Processor OVERLOAD!

Wednesday this week I attended a training for some new software I'll need to understand and work with at my job.  Three of us went to Sandy together to learn and figure this out.

This particular software is a Promotional Product system.  Now, you are probably asking yourself--I thought that she was doing Durable Medical Equipment for hospice patients.  Yes, that is true, but the owner of this business, Scott, also has two scrub stores--that stemmed from the hospice nurses wanting to buy their uniforms, and then an embroidery business--that stemmed from the nurses who bought the scrubs wanting their names and company logos on the scrubs they bought.  From the embroidery stuff grew a promotional products business that has tried to keep pace with the demands of the customers--both of which is growing!  So I am learning the promo business.

This may sound funny, but the promo stuff makes a lot of sense to me--I am not sure if it is because my parents have their own business and I have always been around Gilroy Car Care paperwork, calendars, key rings, etc.  Or maybe because brand awareness is KING int he MLM world where Genius Golfer worked for much of our marriage--we are still using Tahitian Noni duffel bags or insulated cups.  Or maybe because as a PTA leader we did a lot of stuff over the years that involved getting our school's name "out there".

Or maybe I am a little more confident in my skills--now that I have enough understanding of the DME software we use at work to be functional and almost competent.  Old dogs CAN be taught new tricks!

Anyway, the system itself is fairly straightforward--and the programming of this software is unbelievable.  They have thought of everything!  And I'm excited to work with this enough to get it under my belt so I can be helpful for a customer that needs an order filled.

In the meanwhile, I'll still be embroidering scrubs for the dentists/medical clinics/hospice groups/etc. all over the county.  And, taking orders to deliver or pick up equipment for hospice patients all up and down the Wasatch front.  And figure out the latest demands of Medicare so I can legally get a patient the equipment a doctor is ordering for them without the proper "acceptable" wording to have them cover something the patient's doctor deems medically necessary but MC can deem not medically necessary because the doctor worded his chart notes too vaguely.

Sure, this old dog can be taught new tricks...the question is WHEN?

It's a Conspiracy, I Tell Ya

How can all four cartridges in the printer go out at the EXACTLY the same time?  And why is it when I have work to do that also needs to be printed?  And payday is another two days away?  And I need the printed stuff for a meeting on the morning of payday?

I wish I had been the guy who figured out the magical system to suck the ink cartridges dry in the printer while the printer looks innocent and reasonable and then design the replacement cartridges to cost nearly as much as the printer itself when you bought it a couple of years ago.  Yeah, I wish I was THAT guy.  I think I'd be rich right now.  And I'd probably have the ink I need for my stupid printer.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Santa along with Genius Golfer got me an upgraded computer, so this weekend will be spent transferring all the info from the old one to the new computer and massive new external hard drive. I am amazed at the amount of stuff that can be accumulated on one's computer when you really don't pay that close attention.

Just on one segment of the old hard drive I have over 32K photos...that isn't the size of the files, but the number of photos. Obsessive compulsive...you say? Yes, I believe I am.

However, as I sat yesterday taking more photos of my family enjoying Christmas presents and giving and receiving...I took dozens more. I doubt the time will ever come that I regret having so many photos.

I shared that OCD behavior by making a few nature calendars using my pictures. We received two collage frames of photos from my mom of the kids throughout the years. I used my photos to make Christmas cards this year for friends and family.

No, no regrets about the number of photos I take. I may rethink that as it is taking a L-O-N-G time to transfer everything. Upgrades, though, not regrets.

How Much is Too Much?

Can you feel it in the air yet? Retailers are beginning to shove Christmas down our throats. They will want us to buy more, spend more, want more. It is getting ridiculous.

This year, in particular, Genius Golfer and I have talked about wanting to calm our Christmas down and not be so involved with the getting and focus more on the giving--not that we will be spending a lot, mind you, but to readjust our focus this year as a family.

The excess that seems to come with this time of year is a symptom of some gaping hole our society is trying to fill. The thinking "If you buy this for that person on your list, they will know you love them more than you can tell them" is completely bogus.

I really can't stand the commercials on the Disney or Nickelodeon channels either. The spots can nearly hypnotize a child into thinking that they MUST have whatever they are trying to hawk at them. Then the child (or grown up watching his preferred channel where the same thing happens to adults) begins to believe that they are only worthwhile if they have this stuff.

Enough, already! Moderation must step up and we must find some balance. Actually, this is true with other excesses too.

This weekend, for example, The Girl's computer usage has crossed the line into excess. She has a new Facebook page and is spending far too much time on it. GG and I have talked about how to police her on it, and how to limit her time, and what in the world she is doing on it anyway. She is a clever girl, but the idea that she could go across the street and CHAT with the same neighbor kid in person, rather than online, is unbelievable to her. That is the kind of trouble I see brewing here.

GG watched a movie with The Girl and her friend on Friday night, and about every 20 minutes she would dart over to the computer where there was some chat going on with her friends (whom we do know, but, still...) at the same time as the movie. It was annoying GG. Her friend didn't need to do that. I thought it was rude, and pathetic. Things need to change.

So, we begin the week with a dilemma. How much is too much?! I suppose we each have our pet excesses that we choose not to corral. But as a parent, we have to moderate ourselves and our kids so we can all be a little more balanced. Wish me luck. Like Dr. Dobson's book says, "Parenting Isn't For Cowards". And neither is Christmas shopping.

Multi-tasking 101

For today's post, I'd like to publicly express some appreciation to some helpers I enjoy each and every week. They make my life so much more enjoyable and, in all reality, they get a lot done around here.

No, I am not talking about Genius Golfer and The Boy or The Girl. I'm talking about my washer and dryer, my computer and my car.

Today is a catch up day. I had big plans to get a lot of stuff done yesterday as it was the first day of school, but instead I enjoyed a longer than usual lunch with my girlfriends, who were also sighing a big one filled with relief for school beginning again.

Today, then, I am doing our laundry, The Boy's laundry (how DOES he get so dirty?!), running hither and yon doing errands all over the place, and transferring some video tapes for a friend so she and her family can watch their family movies on DVD. I can do all these things--plus post this blog today--because of the wonderful machines in my house, and garage.

A couple of old guys stopped me at the Gas 'n Sip this morning to ask me a little about our little natural gas car. I get a kick out of that. But they were right when they were sure that I "must love it right about now"! I love that it gets me where I need to go and it is so much cheaper than anything we have. Did I tell you we made it from West Jordan to Manti and back to Pleasant Grove with a little to spare this weekend on one full tank of gas that cost $5?! Awesome.

If you have ever taken your kids to the Pioneer Village in Salt Lake City they can have a chance to try clothes washing with a wash board in a tub. The kids LOVE this...because they are only TRYING it. I love my washing machine and the dryer. I love that this is one job I can do each week and actually SEE my accomplishments at the end of the day--until someone puts their pajamas on and throws their dirty clothes in the baskets again. But, I do see it for a few hours each week. And that kind of accomplishment feels good.

The computer? Perhaps my favorite household appliance. I love that it helps me get work done, no really--I mean, like PTA or YW stuff. I love that it gives me information from the Internet, no matter how crazy it might sound to a Liberian. And I love that I can stay connected to friends and family through email. And this blog? I love having a place to vent, write, express, explain, or just muse and where others can critique it with a little comment.

With all that love of housework (a term used very loosely here), you'd think I would get more done each day. But there is something I have come to learn after these many years of practice: When multitasking, you much still pace yourself. Yeah, that is what I am doing...pacing myself.