Relentless night

It was one of those nights. Not bad, as I measure such things; I have had very bad nights, when everything seemed to go wrong and things just kept getting worse and worse, and this wasn't one of them. But there was just so much to do. One thing after another after another.

I usually do not take my lunch until the night is more than half over. Typically this translates into sometime between 1:30 and 3:00, but the precise time is dictated by my schedule of jobs for the day, and whatever problems have come up to throw things off-schedule.

Even when everything runs smoothly, even when someone is watching your systems for you, it can be difficult to pick out a half-hour block where you can just walk away. Especially when one job flows into the next, and the next, and the next.

That was the sort of night tonight was. But finally I got everything just where I wanted it. All I had to do was throw in some tests and I would be home free for at least an hour. As I put in my tests I glanced at a clock on the wall. I couldn't believe what I saw, but my wristwatch confirmed it.

5:30 AM is a little too late to break for lunch when your day ends at 6:00.