Dana Bell

I first learned to type almost 40 years ago. Now I'm learning all over.

I started learning the Dvorak keyboard layout almost a month ago. With exercises I can type 20-30 words a minute. When I'm thinking and writing, it slows down. With Sholes' Qwerty layout, I could type 40-60 wpm. Once I learn Dvorak, I may be able to go to 100 wpm.

Why do I need to type faster? The main reason is I can't type as fast as I think, and I suspect I miss some things in the process. Being a writer, typing speed can be pretty important.

Health benefits are other good reasons to learn Dvorak. RSI is commonly associated with typing on a Qwerty keyboard.

Beware, though, it is difficult to switch over to Dvorak if you are already a proficient typist. It is frustrating and mentally painful to have to slow down and think about what key you need to hit next. When you type as subconsciously as you breath, learning Dvorak is suffocating. You oughta try it!

There are numerous sites devoted to Dvorak, so I'll only list one and let you do your own searching if you're interested.
Dvorak

It's that time of the year when the garage sales are heating up.
Saturday we were out and went to three or four community garage sales. A community garage sale is where several people in the same neighborhood have garage sale. In one community there were over thirty individual sales.

We were late getting up, so we missed several others, but I've discovered that late-birds get some good deals. Many people start marking stuff off after noon, usually half off. But then, it's not all about good deals. Garage sales are good for meeting and socializing with others.

This is a short list of some of my finds.

Games
a nice Backgammon game in a case. $2

Music
Mutt CD by Lost Dogs. $1
I had their Green Room Serenade CD and really liked it. Mutt is a lot mellower.
Highlands - by White heart. $1
Christian Rock. I'll pick some favorites from it.

Computer
MFC 4450 Laser printer. Free
They didn't think it worked. After a test copy they thought it would need a new drum. When I got home I did a self test and discovered that it works fine. Only the scanning was malfunctioning. The cool thing was I was thinking of getting one.
You can get them new for under $200.

Bells
Got three of them for 50 cents each, including a miniature liberty bell.

Little Dipper Crock Pot
A miniature pot for sauces and dips. $2

Digital Scale
I've been exercising and dieting and was thinking about getting a new scale. I immediately gained 7 pounds, and lowered my standards accordingly. $10
Electric Knife
It'll come in handy occasionally.

Books
Furniture Making Encyclopedia
A brother a brother-in-law are cabinet-makers, so this interested me. $1
Boys and Girls Cookbook
This really came in handy. After garage-saling, we got groceries and I used a recipe from it to plan a dish for our church dinner.

There's more garage sales to come. The season is just now open. In addition to more community sales, there will be some big church and organization sales.

I started this list the other day when I was considering some alternate vocations and contemplating the many areas where I either have expertise or an interest. Now to make some sense of it...

While it's some practical purpose in a future job search, it's also a bit fascinating. It's no wonder I'm always so busy. And that doesn't include non-vocational interests like Scrabble and Genealogy.

Design
Web
Print
Publications
Advertising

Photography
Photoshop

Writing/Editing

Computers
Programming
Web, Front or Back
Access, VBA, C, perl, SQL
Comp Tech

Printing
All Areas
Print Estimating
Copying
Print Management
Bindery
Mailing
Document Management

Business/Accounting
Consulting
Accounting
Clerical
Administrative Assistant
Records Management
Forms Analysis/Design

Industry
Warehouse
Shipping
Receiving
Stock Room
Inventory Control

Other
Architecture
Cooking
Health Club
Trainer
Auto Repair
Construction
Cabinets
Carpentry
Library Science