So I'm working The Fourth Department yesterday, and by all accounts, it was a good day.  I got to my new work less than two hours in; that rarely happens, but that's a sign that it's going to be a light day.  And then, later in the afternoon, I was bombarded with dozens of new forms.  Luckily, they all involved the same company, plus my supervisor stepped in to help me.  So after a brief anxiety attack, it looked like I was back on track to leaving on time.

Then one other spanner in the works flew at me late in the day.  Someone was panicked because they needed to know when test results for this particular person would be released because the person she spoke needed them because, apparently, the person he or she spoke to needed them or else they'll fire them, or something.  At first I did what usually do, which is e-mail someone and wait.  But ... I don't know this person who e-mailed me asking right now when the results would be released, but I accommodated her.  And I did so by talking to someone else to see if they could give me an approximation ... which they did, which they didn't have to do, and which, in hindsight, I don't know if I should have even asked.  Hell, I don't even know if this was going to be good enough for this person.

So, come to think of it, I could have allowed myself to be run over in both directions: Getting into trouble for doing something that's beyond my job description, and doing so to give this person something that is not quite what she wanted.  Why did I even do this?

For a while during the day, I didn't think I needed a drink after work.  After work, I think I did.  And after sleeping for more than four hours, I might need another drink.