Running...Running...Running...

.....It was a busy day at work. I'm actually thankful it was a Saturday as I was able to get a running start without having the well-intentioned pile more e-mail on top of it. :-)

.....I finally did manage to get a bit of sleep last night. A good six hours or so. That's the longest stretch I've managed to get in for almost a week and I was grateful. I felt at least marginally able to face the day when the alarm went off at 4AM.

.....Thankfully, I've been to TRF-KB several times before. So I knew enough to grab my badge yesterday on the way to the hotel from the airport. I also knew my way down to the wharf and a, relatively, close place to park. I still had to cart my stuff in for a good half-mile, but it wasn't too bad. The temperature at 5:30 was about 77 degrees and the humidity was, hmmm, tolerable.

.....Thankfully, I also had had an actual intelligent moment back at the Shipyard and had gone through all the 'stuff' I was taking with me to ensure that it was all ready for inspection. I always get nervous at the gate as the guards seem to always pick me out for a more thorough review of the 'stuff' I take in with me. I suppose if I forced myself to take less 'stuff' with me on trips like this I would be less of a target. :-) Oh, well, I consider it like Linus' proverbial security blanket and will continue to take it all with me. :-)

.....Found the Project Trailer and took over one of the computers to set up shop. And was reminded vividly about how much fun the computers are down here. They all have to 'reach back' to home for information. So whenever we try to log into some program, the messengers get sent out and they wander across the country, have a couple of bites to eat, a quick nap or two. Then they pick up their information at the Yard and take the same meandering path back to Kings Bay, before finally dropping off the desired information. I will take this bit of information home with me and remind myself constantly of it whenever I get impatient with the on site guys and their slow relay of the information I ask of them.

.....Took me about half the morning to get caught up on e-mail before the Project Manager and I met up to go over his 'to do' list of stuff he'd like me to get done for him this week. However, this was all swept aside by a directive from the Big Boss. I guess he missed us terribly last week, since we weren't at his beck and call. He had an e-mail of epic proportions addressed to us demanding a report stuffed full of information that will have been obsolete five minutes before we set the report down in front of him.

.....Sigh! Sauron's reach is long indeed! And his tone imperious to say the least! As he wanted the information waiting for him by the time he logged into his computer on Monday morning! So, we scrambled. Pouring through reams of paper. Pulling up all kinds of data on the computer. Quizzing the Managers on site to within an inch of their life. So much so that by the time I looked up from the computer at 2PM, they had all vacated the office. They all avoided me for the rest of the day as well. These Wild Metrics Chases for the Big Boss always make me crazy. I'll have to go and corner the guys on Monday and make sure I apologize personally. I suppose that professionally I shouldn't feel bad. I didn't yell at anyone for any of the information. But I did ask for a lot in a short period of time, and I did feel a little badly. Guess that makes me less professional than most. :-)

.....We made it out of there at 4PM with most everything done. The Project Manager paid me overtime and when I made it home I was kind of glad he did. TBT reminded me that taxes are due, the cats need medicine, Lobelia needs a refrigerator and the Subaru needs to be fixed. Sigh! Obviously, when all the boys got pulled aside in sixth grade to attend their 'providing for the family' lesson I was overlooked as I'm not providing nearly enough at a great enough pace. Too bad overtime is so much of a dirty word these days, I could get used to having a little extra in the paycheck. :-)

.....That Subaru! I'm starting to think it was not my best decision ever. I never did really like driving it. And it is going to cost around $1,200 to fix. I'm not sure it is worth it. But we paid over twice that for it and we certainly couldn't get anywhere near that with no clutch in it currently. Sigh! I'm torn between selling the Subaru for whatever we can get and fixing the van. Or just simply dropping the Subaru off the end of the Manchester dock on some dark evening. Which one would you decide?

.....I do NOT have to go to work tomorrow. I think I'll go jump in the newly discovered (outdoor) hot tub, have a quick soak, and go to bed relatively early. Then sleep and sleep and sleep until I can't sleep any longer. Then I think I shall read for a while and not even think about getting out of bed until I simply can not stand it any longer. :-)

.....Aaron / Arontius.