On the hotline days it was usually helping users new to this technology, kind of like September on the internet. As I've moved closer to the developers, it's now new problems. The easy, canned demo jobs worked in the demo room, but now when actual customer jobs are printed, suprises can happen.

My current headache is sort of related to the fourth quarter. A customer has a job that rips slow, in a workflow I don't support. They've had this issue for a year, but it's suddenly become hot. I suspect it's a fourth quarter issue, a competitor wants to sell them stuff, and if we can supply a fix for this, they just might. I've been spending a lot of time on the monstrosities trying to get the developers the data so they fix it, and testing patches, all for this a transactional workflow I don't support.

The deadline is 29 December, and I'm supposed to be on vacation from the 22nd to the 1st. I can easily see being asked to travel onsite to install any fix we have, and losing vacation days with no compensation, for a feature I don't support. Yeah, I'm channeling Clerks.

In the US tax system, one can deduct allowable medical/dental/vision expenses if they exceed 10% of your gross adjusted income. We're usually many thousands of dollars away from that goal. This year we may come within a thousand or two. Yeah, we'll probably exceed $8,000 in qualified expenses, mostly due to Mrs. Ha and twenty_one_year old's expenses. That's part of the reason we can't make traction on our credit card debt.

It will probably stay that way for a long time. Twenty_one_year old is getting better, and making strides towards independence, but I'm skeptical she'll be on her own in the next few years.

Rochester is home to a world class supermarket chain, it's been touted as the best in the US, and could be the best in the world. Mrs. Ha's unemployment was due to run out, and she got a job, but not the right job. It's at a supermarket chain, but not the famous one. She hates it, she was close to being fired for being under on her drawers, and yesterday she BSOD'ed the register, twice. She's hoping to move into the bakery soon, maybe that will be better.

She visited a for profit college yesterday. For around $32,000 she can get a two year certification as a medical technician to get a job doing what she did before. That might pay off in eight or nine years.

The adviser thought she could get grants and such to get down to around $10,000, but I'm skeptical. On paper we're middle class.

In the meantime, she's looking for a better job.

Sixteen_year_old is doing great. She got into the National Honor Society, she's getting lots of college emails, and is considering SUNY-Purchase. A sUNY school means free tuition, as long as she's full time.

She's even making presents for Christmas, little chocolate candies. The only downside is I have Holiday ale to keg, and once it's kegged there's no room for her to store stuff in the beer fridge. It's a small beer fridge.

The tree is now decorated. I made the sixteen_year_old laugh during the deocrating, the oldest was being too methodical and regular putting up garland, I accused her of practicing BDSM on the tree.