Writing In Twilight

Well, not quite. They're sending me to Tasmania for a week. Next week, in fact.

I guess it'll be a practice run for the holiday - out of home, away from my medical assistances, and dealing with the hand and the foot and the health while on the move. Although the working will be...interesting.

I'm trying to sort out the issue with leave; I'm thinking the simplest option is LWOP, although that will dock my payslip something fierce in August. Ah well, I did have savings - note tense.

The stress will not be fun, however.

The one in the arcades? Where you try to whack the sharks/moles/creatures that pop up out of the holes. No sooner do you get one then another pops up.

And sometimes I think this guy believes I'm doing this to spite him. He certainly behaves like I'm actively sabotaging the system.

I'm dealing with someone insidiously nasty at work. He makes small jibes of the kind that might be joking once or twice, but which never come with an apology.

Over time, such things build up, and there's also the risk that others in the office will take their cue from him. At least one person is showing such signs. Sadly, confrontation and reformation isn't an option with the ringleader, he'll just say I'm being too sensitive and make a joke of it - probably a gender-related one that's gently derogatory to women, because that's something else he does with clockwork regularity - and I'm fairly certain things would get worse.

Just to note: there's an essential difference between teasing and being mean. There's someone else in the office who walks the jokery line on the teasing side - and he apologises when he goes too far.

At any rate, it hit breaking point this afternoon. It was get out of the office or cry.

So I phoned saramund and we chatted for about 20mins, only the first few minutes of which were about the situation at work. And, God, I needed that conversation very badly - just something encouraging and familiar with a member of what jenndavis calls my "tribe".

I guess Miss Cornelia would have called it "of the race that knows Joseph", while Anne Shirley/Blythe would have called it "kindred spirits". They're simply people that you can laugh with, be silent with, be silly with, and with whom you can trust your heart.

Over the years, my tribe has changed as tribes do - members come, members go - some people drift to the outskirts, while others stay in the core. They're not defined by geographical location but by soul location - how close our spirits are.

I was so very grateful for saramund this afternoon, and I'm glad of those of my tribe who've been around when things were down as well as when they were up, and offered encouragement, prayers, and/or hugs as necessary.

Thanks, guys.

Last night I got home to discover the parental house's powerpoints weren't working. The lights were fine, but the powerpoints weren't playing ball. I checked the fusebox and...discovered a lot of switches. Flippy things. Without instructions. And definitely not intuitive. Call me an electrical dinosaur, but I like the old ceramic fuses with their wires. So much simpler to deal with!

Anyway, I tried to flip the 'Power' switch back on...and it promptly flipped off again. Couldn't work out how to reset it, so I left it.

Result? All plug-in-electricals have been off in the house for the last fifteen hours, including the fridge/freezer, the TV, and the modem.

I just hope they don't find themselves having to eat all the meat in the freezer in the next 2 days!

I've discovered that I don't sleep well at the parental house when the parentals aren't home. Too busy fretting about the cats I'm minding and what they might do while I'm sleeping...like pee in my clothing. Thank heavens it's only for a few days and the parentals are back this morning.

Still, the result is that I'm pretty much exhausted after the weekend and am looking forward to going back and sleeping in my own bed with my kitty.

This is the point at which I could probably use a Nikola Tesla icon, right?

Rain and traffic jams make for bad behaviour in drivers. Everyone gets frustrated and annoyed and people act even more stupid than they usually do.

I got into work this morning 30 mins later than I usually do (having left 5 minutes later than I usually do) and wanted a coffee and something to hit.

At least I got the coffee.

I'm beginning to hate this job. Email from user:

Yes I suppose technically I did not follow procedure.

Unfortunately it is sometimes necessary to find ways around the roadblocks that [system] likes to throw up, in order to provide a timely service to our paying customers.

I make no apology and would do the same again. The customer comes first.

Things I got from the email:

1. Fuck you. Backwards and in high heels. Note the use of the mantra: "the customer comes first." A useful justification for any action in the marketplace!

2. Roadblocks: I don't know what roads he drives on, but the ones I use have roadblocks to keep me from driving into things like parked trucks, roadworks, and other slightly inconvenient obstacles on the road.

3. Not following the procedure means the ordering document wasn't created. The lack of ordering document means there's no delivery document for when we receive it. The lack of receiving document means there's no billing document for when we need to charge the customer. Are we a business or a charity?

MEH.

Oh wait, I already hate it.

I think it might be unwise to start singing "Kiss a Wookie, kick a droid..." in the middle of my workplace, even if I'm listening to the credits of Raiders of the Lost Ark on my iPod...

Also, there's a riff that sounds suspiciously like "Luke and Leia's theme" from Star Wars - not completely, but quite close. I wonder if it isn't the Indy/Marion love theme?

--

And, because I can't post it in the Childfree thread without being jumped upon ("but those parents and their children have it easy, making my life hell every time I turn around! Why shouldn't they be inconvenienced for once?")

( entitlement in the childfree is just as offensive as entitlement in parents, IMO: just less socially acceptable )

--

Dopey business analyst is still dopey. You actually have to give me the data to look at so I can work out the problem, let alone fix it.

--

And because this is not something you put in a work email:

( I know this system very well )

Crap. Senior Developer just made a joke about looking for a new job.

It was just a joke, but prompted by the sheer intransigence of management in integrating our business processes to the new system (instead of trying to modify the system to our current business process) and all the problems its causing.

Pretty much he's the one bashing management's head against the wall right now - with limited success, unfortunately; their skulls seem to be made of titanium. He's the one with the extensive knowledge of how the system we worth with works - the whole grand master plan of it - and who works out consequences that most people don't have the vision for.

He's good at what he does, he enjoys it, and a company should bend over backwards to make sure he doesn't escape their clutches.

Me? I'm a peon programmer and a fairly average one at that. I enjoy this work (sometimes), and I'm reasonably good at it.

This guy? Is brilliant at his job, has an excellent work ethic, and is generally okay to get along with.

And I think he's beginning to entertain thoughts of skipping out. (Not that I can blame him, exactly.)

Crap.

Dear co-worker sitting next to me,

Pls not to be a nose breather. I'm trying to concentrate and it's near-impossible with you doing your wheezy thing just next door.

--

Dear person-who-keeps-calling-to-check-that-I've-received-your-mails,

Yes, I have received your mail. Yes, I am presently doing what you asked. You only sent that mail a minute ago, I have had just enough time to see the inbox notification pop up and I am working on it.

--

Dear business-analyst-who-never-reads-his-emails-properly,

READ THE FRICKING EMAIL I SENT YOU. I have not only put the details you asked for in there, but have also laid out the process by which we're going to get this authorised. And this isn't the first time you asked me something I've already answered.

--

Why is the world full of oblivious people? They're not even stupid - they're just insensate. Crusted-over to the fact that they inhabit the world with other people. Inured to the possibility that the universe doesn't exist to babysit them.

ARGH.

Uncle #1 (doctor...actually, all the uncles on my maternal side are doctors...) texted me last night. They think it's Transient Global Amnesia. Meaning it should be temporary, and it's not localised to any one thing.

Anyway, late last night she started remembering things - the party she's having, and other bits and pieces. So it's probably not permanent.

Here's hoping and praying!

Am debating going and visiting her in hospital, or waiting until she gets home. Maybe decide later on today once they determine if she's going to stay another night or come home. The stepdad will need help with her, especially if her memory's not 100%.

Not the weekend I planned to have, but when is it ever?

Thanks again for the well-wishes and stuff, guys.