Perpetual Ruminations

Friday

I managed to get in here earlier today, and it feels good to be back on time. Even so, I'm beat and really need some down time. Soon, but not yet. I won't have a day off until Tuesday; I did get Monday and Tuesday off but now it won't start until Tuesday and that's going to make it even more difficult. Of course, the last two weeks have been very tiring ad very trying anyway. For one thing, I haven't been getting my two days off. I've worked both Mondays for the last two weeks. The first Monday, two weeks back, was a double shift do to the weather, and this last Monday I was off but had to do an interview and a bunch of paperwork.

It's amazing how fast and easy it is to fall behind on getting enough sleep, and how slow and difficult it is to get caught back up. I no more than start getting enough sleep and then something comes up and I'm behind again. Two weeks back it was weather, and try as I might, I just could not get caught back up. This week it was better, just having to do a bunch of work on my first day off, but I could have used time that to get some much needed rest, too.

Even though I had Tuesday off, it was not enough to really get rested up. Then, on Wednesday, we started training a new guard, and I've been going steady from morning until night since.  In fact, I won't get home today until around six, and have to be back up at three tomorrow morning again. At lest tomorrow won't be such a long day, like the last three have been. Sunday will also be better, since I will only be working a short shift.

But, it's also the twelfth anniversary of the day my wife and I met, so I will be sticking around after work until she gets done so we can go out for dinner. After dinner, we will have to stick around until the night guard closes, since one of us will have to walk him through the procedure. That means either Rhonda or I will have to go in to work for about an hour and the other will have to wait around until they are done. That also means it will be after nine at night when we get home and I have to be back in at five in the morning. As you can see, not much time left for resting up. It's been that kind of a week, winter, and year. In fact, it's been a year since things really went better.

But, hopefully, with this new guard trained, we will have a full crew and they will all stick around for a while. That means a little more time for me, and time off with my wife, which we have had very little of over the last year. Unfortunately, in another month, we will start having to provide some double coverage. That means I will soon have to put in more hours again, and by May I'll have to be looking for a part-time person to fill in some hours again. If things work well, that will not be a problem, just some extra work for a week, then back to enjoying my time off again. But, getting someone hired and trained never goes the way it should. Even so, we will stay hopeful.

Today is another long day for me, even though I was done working at one-thirty this afternoon. After work I had to send a fax to the corporate office, and call my boss. I got his answering service, but he called back and by two I was done with work for the day. Wait, I have some things I should be doing, but I may just put them off for a few days. Either way, I have to wait for Rhonda to get done, and that's two and half hours away yet. It's these long days that really burn me out.

I can handle them for a while, but they do take a lot out of a person. Especially when a lot of the time is waiting around. It wouldn't be so bad if I got paid for this time, but I don't, and find myself longing to be home, taking my boots off, changing out of my uniform, and putting my feet up. Soon, but not yet. Hopefully by next week I will be able to do just that, as well as to get caught up on things I need to do at home, and maybe even get some time to join my brother for some fishing~