After 9 straight 10-hour work days, my brain is in overdrive, skittering from the confessional, to AA, to the ShamWow!
Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It’s been nine days since my last timesheet.
I shake my head — harder to do than it sounds since I’m lying in bed. As is its wont, my subconscious has been busy overnight, but what’s this first-thought-upon-waking all about? But wait, as the ‘ShamWow!’ guy says, There’s more!
Hi. My name is Isabel. I’m a workaholic.
Hi, Isabel.
Yikes. The confessional, ShamWow!, and an AA meeting, all of which I know only from TV and all rolled into my first 30 seconds awake. What’s been going on overnight?
And then I remember.
It’s Sunday morning, my first day since the beginning of the month with absolutely no work planned.
It’s Sunday morning, the morning after the night before when I ‘downed tools’ at 9 PM and filled in my timesheet to see my total hours for the nominally six work days in the month-to-date go to 88, including travel time.
And it’s Sunday morning, when I religiously post my blog. Well, when I usually post my blog, since this past nine days has been fully occupied and then some with editing, rewriting, formatting, editing, rewriting, and cutting-to-client-prescribed-length, without end. Amen.
My helpful subconscious, apparently, has been working overnight to rectify this omission, to supply this missing blog post. Unfortunately, she’s more executive than executive assistant. All she’s done is come up with two lead-in lines (How hard can it be from there?) rather than a tidy package of, oh, say, 700 spell-checked words, quietly slipped onto my nightside table. It’s hard to find good help these days. Where’s Rumpelstiltskinnette when you need her? (Which cultural allusion should I use? This is a Pick-Your-Own Allusion site, today, folks: You decide. Me, I’m tired, and I can write but not edit when I’m tired: something about all those decisions.)
Anyway.
Whether working too hard is sin, sickness, or shitty decision, I don’t know. I do know that what passes for ‘too hard’ is less these days than it used to be.
But wait, there’s more! Call right now, and we’ll double your hours. We can’t do this all day, you know.
I can still do it all day, all right. I just can’t do it all week the way I used to.
Been there, done that. Actually, AM there, DOING that. Seventy hours this week AND will put in a full day today and maybe tomorrow before my keyboard gets a rest.
So, I hope that being currently stuck in my ‘editor mode’ will excuse me for correcting: “spelling-checked” not “spell-checked”. Although I must admit that you, I, and most of the editors I know, are wizards at creating order out of chaos. (I almost clicked ‘Post Comment’ and then noticed I had typed “crating order out of chaos”. That’s how I feel right now. Just put it all in a box and Send.It.Away.)
The end is near. This too shall pass.
Have a relaxing non-work day.
Marion – Yes, I’m tuned better for the short hauls, now. Give me ten days, or give me death! Wasn’t there an American patriot who said that? Maybe I paraphrase. (And why don’t we talk about Canadian patriots? Anyway.) Yes, I believe you’ve corrected ‘spell-check’ for me before. This is one that doesn’t stick in my writing because it’s how I talk. But by all means, let’s crate up that chaos. How hard can it be?
Enjoy your day (off) !
Ralph – Did do! Thanks.
Me, I liked the way you worked in that inevitable line from the TV commercials for kitchen knives, slicers, wrappers, whatever. I’ve been trying to figure out how to use that line myself, without success.
“Phone now and we’ll double your heavenly reward….”
“Phone now and we’ll cut your hair twice as short, for no extra charge….”
“Phone now and we’ll send you TWO international terrorists…”
Naaah
Jim
Jim – Well, as a blogger, your offer might be two spammers or two off-topic commenters. Unfortunately, it seems they can do it all day.
Being at the back end of a similar experience/proposal, I know exactly how you feel. This is my first weekend off in the last four, but in 1 month plus a day I’ll be 65 and then all my weekends will be off.
Can’t wait for freedom 65!
John W
John – Well, glad the end is in sight, both of this one and of all of them. Enjoy!
So – I do not suffer from this vice – but if he could find time, I’d make my husband read your post!
Alison – Ah, yes, there’s a Catch-22 moment in this, that’s for sure. Good luck!