(no subject)
Per Cait Martin’s suggestion I am using the down time that I have at work to write a lengthy LJ post. As yet, I have no idea what it will be about, but this could change within a few pages. Who knows, it might even be interesting, but I make no guarantees. But as a common courtesy, I shall hide it all behind a cut.
Life has settled into a pleasant, monotonous rhythm over the past few weeks. Wake, Drive, Work, Drive, Eat, Relax, Sleep. There’s something soothing in that. This isn’t to say that my day has no variety. I am lucky enough to be in a job that affords me some opportunity to sample numerous activities, most of them enjoyable. Even my “day job,” those tasks that I perform on a daily basis, contains some variation. While the task is always the same (Make sure people don’t f up the corporate budget too badly) the acts involved in ensuring the completion of that task are never the same. It’s the perfect balance between predictability and spontaneity.
The only thing that I could possibly complain about is my seeming inability to grow up. This bothers me. I mean, I’m gainfully employed, work long hard days, am able to afford a comfortable living, have basically “settled down” already… These are all signs that I should be an “adult” now, right? But every night when I come home, I do none of the things that I should do. Clothes go unwashed, the apartment remains horrifyingly messy, I put off washing dishes until the sink threatens to buckle… And what do I do instead? I play video games, or watch TV shows on DVD or iTunes, silly things like Cowboy Bebop, Arrested Development, and Battlestar Galactica.
While I might be willing to minimally dismiss these actions during the work week with excuses of, “But I’ve had a rough day,” the same can’t be said of the weekend. You’d think that during that 48 hours of absolute freedom, I’d be able to do at least SOME of these things. And you’d be right. I’m actually able to do all of them. None of them, however, seem to get done. I’m not sure what I’m expecting. Only in the Harry Potter universe or other fantasy realms (Discworld, Xanth) can I sit on my ass and have all of those things get magically taken care of.
But here’s the odd thing. I feel so much better about everything when they are taken care of. For those that don’t own an apartment or are quite proud of their slovenly ways, I’ll let you in on something. It actually feels really, really, good to come home to a clean apartment. It’s just … heartening. I can’t really explain it. The same can be said of having freshly ironed clothes and an immaculate kitchen and utensils and pans and cooking stuffs all neatly organized and put away. It’s extremely comforting, though this may just be the tiny OCD portion of my personality at work. But none of it gets done. And so I find myself living the college student life at a time when it should really be out of my system. It’s time to grow up, but I can’t seem to manage it. Hopefully this will resolve itself in a timely fashion.
On the lighter side of things … I don’t really have anything to report. My contract is up for renegotiation and it looks like they want to retain me. There’s even been rumors of a paybump, but nothing official yet. A paybump would be welcome, but not for the reason of immediate finances. Rather it will put me in better standing when negotiating a salary for a permanent position. If, in the meantime, some extra money comes out of it, it will go directly into my IRA. At least in THAT respect it seems that I’ve grown up a tad.
Life has settled into a pleasant, monotonous rhythm over the past few weeks. Wake, Drive, Work, Drive, Eat, Relax, Sleep. There’s something soothing in that. This isn’t to say that my day has no variety. I am lucky enough to be in a job that affords me some opportunity to sample numerous activities, most of them enjoyable. Even my “day job,” those tasks that I perform on a daily basis, contains some variation. While the task is always the same (Make sure people don’t f up the corporate budget too badly) the acts involved in ensuring the completion of that task are never the same. It’s the perfect balance between predictability and spontaneity.
The only thing that I could possibly complain about is my seeming inability to grow up. This bothers me. I mean, I’m gainfully employed, work long hard days, am able to afford a comfortable living, have basically “settled down” already… These are all signs that I should be an “adult” now, right? But every night when I come home, I do none of the things that I should do. Clothes go unwashed, the apartment remains horrifyingly messy, I put off washing dishes until the sink threatens to buckle… And what do I do instead? I play video games, or watch TV shows on DVD or iTunes, silly things like Cowboy Bebop, Arrested Development, and Battlestar Galactica.
While I might be willing to minimally dismiss these actions during the work week with excuses of, “But I’ve had a rough day,” the same can’t be said of the weekend. You’d think that during that 48 hours of absolute freedom, I’d be able to do at least SOME of these things. And you’d be right. I’m actually able to do all of them. None of them, however, seem to get done. I’m not sure what I’m expecting. Only in the Harry Potter universe or other fantasy realms (Discworld, Xanth) can I sit on my ass and have all of those things get magically taken care of.
But here’s the odd thing. I feel so much better about everything when they are taken care of. For those that don’t own an apartment or are quite proud of their slovenly ways, I’ll let you in on something. It actually feels really, really, good to come home to a clean apartment. It’s just … heartening. I can’t really explain it. The same can be said of having freshly ironed clothes and an immaculate kitchen and utensils and pans and cooking stuffs all neatly organized and put away. It’s extremely comforting, though this may just be the tiny OCD portion of my personality at work. But none of it gets done. And so I find myself living the college student life at a time when it should really be out of my system. It’s time to grow up, but I can’t seem to manage it. Hopefully this will resolve itself in a timely fashion.
On the lighter side of things … I don’t really have anything to report. My contract is up for renegotiation and it looks like they want to retain me. There’s even been rumors of a paybump, but nothing official yet. A paybump would be welcome, but not for the reason of immediate finances. Rather it will put me in better standing when negotiating a salary for a permanent position. If, in the meantime, some extra money comes out of it, it will go directly into my IRA. At least in THAT respect it seems that I’ve grown up a tad.