Art of the Odd

Actually, I think it was time for bed about an hour ago. I’ve got more work I should be doing, but I can’t face it. I’ve got a headache, I’m cold (the cat is, too — she’s gotten quite aggressive about trying to be in my lap), and I need sleep.

Because I was working, I didn’t go to Melanie’s class tonight, which left me a bit of time to cook dinner — we had deer chops with garlic, leek, bell pepper and sweet potato, plus salad. Took about half an hour to make (I just sauteed everything in the oil left over from the sausages we had Sunday night, then simmered it in a tiny bit of vegetable broth), and between the garlic and the Italian sausage oil, didn’t require any other seasoning. I’m very happy with it.

I’m finishing up a job the client’s decided they just had to have tomorrow — they gave it to me yesterday. I’ve got two more due next week, before Thanksgiving. I see the annual, “We have to have this before the holiday, so we can ignore it until after the holiday” rush is starting early this year.

One of the few drawbacks to telecommuting is that my cell phone is also my office phone.

It rang at 6 o’clock this morning.

This woke me up.

Then it beeped, to let me know I’d missed a call, and dinged, to let me know I had voicemail.

Of course I had to get up and see who it was.

It was a client, wondering how much we’d charged him for a job we’d done months ago. Apparently, he didn’t realize I was in an earlier time zone.

At 8 o’clock, it rang again. I was awake this time, but not in the mood. More voice mail. Another client, asking a question about a job I finished a few days ago.

8:30 AM. I logged in to work, to find an email from another client, wanting an update, and yet another client, wanting to add onto a job.

And one from my manager, wondering if I’d answered the client who wanted an update, quickly followed by another wondering if I’d started working on the add-on.

I emailed him back. I explained which emails I’d sent, and who I had to call. I noted that the cat had just puked in my office, and I’d had to clean that up. I suggested that I might just go back to bed and start over. He thought it was funny, about the cat.

Then I realized that the 6 AM phone call had been about a job someone else in my department had completed, and emailed my manager. He said he’d already dealt with it — the client had called everyone.

But the rest of the day was quiet, and for this, I am grateful.