My give-a-damn is busted

I made an interesting discover this morning – crying jags trigger my gag reflex (stress induced and hormone fueled). I’ve been home all day today because little girl is sick. But that wasn’t the reason for my emotional meltdown. It was when I realized holding a bucket for a puking child was a step up from dealing with all the crap at work.

Remember what I said about meeting season? It never fails to disappoint. Last night I came home furious, then I felt defeated and cynical and then this morning I had a good cry. It’s official – my give-a-damn is busted and I don’t see it getting fixed anytime soon. I can’t go into a whole lot of detail but I’ll try to hit the highlights.

Round 1
Before I even had a chance to set pen to paper (maybe that was a blessing in disguise), it was announced the VP I usually write scripts for was moving to another position within the company. There were approximately 24 hours when I didn't know who I would be writing for, which for a scriptwriter is a teeny tiny but ever so crucial detail. You ever have fear pour over you like a bucket of ice water?

Well - I met with the new VP and was pleasantly surprised. He's nice, knows what he's talking about, knows what he wants to say and had already made plans to get me an outline in a timely fashion. These attributes are almost unheard of among VPs, especially the timely part. My apologies to any VPs who might be reading this. Okay, I lied. I really don't care if VPs are reading this as long as it isn't my VP.

I’m still waiting on his outlines but right now that’s the least of my problems.

Round 2
A co-worker gave two weeks notice yesterday. Can’t blame her – work is terrible for reasons I really can’t elaborate on here. Add to that a dash of deception, one surprise deadline, one very frustrating phone call and a general feeling of hopelessness and frustration and presto! – cue the waterworks.

Round 3?
This morning I tried to keep projects moving and e-mails answered, while racing up the stairs every 20 minutes or so whenever I heard darling daughter making gurgling sounds.

So here I script - working on the parts I have, making changes as they come in, answering stupid questions and providing new drafts to any schmoe who asks for one. My outlines should be ready soon so I can start on the next round. Two more weeks to get it all done and then maybe I'll be able to breathe again.