Some days, I could just smack Microsoft. Also, corporate executives and network gurus.

I just spent 20 minutes Googling around to find out what some of those blasted programs are that sit there sucking up my computer's processing power all day.

I've identified four or five that I can just routinely go in and shut down in the morning. Since this is the fourth time I've had to do this to stop my computer working on it's own projects instead of on mine, I made a Naughty list and posted it up. So annoying. Of course, the really annoying ones, like svchost.exe, the ones that run eight copies of themselves, can't be shut down because they're "critical" processes.

I tell you what. It's critical to me that I work on a computer that can move at least as fast as I can.

So, this week has been interesting. (No. Really.) I've barely had time to get bored with my Real Job, which is pretty cool.

I've had a couple of hour-long training sessions about taking over the bi-weekly Argonaut Newsletter. Because I hate being trained and can't be taught, I told everyone I already knew Front Page (I don't) and that I'd used it before (I haven't) and that I didn't need much information in that area. Penelope spent 15 minutes on it in one of the training sessions and I'm sure I have all the information I need to do what needs to be done.

Seriously--even considering Microsoft's annoyingly code-heavy approach to html, how hard can it be? It's just software.

I've already started the training manual (for producing the newsletter, not for using FP, although I'll include the necessary information w/screen captures for that portion of the project) so I can hand it over to whoever they hire who's job this will be in the long term. I'm the world's worst trainer but, even if I do say so myself, I write a good manual. Anyone with an IQ that goes into triple digits should find them clear and comprehensive.*

I've also spent a fair amount of time helping Gidget tweak the navigation for the new website. Turns out that the basic layout I submitted passed muster. If only I'd had any understanding of this place's actual products and services! But I didn't, so my drafts of the drop-down menus were much mocked and now I have to go back in and change all of the menu items around, add the things I forgot or didn't know about, and remove the things that are sidelines and not "core" businesses.

I tell you. It's a battle. Every day I have to fend off some TeamChaos member who wants to move the non-marketing content to a sitemap ghetto (SEO, dammit!) and once even Gidget lost track of what we're doing and suggesting sticking all of the new content in some back corner. No one's got my back on this one, but I'm sticking by my guns anyhow.

And then there's the Argonut who wants what he does, regardless of the fact that it's against the rules and no one else does it, featured prominently on the corporate home page.

I have to argue with people who want to use industry jargon--explaining again and again that you have to use the words your customers use.

No one wants to be the one who writes the blog. I'm so glad they're hiring the Penelope-replacement quickly. Whoever it is (scheduled to start 6/1), may wind up writing the entire thing.

This morning I lost a battle to get two items, add-on services, not core services, merged into their appropriate categories instead of featured on Page One.

No one asked me to, but I'm going to start writing content today. Even if I can't write "marketing" material, I can make sure that the draft everyone else starts with includes the critical words and phrases that we want repeated frequently across all the pages.

Anyhow. It's all interesting in its own way. Better than combing through the Webnetter software eight hours a day, looking for things to tweak, anyhow.

And now, it's time for me to log onto a phone call with a group of people I don't know, who plan to discuss an initiative I've never heard of. I'm taking notes, in lieu of Gidget, who got called away after she volunteered to take over for a member of TeamChaos who is unexpectedly absent today.

Excitement!

P.S. My Name the Countries score is up to 60 today! I'm learning them!

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* Yes, I know, we all know, that She found herself unable to do my job with the manuals She had, but you have to remember that I didn't write most of those, they were in place when I arrived on the scene. And the ones I did write, She always claimed not to be able to find--neither the hard copies in the binder marked, "Manuals" nor the electronic files on the computer's hard drive.

Also? Any software program so easy to use that I can sit down to it cold, learn it, and writer a user manual for? Anyone else should be able to sit down with and figure out too. At least, enough to do the basic tasks with it. Hmph.