Last day before Dad and Cheryll leave for Israel… And the research project.

OK I now have spent a week on Calcudos (Dad’s research project) and very little time on my business… Some of the work is finished but there is going to be a lot of work while dad is traveling.  They offered to take me but as a landlord I am loath to leave when the rent is due.   It is hard to leave in this business but if they need me I could go later.  My housemate and I have worked very hard with dad and the programmer.  Yesterday we tested the program and came up with user suggestions.  I also found an error on calculating age.  We are going to be asking the doctors to use the program voluntarily and it must be as user friendly as possible…. I can only make suggestions since I do not know how to program.  I am a spreadsheet whiz and a scientist but not a programmer.  I did succeed in getting a lot of redundant entry gone (or at least I hope I did).  I was asked why I didn’t do this 6 months ago and I said I hadn’t worked the program 6 months ago.   I have until 11 AM to call my own since I am the only one involved that gets up in the morning…. OK that is an exaggeration but they are set to meet at 11 AM and I will have been to my office and kept my coffee appointment by then.

I think my housemate has some really great ideas and could be very useful if we get to the stage that the program is making a profit.  She has already suggested grant writing.  We just have to make sure dad has control of the project.  The problem is that if something happens to dad the project will not ever move forward.  With the right resources this could help in medical practice and help hold down medical costs.   The work is worthy….

Well we will see what happens…. If I am going to get to my office today I sort of have to go NOW….

Felt like I was in grad school or back on the campaign again.

Yesterday was a strange day of playing with antibiotics and formularies…. Then I got to play with spreadsheets as my father, myself and my housemate worked hard during the sabbath…. Our programmer is very religious and we had until past sundown to get the work done…. It gave us a long patch of time and we accomplished the tasks that was set for us.  During this time I fielded a couple of real estate calls and even looked at a property for a client.  I never thought I would find real estate a welcome break…

All this work was done around my dining table.  We could spread our work out and use all the computers…. This seemed like a big research meeting or some of the campaign discussions we had during  my run for Congress… I made dad buy pizza since everyone who was likely to cook was busy in spreadsheets.. Finally the sun came down and eventually our programmer called us…  He was fresh from his day of rest while we were tired and testy…. At around 10:30 PM  I could not concentrate anymore…. The words went in one ear and out the other as if I had a hollow tube….  Finally I told him (remember Dad had a stroke 9 days ago) that we were all very tired and had been working since the morning…  Now it is time to test the program….  I want to make sure the results are consistent with standard medical practice.  I am hoping my dad the doctor will be with me so I do not have to look everything up in a drug guide…I have such guides but I am tired… ‘

It is very important that this program is ready for the start of the study.  It would be very embarrassing to my father to arrive in Israel and not have the program ready.  I have very little control of the actual timetable.  I can just push here to see that our tasks are complete.  My housemate will make a tutorial for the doctors in Israel.  Somehow it never occurred to anyone to this… Maybe she should be a project manager if we can ever get funding or sell this.   Meanwhile my husband played on his computer all day ignoring us…. He did go get the pizza though.

While I do this work I do not prospect and it will hurt business.  Someday I will prospect again…

I am working on my dad’s research project for a bit.

Well between the time lost by my dad’s stroke and the fact that he leaves for Israel to start a scientific study in Israel I decided to help him.  I at least understand the scientific and computer jargon that it is needed.  I think I might have  saved a lot of embaressment by mapping the actual labortory studies to the US Jargon…..  It is nice that this 50 year old brain still can do a bit of science…. So instead of contracts and listings my microbiology text and medical dictionary sits by my side….

I am embarressed to say that I have spent years avoiding being part of the work (this is a pet project with a chance for success but no money unless he suceeds and can sell it)…  Until I prospect things will be quiet.  I do not know if I would be usefull traveling with him.  The deadline for the start of the study is fast approaching and there seems a lot to do on the programming side…Dad and his wife leave on Tuesday… I am very worried that at the moment he is not up to this.  He is only 8 days from the stroke and he tires easily.  I had to argue with him about the bug mapping and it was only my persistance that won the day.  Usually when I argue with dad I lose. SOmeone without any medical or scientific training would have given way.

So I need to contact my hot leads and see what they want… I have a 10 AM appointment (no sale there with a former client) and then Calcudos takes my time until Tuesday.  I think if I go, I want to leave after the first of the month.  I might be able to accomplish more remotely then I can with the rigors of travel.  So things will probalby be quiet on the blogging front.