Beaumont Blues....

I've been away for a minute... Getting ready for an audit. Preparing myself for the next step. This week was especially testy... Missed all the concerts I wanted to go to this weekend. Practically worked through Public Enemy and Rakim on Saturday was a no go because of "family time." Missed the fight on Saturday night, because I had to come back into work early on Sunday to be prepared for my flight on Monday. And well, Sunday work, 'cuz I would have felt more like a LOSER working until midnight on a Friday as opposed to 9:00 pm.
I'm on the grind. The upwardly mobile one. I'm climbing the the rungs pretty fast lately, so aside from my professional and personal lives, it's pretty close to impossible to include a social life. I've managed to stay close to my girls and B so I keep it in perspective.
I had to take a team member who is really fun.. but a TOTAL DISTRACTION on the this week's audit.
Monday: he missed the plane and didn't bother to call to inform me. I'm sorry he missed TWO PLANES. Now mind you we have to drive another 100 miles after we land... conversation went something like this:
him: this is ______. (he answers his phone using his last name.)
me: good morning. we're at the rental car office, loading the car and .. (he cuts me off)
him: yes. just go ahead. i will meet you at the provider.
me: really? where are you?
him: at the airport.
me: in houston? we can pick you up at the Southwest curbside attendant. (he cuts me off)
him: no i'm trying to tell you. i missed the flight, so i arranged for a rental car and i will meet up with you guys later?
me: later? how is that possible? that's okay. i'll call the office, and you can report to Austin. we'll work with one less team-member. (i mean his additional needs are a part of my travel budget and that's monitored pretty closely.. so whatdafck?) you do realize it was your responsibility to inform me that you were going to miss your flight? please let ________ know what's happened.
long short. a coworker convinces me to call our manager who upon hearing the info is pretty incensed. she states he needs to join us on the trip. so i call him back. mind you this is within five minutes..

me: alright _____. go ahead and meet us at the provider.
him: the plane took off.
me: excuse me?
him: yea, the plane just took off...
me: how? did you get off the plane?
him: no. i was about to get on and it just left.
me: PREGNANT PAUSE I KNOW HE'S LYING. I'M LOOKING AT THE SCHEDULE.

That was the beginning. Today. long-short. This morning, despite the fact that we had two cars, were walking distance from restaurants, the hotel we were in had breakfast, and the fact that I ASKED DID ANYONE NEED TO GET ANYTHING TO EAT OR DRINK before leaving the hotel, he asks to get something to eat twenty minutes before we are to go into our exit conference. He looks as if he's going to have a heart attack. NO HE DOES HAVE HEART TROUBLE... and we had to rush him back to Houston to catch a plane home. Sorry for the expression, but I wanted to dang near kill him I was just glad to get back to Austin. If I complained anymore about him and this trip it would be criminal.. So I won't.... Poetry tonight.