Fun

Using old technology is a bit like driving a Model T on the Indy Speedway. It can be a bit scary, but most of the time it is incredibly frustrating and everything seems to be zooming past at a mind-boggling rate of speed.

Case in point: I have a version of Photoshop from 2002. It’s a robust program that I know inside out. It can do a lot of things, and when it came out, it was pretty mind-blowing. But, it’s from 2002. That means it is 14 years old. In Computer Years, that is like comparing something from the Jurassic Period to Present Day.

Unforeseen circumstances.

It isn’t a phrase that makes you jump for joy. Instead, it is a vaguely menacing combination of words that foretells of something throwing your plans off the rails. For me, it was a leg injury. If you have been following this blog series, you’ll know that I have been training to apply to the Edmonton Police Service. Things were falling into place. I had collected all the supporting documents for my application (transcripts, first aid certification and so forth), and was studying hard to write the entrance exams. I was in the best shape of my life, thanks to working with a personal trainer.

Math.

Few people tell me that they love math.

It brings back memories of sitting in a small, windowless room, back in grade 11, with my math tutor. My tutor smoked cigars. Lots of cigars. He smelled like a giant cigar. I really didn’t want to be there, but my math grades were abysmal. I tried - superficially, at best - to memorize the patterns of algebra, but desire to receive a non-abysmal grade in that class was overshadowed by a large teenage helping of “not giving a …”

Routines are great. Sure, they can be difficult to get up and running, but once you have one, things don’t feel quite right when you miss part of it. For the last many months I have been going to the gym every other day. For the last month, I’ve been going to Run With Recruiters twice per week. I was feeling pretty darn good about that and was in the best shape of my life. I wrote all these things on my calendar, and felt a great sense of accomplishment every time I looked at it.

I am about 1 month early on my traditional “what I learned this summer” blog post, but I’m learning so felt the need to write it down!  For those following along at home, here are the lessons covered: 2012, 2013, and 2014.

And now, in the midsummer of 2016, amid the rainstorms, travelling fairs and mosquito bites, I declare that I am learning a lot.  The software developer that I’m married to (Chris) is a lot like an artist or a Granville Island shopkeeper.