Shock and Awe

So....

I'm exhausted.  It's Friday evening a little before 10 and I'll be going to bed soon.  I so need some sleep.

This has been a fairly extraordinary week, although I don't know that I'm cogent enough right now to truly appreciate it.  As I type this I'm on my second glass of medicinal Merlot, and just finished dinner of Salmon with a pesto butter sauces punctuated by a sprinkling of "Slap Ya Mama" cajun seasoning.  I'm almost ready to melt into bed.

At work I accomplished something significant this week.   The program that I'm working on is at the formative stage of an IT architecture effort hat will be deployed at data centers and facilities across the country over the next several years.  We've line up best-of-breed solutions, but in a complicated data center various pieces need to integrate well with others.

To minimize risk and increase communication I've arranged an ambitious Architecture Summit that brings together a number of internal groups, all our vendor partners who have sent teams of engineers from around the country (Microsoft, Dell, Cisco, and others), and key stakeholders for three days of deep-dive technical discussions.  It has consumed me for a couple of weeks.  This is the first of its kind that anyone can remember, and the good news is that it's receiving almost universal acknowledgement for value and as something worthwhile.  The effort to make it happen has no been insignificant - physically and emotionally, so I'm both happy and relieved at how things unfolded.  And exhausted.

I've been going from 6am until late into the evening to get everything ready, facilitate the various discussions that need to happen, and generally make sure that this unique window of time together lives up to its potential.  I haven't been sleeping well....up at 4:00 one morning, and at 2:30am  last night...so I really really really need to catch up on zzzz's.  I hope to begin that tonight.

I also haven't been able to slip away for any personal time, to get to the gym, or to wrestle.  This is a significant concern given that my tournament in Iowa is 3 weeks from this weekend.  I've got my flights, my car, my hotel....now all I need to do is (a) make weight and (b) deliver.  The top two finishers qualify to compete in the US Olympic Team trials.  The rest.....well, thanks and good luck.

I did go to a group Happy Hour on Tuesday where everyone had a chance to let their hair down and get to know one another.  It was one of those unique team building opportunities that happens when teams bond over alcohol and fried food.  By the time I left at 9 it was still in high gear, and it was another reminder that the real value of these kinds of things happens just as much after hours as during the sessions themselves.

Now, I'm waiting for things to get back to "normal" again.  Of course, even my "normal" is pretty unique.

They announced the new iPad this week.  I'll admit - I hope to own one shortly.  I didn't order one yet simply because it's more money than I like to spend in one sitting.  But, I'll save up my pennies and take the plunge shortly.  I'm also hoping to go to France for 10 days in May - round-trip airfare from Charlotte at the moment is $783 - it goes up significantly after June 1.  And I've coveting one of the new Canon cameras.

I was absolutely drained when I left work tonight.  Now that the Summit is done my main focus for the next few weeks will be my wrestling training.  3 times a week.  Starting tonight.  I'm telling you here and now....what happens in Iowa on April 1 is gonna be a big deal.  I'm just saying.

These are the Olympics we're talking about.  The Olympics Olympics.....not the Special Olympics, or the Gay Olympics.  We're talking the real deal, and in order to compete in the Olympic Team Trials I've got to earn it.  Plane reservations are made, car is reserved, hotel is set, registration is done.  Now all that's left is to make weight and to shock people.  That's my goal.  Shock and awe.




I'm going to take it easy this weekend.  That said, my plate is full.  I have a number of errands to run. I need a pedicure.  I'll spend time at the gym tomorrow, and I've got another wrestling session on Sunday.  I'm hoping to take some photos as flowers downtown are beginning to bloom.  I've got a ticket to roller derby tomorrow.  I'm  hoping to do a 50-mile bike ride on my new bike if the weather lives up to it's promise.  I'm sure there's more, but that's enough for now.

I got my first real pair of glasses this week.  They're transition lenses.  That is, they've got slight distance correction on the top and then gradually change to reading lenses on the bottom.  I'm trying to get used to them.  We'll see.

That said - it's time for bed.  The Merlot is doing what it's supposed to do, and I'm hoping to get a full night sleep out of the deal.  I need it.