The Final Grinddown

It isn't a countdown this week, it is going to be a grind down. There is a three week break pending at the end of this week and a ton of work that needs to get done before it hits. And not enough man and woman power to get it all done which means some projects, even some high profile and important projects are just not going to get finished. Heck, some of them aren't even going to get started.

One of the hardest aspects of my current position, aside from having effectively, five bosses, is that my time on site is so limited and there are always fires to put out or other priorities that derail attempts to complete stagnant projects. And those stagnant projects get pushed a little further back each time they are shuffled off.

So much to do, not enough time to get it all done and sometimes that realization can paralyze me in the gates. Which project to pick up? Which project to ignore? Which teacher to wave off, which one to help? My job is nothing if not a constantly shifting mass of obligations, partially fixed problems, request for rights and scrounging up of parts because ordering them would take more than a month if the order actually passes through the freeze committee that has to approve of every single purchase.

In other news, it appears that I will come in second in our neighborhood football pool again. This will make the fourth or fifth week this season I've just barely missed the money spot. The upside to this is that I will likely move into first overall which would be okay with me so long as I can hold on to it for the overall win. Otherwise I paid a lot of money and didn't get jack squat in return. And I'm not really a fan of the jack squat when I want me some jack scratch, ya know?

We are engaged in the house hunting process trying to find a smaller house but closer to Santa Cruz. Reduction in monthlies is the goal but the secondary goal is to get closer to our friends, mountain bike trails and away from Watsonville which has never really made me feel totally comfortable and settled. And there is the whole pain in the ass of having to load up my car with my bike to get on some trails. I'm tired of that crap, for sure.

Anyway, time to get the lead out, do some software installs, make tech behave and then go do it some more at another school this afternoon. Can you tell how excited I am about this week? No? There's a reason for that.

I Know Why They Call It A Break

I officially went on winter break yesterday. Unofficially I went on winter break on Thursday because I called in sick because of an acute lack of sleep and the fact that I'm fighting a sinus infection or something that packs my head full of snot every night. It probably isn't an infection but it certainly does a bang up job of ruining my sleep.

The only thing breaking here is me.

When does life ease the fuck up and get a little easier? What can I do to facilitate the process because I'm so thoroughly sick and tired of battling through each and every day and still falling further and further behind.

I know I should look up at all the good things in my life but sometimes you just want to get right down and wallow in the filth and bitch and moan for a little while even if it does no good.

Of course, I can't be completely open and honest here because the real life repercussions would make my life suck even more. And that would be a difficult feat these days. And I'm not quite stupid enough to intentionally make myself more miserable than I already am.

But I'll probably get a rash of shit even for posting this.

Two More Days

I have two more, very full busy days of work left before the school district goes on winter break. I have been running around nearly full time all day every day this week and am so ready for a break that I can't even begin to tell you.

Which is, of course, part of the reason why posting has been a little bit on the light side lately.

Too many tasks, not enough time makes Erik a rather frustrated boy. I better get some saddle time in this weekend or I might just go postal.

Last Day of School

Today is the last day of my contract with the school for the year. Which means tomorrow is the first day of my summer vacation. Only it won't be much of a vacation because I will be either working on projects or watching the kids so my wife can work on projects.

I spent about ten minutes listing out some projects I'd like to tackle during this break and it quickly spanned the length of the page. Not all of them are things I can tackle, like the electrical and plumbing work, but the majority of them are going to be all on me. Which is totally fine.

But the list will have to wait until Thursday at the earliest as we are going up to the city tomorrow to do a zoo and Exploratorium day with the boys. It will be a good break to get away from the house, go do something fun as a family and I've heard nothing but fantastic things about the Exploratorium (with the exception of the fact that it gets crowded but everything does these days). We're also going to be staying at a cool hotel for the night which will be fun too. And I think there are some cable cars in the schedule as well.

It really has taken a huge load of my shoulders to know that I've got a contract for the fall. It doesn't necessarily mean I'll be working full-time but it means I have options open to me and I can pursue other avenues without the taint of desperation hanging over me (which makes any sell about ten times harder).

Not that I especially want to change jobs but I owe it to my family to keep an eye out for a better paying position back in my regular line of work. I am looking forward to possibly being able to sleep in a bit more as this whole getting up well before 7 got old after about two days (and yes, I know I could be setting myself up for an even earlier wake up time with a new job).