- Unscripted -

(Ramble On - Led Zeppelin)

So I'm on a video call earlier this morning with a co-worker. We're working diligently to hammer out an outline for training content that we're about to create and I've got said outline pulled up on my screen.

Now, it's important to understand a few things about my office set up at home.  I have a (very) large monitor, a wireless keyboard, a wireless track pad, and for very specific tasks, a secondary wired mouse that I keep tucked up under the lower bezel of my monitor:

Yes, that's a five by five Rubik's-style puzzle cube.  Yes, I can solve it.

Anyway, I'm sitting here working on that outline and as I'm cranking away on it and talking with my co-worker, my computer starts glitching out.  My document suddenly scrolls a little up or down.  My pointer on-screen moves a little.  Key presses from my keyboard do random things instead of performing their intended function.

As I'm nearing the point of admitting to my co-worker that I've finally had a psychotic break, I see this tiny, white paw stretch out from under my monitor.  It's at this point that I notice that my secondary mouse has been completely dragged under and behind my monitor and that one of my cats, Tardigrade -- we call her Grady most of the time -- is back there out of my sight playing with it.

Profanity ensues.

Then apologizing to the co-worker ensues, followed by muting my microphone.  And then more profanity, all while my co-worker is laughing hysterically.

At this point, Grady knows she's in trouble, but rather than running away, she simply becomes more brazen.  "If I can't have it, no one can have it."  Or something like that:

...We rescheduled the meeting.