2009 November

Another Casualty of My Job (or Why Gracie Hates Me)

November 18, 2009 By Mo 5 Comments

I’ve written obsessively about the long hours I’ve been working and the toll it’s taken on me physically and mentally.

But now my job has affected Gracie, and I’m kind of pissed.

I’ve been trying very hard to maintain some kind of normal life while working here, but it’s not easy. Even in the “off-season,” my hours are always unpredictable and making plans is next to impossible. I keep trying though, hoping against hope that I’ll get some normalcy in my life again.

A couple of months ago I signed Gracie up to do agility classes. They are every Thursday at 8:00 p.m. You’d think that wouldn’t be a problem, right? Right off the bat it was clear it would be difficult. I had to make sure I got out at 6:00 so I could drive home, pick up Gracie and drive out to the class location. It’s not particularly far, but I needed to make sure I didn’t get stuck in rush-hour madness.

It quickly became apparent that getting out at 6:00 was pushing my luck, so I started to bring her into the office, so I didn’t have to worry about leaving until 7:15 or so. I also hoped that the presence of my dog would remind everyone that I had other things to do.

Not so much.

The night I was here until 2:00 a.m.? So was Gracie. Most nights I wasn’t able to get out of here until 8:00—right when the class started.

I scheduled make-up classes and couldn’t keep those appointments either.

Before I knew it, we were about a month behind.

So this week I had to quit agility.

She was getting really good at this, too....

Not only am I pissed on principle, but I’m upset on Gracie’s behalf. It was something fun for her to do. Something more interesting than her neighborhood walk. She knew that when I loaded her into the car in the morning, that it was going to be a fun day. Last night when it was clear we were camped out in the office for a while, she got pissy. She woo-hoo’d at me over and over and kept nudging me and moving toward my purse.

This is getting old. It’s not healthy. Burned-out employees with no lives are not good employees.

And now my dog hates me.

Filed Under: Apropos of Absolutely Nothing, Daily Bark, I'm cranky, Pets, Premature Ejacublogging®, Rants & Raves Tagged With: agility, career, Pets, work

Nothing To See Here, People. Nothing To See.

November 17, 2009 By Mo 2 Comments

I don’t know how all of you NaBloPoMo people do it. Whether it’s writing in your blog on a daily basis or writing a novel in 30 days, I’m in awe. I can barely put 5 words on a page right now.

I have a list of topics in my head and I’ve even written some stuff down in my notebook, but nothing is coming together. I can’t form a cohesive thought. To top it off, I’ve been in such a mood, that it doesn’ feel right to put certain things out there in the blogsphere. I’m either too tired to write, or everything I come up with seems to extreme. It’s Snark to the Nth degree!

typewriter

It’s been so long since I’ve written anything, that it’s hard to get back into the groove. Hopefully, I’ll get my blogging mojo back soon.

(Feel free to send topics! I like a challenge!)

Filed Under: Apropos of Absolutely Nothing, Lazy Posts, Life, Premature Ejacublogging®, Rants & Raves, Writing

Time Flies When You’re…Working Your Ass Off

November 8, 2009 By Mo 2 Comments

Last week I worked 62 hours. In five days. Thursday I clocked 17 hours (9:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. Friday morning) and then was in my chair at 9:00 a.m. on Friday.

I’m fucking tired.

The irony of this is that just a few months ago I was told they’d probably have to lay me off—we weren’t busy enough.

This is the time of the year that my industry gets busy, but it’s never been like this. This is insane. So insane that I just realized this morning that Thanksgiving is in a couple of weeks. Since I’ve hosted Thanksgiving for the past 10 years, I can’t believe I forgot. By this time in November, I’ve had my menu planned for a couple of weeks, I’ve gotten a head count (anywhere from 15 to 25 people), and I’ve ordered my turkey. This year? I didn’t quite register that it was November.

Since I obviously can’t guarantee that I’ll have much time to get things ready, I ran out and bought 5 pounds of apples today and made the filling for my apple pies. I’m trying to make my menu and the accompanying grocery list, but I’m so tired that I’m scattered.

I know the first part of this week will be crazy but I hope the second half will be a little better. I need a break. And I need some rest.