Good morning!

I'm awake, I'm at work, M. brought chocolate.

Not a bad start to the day. Time to regroup from last week, take inventory of what needs to be done and what is done, and get back to it. More effectively than I have been, that is.

I have a blueberry bagel for later today; I have myrtlewood perfume in my hair again; I still have the unlit candle on my windowsill.

Pager.

Oh, yeah. I have the pager for two weeks now.

Joy. I'm glad I went to the Gardens on Friday, because that was my last shot at going after work this month. (The Gardens go to their limited fall and winter hours at the end of this month - and I give up the pager again early next month. By then, they'l be closing before I get to leave work.)

On the other hand, weekend visits become more practical now that the weather starts to turn. At least, for weeks when I don't have the pager.

And someone tell my stomach to settle. I have a long to-do list at work today, and I will not have it interfered with.

Someone isn't returning my calls...

...and I want to finish the hiring process and start training someone. Please!

...hey.

"Must be at ease in a crab suit...with multifunctional...legs...."

I have got to get a tape and record some of the commercials running on the radio these days.

They're scary!

Better.

Confirmed status of hiring efforts (must make me pester each time to find out?). Did some training scenarios (breaking things: much fun). Completed estimates on when changes will be in the system by, said was very tentative.

Checked on site I am monitoring, they are still good. Think I can stop monitoring them if this continues! Un-sludged from Monday morning email blitz. (And this is a small company. Scary. Well, okay, a mid-sized, but we're not Intel. I wonder what the Monday-morning email pile is like at an Intel or a Xerox.)

Now, off to change the fish's water, then back to see if I can complete my current change set this afternoon. (Fat chance: four hours' work or so remaining; 1 hour to complete it in, and change the fish's water. But hey, might as well try!)

Arrrgh.

You know, I really like things to be nice and simple and easy and polite. So we make a "we're going to offer" gesture to the guy we've picked, who survived a couple rounds of interviews and a technical test....

...and he tells us that he doesn't think he's a "fit" for the job and really only wants to work in C++, not plain C, or on the stuff we're doing, but he knows some people whose experience might suit and he'll have them send their resumes in.

Ack. According to C., who called him, he said he didn't have any other offers either.

Well, at least he told us, but couldn't he have told us before I wasted time making an offer?

The second-choice candidate was really pretty good, so as long as he hasn't taken a position elsewhere, we're golden. Which we'll work on tonight and tomorrow. Eek.