Sunday, July 12, 2009

Why this week will suck

Indulge me for a moment while I talk about work. I'm a proctor, which sounds vaguely dirty but basically just means I give college-level tests; I work at a state college. This is my schedule this week, which is unusually weird:

Monday: Due entirely to my inability to count (long story), I have to work a regular day or at least most of a regular day, then I drive out to one of the satellite campuses to help give a placement test. Start work 8am, leave work about 9pm.

Tuesday: Depending on who else is going to be available today, I may have to work a long day, or I may start late and work late. Start work either 8am or 10:30am, leave work 7pm.

Wednesday: This summer Wednesdays are my long day. Start work 8am, leave 7pm.

Thursday: This is a regular day for me--except that I may have to drive out to one of the satellite campuses this evening to give a placement test. I am going to fight hard to keep from having to do this, so I optimistically predict I will start work 8am, leave work 4:30 pm. Otherwise I'll start work 8am, leave work 9pm.

Friday: This summer I'm off on Fridays. I plan to spend the day sleeping and feeling resentful of my coworkers, even though none of this is really their fault. Well, some of it is.

Saturday: A regular Saturday, which means I have to work. Start work 8am, leave work 1pm.

Don't get me wrong, I do really like my job ordinarily. Just not this week. Oh, and keep in mind that I have a 45-minute commute, one-way.

My writing goal this week: write the shortest flash story I can manage. If I have time, I'll write two!

11 comments:

Jameson T. Caine said...

Yikes! Now my 15 minute commute, 8 to 10 hour days M - F don't seem so bad. I've always hated working late into the evening and night. Just feels unnatural to me. My natural place at 9 PM on any day is in front of the TV or computer.

I hope the week goes by fast for you.

K.C. Shaw said...

I hate working late too. I'd much rather get started early and finish early (one of the things I like about my job is I get off work--on normal days--at 4:30 pm).

I don't think I could handle your schedule of 8-10 hours M-F. You see how much I complain when I have a few extra hours a week.

Danielle Birch said...

Commutes are annoying as hell. Mine is usually only anywhere between 20 minutes to 40 minutes (depending on traffic on the motorway) so it's not too bad, and I drive, though I wish there was an actual bus route so I could use the time to get in some extra reading.

Cate Gardner said...

Yikes! You have now just made my week seem beautiful. 7:30 to 3:30 Mon-Fri with a 50 min commute both ways. Phew!

I hope you can take three hour lunches.

Alan W. Davidson said...

My sympathies, KC. At first I thought, Woo Hoo!, lots of overtime form KC. Then you mentioned the 45 minute commute...yikes!

When I lived in London, I had a 40 minute drive each way throught he countryside. I got sick of it after 14 years, so needless to say my commute is now accepatble, walking from the kitchen down the stairs to my office...worst thing that could happen is I could trip on the big dog and spill coffee on myself. Hang in there! And don't feel guilty about sleeping all day on Friday!

K.C. Shaw said...

Danielle--That's not too bad. I wish I had a train or bus available too; reading on my way to and from work sounds like bliss.

Cate--You get off at 3:30? OMG, I envy you! Your commute's even worse than mine, though.

Alan--I don't even get overtime. Any extra time I get this week I have to take off next week as comp time, and that'll only amount to maybe one afternoon off. Still, it's something to look forward to. I guess.

Jamie Eyberg said...

Good luck fitting your flash story into your schedule. Maybe you can learn to write and drive.

Carrie Harris said...

Yow. I hope you're at least getting mad good compensation for that ridiculousness.

Unknown said...

commutes are bad. but at least when the ppl are taking the tests you can snicker to yourself and read while they struggle! Muahhahaha.

Aaron Polson said...

Hope the week has started with less suck than you anticipated. If that makes any sense.

K.C. Shaw said...

Jamie--I actually tried dictating to a tape recorder once on a 9-hour drive. It worked, but I ended up throwing out almost everything I wrote that way.

Carrie--I get to take a few hours off next week to make up for this week. Whee!

Horror Girl--how I wish I could! I mean, I do snicker to myself, but I can't read. I have to be the evil test proctor, and make sure no one's cheating.

Aaron--Alas, it has not. The suck factor is very high. Tomorrow I have to work 10 hours. Wednesday I have to work 10 hours. Thursday--hallelujah!--I only work a regular day, assuming there's no emergency that makes requires me to work late.