![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Disintegration
Dec. 7th, 2005 10:46 pmThe weather this morning was beautiful. I'm not normally a fan of cold, grey weather, but this morning it wasn't that cold, and the autumn leaves were in full force, such as they are, and it smelled just lovely. There was just the tiniest drizzle.
At work I got to go to the first of three three-hour training sessions on JavaScript, the last skill I need for the next job I want. Of the twenty people, only two of us had no experience with JavaScript before. The others had at least been copying snippets of code; many had been modifying it to do their bidding. The other ignoramus was my co-worker who was sitting next to me. Fortunately, we both have the right brains to absorb this kind of information.
There were two hours of presentation, which went very well, even the part he said would hurt our brains. Then one hour of practice. I could have used two hours. Neither my co-worker nor I could figure out one part of the assignment (setting up arrays within arrays). It seems like we're supposed to be overly redundant, but he says not to worry about that until he teaches us more about objects.
Back in my office, we got the news that because freezing rain was expected this evening and overnight, my employer would be closing at 2:00 p.m. and would not re-open until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. I had heard the forecast and been fantasizing about having all day tomorrow off, but four hours is good, too. Mine is not the only employer that does this. I love that on the rare occasion when we get a bad winter storm, I get paid time off from work!
Since this happens only about once a year here, we don't have a fleet of salt trucks or whatever. We do eventually end up with sand thrown out on the overpasses to help with traction.
At home, I tried to work on my JavaScript assignment some more, but I couldn't get my browser to see it. I should just save the document as text with title ending in ".html" and the browser should be able to see it, but I couldn't make it happen.
During my fantasies about being home in the cold I thought I would try making matzoh ball soup, crushing the whole wheat matzoh I found into matzoh meal, but the recipe I use is on the back of the matzoh meal box (which I don't have), and I couldn't find anything familiar looking on the web.
So then I tried to watch a movie Robin's not interested in, and we've got all these systems for looking at movies and I couldn't make a single one of them work. The DVD player is unplugged; I knew not to try that one. I just did the easy one--put the disk in the computer and click on the main drive icon and click on the movie. This didn't work for Robin either when he came in. The other methods require switching channels on the monitor and on the receiver. Bleh. I am the one in charge of re-setting clocks when the electricity goes out in our house, but I haven't mastered these.
So then I tried looking up arrays in my JavaScript books, but none of them introduce arrays as early as our instructor did, so I couldn't get through all the other stuff that makes no sense enough to figure out how to set up my arrays.
Then I tried to solve a sudoku, but when I got to that stage where I think, "Oh, brother, I have to write every possible digit in every blank square," I just didn't have it in me.
Meanwhile, I couldn't get warm.
The heater was spewing out cold air, so I looked at the furnace. I've seen it in action before--when you take the cover off, you can see huge, scary whirls of flame. But this time, nothing. I changed the setting from fan/automatic to on, and then there were disturbing clicking noises, and then it started working.
Not that it was actually cold in the house. It was 64 degrees (F), with the thermostat set at 67. But I was cold. I switched from my canvas shoes to my lined slippers. Then from my slacks to my flannel-lined jeans. Then I put my coat on. I also danced.
Finally I just curled up under a wool blanket on the couch (the fan is on in the bedroom so the clothes on the rack will dry) and listened to pretty music and snoozed.
Oh, poor me!
Pathetic, anyway.
I think it was a combination of still being more acclimated to heat and of having been so frustrated--cold inside. I don't like to think so, but I've noticed at least once that how I feel physically is connected to how I feel emotionally.
Hot chocolate helps. And hot soup.
When Robin got home we watched the movie he did want to watch. If anyone ever wants to know why I don't want kids, I can tell them that one of the answers is in the movie "Heavenly Creatures." It's about two teenagers who become best friends and love each other and have a great time, but who worry their parents. So, the parents obviously don't understand anything and are nothing more than obstacles. I've felt this way (like the kids) myself, and think it's common in western culture, and terribly tragic.
Now I'm writing this with the lights occasionally blinking off. It's still just below freezing outside, with a light drizzle. It will warm up to the upper 30's tomorrow and the ice will melt away before noon. We really have it wonderfully easy here in the winter.
At work I got to go to the first of three three-hour training sessions on JavaScript, the last skill I need for the next job I want. Of the twenty people, only two of us had no experience with JavaScript before. The others had at least been copying snippets of code; many had been modifying it to do their bidding. The other ignoramus was my co-worker who was sitting next to me. Fortunately, we both have the right brains to absorb this kind of information.
There were two hours of presentation, which went very well, even the part he said would hurt our brains. Then one hour of practice. I could have used two hours. Neither my co-worker nor I could figure out one part of the assignment (setting up arrays within arrays). It seems like we're supposed to be overly redundant, but he says not to worry about that until he teaches us more about objects.
Back in my office, we got the news that because freezing rain was expected this evening and overnight, my employer would be closing at 2:00 p.m. and would not re-open until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. I had heard the forecast and been fantasizing about having all day tomorrow off, but four hours is good, too. Mine is not the only employer that does this. I love that on the rare occasion when we get a bad winter storm, I get paid time off from work!
Since this happens only about once a year here, we don't have a fleet of salt trucks or whatever. We do eventually end up with sand thrown out on the overpasses to help with traction.
At home, I tried to work on my JavaScript assignment some more, but I couldn't get my browser to see it. I should just save the document as text with title ending in ".html" and the browser should be able to see it, but I couldn't make it happen.
During my fantasies about being home in the cold I thought I would try making matzoh ball soup, crushing the whole wheat matzoh I found into matzoh meal, but the recipe I use is on the back of the matzoh meal box (which I don't have), and I couldn't find anything familiar looking on the web.
So then I tried to watch a movie Robin's not interested in, and we've got all these systems for looking at movies and I couldn't make a single one of them work. The DVD player is unplugged; I knew not to try that one. I just did the easy one--put the disk in the computer and click on the main drive icon and click on the movie. This didn't work for Robin either when he came in. The other methods require switching channels on the monitor and on the receiver. Bleh. I am the one in charge of re-setting clocks when the electricity goes out in our house, but I haven't mastered these.
So then I tried looking up arrays in my JavaScript books, but none of them introduce arrays as early as our instructor did, so I couldn't get through all the other stuff that makes no sense enough to figure out how to set up my arrays.
Then I tried to solve a sudoku, but when I got to that stage where I think, "Oh, brother, I have to write every possible digit in every blank square," I just didn't have it in me.
Meanwhile, I couldn't get warm.
The heater was spewing out cold air, so I looked at the furnace. I've seen it in action before--when you take the cover off, you can see huge, scary whirls of flame. But this time, nothing. I changed the setting from fan/automatic to on, and then there were disturbing clicking noises, and then it started working.
Not that it was actually cold in the house. It was 64 degrees (F), with the thermostat set at 67. But I was cold. I switched from my canvas shoes to my lined slippers. Then from my slacks to my flannel-lined jeans. Then I put my coat on. I also danced.
Finally I just curled up under a wool blanket on the couch (the fan is on in the bedroom so the clothes on the rack will dry) and listened to pretty music and snoozed.
Oh, poor me!
Pathetic, anyway.
I think it was a combination of still being more acclimated to heat and of having been so frustrated--cold inside. I don't like to think so, but I've noticed at least once that how I feel physically is connected to how I feel emotionally.
Hot chocolate helps. And hot soup.
When Robin got home we watched the movie he did want to watch. If anyone ever wants to know why I don't want kids, I can tell them that one of the answers is in the movie "Heavenly Creatures." It's about two teenagers who become best friends and love each other and have a great time, but who worry their parents. So, the parents obviously don't understand anything and are nothing more than obstacles. I've felt this way (like the kids) myself, and think it's common in western culture, and terribly tragic.
Now I'm writing this with the lights occasionally blinking off. It's still just below freezing outside, with a light drizzle. It will warm up to the upper 30's tomorrow and the ice will melt away before noon. We really have it wonderfully easy here in the winter.