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I’m mostly sorry for not posting, but it’s been a hectic few weeks. I have a new full-time job, which wasn’t part of the plan, but hey — plans change. I’m now a news editor for this little website, which is cool, but my schedule is way different now and I’m trying to adjust.
It’s like I’ve made a decision that could alter the course of my entire life.
More like this here.
One day I’ll post more. One day.
Well, I did it. Or I’m doing it. Giving up my full-time job to pursue those ever-elusive “other things.” Excited? Yes. Apprehensive? Yes. Ready for anything? I’d better be, because who knows what’s going to happen.
I’ve been running myself ragged this month, and it’s starting to show in all of my work. Let’s recap. For starters, there’s this NaBloPoMo ordeal, which hasn’t really taken a lot of effort (as if you couldn’t tell), but knowing there’s one more thing to do each day is mentally draining, even if the task itself doesn’t usually amount to much. So there’s that. Then I’m at the office from 10 a.m. to at least 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. The last few weeks have been especially busy there, so I arrive at work, sit at the computer, begin editing, eat a sandwich while editing, find a place to stop editing, turn off computer, go home. Once I get home, it’s BuzzDash and Digital Theatre time.
Lots to do, not enough hours in the day. So getting rid of the full-time gig is the best option. At this point I’m uncertain about my future with the Nielsen Company. We’re trying to work out an arrangement where I can become a part-time employee, but to be honest it sounds like a long shot. And even if they get the bosses to agree to allow me to be part-time, there’s no telling if we’ll be able to come to an agreement that suits me and the company. They’ve asked me to stay at least until they find a replacement, and I said I’d do what I can, but that come January, I need to have at least three days a week off (that’s work days, not weekends).
So I’m doing it. I’m leaving stability and comfort for instability and happiness. In theory. To be honest, I have no idea how this is going to work out. I’m really excited and, honestly, scared to death.
I looked up from my keyboard today and said aloud, to no one in particular, “I’m wasting my life.” But after some careful thought and some self-directed pep talks, I started to feel more optimistic. I came to the conclusion that yes, I am in fact wasting my life today, but what would my life look like right now if it weren’t being wasted? What would I be doing that I’d consider worthwhile? It made me feel better to realize that there’s no answer to that question at this point, so this waste of time is more like the type of hiatus you must fill while you’re in line at the grocery store or while you’re waiting for water to boil. It’s necessary. Unavoidable. Because what would your life look like if it were all boil and no buildup? Maybe James Dean’s? Elvis Presley’s? Jimi Hendrix’s? Chris Farley’s?
Not that I think you should stick yourself in a rut to avoid dying young. Not at all. I don’t really know what my point is, but as far as justification for my own rut, I like how dramatic this explanation is.
The real story is I’m lazy and I’m comfortable and I’m scared to upend all that. But not quite afraid enough to not do it, which makes it even scarier.
In other news, our company holiday luncheon (sounds fun already, huh?) is on a Tuesday at noon. We go to press on Tuesdays, so guess who has an excellent excuse not to go? Someone up there [points to corner offices] loves me. Or hates me but inadvertently made me happy. I win again!
I realize that because of NaBloPoMo (motto: “Sounds like a disease!”) this has sort of turned into a mini diary, but that’s fine. Why fight it? One of the things Sin Pies has always lacked is focus. Even the name is just some stupid thing I came up with one day while daydreaming in a college Spanish class. It’s two words with many meanings in different languages, but when I put them on the site header, they instantly say nothing. Why should the content below the header be any different?
Jaxon’s birthday was fun, but you know what they say: What happens in West Hollywood (or wherever the hell) stays there, as well as in our minds and hearts and bank records too. The important thing is we helped Jaxon turn 29 successfully.
I love movies about killer insects. Preferably normal insects, rather than giant insects.
Speaking of movies, here’s a retroview for you: Spider-Man 3 is a waste of time. My first thought was: “So sad how the mighty fell.” Then, after some consideration, I realized that none of the Spider-Man movies was truly great. The first one was decent and the second forgettable, but the third was laughable. Not good. Oh Spider-Man 3, how thou art terrible, let me count the ways. About 19. That’s just off the top of my head. There could easily be many more ways thou art terrible.
Anyway, light posts for the next three days while I toil at the slag pit. After that, I’d like to finish the month strong, but I’m not really sure what that means.
Feeling better today than I did yesterday. That’s mostly because today’s a new day, and it will be free from workplace injustice and/or shenanigans. First question I’ll ask future potential employers: “At what level of shenanigans does your business operate in a typical week? Mmm hm. And around the holidays?”
I don’t generally like button-fly pants, but there are definitely some pluses.
Today is Jaxon’s birthday; we’re going to feed him some booze and make him tap dance. He probably won’t, though. Some birthday.
At the publication where I work, I think we use too many semicolons. Someone smart once said that people overuse the word “irony,” which is definitely true. That person said that usually what people mean is “coincidence” or “unlucky” and that real irony is harder to come by. I’m paraphrasing and maybe even embellishing, but I think I’ve pretty accurately represented what was said.
Anyway, semicolons are the same way: Where they’re actually needed, I think, is harder to come by than you would guess based on our usage. Will I say or do anything? No, because there are so many things that are more important. But I’ll still think about it, and I’ll notice it; I just won’t care. I used two semicolons in this blog post. I used them properly, though neither was necessary, and I’m not sure either did much for the meaning, readability, or quality of the post. See what I mean?
