Oh yea, forgot to mention this.
Along with my newfound importance at work, I find myself managing a PDS, which is, in essence, a bunch of buried fiber. Except more complicated, because some of it is classified fiber, which means we have to jump through governmental flaming hoops.
One of these hoops is as such. Your fiber must be at least three feet underground. This is easy, except where there's construction. And on a Navy base, it seems, there is always construction.
There are these people, see. And they want to put a building on top of my PDS, see? Fine, nothing I can do about it anyway. But, to put in the foundation they need to dig a huge freaking hole that's going to uncover my PDS - no longer buied 3 feet = bad. That's OK too, though, because there's a contingency! Someone with a clearance needs to be there at all times while the PDS is exposed to make sure it isn't tampered with. Great. Now, let me rephrase this.
I need to find someone (with a clearance! These things aren't cheap!) to sit and watch a hole for...here's the punchline...possibly as long as three weeks. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I have me and a handful of contractors to pick from, and we all have full plates. And then some; this is far from my only responsibility.
Wait, I forgot the other punchline. Someone else is digging more holes on the other side of the base that I need people to man, too. We don't know how long or when that's supposed to happen yet, though.
Believe me when I say that I have far, far better things to do than to sit outside in the cold (can't even stay in a car, the pit's too far) all day, every day to watch a pile of dirt.
I should also be sleeping, seeing as I'm supposed to be up in...six hours to return to this mess. Playing with broken glass (of the "stained" variety) is ever so much more fun!