sdrawkcaB

Today (Sunday) has been backwards. Seriously. So I suppose that you would like the apropos background information so that relevance can be established to support the claim that today was sdrawcab.

The story actually starts on Friday. I’ve been pulling a couple of all-nighters to get some serious shit done such as the Cornerstone DVD. Friday was just a bad day all around. I mean it started off good. Thursday afternoon I received a phone call from the Arte during which we discussed project specifics as well as set up a meeting time for a hands-on conversation about specific specifics. It was, to say the least, reliving to finally hear from the Arte.

When I went into work Thursday, I felt like shit. Didn’t get much sleep Wednesday night. In fact, I think it was only an hour or two and then I got a call to go help an old CS buddy with his homework. It was during this tutoring session that I received said phone call. For what it’s worth, I saw a lot of old UAH buddies and attempted to set up a dinner with a few of them. One can’t make it, and I don’t have a way to reach the other two. I had asked if they would set it up. Still waiting to hear back on that one. Oh yeah, stopped by the SysAdmin office. I think the Senior SysAdmin might hire me finally if there were another position open, knowing full well that I’d need training.

SO…Thursday evening I felt like shit at work. I mean I was dragging. The tips were excellent considering the work that felt/”know” I did. But I talked to that girl again…just said keep Saturday night open and left. Wasn’t too affable that night.

Friday wasn’t much better. Still lethargic. Set up an appointment on Saturday to talk about the web project…that’s a joke. One picture and four lines of text. And they aren’t even full sentences! But I asked—what shall we call her?—Susan (i.e. Susan Parrish. And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, you’re deprived.) if she wanted to go to Friday’s Saturday evening, just the two of us. She consented.

Ok, kewl. Saturday would be for personal business…the website, the Arte, potentially the Big Project (BP—oh the irony!) and most importantly Claire Forlani, er, Susan Parrish. The website meeting was boring, but hey it was free food. The Arte ment going to Madison, but that was ok cause it meant leaving Huntsville. Found out that the stipend might be half of what was initially offered, but I still want to help. Resume/scholarship material.

After the Arte meeting, I went home to clean the apartment, a task that hadn’t been completed since move-in. Minus vacuuming (cause I don’t own a vacuum) and dishes, I got the entire place looking presentable. Impressive, considering that clean time was under 1.5 hours.

Went down to the workplace to see if she was still there as her out time was indeterminate since it was based on volume. Needless to say there was a lot of volume when I arrived what I thought was a half-hour behind schedule. Note that there wasn’t a time set in stone, but I did say that I would appear. Arrived at 2030, parking lot was packed. Communicated a few points of the Big Project to a teammeber until 2130, then decided to brave all and enter the building.

Of course, everyone wanted to know what I was up to. Even shook hands with the GM. After I spoke to Susan for a grand total of 120 seconds, I left the building. Let me tell you, she looked like shit. I mean like death warmed over shit. Said she was faint but that she hadn’t had anything to eat all day and would call me after she had showered and was ready.

Went to Chris’ to sweat it out fearing that I had at last blundered by showing up at the workplace when I shouldn’t have. This was on top of a random call made to her last week to see if she wanted to watch a movie.

Fone call at 2330. Said she felt terrible, apologized for not being able to make it, and said she’d see me in two weeks cause she was going home (New York) for Fall Break. Instead of the atypical fuck off, I got a “I really want to get to know you” response. While I think that she normally has plans every night, I think she is like a hard working college student that I’ve heard a lot of stories about: Sunday evening through Thursday evening are spent on studies, weekends are free if caught up. Certainly that’s the work schedule anyway.

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS
You are now properly informed to know why today was so backwards. When I went to Chris’ to hang out, I bumped into the Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper. We got to talking about the Arte and he said that the Pub Board was angry with the Arte cause it hadn’t printed yet. He also said that the Arte’s advisor quit because none of the Arte staff had showed up. Well, for what’s it’s worth, my contact is the only person who is actively working on the Arte, so the Editor-in-Chief for the Arte was probably notified about the meeting, but didn’t forward the memo. Called my Arte contact to relay the info. She was pissed to say the least. Sent a very nasty email to the Editor-in-Chief of the Arte. This is only the beginning.

Walked into chaos and udder pandemonium at work. Was in a daze the whole time. WTF would be a good way to describe work today. My mind was racing trying to solve the problem of seating the guests and making sure there were servers to cover the tables, but chaos reigned king.

As soon as the GM left, all hell broke loose. There wasn’t a competent manger on the floor. Indeed, for quite an extended period of time there wasn’t even a manger on the floor. Huge parties walked in with no place to go. The GM didn’t cut people like he should have, hoping that the dinner shift would just show up and relieve the lunch shift. No such luck. Three sections got shuffled as to who was working where because relief wouldn’t come. A serer was on the floor chart but wasn’t scheduled. Another just up and left for the hell of it, leaving three holes in the floor.

The entire time I wanted to call Susan and see if she was feeling better. It was my intention to leave her a card, potentially some flower, and potentially some chicken noodle soup at the front desk and have them call her to pick up her package as I was walking out the door.

When I did try to get a hold of her, I only go her voicemail. I don’t think that she updated the voicemail greeting from last year’s resident, because it wasn’t even her name. Made me kinda wonder if she was giving me the runaround with phone numbers. This was even more frustrating.

Two hours later, I was commanded to go on break or else. Ran an errand for work and was told I could go home. Called Susan, this time she answered. She’s doing much better, so there’s no need for cards and flowers. She thought that it was sweet and thoughtful that I called to check up on her. Told her about how she should be glad she wasn’t at work today.

Then I got in touch with the Arte. I need to scan in the photos. The plan was there were supposed to be hand delivered to work this morning. No go. Then I was supposed to pick them up. Well, I never got the call informing me that everything was in place to get the photos. Now it looks like I’ll have to wait a minimum of a week if not two to get a hold of them. Can’t do any layout without them which sux because we won’t have anything to show the Pub Board in the mean time.

Overall, I’m not too upset about this weekend. So there’s a hitch with the Arte and I didn’t get the date as promised. But it wasn’t a standup, honest. In fact, (and I know I’m not reading anything into this at all) from the sound of things she’s really interested in me too. Why else no fuck you and why bother telling me that she was going out of town, eh? I know I know, just relax. I am. Just wanted to provide evidence in support of my point.

Had dinner with a neighbor who is having girl problems at the moment. The entire time that he was moping all I could do is smile cause I know that there’s a chic out there who cares about me. I kept looking beside me in the booth we were sitting in expecting to find her sitting there for me to wrap my arm around. I do believe that I have found what I’m looking for this time around and I’m armed to the brim with tools: play it cool, act normal, be yourself, etc. In the words of Hitch

HITCH