The machines Did NOT win this day!

The terminators did not kill most of humanity, the master controller failed.
Today, i took charge and got all the unruly beasts back in line.
Our poor IT department was befuddled for days,
but they had bigger fish to fry than my little program.
When the servers went down, I was in the middle of some VBA tweaking and as a result my entire VBA for the database was corrupted.
The backup from IT did not help, but my CD copy did the trick.
The new machine with some firmware/software problems was brought into submission by the Service guy from the company and my argon tank is no longer leaking!
So the end of the world and machine domination is not yet!

A game of Chess

When I was younger, i loved to play chess and it helped that i was good at it.
I had a neighbor who was book learned in chess and played in tournaments,
I played for fun and did not study anything except the allowed moves.
I would regularly beat him.
I thought it was some kind of fluke, he was really into it and just enjoyed the game, so I would play others and would win way more than I lost.
I played a nationally ranked player when I was on vacation and we basically tied (1-1-1).
This is not about my ability to play chess, but I find myself in another chess game with work.
Some times it is a cat and mouse game, some times it is a game of strategy.
The other side has all the power pieces, but I seem to be making them squirm.
Today i delivered the letter from my doctor to my boss and found him squirming.
The bottom line is that they will try to do without the verification tests at this time and i do not need to come in on the week ends.
If any one challenges the tests to see if they were collected correctly or were kept at the proper temperature, there is no validation as of today and that is fine with me.
The reality was stated, "We need you here during the week and can not afford you to have a day off in the middle of the week, We will try this and see if they (the collectors of the samples) get it right."
I am leaving by 1 or 1:15 at the latest.
I feel better and I am laughing at the whole system.
Being civil service, there are limitations to what can happen.
There is a new administration coming in which is inheriting the actions taken to correct the problems found and is also frightened of the enormity of it, so much so that the political appointed position of "head of operations" (read public works here) will in all likelihood, remain on until the situation is resolved.
That gives more more bargaining power.
What is it i would really like?
The remain on in a part time capacity directing the work that the lab needs to do in the environmental area.
The easiest way for this to be accomplished?
To be allowed to retire in a disabled capacity (meaning I keep medical benefits) and be rehired in a supervisory capacity at 19 hours a week.
It has been done before and I am looking for the chance for it to happen again.
Meanwhile, the games go on and I, I am laughing!

Laughter

After a bad Monday (it was a day off, but my mind and eyesight were not being good to me), the rest of the week has been good.
I helped out my own personal charge (a person in a difficult place that has been brought into my life for whatever), found in roads into helping people understand the insanity that is the water testing we are doing and generally laughed a lot.
Laughter always helps and although I had to rest for a significant time after work (1 hour or more), I was seeing and walking better by Friday than I have in a while.
i only have to work on Saturday and will take off Wednesday next week.
So I would say it is a good week.
The weather is down right ugly, but besides it being cold, it is not effecting me or my spirits.
Good days/bad days, can I laugh through them?
That would be a really good thing.

An encounter

There is a saving grace in this life.
When I am taken to the store to do weekly shopping, I seek one person out.
It is because she laughs and has fun while we checkout.
I had been worn out by several weeks.
My eyesight appeared to be getting worse.
One trip to the store,
one brief moment with a person who knows how to laugh,
cleared my heart and thus my brain.
My double vision is back on its original path, slowly getting better.
I will seek out more laughter any where I can find it.
I will give it when ever.
This is something that keeps our hearts free.

Something to laugh at!

This morning, I had my 1 year follow up MRI.
Enough things happened that left me laughing.
First, the very beautiful Russian technician remembered me, she was the one who took the MRI which confirmed the blasted tumor.
Another lady took me to the MRI this time and I went in I started to get anxious.
Now, I only had 2 or 3 the past year without a problem. The very first one I had a bit of a problem, but thought of beautiful things and it quickly went away. This time that did not work. I thought I recognized why and as I was calm and going in the second time, I thought of... WORK!???
Why work? It calmed me, those analytical things I was working on distracted me and I was calm.
I though, my analytical, controlling mind is no longer predominate, the care free, creative mind is and the ANALYTICAL MIND is my ESCAPE. That made me laugh and put me in a good mood.
After I got to joke with both ladies and then one took me to "records" so i could get a CD of both sets of pictures (the one from when i had the tumor and now).
I have not reviewed either one, I am a bit nervous to see the monster in a clear view.
But maybe it was not such a monster, after all it has restored something i lost and brought more of that creative, free wheeling muse to the front.
Oh. heck, I will take seeing two of each those lovely ladies any time!