Too much work and a birthday

http://uglydresses.com/helkitweddre.html If not for the Hello Kitty, I might wear it, though not at my wedding (should I be so lucky as to have one).

Got unofficial sanction from the bondmate to drop by this weekend. He's adjusting, I think.

Today at work was dire. "What happens in the bullpen, stays in the bullpen."

It's a sign of departmental strength when the department is taking care of its own issues, and not calling in someone from outside it to fix things. People new to the department will be learning that it's always preferable to call the break room and interrupt someone on break than it is to interrupt a day manager who is here way late.

I started out the day a bit late, and didn't get my job set up properly. Close enough, though. I didn't get attendance done. That's what the shift verification report is good for doing... I wound up briefing some guy on the job. Live briefing is deadly tiring. 3pm rolled around and I was just barely out of there. We got cleared to dial until 8:30 local time.

There was chaos. I was behind. I use the two dead hours for catching up and getting the shift started right, so I was two hours behind. Didn't have quite enough breakfast, either. At six I was stressed, snapping, swearing, and losing English very, very fast.

I did wind up going on break at 7, after switching my people over to the Dendarii survey and getting them started to brief. We ran out of Pacific sample, and that was the last we could dial. They just blew through Central and Mountain. So K-Bone went off to generate more sample, and I ran in back to get some much-needed food in me.

I called Darkside at the end of break, and we had a few nice quiet little moments. I am starting to gather teasing from co-workers on the topic of the guy. I had to call him today, because that's what friends do on birthdays. I'd been hoping that I could make it over tonight, but that was not to work out, as work was running late. I said I was sorry.

The Nondescript Geek figured out what was up with the Cisco kid Security Agent and explorer.exe -- turns out it's trying to install an Outlook Express icon on the desktop. Oi!

K-Bone got done generating the sample after I came back from break, and we got the people swapped over. Again. This is getting really frustrating for everybody. We did not get planned ints tonight. Dammit. At least I did make a little spreadsheet detailing what we've been dialing and why it's not doing so well. And putting it in the shift notes. I am getting hailed as 2nd in spreadsheet leetness under Management.

Raven's child's rainbow

LJ thinks I am an hour later than I am, so that last entry was actually an hour earlier.

Writers' group yesterday was an adventure. easalle was there! There were several amusingly near-identical reactions upon seeing her, most of which involved squealing. It was fortunate for all of us that the odd paranoid divorced woman who stopped in was not actually intent upon becoming a part of the group. There was this unspoken riple of consensus going around that she and the group were a really awful mismatch. She was scary. I hope I represented for my fellowship of geeks.

There was a certain amount of debauchery over dinner. Our favorite gay waiter is back, and he's all tan! There were dessert moments involving strawberries. Then there was all the earring fun.


Today K-Bone noticed that I was here and in my usual uniform. She said that when she saw Snarky Lady next, she was going to cite me as an example that black is in fact not a depressing color: I wear all black, and I am never depressed.

I mentioned this to Darkside as proof that I am a very good actress. He took it as proof that my co-workers are falliable. In retrospect, it is also evidence that the meds are working. (For the new to this journal: I'm on St. John's Wort, with the uncomfortable realization that I will probably never be able to come off.)


I got an e-mail back from Management. Commander Clueless of the USS Delete Button hosed the copied disks. Dammit. I have only myselves to blame. I will have to duplicate about a week's worth of work.

I will also have to take a week out of Field to work on the stats project that the Queen Bee left us. Joy. On the other hand, this may mean that I will have the Pirates opening night and the subsequent morning free and clear without even having to ask for it.


As a Wierd Pagan Shit first responder, I do not always get to see the extended aftermath of the situations I get involved in clearing up. Sometimes I do. I don't think my role in the extended cleanup action was particularly prominent, or exixted at all, for that matter, but it's nice to see that the cycle of life rolls on. It was Solstice, and my observation was small and very personal.

Social recharge

CGI:IRC and this processor do not go well together. It locked up so completely that I had to take the battery out in order to reboot. Alas. But at least I did get to speak with Darkside last night. It seems that seven minutes on the phone with him,and I am all happy and sparkling and ready to go again. From obseerved reaction, he may have a similar thing going on around me.