Why I Drink - Part XXVII

More Bitching & Moaning

Man, what a kidneystone of a week...

I'd start at the beginning, except the beginning was not this past Monday, it was sometime in December when I got a call from one of The Man's legal beagles and some wonk from the IT department.

It seems they were in the process of negotiating the acquisition of some shiny new technology, but there was a wrinkle or two to the requirements of the contract that needed my attention.

What I'd hoped was a quick consultation has snowballed into a gigantimous project that has sucked up most of my time for the past two months, culminating in the whole thing going live this past Wednesday.

Adding to the enjoyment level is the presence of the vendor onsite this week, requiring a certain amount of gladhanding and schmoozing.  Or, as I see it, handholding and babysitting.

Where's the Legal beagles who are the instigators of all this mess?  Nowhere to be found.  The IT folks came out of their wiring closets long enough to have a meeting on Thursday, then disappeared again.

What the venture lacked from the get-go was a Project Manager with enough "swing" to get over the numerous hurdles that are part of every bureacracy.  I don't mind doing PM work, but I'd sure as hell want the pay to go with it.  I feel like I've been playing Whack-A-Mole with the mallet tied to my schlong.

I can't explain what a mess this has been.  Not a single Gantt chart or punch list in sight, but somehow we flipped the switch and the lights came on.

Now, the fine tuning and documenting will go on for another month or so...

Damn, that case of Maker's Mark was a good idea, after all!