I am Sadness

Yesterday was a bit rough. It's budgeting time at ETIC for our XOM client. The downside (yes, a downside to looking into the future and guessing how much money you'll need for the upcoming year) is that we have to match the mid-year forecast we gave good ol' XOM. So we're trying to budget for the new year and trying to match the money we guessed we would need in '09 back in May of '08.

And there is so much that has happened in five months that it just can't be done.

Then I had some changes I needed to make for a report that is being over-reviewed by yet another person at the office.

On top of this, the office is being painted outside. So we've been power-washed thoroughly enough to make all of the windows leak. The windows have been covered with paper for three days now. All of the windows. And the leaks that the power-washing showed us are allowing the paint fumes to come in and be trapped inside.

But none of this is what really makes me sad.

After yesterday's roughness, Jennifer and I had a plan. She had been able to spend the day at the beach. He beach of choice is just south of Stinson Beach near Red Rock. She called to suggest that we meet in Pinole (about halfway), and enjoy our favorite fried past time: Long John Silver's (Seafood Shoppe). She said she would call when Magellan said she was 30 minutes away, but I got impatient, and drove to be there first.

And it was closed.

Not closed early, but closed shut down. The lights were out, and there were poorly handwritten signs (in ball point pen) saying "Sorry We Closed". Now I don't know if it was poor English, or bad English, but, I was bummed. I thought I would call the number and see if there was a reason given on an answering machine for loyal, living customers, but all I got was the three rising tones, and the wonderful female voice saying that the number was disconnected.

And so I slid into depression.

I called Jennifer, and told her the news, she was still a ways out. I drove home, and sank into a funk. When Jennifer got home, we went to Fuddruckers (and what ever happened to the apostrophe?) in the Willows Shopping Centre. Afterwards we watched "Casino Royale", or at least I did. Jennifer had seen some of it at a hotel, and didn't want to sit through it all.

Overall, it was a bit of a letdown for the whole day.