Boy, do I have my co-workers fooled. The head of our QA department was crutching her way to door on her way out, paused by my desk and said, "I heard the nicest thing about you today. They said you were kind and sweet and approachable." I blinked and said, "And they work here?" She grinned and said, "Yes."

And now I'm wavering between "Oh, how nice!" and "My god, I have to revise my demeanor, or they'll all start talking to me!"

Amy has it right with Ugh.

And yet when I was originally hired, I think I interviewed in October and got the offer in mid to late December. So I guess I shouldn't be surprised? Sigh.

I am being marginally more productive today. Go me.

This gap between interview and answer wouldn't be so annoying if it weren't for all the other crap you have been having to deal with and jump through.

During our last queue review (rolls right off the tongue...) meeting, I was asked which developer was appropriate to work on given project. Now, as noted, I don't know anyone's workload, or really even their knowledge base. I'm the least informed person on this front, yet the question was aimed at me.

Eventually, in the most non-assigning way ever, the project landed in incompetent developer's lap, and when I asked her if three days was enough time for her to read the requirements and do initial research, her reply was "That information isn't in X. How are you going to get it?"

WELL JESUS FUCK. Yes, it's totally my job as business analyst, even senior, to answer that for you. So, I say...it's in system Y. Ask other developer. And I cc other developer, because I know she's silent.

Other developer says he doesn't know system Y.

I'm back in the office now, walking from desk to desk (incompetent developer is at another site) asking if anyone knows system Y.

The one developer with nothing to lose since tomorrow is his last day says "If you say yes, she will will push you and ask you and drive you..."

Ah, you're so sweet. But I still got a developer who a) doesn't know system Y and b) is busy with stuff that's actually his job to promise to research Y and explain it to the incompetent chick on Friday. Thank god for puppy dog eyes and bulldog grimaces.

But I will tell everyone she's not a self-starter and I need them to get her started. Let's see how long she ignores this.

ugh, ita.

I have a cat dilemma. When I graduated college in 1995, I adopted 2 kittens and lived with them for about 9 months until I realized I couldn't afford to live alone anymore and moved into a place that didn't take cats. So my boys went to live with my parents. One of them died a couple of years ago, and the other one is hanging tough, even at the ripe old age of 18.

My parents are trying to get their house in shape to sell and move. Beeblebrox is old, sleeps all the time, doesn't eat much, and is incontinent, which is fully at odds for repairing/replacing the floor and floor coverings his brother peed on all the time. So my mom is wondering if it's time for him to be put down.

However, I am thinking about taking him. This would involve flying to CT (there are no direct flights from here) on an airline that will permit pets as a carryon with an incontinent cat. He will have to adjust to life in a smaller space and indoor only (he was previously an indoor/outdoor cat) and with two other cats. And he is 18 years old, and I'm afraid the shock might kill him. And he's spent almost all of his life with my parents.

However, if we get him down here, we can maybe get the vet involved and see if we can diagnose the problem.

Any advice or sage words? I am going to call our vet tomorrow morning and see what they say, but I thought I'd check the hivemind.

Tough one, Nora. I will say that I took in an elderly family cat and she's adjusted just fine. We also took my grandmother's 18 yr old cat when she died, who had never lived with kids or other animals and hated us all, and involved a 400 mile car trip, and she too weathered it perfectly well.

How incontinent? Maybe you just pad the carrier well and don't mention that to the airline?

I'm glad you are calling the vet for an opinion. Beyond that, it really depends on the cat and if you are willing to take that risk that bringing him home may hasten the end. But it may not and he may perk up with the other cats around.

We took on an old cat several years ago, and I think we were good for her, even though we didn't cook her the preferred meal of roast beef in cream. Unsuprisingly, she lost a lot of weight--her feet would leave the ground if she laid on her side--and she had the most wonderful trundle-headbutt way of showing affection. She'd walk in a big circle and butt her head against us on her way past, then trundle back in the circle.

Okay, I finally got some shit done. And it was odious shit too; calling up all the places I'd made reservations, or had standing billing arrangements, or whatever, with my old credit card, to give them my new number. Still have a few to go; damned Eastern time zoners, but made good headway.

OMG, he wants the presentation TODAY and today is Supernatural and we haven't really worked out if we're on the same page. He likes the ideas I want to incorporate, but since I don't have access to that material in time for the first draft, it's just theoretical gold stars...

Okay, going home. Will finish from there.

There goes my remaining work/life balance. I don't even know why they use that term...