Friday, January 14, 2005

(automated) Division is the opiate of the math-es

Workity workity work work work. Jazzed and jangled I jittered and grubbed through desky jungles, parched plains of mind-smashed desert offering no notch or nook of respite for grizzle grimble wabraca-yadda think-thank-thunk Oh I just can't get it organized and done! It has been one of those weeks. Too many surprises, too many voice-mails, everybody wants everything now and it's important and also they are upset and the phone is ringing and the emails are flying in the door like bats under a tree branch at first hint of light. I am inadequate to deal with this volume and diversity of demands.

So the last thing I decided I could do at the office today was a one-week-late-already analysis of program costs, fees, recovery rates etc. I had set up the spreadsheet about 2 weeks ago and people had entered their data. I had to go back and check, fix and polish before sending it to my manager, who is actually very nice and understanding about the one week late thing.

As I clicked and tickita-ed at the spreadsheet my mind smoothed like an ocean after a storm. I was zoning out on @sum(N47/D25/E25). It felt so good just to work this monotonous but mathematical task, find botched or deleted formulas, make it pretty....I know, it's weird. But low level algebra housekeeping made me feel all melty calm and happy.

So that's it for now. I have to go back out to work to start up a couple of family drop-in programs in my schools this evening, but I can manage, now that I've smoked a page or two of spreadsheet happiness drug. Ahhhh. I hope it was okay for me to drive home after I did that?

Question: What weirdness calms waves in your mind?

mompoet - yup, Rainman, definitely Rainman @sum(L15*Q27...Q34) but don't get me started again

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