Belated Snippets

In no particular order, I present the following:

Parental Visit
"Hey," I picked up my phone after seeing Mom's number flash across the display. "What's up?" I nodded and said that'd be great when she said she'd changed her mind and wanted to spend the weekend at my place after all. So she and Dad arrived last night and woke at 6 this morning.

Before noon, we'd fixed the dog door (Look, blogfriends! No duct tape!), built 5 shelves (that are gorgeous and match the woodwork in the house), shopped for suitable living room chairs (Nothing. Still.) and bought a dining room table. Amidst the building, there was much unpacking of books - I feel more settled now. So it was good to spend the day working rather than sleeping.

Pushing Back
"I'm sorry you won't be a part of our solution," I wrote when someone informed me he wouldn't make a meeting he requested. I'm done being sweet and kind and dealing with people's timelines. If it doesn't work, I'm saying so. The alternative is simply too time consuming and I'm buried under work.

The recipient of my message has decided to arrive as scheduled.

Making Progress
"Thank you," I said sincerely, rising to shake a man's hand as he left a meeting I called. "It was lovely to meet you and I appreciate you taking the time to talk." He smiled back at me and my tummy fluttered happily at the potential of one of my projects. I think this is important. And I'm excited about being part of it, even if said part is more coordination then coding.

Within the last week, the most daunting facet of my job came into focus. I had a meeting, took multiple phone calls, gained some visibility and finally feel capable of tackling some of the larger issues.

And One Step Back
"No," I moaned when someone stopped me in the hall to say she was stopping one of the projects I was dearly hoping to expand. She went into how much work it is and legal ramifications and why it's better to take a break.

"I'll do it," I offered, thinking as quickly as I could about schedules and ownership and risk/benefit. "I think it's important - vital, actually. So I won't let it die." She nodded, looking sympathetic for a moment and I sighed before going back to my desk and making some notes. I could be wrong here, but I think this particular concept is high profile and important. I believe I've adapted to the corporate culture enough to want to be part of something big. And this might be it.

I just have no idea when I'm going to deal with all of this.

Sprout's Freedom
"Hey, buddy," I murmured when I felt the bed move beneath the cat's weight. "Outside again, huh?" I asked, feeling soaked rather than soft fur when I reached to pet him. He snuggled next to my side, and I sighed as I felt the moisture soak through my shirt. But I went back to sleep, awakened each time Sprout returned to purr happily and inform me of his adventures out into the rainy night.

The new dog door is composed of a flexible plastic cover over a large opening. I knew Sprout would take advantage of the opportunity. He's a hunter at heart and dearly missed being outside. So though I know there are a multitude of reasons why it's a bad idea for both of us (he could get hit by a car, I could wake up with a half-dead, partially-eaten mouse in the middle of the night), I'm going to go with it. I don't have an alternate solution, the neighborhood is rather quiet and safe and he'll be a happier cat during his likely-shorter life.