The Brain Fry

This is the big week at work: It's my last full week at the Jersey client before moving to the Philly client, and I'm building my final deliverables... which are major presentations to large groups. I did my first one today, which I think was the harder one, all told: This was the project that a predecessor had thoroughly flubbed and I parachuted in to do it right in half the time. In the end, I identified 10 major workflow gaps that needed addressing, and spots for 38 workstations they hadn't considered across their 4 hospitals.

It's the sort of thing that I seem very good at doing: Synthesizing hundreds of data points across a dozen subjects, holding the whole picture in my mind to absorb the problem and craft the solution(s), and THEN somehow relate everything I've learned to a large group of people in a cohesive manner. In truth, the statement of work didn't say this is what they wanted, but I delivered exactly what they NEEDED.

I'll always wonder if I missed anything, but dang I uncovered a lot of stuff. So then the harder challenge is how to take 10 big problems and present them in an hour. Once the structure finally came to me, it practically wrote itself (though it did undergo 3 huge revisions). I whipped up some fun graphics (representing all 10 projects on a timeline with interdependencies), and ran the meeting with a steel grip - we actually finished on time with concrete to-dos... and everybody was happy.

Shifting gears to the other project has been hard. I tried before lunch, but it didn't take. I played hooky in the afternoon to watch Harry Potter (having already worked 24 hours in the previous 48, I felt entitled to a little break). Loved the movie! Hermione's moods were practically breaking my heart... and nobody but nobody gives icy stares like Snape. Alan Rickman is wonderful.

Anyway, the night is still somewhat young, and I've got all 24 hours of Thursday before presenting on Friday, and I know this project even better than the other one, so I'm not terribly worried. I'm seriously considering packing it in for the night and letting my neurons rest for a spell, since the last 2 days were pretty darn intense.

I'm pretty psyched to be starting the new gig, but I'll be on retainer to my Jersey friends to help see some of my more mad schemes to fruition.

On the home front, we're a bit alarmed that Isaac has been skipping his nap more and more... first because we need the break in the day, but second because we still remember well our trials when Bella lost her nap. We had to end her naps because with them she was staying up to 10 pm. But for 3 months, she had horrible night terrors from her lack of sleep, screaming bloody murder. They were some of the hardest parenting days we had. Hopefully Isaac will either keep napping (for a long time), or make a clean break and go to bed early nightly... I'm not sure which would be better.

Bella is really enjoying doing Synchronized Swimming, and has asked to keep on doing it into the school year. It's a "sport" but it's based on cooperation, not direct competition, which I think works for Bella. Plus she loves to swim. Oh, and that tooth has NOT fallen out yet. She may be waiting for my return...

No wacky Jersey stories, alas, mostly because I've been so busy I'm lost inside my skull. I think that the people at Dunkin will miss me. They know my doubleshot espresso order from the moment I walk in, and they're always so nice. I think the store is family owned, because the same multigenerational east indian characters are there anytime I show up - morning, noon, evening.

Well, I gotta do something. Something....