Would You Like Some W(h)ine With That, Madam?

Today was a bad day, and I'm gonna rant here.

First and foremost, I have this project at work that I was assigned to do before my boss left last week.  It's something she mentioned before, but I couldn't get to it yet because I was busy prepping for another project that I ended up postponing due to the weather.  The new project is amazing--it has every element that I want to explore as the focus of my career.  This project would also set me up very nicely for a PhD opportunity, if ever I want one.  It would be the subject of my first published paper of my career, too--very important for research scientists.  Basically, it would allow me to get experience in the very thing that I think I want to do for the rest of my life!

I was very excited about getting started, so I talked to a bunch of people who have more experience and can train me on the equipment and methods I need to know to complete the project.  Over the past week, I've devoted every waking hour thinking about all the aspects of the project, making plans, writing a literature review, researching, and was going to actually physically start working on the project today.  Then I happened to ask one of the professor guys involved in the larger umbrella project that I'm funded through about a tiny detail of my tiny project.

...And the shiz hit the fan.  Even though my boss assigned me the project, he says that he talked to my boss and told her that HE was doing the project instead.  Not only that, he wants his students to do all of the analyses that I was going to do for the entire umbrella project.  He's one of the experts in this particular field, so now that he has blocked me from the whole area that I'm interested in, I don't see how I'm ever going to get experience in this field with my job.

Screech!  That is the sound of my career halting.

It's very odd, though, because I'm close with his students and asked them about this very project, to make sure I wasn't stealing any projects from anyone else (I assumed my boss had talked to the professor guy, as she said she had cleared it with him).  The students said that they wished they could do it, but they are insanely busy, and are happy that I got the opportunity instead.  So I am really not sure what is up.

Ugh.  I'm so disappointed.  I didn't show it, though--I just wrote him an email back saying that I'd let my boss know about the change of plans, and that I'd be happy to help out as an assistant whenever they needed anyone.  

That was all before 10 am.  What a blow.  I was keeping my head up, though.  Then I was informed that I couldn't go to Taranaki this weekend like I'd planned (it is a 3 day weekend)--I have to go on a 4 day trip for work, and it is urgent and I don't have a choice in the matter.  Cancelled trip...OK--I can handle that, too.

Then I was running around town because I need some things for work before I go on the trip on Friday.  I bought all this stuff, only to find out it won't work.  I drove out to an outer suburb of Auckland during rush hour to get replacement equipment, only to have to turn around because the directions I got from google were totally wrong, and the store was closed before I could even try to figure out where it actually is.

Somewhere in there I got into a fight with one of my friends, somehow.  I don't even know what happened...he was being snarky, I retorted back, but I guess I hit too close to home and now he says he needs to not hang out with me for a while.  Tres weird.

It just feels like a completely wasted day.  I know it could be worse, but I am bummed!  My new mantra is, 'it will get better soon, it will get better soon, it will get better soon!  I am grateful for what I have, but some days really steal my good mood.  I think it's doubly worse because my job is the best thing I have in NZ right now, and when things aren't going well there, it hits me pretty hard.  It will get better soon.  I am grateful for what I have.