6 hours....
6 F-ing hours is how long I've been working on this stupid, tiny, insignificant piece of code in an Excel Macro...only it's not so insignificant, it's the most important line in the whole F-ing program, and I have absolutely no idea why it isn't working....
It should work, even the little help file says that the code is exactly the way that it should be; only Excel doesn't seem to recognize it...
All I want to do is throw my laptop out the window. Unfortunately, the way things are going, I'd be standing there watching happily, hoping to see my disobediant computer explode in the parking lot; it would suddenly catch a breaze and sail off into the sunset, flicking me the TAB key....
Breath...just breathe big fella, giving yourself an aneurysm, isn't going to make the damn thing work....
Deep breath now.... That's it.... Ok, now let's take another look at the problem.
F-ing computer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Violent chair squeaking, and overly forceful typing)
This was the scene about 20 minutes ago...
If the whole thing weren't so ludicrous, I might be joyous, ecstatic, jubilant even. I've just gotten it to work, and we're on our way to a fully functional program that will revolutionize how we do business in Best Buy Mobile Real estate. The thing is, the necessary piece of programing was there all along. Just that Excel wasn't "referencing" it. Do you know what it took to "reference" something that's been there waiting to be used for 6 hours? A click of the mouse on a check box buried deep in an obscure menu. What the hell Microsoft!?!?!
Well at least it's working now, and I can go home without being super crabby and possibly make some delicious, healthy spiced apple cider! Ooh I'm excited already!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Silence of the snow
Have you ever sat out in a snow storm and just listened to the sound of it? If you're from the north, I'll bet you have. If you haven't, you should. It's really amazing how silent everything really is. I'm not talking about a blizzard with roaring winds, just a heavy snow fall. Two days ago Minneapolis got their first real snow fall of the season. Most places got about 4 inches of snow over a 6 hour period. Not too bad, but definitely a snow storm. During the snow fall, I walked across the street to the mall where Jill works. It was amazing how quiet our typically noisy neighborhood was. Even with SUV's driving too fast down the snow-covered road, it was very quiet.
It made me think of past times in my life where my friends and I would hike through the nature preserve in Stevens Point during snow storms. It is so quiet because all the animals are hunkered down and every other sound is muffled by a blanket of fresh snow. It really is amazing at how peaceful a snow storm can be. I highly recommend braving the cold to sit through one and just feel the silence of the snow...you wont be disappointed.
It made me think of past times in my life where my friends and I would hike through the nature preserve in Stevens Point during snow storms. It is so quiet because all the animals are hunkered down and every other sound is muffled by a blanket of fresh snow. It really is amazing at how peaceful a snow storm can be. I highly recommend braving the cold to sit through one and just feel the silence of the snow...you wont be disappointed.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Doctors....
I try not to be too harsh on Doctors. After all, they spend years upon years in school, rack up mounds of dept, and then work ridiculous hours. Even if they do get paid a ton of money, they don't really have the time to enjoy it. BUT, I've been noticing a serious lack of usable information coming from Doctors recently. Let's start about a year and a half ago....
Do you all remember Jill's issue with serious stomach pain? It was so bad that she couldn't do anything but lay down in bed with a heating pad and struggle through it. Well, so we took her to the Dr. to find out what was going on. After a barrage of tests, questions, and bottles of foul tasting contrast, they told her that it could be ovarian cysts bursting. Could be. Really there wasn't much evidence of it or anything else. So they gave her birth control to help with possible cysts, and told her to eat a high fiber diet in case it was something more related to her stomach. Not a terrible outcome, but it seemed for the longest time that no-one had any idea of what was going on.
A year later we went to our to our new Dr. here in Minnesota for a routine check-up. The Dr. got our height and weight measurements and separated us into different rooms and asked us all the standard questions. Then while talking to me he pulled up a Body Mass Index chart that you can look at on-line (THE EXACT SAME ONE-FOR FREE), entered in my information, and informed me that I was obese. His recommendation? Portion control and a low-carb diet...seriously?
While at the Dr., they also had us do some blood work. When we got the results of that blood work back it came with little notes from our new Dr. Mine showed slightly high blood-sugar and cholesterol levels. My little note informed me that he wasn't too worried, but I should lower my carb intake. Jill's blood work revealed perfectly normal levels of everything except her triglycerides (things that can cause strokes, heart attacks, and all sorts of nasty things). Her note suggested that she lower her carb intake and come back in 6 months to recheck things.
OK, so some of you may be thinking, well maybe if you're eating bad, cutting carbs will help. the thing is, Jill and I have been eating on a VERY low-carb diet for almost a year now. So really I don't think that carb's are the problem. Especially considering every other one of Jill's tests came back in normal levels. So Jill does a little research on the Internet and sees that the number one side effect of her birth control is high levels of triglycerides, and potential risk of stroke and heart attack. She also found a number of posts from women who had similar issues and once they went off their birth control their triglyceride levels dropped back to normal ranges. So if this information was so readily available, and seems to be relevant, why didn't the Dr. even mention it?
Now, I read that a good friend of Jill's went to the Dr. because of difficulty breathing and chest pains. After some tests, they found a 3 inch nodule on her lung. Now, I'm no Dr., but to me it sounds like they might be related. Apparently the Dr. doesn't seem to think so. Keep in mind that she is an otherwise healthy person with no asthma or anything else like that.
So again, maybe me and my friends just seem to find the dud Dr.'s out there, but really, most of the information that we have received from the Dr.'s, has been less than helpful. And, let's not forget that this paltry information came after MANY visits to these Dr's who were paid handsomely for each visit. So, yeah, I'm a little bit bitter about the whole health care industry at the moment...
Just for the record, I think it is a noble and necessary profession to have, I just think there must be a better way of doing things. If you really don't know what's wrong with someone, tell them. Maybe it should be run like any other business, if the results aren't there, the pay isn't there either....
Do you all remember Jill's issue with serious stomach pain? It was so bad that she couldn't do anything but lay down in bed with a heating pad and struggle through it. Well, so we took her to the Dr. to find out what was going on. After a barrage of tests, questions, and bottles of foul tasting contrast, they told her that it could be ovarian cysts bursting. Could be. Really there wasn't much evidence of it or anything else. So they gave her birth control to help with possible cysts, and told her to eat a high fiber diet in case it was something more related to her stomach. Not a terrible outcome, but it seemed for the longest time that no-one had any idea of what was going on.
A year later we went to our to our new Dr. here in Minnesota for a routine check-up. The Dr. got our height and weight measurements and separated us into different rooms and asked us all the standard questions. Then while talking to me he pulled up a Body Mass Index chart that you can look at on-line (THE EXACT SAME ONE-FOR FREE), entered in my information, and informed me that I was obese. His recommendation? Portion control and a low-carb diet...seriously?
While at the Dr., they also had us do some blood work. When we got the results of that blood work back it came with little notes from our new Dr. Mine showed slightly high blood-sugar and cholesterol levels. My little note informed me that he wasn't too worried, but I should lower my carb intake. Jill's blood work revealed perfectly normal levels of everything except her triglycerides (things that can cause strokes, heart attacks, and all sorts of nasty things). Her note suggested that she lower her carb intake and come back in 6 months to recheck things.
OK, so some of you may be thinking, well maybe if you're eating bad, cutting carbs will help. the thing is, Jill and I have been eating on a VERY low-carb diet for almost a year now. So really I don't think that carb's are the problem. Especially considering every other one of Jill's tests came back in normal levels. So Jill does a little research on the Internet and sees that the number one side effect of her birth control is high levels of triglycerides, and potential risk of stroke and heart attack. She also found a number of posts from women who had similar issues and once they went off their birth control their triglyceride levels dropped back to normal ranges. So if this information was so readily available, and seems to be relevant, why didn't the Dr. even mention it?
Now, I read that a good friend of Jill's went to the Dr. because of difficulty breathing and chest pains. After some tests, they found a 3 inch nodule on her lung. Now, I'm no Dr., but to me it sounds like they might be related. Apparently the Dr. doesn't seem to think so. Keep in mind that she is an otherwise healthy person with no asthma or anything else like that.
So again, maybe me and my friends just seem to find the dud Dr.'s out there, but really, most of the information that we have received from the Dr.'s, has been less than helpful. And, let's not forget that this paltry information came after MANY visits to these Dr's who were paid handsomely for each visit. So, yeah, I'm a little bit bitter about the whole health care industry at the moment...
Just for the record, I think it is a noble and necessary profession to have, I just think there must be a better way of doing things. If you really don't know what's wrong with someone, tell them. Maybe it should be run like any other business, if the results aren't there, the pay isn't there either....
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Who am I?
Have you ever really asked yourself that question and given an immediate, confident answer? I mean seriously, ask yourself who am I, and see what comes immediately to your mind. And be specific; none of this who do I want to be, just who am I. I try to ask myself this question at least weekly, to see if I like the answer, or if it changes.
So, who am I today? Today I'm a friend, and a pushy, ambitious worker who won't be shoved into the background. An interesting answer for me today. You might not think so, but the fact that friend came up first is suprising. It's not that I don't like friends, or that they are unimportant to me, it's just that usually, work so dominates my mind that friends get pushed back into the recesses of my mind. So why is today different. Well a couple of things really. First, I need friends. I love my wife, and I love my job, but without friends, I smother my wife with attention, and dive too deeply into work. Second, a friend of Jill's from college recently moved into the Twin Cities area. Last night we hung out with him and it was funny to see the reaction he had on both Jill and I. While he wasn't my friend, I could see the effect of having another friend had on Jill. She was joking and playful, which then led me to be more playful with her and her friend, and in general we all had a really good time. We didn't do anything special, but it was fun none-the-less.
On another note, I think it's really important people to show their friends how important they are to each other. Sometimes it's just really nice to know that your friends really appreciate who you are.
OK, so the gushy stuff out of the way, the weight loss train is now pulling into the station. Fueled by a stricter adhearence to the diet and continued exercise, I've managed to lose almost 20 lbs now. I've still got a good distance to go if I want to give a big F-you to my Dr. who looked at me like I was obese and told me to cut my carbs, but I'm on a roll now. My body is ready to roll with the downward trend, and as long as I don't fall of a cliff, I should be all set to hit my mark. As for Jill, she has started a new work out program that I have high hopes for. It seems to be easy for her right now, which makes me think that it will work for her. If that seems strange to you, think about it like this. It seems easy, but she can do it without really hurting herself, and that will mean that she can do it for longer, and THAT will lead to fantastic results. I'm very proud of her for keeping at it. I know it can be disheartening to be trying for a long time and not hit your goals, but this time I think she's got it. Keep your hopes up everyone.
OK, enough about me, how is everyone else doing out there? I know it's the holiday season, but just remember to relax and take a few breaths. Nothing is so important as your sanity. Whether you're rushing to get some shopping done, or you're busting ass at work, take a few moments and breathe. You'll be far better company, and much better at what ever task you are trying to accomplish if you're not in a panic mode.
So, who am I today? Today I'm a friend, and a pushy, ambitious worker who won't be shoved into the background. An interesting answer for me today. You might not think so, but the fact that friend came up first is suprising. It's not that I don't like friends, or that they are unimportant to me, it's just that usually, work so dominates my mind that friends get pushed back into the recesses of my mind. So why is today different. Well a couple of things really. First, I need friends. I love my wife, and I love my job, but without friends, I smother my wife with attention, and dive too deeply into work. Second, a friend of Jill's from college recently moved into the Twin Cities area. Last night we hung out with him and it was funny to see the reaction he had on both Jill and I. While he wasn't my friend, I could see the effect of having another friend had on Jill. She was joking and playful, which then led me to be more playful with her and her friend, and in general we all had a really good time. We didn't do anything special, but it was fun none-the-less.
On another note, I think it's really important people to show their friends how important they are to each other. Sometimes it's just really nice to know that your friends really appreciate who you are.
OK, so the gushy stuff out of the way, the weight loss train is now pulling into the station. Fueled by a stricter adhearence to the diet and continued exercise, I've managed to lose almost 20 lbs now. I've still got a good distance to go if I want to give a big F-you to my Dr. who looked at me like I was obese and told me to cut my carbs, but I'm on a roll now. My body is ready to roll with the downward trend, and as long as I don't fall of a cliff, I should be all set to hit my mark. As for Jill, she has started a new work out program that I have high hopes for. It seems to be easy for her right now, which makes me think that it will work for her. If that seems strange to you, think about it like this. It seems easy, but she can do it without really hurting herself, and that will mean that she can do it for longer, and THAT will lead to fantastic results. I'm very proud of her for keeping at it. I know it can be disheartening to be trying for a long time and not hit your goals, but this time I think she's got it. Keep your hopes up everyone.
OK, enough about me, how is everyone else doing out there? I know it's the holiday season, but just remember to relax and take a few breaths. Nothing is so important as your sanity. Whether you're rushing to get some shopping done, or you're busting ass at work, take a few moments and breathe. You'll be far better company, and much better at what ever task you are trying to accomplish if you're not in a panic mode.
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