9 to 5

Just about all my life I've had jobs with weird working hours. I either had hours that fluctuated or just had strange start and quit times. I can only think of two jobs I've had with 'normal' Monday through Friday hours. It didn't matter then because I was young and still living at home. As a homeowner, odd hours definitely have their advantages - it seems like there was always time to get stuff done. I could go to stores during less crowded times. I could do projects around the house while the sun was still shining. Appointments were easy to schedule. Things were way more flexible.

My present job is Monday through Friday, 9 to 5. How does anyone who has a house and/or a family get anything done working these hours??? It's getting even harder for me as the days get shorter. It seems like after I get home from work each day, I check my email, eat dinner and then it's already too dark outside to do anything. I find it really hard to get motivated to get anything done when it's pitch dark outside. Not getting things done during the week pushes everything to the weekend - and that is just not enough time for me.

My original plan today was to head out to Akron and pick up a travel bug that made it to New York from a friend of mine in California. It's been a long journey getting here and I am anxious for it to complete it's travels. I didn't get out of work on time - only about 15 minutes late - but I knew that I wouldn't be able to make it to the cache site and be able to find it before it got dark. The new plan when I got home was to skip dinner and email and cut my grass. I ended up finishing the last part of the yard in the dark. It was like a race between me and the sun - and I lost. I do have to say that the lawn looks like a perfect golfing green by the light of my mower's headlights. I can't wait to see what I missed and what it really looks like tomorrow morning :)