12:38 PM - 17.03.05
Distractions
Today was really jumbled. I woke up from a dream about the co-worker. He had inserted himself into another project that I was working on. One that was really important to me in terms of getting it completed. He finally accepted that he was not destined to be my co-worker and admitted that he had given up the idea. He was saying good-bye as I woke from the dream and insisting I give him a kiss. He still wasn't letting go of my hands either. Relief and frustration both started the day.
The neighbour I commute into downtown with had tales of the theatre production she attended last night. One of her co-workers had tickets. She was intending to attend with her mother, but her mom either didn't find the play appealing or she wasn't feeling well - or maybe it was a combination of the two. The end result was that she asked my neighbour to go with her instead. We have several theatre companies operating in our city in various venues. This one is the Vertigo_Mystery_Theatre. It specializes, of course, in mysteries. In the past that has meant traditional fare and familiar authors. This was the theatre company who found and performed that lost Agatha Christie play about a year ago. The director decided to branch out a bit and was let go as a result. Audiences voted with their feet. However this was a play he had committed to before leaving the fold and so it's presentation was a bit "different" than the run of the mill production. The story was about the Jack the Ripper murders and the author's take on what might have happened. The difference was that of all the 30 characters, or so, only three were humans. Probably written for a company that had limited numbers of players or a very tight budget. The balance of the characters were portrayed through the three human actors using puppets. All kinds of puppets. My neighbour said once one figured out what was going on it was pretty good, and the presentation and actors were great, but just not "usual". On her way home a check stop on the one bridge that drivers can use to leave downtown heading east. She thought it was odd, but I speculated that it was a preventative measure because of all the pre-St Patrick Day celebrations being offered downtown. The Irish rising up as it were.
That theme continued this morning. I was working away on my current task - the searching of the database to find those classes of records wanted by head office, when the two women who share my corner of the library hi-jacked me. We have to go get our treats. What treats? Well the St Patrick's day ones. Up about 7 floors we went and collected our green sprinkles covered shamrocks - shortbread cookies. The company brings goodies in for staff on a regular basis it seems. That floor houses a bistro, where one can choose from several specialty coffees or cold drinks, while relaxing by the big screen television or sitting at the coffee bar chatting with co-workers. You even get in trouble here if you work through lunch. Hard to get one's head around after years of being driven to work harder all the time. I still find it difficult to talk with co-workers about things that aren't directly work related on site. I used to go out walking or for coffee with co-workers on other sites in order to have that luxury. I keep looking over my shoulder expecting to see the work police bearing down on us. I'll get over it sometime, I guess.
Work was fascinating and productive both. That one strange record I found arrived from offsite late this afternoon. the one specialist who sits near me and I went through the contents. Deepened the mystery - not otherwise. There was definitely something odd about way the record had been erased. Not only from the database I work in either. The paper trail had been tampered with too. Hmmmmm. Lots of good information culled as I was working through the assignment that is priority right now - it will speed up some of the other tasks - once I get back to them. Got a notice about a workshop I really wanted to take just before noon. Scheduled for tomorrow - over part of lunch. That normally wouldn't phase me at all except that I had scheduled to walk with my co-worker from that contract a few years back. Asked her if we could change the timing of that and she was good to go. OK. Got a call from the one landlord today just after lunch letting me know she had scheduled a meeting with her boss to see if they could make space in the postal sorting plant for an election office. Their problem right now is that they are in the middle of renovations and the place is a mess. Quite honestly I don't care about that as long as there are no health or safety issues arising and staff and the public can find their way in somehow. Governments are works in progress too, aren't they?
My back was all locked up this morning - right at about the point of the root chakra. I had to take extra aspirin just to be able to sit at my desk. Even so it made sitting quite difficult and I began to realize how weak certain muscles were in the upper abodmen and along the spine. Weight loss has emphasized that somewhat - no flab to hold one up anymore. Promised myself that once I mail off my completed Elections assignment, sometime in the next day or two, I was going to dedicate that freed up time to either yoga or dance in order to get myself back into some sort of shape. I did go see my chiropractor at lunch and that treatment made a huge difference to my afternoon. He had been showing a great deal of distress last treatment and obviously didn't want to talk about it. Didn't change the quality of the care I got, but I did worry about his wellness. Selfish really since what I worried about was my wellness being maintained if he became ill. Today he was in a much better frame of mind. We all have our tough moments I guess. I just commented that he had more than his share of having to listen to people complain and he agreed that that was an issue for him sometimes. Reminder to be positive when I go to see him. The burdens that one carries shouldn't be downloaded on to someone who is doing their best to help you.
My youngest had said he would meet me after work so we could go to our dance lesson, but he called at the last moment to say he had gotten tied up with the other three tasks I had set him. Two were to go see our doctor about his medications for the ulcer, and to see if he could find a DVD of "What the Bleep Do We Know" at a reasonable price. He managed those, but he said it took him a lot longer than he expected. That and there was a delivery of groceries to our home through the internet store that came later in the afternoon than scheduled. Oh well, it was probably a good thing in the end. Last class the instructor had taken the time to demonstrate the steps and walk through them at a reasonable pace, so we could pick up the technique before applying that at a regular dance speed for hip hop - which tends to be anywhere from very fast to frenetic. This time round there were two new ladies and he seemed to need to dance more than teach us. Could have been that very pretty latina who had just finished practicing in her classes too though, I guess. The dress she was wearing was quite extraordinary. Black velvet and cut just perfectly for her figure. Anyway, it meant that it was very difficult to pick up the steps, because his feet were moving too fast to follow then apply. The end of the lesson was probably the best part as we worked on various chain steps across the length of the dance floor. Really good aerobic workout and that is one of the reasons I wanted to try the genre. I don't mind exercising at all, but I want to have some play time too. With the two jobs I have, I really need to blow off the adrenaline that builds up all the time. The last ten minutes of class definitely did that. At the beginning of the class I had talked with him a bit. I was asking questions about his plans for the future, because I wanted to know if he would be offended if I asked him to recommend some good teaching videos for the dance. The pamphlet had indicated that there were only 8 sessions and I was guessing - correctly as it turned out - that he had other commitments after that. Didn't get to ask about the videos because the class was ready to start, before I got to that point, but I think that's what my next treat for me will be. I enjoy the group work, but the consistency and the control over one's pace is much better on tape. I was also thinking that if my son had joined me today he would have been quite overwhelmed. Even though it was posted as a drop in class for beginners, the third lesson in was too complex for someone just trying it out for the first time. Maybe the next time the instructor won't be so distracted. We'll see.
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