Upon Further Review

In the light of a new day I've looked at the footage yet again. I'm rested. My eyes are no longer tired. It still looks like a ninja to me.

It would explain the blurred disappearance of my lunches. I may not be that well versed in ninja lore but I am aware that not being seen is one of their better talents. I also thought that they were assassins. If this one is trying to kill me by making me miss lunch, well, I don't think that'll do it.

For the sake of argument, let's say it's not a ninja as such, but maybe someone with ninja like skills that is stealing my lunch. In the week or so of footage available to me, it looks like my lunch is being targeted. I don't see a moment where anyone else using the fridge starts looking around inside it with that 'where's my lunch?' look on their face. Everyone pops inside, gets their stuff, and moves on. So why me?

I considered the thought that it could be an experiment, a creature that's loose in the vents or something but that doesn't explain why I've been targeted for the past couple weeks. A creature or person looking simply to get food would be more likely to quickly grab what's most easily available and get out. A person seeking to not be detected would spread around the thefts, not just hit one person, in the hopes that the victim wouldn't discuss one missing lunch with the rest of the group only to find out everyone else has lost a lunch of late. It seems more logic to believe I'm being targeted. But why?

That eludes me. I'm not aware of having offended anyone recently, especially to the point that would cause someone to get a ninja like person to repeatedly steal my lunch. It's ridiculous.

If the Vampire Nation wanted to speak with me, they'd do so through one of their many assistants. If they had an issue with me again, they'd have be brought in, not steal my lunch. None of the wrestlers I know are fast enough to be like a ninja and they tend to not be sneaky. The same would go for the crime-fighters I've met. I suppose it could be a criminal of the powered ilk but I can't think of one that has that type of ability, is known to work in the area, and would have any reason to be annoyed with me.

I did something simple today. I brought a bag lunch instead of a frozen meal. Instead of actually having a lunch inside the bag, I just had a note asking whomever it was to please stop stealing my lunch. I'm just curious to see what will happen next.

Maybe the 'ninja' will start stealing the pens from my desk.

I must be seeing something wrong

A ninja? A ninja has been stealing my lunches?

I must be tired. I can't be seeing this correctly. It would explain some things but still.

I'll have to look again tomorrow. I need to go to bed. Ninja...

I am so not enjoying this week

It snowed last night into this morning. The prediction was for a MASSIVE snowfall and we got a snowfall that could be considered normal for Milwaukee. The problem was that it was the first significant snowfall of the season so the people driving to work lost their minds. 'Oh dear!' they seemed to think 'the pavement is wet! Whatever will we do?' The larger roads weren't slippery and had not accumulation on them. You could drive on them just fine unless, apparently, you're an idiot.

I don't even have to drive all that far to get to work and I was a few minutes late. I hate being late to work. Technically it doesn't make a big different when I arrive and depart; if I put in my time and get my work done it isn't a big deal when I start and stop. If I say I'm going start work at 8, I want to be there by 8. It's just my nature. I've been late before, but never often, and it starts my day off poorly.

Half the staff called in due to the snow. Classes were cancelled. Why didn't I just stay home? I'm in I.T., I don't teach. I still had work to do. Some of my interns didn't show but at least they called in. No annoyed conversations needed. The day ended up being this mix of nothing to do and incredibly busy. I had to answer phones for awhile. I haven't done that in ages.

Unfortunately, the cafeteria staff were given the day off so, when my lunch was stolen, I had only the vending machines as an alternative. Peanut crackers and hot chocolate will only satisfy for so long. I left for the day irritated and only became more so as I drove home through traffic that was still stupid. While I was at work, the plowmen decided to dump these massive boulders of half frozen slush at the entrance of my drive. I think I pulled a muscle in my shoulder getting them removed.

Just wonderful.

Tuesday is just another Monday in disguise

I don't like complaining as it makes me feel like a whiner. Everyone has their own problems and mine aren't necessarily more important or difficult to deal with than anyone else's problems. They are important to me because they are mine.

Someone I assisted yesterday with a computer related issue decided I didn't do so with the appropriate respect and I spent most of the morning dealing with the political fall-out. Thankfully Dean Cuthbold is both fond of me and somewhat easy to distract so I got out of it just fine. No worries I think. I hope.

I haven't had much time to look at the video from yesterday and today because of all this ... stuff. There's clearly something there but it's only there for a moment. I'm going to go through it more after dinner.

I can wait until winter break hits. We've got some upgrades scheduled and I'm keen to get them accomplished.

Of course, you know what that means; the day after break will be INSANELY busy. Also, the customers will be able to blame us for any problems for a change. Maybe I'm not looking forward to that after all.

Monday. Ugh.

Monday is always a rough day. There's something magical about the weekend that breaks computers. I believe there was an expression in the past, something to the effect of 'plowhorse's syndrome'. I recall the idea more than the title. The idea is that the weekend allowed the horse a chance to rest and he went back to work on Monday all cold, leaving him vulnerable to injury. Computers are the same way. They tend to sit quiet for the weekend, get restarted on a Monday morning, and something gets overcharged causing it to fail.

The 'entertaining' part of this is that some people like to accuse me of doing 'something' over the weekend to cause this failure. I ran updates. I did an upgrade. I did something to break their computer. I have no clue why they feel so persecuted. I'm really a very nice guy. I also don't have the kind of time to run around the school over the weekend and break everyone's computer so we'll have something to do on Monday. Duh.

Another work day, another lost lunch. This time it was a pot pie that I didn't put my initials or anything on it to identify it. Whomever is doing this is apparently watching me to see what I bring for lunch. I say that because I believe I'm the only one that's being thieved from in this way. I know my workmates. If this was happening to them, most of them anyway, I would have heard about it. I would have heard about nothing else.

I doubt I have anything interesting in my new video evidence to investigate but I'll get to it later. Or eventually. As curious as I am, I need to rest first. Dealing with Professor Koloff's secretary, er, assistant proved rather draining today. She's the one that accused me of doing 'something' to break her computer. I think she was serious.

Ugh. Where's my beer?

Time for a Reunion?

Yesterday I received an invitation to get together with some of my old college friends. I think about them often as I work at our old college. It's hard not to think about them. I'll be walking down a hallway or puttering in a room and memories will just pop into my head. I know that youth often seems like a simpler, happier time compared to the complications of adult life but I can point to specific things that were... different them, perhaps better. Better is a relative sort of statement.

I don't know who might show up to this thing. Just thinking of my main group of friends from that time there is the one who hates me, the three friends that sided with him, the two that sided with my fiance when she broke up with me, that same fiance (who I'm sure won't be there), and the three friends I was still hanging out with when I graduated. This might be a small reunion or a big one. It will depend on a lot.

Has my 'arch-enemy' (he gave himself that title) given up his silly feud? If not, will his team of buddies visit? Have Heather's friends decided to let things go? I don' t know. I am curious.

The gathering is at my buddy Scott's house in a couple weeks. At the very least I should drop in and say hi. I'm not a good 'dropper-inner', I'm more of a 'hanger-outer'. It's been a couple years since I last saw Scott and would like to catch up with him again. That said, if I do catch abuse for things done or not done years ago, I can just leave.

I think I'll go.