New Job, New Time Management Issues

My husband’s uncle asked me a question today. An innocent question: “How’s the book going?” The answer was not quite as innocent: “Not as good after going out West!”

I haven’t written a thing since the week before my flight to Alberta. At first it was because I (obviously) had more important things on my mind, like figuring out how meals work on the camp, and becoming acquainted with my many new coworkers. As the days went on, writing continued to go by the wayside because I was adjusting to a new job that involves a hell of a lot of walking, climbing stairs and ladders, and hanging out in stifling heat while wearing flame-retardant, long-sleeved coveralls. In other words, I was tired. By the time the last few days of my two-week rotation began to wear down, I continued to fail to write because of good old fashioned laziness. Even after returning home, I got no writing done over the past five days because I’ve been too busy enjoying my daughter and filling other obligations (i.e. my niece’s birthday party…enjoy being 3, cutie!), and no one can possibly blame me for that.

Reincorporating writing into my schedule is one of the things that I’m going to have to work on with this new job, but other than a few minor complaints (I never did get the internet working in my room) the entire ‘Out West’ experience has gone much better than I expected. I don’t mind the camp at all, the work is easy and laid-back, safety is actually number one for a change, my coworkers are all good guys, and there is no way anyone could possibly complain about the money. All in all, I have to say that I am honestly enjoying the job. Yes, of course, being away from the baby for two weeks at a time is less than fun, but look at it this way: how many people get 14 days out of every 28 off? 14 days that I can spend doing whatever I want, which in this case is enjoying my adorable daughter? Not to mention, this job is so stress-free that my days off (so far) are being spent in a great mood, actually enjoying myself, rather than coming home from work every day cranky and tired and inadvertently taking my mood out on my daughter and husband.

Everyone is different of course, and I’ve only had one rotation so far so I can’t definitively judge, but it’s looking good so far. I really think this job might be the start of something good. If nothing else, it will allow us to ditch some debt that we’ll be ridiculously happy to see the backside of…we’re coming for you, student loans!

Now if I could just squeeze the writing in there somewhere as well, I’d be doing great.

 

Ten Years

I was poking around Facebook one day, not doing anything in particular, when I came across a handful of my classmates from high school talking about reunions. They were discussing what was to be done for our 10-year reunion, and whether anyone wanted to take responsibility for it (around here it’s the graduate’s responsibility to organize a reunion if they want one). A few weeks later I got an invite to a Facebook ‘group’ whose purpose is planning the reunion and spreading the word.

I have to admit, I’m still working out just what that means in my head. I’ve been out of high school for ten years. Where did that time go?

If you had asked me ten years ago, upon graduation from high school, where I saw myself in ten years, my answer would have been definite. I would have said I’d be working with computers (don’t you love it when people give that broad spectrum?), and that I’d be married to my high school sweetheart, Frankie. At that point in my life those were the only two things on my mind: what I was going to do for work, and my boyfriend. And really, how much else is usually on the mind of an 18-year-old?

Instead, in the past ten years I:

• applied for one college program,
• ended up in a different one after the first one was cancelled,
• suffered heartbreak at the hands of the aforementioned high school sweetheart,
• had my heart mended by someone I never would have expected,
• experienced living away from home, both with friends and alone with my new boyfriend,
• experienced what it’s like to have to scrape pennies together to buy groceries,
• dealt with what it feels like to sincerely doubt your career path after wasting a hell-ton of money,
• somehow graduated from college,
• suffered at a call center for several long months while I searched for a job that utilized my four years worth of degree,
• celebrated like a crazy person when I finally got the job at the paper mill,
• moved 90 minutes away from home, without my boyfriend, who was still finishing his college program,
• dealt with the ins and outs of the paper mill and realized that even though I had a degree I knew positively jack sh*t,
• celebrated when my boyfriend was finally able to move back in with me,
• celebrated even harder when he too got a job at the paper mill,
• got engaged,
• bought my first (financed) car,
• got married in a beautiful outdoor wedding,
• bought a house after months of looking at the worst places ever and finally finding a jewel in the rough,
• got pregnant and enjoyed all that that entails,
• gave birth to my beautiful baby girl and never felt happier,
• returned to work just in time to be told that the paper mill was shutting down indefinitely,
• survived through months of nonsense over the purchase of the paper mill,
• watched my husband get on a plane and fly out west for work to keep supporting us and our daughter

The moral of the story, I guess, is that a lot can happen in ten years, and chances are there’s going to be a lot of ups and downs that you never saw coming. And before you know it you’re looking back, wondering where the time went, and listening to people you haven’t seen in ten years making plans to get together and have drinks and catch up.

Ten years. Have I stressed that enough?

30 Days of Truth – Day 9

Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.

Um…how about everyone?

That’s not me being a smart-ass, that’s me being 100% literal. I mentioned this before, but I don’t make friends easily. My best friend and I have known each other since the third grade, my next closest friend I met in the sixth grade, and everyone else I’m friends with (including my now-husband) I met through my high school boyfriend.

Then we all graduated high school, which split us up a bit. My second-closest friend went back to her home province (she had moved here in the sixth grade), and several of my friends went away for college. By the time we were all finishing up our respective programs, those who had gone to the same college as me had started to scatter away for work. My best friend moved away for more school and eventually came back to the province, but far enough away that we can’t exactly hang out whenever we feel like it (3-4 hour drive, yeah right!). Some of my friends went “out west”, likely to never return. Others stayed closer to home, but my husband and I moved a couple of hours away from that end of the province for work, and though we’ve been here over five years now I have yet to make one good friend here (see previous statement).

So my original answer stands: everyone. Aside from my husband, everyone drifted away, myself included, and I really wish it hadn’t had to turn out that way.

30 Days of Truth – Day 6

Something you hope you never have to do.

Easy. I hope to never have to leave Nova Scotia. There are lots of people who think I’m just pushing off the inevitable, and I’ve honestly wondered about that myself, but I just despise the idea of leaving. There are lots of things about this province that make me want to scream (the number of taxes we deal with, our ridiculous power and gas prices, etc.) but it’s home, and all my family is here. My daughter is already going to have a lot less of a family experience than I had (I had dozens of cousins, whereas she only has the one), so I can’t fathom removing her from what she does have. Also, I myself am a total sook. I don’t make friends easily, so I cherish what I do have, and I hope to never have to leave it.