Terrorized On Tuesday

2000

Monday - Tuesday - Wednesday last week I was slated to attend a seminar - Advanced Chip Synthesis - because I am going to teach it for the first time on the 17th-18th and 19th of this month.
Impossible.
It takes three months to come up to speed on a new seminar. Regardless of how many years of experience I have (over 30). Years.
So Monday I hurried out of the house earlier than usual - well, I tried to hurry out of the house. Moving a slow 18 year old off to college when his first class is 9AM is tricky - he can't see why he needs to go early. His internal clock can't be rushed.
Actually, he set his alarm for 5AM and made sure I was up. Then he slowed down. Or I did.
We stumbled along our merry way - I had to get gas (of course).
And then wind my way through 880-237 freeway traffic (at the blinding speed of 2 miles per hour) and made it to the seminar - just as it was starting.
I have a firm rule - bathroom, coffee, then enter class. In that order. 90 minutes driving will cause an older woman to run into the building on most mornings. That does not, however, preclude the need for a second cup - even if it is decafe.
And I was intense. I had the notes from my sit-in one month back and I took new notes (new color ink) on top of those.
Intense means you are not allowed to rest at any time.
On break, I checked on my cover information. I was just finishing the cover for Jettison. I had worked all weekend on my taxes and my cover.
Also intense. I learned Quark quickly. I am still insecure with it.
So basically, I had started the week a tad tired. Just a tad.
Mondays I get to go home, wait around, and drive back to the campus, and sit and wait for the kid to come out (walking with a young lady) at about 10PM. The time from 5AM to 10PM is long.
This Monday I finished the cover between work and pick up.
In a coma, we return to the house by 10:30PM - and he requires feeding. As did the dog, rabbits and cats.
I fall into bed and repeat this process on Tuesday.
Lunch time on Tuesday is mail the cover. The guy at the Postal Express knows me well by now. I must have spent $500 on mailing things hither and yon.
On Tuesday - my son has determined that he will enter the art show at college and needs to have things framed. But he was too tired to do this on the week-end. And, yes, I did remind him.
I cut out of the lab (so I got to leave work at my normal departure instead of late) and beat it to the Art store by 5PM - my son had walked down. The store would close by 5:30 so it was rush rush for several minutes to get things framed. Best ones first.
Then on to the house - across Fremont - drop off the "done" ones, grab food and head for another store. Aaron's Brothers Art Store - which, because it was Tuesday and I needed them open, had decided to do inventory (this happens in California) and were closing at 7PM. We got there at 6:50PM. Ooops.
Well, we had made a run to the mall to drop off film he wanted developed before we went to the second art store.
We grab three frames but they had no matting. All entries needed matting.
We went to Michael's - but they don't sell matting and wanted 10-14 days. His entries are due tomorrow. He picked up construction paper.
So, back to the mall for the photos - we cleared that store by 9PM. In the meantime, I had walked the mall and located potential photo frames if Ritz didn't have them. (They did. Just enough.)
I am getting punchy.
We made a stop at Long's (these stores are across overpasses - I felt like a yo-yo - up and down the street).
Pens. Razor. Something. My medication.
Home by 10:45PM, my son tried to cut his own mats from construction paper, but he was too tired.
What's a mother to do?
Wednesday morning it was struggle up - but the art store wouldn't open until 10AM - so the kid goes to class and I go to the grocery store - can't waste time.
I made it round the aisles in record time, threw the perishables in the fridge and made it to the art store at 10:01AM. He had just walked in. The owner.
We framed. Three. Lovely. We were done by 12:00 - and I headed up to campus.
Did I say I also made two sandwiches for my kid - after I went to the grocery store - because we had been out of lunch meat. He eats it by the package.
By noon, or shortly thereafter, I met up with the kid and delivered the artwork and his lunch and supper (because Wednesday I also pick him up late) and headed back to work. I missed three sections (ones I am not planning to teach this time - I am co-teaching). I sit in for the ending of the seminar.
I am back on campus to get him by 9PM - too tired to spit. My chirpy son declares - I gotta love him.
I tell him to pass the damn driving test.
I am crabby when tired.
I am terrible when this tired!
By Thursday I am too tired to see straight and I decide the time has come. I deliver the tax stuff to the CPA ($30,000+ in deductions - not counting two refinances on the two houses) and decide Fry's is next. I go in for a Zip drive for the NT. I get the zip drive, three zip disks formatted for PC (IBM format) and, oh gee whiz, the upgrade for the Mac for Freehand (version 9 - I haven't even played with 8!) and Dreamweaver 3 for the Mac (upgrade). I use Dreamweaver now for the websites. I still screw up the templates.
I get to work and, after doing other things, install the zip drive.
I also, God Forbid and batten down the hatches, drink REAL coffee.
It takes an hour to bring up the zip drive - support was no help. Turns out the CD is incompatible with the NT which runs Office 98 and service pak 4. Office 2000 is popping up everywhere (Synopsys doesn't change over until it has tested the product and trained the support people. Good.)
So I do the intelligent thing - I go to the web. After reading the manual. Which said, go to the web.
I downloaded the core software and --- it worked!
I load the Advanced Chip files (all of them) onto the zip cartridge.
I put it in my purse.
On the way out, I stopped to mail the new StarLog ad - again at Postal Express. Did I mention that I laid that out Wednesday night? In under two hours?
Intense.
When I picked up my son he informed me that the students and the teacher want him to enter two more things in the contest.
Oh my!
Not tonight! I am falling asleep driving home! I need rest!
Friday - I will work at home. I get up and give up - He's doing his talk Mommy into it routine - I drag my kid back to the art store - we have until 11 - and we again do the rush frame thing (using the frames we bought at Aaron's). By 11AM I drop him at the college and he stays to work. I am to come back at 5PM - or he will call.
I go home - to peace and quiet - and load MacLink Plus - Version 11 onto the G4.
And I read the PC zip files right in! Go Mac!
I manage to prep modules 1,2, 3. Right on the Mac! (This involves displaying the notes version and rehearsing what to say. Works better on the 21" Studio Monitor on the G4 than on the 21" monitor on the PC.)
Lovely!
I did more work in a few hours on the Mac than I had done in days on the PC in the noise vortex I work in.
I am now happy.
Exhausted, but happy.
I rounded up my kid and resumed checking my files.
My son made the mistake of asking for something else.
The straw that.....
Did I say I had been drinking real coffee?
I screamed for an hour. When I work, I work. I am not disturbable.
It's why I don't want to be in the cubicle. Too distracting.
I was still screaming Saturday. (I am not supposed to have real coffee. This is why.)
My son stayed in his room for the rest of the weekend - except for feeding.
I did take him out to a movie Saturday - I needed a break.
I also got some sleep.
And I went back to decafe.