Almost Sunday

Today is the last day Lauren lives with us full-time for a while. Is she busy finishing her packing, starting her laundry, making sure that everything is just right, that she leaves her third floor rooms neat and clean? Nope. She has showered, and is doing her hair so she will look lovely for a lunch with friends. Oh well, who can blame her? But, the stress that I predict will happen as we actually try to put her things in the car is something I wish to avoid. So, her Dad is packing the car! I will sit in my office and prepare her computer for it's year of papers and music downloading.

We are headed to Legal Seafoods for dinner at Lauren's request. Lauren was told she could have whatever she wants for her "last supper", as she put it, and she chose fish. This child never ceases to amaze me.

My last few days have been about work, work, and more work. As I try to crank out the files, I began to realize that as I check each client off my to-do list, I am closer to my own C-day. I do unfortunately have one unhappy client, and figuring out how to fix this has been on my mind constantly.

Scenario: non-profit in Boston. I admire their mission, and bid low on their project, which then mushroomed. This means that I get paid for about 1 of every 3.5 hours that I work for them, with a very fixed amount of dollars to work with. Yup, bad business on my part. So when all this began, their files didn't get the priority since I wasn't actually getting paid. Now they want me to hand the files to a subcontractor because they want the files NOW. Okay, this is completely my fault. Bad planning, bad business, and bad developing, but how do I fix this now is the real question. If money were no object, I would just send back the money they have paid me and tell them to get a new developer with my apologies. I can't hire a subcontractor on what they have paid me after all. Or, I could crack the files, and hurridly get them finished dropping some of the arcane features that they added. However, then they will be angry and disappointed. Let's face it, the reason they don't have files is because I haven't enjoyed working on this project. The thing to do is to figure out how to send them their money back with the notes taken during all those endless meetings. Maybe.

Other projects are going well though. I have flown through a small project for Harvard and will deliver those files on Monday. Yes, you read that correctly. I am going into a client office on Labor Day! Two MIT projects will be completed within the next two weeks. When I install will really depend on when I have my 'energy' days post-chemo. Of course, I won't know what days those are until they happen, but I anticipate that post-chemo days 8-13 should be pretty good.

Tuesday I visit my primary care doctor, Dr. Susan, for my annual physical. Now that sounds like I actually get an annual physical, but in actual fact, this is my first annual physical in many years. Dr. Susan is going to spend this appointment dealing with some symptoms I am currently having that may or may not affect my breast cancer protocol. Like having breast cancer isn't enough! On my way to her office, I am considering stopping at MGH's special store for cancer patients to look at more hair.

As I write this entry, I am beginning to understand how much I am worrying about. I am worrying about hair, house cleaning, money, what does one wear to chemo, laundry, stocking the pantry, and irate clients. Darn, I am doing pretty well emotionally considering how much stuff I have rattling around my brain! Go me!