Learning Curve pt. 2

Of course the other problem with the current training course is that it deals with Content Management, and the office’s new Content Management System (CMS). I’m not quite sure why I’ve been told to go on this, as I’ve been using CMS’s for at least the last four years, and I was actually contracted here to – um – install and set up the CMS. (That job’s been taken away from me by Stinky who apparently fears for his little fiefdom, and his *cough* ‘superior’ role within it) So it’s hardly the most stimulating day or subject matter in the first place…

Learning Curve

I now know (well, I knew already, but today is proving it) that I’d never be any good as a trainer. I simply don’t have the patience when it comes to dealing with desperately slow people.

Trainer : “OK, now click on the button that says “close data input””
Slow person (to me, sat next to her) : “Which button’s that?”
Me (already exasperated after ten similar questions) : “It’s the one at the top of the screen. With ‘close data input’ written on it.”

See, sarcasm. Sure it’s supposed to be the lowest form of wit, but sometimes it’s the only viable form that has any hope of conveying the necessary message. I can’t help it, it’s not even a conscious decision to be sarky – it’s just there, on the tip of my tongue, and the brain’s given up on self-censoring.

It’s not really all that beneficial for working relationships – however, with luck it also means she’ll never ask me for help outside this session…

Low Levels of Input

It’s going to be quiet chez D4D for a couple of days. I’m in a training course (AKA learning how to do stuff I’ve been doing for six months) today, then away again for the weekend. I still haven’t decided whether I’m coming back on Sunday night or Monday morning (and to be honest it’s going to be a bit of a 2-person decision anyway) so updates will happen on one of those two occasions.

In the meantime, well, I may update, but I may not. It’s all a bit random really, isn’t it?

250,000

Bloody hell – sometime in the last couple of days, d4d™ had its 250,000th page impression. Quarter of a million page views – that’s not bad going at all. Of course, I missed the actual event because I wasn’t paying attention, and somewhere along the line it looks like I’ve also lost a couple of days of logfiles (they’ll be around somewhere, I know – it’s just finding the bloody things!) so it was probably really about a week ago that it went over, and I’ve only just noticed.

Mea Culpa, but all the same, bloody hell, quarter of a million. Colour me chuffed.

Inertia

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve found myself really settling into the idea of moving come January. I’m tied in to the current contract ’til then, which is a pain in the bum, but for once it gives me some opportunity to get organised, to look at what I’ll be doing when I’m down there, and generally just to get sorted prior to actually moving.

However, one thing I’m really bad at is waiting. The decisions have been made, and given a choice, I’d be getting everything done now, and moving within the next month. I can’t, because of the contract, and that’s frustrating. I feel like there’s an inertia effect, things have started rolling on, and now I’m just waiting for it all to happen.

In the meantime, though, it means I get to look at some of the things I need to deal with. Finances (yick), Letting Agents (yick yick yick), Job sites, Work agencies, that type of thing. Even down to filling in an iProfile for work agencies to use as a reference point. Scarily organised.

I’m even looking at stuff on the social side – thinking about doing a couple of evening courses once I’ve moved, and even ordered a prospectus to that end. Hell, I’m even looking at photography and gallery resources down there.

I don’t know, though – is all this preparation just making me realise how much I don’t want to be up here any more? Or is it simply sensible and prudent to be thinking about these things now, rather than my more normal method of moving and then sorting out all this sort of thing?

Employment Agencies

Thanks, Karen, for the advice. I’m now a lot more sorted out with regards to opting-out (and yes, as I’m a single-person limited company doing contracting, opting-out seems to be the best option) and happier about the entire thing.

Sometimes the internet’s just bloody great.

Photographic Geekery

Blimey, it’s official, I’m definitely heading into the deep dark world of photographic geekery. The evidence of this is that I’ve just ordered my first two filters for the camera – a polarising filter and a UV one. Quite honestly I’ve no idea as yet what I’m going to do with them, or what effects they’ll have on photos, but it’s all getting a bit more advanced than just point-n-shoot.

And yes, that digital SLR is looking more and more likely for the future. A sign that perhaps I should consider getting out less. Or something.