What a fucking week!

Let’s see – work…..as a friend used to say, they call it work because if it were fun, they would call it fun and wouldn’t have to pay you.  While I enjoy my work despite my bitching and moaning at times, this week was all about “making a fucking decision”!!  I’ll admit it.  I follow this mentality:

Except substitute voice for brain.  Anyway, you get the idea.  When I have enough info to make a decision, I make it.  I don’t need to be buried in data to get there.  I know enough to be dangerous, then I jump.

This week was about getting these guys to realize they are making a mistake implementing the software I am overseeing.  They hate it, and it isn’t even live yet.  Bad sign. And they have legitimate reasons, not just generic user hate that is driven by change aversion.  The software is a bad fit.  So, I dug out the project charter that I wrote (and they ignored) and pointed out this was no longer a fit – it didn’t even meet their basic needs anymore.  Of course, this launched into a whole discussion about why this other software will have it.  It’s the shiny new car syndrome.

So, I spent the week doing analysis.  While the CFO was going on about the fact there is a CD player in this car, I was crunching the numbers to see if we could afford to even consider it.  While he is marveling over the fact it has hubcaps, I’m researching crash ratings and safety scores.  Anyone see anything wrong with this picture? In the end, the numbers work out so that the new car makes sense. But, I had to point out to them that their plans on doing sort of a lay-a-way hit on the company financials for this software actually translates into them paying cash for it instead since they no longer qualify for financing.  Again, an IT person is pointing this out.  It really demonstrates the level of maturity that this company is lacking. The only saving grace? They had to pay me overtime this week.  Oh, and I got word that my contract is up 12/31/2010.  I hope that light gets bigger at the end of the tunnel!  I suspect they may be teasing me, but one can hope they are not.

And in the middle of writing 10 page analysis documents, I had an allergic reaction to something.  There are certain chemicals that I react to – usually dyes.  It results in my face turning read – almost flushed. I get itchy.  It’s not fun.  I recently started taking some new vitamins, so it may be the combination of that with allergy medicines. I do take some with some herbal stuff in it – so it could be that.  Hopefully not taking them will make it all go away…..hopefully.

Needless to say, I ended my Friday working an 11 hour day – with no really feeling of accomplishment for the work I put in. (This is what I hate about IT apps stuff versus IT operations stuff – this nebulous sort of what-did-I-really-do feeling.)  I do hope the weekend is slow and lazy and relaxing because I truly need one of those!