I'm stressin' at work this week.
There's this bid that has to go in to the client by Monday at noon and the regular estimator who would have taken the lead on it is out of commission with something very much akin to the flesh-eating virus contaminating one of his legs -- he's been away from work for nearly two months. He's fine, though. He had to have antibiotics intravenously every eight hours for the first couple weeks, and has been medicated and resting at home ever since.
There is currently no risk of him losing a limb. Which is a good thing, as a co-worker of ours quipped, because then he'd be forced into Quebec politics. (If you're familiar with Canadian politics, that is very funny.)
This has created a dearth of estimating talent around the office and I got saddled with a job a little over my head. I have been mentored by a more experienced fellow, but it's a comedy of errors in that he has the old-school experience and I have the technical capability, but the twain ain't been easy bedfellows and so the product of our union is less than it ought to have been. An underdeveloped bastard child; will probably end up in juvie.
From the stressing, a nasty head cold descended upon me yesterday afternoon, and I've been battling back with a regimen of Cold-fX. I'm pretty good today, but a little shaky.
Last night, in addition to my all-natural remedy, I quaffed a beer (for the stress) and a hot mug of Neo Citran (for the cold). I went to bed feeling like I might do all right.
Before midnight the stove timer went off in the kitchen. WTF?! I stumbled out of bed and padded my way across the hardwood to crank the timer back to zero. But the TV was also on. (Another WTF?!) The timer must have woken up Declan, and in his stupor he walked out to the living room, turned on the TV, crawled onto the comfy chair in the foetal position, and threw a blanket over his head to go back to sleep.
I cranked off the stove timer, turned off the TV, and tucked the boy back into bed.
That wouldn't have made the night all that bad. But we have a fiddly stove timer. I turned the dial back to zero, but just a wee hair too far to the left. 60 minutes later I again got up to turn it off. And again, peering though my blurry eyes and squinting in the glare of the suddenly too-bright stove light, accidentally reset it.
This happened FIVE TIMES between midnight and four AM. And then my alarm went off at five, sounding remarkably like the stove timer, though I have it set to the radio.
So this morning I am exhausted, grumpy, stressed, and have a head cold with a small touch of the shakes. But that could also be my large coffee first thing on an empty stomach. Maybe I'll feel better after my apple-banana-granola bar breakfast.
Mmm... apple-banana granola bar. I don't think we have the pleasure here in the US. Maybe in 20 years we'll get those, like we finally (yet sparingly) got Coffee Crisp.
Oh! Speaking of which -- Lady J's family came to visit and happened to grab a Coffee Crisp from her stash. Ate it on the trip home and called her asking, "Where can I get these?" Another convert.
Back to your post. I just have to know. Does the stove timer start out quiet little buzz and then crescendo to full-volume annoyance? 'Cuz that's the kind that was in my house growing up, and Dad finally replaced it a few years ago.
You realize, of course, that I would have recorded it. In the words of Weird Al, I'm just "too white and nerdy."
I hope you get your sleep straightened out. I got about four hours last night and the same the night before. My long-winded (and media'ed) posts show it.
Posted by: Mark | Friday, 27 April 2007 at 08:43 AM
Sorry Marc, I wasn't too clear in my rush to post something this morning. I meant an apple, a banana, and a granola bar for breakfast. The latter not being comprised of the first two. And our stove timer is pretty annoying from the get-go. It doesn't do that crescendo thing.
Posted by: Simon | Friday, 27 April 2007 at 09:01 AM
I'm not sure if I should pity you or laugh. I'll settle for bemused along with 'get well' wishes.
Incidentally, Xavier's nights are getting better, and he slept the whole night through (a rare thing) last night. I woke up at 5h30 anyway (because my inner clock is stupid) but I still managed a whole 6hrs straight and I feel great now (not to rub salt in the wound or anything, you know).
Good luck with your work thing.
Posted by: Émilie B | Friday, 27 April 2007 at 09:25 AM
That sounds rough, Si. I have to assume that the cold medicine had gone to your head...otherwise I'm hard pressed to imagine an engineer of your caliber accidentally resetting that timer five times in a row.
Sorry to hear about the stressful estimate. But it'll be another feather in your hat when it's all said and done. Well on your way to having both technical know-how and experience. "He would be a great asset. Can it be done?"
Mark - Sorry to hear about your lack of sleep. I feel I should apoligize for keeping you up writing information for my camera purchase. I thoughtlessly shipped off the email and then went to sleep. A long and undisturbed sleep that I know feel a bit guilty about. But then...obviously not so guilty that I'm avoiding rubbing noses in it.
"I feel horrible for my role in your suffering," says Moksha.
"Tee hee hee," giggles the Gren.
Posted by: Moksha Gren | Friday, 27 April 2007 at 09:26 AM
Two words: Kitchen ghosts.
Posted by: Jenn | Friday, 27 April 2007 at 10:52 AM
Oh you poor baby! That really sounds awful -- very third circle of hell-ish. We have the same kind of temperamental oven timer, but fortunately we sleep upstairs, and it's downstairs, so it can't awaken us. We do have a phone upstairs that rings once, at midnight, every tuesday and wednesday night, though. That's fun.
I hope you feel better soon, sweetheart!
Posted by: marian | Friday, 27 April 2007 at 11:11 AM
That sounds like a very rough night.
Perhaps you should go to Australia. :)
Posted by: Alvis | Friday, 27 April 2007 at 11:13 AM
You sound like you need a hug. Stress is always so much worse when you're low on sleep.
Hopefully you don't have to take any work home this weekend...
Posted by: Tal | Friday, 27 April 2007 at 11:47 AM
Emy, bemused works wonders for me. I'm already feeling better as the afternoon progresses here. Less stress, but the sniffles will take a while to battle back. At least you're not as mean as that Gren bastard.
Moksha, the feather in the hat thing has been my way of thinking as well. Stress often induces the steepest learning curves, so that is a good thing. Next week will dawn with fresh potential, and, hopefully, a sun.
Jenn, I have to be much more skeptical about the ghosts than you are. Partly due to my wife who would insist we move out and burn all our clothing to get away from the ghosts. Seriously, I'm SURE it was just my somnolent incompetence showing itself.
Marian, I appreciate the empathy. That's really all I can expect right now, you know?
Alvis, if I could up and go to Australia right now and lie on the beach... man, I would SO be there.
Tal, I'd probably just infect the huggee with my cold germs, but thanks for the sentiment. I refuse to take any work home this weekend. Too much work to do AT home this weekend.
Posted by: Simon | Friday, 27 April 2007 at 12:44 PM
Simon. I just gotta say, although it isn't a million-dollar word, I used "dearth" in a post I haven't published yet, and here you are using it.
You are a dearth invader.
Posted by: Mark | Friday, 27 April 2007 at 01:31 PM
Mark, I am groaning so hard at that right now that it hurts.
Posted by: Simon | Friday, 27 April 2007 at 01:43 PM
That really sucks Simon. Maybe you need a new stove. (no, Amy didn't pay me to say that, but I know she's thinking it :)
Posted by: Monique | Monday, 30 April 2007 at 05:47 PM
Si, I thought of you yesterday as I was cleaning my stove top and bumped the timer button repeatedly. I MADE SURE it was off when I was finished.
Hope you're feeling better by now.
Posted by: Linda | Tuesday, 01 May 2007 at 07:43 PM