Hello all. The second post, the sophomore post. I’m getting roped into working overtime at my job where I engage in sloppy, mean, satanic crooning. While they say that we are getting another training class coming through, but let’s all take a deeper look at this: the class I was in started out with 12. Out of those twelve, there are only 3 after about two years. Not exactly a work friendly attrition rate. Same thing with my previous job where I was a mist touching insomniac. Had a class larger than the one I’m at now, dropped by half when we finally hit the floor. When I left there to work where frustration ages tyrannical nincompoops, there were only three from the class remaining, again – that was after two years. I’ll be reaching my two year anniversary there in November. Wow – I wonder if two years in a customer service position is like five years in other jobs.

Believe me, it feels like it. Let me give you a bit of advice. When you pick up that phone to call about a problem and you’re thinking: I’m gonna rip this guy a new one. Do this: count to 10, relax. Why? The person on the other end knows everything about you. At both of my jobs, I had the name address and phone number of the person I was talking to on the phone. The other job, I also get social security numbers and a lot of other personal information. Not everyone is as nice as I am. In fact – I dare say that if I completely flip out, I’ve already got a list of ready-made victims. Heh-heh-heh.

Anyway. I really miss the idea of packing up and leaving. I’m watching “Masters of Horror: Pick Me Up” and I like the idea of just wandering about. I always wondered about how the characters on those shows managed food or anything like that. I like the notion of just going somewhere. Just packing up and going wherever my legs would take me. No obligations save to myself, no schedules, no callbacks.

Or maybe I am just fixated on Faruzia Balik.

An interesting idea for a book, though. Not the meanderings of Jack and the other Beat writers, just someone heading out on the road.

Well, as I write this, I am getting ready to go to sleep and wake up with the prospect of 55 ½ hours of work hanging over me like the Sword of Damocles. Take my advice, to mall my younger readers out there: find something you enjoy. Never settle for second best. Not in work, not in your love life. Never ever let yourself take the second place. When you settle once for the sake of convenience, you’ll never stop.

Yours,

Seething in Apathy