I spent Thursday and Friday over on the Wet Side of the state to join a small group of report writers to learn our new reporting software. The program we've been using since I started at my job is being phased out. Even though I'm a manager now and no longer an analyst, I still keep my hands fresh writing ad-hoc reports and working with our project manager to put new reports up on the portal.
Training classes are frustrating to me. Instructors have a script to follow, and they spend (to me) an inordinate amount of time talking about structure and theory. Dude, I know why I'm writing this report, I know when to use a chart, when to use a list report, when to use a crosstab, blah blah blah blah blah. Just show me how this new software works with my data and let me have at it. Please. So I spend the first part of the day busting through all of the exercises in the material and the rest of the day twiddling my thumbs. Its really exhausting.
The nice part was getting to have dinner with my friend Julie and her man and check out their new digs. I'm in love with their house and I assume they won't notice if I sort of quietly move in. I also got to see my brother, which doesn't happen often enough. We had a lovely dinner and caught up on things.
I got home after a four hour drive over the mountains late last night and then got up while the moon was still out this morning to head up to the Blues with Michelle for the last orienteering ride of the season. 9 miles round trip, I think we came in second this time. Bugs had an excellent day, with the possible exception of the fact that he hates water. We had to cross two small streams and when I say small, I mean they were little trickles of water, inches wide and less than that deep. But it was water and therefore he didn't want to cross it. His final resort, after it being explained to him that across was where he was headed, and no, I wasn't going to get off and walk him over the terribly frightening water, was to LEAP ACROSS. Like a 15-hand mule deer jumping a 6 foot fence. On the upside, if he's ever a wash as a trail horse he may have a career in the jumping ring. Silly nag.
I have one more trip over the mountains for work on Monday and back here again on Tuesday and a week full of meetings after that. I say all this only as a way of letting you know that if I don't manage to post anything for the next week or so, its only because I'm frantically trying to find time to sleep.
On a bright note, one of my posts was syndicated on BlogHer this week. Go check it out!
