P 1. Intermittently I've been working on my English-words-to-numbers translation program for the last couple of weeks. It was working, but then I decided to embellish it by allowing larger numbers of hundreds. Normally a number like 1,234 is written out as one thousand two hundred thirty four, but it can also be written as twelve hundred thirty four. This shorthand is handy when you are writing out checks and you don't want to try and cram a zillion tiny letters into the allocated space. Well, that's great, but it makes the program a little more complicated. I thought about it for a bit and realized that a state machine would simplify the problem to a manageable level, so I set to work. I've drawn three rough sketches of my state machine, and I've written the code and it mostly works. There are still a couple of bugs. I am sure I can fix the problem if I just sit down and make one more drawing and then compare the states in the code to the states in the drawing. But it's been at least a week and I haven't touched it. Seems like there is always something else that needs doing and likewise it seems I can only get one thing done a day. I have been riding the exercise bike and I have been posting a bit, so I am not a total loss.
P 2. Whenever I am supposed to be somewhere at an appointed time, I wait until the very last minute to leave. I am often on time, but I am also sometimes late. I don't like being late. I would much prefer being early. If I remember to bring a book, I can read. Sometimes the places I go have a waiting room and magazines to peruse. Those can be entertaining. Some of them, like those you find in a hair salon, appear to come from another planet so hey, science fiction adventure right here in the real world. Even if there is nothing to read, and you are stuck with what's there, you can at least look around and notice your surroundings and the passersbys. I really should try to leave 15 minutes early.
I was talking to IAman about this yesterday and he told me about an ex-military guy he knew who would show up hours early. He might have a flight at 9PM and he would be at the airport at 4PM. My father-in-law was like that. I don't know whether he minded waiting or not, but he never showed any evidence of it. It is nice not to be stressed about being late. Sometimes I think we thrive on stress. Neither my wife nor I seem to be able to completely relax. There is always something that needs doing. After a long day of getting-things-done, when we are too tired to do anything else, maybe then we'll relax for a bit. However, if we don't have something to divert us we'll spend our downtime plotting tomorrow's attack on the world.
2 comments:
I wrote a check to a guy for $1900.00 as I always have... one nine zero zero 00/100... which avoids trying to fit the word thousand and/or hundred on the line. The manager of the Wells Fargo bank wouldn’t let him deposit it in his account saying it wasn’t legal. I confronted the manager (6’ blond in a mans business suit and tie) why it was illegal and she said because I hadn’t written the thousand or hundred. I said bullshit and the police soon arrived just as I was leaving.
I wrote to Wells Fargo at their customer service branch in MN. We went back and forth a couple times with them quoting chapter and verse of the Federal Banking Code then determined my check was perfectly legal... in writing which is why letters or even emails are better than phone calls
I already knew that because this was check 3394 of about my 7th checking account, with my checks routed through every major bank with no problem. As long as the written line matches the numbers written on the right you’re cool.
It would appear that some people grow up without ever learning about the zero. And I guess that some of them even become bank managers. Sad. Good for you for sticking to your guns.
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