Plants First, Fish Next

The original intent of this journal was to chronicle the trials and tribulations of the struggling twenty-something, as I searched for love and happiness in the small city-burb of ManchVegas, NH. Now, I'm thirty-something, I've found love in many forms, happiness in even more, and now the struggle is just... well... life. And finding time to do the million and one things I want to do- including writing.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

...Oh! Hello there!

That's where I put this thing! I thought it was in the drawer, or maybe on my dresser under the pile of mail... You know, you always find stuff when you're not looking for it.  And isn't the summer when stuff gets lost the most?  Zipping home from work to grab shorts and flip flops for a drink on the deck, weekends at beaches, bbq's, pools, and parties, wonderful days of playing hookie from work to bask in the sun*... 

But now the days are growing shorter (it was actually dark at 8:30 last night... I almost cried), and fall is upon us.  I think everyone that's gone through the traditional 12-22+ years of schooling still feels that "back to school" rhythm as September approaches.  It's time to shake off those lazy summer days and get back to work.  For me, work (my job) becomes increasingly demanding and taxing of my time, my mind, and my emotions.  

As ever, I struggle to simplify my life, and as ever, end up mostly failing.  I canceled cable and internet to reduce my costs as I acquired a smart phone and spend 9 hours a day, 5 days a week connected to the internet.  It's been a good choice for me, but it means I can't sit down with a glass of wine on a Tuesday and sketch out blog posts.  I've also been trying to enjoy time outside this summer, between hiking, running, paddling, and the occasional "relaxing."  Weddings, parties, and hockey have filled in the gaps, and suddenly the summer is almost gone.  

I feel the writing bug has bitten me again, and I look forward to sharing my experiences and thoughts here, but I know September is a bear.  Last year I broke into hysterical crying fits almost every week day.  I do NOT want to let this job get to me in the same way this year.  I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to accomplish that.  The hardest part is parents yelling at me.  I have a hard time giving in to the selfish demands- it ends up running up our budget and/or it's against policy and unfair of me to give one parent more than I give others... but it would be so much EASIER to just let it happen (at first, at least).  Just say ANYTHING to get them off the phone.  It's times like this I had a good boss- someone I could go to for advice (as I write this I received a call from a parent who is concerned that her student now must walk one block away from her home rather than stand at the corner directly in front of it to get the bus stop- this in an upscale residential neighborhood- the horror).  I don't understand why we have this culture of allowing parents to dictate how we spend, or hopefully DON'T spend, taxpayer money.  

Already my blood is boiling, and school starts in 7 days.  Since bosslady is not a viable resource, any advice on how to stay calm during this tumultuous period?  Maybe, not answer the phone?

*I realize that sunbathing, especially for a whitey like me, is generally unhealthy due to cancer blah blah, but the sun shines so rarely in New England that I try to produce all of my Vitamin D during these months and store it like jam for the winter.

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