What a Week!

Here I am at the start of a three day weekend (except, of course, for church). The break from the secular job is much needed as the pressure of getting things up and running is about wear me out. That's not to say that it is entirely my responsibility -- there are better paid people than I to have the final call on things. However, I am in a position of having to deal with local management who has expectations (I believe them to be a bit unrealistic, but hey -- I'm only a grunt so who cares). Then we have to deal with co-workers from the other side of the world by email and instant messaging whose "way of doing things" impedes the achievement of those expectations. Then there are the people who work with me. We have a team of 11. Management has figured out that this is too small a group to achieve the desired result so they are adding a few folks. Then we got the news that one of the better team members is leaving next week to take another job. OUCH! Add to that the fact that our team absentee rate seems to be among the highest of any job I've ever had and you can imagine the chaos. We have been short one, two, or even three team members every day since the start of this project. Add to that the ever changing processes, and you can begin to see why my stress level is at its apex. Since I am one of two folks scheduled the latest, we have to stay to make sure that all the work put before us for the day is completed. Yesterday was a ten hour day with lunch at my desk while continuing to work. Poor Ben had to keep himself entertained since my workload made me nearly two hours late picking him up after work. He was so good about it and didn't complain, but even though it wasn't my fault, I sure felt a good case of the guilty's. Today will be sermon day (and I hope a little R&R), tomorrow is church and then I am OFF on Monday before heading back to the grindstone on Tuesday. I sure hope that things balance out or I may lose my cool! Can't afford to chuck the job -- the creditors would just not understand. Ah well, this too shall pass -- like a kidney stone!! Hug someone.