Lunch was surprisingly painless, both due to my lunch partner's nonchalance as well as due to the unanticipated background noise that actually managed to drown out the torturous whirring. That, and the bruised upper portion of my arm has gone so numb over the course of the day that the pain was almost negligible as well!
The brilliant responses to this morning's post have definitely served their function and "thudded" me upside the head this afternoon.
You're right, you folk, both the posters as well as the email-ers. I should be viewing this with considerably more humour than I have been -- and I should be revelling in the uniqueness of the experience.
My well-timed race about my morning ablutions, for instance, had quite the comedic value considering that I had to be bone-dry and wearing the damned thing on either side of each twenty minute window. Consequently, many of my ablutions were performed in advance rather than in the shower -- thereby shortening my maximum shower time and resulting in the most meticulous pattern of cleansing and grooming. (plus side: I made it with plenty of time to make sure the cuff was back on and adjusted properly as WELL as "comfortably" arranged with respect to my under and over garments.)
You're right Keggers, I was the girl with the pink hair and the torn clothes and the untouchable attitude.
Some days I like to think that I still am despite the lack of holes and pinkitude.
Delving deeper I'm realizing that maybe some of my hysteria had to do with the specific project-management related meeting that had been scheduled for today, involving a highly-respected and very conservative woman who I still need to solicit for quite a bit of guidance which she may or may not have time to provide but which will be critical to my hopefully forthcoming career advancement. (when have I ever NOT been in over my head, eh?)
In any case, I have to run and return this thing, and I just had a lovely chat with me darlin', and I ran into the VP in the elevator and he raised a sympathetic eyebrow at my cybernetic enhancement and proceeded to babble enthusiastically about all sorts of ideas that he had for building on my big brainchild.
The day is definitely looking up, despite the utter lack of sleep (which my lunch date pointed out was excellent practice for motherhood) and remarkable bruising that I am going to be left with this evening.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the herculean effort of dragging my self-pitying ass out of the doldrums.