Raincharm’s Weblog

Happy

The Big Big Project

Sad

Dave Niehaus: 1935 - 2010

Today my drive to work started slowly.
Weather – scrape, it’s cold outside. And I could not find my scraper in the car. I did not attempt an all out search as the ice was thin and my squeegee did the job.

To the freeway, only to find a backup on the entrance ramp. This slowness continued onto the Ship Canal bridge (in the brilliant morning sunlight), and then onto SR 520 (also a freeway – that is until they start tolling next spring).

On SR 520 one of the new signs they have been erecting was lit up, “Smart Traffic starting Tuesday”
I read this while I moved through the slow-down, in the brilliant sunshine. The Smart Traffic piece is a series of signs along the freeways that provide information on what is happening up ahead. It is supposed to allow you to make informed decisions about choosing exits, alternative routes, and what speed you might choose to drive (if you know it slows down just around the corner).

The slow down was not caused by the newly informative sign.
It was is caused by an Eagle located further out along 520, sitting on a sculpture adjacent to the bridge.

I am curious about what are the smart signs going to say about wildlife on and along the freeway?

“Slow down – eagle on the left”
“Caution, the Mountain is out ahead”
“Beware, deer backup at the gate”

So – yesterday I worked.
Except when I was in the kitchen.
In the kitchen I put away groceries, made lunch and cooked dinner.

Carl had shopped, and got some coffee, which he ground at the store.
It shaves off several minutes to have the coffee already ground, and we go through it pretty quickly, so it does not get stale. (Seattlites, and not coffee snobs – quite.)

This morning I was starting to make coffee, and asked Carl where the coffee scoop was.
It is normally in the jar that we keep the ground coffee in.
He  said, “I don’t know, didn’t you put the coffee in the jar yesterday?”

Well, yes I had.
And then I recalled I just poured it in without thinking about the scoop.
And there it was at the bottom of the jar, under most of the coffee.
I was able to use a fork to retrieve it, and got the coffee made.

And the day has now begun.

I sent off two e-mails this evening.
One had my final chapter to complete and additions to a section in a separate chapter.

The second had updates to information about each of our wells.
Unfortunately my access to pump and motor information was limited, so I could not call these absolutely complete, but they were as complete as I could get them.

And so my BIG PROJECT is off to press, with a few known corrections to be made.
And while it feels “done” for the moment, I have to put together a powerpoint presentation for next Monday, so it will barely be a quiet day or two.

So, tomorrow I get to work on a slightly smaller (shorter) project with a new program.
It involves flow charts, so it could be fun. But the software we are using to create the flow charts is new (yes I can do them in Word, Powerpoint), so it could have some frustrating moments.  Then there is the whole budget thing …. and the annexation public hearing to get the word out on …

Well that’s whats on my mind.
But I am really happy because :

I sent two e-mails out today and shifted a big burden to a new phase.

And I got to video chat with my girl for about an hour.

But it is getting closer.

I am hopeful that sometime tomorrow I will push the “Send” button and clear it off my desk.
Until the next question.

But at least it will be responding, not creating.

Amoung the other things I do at work, I participated in a group that put together a team-building / retirement party. Our boss is leaving after almost 30 years. We have hired the new boss. Our old boss really didn’t want a big fal-de-ral, and we wanted to have as many of the District employees participate. 30 years is a long time, so you want it to be worthy. But we are a public, government agency, so we can’t just throw a bunch of money at stuff. We put together a team-building exercise – to get some HR funding (a small amount), and then got donations.

And – it went great.

We went to the Museum of Flight.
This being Boeing country, there is a lot of history and they have a lot of planes.

Museum of Flight

Bus ride there, scavenger hunt, paper airplane contest, lunch, passing of the plunger (sewer work you know), and general getting to know each other a bit better.

I am actually proud of this effort. The fact that eight of us pulled it off without everybody knowing where we were going or what we were doing, and that people really seemed to enjoy themselves. But most of all – we have 52 employees, and 50 participated.

50 emplyoees, and a sunny day in Seattle - priceless

I actually just feel really satisfied right now. And exhausted.