Just another manic Wednesday

This has to have been one of the worst days I can remember having, largely because I block out the bad ones. Unbelievable it was.  Disclaimer: nobody was hurt, killed, or fired and the sun will still shine in the morning (unless it’s raining). 

My phone began ringing at 6:00 am with driver problems and truly did not stop till nine this evening.  This is not hyperbole, as of 3:00 pm I had well over 100 calls on today’s call log (quick math: averaging 3 minutes per call x 100 calls = 5 hours on the phone).  Making the work day more difficult, my laptop decided to take the day off and just not work.  After restarting several times with no improvement, I realized it wasn’t just Windows being Windows; and something more serious was going on.  Looking at the task manager performance tab, I realized my processors were running continuously at 100% while the laptop was at idle (this is not a good thing).  While trying to get my work computer useable, I was doing as much of my work as was possible using my home PC.  Until… I decided to restart my wireless router, thinking that could have been the cause of my laptop’s unholy possession.  This did not fix my laptop, but it did stop my home PC from being able to connect to the internet (I have a fancy but very fickle router).  So at three in the afternoon, I was dead in the water and had time sensitive work that needed to be completed SOON.  Being the dedicated worker that I am, I got in my car and drove IN TRAFFIC for over an hour to the office.  I figured if my laptop wouldn’t work, I could at least use someone else’s computer (everyone else had already left the office for the day).  Of course it worked just fine as soon as I got to the office. 

Once at the office, I had to go online to buy Idaho trip permits for two drivers who were leaving tonight for Jerome, ID.  Midway through filling out the online form I realized I was missing information and had to go out to the yard (where the trucks park) to obtain the VIN number for one of the trailers.  This was when the monsoon began: gusting winds bending trees sideways, voluminous rain intermittently mixed with hail whipping against my flesh, and completely drenching my white polo to translucent in less than a minute.  No big deal I thought, “you just have to run out to that trailer, then you can go right back in and dry off… maybe make yourself some hot cocoa for the effort”.  Well the door to the office locked behind me, creating a chasm between me, my dry office, and more importantly my laptop, my wallet, my clipboard and my keys.  Did I mention this was 4:45 pm, and the freezing-cold tropical storm had caused a smattering of traffic accidents all along any route I could conceivably take to get someone else’s keys. 

My only redemption was that I keep a spare car key inside my car, which has the key to my front door on it (due to a previous lesson learned experience).  So I cut my losses – at substantial – had my boss complete the forms (at least I had the VIN number now), and drove home for over two hours in the worst traffic I have ever seen.

There’s kind of a funny part two to this story of wah…  coming soon.