Monday(ne)

Mondays. I tell you what.

My phone rang at 6:45 this morning with horror stories of the most terrible kinds of network outages being experienced at work. The kind that causes anything and everything to break. The kind that keeps your internal customers from getting "out" to do their jobs. The kind that keeps your external customers from getting "in" to do their jobs. Worst of all, the kind of outage caused by someone else's something else and/or something or other, and over which you have no power, influence, or favor towards a resolution in a customer acceptable, non-death-resulting manner. And still yet the "bad guys" walk away free and clear with their heads held high as though they were heroes all-the-while and in their own right. I am to this moment baffled by the events of the morning.

From that early call through about nine I was on and off the phone with various folks trying to get a handle on the situation. And there were five other folks also on the phone with various folks trying to get further handles on the situation. It was that bad. So much so, that I about lost my head in other regards.

In the hustle and bustle of the morning, I outright forgot to feed the girls breakfast. We were pulling into school (and I was on the phone) when I realized we were getting there way earlier than we should have. Oh crap. It occurred to me the girls hadn't eaten, and I could NOT just drop them off without breakfast. I pulled out of the turn lane and we proceeded to the nearest grocery store for some donuts. After several eaten-on-the-go donuts, we returned to school just in time for me to drop Darby off and let the school know Shelby would be late.

I still had to take Shelby to a doctor's appointment. She was due for a flu shot. Of course, you never tell kids -- EVER (for you new parents) -- that they are getting shots. But then you get silly, probably child-less nurses that blow your cover. Which arm do you want your shot in, she asks Shelby.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

And that was just MY reaction, because I knew Shelby's was to follow. And boy did she throw one big stinking fit... before, during, and after the shot. She eventually calmed down, but it took an 8:15am sucker to do it, which is saying something, because I don't think I have ever given my children candy at that time of day.

A little tip for you new pediatric nurses out there. NEVER advertise to a child that he/she is getting a shot, in particular by asking which arm to use, because their answer is always neither. You might as well ask on which side of the head you can hit them with a hammer.

You're supposed to do the whole, hey, what's that over there? [stick] Oh, did I poke your arm? Let's put a band-aid on that little unexpected boo-boo.

Amateurs. Sheesh.


It was almost nine by the time I got to work after dropping a whimpering Shelby off at school. And wouldn't you know it? By the time I got to my desk, all of the outage issues had just gotten resolved. I'm not sure if I was more relieved that I didn't have to deal with it too much further, or furious that it took so long to begin with as to entice the possibility of my further involvement. It was a travishamockery that's for sure.

The day was surprisingly uneventful beyond a few minor follow-up issues, though I was catching up for the remainder.


But there was no rest in store for us post-hectic-workday, mind you. After rushing to pick up the girls from school and stopping by the house to quickly get changed, we had to head straight to parent-hell, without collecting our two-hundred sanity-dollars. You see, tonight was Darby's end-of-season softball party. It was at Chuck E. Cheese, and we were there for two and a half hours if you get where I'm going with this. The girls had a blast sure, with plenty of pizza and games and dancing about, but all parents now the hell that is the CEC. I'm certain no further explanation is required.

We got home at a quarter 'til nine, with baths and homework still remaining. It's been a heckuva Monday, and I can barely see the end in sight.