Putting Things in Order and Adding Filler

I have been sick all week with a sore throat and a light head with stomach problems.  I'm not sure if it's sickness or allergies or an imbalance of my stomach cultures.  Or all three.  It's a bummer though because it's cutting into my prime training for the marathon time. I was unable to run Monday or Tuesday or do much like clean.  Today I felt slightly better and tried running even though I didn't want to.  I ran 1 mile straight, and then walk/ran the second one.  I couldn't do any more after that.  My legs and muscles hurt and burned sooooo badly!  At least I wasn't out of breath much at all.  Mentally and endurance wise I was great!  It was just my muscles and knees and feet were very weak and painful. 

I looked in Publix (Pube-licks as Josh calls it) a grocery store chain down here for some probiotics but they only had the dried out kind and I have it on good authority that the kind stored in the refrigerator are better.  I got some activia yogurt instead.  We'll see, we'll see.  I'm trying to cut out dairy so that was sort of a fail there.  I need to find a health food store but I'm not sure where one would go for that in Nashville. 

At work I worked up a manual to give a step-by-step how to use the computer program I am working with and am going to train some Tribes how to use next week.  I must say I didn't really write it.  The actual How-To part was written by a friend at the BIA for my training session at our last work meeting and the newer part on how to use SEQUEL and import an excel data sheet was written by the Fish Commish.  All I did was put it in the correct order and write up some filler.  Then I took the manual for the other program that goes with the first one that the contracting agency we worked with for this project wrote and I put it at the back.  I designed a cover though all on my own and it's sweet!  I also made a mock up of it in a binder and brought it to the printing place and they are going to make them for me.

That describes my job well I think, putting things in order and providing filler.  It sounds like something I'd be good at really.

I'm going to give a presentation on my organization's experience with these two programs at the end of April to the NCAI (National Congress of American Indians) Exchange Network meeting.  Someone there made all of my travel arrangements and itinerary for me.  I like that a lot. :) I'm also excited about the presentation...it's something I know I'm good at.

What are these computer programs?  Well well well.  Good question.  One is a form that the Tribes fill out and it enters data into a database (think Microsoft Access) and the second one takes the data in the database and sends it to my organization or to the EPA or where ever else has a Node and the Tribe has a contract to share data with them in place.  It sends the data over the internet.  Sounds so simple, so easy, so straight forward. It even looks like it is!  But there is this thing called "Business Rules" that make it so you have to follow a complex flow chart (choose your own adventure but you better choose right or nothing will work) that tells that if you fill in one part then you have to fill in 5 other parts, but if you don't fill in the first part the 5 other parts don't matter.  And these programs are actually easier than the other way provided by the EPA to submit data straight over the internet.  I know because I have done both ways and the internet way nearly did me in....but I worked it like a boss.