The third shift

I guess this would be called the third shift (I did it last night, too) -- "going" back to work after I put the kids to bed. But tonight I am procrastinating. I am burnt out from the third shift. We had Pasta Night tonight, and celebrated three birthdays (with lemon bars, chocolate chip brownies, and monkey bread)! Six ladies and nine kids altogether, and miraculously, my house didn't get too messed up. My own kids were a little sassy, which I imagine is normal when it's their house, but I do not let them get away with it. They also are very "needy" right when we get home and I am trying to cook, so thank God Grandma was here to help tonight, and to pick up the Bigs from Extended Day, because I was cutting it close to 6:00. I just want to get through the first shift, so I can enjoy the second shift. Never mind the third shift. Just never mind. Work will always be there tomorrow, right?

Tomorrow I will be driving my youngest to daycare, so I ought to check my calendar anyway to find out what I have to do tomorrow morning, and how long he can hang out at home with me. I told him we'd go to the supermarket to get some fruit snacks for the front desk drawer at school. It seems that *everyone* knows about the stash of fruit snacks, and the two boxes we bought last week are long gone.

Today I was on a customer interview and my manager IMed me and asked me to send him a few sentences about the implementation (I publish customer success stories for my day job). I said, "hang on, I'm on the conference call now." He pressed a couple of times, and I asked him if he could wait, we were talking about benefits and metrics. Finally I had to say, "Can you give me five minutes?" He did, but I took longer than that, to write about 300 words. I pinged it back and he asked for something shorter. I asked him what was the audience, so I'd know what to cut. I mean, is it product focused, 30,ooo foot view, what...?? Then he said never mind, he'd sent it (to his boss's boss's boss). Then a little while later, he pinged me again and asked when is the case study interview. I said, "I was just on it!" and then "Let me know if you need anything else, I took really good notes until the end..." I delivered the write up in real time, basically. Sometimes I amaze myself.

Okay, well, I can't write any more about that. I just need to get it over with and take a quick look at my work...I might as well, it's renting enough space in my head.