working hard for the money

So, would you rather hear that I'm so busy having a fabulous life that I have no time to post anymore? Or that I'm so busy working two (three?) jobs and volunteering and parenting and trying to plant the garden before it's time to harvest already that I have no time to post? Well, let's just call it one and the same and a day all at once. Does it help that I feel guilty for not posting? Or that apparently I post very ungrammatically?

The good part about all the tasks at hand is that being busy keeps me upbeat and optimistic. Then, there's the fact that I'm making some money lately that I will be able to squirrel away for the Fall when I switch from too much work to too much school. Same amount of busy, though. The bad part is that I don't write, I don't call, I don't visit, I come home, check my email, feed the kid (sort of) and flop into bed. Boooring.

I'm thinking I'll eventually get time off for good behavior, right?

working girl

I start my new job tomorrow. Did I mention this? Maybe I passed it around so much offline that I forgot to post it here. I got a library job! Okay, before we get too wound up, it's about as entry-level as one can get. Part-time, after hours, temporary position to re-label and tag all the books in all the branches. Given that criteria, the pay rate is rather sad, too. What the heck, I'm not getting into this gig for the wealth it will bring me, right? The late nights mean a couple of missed family dinners, but I'll still be able to pick up Small Person from school and have some afternoons together. It also means my mornings can still be spent at my volunteer shift doing different repetitive library-type tasks. Let's face it: I'm thrilled!

Small Person is back in school after a leisurely Spring Break. We didn't plan anything special, aside from the birthday party and a few days at day camp. The break started me wondering (worrying) about what to do for her Summer vacation. I'm leaning heavily toward the local YMCA day camp. As much as I hated it as a child, Small Person is not me. I know, we can all breathe a sigh of relief! Point is, she's so much more social and eager to participate in new endeavors and really thrives on variety. Even if I was in a position to stay home with her all summer, neither of us would be satisfied with it in this post-kindergarten frame of mind. Not to mention, we would both be pretty annoyed with one another after the first two weeks of mom-projects ran out. I know, it seems early to fiddle with this. I'm still not used to the school-year mode. Seriously, camp sign-ups start this week, and if I'm not on top of it, we'll miss the desirable open slots. Or any slots at all, really.

Other Spring-related news: we have compost! I know, save the dork comments, let's take them as a given, shall we? Anyway, I've been slacking my duties to turn, rotate, turn, lather, rinse, repeat. Ha! It happened anyway. I mean, the pile could use a little sieving, and we'll continue the process, but I'm not going to have to buy any compost for this season's garden. Which we are woefully far behind in planting. I should have had seeds started and stuff in the ground already. Last weekend we cleaned and prepped and tossed some flower seeds around, but the serious veggie planting has yet to begin. Or serious planning. Sigh. That plan has to fall in line behind the dishes.

i heart 3.14

Happy pie/pi/3.14(...) day, everyone! Of course, celebration of this day entails eating pie. What could be better? Unfortunately, we'll probably have to postpone our pie until tomorrow, as we're zipping off to another birthday party today.

I've been zipping around all week. There's lots of stuff going on. The biggest is that I've been accepted to grad school. Huzzah! I wish I could start tomorrow, but I'll have to wait until Fall to begin the program for a Master's of Library and Information Science. Heaven knows why it took me so long to determine that's what I want to do and find a way to get into it. Also, I applied for an aide position that opened up at my local library, so let's all keep our fingers crossed for that. I've been running around town arranging minutia for Small Person's birthday party. You know, cocktail umbrellas, faux leis and palm trees. And, I've picked up some house-cleaning jobs this week, too. Yikes! I've got to get my calendar in order before I start double-booking.

In that spirit, I've got to dash. Clothes to wash, gas to get, presents to wrap...

i am not a crook

I was let go from my job this morning; my boss accused me of stealing and showed me the door. Anyone who knows me or has worked with me in a variety of retail establishments knows I am not a thief. I'm sure I don't need to defend myself to you, my devoted blog audience. I'm shocked and hurt and feeling pitiful. I've never lost a job under such circumstances. Whether it was a spurious accusation intended to release my boss from an undesirable employee, or a true belief on her part, I don't know. I don't care.

I'm going to drink tea and mope a bit more, and then I'll start to get feisty again.

tgif

Ah, the mantra of the working world; TGIF! I'm relieved to arrive at this happy day. I essentially doubled my activity and workload this week and it shows in my bloodshot eyes. Although, that could be the glass of wine I downed as soon as I got home. I have the night off, since Small Person left for her weekly overnight visit with the grandparents. Thank you, Baba!

Sadly, I'll most likely spend the remainder of my Friday night off finishing homework, catching up on email and reading, then going to bed early. Tomorrow is for laundry and various housekeeping chores, then hopefully a grocery trip squeezed in there somewhere. Sunday we're off to a birthday party for Her Tinyness, for which her excellent parents rented a bouncy. Oh, joy! Oh, exhaustion unrelieved! I often pack Small Person's pajamas when we go visiting for a busy day like that. I'm thinking of bringing my own this time, as well. I'm looking forward to a real day off... oh, sometime within the next decade, perhaps.

That's what I get for re-joining the ranks of the responsibly employed, I suppose.

work makes me tired

The first day of work went well. I did a variety of tasks that are familiar and anticipated, but not boring, and got along well with my boss. It looks like a good situation. I probably won't talk much about it here, though; partly paranoia, I guess, but I'd rather save this blog for fun stuff, anyway.

I am very tired today, though. That might also have to do with the assorted activities that keep piling up. My homework, research, and interviews for assignments, Small Person's bottomless kindergarten paperwork, and the other necessaries of house and garden just don't stop lately. It's all fun and interesting stuff, or at least useful, so I don't begrudge it. Okay, maybe just a little bit when I've had to repeat a request three times in a morning, every morning before school. How much longer will she need my help getting dressed?!

In other news, this Friday is picture day! I know the readership (all three of you) can't wait to see Small Person's first school portrait. Duly noted; I'll be ordering the ginormous extra huge photo package that includes some random junk with dozens of wallet-sized prints. Sorry, the 8x10 ones are saved for the grandmothers.

working mother

I got a job! I had the interview yesterday, my glowing references were checked (thanks, guys!) and the position confirmed pretty quickly. Now everyone can breathe a sigh of relief.

I lucked out and nabbed exactly what I was looking for; part-time, fits my exact schedule, small company, small office, reasonable pay, my skill set plus new things to learn, and enough variety to not bore me to tears every day. My boss seems pleasant and interesting and I'm feeling very enthusiastic.

The only drawback is that I'll have to give up my volunteer time in Small Person's classroom. I might be able to rearrange after this semester, but for now we'll just continue with our extracurricular home projects. It's the same old dilemma: work vs. momming. I don't like conflict, though, so I'll make an end run around this one and try some different strategies. With part-time school and part-time work, I really can't complain that much.

Since I start on Monday, does this give me an excuse to do some weekend shopping?