August 8, 2001
Dear Everyone:
It looks as if this will be the last Letter for the month of August. As I mentioned before, I’ve been “volunteered” to serve on another Team researching another software program. (I got tagged because this will be yet another relational database and I’ve had some experience with a number of relational databases in the past.)
So, next Wednesday morning, I will leave for “Hobby” for two days of “pre-training”. This is considered something of a “shakedown cruise” to see if the vendor and our ideas about certain fields mesh, and what other fields will we come up with that no one thought of before. This “pre-training” ends on Friday, and I had originally planned to come home on Saturday.
However, it seems that I will be in Bethesda, Maryland, all the following week for five days of training on the program itself. So it was decided that I should travel on to Maryland on Saturday, have Sunday for “sightseeing”, compliments of the company, and return home the Saturday after that. (This would be 8/25/01.)
I’ll be home that Sunday and Monday, then head off to “Hobby” on Tuesday, for another two days of training, returning just in time for the Labor Day Weekend. I have a feeling I’m going to be needing a three-day weekend by that time. (This is beginning to look like one of Mother’s itineraries.)
At the end of all this training, I expect to be one of two SME’s for the application. A SME (pronounced “SMEE”) is a “Subject Matter Expert”. This is someone who not only has some idea how the application works, but also what should be in individual fields in specific tables. It also means that I will be qualified to be a System Administrator for this application.
With all of this anticipated travelling, it’s a good thing I invested in that new luggage. In addition, I’ve invested in a smaller purse (the one I regularly use is almost bigger than “carry-on”) that has backpack-like straps to leave both hands free for wrestling baggage on and off shuttles and through terminals.
I’m also making mental lists of what I need and don’t need in said purse when travelling. Example: Checkbook? I will not need a checkbook when travelling, so it stays home. Credit Cards? Only two, mine and the company-issue. All others stay home. (This already makes the need for a wallet much smaller.) Emergency Roll of Life Savers? Those are there in case “Jeannie” gets lightheaded while we’re out and about together. No “Jeannie”, no Lifesavers.
Pain relievers? You bet. Travelling is a headache in itself. Flashlight? If the power goes out on the plane, a flashlight probably won’t be much help. (As you may have surmised, 90% of what’s in my purse is for emergencies.) Whistle? Remember, it was the whistle that save Rose’s life in Titanic. Besides, it doesn’t weigh much. Swiss Army Knife? A host of usefulnesses. But the calculator (compliments of Macy’s) can stay behind because the Palm Pilot does that, plus much more.
I think I can winnow down the absolutely essential supplies to a manageable 5-10 pounds.
In other news, my leg, which was giving me so much trouble in Ashland, seems to be improving. I suspect this is what’s known as a Cumulative Trauma Disorder. Years of sitting on the edge of the chair and leaning forward to see the monitor (or the makeup mirror) have taken their toll. Nevertheless, conscientiously sitting back in my ergonomically correct chairs, combined with diligent hours spend couch-potato-ing with a hot sack of corn on the affected area are finally paying off. I intend to continue to walk carefully (think of it as “preventive limping”) and hope for the best.
Finally. Those who get this missive via the US Postal Service will notice that I have, at long last, used up all the old 33¢ stamps. It only took a couple of hundred 1¢-ers to do it. I finished with only 19 of the 1¢ stamps remaining. Hopefully, it will be a while before I have to use them again.
That’s all for now. Everyone have a safe rest-of-August. I’ll be back in September.
Love, as always,
Pete
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