A Real Post

My goal before bedtime tonight is to actually make a real post here. I have been working on the computer most of the day, except to take breaks to do a few chores. The dishes await and will be washed sometime before this post is finished. I have to get up every now and then to do something active, or my knees stiffen up.

Just had my first break. LOL The dryer went off. I put the dishes in to soak while I was up. I set the timer so I get back to them before the water gets cold.

What I have been doing on the computer today: reading and/or deleting this week's accumulation of email, convincing Yahoo Mail that some mailing list posts have not suddenly become spam, updating a couple of pages on my website, and the biggy...doing a lesson for my PSP class.

The class (for Ernie and anyone else who's interested) is Stepping Stones Through Paint Shop Pro. It is a moderated Yahoo Group which has lessons for versions 8, 9, and 10. There are five steps of 25 lessons each. You are assigned a moderator who can answer any questions you have. You can only submit three lessons in a 24 hour period, but are only required to do one per week. If you need time away for some reason, such as a vacation, you just let the mod know.

If you do decide to join, I will warn you that the first Step is a bit disorganized. It is a series of very short lessons to learn the basics of the tools. You download a lesson based on what version you are using. I found some of the lessons referring to lessons that I hadn't done yet. It was not really something that bothered me, but I can understand how it could be confusing to a newbie. But you will have your own mod to get you through any problems. This did not happen in Steps 2 and 3.

It has been a good review for me since it has been a long time since I took PSP lessons and those were for version 8. I have had a lot of "oh, I remember doing that" moments. I have even learned a few new things. I just finished up Step Three. The last lesson was to write a tutorial using things covered in this set of lessons.

The old saying about teaching being the best way to really learn something is true. It gets proven to me a lot. You really have to understand to explain it to someone else. But writing a good tutorial with screenshots does take some time.

I am looking forward to the next two steps. The lesson projects are getting more complex, so the chance of learning something new increases. Like many PSP users, this group likes using tubes and frames. Neither are my thing, but I can still learn from doing the tuts even if I don't care for the final product. It is learning the procedures that matter.

And the more you practice the easier it gets. For me, using PSP is like driving a car. I just do many things without thinking. That's what frustrates me when I get into Photoshop. I have to think through most everything. Of course, that's the part that is good for the old brain. I did want a challenge. LOL

I Am Still Kicking

I am making this brief post just to let anyone who is interested know that I am still around. I have again gotten myself involved in too many things at once. The blogging has gone to the bottom of the list as you can tell. Some things are nearly finished up, so I plan to get back to the blogging soon. This is all I have time for now because I have to get my materials together for the class I teach this afternoon.