I Can Not Please EVERYONE ANY of the Time!

*sigh*

[Written on Wednesday, September 20, 2006, but not posted until now in order to keep the focus on the Great Scissors Giveaway]

I went in to work today for the first time in a week. What with being sick last week, then Phoebe’s problems and then the software deployment this weekend and subsequent recovery and troubleshooting of problems relating to the deployment, I worked from home all of that time. Which is nice, but sometimes you need a change, right?

Ugh.

I wish I hadn’t come in. First of all, I’m starting to notice that I don’t hit my work stride until 1:00 or 2:00 PM. I might have to do something about this, like modify my working hours or something. I don’t know.

Anyway, the day started with getting out of bed late this morning because Terry is the current keeper of the alarm clock and he didn’t realize that I had to be in for a 9:00 AM meeting. Whoops! During a hurried attempt to go from bed to the car in 30 minutes (didn’t happen), I checked my BlackBerry (these things are the most evil devices in the universe) and discovered that there was a problem with another piece of software that I manage. And it was affecting an outside customer. And I had no idea how to fix it. Still don’t, for that matter.

So, I instant message the guy running the meeting, letting him know that I would be late. I told him that I was working on some issues. Which was true. I didn’t lie. I consciously make an effort not to lie. However, if he put those two pieces of information together and came to conclusion that I was running late due to working on said issues, who am I to argue, right?

We get into work, I boot up and immediately find out that there’s a problem in the system we just deployed. This is going to be a running theme for a little while until we get through a settling period and everything gets to a normalized state where it should start working as I designed it. So, I spend the next couple of hours working through system issues, completely missing the meeting by a mile and then some. Before I know it, I’m looking at yet another issue (they just keep on coming) and my alarm goes off about my next meeting, warning me than I have 30 minutes before I need to go to that. Oh, and by the way, it’s a working meeting, for which I am unprepared because I’ve been wrapped up in this other project so long that I have gotten no other work done for months (literally). I look at the reminder and think, “There is no way that I am going to make it to this meeting.” So, I pop over to the next cubicle and talk to the guy coordinating the project meeting (same guy as this morning). Who, at this point, is quite exasperated with me. I tell him that we’re still working through issues and that I will put the work that I’ve accomplished to date (which is not a lot, but it’s something) into the database that we’re using to track the work on this project. All I get are a series of signs and “Whatever.” Nice.

So, while I am working feverishly with one group and making people happy there, I am neglecting and irritating at least two other groups. *sigh*

It just reminds me of the saying:

I can only please one person per day.
Today is not your day.
Tomorrow doesn’t look good, either.

To which, I would add: “Let’s shoot for sometime next year…”