Thursday Highlights - November 29, 2007

Well, today started bright and early at about 2 a.m. with Jeff attempting to cough up a lung. The old “dry, hacking cough” was not only frustrating Jeff – but was shaking our bed like an earthquake and keeping me from my own sweet sleep. I tried handing him a lozenge, but no dice. He finally struggled out to the living room to just sleep on the sofa. “Oh, I’m so sorry! Oh poor you…you have to leave and go to thezzzzzzzzzzz” I was filled with compassion.

Morning started again with my alarm and I hopped out of bed, eager to get to my breakfast meeting with my friend Lisa. We planned to meet at Real Food Café. All that stood between me and some steaming hot coffee and conversation was getting myself and little boy ready to go. Fairly easy for me…a little more complicated for him. But, he showed a good appetite today, wolfing down some yogurt and applesauce with a big glass of milk. He seemed to be in good spirits too….smiling and laughing and ready for the day. I felt bad as I squeezed a teaspoon of his anti-biotic into his waiting, eager, innocent mouth...it’s such a strong prescription it is wrecking havoc with his digestive system. The things I’ve seen and cleaned up and that have run down his leg are too grisly to report here. And yet, we just keep giving him more! I feel like, “Open up Langston….time for your diarrhea!” Well, I got him fed and popped back into bed so that Jeff could get him dressed and off to daycare. We felt hopeful when we heard some grunting from the crib…perhaps if it was taking a little effort to expel the package, it wouldn’t be quite so soupy…I later found out that our assumption was incorrect…Jeff confirmed that it was indeed a nasty watery mess so bad that Jeff himself ended up having to change his own shirt!

Well, after a lovely pecan and cherry pancake and aforementioned steaming coffee and lovely conversation, I headed into work.

Once at work I was just on fire! I was a cleaning machine! I decided to clean out my workstation and files. Basically, this just means tossing into the trash all the things I thought someone might want from me at some point…I realized that I typically immediately throw away materials that hordes of people want the very next day and keep materials that no one ever wants to see again. Sigh. But, it’s clean, clean, clean!

I even found a very special storage location for my award for completing the company’s “mission critical leadership curriculum.” At a “special ceremony” at my desk (the day before Thanksgiving, 2 co-workers present and jeering) my boss presented me with this precious memento commemorating my program completion. I was able to choose my gift and all were amazed that I chose the ginormous calculator/clock/calendar combo with the huge Steelcase logo. Oh, and it’s missing one of the rubber feet, so it also wobbles. And beeps with every button you push. What they didn’t see were the 2 other lovely items I could have chosen….a lapel pin (for those of you attending the Rotary Club in 1978) and a clock/business card holder combo for my desktop. Because people are constantly wandering up to my desk looking for the time and/or my business card. It really was the least of the evils. My one co-worker, who has 2 classes yet to go before “graduation”, said that the gift selection had actually demotivated him to complete the program.

Then I broke down and bought a 20 ounce diet Coke for a meeting. Can you believe that thing was $1.50!!! I hate the man.

Lunch was chili at the Learning Center. Yum yum. I also had a chocolate chip brownie. OK, so I was weak! It just looked so good sitting there…and I had a free meal card so I didn’t even have to pay for it…the man owed me one for the diet Coke.

After lunch I cruised over to Employee Sales to pick up my 2 chairs (for me) and desk (for my sister). It was blissful to just pop the seats out of the mini-van and glory in all the open space. This would be one time in the 7 years that I have been stuffing items into cars that Paul, the Employee Sales merchandise loader, would not repeat, “That’s NEVER gonna fit in there!” over and over (while I forced it all in anyway). And Paul didn’t say it wasn’t gonna fit. And it all did.

Meeting…blah blah blah…gale force winds at the CDC….drive back to HQ….blah blah blah…one more call…and now it’s 4:51! Gotta love that.