Welcome to My World

A few days ago I had an important meeting I was facilitating. It was my opportunity to influence a group of engineer's I'd been working for on the direction they should take with document control management. I was excited, I'd thought my presentation through and completed it well in advance -- although I'd left some details to be taken care of in the last minute. This is a decision I've made many times, and which never serves me well. Especially a problem this time since a niggly and troublesome virus (a flu-like cold) was attacking me -- and possibly interfering with neuron connections in my brain.

The morning began on cue, my presentation was at 10am. I was up at 6:30am, needed to get myself moving, the kids moving, 2-year-old to the day home and myself on the way to the office by 9am. I was ready to gain remote access to my presentation and last minute preparation work by 8am, after I convinced a resistant 7-year-old to get dressed and while I left a few morning-school-care boys in front of their favorite pre-school TV fare. It was one of those mornings where everything had to progress like a well-oiled machine, no delays allowed.

2-year-old followed me to my basement office, prepared to lend a hand and push the buttons on my printer at the most inopportune time. I began to log on and discovered -- much to my chagrine that the new password I was required to adopt, had escaped me. I thought I knew it, I tried multiple versions -- and then was unceremoniously shut-down. "You must contact your system administrator" - shot up on the screen. My mind raced, I was unsure what to do, and I recognized I had nothing to work from if I lost access to my files -- I hadn't even printed my presentation yet. It was 8:13am and I sent a desperate e-mail to Jonathon -- the trustworthy system administrator at the office. Little did I know but Jonathon was in Red Deer at another office and responding to me online. The e-mail didn't settle me enough -- this was too important, so I also called him. Within minutes Jonathon had me fixed up and I was in. Next the kids needed to get off to school and I had 30 minutes for printing, dressing 2-year-old and packing his bag for a day at the dayhome, and getting myself set with a lunch for my day at the office.

As I raced around the house little guy was two steps behind me getting his fingers in the wrong thing at the wrong time. Multiple reassurances that mom would only be a minute were falling on deaf ears and not ringing true as my print jobs didn't seem to be getting transferred to the printer. Finally resorting to troubleshooting mode I began checking connections. Yes, I'd plugged the scanner in, not the printer. Here I go, again. Finally one copy is out -- while it printed I ran up the stairs and filled little guys diaper bag with necessities -- it was 8:55, I needed to be driving out of my crescent by 9:00. I began to save my presentation to CD just in case I couldn't use my laptop in the conference room. Realistically I should have been able to grab the file with my mouse and drop it on the right icon -- a 15 second process. Not today. Apparently I'd never done this before and I needed to install software and 'prepare the CD'. The computer indicated 'this will take 4 to 7 minutes'. 8 minutes later I had decided I needed to print the rest at the office, and I ran up the stairs holding an open laptop that is still 'doing it's thing'. Finally I think I can be on my way. I pack everything up and get into the garage to put my shoes on when I need to begin a mad search for my work shoes. Where did they go? Why aren't they here? Finally finding them under a remote control car, I get them on, get little guy's boots on and buckle him into his seat. Oops his bag is in the house -- I left it behind. I go back for that, throw it into the passenger seat. I get in the truck, back out of the garage and realize I don't have my coat. I run back to the house and grab my coat. I take a deep breath -- look around and take account of my situation, after going through my mental checklist I feel assured I have everything I need. I look at my watch -- it's 9:10.

I make the 5 minute trek to the dayhome where -- Thank God -- my dayhome provider is still patiently waiting for me with her kids all packed in her van. She asks, "Does he have a hat?" I guiltily shake my head, "No hat, today".

I arrive at the office at 9:40am, I set up my laptop and print my handouts by 9:45am, but I'm not in the clear yet. We begin setting up in the conference room within minutes but technology continues to confound us until about 10:15. As everyone patiently waits for us to be set up, and Jonathon the God-send gives guidance over the phone, we finally make sense of the requirements to project a laptop image to a screen and I'm off.

Only my technology gaffes aren't quite over. 40 minutes into the presentation I pay for the fact I didn't plug in my computer. Battery power dies with no notice and we're left with a black screen. Profuse apologies, a few goading remarks and I'm back at it. In all, the presentation was well received -- I'm hoping my ineptitude with technology was well-received too. I wasn't done suffering, though, in the chaos of the morning my need for lunch was overlooked and not much of a priority. Looking back I have lots of woulda, coulda, shoulda's. I hope I remember them the next time I face a big day.

Welcome to my world.