Author: Doug McCaughan

Today I played with Evan. He enjoys being pushed on the tire swing. Amy and I worked together to install a tic-tac-toe board in the ground outside by burying bricks. I worked on hole two of the minigolf we are installing in the side yard (which will be ready by the time the kids hit college). Cathy and I did Easter shopping for tomorrow’s meal and Easter stuff. There were laughs and stress. There was some cleaning.

The evening ended with a delightful dinner.

The carpenter bees have made the first offensive and gained ground. I suspect the mosquitoes are warming up their war machine.

An hour and a half has passed. Where did it go?

I awoke at 3am without hesitation. Arose. Did the usually bathroom duties in preparation for the day and got dressed. Began the process of downloading a client’s entire website…a nuisance but even with version control you can never be sure if someone else has altered files; actually, the version control will tell me but it still requires copying the entire site…a process AT&T makes more painful than Comcast but I am not certain I ever want to do business with Comcast the crooks again. Their business practices are unethical but we can discuss that later. Coffee was made. Some recreational websurfing was had. Clothes changed again. Chanting. Breakfast eaten. And back to client work.

Last night the wife complained that I jump out of bed in the middle of the night, get back into bed, mutter colorful vernacular to myself, and repeat the process over and over. So today, when I awoke at 3am, I started my day. How did that day begin? Realizing I desperately need to have my hvac serviced.

I know what the problem is. The heat exchanger is covered in dust. It is not a simple fix but a manageable one…if I could get to the unit. The fact that I cannot get to the unit also precludes my ability to hire someone to do it for me. So? I need a full day to clean the garage…so that I can spend a half a day working on the hvac.

Today’s programming during beautiful weather is brought to you by the letters "logic flaw" and "f*&^ me"

I am truly tired of our society’s unhealthy obsession with labeling organized as a disorder. Being meticulous is not a problem. Obsessive compulsive disorder has three words: obsessive, compulsive, and disorder. If your attention to detail, or adherence to order, is not disruptive to your life, then you do not have OCD. So, go ahead and highlight your instructions. Place papers on the table neatly. Those actions are not OCD. If you have to turn your deadbolt three times to leave the house, then you might have a problem. And OCD has an evil twin that is on the opposite end of the spectrum…obsessive compulsive chaos…and frankly, I’d rather turn my deadbolt three times to leave the house (which I don’t) rather than live having to constantly search for things.

I just returned from 4 days of training in Washington DC. I’m both physically and mentally exhausted. But there is sooo much to do today.