At times I concur with the sage advice of Robert Fulgram. He is the guy who wrote: "All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten". It really isn't rocket science. I have no difficulty accepting the principles he identifies. Take for example:
- Share everything.
- Play fair.
- Don't hit people.
- Put things back where you found them.
- CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS.
- Don't take things that aren't yours.
- Say you're SORRY when you HURT somebody.
- Wash your hands before you eat.
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By the way, I never went to kindergarten. Over the past several days I've discovered I have missed some of the basics. I am 76 years old, and I've seldom needed to create an Excel spreadsheet. I'm smart enough to know that if you highlight a column of numbers and click on the right symbol, presto you find the total.
This week, out of necessity, I needed to create what seemed to me like complicated spreadsheets with lots of details. I was clueless to know where to start. Instead of using YouTube, I reached out to the General for help.
Trust me on this, she has no interest in enabling me with the information without my learning how to do it for myself. She could have easily gone to my computer, typed in a formula, and then allowed me to enter the data. That is really what I had in mind.
There was no way she was going to play that game. She has no interest in being my go-to person to fix it for me. She wanted me to do it myself. When I thought I had the hang of it, she exited stage right and had no real interest in resurfacing.
Okay, so I'm not averse to begging; however, I didn't want to hear any kind of subtle reprimand. To her credit, she watched over my shoulder while I entered the formula and indicated I was entering the wrong line.
With the brilliance of Einstein, she told me to increase the size of the font and I'd have less difficulty figuring out what line I needed to reference. Doing so made a huge difference.
I can say truthfully, it wasn't as easy as "A" "B" "C", but once I got the hang of it, if I held my mouth just right, the system worked. Did I mention that I'm more comfortable interacting with people than I am with knowing how to enter the correct formula in Excel?
My next question is, "When is recess?" I need some rag-top-down time in the Miata.
All My Best!
Don
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