Saturday, April 7, 2012

Old Dogs and New Tricks

(Click on the thumbnail for the bigger, better version)

"You can't teach an old dogs new tricks." So goes the old saw. By now, I am a prime example of how unreliable that old saying is. This old dogs just keeps learning tricks. While preparing for two art shows, spending time getting to know and appreciate my Wacom pen, and keeping up with the lively Sheltie who runs our place, I faced a longtime challenge. For years, Microsoft Excel sat there in my hard drive and I never went near it. The term spreadsheet made my blood run cold. I had all but taken a vow to never tackle the job of learning. Let others make their spreadsheets, I reasoned. I would continue to stumble along with my little calculator and my scribbled notes on odds and end of paper and sometimes actually getting information into my computer.

A few days before the flu bug took me down, it became clear to me that I could no longer deal with my so-called record keeping and I was sick of calculating the same numbers over and over, ad nauseum. I knew I would have to learn a new piece of software and wasn't eager to deal with the inevitable headaches that would entail, but plunged into the fray anyway.

With the help of the Internet, I sailed through—well, for me it was relatively sailing through—in a couple of days and absorbed the basics of creating an Excel spreadsheet along with formulas and formatting. Whoduthunkit? Now, of course, I am kicking myself for not having learned this years ago. Formulas are the cat's pajamas. No more calculating and recalculating with each slight alteration in figures. Enter a new amount in column C and whammo!, the formula takes care of all that number crunching across all those columns. Excuse me for gushing, but as one seriously intimidated by numbers, this equals a little bit of magic for me. I may even become a spreadsheet fanatic.

I am not yet the full strength version of Anita—I am productive for very few hours any give day, but I am getting closer to recovery. I have another art show to prepare for—more coming about that soon. Besides, Galen has been going through an allergy reaction that has cut back on everyone's sleep. As soon as possible, I will post more about the next show. I am already a tad anxious about all the work to be done. I need a robot to take care of oh, so many details.

The image above is from a very old photograph and one that I barely liked enough to keep in the files. I never found any reason to share it and kept it only because each time I stumbled across it it reminded me of a beautiful display that I had the good fortune to witness. I haven't yet found how to make this work to my satisfaction, but at least I have reached a point, recently, where I am willing to share a version with you. Perhaps there is enough here that, with some imagination, you will have an inkling as to what captivated me and convinced me to hold on to a deeply flawed photograph. Sometimes, it is enough to have files that serve only to jog our memories, to remind us (perhaps when we most need it) that there is much in our lives that is sublimely beautiful and needs neither explanation nor excuse for being.

10 comments:

  1. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All of your 'claims' about not being computer savvy! ;) Congratulations on learning a new trick! Glad that you are up and about again. Hopefully this period will last a long, long time, my friend.

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    1. I didn't say I was great with Excel, Paul. I only said I could use it. I still need someone around who really knows the program and speaks all that inside math lingo that I bump into when I attempt to interpret instructions on the program. Still, I am pleased to make some use of this new way of tracking info.

      Thanks for the good thoughts re. health.

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  2. Well, this old dog is always learning right along with you. You (and Paul) have planted the seed for a Wacom pen. Way to go! Love the image!

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    1. Oh, Monte, I can't wait to see what you are up to. I know you will enjoy the journey and thank you for the comment on the image. It brings back such good memories for me.

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  3. I am glad you are up and about again. If it's the same bug I had back in January, I can certainly sympathize with how long it takes to get back to 100%, but you will get there.

    This is a terrific image. I'm glad you didn't scrap it.

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    1. I am so sorry that you had this bug, Roberta. For many years, I have been blessed to escape really nasty flu strains. My luck finally ran out. I am better, but my days are definitely still disturbingly short—you know that routine. Thanks for the encouragement.

      I am so pleased that you like this one. A number of times, I reached for the delete button and would always back out. I, too, am glad I kept it.

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  4. "I may even become a spreadsheet fanatic." I've seen it happen - people you'd never think of being remotely computer literate start putting together multipage linked spreadsheets with programmed charts and links to external databases.

    I continue to use my tablet as well, though I haven't expanded its use to more than working with layers in Photoshop. Really comes in handy for the detail work!

    Personally, I like this image with it's painterly look.

    Glad you're feeling better!

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    1. You have no idea how much chaos you have produced in my wee brain, John. Now, I find myself thinking about finding someone to tutor me in Excel. I am a rank beginner and produce only the most basic sort of documents. In fact, I have lost more work than I want to think about due to clumsy errors that I never understood. Later this year, I just may shop around for an Excel guru.

      I am loving my tablet. Even though I don't use it for everything, it makes a huge difference overall.

      Thanks for the comment on the image. I am glad that I revisited this one. And, thanks for the good wishes. I am improving daily.

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  5. I remember working on spreadsheets without a computer. Now that was a pain in the @#*. Congratulations on picking this up, there are so many useful applications for spreadsheets you will be amazed. You'll wonder how you got along without it.
    Speaking of amazing - this image is one. I like the balance between the cloud and the tree.

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    1. Holy cow! Spreadsheets without a computer. Color me impressed! That would be a torture chamber for me. My skills with the program are pathetically limited—frequent stumbles mean lost work and puzzled frustrations. Still, fumbling through Excel easily beats what I was doing before.

      Thank you for the kind words about the image. That was one of my favorite elements of the picture—the relationship between that Joshua tree and the cloud.

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Anita