Heading South

I'm not supposed to be blogging today, because I'm supposed to focus on preparations for my first business trip in over five years. A colleague and I are flying to Atlanta, to Emory University, in the morning to present the Foundation's data set that I've been working on for the last four years. It's been one of those rat-race crazy days of "presentation prep" as well as usual work stuff and getting ready to be gone for two days. Haven't even tackled what I need to on the home front yet. I'm going to need chocolate and coffee...and twizzlers. Here's how my day has gone so far...

1. I'm on the phone (already late for a lunch date with a friend and her daughter) explaining our building's complicated security code system to a new user when three calls come in. I see that one call is from David. He doesn't usually call me unless it's something real important, so I look for my cell phone to call him back on my way out. Can't find my cell phone.

2. Quickly check the three messages and David's is to notify me that I've left my cell phone at home.

3. Another one is regarding something I should have followed up with yesterday and the third is from a business partner that needs a signature today (he's sorry for the late notice).

4. I'm out for several hours at lunchtime. Lunch is great with Jen and Calla, but I get turned around at Crabtree Valley mall and spend between 15 and 20 minutes looking for my car. (Jen, you can laugh now...I went to the wrong parking lot exit)

5. Got the important papers signed, ran another "pre-trip-work-related" errand and am now back at work putting these training notebooks together.

6. Easy enough you'd think but I'm working with "spine insert" templates and "tab" templates and have spent way too long going back and forth between pre-formatted and blank templates. Finally get these printed correctly, (because they have to be correct), and now I'm to the point of copying the mounds of paper that go in each notebook. It's times like these that I wish I had an assistant. I realize I am the assistant. I'm the assistant, the director and the research associate. Will I get home at a decent hour tonight?

7. I've just raided the pre-school's candy jar. I have an open invitation to get candy whenever I want, but I usually wait until most of the staff is gone. I want it to appear that I have lots of will power and that I can resist candy. I usually can, but not when I'm stressed and under deadlines.

8. I've just eaten 2 mini Mr. Goodbars, 1 Crackle, and 4 mini Reese's peanut butter cups...in about 20 seconds. It reminds me of the time Kate babysat for Grace and Johnny Valentine's Day 2004...I left a whole bag of Hershey's kisses out and said, "Help yourself." She ate the whole dang bag...and I secretly knew she would...and even more secretly hoped she would. That's terrible.