14 hour shift
Yesterday’s 14-hour stint at the office began with me in the parking lot at 7:30AM, having retrieved my glasses from the car and realizing that I’d left my key badge at my desk…along with my purse / wallet / credit card / laptop / cell phone. Well, $#*t. Hooray. At least I had my keys. I drove back home, waited for 9AM, called my nearest co-worker and drove to Raleigh to borrow his badge. I owe him a beer wrapped in bacon.
I’d been afraid that I wouldn’t get any traction back at work. As predicted, the project took an entire day and then some, but I stayed on task even with the delay and now it’s off my plate. Hootie hoo!
I’ve got a half dozen more projects needing cleanup before billing on Thursday, but they’re easy and do-able by Wednesday. I’d be ready to start billing right now if it weren’t for all of the projects that ended last month. Adjustments, documentation, client questions, refunds, analysis requests, hunting down approvals for this and that. Ack. It’s a lot easier setting up for a new project than it is to shut one down.
I’m just hoping that some new disaster doesn’t pop up and hijack all of the time I’ve carved out. One possible drain is a surprise visit from one of the contract officers from DC. She mentioned in passing yesterday (yeah, Saturday) that she’ll be in the Durham office this week and she’s looking forward to meeting me and working with me. Huhwhat? What if I’d put in for time off / had appointments, etc.? I was in fact planning on working from home tomorrow.
Meanwhile Gary was knocking off the honey-do list at his Mom’s and staying overnight, making Saturday the perfect day to go downtown and knock it out of the park. It would also have been a perfect time to give the house a good seeing-to, but the prospect of facing next week with that project still hanging over my head was unthinkable. After the 12th I can start taking time off to focus on the house. Must …stay…on..target.
Finally fell asleep after one AM. Woke up several times and finally got up around noon only to fritter most of the day away. Finally forced myself out of the house on errands. Horrible Christmas music everywhere you go. When I was picking up some lights to replace the ones that got fried last year, I asked the girl at the checkout counter if the Christmas music got on her nerves. I barely got the words out of my mouth before she gave a flat emphatic “yes” that was a cry from the soul if I ever heard one. Even good music can get on your nerves if you have to listen to it overandoverandover again.
When Gary came home we compared notes and settled in the Watch the mid-season finale of The Walking Dead. Now Gary’s tanking and I’m trimming down my first LJ post in a week.