(no subject)
I am so glad that I have the next two days off. I haven't had a weekend, or any consecutive days off since 10 Oct. I worked myself to the bone, doing double full-time - despite telling myself back in May that I'd never do that again, and despite taking nearly two weeks off from Job1 (27 Oct - 8 Nov).
This week I've worked nearly 60 hours, still, despite taking a day off. I probably should have taken two days off after the election, but my boss at Job1 was desperate for people, and I wasn't sure how well a request for even more time off would be received.
There are a couple reasons I work myself so hard:
1) I'm a sucker for a cause. What better cause than a political party that seeks to improve the quality of life of all, rather than the privileged few corporate buddies of the party that had been in power - whose inability to balance a budget is appalling. [When the NDP was defeated in 2007, there was a $13 million surplus. By the end of 2008, they had a multimillion dollar deficit, which has since become debt. Woo corporate tax cuts, social program budget cuts, and screwball math!]
2) I'm a bit mercenary. You're willing to pay me well above my usual wage, and give me overtime on top of it?? I'm all over that. I have plans, and things I want to do with my life, so I don't have to work two barely above minimum wage jobs to keep ahead of the rising costs of living.
3) I'm slightly paranoid that if I don't take every opportunity that comes along, then said opportunities will stop being offered to me.
I don't need the extra money right now, but my rent will be increasing in March, and I don't know yet how my New Year's raise at Job1 will play out, in terms of what my pay cheques will look like.
Now, the winds of change are blowing - hard, gale force even.
1) The Director of Science Experience is going to work full-time elsewhere, and will only be staying on at the Science Centre as a Climbing Wall consultant. So, we'll be looking for someone to fill his shoes.
2) The NDP is going to be doing its annual membership drive in a couple of weeks. I'll get some work out of it. I'm hoping like hell that people who've previously been content to sit on the sidelines choose this opportunity to get the fuck involved. It's the height of ridiculousness to sit on the sidelines, bitching and moaning about how everyone else chose the wrong leader. Get off the pot, get involved, and be involved in the choice, if you think you know so much better!
3) The federal NDP has a leadership race coming in the new year to choose a successor for Jack Layton, who died in August after a second - very much surprise - battle with cancer. I'm hoping there is someone in the race who is strong, compassionate, and gracious enough to follow through with the vision Jack laid out when he said:My friends, love is better than anger.
Hope is better than fear.
Optimism is better than despair.
So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic.
And we’ll change the world.
4) The provincial NDP are also going to have a leadership race in the new year. Dwain Lingenfelter was one of the old guard - deputy Premier to Roy Romanow in the 1990's - who came back after a decade in Alberta, working for some oil corporation. His recent additions to his resume didn't line up very well, in the opinion of many armchair politicians, with the "ideals of the party". He was criticized for being too old, too extravagant a spender, and for having too bland of a personality. Ha! We'll see if any of those armchair politicians get off their duffs and find out how they can have a say in who forms a vision for the party.
I will admit, though, that Lingenfelter was NOT who I cast my ballot for in the 2008 leadership race. However, I also did not abandon the party because my preferred leader lost. As much as I disagreed with some things about him, he did a lot of good, too - the staffing at party HQ was much improved when he came along. I hope that Don, Tim, and Jon get to stay in their positions. I think we have a lot of good work left to do, regardless of who the leader is.
Political apathy is almost as annoying as side seat politicking...
Monday's provincial election had a lackluster voter turn out of 66%. Pathetic. I busted my metaphorical balls for only 2/3's turn out.
This week I've worked nearly 60 hours, still, despite taking a day off. I probably should have taken two days off after the election, but my boss at Job1 was desperate for people, and I wasn't sure how well a request for even more time off would be received.
There are a couple reasons I work myself so hard:
1) I'm a sucker for a cause. What better cause than a political party that seeks to improve the quality of life of all, rather than the privileged few corporate buddies of the party that had been in power - whose inability to balance a budget is appalling. [When the NDP was defeated in 2007, there was a $13 million surplus. By the end of 2008, they had a multimillion dollar deficit, which has since become debt. Woo corporate tax cuts, social program budget cuts, and screwball math!]
2) I'm a bit mercenary. You're willing to pay me well above my usual wage, and give me overtime on top of it?? I'm all over that. I have plans, and things I want to do with my life, so I don't have to work two barely above minimum wage jobs to keep ahead of the rising costs of living.
3) I'm slightly paranoid that if I don't take every opportunity that comes along, then said opportunities will stop being offered to me.
I don't need the extra money right now, but my rent will be increasing in March, and I don't know yet how my New Year's raise at Job1 will play out, in terms of what my pay cheques will look like.
Now, the winds of change are blowing - hard, gale force even.
1) The Director of Science Experience is going to work full-time elsewhere, and will only be staying on at the Science Centre as a Climbing Wall consultant. So, we'll be looking for someone to fill his shoes.
2) The NDP is going to be doing its annual membership drive in a couple of weeks. I'll get some work out of it. I'm hoping like hell that people who've previously been content to sit on the sidelines choose this opportunity to get the fuck involved. It's the height of ridiculousness to sit on the sidelines, bitching and moaning about how everyone else chose the wrong leader. Get off the pot, get involved, and be involved in the choice, if you think you know so much better!
3) The federal NDP has a leadership race coming in the new year to choose a successor for Jack Layton, who died in August after a second - very much surprise - battle with cancer. I'm hoping there is someone in the race who is strong, compassionate, and gracious enough to follow through with the vision Jack laid out when he said:My friends, love is better than anger.
Hope is better than fear.
Optimism is better than despair.
So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic.
And we’ll change the world.
4) The provincial NDP are also going to have a leadership race in the new year. Dwain Lingenfelter was one of the old guard - deputy Premier to Roy Romanow in the 1990's - who came back after a decade in Alberta, working for some oil corporation. His recent additions to his resume didn't line up very well, in the opinion of many armchair politicians, with the "ideals of the party". He was criticized for being too old, too extravagant a spender, and for having too bland of a personality. Ha! We'll see if any of those armchair politicians get off their duffs and find out how they can have a say in who forms a vision for the party.
I will admit, though, that Lingenfelter was NOT who I cast my ballot for in the 2008 leadership race. However, I also did not abandon the party because my preferred leader lost. As much as I disagreed with some things about him, he did a lot of good, too - the staffing at party HQ was much improved when he came along. I hope that Don, Tim, and Jon get to stay in their positions. I think we have a lot of good work left to do, regardless of who the leader is.
Political apathy is almost as annoying as side seat politicking...
Monday's provincial election had a lackluster voter turn out of 66%. Pathetic. I busted my metaphorical balls for only 2/3's turn out.