Saturday, July 07, 2007

Meritorious

What a total aberration of a week!

We were given a ridiculously narrow window for our managers and CIO to make decisions on merit adjustments for some 230+ employees for the upcoming fiscal year. I spent part of last week and all of this week running numbers and getting data for the decision-makers. On Tuesday, I was supposed to start entering data, but the people who were supposed to help only gave me the run-around and I spent half my Fourth of July holiday working on it, instead.

But there was still a lot to do, and it all hinged on the CIO’s final decisions. He didn’t get those numbers to me until Friday morning, and the deadline for entry was 5 pm! Well, it took most of the day just to get the data in (with three other people helping), and by 5 pm, we were still trying to balance the new totals. (Long dull explanation of university fund accounting available upon request.) It didn't help that the accounting system was overloaded and I couldn’t get my reports. I found myself doing manual person-by-person data checking against my spreadsheets.

Budget took pity on us and extended the deadline to noon Saturday.

Ugh.

So I re-arranged my weekend and met my boss at the office this morning. And yes, it took until noon. And no, some of the reports never did run, but enough did that I was able to test my work-around and find that my numbers were balancing. At noon, we got locked out of the accounting system, and my brain was mush, anyway. I came home.

Since the cranberry scone my boss had brought to the office for me contained at least 8,000 calories, some kind of workout was in order. But with the first glimpse of sun after weeks of rain, I was in no mood for an indoor workout. Even though I have a long run planned for tomorrow, I had to run today or I would die!

And so I did. At 1:00 in the afternoon, in the sun, heat and 112% humidity. I didn’t care. I have good heat tolerance, and I really needed to be outdoors!

But tonight my whole schedule feels out of synch. The mid-week holiday started the confusion, and already July 4 feels like two weeks ago. Thursday felt like a Monday or Tuesday. And Friday was confusing because I worked late (6 pm) and didn’t do the laundry. I didn’t do a morning long run today, but went to the office instead. And now I’m doing laundry, with a long run and Indian food planned for tomorrow.

Monday is going to be so confusing. That’s if I can even keep straight when Monday is supposed to be!

Oh, and as for wrapping up the merit cycle—my boss found a little “extra” money toward the end of the day Friday. Among other uses she found for it, she doubled my merit increase. Double of something small is still pretty darn small, but sometimes it’s the thought that counts!

Recent Workouts
Thursday: 45 minute spin
Friday: rest day
Saturday: 7.5 mile run

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Congrats on your doubled merit increase! It sounds like this is a busy time of the year for you. Hope you got some running in to keep your sanity!

Crabby McSlacker said...

Wow, running in the hot humid sun at the peak of the heat? Yikes. You're made of way stronger stuff than I am. (But I already knew that).

And congrats on the raise, it sounds like you really deserve it!

Anonymous said...

Whew, a wild week, but congratulations on the raise! And like Crabby pointed out, I'm in awe of you running in this heat. You're a tough gal! I've had to boot my butt out the door to walk in this heat. :)

Moby Dick said...

I admire your determination

Zinger said...

wow you are inspiring! i'm exhausted just reading what you went thru and you still worked out afterwards!

but i'm getting there - lakota and i are going on evening walks and working hard to keep a good clip and make it a good workout! you definitely are inspiring me! thanks!