Things I need to learn how to do...

I'm having one of those days where it seems like everything that I want to do right now requires some massive learning process. It's so annoying! I mean, I like having new things to learn to keep my brain plastic (read this week's Maclean's for an interesting article on brain plasticity, but I'm digressing), it just gets irritating when nothing comes easily. So here's my list of things that I need to learn how to do:

• Present at a conference, and more specifically, present a conference paper as a PowerPoint presentation. Are there guidelines for this? Or is it just "do what you want"? I honestly don't know, and hence I need to find out. I'm presenting a paper at a conference at Mount Allison in a month, so I need to figure it out so that I don't freak out when I get there.

• Take a decent photograph. My baby arrived from Ebay yesterday, and I've already shot a roll and a half of film. However, I'm just playing around at the moment, and I'd like to actually get good at this. I grabbed a couple of photography books from the library, so let the learning start!

• Customize my blogs. I'm tired of the template of this blog (notice how the sidebar cuts off part of my music widget and the picture of the West Wing box? That seriously annoys me), but I can't find another template that I like that will work with new Blogger, so I need to learn how to work in CSS and brush up on my HTML so that I can make something better. There are some blogs out there that I really like, so it can be done. I just don't have the time or patience right now.
  

• Be a PRS. I've been hired to work as a proctor, reader, and scribe for exams at Dal, but I have no idea what I'm doing, and I start work on Monday. Apparently I'm getting trained for a whole hour on Saturday morning, so hopefully that'll do it. Hey, I'm getting paid, so that's all I care, but I'd kind of like to know what I'm supposed to do when I get there.
  

I'm just having a grouchy day where nothing seems to come easily. I'll get over it, but until then, it's time for a cup of tea and a book that has nothing to do with Northrop Frye or Elizabeth Barrett Browning. There's only so much school a girl can take for one day....