Beyond Busy

Do you enjoy being busy all the time?  Do you relish the thought of just relaxing without anyone bothering you?  Lately I've been working way too much and would just love to have a day where I do NOTHING!

Work has been very stressful with deadlines approaching and more work than we should be able to do but somehow are.  To add to the mayhem, I've been contacted by several contract houses for some choice job openings.  Three interviews last week all seem promising so keep your fingers crossed.

I've had doctor and dental appointments, with yet another one tomorrow.  My niece's wedding is fast approaching and I finally found a dress to wear today.  There's not a thing on earth that would look good on me -- I am such a beached whale -- but I'm hoping the dress I've chosen will work out.  I forgot to sit down in it.  Uh oh.  Hope that's not a problem.  I'll need new shoes but since the dress is from Nordstrom (and getting a bit of beading repair tomorrow) I WILL find a suitable pair.

In the mean time, I've got a quilting project that's really busting my chops.  All that overtime I've been working has put the kibosh on it I'm afraid.  Must. Push. On.

Have a great week!

Rain, rain, go away

Yesterday we had a super flood in our area.  Highways were flooded with 9 feet of water.  People were trapped in their cars.  Basements flooded all over the place.  My friends Sue and Mary both had flooded basements.  Here's the view on my street.  It looks almost the same as last week's flood but believe it or not, it was even worse.

Even the Detroit Zoo is closed!  My drive into work this morning was a bit of a detour as my normal route was completely closed due to the flooding, stranded cars, and malfunctioning pumping systems.  See more in this story from NBC.  It's truly stunning how stupid some drivers are, trying to make their way through flooded streets.  Times like this I wish cars still had distributor caps so they would be stopped by their stupidity.

Tonight I passed house after house after house with 'basement' debris on their curb, awaiting the garbage man.  Poor garbage men -- they had nothing to do with it and imagine all the extra work they'll have this week!  One of my neighbors had 2 feet of water in their basement.  So sad.

How's it going?

Today I marked the 5th anniversary of my father's passing.  Five years ago I walked into his hospital room and said 'comment ça va mon père?'  It's a greeting I used many times over the years especially when I'd visit him in the hospital.  It translates to 'how's it going my father?' and even though I knew he was dying I said it just the same.  He didn't answer me that time and I didn't expect him to, and with those brief words from me he quickly passed away.  Faster than anyone else his nurse had ever cared for.  And for all of his earlier illnesses and battles, it was truly amazing that he went so peacefully and quickly.

I miss him so much but as the years have passed there are days that go by without me thinking about him.  I didn't think it would be possible when he died, but it is.  Today also marks 10 weeks since my nephew Paul committed suicide and it is still too fresh and painful to go more than a day without thinking about him and missing him so.  In time I know the sorrow will ease, much like it has with my dad.  God bless them both.

Unbelievable Coworker

Today was positively lousy.  Have you ever worked with someone who completely made you feel like hauling off and thrashing them?  Yes?  Well today was that day for me.

I'm currently sitting in a small conference room with 3 software developers and 2 other QA analysts.  It's very cozy - maybe too cozy.  It's a very collaborative environment where we can ask questions of each other and make the process go a little bit more smoothly.  One of the things that software developers seem to enjoy is Nerf gun wars with other teams.  Even in our little room they'll fire their guns at the wall, targets on the whiteboard, and each other.  I've been warning them not to include me -- don't shoot at me, don't ask me to be a part of any of it.

None of the team knew about my nephew Paul killing himself except for my QA Lead, who sits beside me.  Today she took insensitivity to a new level.  She actually put a Nerf pistol to my head as I worked intently testing software changes on my laptops.  Playful or not I did not appreciate it and did not find any humor or mischief in it whatsoever.  I swatted it away from my head and she said it wasn't loaded.  Low on tact I said 'I don't give a shit', at which point I admonished her and them by saying 'My nephew killed himself with a shotgun and I don't find any of this the least bit funny.'

Well playtime was over.  Complete silence came over the room as each of us went back to our own work.  Typically emotional, I could not sit there and went to the bathroom to cry it out.  Last Saturday marked two months since Paul committed suicide so my emotions were simmering near the surface.

I can't believe that anyone I shared this tragic loss with would ever take it so lightly and be so cruel and ignorant about my pain.  Going forward I can't go back to being on friendly terms with her.  I will do what is expected of me and I will share nothing personal going forward.  I will also step up my efforts to find another job closer to home.

Miss Sofia

Last month I finally got to meet my great-niece Sofia.  She is 10 months old tomorrow.  I'm so sad that I missed meeting her earlier but hopefully we'll see more of each other going forward.  I will need to make a trip to Pennsylvania to see them before the weather gets crazy later this year.

I took a few pictures of Sofia and played around with the photos in Picasa.  Here's my beautiful little gal:

I can't wait to see her again!