I have a lot of free time at work, most weeks. I'm employed in the position I'm in largely due to a loophole in upper-management understanding. They have no idea what it is I really do.
Yeah, that's not just a season-theme on Drew Carrey anymore.
I'm very familiar with our product - it's certain that I know this product better than anyone else on the planet (weird, that) and can answer most questions off the top of my head, whereas most folks would have to work through the product for hours to glean the needed information. I do have a function, it's just not needed every day. Maybe four hours a week, not forty.
But as I said, most of the time I'm free to do whatever I please, which is one reason I have like nine blogs.
The idea that I should be doing something useful with this time gnaws at me. I could be learning a foreign language, a programming language, some marketable skill, or at least writing.
I have done a lot of writing, I've written about 100,000 words worth of a novel that will never see the light of day but was good practice for future work that might actually sell.
I feel as though there's a parable somewhere in my situation:
In the year 1203AD, the Emperor of Japan sent four scholars to a newly discovered island. These scholars are well paid, and instructed to divide the island between them and to make a detailed study of everything there for one year.
When the scholars arrive, they discover that the island is much smaller than it was originally charted - the cartographer made a mistake. The island is only about 20 feet in diameter, and has a total of four palm trees near its middle.
There are no rock outcroppings or interesting elements. A tiny bit of sand and four trees.
Bob (one of the scholars) wants to return to the Imperial Palace immediately and inform the Emperor of the mistake.
Jack wants to study the island thoroughly for a week, and then return a full report.
Tom suggests that they should kick back and relax, enjoy the year of relaxing in the shade. Maybe work through some old notes and write a few articles for Archeology Today. Write some haiku. Study a few reference scrolls. Meditate.
Larry wonders if there is a test, trap or subterfuge at work. Perhaps their honesty is being questioned, or there is treasure on the island, and if they do not find and report it, they will have proven themselves lazy - or worse, thieves! It would be foolish to think the Emperor sent them by mistake. They should do their best to study the tiny island for the prescribed year.
So in this proverb, it seems that I'm Tom. I'm the weak-willed opportunist. But the Emperor has lots of gold in those coffers, and the year will be over in September...
In a few years, when I have kids, a mortgage, bills up to here, and two full time jobs, I can look back at this job as a brief paid vacation in a thirty to forty year endurance test of constant working.
Yeah, that's not just a season-theme on Drew Carrey anymore.
I'm very familiar with our product - it's certain that I know this product better than anyone else on the planet (weird, that) and can answer most questions off the top of my head, whereas most folks would have to work through the product for hours to glean the needed information. I do have a function, it's just not needed every day. Maybe four hours a week, not forty.
But as I said, most of the time I'm free to do whatever I please, which is one reason I have like nine blogs.
The idea that I should be doing something useful with this time gnaws at me. I could be learning a foreign language, a programming language, some marketable skill, or at least writing.
I have done a lot of writing, I've written about 100,000 words worth of a novel that will never see the light of day but was good practice for future work that might actually sell.
I feel as though there's a parable somewhere in my situation:
In the year 1203AD, the Emperor of Japan sent four scholars to a newly discovered island. These scholars are well paid, and instructed to divide the island between them and to make a detailed study of everything there for one year.
When the scholars arrive, they discover that the island is much smaller than it was originally charted - the cartographer made a mistake. The island is only about 20 feet in diameter, and has a total of four palm trees near its middle.
There are no rock outcroppings or interesting elements. A tiny bit of sand and four trees.
Bob (one of the scholars) wants to return to the Imperial Palace immediately and inform the Emperor of the mistake.
Jack wants to study the island thoroughly for a week, and then return a full report.
Tom suggests that they should kick back and relax, enjoy the year of relaxing in the shade. Maybe work through some old notes and write a few articles for Archeology Today. Write some haiku. Study a few reference scrolls. Meditate.
Larry wonders if there is a test, trap or subterfuge at work. Perhaps their honesty is being questioned, or there is treasure on the island, and if they do not find and report it, they will have proven themselves lazy - or worse, thieves! It would be foolish to think the Emperor sent them by mistake. They should do their best to study the tiny island for the prescribed year.
So in this proverb, it seems that I'm Tom. I'm the weak-willed opportunist. But the Emperor has lots of gold in those coffers, and the year will be over in September...
In a few years, when I have kids, a mortgage, bills up to here, and two full time jobs, I can look back at this job as a brief paid vacation in a thirty to forty year endurance test of constant working.
Hmm, I'm in a similar situation waiting for my work permit.
ReplyDeleteThe first month over here was fantastic. I'd just left a job I hated, and was in a nice hot country. Sunbathing, sipping an ice cold beer with my feet in the paddling pool, great.
Second month was good.
Third month was bearable.
Now that I'm in my 14th month of unemployment, I would give my back teeth for a job.
Nothing like a 14 month period of waking up, watching TV, writing my blog, reading blogs, then going to bed to really drive you insane.
I'm Larry, definitely, with a little Jack.
ReplyDeleteOr I would be, if I lucked into something like that.
If I don't do anything fun yet useless time wasting activities like, say, learn to write with my left hand, I end up doing nothing at all.
ReplyDeleteThe stress starts to build up: "Should I do this? No, I should be doing that."
10 minutes later: "OMG! I'm still not doing what I'm supposed to do!"
20 minutes later: "OMG!! I'm still not doing what I'm supposed to do!!"
And so on. This goes on forever until I let myself do something useless. At least from the point of the task at hand.
I'm a Tom. Or would like to be.