11:43PM

It's the latest I've been up in days. It feels like weeks already. I have already reacclimated to the way of life here. It's not difficult. Work all day. Come "home." Work some more. But the work is not what I had expected. With our entire system down for the past two days, the frenetic crisis resolution I had expected to be occupied with has not occurred. I have had time to think. To plan. To diagnose. To document. It's been a relative vacation. In this time, I have invested significantly in mentoring and building relationships. It's great that my underling has finally started to realize how much he doesn't know and is willing to listen to me from time to time; We tend to have good conversations and the transfer of understanding, not just knowledge, has been satisfying. Of course, he is still the youthful braggert he always is, and wastes no opportunity to try to take me down a notch to show me what a big boy he is. I suppose this is acceptable for now, as he always manages to get both feet stuck in his mouth. I have to tread the line carefully though. It's treacherous to try to play friend/mentor/ and supervisor all at once, and the boundaries are difficult to maintain.

Today, I even had a small opportunity to be mentored as well. The affirmation is... I have no vocabulary word to describe it. I have always respected and enjoyed the man who has become the project manager. I think I have enjoyed him even more after taking a car ride with him into the mountains and having a chance to get to know each other more. The fact that he too is an INFJ helps immensely. So the fact that I suspect that there may be a target on his back and that he may become the fall guy concerns me greatly. I tried to broach the subject with him today, to let him know that this might be the case because I'm not sure if he knows this yet. We were interrupted before I got the chance. He must suspect to some degree, but he has been away from the home office for a long time, and the whispers are growing louder. I wonder if I am out of place to warn him of this concern. I wonder even further if I even should. It will not change the fact that he might be a marked man, but rather, it will only put more weight on his already overburdened shoulders.