Coming or going

I try hard not to complain about work because I really do have a good job and not many people can sit around drinking beer at happy hour with co-workers talking about that "cirrhotic liver we rocked on the other day".

I was supposed to work with a liver tonight but it missed the plane.

So now I have to work tomorrow. This isn't a bad thing, but I was looking forward to a day off tomorrow. I kind of need it.

Lately at work I don't know if I am coming or going. I get to the lab and there is some new project or problem that is waiting on me. Some of these are my responsibility, others because I have the knowledge to solve the issue and the rest because no one else really knows what to do with them so they appear on my desk.

I then get to prioritize. And I suck at prioritizing because there isn't anything I can't do and I love the multi-tasking and having all sorts of deadlines and pressure building and nothing beats the "look at what all I accomplished" feeling during annual reviews.

Only what do I do when a particular project isn't going the way I anticipated?

I delegate (of course) and make it someone elses problem.

I only wish it were that easy.

Nope. I swim.

Why?

Because there is nothing else that I know of that isolates you like being in a pool swimming laps. There is no TV to watch. No i-pod. You can't really spend your time chatting with the girl in the lane next to you.

Nope.

It's just you and your thoughts.

Today, I spent 50 minutes in the pool thinking about this experiment that is making my life hell.

Did I come up with that brilliant solutions to solve the lab issue?

Nope!

But it sure made the 1.5 miles I swam tonight fly by.