Overwhelmed

I'm only one person, just little old me,
I can't be in two places, though I wish I could be.
At first I had one job, it was easy to do,
But then came a second job, nothing terribly new.
And then a small wrinkle was thrown in the works,
As a third job was added by my bosses, those jerks.
Now, I'm trying my darndest to get it all done,
But I'm getting bogged down and I've lost all my fun.
But my bosses, it's true, are not wholly to blame,
I hate asking for help and I like holding the reins.
But I'm learning to accept help when it comes,
So today's a bit calmer than the three prior ones.
Hopefully soon my job count will be two,
And with a great sigh of relief I will say "phew!"


As you may have keyed in on from the poem above, work has been hectic of late. Somehow, over the past two weeks, I've found myself essentially working three jobs. Or trying to, anyway. It's not been easy and it's turned me into, what can kindly be called, a cranky pants. Luckily the person who was out for two weeks (which added the third job to my already crowded plate) is back and I will be down to two jobs on Monday. Thank goodness! The pace I was keeping was entirely unsustainable. Now to just find my next position so that I'm not stuck doing two jobs, one of which is a clerkship, forever...

The Worst Effing Day

What I now say won't sound fun and happy,
I just don't have that in me, this day is too crappy.
Last night was just awful, a night truly dour,
It made my mood both salty and sour.
But I thought for sure that today would be better,
A night of good sleep and I'd be unfettered.
But I woke up this morning feeling quite blue,
As if the world had instead said, "Lauren, f*** you."
Being a good sport, I was still willing to smile,
And hope it would improve in a small while.
But that didn't happen. Oh no, not at all,
Instead even worse was soon to befall.
Just hit after hit keeps coming my way,
Leading me to believe that this is the worst effing day.


In order of appearance...

1. A special showing of my favorite movie Labyrinth was occuring at OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) with a special 30 minute lecture beforehand by Toby Froud who played baby Toby in the movie, is a puppeteer himself and is the son of Brian Froud who designed all the creatures for Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal for Jim Hensen. Basically, the man is the son of genius. I even have a signed print by Brian Froud hanging up in my house. So I really wanted to go to this. I've been to most of the other movies in the Reel Science series OMSI puts on (Jaws, Jurassic Park, The Princess Bride, etc.) and while many were full, none sold out. Well, this was the one that sold out and I was turned away at the counter despite arriving very early. Hit one.
2. I arrived home after being turned away to find a letter from the Portland City Attorney's office addressed to "Laura Moser" (ummmm...hello? My name is Lauren) regretfully informing me that they have hired someone else for the job that I really, really wanted. Total bummer. Hit two.
3. That day I was supposed to have traveled down to SoCal to spend time with my family during my big sister's fourth chemo treatment and for my mother's birthday, but work kept me in Portland. Hit three.
4. The next morning I woke up and went to work. Hit four. (Work is always counted as a hit.)
5. My favorite author, Terry Pratchett, died today. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease several years ago and kept writing despite his illness, even releasing a book just last year. He died from natural causes associated with the disease. I first discovered Terry Pratchett sometime in college on a whim. My friend Mallory and I watched a movie that had this amazing preview for a strange looking film called Hogfather. We both thought it looked incredible and tried to find it at our local movie rental store (Elephant Pharmacy - this was Berkeley, CA after all) to no avail. Well, a year or so later I was randomly perusing the science fiction aisle at Borders (another fallen hero) when I came across a title that was instantly familiar to me...Hogfather by Terry Pratchett. Why, it was a book first! I thought to myself. I immediately bought the book and and was hooked from that point on. I now own almost every Discworld novel in hardback and have read them multiple times. His books are funny, satirical, biting, insightful, and thought provoking. I cannot believe that he is gone and will never write again. It's amazing how attached we grow to people that we have tangible connection to. I obviously never met Terry Pratchett, but I always felt like I knew him. He was a friend who transported me to this amazing realm and introduced me to some of my most beloved characters. When I need something to just pass the time, to give me a laugh, or improve my mood, I reach for anything written by Terry Pratchett. And now that he's gone it feels as though I've lost a close friend. Hit five.
6. I wasn't with my sister during her fourth chemo treatment. Hit six.
7. One of my best friends at my current job is leaving for her next position at a downtown Portland civil litigation firm. She is ready and eager for this new job and I know she will be absolutely amazing. And she's still going to be close enough for us to meet up for lunch and fun after work. But it won't be the same. We won't be able to instant message each other during the day any more and I won't be able to run up the two flights of stairs to her Courtroom to just hang out when we both have free time. I'm really happy for her and so excited at this opportunity, but I'm also sad. Hit seven.

I'm now trying to come to terms with all of this. I allowed myself today to wallow, be a general grump, and embrace a woe-is-me attitude. Tomorrow though I will buck up and get over it. On to bigger and better things. Look out, world! 'Cause I will not let this stand.