@#$% basketball tournament!

Not that I have anything against the sport itself, but while half the company is wasting its time with the basketball games, a small handful of us are working nights and weekends to make up for it. Even the notice that went out to everyone about pitching in didn't help much. Fortunately, there's only one more weekend to go, and then things can return to normal again.

On a side note, I've been pretty impressed with Lisa's dedication. She's been working the same long hours that I have, and this weekend too. I'm sure part of it is because she'd rather be working with us than being at home alone, but she could have found something else to do this weekend, and yet she still stayed to help out. I made a mental note to put in a good word with her manager.

Exhausted

I've been up all night tallying inventory after a big shipment of materials came in yesterday. I thought I'd be done around 11 pm, but the numbers didn't match the manifest, so I had to do it again. When it still didn't add up, I was ready to pull my hair out. Eventually, I found out the problem was that one of the boxes was sitting outside the warehouse, so I didn't see it the first two times. I'm going to have to talk to the guys in receiving about it, but that's for another time. I just want to go to sleep now.

Working overtime

I've been working a lot of overtime this week. Part of it probably has to do with the college basketball tournament -- people are more interested in watching the games or talking about them than working, so I have to pick up the slack in order to fulfill all the orders. I used to be a big basketball fan, but I haven't watched many games the last couple of years.

One drawback with my working late is that Lisa winds up working late too, not because she has to, but because she doesn't want to go home and stay there by herself. Whatever. I think her paranoia is a bit absurd, but if she wants to stay at work late for no good reason, that's her problem.

My weekend away

It was refreshing to spend some time in the mountains by myself. (Lisa stayed over at a friend's house Saturday night.) I admit that I was a little spooked sleeping in the tent by myself on Saturday. Maybe all the recent events are getting to me, or, more likely, Lisa'a paranoia. I found myself jumping at every sound I heard and wondering if someone was coming to my tent to kidnap me or kill me. After a while, I just decided that if it was going to happen, it was going to happen, and went to sleep. Obviously, nothing happened because I'm still here!

Need to get away

I feel like spending some time in the mountains again this weekend. With the fresh snow we've gotten recently, it should be real nice there. Also, I need to get out of the house. I'm getting cabin fever with Lisa and I cooped up inside all the time. When I told Lisa about my plans, however, she wanted to come with me. Hmm, that kind of defeats the purpose of having a peaceful weekend away from it all.

Lisa is afraid of staying in the house alone all weekend long. I told her that the mountains wouldn't be safer than staying in town, especially with just the two of us and no one else around to help. I asked if there was anyone else she can stay with just for the weekend, and she said she'd ask. I hope she finds one.

Like back in junior high

I've been facing some teasing at work since Lisa started staying over. There's the usual curious questions about whether we're dating (to which I politely respond no) all the way to juvenile comments about sex and what Lisa is like in bed (which I just ignore). Some guys just don't grow up. They cant believe that a woman can stay over at a man's house overnight without sex involved, even when I tell them we sleep in separate rooms. When one co-worker (who shall remain nameless) kept pressing about the sex issue, I told him, "You and your wife sleep in the same house every night, and I bet you two don't have sex every night." I must've struck a nerve, because the expression on his face was priceless.

Surprisingly, Lisa didn't get upset when I told her about some of the things people were saying about us behind her back. She just dismissed it as typical juvenile male behavior and said it didn't bother her.

A prisoner in my own home

The last few days, I've felt like a prisoner at home. At Sheriff Hansen's suggestion, the doors and windows are bolted shut at night. There's even a cross hanging on the door, courtesy of Lisa (more on that later). Also at the sheriff's request, neither Lisa nor I go out after we come home from work -- I had no plans to go out anyway, but it's the principle of the thing. Lisa is also now in the habit of announcing where she's going all the time, even inside the house, so that I know where she is.

The precautions are all Lisa's idea, of course. I couldn't care less what happens to me. However, Lisa is a believer in the end-of-the-world theory. I asked her if that was the case, what use would locking the door be? She then reminded me of the Passover story and hung a cross on the door. She thinks that if the angel of death, or whoever has taken the missing people, approaches our door, then the cross will ward it off.

I don't know if I buy that logic, but there's nothing to gain from debating the point either.