Not much progress and other thoughts

Over the past three weeks or so I've been a little busy and haven't hooked the guitar to my PS. The main reason is that I've been training to be a Customer Services Adviser for an energy company, and have spent the last week "live" taking customers queries and resolving them.

There is a huge difference between running through how to use SAP to get information and to resolve queries in training and when you are live on the phones. Thankfully there are lots of very experienced floor walkers that are available to help us when we hit things we're not sure about doing.

I have had a brief investigation into how to use my new mixing desk, and an still working out the best way to record what is coming out of the system. When I get it sussed, be warned that there might be a flurry of tracks posted to my SoundCloud account.

Another reason for me to add music, is that I have signed up for Coursera online courses in Songwriting and Music Production. These are two separate courses that are expected to take up around 8 hours each through a week. I think that will strain me to the limit fitting around my work and Scouting activities, and I suspect that I'll be spending most of my weekends trying to play catch up!

My girlfriend has also signed up for the Songwriting course, and it seems possible that we're going to have a go at collaborating on songs -for those you'll have to keep an eye out for the Heron Hymn SoundCloud pages.

I'm planning on getting the PS booted up at some point this weekend, and I'm expecting that my playing will have atrophied. I have been practicing a couple of the tunes I have more or less learned (mainly House of the Rising Song [a very simplified version] and Home On The Range, although some Christmas and nursery tunes have also been picked out).

Getting my fingers flexible enough to play chords properly is a challenge for me at the moment.

Of all the bizarre questions I've had recently, one was from a girl I was tutoring Maths and English last year and it was could I teach her to play the keyboards. I did point out that I don't know how to play them, but she seemed determined that she wanted to have a go.

I guess I'll need to dig out my keyboard and power supply and start with the basics myself too. I'm not sure where I'm going to fit in all of this into my week.

Just remember: if you don't try you'll never succeed!

Not the planned weekend

Disappointment

I was wanting to attend the Imagine Cup North East hack event this weekend, but due to a minor technical problem with my oven (ie it has stopped heating things up) I thought I'd better fix it.
That did leave me free to attend the cub meeting last night, and the leader meeting straight after (which only lasted half an hour - not a common event as most of the leaders can talk for England - me especially!)
Mission only partially successful, I have isolated the faulty part: the heating element has gone open circuit. I've also discovered two ways of getting at the element to replace it.
The first way involves stripping the oven almost into individual components, and the other is which panels that need to be removed to do the job.
I'm hoping that I will be able to remember which order it has to be done in when I get the replacement part and fit it.
For a change I only have two spare screws after re-assembling the oven.

Progress

I have had a technically successful session with Guitar Smith and have passed another section. More details than you really want to catch are in my other blog.
What other news? I'm three weeks into my five week training to be a customer support adviser, and will be on the phones for at least one call on the last day.
I have recorded a version of the guitar part for House Of The Rising Sun and uploaded to SoundCloud.

Coursework

Absolutely no progress with the database course today. I'm going to have to stand behind myself and crack the whip, as I have over an hours worth of lectures to watch and the associated exercises to complete to continue my progress.

There is a mid-course exam coming up soon, and I'm not looking forward to that at the moment. I think that it will be the ruination of my 100% success rate of doing the practical work.

Still making progress

Database course

The topic I'm currently working on for my online courses is Relational Algebra.
The big grin you'd see on my face at the moment is because I got 100% in the quiz, and also 100% in the exercises.
I have also completed 3 of the 4 challenge level exercises, and have 75% for those. Bearing in mind I haven't started the last question, I can't complain too much about that now, can I?

Customer Services Advisor Training

We've just passed hump day on the training, 2 1/2 weeks completed, 2 1/2 weeks to go. 

The billing quiz was on Monday, and everybody in our team passed (although nobody managed 100% - spoiling my record). Getting the billing aspects right is rather important, as it will reduce the number of calls and complaints received.

Today we have been looking at setting up customer contracts, but had a minor technical hitch: the systems went down mid afternoon preventing us from using the training environment.

Other news?

My oven has packed in, I am going to try to find time to find out what is wrong either tomorrow night, or over the weekend. I suspect the heating element has failed, the fan and thermostat seems to be doing something. It would be easier just to get a new oven, but cash is rather tight at the moment.

I've not had time to play my guitar smith game this week, as I've been focussing on the coursera work. Once I've finished playing with the oven and get the next block of lectures watched and quizzes completed I think I'll be playing more.

Heron Hymn might be having a go at recording a simple song or two this weekend depending on enthusiasm (but it will be something like Home On The Range, My Grandfathers Clock or a Christmas carol or two.
Oh yes, it's 11:15pm in the uk, and I still have a 6am alarm. Sleep? Who needs it!

Some progress with the course

The JSON lectures and quiz weren't as difficult as I thought they might be.

I managed to get 4/4 for the quiz, so that's ok.

My progress so far:

XML Quiz	6/6
JSON Quiz	4/4
DTD Exercises	3/3

Sitting at 100% overall at the early stages of the course is a good place to be I think.

But first, I have a 6am alarm and it's 11:25 in the UK so I think it would be a good time to get some sleep.

Bad week for learning

The post title more or less says it all.

I have made absolutely no progress with the Database course I am signed up for this week. I only have two quizzes and some practical work to complete for tomorrow.

If they weren't all online, I'd log off the net to avoid distractions - like email, facebook and twitter.

A cuppa, a bacon sarnie then time to do the work.

A nice treat

I was taken out last night for an early birthday meal, always a very nice treat.

We went to Thai Central on Ocean Road in South Shields.

The only regret I have about the meal is that I didn't take a picture of the food before we piled in and demolished it.

The food was extremely well presented, and very, very tasty.  We'll definitely be coming back for another visit.

Busy night

For some time Heron and Hymn have been saying we should have a night a week to practice something.

The main problem is my lack of guitar skills (we're not going to comment on my singing tonight).

On my other blog I have started commenting on my progress with the Guitar Smith game. Lynn was singing along to the track I'm trying to earn enough points to qualify (and although there is an option to reduce the qualification barrier, I'm refusing to use it).

As well as singing, Lynn has been quite productive and has written a short story based on an earlier discussion, and is well underway with a second one.

I was going to head to bed (it's just passed midnight here in the UK), but don't want to disturb the creative juices.

I've just realised I haven't finished my glass of wine either. So no driving for me before 9am then. Not that I was even planning on getting out of bed before then.