I can't believe I've successfully wasted the past three hours this morning like I have. Come to think of it, I did a pretty damn good job of getting nothing accomplished last night as well.

Yesterday evening I returned home from three days in Chicago training on Pindar, Catalog Management Software that we're getting ready to implement at work. Pindar is pretty intense. This is expansive database software that will completely change the way our departments work. It's a daunting and exciting task.

I've been given the title "Systems Administrator" for this software installation. Basically this means I'm the person whose going to learn the system the best. I'll be the one people come to with questions. I'll be the one setting up users and groups. And I'm the one whose stressed with the task of having to understand all this high-tech information that is being presented.

It's a little pressure.

The first hour of training on Wednesday had my head flying. I come from a Graphic Design background and all the talk of Relational Databases and Primary and Foreign Keys was sending my brain into a whirlwind. My stomach was tightening and my boss kept looking at me like "I have no idea what they're talking about, I'm glad you understand it." And I just nodded my head like, "it's fine , it's fine" when, in fact, it was not fine but I didn't know what else to do.

Luckily, things started to make a little more sense. I think what makes this entire process so difficult is that we are being trained without using our data. But from time to time, when the trainers would plug in some our data, it was like the proverbial lightbulb when off in my head and things started to make sense. From that point on, I kept the mindset that things will be easier once we're working and learning with our data in the system.

However, in order to get our data in the system and for installation to begin, Pindar must "capture" our data. And in order for them to do that, we must "mark up" our 480+ page book. But, of course, in order the "mark up" the book, we must understand how the system works: hence the training.

See the Catch 22?

Luckily, after the data capture, we will have a second round of much more intensive training on the system at our business. But in the meantime, we must get our information ready for them to process.

I must admit, three days of this training has had my body and mind spent. We did have Thursday afternoon off which I spent flitting about Michigan Avenue stopping in every Pottery Barn, Banana Republic and Crate & Barrel type store absent from Madison that I could. But the recess was short-lived and I was zapped by 10pm after a dinner with our salesperson at Famous Daves.

Last night when I got home, James was still in Minneapolis with my car because of his interview. My dog was at my mothers. And I just sat around trying to let all the Pindar information sink in. I had a glass of wine and eventually got on the phone to chat with an old college buddy about his escapades at a recent Television convention in LA that he attended among a variety of celebrities including the people from "Will and Grace", Martin Sheen, Micheal Richards and Calista Flockhart. Upon his return, his coworkers had given him the apt nickname of "Namedropper" which is always referred to in an agitated tone.

My fatigue set in early again last night. After picking up my dog once James returned home, we dined on some take out Chinese and were in bed by 10:30. Pretty early for a Friday night.

However, I woke up wide-eyed this morning at 6:30. And despite my gusto and energized disposition, I have done nothing productive unless you count my fiber-rich breakfast of cereal and a pear.

I almost wonder if I went through computer withdrawal because despite the fact that we were being trained on a "computer" system, my hands never touched a keyboard for the past three days. Now, I've been surfing straight since 7am with short breaks taken in order to hug the dog, jump on the bed, get a coffee refill or go through the mail including my recently-arrived version of September's Cooking Light.

Have I mentioned I think I've had too much coffee?

Nevertheless, it's now 10am and James is about to leave for work and I know if I don't start being productive now, I'm going to hate myself for the rest of the weekend. Come Monday, all sorts of Pindar-related projects will ensue and I'm sure the overtime will begin. Therefore, I should get in what home projects I can done before my life becomes nothing more than that of the dedicated Systems Administrator of a relational database called Pindar.

And I'm not even going to metion how wonderful James' interview went and how last night we talked about what we'd do if we did indeed move to Minneapolis and how I could possibly allow this to happen while not screwing over my current workplace in the process.

Time to do something mindless like vacuum the couch.