How a good day went bad...

~Dec. 11, 2002~

Well, today started off well. I've been in a good mood for the last few days, and today was no different. Had the Admiral's brief, so was looking forward to that, as I enjoy doing it. Well, that changed today. But let me back up...

Last night was great! We had so much fun with the tree. *smiles* Craig came over, a bit later than expected, so I started the boys a bit early. I'd pull the ornament, big chunky Disney character ones that a child loves and a parent likes just because if it breaks, it's no large loss. I'd give Jared one, he's run to Craig who would pick him up and help him put it on. While that was going on, I'd get Tristan an ornament. This worked really well. Everyone had a ball. After that, Craig played with the boys some right before bed, which worked them up and they were awake until quarter to 10, but oh well. Such is life. The two of us were going to put the tinsel and tree topper on, but sat down to watch Fight Club, as he's never seen it, and ended up falling asleep on the couch. This excersize seems to have been rough on both of us.

So came to work this morning after a good evening with the boys, and looking forward to doing one of the things I really enjoy about my job. And things were going smoothly except for a slight bump with Wonderboy until shortly before we were supposed to send the slides off to the brief coordinating officer when Chief shows up and wants a few changes made...

Now, for those that don't know my Chief, we call him the Evil One with good reason. Ever seen Office Space? Know the boss that everyone hates? Yea, that's my Chief. Real slimy bastard...

So he comes up and looks at the slides, and based on a temporary weather condition that would only effect the "mission" for short spans of time, he decides that is what should be made the dominate feature, since it's usually what makes things unfavorable, so all of a sudden areas that would have marginal impacts to the operations are coded red and showing that everything will be hindered to the point of the ops should be cancelled. And this, not being what I forecasted, is now what I have to brief and figure out how to explain it, 'cause I knew people would look at this slide covered in red and think death and destruction. Niiiice...

To say I was pissed is putting it mildly. I let the LT know so he wouldn't freak during the brief, and than worked on figuring out how to sound believable when the sat picture is saying one thing, and the text write up is something 180 out. Not easy, and to have to tell an Admiral that when it's obviously wrong is not a fun thing.

So I work it all out on how to make this sound like I'm not totally out to lunch in my forecasting abilities, go into the brief, and when that slide came up, it was a different slide all together! So after a brief pause where I was a bit dumbfounded, I figured out what to say, and hoped that no one saw me stumble. No such luck, but oh well. C'est la vie.

Than, just before lunch, the Evil One comes in with the info on what's going to happen regarding the watchbill and such in January, which everyone has been wondering about, as no one knows. Well, it seems that I'll be going to the flightline side for sure, but the hours will totally suck. I'll either be on a shift from 5-5, the day shift, or the eve shift, 12-Midnight.

Now, this on bothers me because of the boys. If I work even 2 eve shifts in a row, I won't be getting to pick them up until 12:30am, which means I'd wake up an entire household to get the boys. Than home by 1-ish, in bed roughly 1:20, after settling the boys down and getting ready myself. Well, the boys would than wake up at 5:30. Than back at the sitters by 11:00 to make the 11:45 show up time. That's one option.

The other is that I don't get them between shifts. Drop them off at 11:00 the first day, leave them with Maria overnight, go to work the next day, leaving them with Maria again, than pick them up at 12:30 that night, or the am the next day. So I wouldn't even see them for 2 days. And that would just be a 2 day schedule. Imagine that with 3 or 4 days working.

So either I get no sleep, or I don't see my children for days at a time. Neither of which is acceptable to me. Yet if this is what comes out with the watchbill, I won't have any choice in the matter. None. Zip, zilch, nada.

I went to lunch with the guys, and in telling one of them, a single dad who understands the issues I deal with, I damn near cried. I can't go without sleep, basic human need, nor can I go without seeing my boys for a couple days. Yea, sure, I could visit them in between waking up and heading to work, but how fair would that be to Maria and them? That would only make things more difficult for her. They'd want to come with me, and I'd have to leave them anyway.

So now I'm sitting here, in a bit of a melancholy mood, hating this place again, and wishing I could just go home.

Oh yea, I'm also sick, so that doesn't help things any. So a day that had a really good start went downhill rapidly. And since I have a 4:30 meeting with the XO, and I'm supposed to leave at 5, it's not going to get much better. Wonder what time I'll even get home tonight...

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