a minor midwestern detour
I spent the early part of this week back in Columbus, Ohio, sitting in on two days of requirements planning sessions for upgrades on a computer system that’s been in service since the late 1950s, is jointly “owned”/supported by two different agencies, and has a directive to remain in service, in some form, until the year 2100.
Yeah.
It wasn’t really all that bad an experience, really. I learned a lot, and was able to contribute materially to the discussions. This business, and the follow-on projects, will probably keep me busy for the next decade or so. Job security is a nice thing.
I drove to Columbus again; I’ve got a pretty direct, not to particularly congested route that take a leisurely eight hours or so with bathroom, gas, and meal breaks. It’s not particularly stressful, allows me some quiet time to enjoy audiobooks (this trip? Brandon Sanderson’s The Rithmatist and about half of Terry Pratchett’s Dodger), and most importantly, keeps me out of the US airline system (folks who flew actually took longer to get there than I did).
Of course, while I was in town, I took the time to get together with good friends Elizabeth and Duncan, who provided entertaining company in The Short Northneighborhood, with dinner and drinks at The Arch City Tavern, and absolutely amazing ice cream at Jeni’s. Much catching up ensued, as well as some discussion of in-progress projects we’re working on for Antimatter Press. A good time, as they say, was had by all.
