Tuesday : 18 October 05
Today was the first day back in the post-vacation swing of things.

And I wished that I had been swinging a scythe.

I got to the new office and found that the claim I’d staked had been jumped. My team lead explained how the seating had been selected: Seniority. *nod* Okay, I have no problem with that. What I did have a problem with was my new desk/cube. No, not with the location. With the contents. It seems that someone – or someones – thought that it would be “funny” to load my area with bubble wrap and plastic packing wrap.

They were ever-so-slightly mistaken.

Between trying to clear out the wrap and set up my workstations, I think that it took me nearly three hours to even get close to something that could be considered “work-ready.”
I also found out that we have neither telephones nor Internet access. And we don’t have a target date for connectivity, either. *braincramp* On top of that, not only is there no Internet, but… *deep breath*… because my cube was full of wrapping, the guys who set up our network couldn’t test my jacks for signal. So, when I got everything clear and started plugging things into the LAN, I got…. NOTHING! Absotively, posilutely nothing. This did nothing to improve my mood. I was… irritable for the better part of the morning. Around lunchtime, most of the feeling had faded. I kept a fairly grim game face on for the rest of the day, though – it kept most people from bothering me and let me be productive. Both of those were good things.

Around 9:00, I headed to the break room to find assorted snacks on tables/trays and the refrigerators stocked with beverages (soda, water, juice), but there was no sign of a coffee maker. It wasn’t too bad today because I had a bottle of Frappuchino with me. A little while later, the VP with whom I had spoken about getting a coffee maker showed up at the office. When he had a free moment, I approached him and said,”I noticed a distinct lack of a coffee maker in the break room.” He looked at me and said,”About that: I went out to look for one and realized that I had no idea what to look for. I was going to tell you to go out and get one and just expense it.” Hoo-AH! Some good news! Something to make me smile. I have to give him lots of credit for acknowledging and admitting that coffee and coffee makers were out of his knowledge base. I’ll even toss in a “Thanks” for letting me be the one to decide what I want – especially since I’ll probably be the only person using it or at least I will for a while.

I skipped lunch and plowed on through the day. I finished up the day in our lab/storage room. I tried to bring a measure of order to the chaos. I did a fair job of it, but I need to finish it tomorrow. And I will. And I’ll get a few other things.

After work, I had dinner with and then , Chris and came over for what was supposed to be the return to the Shadowrun game. Unfortunately, and Dean were unable to make it. *sigh* So, the five of us – six, when got in from a 12-hour workday – sat around and chatted the evening away. As the song Anagram (for Mongo) says:

miracles will have their claimers
more will bow to Rome
he and she are in the house
but there’s only me at home

Rose is a rose of splendor
posed to respond in the end
lonely things like nights,
I find, end finer with a friend

…and I have good friends.

Stray Toasters

Quote of the Day
: “Pencil-dicked weevils.”

Namaste.