What I Said... What I Meant..

Transcribed from Tuesday Night in Tokyo

Client Side Proj. Manager: "So, how's it being in Japan? Having a good time then?"

The answer I gave: "Uh, sure, uh nice."

The answer I meant:

I've cried for over 2 hours straight now. Today there was a small earthquake that scared the crap out of me. At the end of the day I ran into a glass door at the client site and nearly knocked myself senseless, not to mention the embarassment..as 50 heads popped up from their cubicle at the sound of the loud "GONG" to see the stupid Gaijin ran into a glass door.

I've discovered that engorgement lasts for days and it hurts like hell. I miss my baby, my kids and my husband much more painfully than the bump on my head from the glass door. But, maybe equally painful as engorgement.. 'Cause I think *childbirth hurt less than this. (*Granted, I had the epidural)

I've been working until I literally pass out from exhaustion, sometimes fully clothed and sitting upright. I wake up at 5am and work until I leave for the client site. Then, I work all day at the client site. Then I return to the hotel, plug the computer back in and work until I find myself asleep at the desk around 11pm. Then I wake up at 5am and do it all again..

Good times. Good times. Oh yes, having good times in Tokyo.

Not.

I'm still here.. I promise

I haven't forgotten to post. I've been unable. It's been a bit hectic. I have all sorts of things rumbling around in my head..but no time to jot them down.

In a brief list:

- new potential job lead. V. v. Exciting prospect.

- I am all that and a bag a chips. I have kept the children and pets alive and the house in a semi-clean state all while working 40+ hour weeks, without the hubby for 10 consecutive days and counting. Through cat puke, kid puke, illness (mine), snow, work deadlines and two garbage pickup days -- I sucked it up and we survived in good shape. In fact, we're all getting healthy and are caught up on laundry.
Still... I am so counting the minutes until Hubby gets home. Major kudos to anyone who does the single-parenting thing with a newborn and a preschooler on a more permanent basis. I adapted, but I sure didn't like it...it's like a multi-day marathon, with a few sprints thrown in. Sprint to the bus, sprint to work, sprint to pick up the kids..sprint to pick up the crying baby and the phone at the same time.. Zero personal time. Which is particularly hard for someone like me who recharges by being A-L-O-N-E.

- Saw wonderful Prairie Home Companion show.. LIVE. Probably had flecks of spit from Garrison K. on my shirt. We were -that- close. I am going to buy a Ricky Skaggs CD. It's so muscially amazing that it's worth the embarassment to confess I will own a "country" music (well, Bluegrass, to be more specific) CD. It will come home and be stored proudly next to my Front242 and Sisters Of Mercy CDs and hopefully they'll all get along just fine..

- T-Minus 4 days till I depart for Japan. I am actually feeling ready to be done with the breast-feeding thing.. and baby boy is digging his new formula.. so I'm not beating myself up about weaning, or this work trip, anymore. I'm moving on to SHEER TERROR about how unprepared I am for the work to be done at the client site.

And speaking of work to be done.. I need to get back to it...