Harvey's birthday aftermath

Harv's birthday was a great day. Today, Tuesday, was not a great day.

6am
I wake up early and and rush out to the barn to drop off the Devon entry forms for my trainer to sign. The deadline is approaching fast. After leaving the forms in her office, I stop in the feed room. Peering into the fridge, I see there is still some of Harvey's birthday cake left. Only a tiny bit of cake remains, but there is a huge ring of icing around the perimeter of the half sheet cake. Crusty on the outside, soft inside, in crayola colors. Oh, the temptation! Working swiftly to avoid being discovered, I scrape all the cream cheese icing off onto a plate and wrap it in saran wrap.

9:am
Now I'm off to my job as a reference librarian, feeling virtuous to arrive well in advance of my 11am conference call. I'm working noon to 9pm today. When I arrive at 9:30am, my team members give me a frosty reception. "What's wrong?" I ask. "You were supposed to be here at 8am," Ellen says flatly. "I covered the reference desk for you." I had volunteered to cover someone's 8am shift, and it had slipped my mind. Furthermore, Ellen tells me that three people have called in sick--we'd all be wearing many hats today.

Without justification I'm annoyed with my team -- the guilt trip, the accusatory looks, the bad news. I recall that early that morning I had left a voice message reminder at the reference desk that I am working the late shift today. I had been home for 40 minutes after making that call. Why had no one called to tell me of the snafu? Guilt does funny things to your brain, and despite my thoughtless mistake I'm in high dudgeon that no one saved me from myself.

9:45am
I go back to my office to deposit my belongings and check my voice mail. The VP's secretary has left me voice mail informing me that I was being bumped from the meeting room I'd reserved for a meeting at 1pm. Meeting rooms here are scarce, so I need to find another room, fast. Then John stops by in a rush to tell me that the 11am conference call has been rescheduled to 10am. That's ten minutes away.

9:55
Can anything else go wrong? I cannot cover my partially missed shift, and I cannot take time to find another conference room. I'm unprepared for the 10am meeting. There are doubtless more shifts to cover with people out sick. There goes lunch, and probably dinner. Stacey, welcome to your 15 hour day. I have a few minutes until the rescheduled meeting. I scan my office and see my bag and coat on the work table. I cock an eyebrow. There's my dessert plate heaped with icing and remnants of carrot cake, a mound that is easily my calorie allotment for the day. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. The rest of us seek comfort in food. I grab a spoon.