Milkshakes

We went on a long hard bike ride today. When we finished Myron really wanted a Oreo cookie/strawberry honey stinger waffle milkshake. It sounded interesting so on the way home I bought some Oreos and ice cream and we grabbed some Honey Stinger waffles.

When we finally got home and finished dinner all I wanted to do was sit on the couch. Myron, however, was ready for the milkshake, and wanted me to help him. So I broke down and got the blender out, and figured I had done my share. 

Myron still wanted more help. He said he didn't know how to make a milkshake. Now, I don't know how that can be hard. All  you have to do is throw some ice cream in the blender add milk and then turn it on. Easy! And I told him so. 

It wasn't good enough. He asked for more details. "Take an ice cream scooper and get some ice cream and stick it in the blender. " 

"How much."

"Just fill it."

"How full?"

"Full"

"How full?"

"All the way!"

This continues, Myron insisting he needs more detail, and me being frustrated that he won't do it. Finally I am shouting, "take a scoop, fill the blender to the top, then pour milk in to fill in the spaces between the ice cream, and turn on the blender!"

Still he insists my instructions are not detailed enough, and marches off to the basement. 

At this point my wife comes down all upset that I am yelling at our son. I figure yes, I yelled but I was laughing as I was doing it. She insists I need to go apologize. I tell her I need more details. And then she yells at me to go apologize. Somehow she fails to see the humor in this.

I saw this problem a lot when I worked at Novell. Some work needed to be done, but rather than getting working on the problem there would be all kinds of planning meetings, design meetings, and whatever other meetings we could come up with instead of actually getting to work and solving the problem. Yes, planning and design are important, but then you need to quit using planning and designing as a way of procrastinating and get to work.