More Technician moments.

It will happen from time to time that I must complete a procedure, but lack proper tools and/or hardware to do so.

The difference between regular class and open learning is that during class, my proctor knows me, or at least knows my habits, and understands that what I'm doing is not, in fact, goofing off. There are times indeed when I AM, but when you spend eight hours a day in the same class, same room, on the same material, your brain requires periodic momentary unhinging.

I swear, if they'd just let me do something with music theory, this would all balance out. I'd compose the snot out of that to contrast how much left-brain activity's going on!

Or, y'know, I'd do that thing at the gym where I bike and listen to my iPod while reading a book and lip-syncing the words to the song and make sure I can process what I'm reading well enough to enthusiastically describe it to Julia that evening. She and I have come to a comfortable relationship of respecting the other's small insanities.

But, by contrast, the instructors at Open Learning DON'T know me. I'm just another apprentice in digis. So they aren't used to the same quirks. They are also grumpy. To a one. I don't know where Petty Officers want to be in the evenings, but it definitely ain't HERE.

Petty Officer comes over to investigate some suspicious-looking connections I've just made. "What do you call this?"
I look up at him, probe and alligator lead in hand. "Jury rigging, FC1?"
He looks at me for a few seconds, then walks off. "Carry on."

Heh. Cool.