Thursday, May 10, 2012

Our Life for Eight Months

Extra work is a mixed blessing. The money is nice, especially when you are facing near-bankruptcy, but to get to the "money" you have to do the "work". The Wifey puts in 16-18 hours a day teaching second grade and doing lesson plans and non-classroom teacher stuff for her fixed salary that probably will come to about 6.00/hr. at the end of the semester. She's a trooper and earns every penny of her wages. I hope she makes it to the end of the semester.

Me, I put in a very honest eight (and a half, I work through lunch) at my school for my fixed salary and I leave. I'll stay late and take care of education emergencies or critical paperwork, but for the most part I rarely leave my work cell phone on or check my work email after I leave the office. Instead, I go to my "phone booth home" and change into my Superman jeans and T-shirt and do construction for a few hours after work and on weekends. At pushing 60 it is harder than delivering pizza or working at McDonald's graveyard shift but it pays better.

There's very little energy left at the end of the day for all the stuff I'd rather be doing. Just sitting down and staring at the wall is a luxury. But there is food on the table, the lights (and internet) are on and we're actually paying off creditors instead of avoiding them. This about sums it up: I got all the ****ing work I need.

Thank God.



H/T Och

...and my hero from 1959, Maynard G. Krebs (yes, that is Gilligan) on "work".