Friday Frenzy

Friday was drizzly and cold. I had a lot to do, because I was told I need to move next Tuesday. So, I filled out the Move Sheet and had my Supervisor send it to the Help Desk (Jake’s gonna kill me, because you are supposed to give them 4-5 days advance warning. I did mention that to my Supervisor, but he said the Director said, “Tuesday!”)

I checked on the cube I am supposed to occupy and found there is no phone and all the file cabinets are filled with stuff used by the Telecom team. I also mentioned that to my Supervisor (since I have stuff: files, personal things, the corporate credit card, etc., I need to lock up) and he said, “Um...” (He likes to say “Um...” I’ve never heard a person in a Management role say “Um...” so much before, but I guess it’s a brave new world!) Anyway, I digress. He said it would get worked out: Plan on moving on Tuesday.

There was a Project Manager Team meeting in the morning when it was announced I was being reassigned. For the rest of the day, my fellow PMs kept voicing their dismay. I told them I would always be available by phone.

Because I had no time to waste, I couldn’t get home for lunch. So I went to a nearby Coney Island and had my favorite: a mini-Greek Salad and a cup of soup. This time, the soup of the day was navy bean. And, the only b*tch I have about eating a “mini” Greek salad is that they never give you the pita bread. But I learned long ago, I can’t eat a “small” Greek salad and a cup of soup (too much food), so I skip the pita bread.

And, speaking of being disappointed, I was reminded of the old, one owner, one location (think Newburgh Grille) Coney Island that was in the old Wonderland Mall before they tore it down. It was owned and run by a feisty old man (think Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi) and had the best damn Greek salad dressing I ever tasted (they even sold it, bottled). It was pink (I assume from pureeing beets) and I’ve never tasted anything even close to it since.

Back at work, I realized I’d never documented how to update the Project Planner. So, I did that and posted it on our IDC website (don’t ask me what IDC stands for – it’s Saturday morning and I don’t give a sh*t). Then I held about an one hour class to show Robin and James (the other PMs) how to open a job in PeopleSoft (our ERP system), how to add the job into the Project Planner, how to run an hour report for last week’s hours in PeopleSoft and how to update the “Actual Hours” tab in the Project Planner. All of this (that I’ve been doing for the past four years or so) they will need to know.

I called various people to get a status on my existing projects, but I assume from their responses this will be an on-going thing for a while.

I left at 5:00 PM and worked my way home in the drizzle. I treated the cats and thought about all the stuff I need to do this weekend (I never planted the vegetable, herb or flower gardens, due to rain; I never added any mulch; the lawn looks like shit; I need to dig a hole, fill it with concrete and install my new grille; I need to replace my garbage disposal and fix the plumbing; I need to go grocery shopping; and I really, REALLY need to clean the house.

It boggles the mind!

So, Instead, I fixed a drink and watched the evening news. I did check the phone’s voicemail and found a message from Melissa, who had called Thursday morning at 9:30 AM (? - hey, babe, I work, ya know). She sounded like she was at death’s door, but assured me it was just allergies (hey, move back to Michigan. We don’t have allergies that much, just a lot of rain). I called back but got her voicemail.

I watched a movie, “Patton” (with George C. Scott) but fell asleep before it was over (it’s okay though, I know how it turns out: We won!)