are numerous websites that talk about this, that describe the principles behind it, that describe the benefits - so I won't regurgitate it here.
A brief example is I have a character style for buttons. I define a character style and call it "Button" within the template. I define this "Button" style as follows:
|
Verdana
11 pt
Bold.
|
I apply that character style to all places I have a button in the text. Then, if I want to change the way buttons look - say I want all buttons to have a gray background - then I simply change the definition and all those instances of the "Button" style are magically updated. It's not magic - it's the way MS Word works. We use Word at work so when I talk about this type of stuff, I'm talking specifically about MS Word. I know that InDesign has the same type of idea where you can define character styles as well.
I like writing about all this. It's going on 6 years that I've been thinking about all of this. It was in 2007, at the WinWriters conference in Long Beach, CA, that this idea really took off in my head. I think it might have been Dave Gash that was talking about this in one of his sessions and it just clicked. I remember going back to the CSS file I was using at the time and realized that anytime I had wanted to make text bold, I used a single span class and called it "programname." That span class was applied to all text I wanted to be bold - whether it was a button, a check box label, a drop-down list label, or a menu option. I set out to convert all of the HTML files in that help system to not use that single span class "programname" for making text bold.
The idea looks like this, when implemented:
See how there's a "fieldname" span class and a "fieldvalue" span class? That's what I'm talking about. Instead of manually making the text bold and not being able to make global changes, there's a separation of content and presentation.
That's what I want. That's what I feel driven to do in the next year at work.
And that's what I am going to work extra hours to achieve.
Karen left for work and, shortly after she left, she called to say that if I was going to go into work, I should leave sooner than later. I was out the door and at work shortly before 7, not going above about 40 MPH on I-80.
Work was like a graveyard. I went to my 8 AM meeting and at 7:55, I was the only one there. The Project Manager arrived right around 8 and then about 6 others on the project team arrived at about 8:10 AM. The meeting was interesting and I'm glad I went. I was tempted to sit at my desk and dial in to the meeting using WebEx. Kind of at the last minute, I decided to go down to the actual meeting room.
The reason the meeting was interesting is that there was a demo of some new functionality. The new functionality performs the same type of task that is performed in a different part of the system. The way the user accomplishes the task is different. The UI is different, the way the screen is laid out is different, the buttons used to do the actual task are different, and it just has a very different look and feel. The question that was asked was, "Why are we requiring the user to learn two different ways to accomplish the same task?"
Crickets.
During the meeting, when the developer started asking questions, I didn't add to the discussion. I could have spoken and added my perspective at the meeting but, for whatever reason, I did not.
During the 5 minute walk back from the meeting room to my desk, I talked with both a Quality Assurance software tester and a developer (not the one who had raised the question) on the team. The discussion centered around how the system shouldn't look like one team did one area and another team did another area. There should be a single look and feel. I said that from a technical writer perspective, as someone who has the assigned task to document how to accomplish tasks, it would be much easier if there was a single way instead of having one area work differently than another. The QA tester agreed. He would have the same issue - in one area, the functionality works one way and in another area, the functionality works a different way.
After the meeting I saw the developer who had raised this discussion. I apologized, whether I needed to or not, and said that I should have jumped in and added to the discussion. We talked about how there should be a central way to do the same task in different parts of the system and that it shouldn't look like a different implementation of the same functionality somewhere else. We talked about sharing code within the system. I talked about the vision I have a single source solution for our documentation where instead of writing a procedure once and pasting it into multiple documents, we'd have the procedure written once and that 'chunk' of text would be used for all clients that can do that same procedure in the system.
It's an ideal I will probably spend a lot of time writing about on this blog between now and the end of the year. It's really important to me. I do not want to be writing at the end of January 2014 the following:
"Well, a year ago, I wrote about having a single source and writing a procedure once and using it for all clients. What should have been accomplished between now and today has not been accomplished."
If I have to write that on January 30, 2014, I will be unhappy, to understate what I would feel.
There. I feel better.
The rest of my day, from about 10 AM until 5, was also kick butt. I worked on documentation changes for our next release. I updated a user guide to use the new standard template I want to use for all documents. There are character styles for every time you would want to select text and then press Ctl+B to make that text bold or to change the indentation of the text or any attribute that defines what the text looks like. All of that, like CSS does for HTML, controls the formatting and separates content from presentation. This is not a new idea - there are numerous websites that talk about this, that describe the principles behind it, that describe the benefits - so I won't regurgitate it here.
A brief example is I have a character style for buttons. I define a character style and call it "Button" within the template. I define this "Button" style as follows:
|
Verdana
11 pt
Bold.
|
I apply that character style to all places I have a button in the text. Then, if I want to change the way buttons look - say I want all buttons to have a gray background - then I simply change the definition and all those instances of the "Button" style are magically updated. It's not magic - it's the way MS Word works. We use Word at work so when I talk about this type of stuff, I'm talking specifically about MS Word. I know that InDesign has the same type of idea where you can define character styles as well.
I like writing about all this. It's going on 6 years that I've been thinking about all of this. It was in 2007, at the WinWriters conference in Long Beach, CA, that this idea really took off in my head. I think it might have been Dave Gash that was talking about this in one of his sessions and it just clicked. I remember going back to the CSS file I was using at the time and realized that anytime I had wanted to make text bold, I used a single span class and called it "programname." That span class was applied to all text I wanted to be bold - whether it was a button, a check box label, a drop-down list label, or a menu option. I set out to convert all of the HTML files in that help system to not use that single span class "programname" for making text bold.
The idea looks like this, when implemented:
See how there's a "fieldname" span class and a "fieldvalue" span class? That's what I'm talking about. Instead of manually making the text bold and not being able to make global changes, there's a separation of content and presentation.
That's what I want. That's what I feel driven to do in the next year at work.
And that's what I am going to work extra hours to achieve.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Slow Night
The original plan was to go from North Liberty to Marion to see Jonathan (my nephew) play basketball. After a kick ass day at work, I picked up Karen from her work and we were driving home. Our discussion centered around the weather and the rain that was falling and the fact that the temp was at 37 and supposed to fall before we would get home from Marion. I voted to not go - I admit - because I (selfishly) wasn't really interested in dealing with crappy road conditions.
As a result, after paying for the van repairs (new radiator, oil change, resetting the speedometer because it had looped around and was under the peg it normally rests on), we went home. Then I had to go to Fareway to drop off Megan's proposed schedule note (she had left it on the kitchen table), but that turned into Karen and I both going so we could go to Panchero's and bring home supper.
I also spent a 1/2 on the phone with a friend I used to work with at another company. My friend had gotten in touch with me because my friend had applied at the same company I work at and was asking me what I thought. If you are even a casual reader of this blog, you know that I am in a good place where I work. I do not know the manager for the position my friend is applying for, but I told my friend I really enjoy where I work, I really enjoy the company, and I really am in a better place than when I worked where I worked with my friend.
I hope my friend is hired and that I can see my friend in the hallway at work in the future.
Speaking of work, Sonia and I thought that we were going to have to do a huge amount of work that would involve looking for instances of "A B" and replacing it with "A C" in all of our user guides and help text. What we found out, today, is that one team of Developers 'owns' the screens where this change was to be made, but there wasn't a project included in the schedule for them to do it. Basically, the project says to change 7 screens, but the team of programmers that would have to do that work didn't get assigned to do the work. Thus, the project description is incorrect and misleading.
Another issue that crept up is that we have 'global' text that applies to all clients. Within this 'global' text, there are references to "A B" but some clients have been already switched to "A C" so it was pointed out that it said "A B" but the client sees "A C." Currently, it is set up so that all clients see this global text so for the client that has "A C" it is confusing to read about "A B" in this 'global' text.
The client doesn't really care if this is 'global' text or not. They care that they see text that doesn't match their system, which leads to Sonia and I, who now have to figure out how to rewrite the text in the 'global' text. My first thought was to not mention "A B" or "A C" and to replace that phrase with a more generic phrase, like "A D" but when the project manager that raised the issue in the first place heard that, it was stated, clearly, that the client would not accept it.
This whole issue has been tabled until Thursday, after the snowstorm that is causing Megan to work from 5-10 instead of 5-8 tonight. I am hoping that there is a 'secret' way to make this change that satisfies the client. I do not want to create a second file for the client that has "A C" because, eventually, all clients will have the same phrase. That's what kills me. If we do create a second file, it will go away.
I can't say what will end up happening because I really don't know, now. Maybe I'll have news by Thursday night.
As a result, after paying for the van repairs (new radiator, oil change, resetting the speedometer because it had looped around and was under the peg it normally rests on), we went home. Then I had to go to Fareway to drop off Megan's proposed schedule note (she had left it on the kitchen table), but that turned into Karen and I both going so we could go to Panchero's and bring home supper.
I also spent a 1/2 on the phone with a friend I used to work with at another company. My friend had gotten in touch with me because my friend had applied at the same company I work at and was asking me what I thought. If you are even a casual reader of this blog, you know that I am in a good place where I work. I do not know the manager for the position my friend is applying for, but I told my friend I really enjoy where I work, I really enjoy the company, and I really am in a better place than when I worked where I worked with my friend.
I hope my friend is hired and that I can see my friend in the hallway at work in the future.
Speaking of work, Sonia and I thought that we were going to have to do a huge amount of work that would involve looking for instances of "A B" and replacing it with "A C" in all of our user guides and help text. What we found out, today, is that one team of Developers 'owns' the screens where this change was to be made, but there wasn't a project included in the schedule for them to do it. Basically, the project says to change 7 screens, but the team of programmers that would have to do that work didn't get assigned to do the work. Thus, the project description is incorrect and misleading.
Another issue that crept up is that we have 'global' text that applies to all clients. Within this 'global' text, there are references to "A B" but some clients have been already switched to "A C" so it was pointed out that it said "A B" but the client sees "A C." Currently, it is set up so that all clients see this global text so for the client that has "A C" it is confusing to read about "A B" in this 'global' text.
The client doesn't really care if this is 'global' text or not. They care that they see text that doesn't match their system, which leads to Sonia and I, who now have to figure out how to rewrite the text in the 'global' text. My first thought was to not mention "A B" or "A C" and to replace that phrase with a more generic phrase, like "A D" but when the project manager that raised the issue in the first place heard that, it was stated, clearly, that the client would not accept it.
This whole issue has been tabled until Thursday, after the snowstorm that is causing Megan to work from 5-10 instead of 5-8 tonight. I am hoping that there is a 'secret' way to make this change that satisfies the client. I do not want to create a second file for the client that has "A C" because, eventually, all clients will have the same phrase. That's what kills me. If we do create a second file, it will go away.
I can't say what will end up happening because I really don't know, now. Maybe I'll have news by Thursday night.
Monday, January 28, 2013
January 28, 2013
Twenty years ago today, Metallica played at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on their tour that was supporting the "Black" album. I remember this concert because my wife Karen, friends Brian Rock and Serbi, and Brenda Miller went to it. The only thing Karen recalls is that someone was spitting. I also remember we went to the Wig & Pen before the concert. Karen recalls that we went to see Serbi's fiancee (now ex-wife) at the UIHC at some point - she worked as a RN there at the time.
I miss seeing Metallica in Iowa. I've gone to Moline, IL, to see them only once since that 1993. I did not go see them in 2008 and I regret that, now. As of this writing, they are finishing up a 3D movie to be released on August 9, 2013, and then working on a new album to be released in 2014. I really hope they tour the United States in 2014 and that they come to either Carver Hawkeye Arena (doubtful) or the iWireless Center in Moline, IL. I would go see them pretty much anywhere in the Midwest, though, and I hope Megan and Alex will go with me.
That all said, this is the set list, according to this site
This concert is from April 5, 1993.
I miss seeing Metallica in Iowa. I've gone to Moline, IL, to see them only once since that 1993. I did not go see them in 2008 and I regret that, now. As of this writing, they are finishing up a 3D movie to be released on August 9, 2013, and then working on a new album to be released in 2014. I really hope they tour the United States in 2014 and that they come to either Carver Hawkeye Arena (doubtful) or the iWireless Center in Moline, IL. I would go see them pretty much anywhere in the Midwest, though, and I hope Megan and Alex will go with me.
That all said, this is the set list, according to this site
This concert is from April 5, 1993.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Star Wars VII
Months ago, it was announced Disney purchased LucasFilm and all the rights to the Star Wars franchise. Today, I read they have announced that JJ Abrams, who I first learned about through the "Alias" TV series I watched on Sunday nights, has been picked to direct episode VII. Read this: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/ams-officially-confirmed-director-star-wars-episode-vii-article-1.1248419
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Furnacy
I hate furnaces.
They should exist in a residence and work. There shouldn't be any thing I need to know abou thtem. You should set the temperature and it should work. Kind of like a car. You should put the key in the ignition and it should start.
Speaking of cars, Karen's heater in the van didn't work the other day so we are dropping it off Monday night to have Liberty Motors fix it on Tuesday. Since they will have it all day, and the van is due for an oil change, they are doing that as well.
Next week is busy outside of work. Tuesday looks to be a hectic day for a number of reasons. First, I will take Karen to work, then go to work. For the past few weeks, this has been our Tuesday 'tradition' and I like it because I spend quality time with Karen and I get to work by 7. I have always been a morning person so anytime I can get in to work before the majority of my co-workers arrive, I seize it. Around 10:00, I am donating blood and that will take a hour out of my day. I leave work around 3 to pick Karen up by 3:30. Then my day slows down as we will then pick up the van and that should be pretty much it, excluding normal night activities at home.
But that doesn't mean I will be bored when I am work. Hardly. We are approaching the point where the long list of documentation changes that need to be made need to get done. Yesterday (Friday) I literally sat at my desk all day and worked solid. I didn't even buy a Mountain Dew or candy bar in the afternoon. I am energized by the work I do and I enjoy it. I work with MS Word and despite all the things you can read about on the Internet about Word being "buggy" and "not appropriate for professional documentation" - I think it's fine. I have worked with MS Word since version 2.0 at Epley Marketing Services, where I worked in 1994 and 19995. I don't understand all of what Word can do or why it behaves the way it does, but I also think it's awesome for what I need it to do. Do I think the tool is perfect? Of course not. I'm not a blind follower.
I treat Word like I treat HTML and CSS. I create character styles and instead of using Ctrl+B to make a word bold, I use a character style that describes what it is - its function. For example, and this is very basic, I created a style called "button" in my template. If I had to write "Click Save to write your changes to the database." I would write it as "Click to write..." so that if I ever wanted to change all of the formatting for buttons in one swoop, I could simply change the character style definition. Life will be awesome when all of the existing docs use a single template. I really really REALLY want to work on converting all of the existing Word docs to a template. I hope I get time to do so, with all the other projects that need to be done.
They should exist in a residence and work. There shouldn't be any thing I need to know abou thtem. You should set the temperature and it should work. Kind of like a car. You should put the key in the ignition and it should start.
Speaking of cars, Karen's heater in the van didn't work the other day so we are dropping it off Monday night to have Liberty Motors fix it on Tuesday. Since they will have it all day, and the van is due for an oil change, they are doing that as well.
Next week is busy outside of work. Tuesday looks to be a hectic day for a number of reasons. First, I will take Karen to work, then go to work. For the past few weeks, this has been our Tuesday 'tradition' and I like it because I spend quality time with Karen and I get to work by 7. I have always been a morning person so anytime I can get in to work before the majority of my co-workers arrive, I seize it. Around 10:00, I am donating blood and that will take a hour out of my day. I leave work around 3 to pick Karen up by 3:30. Then my day slows down as we will then pick up the van and that should be pretty much it, excluding normal night activities at home.
But that doesn't mean I will be bored when I am work. Hardly. We are approaching the point where the long list of documentation changes that need to be made need to get done. Yesterday (Friday) I literally sat at my desk all day and worked solid. I didn't even buy a Mountain Dew or candy bar in the afternoon. I am energized by the work I do and I enjoy it. I work with MS Word and despite all the things you can read about on the Internet about Word being "buggy" and "not appropriate for professional documentation" - I think it's fine. I have worked with MS Word since version 2.0 at Epley Marketing Services, where I worked in 1994 and 19995. I don't understand all of what Word can do or why it behaves the way it does, but I also think it's awesome for what I need it to do. Do I think the tool is perfect? Of course not. I'm not a blind follower.
I treat Word like I treat HTML and CSS. I create character styles and instead of using Ctrl+B to make a word bold, I use a character style that describes what it is - its function. For example, and this is very basic, I created a style called "button" in my template. If I had to write "Click Save to write your changes to the database." I would write it as "Click to write..." so that if I ever wanted to change all of the formatting for buttons in one swoop, I could simply change the character style definition. Life will be awesome when all of the existing docs use a single template. I really really REALLY want to work on converting all of the existing Word docs to a template. I hope I get time to do so, with all the other projects that need to be done.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Being a Technical Writer and Choosing the Right Tool
I really like today's post from John about tools and being a technical writer. I think it is very true.
This attitude about tech writers and tools may be why Word is used for end-user documentation in so many companies.
This attitude about tech writers and tools may be why Word is used for end-user documentation in so many companies.
Progressing
The music collection continues to grow, though I haven't made progress on the LP to MP3 project since receiving my new converter in the mail. I'd like to possibly resume that on Saturday, but our plans are kind of up in the air. I'd like to go to the Iowa men's swim meet with Alex on Saturday morning, but I also know Mark and Susie are coming down for an appointment - but we don't know what time yet and Susie didn't text me back. If I do not resume the LP to MP3 conversion, I'll probably get at least a couple of cassettes converted. I'm nearing completion of box number 1 that was supposed to be done in the July / August 2012 time frame. That has, obviously, slipped. I also can do some remaining CDs. I found a Rubbermaid of CDs that are not in the database of albums that I access through Windows Media Player. That means I have to rip the CD to MP3 and manually change the details from "Unknown Album" to the actual name of the album. It's kind of tedious, but these are mainly CDs that are either local artists or underground bands. The other project of using the YouTube to MP3 software continues as well. This is my current count:
I was planning to go to 11 AM Mass on Sunday - the youth group were scheduled to play - and then have band rehearsal after that at Joe's girlfriend's studio. Both of those plans have fallen through. The youth group isn't playing because some kids involved with it are out of town at a vocal contest.
From Judy, the music leader:
We’re going to wait a week to sing at the 11am Mass this month. There’s an out-of-state show choir competition this weekend that will take a bunch of our singers away so hopefully next weekend will work better for us to sing at Mass. Thanks Everyone! See you on Sunday, February 3rd!
As far as the band goes, Brian Guitar is out of town this weekend. Tentatively, the band is planning to get together at the studio.
I need to spend some more time with the drumbeat to Tom Petty's "American Girl." It's turning into Tool's "46 & 2" which was a tough song for me to nail back in 2000.
Finally, in other news, the 200 Days project rolls along. Today is 195 days until our 20th wedding anniversary. That means I have 194 days to figure out what to get Karen. I'll probably need all 194 days!
Editor's Note: There were many ideas for a band name for this band, including "Hairy Eyeball" and "Scary Robots." We eventually settled on Lou's Classic Ride.
From Judy, the music leader:
We’re going to wait a week to sing at the 11am Mass this month. There’s an out-of-state show choir competition this weekend that will take a bunch of our singers away so hopefully next weekend will work better for us to sing at Mass. Thanks Everyone! See you on Sunday, February 3rd!
As far as the band goes, Brian Guitar is out of town this weekend. Tentatively, the band is planning to get together at the studio.
I need to spend some more time with the drumbeat to Tom Petty's "American Girl." It's turning into Tool's "46 & 2" which was a tough song for me to nail back in 2000.
Finally, in other news, the 200 Days project rolls along. Today is 195 days until our 20th wedding anniversary. That means I have 194 days to figure out what to get Karen. I'll probably need all 194 days!
Editor's Note: There were many ideas for a band name for this band, including "Hairy Eyeball" and "Scary Robots." We eventually settled on Lou's Classic Ride.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Healthy Girl
Megan was eating supper last night and kind of got a noodle caught in her throat. She coughed. Then, later, she coughed more. Today we sent her off to school. I told her that she could call me if she couldn't make it through the day,
I had just sat down to eat Gringo's in the cafeteria when my cell phone rang.
Can you come get me?
I left work ~12:25 and we were home by 1. I worked until 2, then took Megan to the doctor. There was a chest x-ray done to make sure things were okay. They were. She is now on meds to help her feel better.
At work, it was organized chaos. Sonia and I know what to do by 2/11/13. We just have to do it.
I had a great meeting this AM. We went over changes that had been made to a user guide. I was direct with them and felt really proud of myself. It made me realize that the crappy days of not being able to communicate verbally are behind me. Thanks JG for your faith in me. NOT!
I had just sat down to eat Gringo's in the cafeteria when my cell phone rang.
Can you come get me?
I left work ~12:25 and we were home by 1. I worked until 2, then took Megan to the doctor. There was a chest x-ray done to make sure things were okay. They were. She is now on meds to help her feel better.
At work, it was organized chaos. Sonia and I know what to do by 2/11/13. We just have to do it.
I had a great meeting this AM. We went over changes that had been made to a user guide. I was direct with them and felt really proud of myself. It made me realize that the crappy days of not being able to communicate verbally are behind me. Thanks JG for your faith in me. NOT!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Visiting Mom
This is to document that we, as a family, went to see my mom. She has dementia and does not know me. Alex was visibly upset as was Megan. I think Alex became upset first and that made Megan emotional. It is not easy for me to visit her. I find her to be merely a shell of who she used to be. She taught so many kids how to read - she was an educator for 40 years - and for many years, I thought I would follow in her footsteps as a teacher. That didn't happen because I hated teaching when I student taught in the fall of 1991.
In a sense, though, I do teach because I am doing my best to use Word effectively in our department and that requires educating co-workers about both paragraph styles and character styles. I do not do any teaching where I am standing in front of a classroom of people, though, so I guess 'teaching' is a loose term I use.
In a sense, though, I do teach because I am doing my best to use Word effectively in our department and that requires educating co-workers about both paragraph styles and character styles. I do not do any teaching where I am standing in front of a classroom of people, though, so I guess 'teaching' is a loose term I use.
Performance Review 2013
I had my performance review on Friday w/ my manager. It went really
good. "Keep doing what you're doing." "Keep learning." I can handle
that.
We talked a bit about how when we are in our team meetings that she can tell when I have something to say. She said that she can see me formulating my thoughts.
We also talked about all the big projects coming up. I think I've told you about how they are rewriting the main app I document. Every thing is going open source and we have been directed to find an open source tool for our doc. Matthew, the bassist in the band, has lots of experience with open source stuff so he's taking the lead on that. The existing system is going to be around for at least 5 years (so I'm planning on 7) and I'm taking the lead on that. That's the doc set where we write something once, then paste it into each document. I talked about wanting to get to a single source, where there's only one place where a procedure is written so that when there's a global change, it gets added once and, then during the publishing process of whatever tool we are using, the procedure gets updated for each applicable client. I said that I wanted to be out of the current process in a year. To do that, though, I said that we have to get the existing docs using a single template and, basically, converting from using Normal style with manual formatting, to a template where there is no manual formatting. Things like pressing Ctrl+B or pressing to get extra spacing - all that needs to be replaced with
definitions of styles that are used across all documents. That way, if
we have a style called "Button" and it's defined as Verdana, 12, Bold,
and we have to change all instances of it to Courier New, 14,
Bold/Italic, then we change it once, in the template, and it ripples
through.
We talked a bit about how when we are in our team meetings that she can tell when I have something to say. She said that she can see me formulating my thoughts.
We also talked about all the big projects coming up. I think I've told you about how they are rewriting the main app I document. Every thing is going open source and we have been directed to find an open source tool for our doc. Matthew, the bassist in the band, has lots of experience with open source stuff so he's taking the lead on that. The existing system is going to be around for at least 5 years (so I'm planning on 7) and I'm taking the lead on that. That's the doc set where we write something once, then paste it into each document. I talked about wanting to get to a single source, where there's only one place where a procedure is written so that when there's a global change, it gets added once and, then during the publishing process of whatever tool we are using, the procedure gets updated for each applicable client. I said that I wanted to be out of the current process in a year. To do that, though, I said that we have to get the existing docs using a single template and, basically, converting from using Normal style with manual formatting, to a template where there is no manual formatting. Things like pressing Ctrl+B or pressing
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Joke about Democrats
I posted this on Facebook the other day. Read the comment I got.
Maybe this joke won't be as offensive...
Q: How many liberals does it take to change a light bulb?
A: First you have to run it by the United Nations and get their approval. If the Security Council doesn't approve, see if you can get a resolution passed.
Next you need to determine the environmental impact of changing the lightbulb. Is it an environmentally friendly lightbulb? No? Then sue the lightbulb manufacturer for violating the Kyoto Protocol (even though we didn't sign it).
Next, are we going to offend anyone by changing the light bulb? After all we don't want to be seen by the rest of the world as being unilateralist. We don't want to be seen as being aggressive and making the Arab world hate us. Back to that UN resolution, it didn't work, now what? Well, put it up to a vote, and get another resolution passed. Is that light bulb paid for with public funds? If so, the ACLU just informed us that we are getting sued for changing the light bulb because we mentioned God in a public place. Oh, now I forgot, when is a light bulb a light bulb? Shouldn't a woman be able to change a light bulb without her husband's consent? Better get the NOW involved and see what they have to say. Are we going to offend any designated victim groups by changing this light bulb? Just to be on the safe side, write a check to Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition. How about the gays? We don't want to be seen as hetero-normative, homophobic or AIDS insensitive, let's be sure that we attend all the mandated sensitivity seminars. Back to that 2nd UN resolution, it didn't work, now what? Well, let's see if we can get France to go along with another resolution. Jimmy Carter says that we really have a failed light bulb changing policy and that we need to be more sensitive to the feelings of Fidel Castro when it comes to changing light bulbs. Now just who is going to change that light bulb? We need to make sure that women, union members, gays, Blacks, Hispanics are fairly represented. Back to that ACLU lawsuit, our lawyer is trying to get the ruling reversed on appeal, we probably should wait. Did France go along with our proposed resolution to the UN? Bill Clinton and Hillary are weighing in ... they claim that the light bulb going out is linked to a vast Right Wing conspiracy that is out to get Bill Clinton. Did I mention that the Senate Democrats are filibustering to get the light bulb changing stopped? Bad news, we've just been told that the equipment that we want to use to change the light bulb isn't up to spec, we need to get a more expensive light bulb changer that is environmentally friendly, safe, OSHA approved, diverse, has low cholesterol, high fiber, doesn't offend anyone, and isn't associated with tobacco or pharmaceutical companies. Did you just hear, one of the people on our team was caught voting Republican and was found reading the Bible. We don't want any right wing religious extremists taking over the team, better find a vegetarian lesbian (preferably black) to replace them. Did the UN just vote on another resolution?
Maybe this joke won't be as offensive...
Q: How many liberals does it take to change a light bulb?
A: First you have to run it by the United Nations and get their approval. If the Security Council doesn't approve, see if you can get a resolution passed.
Next you need to determine the environmental impact of changing the lightbulb. Is it an environmentally friendly lightbulb? No? Then sue the lightbulb manufacturer for violating the Kyoto Protocol (even though we didn't sign it).
Next, are we going to offend anyone by changing the light bulb? After all we don't want to be seen by the rest of the world as being unilateralist. We don't want to be seen as being aggressive and making the Arab world hate us. Back to that UN resolution, it didn't work, now what? Well, put it up to a vote, and get another resolution passed. Is that light bulb paid for with public funds? If so, the ACLU just informed us that we are getting sued for changing the light bulb because we mentioned God in a public place. Oh, now I forgot, when is a light bulb a light bulb? Shouldn't a woman be able to change a light bulb without her husband's consent? Better get the NOW involved and see what they have to say. Are we going to offend any designated victim groups by changing this light bulb? Just to be on the safe side, write a check to Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition. How about the gays? We don't want to be seen as hetero-normative, homophobic or AIDS insensitive, let's be sure that we attend all the mandated sensitivity seminars. Back to that 2nd UN resolution, it didn't work, now what? Well, let's see if we can get France to go along with another resolution. Jimmy Carter says that we really have a failed light bulb changing policy and that we need to be more sensitive to the feelings of Fidel Castro when it comes to changing light bulbs. Now just who is going to change that light bulb? We need to make sure that women, union members, gays, Blacks, Hispanics are fairly represented. Back to that ACLU lawsuit, our lawyer is trying to get the ruling reversed on appeal, we probably should wait. Did France go along with our proposed resolution to the UN? Bill Clinton and Hillary are weighing in ... they claim that the light bulb going out is linked to a vast Right Wing conspiracy that is out to get Bill Clinton. Did I mention that the Senate Democrats are filibustering to get the light bulb changing stopped? Bad news, we've just been told that the equipment that we want to use to change the light bulb isn't up to spec, we need to get a more expensive light bulb changer that is environmentally friendly, safe, OSHA approved, diverse, has low cholesterol, high fiber, doesn't offend anyone, and isn't associated with tobacco or pharmaceutical companies. Did you just hear, one of the people on our team was caught voting Republican and was found reading the Bible. We don't want any right wing religious extremists taking over the team, better find a vegetarian lesbian (preferably black) to replace them. Did the UN just vote on another resolution?
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Moving Forward
Tonight's men's basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena was about the past, the present, and the future. First, the past was represented by a halftime presentation about Chris Street, who was killed 20 years ago tonight. The present was the men's team beating the Wisconsin Badger team that defeated Indiana in Indiana this past week. They were 4-0 in the Big Ten. Iowa had a 20 point lead at one point and ended up winning by 3. The future was the fact that the men's team did not lose the game. The program is on the right track and I was happy for the current team that they were able to earn the victory. Wisconsin was not going to roll over for them and mustered a furious comeback effort. In the end, though, it was not enough.
Too Sick to Jam
We were going to have band rehearsal last night, but Joe, our singer, stayed home from work because he wasn't feeling good. Rehearsal was going to be from 5 - 7 at his girlfriend's studio and we were all looking forward to reconnecting. It ultimately came down to Joe bailing on rehearsal.
I didn't really mind that - I donate blood on 1/29 so I want to be healthy between now and then. What I did think about was an incident during the Old Stew days, 21 years ago. I know that it's kind of silly and counterproductive to think about life 21 years ago and to think that if you replay the situation in your mind enough times, you will not do what you did or say what you said.
What I recall, quite vividly, is that Old Stew was going to play a gig on a Sunday night. Someone was having a party and had asked us to play at it. I had not been feeling good that day. I had a cold. This was when I lived with my parents. I had graduated from Mount Mercy College. The band members had called and said they were coming to get me.
When the doorbell rang, I was in my bedroom. I walked down the hall, through the kitchen, through the family room (and past my parents) to the front door. The four of them (Shoebox, Bulldog, Catfish, and Dave) were standing on the porch. In turn, they each said three words to me, "Are you ready?" It was, obviously, rehearsed. They had thought about how to persuade me to come with them.
I remember thinking, "Okay. I'll go. I'll load up on drugs to help me feel better and I'll go." It was important to me to go because we had been rehearsing and rehearsing and this was a chance to 'play out' and that's what I really wanted to do. Old Stew, at the time, had gone months without a gig. I had noticed, when I looked at the car in the driveway, that they had loaded my drums into Bulldog's truck. They just needed me to play.
I said I would go. I shut the door and went to get my shoes on."Where are you going?" my mom asked.
"We're playing."
"You can't go - you don't feel good."
She might have said more and she might have not said those exact words, but the gist of the conversation was my mom was telling me to not go with them.
As a college graduate, I still listened to my mom. I went back to the front door and said, "Hey, I can't go."
Their eyes looked authentically sad. There had been joy in their eyes when I had accepted their request. It was now replaced with the emotion at the other end of the spectrum.
I don't remember if they ended up going and playing the gig without me. I don't remember if I ever asked.
I do know that the five of us, as Old Stew, never played a gig. I left the group in mid-November 1992. I'm not sure when Dave left, but eventually, he wasn't part of the group. After I left, I've never seen Shoebox again. There have been stories that he was living in Colorado and was in bad shape (drugs?) but I don't remember how to spell his 'real' last name to even do an Internet search for him - I just knew him as Shoebox.
The point of all this is that Joe called off rehearsal because he didn't feel good and it made me think about Old Stew.
Editor's Note: There were many ideas for a band name for this band, including "Hairy Eyeball" and "Scary Robots." We eventually settled on Lou's Classic Ride.
I didn't really mind that - I donate blood on 1/29 so I want to be healthy between now and then. What I did think about was an incident during the Old Stew days, 21 years ago. I know that it's kind of silly and counterproductive to think about life 21 years ago and to think that if you replay the situation in your mind enough times, you will not do what you did or say what you said.
What I recall, quite vividly, is that Old Stew was going to play a gig on a Sunday night. Someone was having a party and had asked us to play at it. I had not been feeling good that day. I had a cold. This was when I lived with my parents. I had graduated from Mount Mercy College. The band members had called and said they were coming to get me.
When the doorbell rang, I was in my bedroom. I walked down the hall, through the kitchen, through the family room (and past my parents) to the front door. The four of them (Shoebox, Bulldog, Catfish, and Dave) were standing on the porch. In turn, they each said three words to me, "Are you ready?" It was, obviously, rehearsed. They had thought about how to persuade me to come with them.
I remember thinking, "Okay. I'll go. I'll load up on drugs to help me feel better and I'll go." It was important to me to go because we had been rehearsing and rehearsing and this was a chance to 'play out' and that's what I really wanted to do. Old Stew, at the time, had gone months without a gig. I had noticed, when I looked at the car in the driveway, that they had loaded my drums into Bulldog's truck. They just needed me to play.
I said I would go. I shut the door and went to get my shoes on."Where are you going?" my mom asked.
"We're playing."
"You can't go - you don't feel good."
She might have said more and she might have not said those exact words, but the gist of the conversation was my mom was telling me to not go with them.
As a college graduate, I still listened to my mom. I went back to the front door and said, "Hey, I can't go."
Their eyes looked authentically sad. There had been joy in their eyes when I had accepted their request. It was now replaced with the emotion at the other end of the spectrum.
I don't remember if they ended up going and playing the gig without me. I don't remember if I ever asked.
I do know that the five of us, as Old Stew, never played a gig. I left the group in mid-November 1992. I'm not sure when Dave left, but eventually, he wasn't part of the group. After I left, I've never seen Shoebox again. There have been stories that he was living in Colorado and was in bad shape (drugs?) but I don't remember how to spell his 'real' last name to even do an Internet search for him - I just knew him as Shoebox.
The point of all this is that Joe called off rehearsal because he didn't feel good and it made me think about Old Stew.
Editor's Note: There were many ideas for a band name for this band, including "Hairy Eyeball" and "Scary Robots." We eventually settled on Lou's Classic Ride.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Three Hours Removed...
I am three hours removed from my yearly performance review at work. It was from 9-10 and it is now 1.
Without going into intense detail, the bottom-line is that I was told to keep doing what I'm doing. It's been a great year and 2013 is going to be at least equally if not more exciting as 2012. I felt really great about the last year and where our documentation has gone in the last year. I am very excited about the next year as there are a lot of high profile projects on our department's schedule.
Working here has turned into the best career move I've ever made. I'm thankful for where I am in so many ways. It'll be 602 days on Monday!
Without going into intense detail, the bottom-line is that I was told to keep doing what I'm doing. It's been a great year and 2013 is going to be at least equally if not more exciting as 2012. I felt really great about the last year and where our documentation has gone in the last year. I am very excited about the next year as there are a lot of high profile projects on our department's schedule.
Working here has turned into the best career move I've ever made. I'm thankful for where I am in so many ways. It'll be 602 days on Monday!
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Yeah! Crossed the threshold!
I use Free YouTube to MP3 Converter to download MP3 files from youtube.
This is not new. In fact, I did a lot of that in 2012 and 2013 is going pretty good so far:
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Quick Status
This is where the conversion sits today. With all that I talked about in the previous post, I'm not exactly sure when I'm going to make more progress on it, but I am trying to find time.
Busy!
I was at work @ 7:30, worked until 4:30, signed back into the laptop from the den @ 7:00-ish and worked again until 10:30.
Today, I took Karen to work and was at my desk @ 7 AM. I work until 3, which is when I leave to pick up Karen and then we have an appointment with our (new) financial dude. I hope I do not need to work super late tonight as well, but we are in what can only be described as "fun" and "challenging" season. Our target date is February 11 and there is a lot going on. Multiple clients need different things and it's "fun" and "challenging" to keep it all organized.
I am hoping that I can continue with the other things going on in life. I am starting a project on Saturday, 1/19/2013, that I've done 3 times prior. It is called the 200 Days project.
The reason for the renewed interest is that on August 7, 2013, Karen and I will cross the 20 year threshold of marriage. It seems like a good idea to catch up. A lot has changed in my life since 1993 - how I act, how I think, what I do, who my friends are, where I work, etc - and yet, some things have not changed. I want this year's countdown to our wedding anniversary to capture my life in a snapshot so that, maybe, by January 19, 2023, I can compare the era of my life now to my daily life in 2013. Just a thought.
Today, I took Karen to work and was at my desk @ 7 AM. I work until 3, which is when I leave to pick up Karen and then we have an appointment with our (new) financial dude. I hope I do not need to work super late tonight as well, but we are in what can only be described as "fun" and "challenging" season. Our target date is February 11 and there is a lot going on. Multiple clients need different things and it's "fun" and "challenging" to keep it all organized.
I am hoping that I can continue with the other things going on in life. I am starting a project on Saturday, 1/19/2013, that I've done 3 times prior. It is called the 200 Days project.
- The first time I did it was in 1993 when I used a 200 page spiral notebook to write a page a day as a countdown to our wedding day.
- I did the project a second time in 1994, which worked out because we moved to our first house during that volume.
- I did the project a third time in 1995, which worked out because I got my first technical writing job in February of 1995.
- I believe I started the project a fourth time, but did not complete it. I think I was going to do it all in a Word doc. I may have that somewhere on my 1 TB external hard drive.
The reason for the renewed interest is that on August 7, 2013, Karen and I will cross the 20 year threshold of marriage. It seems like a good idea to catch up. A lot has changed in my life since 1993 - how I act, how I think, what I do, who my friends are, where I work, etc - and yet, some things have not changed. I want this year's countdown to our wedding anniversary to capture my life in a snapshot so that, maybe, by January 19, 2023, I can compare the era of my life now to my daily life in 2013. Just a thought.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Back from the Future on Hallmark
I'm watching this movie on the Hallmark channel. This guy, in 2009, is in love with a woman who was divorced from her husband and refuses to marry him in 2009. Still in 2009, he gets hit by a car and goes back to 1999. In 1999, he arrives 3 days before she gets married so he has to make her fall in love with him.
I know some married couples who ended up divorced. I wish I could travel back in time and find them before the reached the point where they felt they had no other choice but to break their vow to be committed to each other.
I know some people that have made choices that when I was more in-touch with them would not have been chosen. For example, drugs. For example, cheating. For example, leaving the Catholic church.
The idea of traveling back in time is popular. There was a movie just out called Looper that talks about this, but I haven't seen it. The trailer looks good:
I know some married couples who ended up divorced. I wish I could travel back in time and find them before the reached the point where they felt they had no other choice but to break their vow to be committed to each other.
I know some people that have made choices that when I was more in-touch with them would not have been chosen. For example, drugs. For example, cheating. For example, leaving the Catholic church.
The idea of traveling back in time is popular. There was a movie just out called Looper that talks about this, but I haven't seen it. The trailer looks good:
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Frank and Marie are moving
It's hard to believe but in the years I've posted my thoughts about my life and its events, I cannot find any embedded videos from youtube.com from the show. It's my favorite show, ranking barely ahead of M*A*S*H. It is the first television series that I owned all the DVDs and yes, M*A*S*H was the second. Here's a classic.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Weekend Plans
I cleaned the den. That should not be as big of a deal as I consider it, but it was long overdue. I had assembled a work station setup with two card tables and a TV tray to facilitate the LP to MP3 conversion and, with the deadline-driven LP to MP3 conversion phase complete, it needed to be taken down. I had also not thought out how I was going to manage the "done/not done" separation of the CD to MP3 project so I had CD-R spindles all over. Additionally, there was general clutter on the computer desk that I had been neglecting.
So, last night, I took blue painter's tape and a black magic marker and put tape on each spindle with the words "done" or "not done" from what I could figure out. I also taped together a couple of stacks of CDs that were still in their cases with "done" or "not done" or "double-check" so I hope when I return to the CD to MP3 project in the future, I will know exactly what needs to be done. At some point, I will want to do an audit of all my CDs and make sure that what I think I have on my external hard drive is actually there.
So, last night, I took blue painter's tape and a black magic marker and put tape on each spindle with the words "done" or "not done" from what I could figure out. I also taped together a couple of stacks of CDs that were still in their cases with "done" or "not done" or "double-check" so I hope when I return to the CD to MP3 project in the future, I will know exactly what needs to be done. At some point, I will want to do an audit of all my CDs and make sure that what I think I have on my external hard drive is actually there.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Harlem in Moiline, IL
We're leaving in 2 hours to go see the Harlem Globetrotters at the iWireless Center in Moline, IL. We're going with Karen's entire family, minus her sister and two kids, plus my oldest niece's boyfriend (at least that's what I heard last - could have changed by now). That's a group of 16 of us and it is sure to be a great time.
Karen and I went to see them at the Five Seasons Center in Cedar Rapids several years ago. I can only pinpoint the date to between 1998 and 2012 because I know I saw a co-worker that I didn't know before I started working at the company where I was a technical writer for 12 years. Kind of funny that that is the best I can narrow it down.
The only other relevant thing worth noting is that Iowa City West (ranked #1 in the state) played Dubuque Senior (ranked #2 in the state) at IC West last night. West built up a 16 point lead before Senior came storming back to bring it within 4 points. Then Senior couldn't make their free throws and West ended up winning by 10 points. We watched the game on TV instead of attending.
Karen and I went to see them at the Five Seasons Center in Cedar Rapids several years ago. I can only pinpoint the date to between 1998 and 2012 because I know I saw a co-worker that I didn't know before I started working at the company where I was a technical writer for 12 years. Kind of funny that that is the best I can narrow it down.
The only other relevant thing worth noting is that Iowa City West (ranked #1 in the state) played Dubuque Senior (ranked #2 in the state) at IC West last night. West built up a 16 point lead before Senior came storming back to bring it within 4 points. Then Senior couldn't make their free throws and West ended up winning by 10 points. We watched the game on TV instead of attending.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
End of the Drama... for now...
Wow. I dream a lot.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Happy New Year! Bring on 2013!
First of all, 2012 ended with Karen and I renting "Ted" and watching it. I thought it was funny, Karen fell asleep. I took Megan's friend Tyler home after midnight and then got up this AM and picked up Alex from his friend's house around 9. We just finished French Toast with Megan's friend Maggie and are about to go knee deep into the 'putting away Christmas decorations' project. I really have zero motivation to do so, but since we are going to the Harlem Globetrotters this weekend, I know there will be no time to do it. I'd like to start at 11, which is 23 minutes away, and be done by 2. That's an ideal world. I would be ecstatic if we were done by 1, but that will take a lot of dedication by myself and the troops (Karen, Megan, and Alex) to accomplish. So far, motivation to start the project is operating at a deficit.
Speaking of which, the news is out that there was a deal reached. One headline summarizes the deal as such:
Fiscal Cliff Deal: $1 in Spending Cuts for Every $41 in Tax Increases
The fallout of all this wheeling and dealing will be shaken down in the next few days as everyone figures out how it impacts them. I'm sure to have a more informed opinion in the future. Stay tuned!
Now, I'll move on to what was originally the first paragraph of this post. I haven't put up a status of the cassette to MP3 or the CD to MP3 conversion projects in a while because I wanted to wait and start 2013 with a fresh update. In my grand scheme of things, I would have hit 50,000 to start 2013, but I haven't been able to devote as much time to these projects, due to the LP to MP3 conversion that I was doing for my father-in-law's Christmas present. I probably have 300 CDs more to go and have many, many, MANY, boxes of cassettes to whittle through. Originally, I was going to have that project done by 2015, with a box being split out across two months. That plan is out the window and I will be lucky to be done by the time Alex gets out of the house in the fall of 2017. Well, maybe by the 2016, I've not really thought about it.
Of course, there is still the VHS to DVD project to work on as well. I will need to purchase a second external HD, perhaps a 3 TB, to store all of those videos.That's so far in the future, I can't begin to even fathom it.
Speaking of which, the news is out that there was a deal reached. One headline summarizes the deal as such:
Fiscal Cliff Deal: $1 in Spending Cuts for Every $41 in Tax Increases
The fallout of all this wheeling and dealing will be shaken down in the next few days as everyone figures out how it impacts them. I'm sure to have a more informed opinion in the future. Stay tuned!
Now, I'll move on to what was originally the first paragraph of this post. I haven't put up a status of the cassette to MP3 or the CD to MP3 conversion projects in a while because I wanted to wait and start 2013 with a fresh update. In my grand scheme of things, I would have hit 50,000 to start 2013, but I haven't been able to devote as much time to these projects, due to the LP to MP3 conversion that I was doing for my father-in-law's Christmas present. I probably have 300 CDs more to go and have many, many, MANY, boxes of cassettes to whittle through. Originally, I was going to have that project done by 2015, with a box being split out across two months. That plan is out the window and I will be lucky to be done by the time Alex gets out of the house in the fall of 2017. Well, maybe by the 2016, I've not really thought about it.
Of course, there is still the VHS to DVD project to work on as well. I will need to purchase a second external HD, perhaps a 3 TB, to store all of those videos.That's so far in the future, I can't begin to even fathom it.
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