00:21 - 30.08.05
Tracking
Oops! Remember the post about the gas company yesterday and the statement I made about not understanding why the delivery company would change out the meters instead of the carrier? Well my mistake. It is the carrier that wants to do the change. I'm certain I heard the name of the delivery company in the voicemail, but apparently not. Must be losing my hearing, since there is absolutely no resemblance in the two company names. Or maybe it's one of those "hear what you want to hear" things since the words "gas company" came before the company name. The return email had that element of suppressed laughter coming from it. Glad they didn't take offense. Guess that's why one aims to be polite even when taking umbrage, eh? That thing about eating crow being easier when the words are soft and sweet.
I had one of those weather migraines this morning that made it seem a though everything I tried or did went a little bit sideways to my intentions. Train ride in with the one walking partner from two years ago. The train was much more crowded as students start returning to school. The greater noise levels make it harder to carry on a conversation especially when one's head feels like it is about to implode. We agreed to get together smetime this week. We've been trying to do that for over two months now. Uh huh.
Arrived on time and managed to get the weekly report out on time even though I spent sometime working through some technical procedures with one of the supervisors I like. She wanted to work out some protocols for when she encountered problems with discrepancies in what was noted on boxes and what was actually in them when they were recalled. I went through what I had seen or done on other companies, noting both the legal requirements we have to meet plus the administrative ones. She had had similar experiences in one of her other jobs and seemed comfortable with what we worked out. I suggested she put the proposed process in an email to our supervisor for approval. Much as I am glad she values my experience I don't have the authority to make those kind of directions into departmental procedure.
Got busy trying to finish off coding the one series of records I am working on. Taxes, risk management and insurance. Had several discipline specific dictionaries spread open on my desk plus a number of windows open on my desktop to different references including the Income Tax Act. Migraine was really getting bad now and I don't think that part was weather related. Bleagh. About two hours in to that my phone rang nd it was the mailroom. My paycheque had arrived, could I come and get it right now. That isn't the normal call. Usually I'm just told that I can either swing by at my discretion or wait until the regular delivery. However, the team who do that service always treat me very well so I tend to respond to whatever they request trying to be equally considerate.
On the way back to my floor a group of about a half dozen people entered the elevator chatting among themselves. I tend not to pay attnetion to other people's conversations but the accent caught my ears. Texans, y'all. A group visiting from head office, apparently flown in on the company airplane so as to avoid the problems of commercial airlines trying to cope with that Katrina girl (hurricane) blowing New Orleans house down. I thought they were all going to the same department on the next floor down but one of the women followed me off the elevator when we reached my destination. I realized that this must be the one counterpart I've spoken with on the phone but hadn't yet met in person. Directed her to my supervisors desk after verifying who she was and introducing myself. I think she might have wanted to chat a bit but I didn't catch that until after I sat down - the throbbing in my head was full blast by then. Echoes from Katrina?
To distract my mind from the pain, I paid extra attention to the choices I was making. The in PC CD player had been disconnected in the weekend maintenance of the server so I was back plugged in to my own diskman. Just as well - mine is a lot less finicky about how scratched the plastic is. Dinah Washington sings Bessie Smith collection. Um mmm. Sassy those women, my kind of ladies. Gregorian chants as a chaser followed up by the Irish Rovers for their irreverance and joie de vivre. Last up, um well, Christmas carols in Engish, Gaelic and French.
The last? When my guys were younger this was always the time of year that I started doing price comparisons and preliminary scouting for Christmas gifts. With six young fellows to buy for and very little money it was always a challenge to make sure they got something they really wanted along with things they needed like socks and underwear. Yeah I know - boring - but about the only way I could manage to balance wants with needs. A lot of books, puzzles and games were chosen because they could also be shared and reused many times over, maximizing the value of the items. Not only that my guys enjoyed those things. I always got myself in the mood to go digging through the masses of merchandise by playing carols at about the end of August to the collective groans of my family. Today the shopping foray was for school supplies, but it was for a donation to the workplace drive for school supplies for children in families who simply can't afford the costs. I can relate and it made me feel good to be able to do it. I dropped in to the bank to finalize the loan for my home renovations then went off for my first bit of guerilla shopping of the season. Felt good. Met the one secretary I was friendly with at the last contract on the way to the supply store. She was treating her daughter to lunch being that it was her birthday. Things going sideways again, I siad - "oh a Leo" forgetting how far into August we've come. Nope but that's what I wanted to be. Oops once again. Her mom and I agreed that we would get together for lunch in the next week or two too. Maybe things "going sideways" is another way of saying getting back on track. Well it could be you know. Good night dear diary.
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