Rough Night
Tonight wouldn't have been so bad if I wasn't on that emotional peak right before the crimson tide... but everything was getting on my nerves.
We had an event committee meeting at work today. I don't know if any of you remember the pet photo debacle from last year but it turned out to be quite the ordeal as people kept piling buckets of soil on the mole hill until it buried me. Remembering how long it took myself to dig my way out, I was very reticent to participate on any level this year... especially while, during the meeting today, people kept saying things like "the categories weren't so great last year" (when everyone helped choose). I kept quiet because of my personal involvement... at least until after we'd gotten off the phone with the Phoenix office, they tried to get me to run the Pet Photos.
NO WAY!
Then I went into all the complaints and issues from last year. People complaining about the file format in which pictures were submitted. I was sending them jpg files and I was being sent pdf, doc and URLs to photos where I had to take a screen shot of someone's pet because I couldn't right click. I was consistently sending jpg files... and had been for 2 years prior. Etc... etc.. this rant would get too long if I kept going. Anyway, you get the idea.
So I say, "why don't we do a word document form that people can fill out".... suddenly it's "Why didn't you say that while Phoenix was on the line?" ... I think I said because I didn't think of it 'till now (which isn't true, since I've been thinking this since last JUNE). The real reason was because I was upset.
Earlier they were talking about scheduling a baseball game event, but I wanted to know when our picnic was scheduled for... so I asked... and sent us on this LONG tangent because it's being canceled and the budget and blah, blah, blah... when I just wanted to know when it was so we could choose a baseball game around it. That, and it felt like the Phoenix office was just like "Ugh... is this meeting over with? Can we get this all hammered out?"
So, here's irony for you-- I don't have to run the Pet Photo Contest. I get to make the form I suggested we have for it! Haha. I knew that was coming. *sigh*
So, of course... right before it was "hometime", I get an email from one of the Phoenix people who was going to send out a general email to announce the event. I write a big, long email, but before I can send out the committee chair sends out an email saying "I'll talk to him!" Which relieved me, but now I'd just spent 10 minutes typing an email. *sigh*
I ranted and raved to my poor carpool buddy on the way home. She was nice and listened to me vent... and I found out that she had to work with the same woman from Flagstaff who drove me nuts! This woman also drove her nuts. Dana (my carpool buddy) said that she too spent more time responding to emails than doing work. The problem with ME doing that is I'm what they call "billable" because I charge my time to projects and we charge a client for my time. When I'm answering crappy emails all damn day, we lose money. Bleh! (And in case anyone asks, they want committee members from billable departments, but we're s'posed to keep our time limited-- that's why we have lunch meetings... which I love because I get a good lunch and the company pays!)
Anyway... because I was answering the email I was late getting home (Though, Dana needed some extra time before we left too... so it was okay for carpool). Because I was late getting home, I didn't get to our first volleyball practice on time. (Did I mention I'm coordinating our "team" for the fundraiser volleyball tournament on June 6?) Practice yielded only 3 people (Me, Kevin, and Ryan)... but there was another group of people there, so we asked and they let us play with them. I had a good time... though my head is a little sore from taking a direct hit to my left ear. (This is why you're s'posed to ROLL the ball to the server.) We wrapped things up around 8. Then I came home and have a mental breakdown.
I'm tired. My back has started bothering me. I have to feed the cats, empty their litter box, fill their water. The cats are vying for my attention because they haven't seen anyone all day and they're happy I'm home. As such, they were getting into things they shouldn't. Nicodemus was biting my shoes. Momma was sneaking into the closet. Clovis was hanging around my legs tripping me. Etc... etc. I'm trying to do all this and get ready for a quick shower... but I want to toss a load of whites into the washer... and find blue sheets that Jordan started washing.... a week and a half ago. (That he was originally washing because he didn't help me FOLD and PUT THEM AWAY when I washed them the first time and ASKED FOR HIS HELP... and the cats laid on them and got them all hairy and dirty). I can't wash whites. I have to re-wash the sheets. G-R-E-A-T.
Finally, I end up here, in front of my computer, typing out all my frustrations so I don't explode. I think it's safe to say I'll be sleeping well tonight.
We had an event committee meeting at work today. I don't know if any of you remember the pet photo debacle from last year but it turned out to be quite the ordeal as people kept piling buckets of soil on the mole hill until it buried me. Remembering how long it took myself to dig my way out, I was very reticent to participate on any level this year... especially while, during the meeting today, people kept saying things like "the categories weren't so great last year" (when everyone helped choose). I kept quiet because of my personal involvement... at least until after we'd gotten off the phone with the Phoenix office, they tried to get me to run the Pet Photos.
NO WAY!
Then I went into all the complaints and issues from last year. People complaining about the file format in which pictures were submitted. I was sending them jpg files and I was being sent pdf, doc and URLs to photos where I had to take a screen shot of someone's pet because I couldn't right click. I was consistently sending jpg files... and had been for 2 years prior. Etc... etc.. this rant would get too long if I kept going. Anyway, you get the idea.
So I say, "why don't we do a word document form that people can fill out".... suddenly it's "Why didn't you say that while Phoenix was on the line?" ... I think I said because I didn't think of it 'till now (which isn't true, since I've been thinking this since last JUNE). The real reason was because I was upset.
Earlier they were talking about scheduling a baseball game event, but I wanted to know when our picnic was scheduled for... so I asked... and sent us on this LONG tangent because it's being canceled and the budget and blah, blah, blah... when I just wanted to know when it was so we could choose a baseball game around it. That, and it felt like the Phoenix office was just like "Ugh... is this meeting over with? Can we get this all hammered out?"
So, here's irony for you-- I don't have to run the Pet Photo Contest. I get to make the form I suggested we have for it! Haha. I knew that was coming. *sigh*
So, of course... right before it was "hometime", I get an email from one of the Phoenix people who was going to send out a general email to announce the event. I write a big, long email, but before I can send out the committee chair sends out an email saying "I'll talk to him!" Which relieved me, but now I'd just spent 10 minutes typing an email. *sigh*
I ranted and raved to my poor carpool buddy on the way home. She was nice and listened to me vent... and I found out that she had to work with the same woman from Flagstaff who drove me nuts! This woman also drove her nuts. Dana (my carpool buddy) said that she too spent more time responding to emails than doing work. The problem with ME doing that is I'm what they call "billable" because I charge my time to projects and we charge a client for my time. When I'm answering crappy emails all damn day, we lose money. Bleh! (And in case anyone asks, they want committee members from billable departments, but we're s'posed to keep our time limited-- that's why we have lunch meetings... which I love because I get a good lunch and the company pays!)
Anyway... because I was answering the email I was late getting home (Though, Dana needed some extra time before we left too... so it was okay for carpool). Because I was late getting home, I didn't get to our first volleyball practice on time. (Did I mention I'm coordinating our "team" for the fundraiser volleyball tournament on June 6?) Practice yielded only 3 people (Me, Kevin, and Ryan)... but there was another group of people there, so we asked and they let us play with them. I had a good time... though my head is a little sore from taking a direct hit to my left ear. (This is why you're s'posed to ROLL the ball to the server.) We wrapped things up around 8. Then I came home and have a mental breakdown.
I'm tired. My back has started bothering me. I have to feed the cats, empty their litter box, fill their water. The cats are vying for my attention because they haven't seen anyone all day and they're happy I'm home. As such, they were getting into things they shouldn't. Nicodemus was biting my shoes. Momma was sneaking into the closet. Clovis was hanging around my legs tripping me. Etc... etc. I'm trying to do all this and get ready for a quick shower... but I want to toss a load of whites into the washer... and find blue sheets that Jordan started washing.... a week and a half ago. (That he was originally washing because he didn't help me FOLD and PUT THEM AWAY when I washed them the first time and ASKED FOR HIS HELP... and the cats laid on them and got them all hairy and dirty). I can't wash whites. I have to re-wash the sheets. G-R-E-A-T.
Finally, I end up here, in front of my computer, typing out all my frustrations so I don't explode. I think it's safe to say I'll be sleeping well tonight.