Overdrive.

Holy shit, I've been busy.

Two weeks ago, I was up at 3:30am for my flight to Cedar Rapids, and I didn't really stop until last Sunday.  Alumni Board meeting Friday, Cornell Homecoming Saturday -- both nights I slept about 3 hours -- and then it was off to Chicago on Sunday after brunch with the family. 

My week in Chicago was incredibly productive.  Being back in an office was great -- particularly this office, which is full of good and interesting people -- and it was nice to feel useful and connected to more than my discreet set of projects.  We successfully managed a crisis of clusterfuck proportions, and after proving myself at least marginally competent, I've been given additional responsibilities for the programs that surround the sacred sites exhibition I've been working on. 

It's a lot of pressure to pull this off on such a tight timeline, but it's interesting and challenging and, most important, meaningful.  Which is all I've really ever wanted out of work.  Paychecks are nice, too.

Still working on a contract basis and still perfectly OK with that.  "As needed" is turning out to be "we need you very much," and that's a good place to be.

Anyway, the only downside to last week was the miserable strain of H1N1 I'm sure I contracted whilst sleeping on the hotel floor Saturday night.  By Wednesday I could barely talk and my whole body was an achy mess.  Probably didn't help that I forgot to pack a coat for the 3-mile roundtrip walk I took everyday to the office. 

Oh well.  Back to normal now, at least.