One Day at a Time

This past week at work was real rough..

Next week will be rougher....

My testing is not going as expected.... I have bigwigs showing up daily.

I am sick with a cold.

Every time I try to do something... I don't have a process written to allow me to do it (Dang Govt and Dang Big Corporation).

I just want to do my job.

I am tired.... I am having "communication problems" with the lead of this project. Others are too. Some people have even said they will not take any instructions from him and only from me.

I can't be everywhere at once. I can't do his job and mine.

I am also supposed to be training to learn to do another guy's job. He does his job well. But he is going on vacation. We should have been done with our test last week. We might have another two weeks before we are done. I can't be everywhere at once.. And his job is even more stressful than mine right now.... I can't bug him while he is trying to think about the process.

I am a girl..... never have I been so obvious to the fact.

One guy has tried to see if I was ticklish.. (WTH?)

One guy keeps telling me I am attractive.

One guy slaps my leg if I am sitting near him. Not in a sexual way.. but in a way as if he patted his granddaughter on the leg out of familiarity.

One guy that I met briefly and is not dealing with this project starting IMing me...asking me if he could help me with anything. He is not on my project.

All of these guys are ignorant.. and are not trying to harass me. They grew up in the south where it was acceptable to be like this around a girl.

Most feel real comfortable around me and I am a southern girl.

When government officials come around, I have been told they are disappointed when I am not there. I think it is because I take the time to explain everything we are doing.

My co-worker thinks I have an advantage. He thinks people are willing to help me because I am a girl. I know when things aren't going well and some of the guys are ticked off... they come by and make sure I know that they are not blaming me.

I really don't know how I feel about all this. I know that I am getting more work done than some of my co-workers do (all guys) because people are bending over backwards to help me.

I also know that I can get by some of the rules that the Union does not allow. The guys I am working with just want everything to go right and know I am not trying to take their jobs away but I am trying to help us all succeed. I usually do jobs they don't want to do especially when there is a tight space.

I am an engineer... I come home with oil in my hair, grease on my pants, dirt on my butt, and holes in the knees of my jeans. The desk job was boring...this is more interesting...but I am getting worn out!

Next week we are probably working 12 hour shifts - every day.