long and involved, mostly technical, you won't want to read

Day 4: so, not only did I discover a key function isn't working properly for half my data, but we also found out that we're missing a key field in the incoming file that we need to read the database.

Well, DANG.

So now I have to put together an email stating why I failed to complete the work in the time allotted (because nitpicker guy came to me on Monday with a bunch of purely cosmetic changes which took up half my day - this after I noted that this would probably not be completed in the days I had left a week ago and more).

I'll do a couple of hours tonight, see if I can make any headway in the coding, but the testing on the second interface is going to be a mess - inbound interfaces always are.

In 36 hours, I shall have left my house for the airport, heading for Vietnam. Between then and now, I have a program to complete, a post-mortem to write, a work hand-over to orchestrate, two bags to pack, 1000km to travel, seven little gifts to make, and maybe sneak a couple of hours of sleep in there...

Better get started...

one of those moments

The good kind of moment.

My mum just called, and we talked for about 20 minutes. Well, I ranted about the work situation and she made agreement noises, sympathised, and empathised, then said I should get the taxi to her house from the airport tomorrow night and she'll drive me home after I pick up one of the stepdad's backpacks to take on the RTW.

And then she (and the stepdad) are picking me up Saturday morning to take me to the airport for the trip to visit my dad and stepmother, who's looking forward to spending time with me and always asks 'why can't you stay longer?' (Because you still see me as a teenager, Dad, and I'm forty; and I love you, but I don't want to live in your pocket.)

I know I lucked out in the parental department, but sometimes it really hits me. Sure, they're far from perfect, but I have never doubted they love me, and they're capable and willing to show that love in ways that are generally healthy and reasonable.

I don't think I appreciate that quite often enough.