Well, we are 7 weeks into school, 4 weeks in to Haunt season and work is work is work. Add in PT appointments and hubby taking a second job and I am feeling #Overwhelmed.
Oh, I know- it's my own fault. I have taken this on myself. Work is always work. The only thing that changes is how much payroll I have to work with. Haunt season is, of course, my favorite time of the year, and I am the one who decided to go back and finish my degree. Hubby- on the other hand, realizes that if he's going to be in a bowling league and hang out with his friends he needs to have disposable income so he took a part-time gig at Lowes, where he quite enjoyed working and would still be had it not been for the money.
Work, in most sectors these days but especially in retail, is very much about controlling expenses. The easiest way to control expenses is through payroll. The Catch-22 is that the work does not stop or lessen. So we do more with less. It's a strain, it's stress, it's just a lot.
School is actually rather enjoyable when we don't factor in my "other" role on campus. I love learning, I love being in a classroom. It's hard to balance that I am representative of the "Big Bad Bookstore" and being a regular student. I have to listen to the complaints as to how awful it is that we charge SO much - when we don't set the prices and I spend hours and hours looking for the lowest price options. It can be a strain to sit there and take it and not speak up. However, eventually, the students forget and I am just another student. After the students forget- the prof's don't necessarily do so. I don't mind working closely with them to ensure that they have what they need. I enjoy building the relationship, but I am still a student first in the classroom and would like to get rid of the distraction of being "the Bookstore Manager" when I am in class.
Haunt Season makes my heart happy. I know it's silly. I know it's...unusual. But I get to be another person, I get to give people a thrill. People come to haunted houses because they either want to be scared or someone drags them. Either way, for just a few minutes, I add to their experience and it's SO much fun. I don't have enough time to tell you all the stories but we get a lot of laughs. It feeds the acting bug without having to give up my life to be an "actor" and I am allowed to have a lot of creative freedom and latitude. Thankfully it's only 8 weeks of regular work because I am tired. So, very tired. Thankfully I have Sundays to rest up.
Jim taking on an extra job is not that big a deal. It's exhausting for him but it's his choice. The only reason it affects me is that I have more flexibility and we have the two dogs. So that they are not stuck in the house alone all day, I have to go to work at 7am, take an hour for lunch and go home and let the pups out then head back to work and/or school Monday through Thursday. On school days I am at work 7-4 (with my lunch) and then in class 4:15-7:15. On the other two days, I am at work 7-6:30 or 7 with my lunch. I do this so I can get out early on Friday to go to the haunt and because by Friday I am exhausted and need to nap. It also allows me to book my appointments and such on Fridays and not mess up my regular schedule. It just makes for very long days.
PT is...interesting. The Spine doctor says that I have arthritis in 80% of my spine and that have 5 discs that are in bad shape. The goal with PT is to get my loose enough to function. Currently, we are using traction twice a week, ultrasound and trigger point massage. The massage feels amazing. The ultrasound feels good too. Traction is not so fun- but it's making a difference. My range of motion is better. I only wish that I could have trigger point done every day. We have another week or so of this then I will be on my own till I am back to the spine doctor.
All of this is manageable on their own but together I am a big ball of stress. Four more weeks. Then haunt season will be over (sad sigh) and I will be able to take back my weekends. It will be both sad and a relief. Until then, I plug on and on and make it through and make plans for a lot of self-care when it's over.
Hope you all are well.
