December 28: P.O.E.T.I.O.V. Day, Getting Work Done, Choices

Yes, today is P.O.E.T.S. Day.  That’s Piss On Everything Tomorrow’s Saturday Day.  This morning, however, it’s actually P.O.E.T.I.O.V. Day.  That would be Piss On Everything Tomorrow I’m On Vacation Day.  Yes, I’m off for two weeks after I complete my work this Friday.  

I haven’t had this much time off in years, so I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do with myself.  I’m sure I’ll figure it out pretty quickly.  There are still tasks I need to complete during my vacation (like finishing my syllabus for the winter semester).  For the most part, though, the next two weeks are blank pages.  Now, as I writer, I can’t stand blank pages.  I have to fill them with something.  A poem.  A short story.  A dirty limerick.  Something.  But the great thing is that I have a choice of what I want to do.

That’s one of the things I struggle with a lot in my current job at the medical office.  I don’t have a whole lot of choices.  The place is owned by a fairly large health care organization, so the welfare and happiness of one tiny, insignificant employee does not make a huge blip on its radar screen.  Pretty much, the company asks, “Can we make money with this office/person?”  If the answer if “yes,” then you’re safe.  If the answer is “no,” start packing up the pictures of your kids on your desk.

I don’t resent the company for being that way.  They’re huge, and they’re in it for the money.  It’s as simple as that.  It leaves little room for individuality or autonomy.  I’m a good employee.  I was named Employee of the Month a couple of years ago.  For the past few years at the university, I’ve been nominated for Adjunct of the Year by the English Department.  I work hard for my employers.  That mentality was pretty much driven into me by my parents.  I always try to do my very best at my jobs.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed the jobs I enjoy the most are the ones that allow me a lot of freedom.  I think that’s why I love teaching at the university.  I’m assigned classes and have to follow a certain curriculum.  However, there’s this little thing called academic freedom.  I can decide how I want to teach.  I can choose the textbooks, the movies, the novels for my classes.  I can shape the entire semester to my liking.  I even get to decide when I want to hold my office hours.  I appreciate the ability to make choices.

For the next two weeks, I can pretend that I’m a full-time professor at the university.  Set my own hours.  Prepare for the upcoming semester at my leisure.  I won’t have to get up at 4 a.m. to leave for work by 5 a.m.  I’ll be able to see my kids in the morning.  I’ll be able to drive my daughter to dance, visit my son’s Head Start classroom.  I might even do some pleasure reading.

Saint Marty is ready to live on the edge.  He may even sleep in until 6 a.m.

Which way do I go?

December 27: One Day Left, Holden by a Nose

I have one day left of work for the year 2012.  Less than 24 hours.  I thought for a while, when my wife lost her job last month, I was going to cancel my vacation.  I could get a lot of extra hours in those two weeks.  However, after much deliberation and soul-searching, I decided to keep my time off.  It will make for a tight January, financially, but I need a break before I have to start dealing with college students again.

I’m not going anywhere for my vacation.  I’m not doing anything.  I’m not making any plans.  I want to read.  I want to write.  I want to relax and not worry about anything.  (That last thing is not going to happen.  I will worry.  Can’t help it.  It’s in my DNA.)  However, I will de-stress my life as much as possible without heavy alcohol use.  By this time tomorrow night, I plan to have my feet up, a cup of spiked hot chocolate in my hand, and an episode of The Walking Dead on the DVD player.

By the way, the last time I checked, Holden Caulfield is still ahead by a nose in the 2013 Book Race.  To be honest, I’ve received only one response, but it was from a person whose judgment I trust.  I’m waiting to see if I get any other book suggestions, but, at the moment, it looks like The Catcher in the Rye will be the book of choice for next year.

If you don’t like J. D. Salinger, you better let Saint Marty know pretty soon. 

J. D. Salinger by a nose so far

August 3: All Day To-Morrow, Vacation, Plans

"You'll want all day to-morrow, I suppose?" said Scrooge.

Of course, this little piece of dialogue is Scrooge's famous response to Bob Cratchit wanting Christmas day off from work.  It's  a classic Scrooge move, feeling abused by Bob's request for a vacation.  Christmas is a losing proposition for Scrooge.  He doesn't get any work out of his clerk, but he still has to pay Bob.  It seems mightily unfair to Scrooge.  If I didn't know any better, I'd swear Scrooge was a Republican.

Next week, I'm on vacation.  As with most of my vacations, I have already made a few plans.  On Monday, the praise band I play keyboard for is performing at a local church camp.  That's going to take all night long.  I'm supposed to go to a movie with a close friend, and I'm going to try to get my family together with an old college friend and his family.  I also want to clean out a corner of my dining room and maybe organize my attic a little bit.

I'm not sure if I'm the only person who does this kind of planning for a vacation.  I'm trying to be realistic.  I may not get to the attic.  I'm determined to get to the dining room corner, and I really want to go to a movie with my friend.  The only thing that's definite is Monday night's band performance.  I should also get an oil change for my car, which is always a scary experience.  The garage always finds something wrong that's incredibly expensive to fix.

Sometimes working is less stressful than being on vacation.  When I'm on vacation, which happens only twice a year, I feel obligated to squeeze in as much extracurricular activities as I can.  In doing so, I usually end up exhausted.  I go back to work not feeling rejuvenated or refreshed.  I go back to work needing a vacation from my vacation.

I know this vacation scheduling practice of mine is not healthy.  I tend to be a Type A personality, in case you haven't noticed.  I like having fun, but I have to fit it into my day.  Fun cannot screw up my normal activities.

Saint Marty needs some time off to plan his time off.

No room for surprises