Twitter is full of people complaining about lack of sleep or poor sleep this morning. Oddly, then, I suppose, I slept just fine, if (as always) not as long as I might have liked.
Also, I had an extremely busy but moderately productive day at work yesterday -- neither bored to the point of twiddling my thumbs, but not one of those stupid-crazy days where I get interrupted every thirty seconds and end the day feeling like I never managed to accomplish anything.
Dinner was a bit odd -- I got ready to make our usual Tuesday night dinner of chicken nuggets only to discover that there were only eight left in the bag -- certainly not enough for all four of us! So Penny and Alex got chicken nuggets, and I went scrounging for leftovers for Matt and I. Luckily, one of my buckets of leftovers worked out to almost exactly the same number of points as the chicken nuggets would have, so I didn't have to scramble to recalculate my day or risk running over.
Then after we got the kids into bed, I had a fairly satisfying wiirkout (rhythm boxing FTW!) and settled into WoW to chat. I don't really have time to do serious questing with my main on nights I have a wiirkout (or a workout, for that matter) so I decided I'd take my "bank" character around to do a bunch of low-level quests. The low-level stuff is fairly close to the big cities, so she's not shirking her bank duties, and I can knock out five or six low-level quests in half an hour pretty easy. (I said I was doing it for the reputation points to make things cheaper, and for the easy exploration achievements, but really? It's just because the low-level quests are so cute and easy.)
And this morning, the kids were pretty good -- occasional whining but no out-and-out tantrums; and calm acceptance if not enthusiasm when I dropped them off at daycare.
So all in all, things are going okay for me right now. I actually got my to-do list at work clear enough that I might be able to tackle a couple of my bigger long-term projects and nudge them a little further along, and head for the gym after my lunchtime conference call without worrying that I'm leaving someone in the lurch.
I'm hoping for a good day, but I'll be satisfied with another "not bad" one.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Quietus
Sometimes, what's going on in my head really needs to stay there.
And in the meantime, work continues to be crazy, the kids continue to be adorable and silly ("I'm not silly, Mom!") and life continues to be hectic but mostly uninteresting, and the upshot of it all is that I don't have much in the way of a journal entry this morning.
Sorry. This is probably why I only have half a dozen readers, eh?
Have a picture, instead:
From the acrobat show last week, if you hadn't guessed already. The blurry objects mid-air are tables, being tossed from juggling feet to juggling feet.
...I hadn't actually intended it for a metaphor for my life, currently, but it fits.
And in the meantime, work continues to be crazy, the kids continue to be adorable and silly ("I'm not silly, Mom!") and life continues to be hectic but mostly uninteresting, and the upshot of it all is that I don't have much in the way of a journal entry this morning.
Sorry. This is probably why I only have half a dozen readers, eh?
Have a picture, instead:
From the acrobat show last week, if you hadn't guessed already. The blurry objects mid-air are tables, being tossed from juggling feet to juggling feet.
...I hadn't actually intended it for a metaphor for my life, currently, but it fits.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Averages
One of my primary job functions is to review documents and software before we deliver it.
On average, I review about one and a half deliverables a day. (About one a day exactly if you count weekends.)
Today is April 6th, and we've had a weekend. So far, this month, I have reviewed twenty documents and software packages. That's over three a day. Or five a day, if you don't count the weekend.
In other words, approximately a 350% increase in workload. For one of my job functions; I have several other functions that are expected to continue normally.
Just in case anyone was wondering why my brain has been mush for the last few days.
On average, I review about one and a half deliverables a day. (About one a day exactly if you count weekends.)
Today is April 6th, and we've had a weekend. So far, this month, I have reviewed twenty documents and software packages. That's over three a day. Or five a day, if you don't count the weekend.
In other words, approximately a 350% increase in workload. For one of my job functions; I have several other functions that are expected to continue normally.
Just in case anyone was wondering why my brain has been mush for the last few days.
Sprung
It was a really lovely weekend, if possibly not altogether good for my diet. The weather was perfect, with highs in the low 70s and a brisk breeze to keep the air fresh and moving. Clear blue sky and light fluffy clouds. Perfection.
Friday evening, Jen and Brian came over and we went out to dinner, and then after Matt and I got the kids tucked into bed, we sat around talking until nearly midnight. It was really quite lovely -- they're the kinds of friends that you fall in with immediately, even if you haven't seen them for a while, and we have this fantastic Venn diagram of interests that overlap significantly but not completely, so there's enough common ground to start a conversation, peppered with plenty of those wonderful "I never knew that" moments to keep it from being a rehash of things we all already know.
We're thinking of starting a small, once-a-month game, if we can settle on a system and a GM. I'm kind of excited -- it's been years since I was in a tabletop game, and as much as I love KT's email games, there's something visceral about being face-to-face with everyone and having to think up your responses on the fly.
Saturday we went down to Chesapeake to celebrate Kevin's birthday. That was wonderful, too, despite KT still feeling a little bit under the weather from a cold. Penny and Jess were thrilled to pieces to be together, we ate lots of wonderful food, and Alex was even reasonably cool, considering he'd only taken half a nap before we went.
And Sunday we went to my parents' house for an early Easter, since they're leaving this week for Cancun. We arrived just as my parents were finishing up hiding eggs in the yard for Penny and Alex, so it wasn't long before we were out there taking pictures and trying to get Alex to play along. (He was pretty game for the first four or five eggs, and then mostly lost interest.) But the weather couldn't have been any nicer, and we had both kids dressed in their Easter clothes that my folks had sent for them, so it was wonderful.
Friday evening, Jen and Brian came over and we went out to dinner, and then after Matt and I got the kids tucked into bed, we sat around talking until nearly midnight. It was really quite lovely -- they're the kinds of friends that you fall in with immediately, even if you haven't seen them for a while, and we have this fantastic Venn diagram of interests that overlap significantly but not completely, so there's enough common ground to start a conversation, peppered with plenty of those wonderful "I never knew that" moments to keep it from being a rehash of things we all already know.
We're thinking of starting a small, once-a-month game, if we can settle on a system and a GM. I'm kind of excited -- it's been years since I was in a tabletop game, and as much as I love KT's email games, there's something visceral about being face-to-face with everyone and having to think up your responses on the fly.
Saturday we went down to Chesapeake to celebrate Kevin's birthday. That was wonderful, too, despite KT still feeling a little bit under the weather from a cold. Penny and Jess were thrilled to pieces to be together, we ate lots of wonderful food, and Alex was even reasonably cool, considering he'd only taken half a nap before we went.
And Sunday we went to my parents' house for an early Easter, since they're leaving this week for Cancun. We arrived just as my parents were finishing up hiding eggs in the yard for Penny and Alex, so it wasn't long before we were out there taking pictures and trying to get Alex to play along. (He was pretty game for the first four or five eggs, and then mostly lost interest.) But the weather couldn't have been any nicer, and we had both kids dressed in their Easter clothes that my folks had sent for them, so it was wonderful.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Unrestful
3 AM: Alex wakes up and has a long and, apparently, invigorating conversation with the toys in his crib. I glance at the clock, groan, and put my pillow over my head. Eventually, Alex settles whatever discussion is taking place, and goes back to sleep.
4 AM: I am robbing a vault. Looks kind of like a bank vault, but it's not a bank. I'm with a team of other thieves. They're waiting -- patiently, but tensely -- for me to finish opening the smaller safe that's inside the vault. I cut and splice some wires, check the readout... Should be good. "Here goes nothing." I touch a pad... and an alarm sounds.
"Crap. Crap! Fuck! Shit!" We look around wildly, and I check the map in my head: We have most of a minute before the guards will arrive, so we can- the door is closing automatically. "Out! Out! Out!" My compatriots run, slip through -- but then the closing crack is too narrow for me. I'm locked in the vault. "Well... shit. What now?"
The guards are coming. I start working on a plan.
5 AM: Alex sounds a barbaric YAWP. He doesn't sound upset. It's not crying. Just a single, long loud noise, a declaration of existence. And wakefulness. I wait a few moments in the dark, listening, but apparently the noise summed up everything he wanted to communicate, because he's quiet, again.
5:30 AM: The vault door opens. Two guards are pointing guns at me. I squeak, and then sag with feigned relief. "Oh, thank god!" I breathe, and launch myself on wobbly legs toward them. "I was working late, and I just walked by and he grabbed me and shoved me in here and-" I'm carrying my purse. Why did I bring my huge clunker of a purse on a robbery? No idea, but it lends verisimilitude to my story. Anger at my failure to finish the job rushes over me, and I let it summon tears. "I was so scared!" I gasp.
It isn't quite a lie. I wasn't scared before, but I am now. The guards aren't stupid. They'll keep me around while they investigate. If the other thieves didn't lay enough of a trail as they left for the guards to find -- or if they left too much of a trail -- then I'm cooked.
6 AM: A metallic scream or squeal -- a screal? It stretches on and on. "What the hell-?" Matt gets out of bed and turns off his radio alarm. Apparently, it was a commercial sound effect. At least, I hope it was a commercial sound effect, because if it was meant to be music, it failed.
I'm not feeling very well-rested this morning.
4 AM: I am robbing a vault. Looks kind of like a bank vault, but it's not a bank. I'm with a team of other thieves. They're waiting -- patiently, but tensely -- for me to finish opening the smaller safe that's inside the vault. I cut and splice some wires, check the readout... Should be good. "Here goes nothing." I touch a pad... and an alarm sounds.
"Crap. Crap! Fuck! Shit!" We look around wildly, and I check the map in my head: We have most of a minute before the guards will arrive, so we can- the door is closing automatically. "Out! Out! Out!" My compatriots run, slip through -- but then the closing crack is too narrow for me. I'm locked in the vault. "Well... shit. What now?"
The guards are coming. I start working on a plan.
5 AM: Alex sounds a barbaric YAWP. He doesn't sound upset. It's not crying. Just a single, long loud noise, a declaration of existence. And wakefulness. I wait a few moments in the dark, listening, but apparently the noise summed up everything he wanted to communicate, because he's quiet, again.
5:30 AM: The vault door opens. Two guards are pointing guns at me. I squeak, and then sag with feigned relief. "Oh, thank god!" I breathe, and launch myself on wobbly legs toward them. "I was working late, and I just walked by and he grabbed me and shoved me in here and-" I'm carrying my purse. Why did I bring my huge clunker of a purse on a robbery? No idea, but it lends verisimilitude to my story. Anger at my failure to finish the job rushes over me, and I let it summon tears. "I was so scared!" I gasp.
It isn't quite a lie. I wasn't scared before, but I am now. The guards aren't stupid. They'll keep me around while they investigate. If the other thieves didn't lay enough of a trail as they left for the guards to find -- or if they left too much of a trail -- then I'm cooked.
6 AM: A metallic scream or squeal -- a screal? It stretches on and on. "What the hell-?" Matt gets out of bed and turns off his radio alarm. Apparently, it was a commercial sound effect. At least, I hope it was a commercial sound effect, because if it was meant to be music, it failed.
I'm not feeling very well-rested this morning.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Off By One
I keep thinking it's a day later in the week than it really is. Been doing it all freaking week, in fact.
I'd walk into the documentation office for a status update and say something like, "So where are we on all those Project X documents for tomorrow?"
And the documentation person would stare at me in horror and say, "I thought they weren't due until Thursday!"
"Right," I'd say, "Thursday, which is... not tomorrow. Never mind. Carry on."
All. Freaking. Week.
Last night, packing my lunch for today, I thought, "Huhn. I have a left over cup of EggBeaters. I thought I'd worked it out so I'd use the last one on Friday. Wait. Dammit."
When my alarm went off for the first time this morning, I thought, "Oh, thank god it's Frida- Wait. Dammit."
And then twenty minutes later, as I was picking out my clothes for the day, I thought, "Hey, I could wear jeans, it's Friday... Wait. Dammit."
It is so unfair that today isn't Friday. I'm just saying.
I'd walk into the documentation office for a status update and say something like, "So where are we on all those Project X documents for tomorrow?"
And the documentation person would stare at me in horror and say, "I thought they weren't due until Thursday!"
"Right," I'd say, "Thursday, which is... not tomorrow. Never mind. Carry on."
All. Freaking. Week.
Last night, packing my lunch for today, I thought, "Huhn. I have a left over cup of EggBeaters. I thought I'd worked it out so I'd use the last one on Friday. Wait. Dammit."
When my alarm went off for the first time this morning, I thought, "Oh, thank god it's Frida- Wait. Dammit."
And then twenty minutes later, as I was picking out my clothes for the day, I thought, "Hey, I could wear jeans, it's Friday... Wait. Dammit."
It is so unfair that today isn't Friday. I'm just saying.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Acrobatic
The acrobat show was lots of fun.
It was general seating, so I chose seats for us that would leave an empty chair in front of Penny. It left me sitting behind a very tall man, but since I was leaning over toward Penny anyway to hold her hand in the dark, it didn't matter too much.
Unfortunately, after the intermission, something happened on that row and the man ended up moving down one seat to sit right in front of Penny, and his wife in front of me, so Penny and I wound up leaning together to watch the show between their heads. Ah, well.
The pacing could have been better -- they did most of the surprising and fascinating acts in the first half, and what was left for the second half was less stunning, at least visually. (With the exception of the guy who built a tower of chairs, starting from the orchestra pit and ending with a hand-stand that had his feet literally touching the ceiling -- that was pretty damn cool.) And they couldn't figure out what the tone should be. For the first half, it was "the mysterious orient", but then they tried to introduce an element or two of humor in the second half that was cute, but didn't quite fit.
The actual acrobatics, though, now... that was awesome. Contortion and juggling and flips and dives and body-pyramids of every sort. The "ballet" bit was striking in its simplicity -- I've seen ballerinas in arabesque en pointe before... but this one did it on the top of her partner's head.
The foot-juggling was fun -- parasols are traditional, and then they moved on to clay pots, chairs, and kitchen tables. (They climaxed with the tables, but I wondered if the pots or chairs might actually be more difficult, as they were less symmetric.) There was a woman doing sleight-of-hand and quick-change masks, which was great.
Yay, acrobats! I had fun.
During the intermission, I bought Penny a little bead charm in the shape of a duck or a chick (she named it "Chicky-Wick-Nick") and a Chinese yo-yo for us to "share". Penny figured out how to work the yo-yo pretty quickly, and gleefully flung it at Matt after we got home.
Of course she's tired today -- we got home a solid two hours after her usual bedtime last night -- but she's refusing to admit it. And she kept Chicky-Wick-Nick clutched in her hot little hand right up until we got to school and I made her put it in her backpack. (I tried to convince her to attach it to her backpack or med-kit zipper, like it's meant to be used, but she flat refused. I figure in a week or so, when the love affair has cooled some, I'll try again.)
It was general seating, so I chose seats for us that would leave an empty chair in front of Penny. It left me sitting behind a very tall man, but since I was leaning over toward Penny anyway to hold her hand in the dark, it didn't matter too much.
Unfortunately, after the intermission, something happened on that row and the man ended up moving down one seat to sit right in front of Penny, and his wife in front of me, so Penny and I wound up leaning together to watch the show between their heads. Ah, well.
The pacing could have been better -- they did most of the surprising and fascinating acts in the first half, and what was left for the second half was less stunning, at least visually. (With the exception of the guy who built a tower of chairs, starting from the orchestra pit and ending with a hand-stand that had his feet literally touching the ceiling -- that was pretty damn cool.) And they couldn't figure out what the tone should be. For the first half, it was "the mysterious orient", but then they tried to introduce an element or two of humor in the second half that was cute, but didn't quite fit.
The actual acrobatics, though, now... that was awesome. Contortion and juggling and flips and dives and body-pyramids of every sort. The "ballet" bit was striking in its simplicity -- I've seen ballerinas in arabesque en pointe before... but this one did it on the top of her partner's head.
The foot-juggling was fun -- parasols are traditional, and then they moved on to clay pots, chairs, and kitchen tables. (They climaxed with the tables, but I wondered if the pots or chairs might actually be more difficult, as they were less symmetric.) There was a woman doing sleight-of-hand and quick-change masks, which was great.
Yay, acrobats! I had fun.
During the intermission, I bought Penny a little bead charm in the shape of a duck or a chick (she named it "Chicky-Wick-Nick") and a Chinese yo-yo for us to "share". Penny figured out how to work the yo-yo pretty quickly, and gleefully flung it at Matt after we got home.
Of course she's tired today -- we got home a solid two hours after her usual bedtime last night -- but she's refusing to admit it. And she kept Chicky-Wick-Nick clutched in her hot little hand right up until we got to school and I made her put it in her backpack. (I tried to convince her to attach it to her backpack or med-kit zipper, like it's meant to be used, but she flat refused. I figure in a week or so, when the love affair has cooled some, I'll try again.)
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