Don’t run with scissors — or a screwdriver
Every time I pick up a screwdriver from my toolbox and carry it to some other location in my house (as I did this evening), I make a special effort not do anything clumsy. Why? Because I can’t forget this x-ray of a toddler’s skull.
A little over a year ago, two-year-old Teagon Gislason was running with a screwdriver in her hand and ended up with a screwdriver in her head. Amazingly, she didn’t sustain any significant injuries to her eye or brain, but if I ever trip while I’m carrying a screwdriver, I doubt I’d be that lucky. And besides — that’s gotta hurt!
What does a Rachel look like?
When I walked into the Blood Center to donate a pint this evening, one of my favorite phlebotomists greeted me.
“Hi Sarah!” she called out from across the room.
“Hey Jane!” I responded with a smile. “But I’m Rachel, not Sarah…”
She knew that, of course. So do the many other acquaintances of mine who insist on calling me Sarah. (Or is it Sara?) Either way, it’s a mystery to me. This phenomenon started sometime during college, and back then, people would often blame their goof on the fact that I had a good friend named Sara. But I’ve been out of college for almost nine years, and the Original Sara now lives near London, and yet it’s not at all uncommon for me to still be called Sara(h).
When someone calls me Sara(h), I try to kindly rescue them from the sudden need to come up with a lame excuse for their mistake by telling them that I’m frequently called Sara(h). The most common response to that tidbit of information is the most puzzling one, and it’s the one I heard tonight. “You just LOOK like a Sarah!”
Really? I’m pretty sure my parents didn’t accidentally put the wrong name on my birth certificate. So what exactly does a Sara(h) look like? For that matter, what does a Rachel look like? Maybe it’s time for me to figure that out.
oh happy, geeky day…
At 10:00 this morning, after a final two-hour consultation and two high-fives, I reached one of the highest points in my professional career thus far. I was officially LIVE on our new database.
As the Module Manager for one of the key modules in the database, I was the first to be granted official clearance. I have to admit that it was especially fun to be the first one out of the gates, but within a few minutes, I was equally happy to give the official go-ahead to the users of my module. If all goes as planned, the remainder of the modules will be live by the end of the week.
I can’t think of a metaphor that accurately describes how much I’ve accomplished during the past 18 months AND how much work is yet ahead of me (hurdles? marathons? Everest and K2?), but suffice it to say that today was a happy, geeky day.
fifteen F-words
On Friday evening, February 20, the Friendly City Food Coop is hosting its third annual February Fest at the Lucy Simms Center in Harrisonburg from 7-10 p.m. The event will feature local food and local musicians AND… the coop is hoping to sign up 100 new members that evening. I’m a member — and I think you should be too! — so I’m inviting you to join me for a fun and fabulous Friday evening.
The event is free, and you are NOT obligated to become a member. You’re more than welcome to come even if you’re just curious or think you might sign up “someday.” The coop is still in formation, but eventually there will be a full-service grocery store downtown featuring fresh, local, natural, and organic foods. I’m not involved with the coop in any formal way (besides being a member-owner), but I’m an enthusiastic fan, so if you have questions about it, feel free to ask me.
Whether or not you’re a member, I hope to see you on Friday!
sometimes I even change my mind at lunchtime
The following conversation took place as I was preparing to leave an event this evening. It was 66 degrees outside.
HER: You didn’t wear a jacket?
ME: Nope!
HER: You might be able to get away with that tonight, but not a couple days from now!
ME: That’s fine. It’s actually a decision I make on a daily basis.
the first five people to comment will get something
The subject line says it all. This is an idea I adapted from a friend’s offer, but unlike her invitation, there is no catch. None. You comment, you get something. (The invitation I responded to required participants to repost the same invitation, presumably on Facebook… but I’m posting my invitation here.)
I promise to…
- be creative.
- give you whatever you’re getting before I turn 30.
- consider bribes from respondents who are not among the first five.
- be flattered if you decide to carry on this project by extending an invitation of your own.
parked in
I have a lot of neighbors. I live on a narrow street in town where the houses are close together, so I feel fortunate to have a driveway. “Driveway” is a rather generous term, considering that it’s only big enough for one car, but since I have my very own off-street parking spot, I think of it as a driveway.
Some people on my street have driveways that they never park in, so the street can become pretty crowded. This evening, however, there is a lot of open space along the curb, so it will forever remain a mystery to me why someone thought it was a good idea to park me in. I just walked outside to get in my car to go to the grocery store, and there is a little white Honda parked directly behind my Subaru.
WHY?!?! There are so many other places they could have parked. If there were no other options, I might be slightly less angry, but this is one parking job I don’t understand. Unfortunately, the car doesn’t belong to any of my neighbors, so I have no way of knowing where the driver might be.
So here’s a Monday Night Quiz for you. Should I:
a. walk into the middle of the street and bellow, “WHO PARKED ME IN?!?!”
b. put my car into reverse and ram the Honda.
c. go door to door trying to find the car’s owner.
d. sit in my car and honk my horn until someone thinks it’s obnoxious, walks to the window to see what all the commotion is about, and realizes that they have parked someone in.
e. walk to the grocery store. It’s within easy walking distance, but carrying groceries for more than half a mile isn’t my idea of a good time.
f. go back inside, fume, blog about it, and hope that the driver of the car decides to leave soon.
OK, you know which one I chose to do first… but if you were me, what would you do next? (Or rather, if I were YOU, what would I do next?)
Shhh.
Please pause with me while we observe a moment of silence in memory of Jenzabar TE.
farewell to a database
I’ve been looking forward to today for the past 18 months, but now that the big day is finally here, I’m almost feeling a little sad. When I was getting my undergraduate degree in business, nobody ever warned me that someday I might feel sentimental about a database. But I do.
For the past four years, I’ve been the guru for the Registration Module of the institutional database at the university where I work. In addition to my other tasks, it’s my job to know everything about how the Registrar’s Office maintains electronic academic records — registration, grades, class schedules, degrees, majors, honors, you name it. If there’s anything in my life I feel like an expert on, this is it. I don’t do the data entry, but I’m responsible for managing and then reporting on what others enter. If you have no idea what the difference is, just think of it as the difference between driving a car and being a mechanic.
The university has been using its current database for half of forever, but since September 2007, I’ve been working my butt off in preparation for a conversion to a new database. If you’re not a database geek like I am, perhaps the metaphor that our IT director has used will be helpful. He has likened this project to driving a tractor trailer down the highway at 70 miles per hour… and trying to swap out the engine and the transmission while you’re traveling at full speed. We’ve still had to continue doing everything we’ve been doing on the current system while simultaneously preparing to be able to do those same functions (and much more!) on the new system. The much-anticipated conversion begins today at 5:00 p.m.
The current system might be an antique, but it’s my baby. I can navigate it without thinking and I could tweak your GPA faster than you can say four-point-oh. Maybe even with my eyes closed. (Not that I would do that, of course.) And although the new database is nothing short of amazing, I’m just a little sad to have to say goodbye to the system I’ve spent so much time with and gotten to know so well. In keeping with the vehicle metaphors, it’s like I’m trading in a 1983 Honda for a 2009 Lexus. I’m thrilled about the change and wouldn’t want it any other way, but that clunky old database will always have a special place in my heart.
*Sniff.*
broadcasting your mistakes
I had never watched a WHSV news broadcast until tonight, when for some unexplained reason I decided to watch the second half of the 11:00 news via the web. It was much more entertaining than I expected; during the commercial breaks, the video stopped, but the audio didn’t… at least not right away.
“Do you want to read this one? I didn’t assign it to anyone.”
The newscasters discussed who would read the next news item, and I heard the word “fenugreek,” but I wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything… and then the audio stopped. After the commercial break (i.e., silence and a black screen), there was a news blurb about something in New York that I tuned out until I heard the word “fenugreek” again.
Either the newscasters don’t care whether listeners hear their off-air comments, or there is a new employee at the audio controls. I may need to listen again sometime… if only for the commercial breaks!
