Broken
2004-12-17, 1103300419

This has the makings of either a very long or very short day.

Yesterday a part on the main testing machine I use decided to no longer function properly. I'd be okay with that, except it's a 1 1/2 inch bolt that's lost some of its threading. My day is dead in the water because of a 50-cent part. The company that makes the machine has a U.S. base in Atlanta, but the main company is in Germany. It's a simple part, which seems like it could get replaced often enough just from overuse to merit having it on hand on this continent, but you never know. It may be days before I can use the thing again. Frustrating.

Meanwhile, I'm still hearing nothing but good things about my performance here. Just yesterday one of supervisors - if he can really be called that, since he's actually one of the IT guys - said he talked with one of the ladies at the temp agency I'm working through and told her that I'm doing spectacularly. She's been trying to get a hold of me for a week and a half, just to see how things are going here, but I've been too busy to get back to her. No news can be good news, but it never hurts to check, right? So all's well there, at least.

Wednesday was, of course, H's birthday. She opened presents, and then we went to a local Mexican place and 31 Flavors after that. I can't help but think that, in some slight way, that I didn't make her birthday very special. Maybe it's cos of The Hat, I dunno. I feel like every time that I don't lavish her with everything I think she deserves and desires, that I've failed somehow. Which is silly, I know, and she'd tell me so to my face. Another problem was that I was so worried about getting my lines down for the show that I had little brainpower left for planning something extravagant for her birthday. Not to mention that I've only been back to work for a little over two months and money's tight, what with Xmas and saving for a trip to China and all. Let it just be noted that I plan on making it up to her in the future. Not to mention that I have something up my sleeve for the fairly near future that I keep teasing her with. Yes, even now do I tease! What will it be? Only February will tell.

I think that between H and I we have our nuclear family Xmas shopping done. Santa did a pretty good job this year, if his letters to us about what he plans on leaving under the tree is any indication. There are a few things that he's told only H or only me about-- you know, to keep us on our toes. Oh, and I don't know if you knew this, but Santa can get pretty surly when he's busy at Holiday Crunch Time. Or maybe it's cos I call him seven times a day for updates. Nah, he's just surly. Something I learned from him this year is the reason for eating all the cookies wherever he goes to drop off presents: turns out that eating sweets is his way of dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder. Not a lot of sun at the N. Pole this time of year, you know.

Yippie! I get to use the company digital camera to take a picture of the part that we need to have replaced and send it to the manufacturer. Seems we don't have a proper part list for the machine, so this should be interesting to get across. Luckily my photography and over-explanation skills should pull me through. After that, I'll really have nothing to do. Sigh.

-- End Transmission --