I think… September 7, 2006
Posted by irishmadness in Work madness.add a comment
… I was better off with my leaking brain. The reporter I’m crunching data for had a great idea for the analysis, but it means pulling another piece of information. Not so bad, but that means downloading a file for every single school in the state. Then I have to re-save the file with a unique name. I’m up to the Ks for downloading and the first half of the Cs for renaming. I was hoping to be done by Sunday, but I’m not counting on it.
On the plus side, the project I’m writing for is humming along and I have the bulk of my writing done – well before my Wednesday deadline. I hope to finish the drafting tomorrow and be able to use next week for polishing and refining.
Leaking brain August 27, 2006
Posted by irishmadness in Arts and Crafts, Music, Work madness.1 comment so far
Not literally, of course, but I’ve been using regression analysis to adjust data (with some help from Aleta on the analysis) all afternoon. None of the Excel formulas are especially tough – almost all are pretty simple – but trying to remember the logic behind them so I can tell if I’m messing up is starting to fry my brain.
But I’m getting a lot done, so I can’t complain.
In other news, I got accepted into a journalism leadership training program that requires a pretty stiff application process and I got a scholarship that covers most of my costs. (Without the scholarship, I wouldn’t be able to go, so that’s almost the more important part of that news.) It’s in less than two months, and I should be getting my homework in the next week or two, which needs to be turned in two weeks before the week-long session starts. I’m psyched, and my mentor was turning cartwheels. 
As we roll into fall, choir has kicked into high gear for our fall concert. We still haven’t started Christmas yet, which concerns me a bit. But we’re also doing easier stuff this year because of the fall concert. Tomorrow we’re having a vocal workshop with a college voice professor. I’m looking forward to that, since I’ve never had any formal voice training.
I’m also gearing up for the holidays by spending a fair amount of time on crafts. Yesterday I was working on cross-stich for a Christmas present, and today I’m knitting a birthday present. I’ve also been contemplating Christmas card designs. Instead of a variety this year, I’m going to stick with a few designs I can make in quantity, to save both time and money.
I even managed some cleaning the last couple of days, though I still have a long way to go. There are two or three projects that will take a chunk of time, but also account for most of the chaos in my apartment. I’m going to try and tackle those in the next two weeks. Then I can concentrate on the smaller ones.
I also need to start running again, or at least walking. That’s on tap to start this week.
The good, the bad and the ugly May 31, 2006
Posted by irishmadness in Running, The Guys, Work madness.2 comments
Today was one heck of a day. It started when I actually got up at 7 to go running, only to realize it was raining outside. So I waited about an hour to get up, which meant it was almost 9 when I finally headed out. It was nice when I started, but got very hot and muggy by the end of my five-mile run. (Well, slog really. It was a little too slow to be called a run.)
So I headed home, showered, lay in bed with the fan going and made a strawberry soy protein smoothie in a vain attempt to cool down before work.
I got to work, started working on the inside pages of our weekly entertainment section, and discovered that instead of fairly basic pages, the desk guys left me with a two-page non-linear feature. Now, I’ve done stuff like that once or twice before, but I generally have plenty of time to think, plus it’s in a news section where it doesn’t have to be too feature-y to look cool. So I headed out for a walk to chill out. I was smart enough to fill my now-empty smoothie squeeze bottle with cold water first. By the time I got back, I was calmer, but back to being all hot and sweaty. *sigh* Fortunately, EE was back from lunch and promised to help me when he was done with the cover story design. Just knowing that helped, so when I finished everything else, I started playing around, figuring he could help me rip it apart and build it new again better than starting from scratch. By the time he had time, I had pulled together a rough layout that he actually liked. He made some suggestions to police it, mostly regarding evening out the white space, but that was about it.
Meanwhile, my sister and WG have been bickering via e-mail – my e-mail. She sent a comment today I knew would get a great reaction from him, so I called him at home tonight to fill him in and get his response. My end of the conversation was necessarily restricted because I was in the middle of the mostly empty newsroom, but his wasn’t. I had to bite my tongue a few times because the smart-ass response would have either revealed who I was talking to or not been appropriate for work. But it was a funny interlude in the night.
Little else new here, but my annual review should be either Friday or Monday, so expect another post then with either a rant or rejoicing.
She lives! May 23, 2006
Posted by irishmadness in Running, Trixie Friends, Work madness.1 comment so far
No, I haven’t died. I’ve just been busy.
Quick hit update:
* My trip to Richmond ended a day early after Aleta got a bug. Not wanting to get germs, I headed home. She was very understanding.
* I did, however, see the Maggie L. Walker house. She was not only the first female bank president, but the first black female bank president. It was a cool tour, and well worth the time. I only went because it was in the area where I parked and was free, but I’m glad I did.
* I ended up taking about a week off from running for various reasons, but actually didn’t lose any ground in terms of distance. I ran 2.5 miles Monday – my first day back – and could easily have done three. After the first mile, I got into a groove.
* Unfortunately, it was also the first really warm day since I’ve been running, so I didn’t think to put sunscreen on even though I wasn’t wearing the hoodie over my tank top. My shoulders are very red right now. *sigh* I’ll remember from now on; it was a painful lesson.
* I came up with the best cover design at work for our annual graduation section, but my boss didn’t decide to use it until it was too late to actually do it. So we’re saving the idea for next year. On the plus side, this means I get at least part of the award for the design contest he was running to come up with a cover.
* Our food section for tomorrow has a recipe for homemade microwave popcorn, which I’m going to have to try.
* I’m getting new running sneakers on Saturday! There’s nothing better than hitting the road in new sneakers – they always feel so comfortable compared to the old ones.
* Unfortunately, my holiday weekend will be spent at the office, including my birthday. But I do have some plans in mind so it won’t be all bad – and working Monday means I can take a four-day weekend next month without using vacation time.
I’m back! May 3, 2006
Posted by irishmadness in Healthy Living, Trixie Friends, Work madness.1 comment so far
Yesterday was really the only day I had an excuse for not posting. It was local Election Day, with all the craziness that entails.
Other news:
* WG is up to his ears in both farm stuff and work craziness, so we’re on hiatus, more or less. Since he’s averaging less than six hours a night of sleep between putting in full days at both jobs, I can’t really complain.
* It’s also making it easier for me to get to bed earlier, which I’m hoping will translate into more running. Alas, today was back at Day 1, since I didn’t run or walk Sunday or Tuesday. Monday I did a little mall walking after my root canal, but that was about it. On the plus side, I did squeeze in 3/4 mile today, and will remember to have a slice of toast with PB tomorrow morning so I have the energy to do the full 1.5 miles.
* I did a few hours of cooking Monday night and have a freezer full of meals for a month. Average cost: 50 cents per meal. Tough to beat that. And since they’re ready to go, I can’t really complain that I don’t have time to cook.
* I managed to set aside $20 for running sneakers over the last few weeks, and I’m hoping to save up enough before I have to replace mine that I don’t have to dip into savings.
* That’s especially good because my savings is basically going toward my dentists for the next few months, between two root canals and the necessary crowns. *sigh* At least I have good dental insurance.
* MTM apparently is continuing to make trouble for SE over this project I’m working on with them, but he’s pushed SE a little too far. I’m forseeing a showdown between those two in the next few months.
* I finally get to see at least one Trixie friend this weekend, when I celebrate Aleta’s new (to her) gas grill with a backyard cookout. It’s been forever since I’ve seen Trixie friends. *sigh*
Stealing from Aleta April 18, 2006
Posted by irishmadness in Quiz Time, Work madness.1 comment so far
|
You Passed 8th Grade Math |
 Congratulations, you got 8/10 correct! |
And since the average journalist is on a fourth-grade math level, I suppose this explains why I get to be the newsroom math expert.
Spring has sprung April 2, 2006
Posted by irishmadness in Fun Times, Work madness.add a comment
It’s been in the 70s the last few days, which is really nice. I’ve got my Sox shirt on, since baseball starts tonight.
Life’s been quiet the last few days. I have one slight work dilemma, but I asked one of the editors for advice and I’m sure he’ll have good suggestions. I think I might start turning to him more. He’s got lots of experience, he’s not involved in the chain of command the way EE is, and he is willing to help.
On a related note, I said something in a conversation with a co-worker that led him to note I was having boss issues. (He said he could see it in my eyes, which sounded funny coming from him.) He sent a e-mail telling me that anybody can tell I know what I’m doing and I work my ass off, so not to let her questioning my capability doubt myself. It was a nice note from somebody who doesn’t have that rep in the newsroom.
I’m hoping to go out for a walk tomorrow, but between a dentist appointment, canceling my cable and having to edit a section and a project before choir, I don’t know if I’ll have time. Maybe in the neighborhood around my church before choir…
Turning over a new leaf April 1, 2006
Posted by irishmadness in Healthy Living, Personal Finance, Work madness.add a comment
The farmers’ market opened today. One of the advantages of living in a rural area is that the farmers’ market has lots of producers, they’re all local and they have really great stuff and the prices are good. So in an effort to eat better — inspired by Aleta’s diet overhaul — I’m tweaking my routine to start shopping at the market each week, then go to the grocery store for the remaining items.
It’s early in the season, and I didn’t get there until about 10 a.m., so I only could pick up pumpkin and wheat breads, plus two ham pockets (think sealed ham biscuit) for breakfast. And for the fellow Yankees reading this, that means country ham, which is salt-cured so it doesn’t need to be refrigerated. It’s not my first choice, but every once in a while I’ll eat it.
I’m also biting the bullet Monday and canceling my cable. Not broadband, but cable. I haven’t actually watched a TV show at home in longer than I can remember — generally I watch at work — and it seems really dumb to waste $50 a month on it when I could put that toward paying off my credit card.
My state tax refund also will be going there. Now that I’ve paid my (overdue) car tax, I can file my state return this weekend. I should get about $100 back, based on last year’s refund. (My federal was roughly the same, so I imagine state will be too.)
I also should be teaching a color guard class in May, which would net me between $200 and $600, depending on how many kids sign up. They asked me to do a one-day class in August, which could bring in another $100. If both go well, I might be able to teach two, possibly three in the fall, depending on interest. I’m hoping this develops into a second job of sorts, since my other second job options are limited by my schedule. The money would let me pay off my debt faster, which means I’ll be in a position to replace my aging car sooner — hopefully by my 30th birthday. (By replace, I mean have enough saved up so I only have to finance 2 years max, at less than $200 a month. It’ll take a substantial downpayment, but will hopefully mean I can pay cash for my third car.)
I’m also going to be busting my butt at work to get off my boss’ shit list and hopefully make a case for giving me a good evaluation and raise come late June. *crosses fingers* I discovered last year that screwing up even fairly minor stuff between March and June means a big ding, especially if there’s a computer element to the screw-up. Not going to happen this year.
Catch-up March 29, 2006
Posted by irishmadness in Arts and Crafts, Basketblogging, Social Life, Work madness, Writing.4 comments
Sorry I’ve been rather silent lately – life’s been crazy. Since CE’s on vacation until April 5, it still is, actually. So this is kind of a news and notes-type post.
* WG’s still contemplating, so little is new there. *RME*
* Some of the training stuff I’m trying to get done at work is actually bearing fruit, which is encouraging.
* The crud that SE had last month is still running around the newsroom. The biggest issue is a fever that lasts four or five days, which has knocked out about a third of the staff at some point during the last six weeks. So far, I’ve avoided the illness, though not the side-effects on workload from people being sick.
* I wanted to try knitting with cotton yarn, so I’m making washcloths to coordinate with my bathroom. It’s different than acrylic and wool, that’s for sure, but I’m enjoying it.
* Writing for fun has been put on the backburner lately. I really need to at least spend 10-15 minutes free writing each day to get back in the habit, but with everything else that’s going on, I haven’t.
* Editing and revising my NaNo stories also is on my to-do list, but hasn’t gotten done. I think I need to start making an actual daily list like I do for work. It’s definitely helping there.
* There’s a new knitting club at the city library every other Saturday, but I have yet to make it. *sigh* This weekend it was because I needed to get my hair cut before the awards banquet, and the place I go has limited hours because it’s run by the local cosmetology school.
* Oh, and I’m in the doghouse with CE, so my task for the next few weeks is to get back in her good graces ASAP, then make sure I stay there so the item that ticked her off doesn’t take on undue importance in my annual review in late May. *sigh* (It happened last year, which is why I’m wary. I need to start ticking her off in the fall instead of the spring.)
* We had a church mission the last few nights, which was pretty cool. The speaker/liturgical composer – Grayson Warren Brown – had CDs, books and songbooks available, so I picked up two CDs and the accompanying songbooks. My liturgical collection in my iTunes is getting larger.
* As usual, I got skunked in SE’s March Madness pool. On the plus side, I was still in the running after the first weekend, which is unusual.
