I was home from work by 4:25. It was a beautiful Thursday, and I went in early today so I could get in a decent bike ride after work. I've only been biking for 5 years, but at 30 years old, I'm doing close to 2500 miles in summer. My long legs are built for biking, and I find it very relaxing. After the first 10 miles, I just go into this zone. It also makes me horny. That's not the reason I go biking, but it is an added bonus.
I stripped off my office clothes and replaced them with my biking outfit; shorts and a moisture-wick tank top. The 'darks' basket was getting full so I dumped it in the wash machine and started that up. I checked on the ingredients for supper, and then wrote a note on the white board -- "Went biking 4:30, fajitas for supper, darks in wash." With any luck, Mike will switch them to the dryer when he gets home a little after 5:00 and fold them when they're dry. I hate laundry!
I grabbed my gear, checked over my bike, locked up the house and headed out.
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Today sucked! That idiot Edwards did nothing with the project, and he's had it for over 3 weeks! He didn't check the facts, research any companies, or do any projections, NOTHING! So guess what I get to do today? Yup, you guessed it. I get to check facts, research companies, and work out all the projections, because the project deadline is tomorrow, and I need this research to complete my portion of it. Why doesn't Edwards do it today? I'll tell you why. Because he has a dentist appointment in the morning and took the whole day off because of it. What kind of grown man takes a Thursday off to get his teeth cleaned? I'll tell you that to. The kind of idiot that wants a 4 day weekend, I will bet money he calls in sick tomorrow.
I found all this out this morning, first thing. I had Sandy cancel all my appointments for the day and reschedule them for next week. Then I had to start the project. I figure 3 hours fact checking, 4 hours researching, 2 hours with projections. Then my work shouldn't take more than 2 hours. I'm 52 years old, I don't need this kind of crap.
Sandy came in at 10 to say all the appointments were rescheduled. I might have grunted something at her, I don't remember. She came in again around 1:30 with a chicken salad sandwich and some coffee. "I thought you might like a break. You should eat something, Mike." That was the highpoint of my day; Sandy bringing in a sandwich because I had completely forgotten about lunch. I thanked her, and went back to researching.
I finished early, just before 7PM that night. My eyes hurt. My neck and back are sore. I had a headache and I was still in a bad mood. I sent copies of the finished project out to the three people who required it. Then I sent the project, in a separate e-mail, to the owner of the company, Don. I wrote a short note in the e-mail stating I would never work with Edwards again. I paced the room a bit, and reread the e-mail. Then I edited it a bit to sound less like a ranting lunatic and more like a professional. I also added that I was taking a personal day tomorrow. I e-mailed Sandy and asked her to reschedule my Friday appointments. I also thanked her again for the sandwich.
I headed out of my office, and before I got 10 steps, my phone rang. It was Don. He must have been waiting for the project, because that was a very fast response. "Hey, Mike. That bad, huh?" I started working with Don when I was 24. That was almost 30 years ago. I've been managing accounts and training people here for the last 20 of those years. He knows me pretty good, and can tell when I'm angry. We had a lengthy conversation about Edwards that night. We talked as I walked out of the building and locked it up. We talked as I walked to the truck and headed out of the parking lot. We talked until I was almost home. I'm not usually a vindictive person, but Edwards is a slacker. He never finishes anything, and always finds excuses to pass projects off to someone else. Don said he would talk to Edwards tomorrow. I laughed and said I'd give him $100 if Edwards showed up on Friday. Then I had to explain the 4 day weekend theory to Don. Don's a smart man. He would check with other people in the office, and get rid of anyone interfering with the flow of work. I felt a little guilty, but still it was a very bad day. I needed a beer and a shower.