One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

This has been one of those weeks with too many things to do and not enough time to accomplish the things that need to be done. It seems like I have been on the go since Monday morning, yet I am falling behind in the work that I really need to get finished.

I seem to have been doing things for others all week long -- not that that's a bad thing. On Monday and Tuesday I was involved in a work proposal presentation for a job that I probably will not work on because of previous work commitments. I told the people when they contacted me that I probably could not do the work because of previous verbal commitments I have made, but since there I had not signed a contract yet, technically speaking I was available. They went ahead and put my name on the proposal because I have a long relationship with the client and they are familiar with my work. Due to some miscommunciations, I wasted part of Monday and Tuesday morning going to the client's offices, but not being needed until Tuesday afternoon. Real work got put on the back burner.

Wednesday, Thursday, and today turn out to be babysitting days. I was expecting to sit today only, not Wednesday, yesterday and today. Now I love my grandchildren dearly, but it is difficult to get much work done when they are around here. Right now what I am doing requires a block of time where I can concentrate without interruption. I can't do the work in 5 and 10 minutes spurts. It get very frustrating.

I am also tutoring one of the grandsons in math. He has a test today and a final next week. Math is definitely not one of his strong subjects -- hence the tutoring. He is taking algebra and it is really not making any sense to him. I know algebra, but I'm not sure I much of a teacher of it. At least I don't seem to be helping him much. I think we will be going through this again next semester.

Last night driving home from an evening obligation, I hit something on the freeway going about 70 mph. I don't know what it was, but it sent the car partially sideways and somewhat off the ground. I was able to get the car back under control. It is interesting how focused your vision comes when something like that happens. I could not really hear anything around me although I was aware of my wife saying something like "Oh Shit!", except she would never use that word. My vision became very focused on what was immediately in front of me and to my immediate left and right. And time really did slow down. That's the closest I have even come to losing control of a car at 70 mph.

And then to top things off, my daughter-in-laws father died yesterday.

This has been a somewhat frustrating and stressful week.