February 07, 2007

A day in the life

Originally published August 29, 2002

I didn't get back home today until almost 6:00 PM, which made an ordinary work day complete for me. I woke up at 4:14 AM, turned off the alarm and smoked a cigarette in bed. Yeah, I KNOW that's dangerous, but I do it every morning, even on those rare occasions when the alarm clock wakes me up at 4:30 AM. If I don't have the proper amount of carbon monoxide in my bloodstream, my brain doesn't function correctly.

I finished the cigarette, crawled out of bed and took a shower. I shaved by feel, because I left my reading glasses on the computer table the night before, and my ancient eyeballs won't focus on my face in the mirror anymore without help from the 1.75 lenses I buy for $7 at the Super Wal-Mart. I do the best I can with googling, unfocused eyeballs, but I always check with my glasses ON before I leave the house, just to make sure that I didn't miss any blatantly obvious thatch of hair where it doesn't belong.

I got dressed and watched Sportscenter on CNN to learn that the Braves lost last night 1-0 in ten innings, and chuckled with sadistic delight when I saw that the Boston Red Sox lost, too. Poor JB. Forget the World Series tickets, my opinionated friend. Your team ain't a-gonna make it that far.

I boiled two eggs, took the grilled salmon leftovers out of the refrigerator, threw in a bag of boiled peanuts and had my lunchbox packed by 5:00 AM. I watched CNN Headline News for thirty minutes, then left for work at 5:30 AM. I had a busy day, then I had to do a performance review with the 0700-1900 supervisor before he left on his Long Off today, and he wanted to discuss a lot of what I graded him on. I left work at 5:15 PM, arrived home just before 6:00 and found Recondo 32 reclined on my couch watching a movie on the satellite TV. He bitched that I was late bringing my truck to him. I threw him the keys and told him to GO, but bring the truck back in one piece.

That's a typical day for me, except for Recondo 32 being on my couch when I arrive home.

I picked a fight with a new writer on hooked on blogging and I hope I pissed her off very well. I have a talent for such things when I put my mind to it. I'm going to bed now, because I have TWO MORE performance reviews to do in the morning, and my boss is supposed to give me MINE tomorrow, too.

It's a real judgment day.

I have the Duty this weekend, too, so I'll be going to the plant on Saturday and Sunday of this three-day weekend. I have to do performance reviews with both weekend supervisors and have the finished product on my boss's desk on Tuesday morning. If I succeed in getting that chore done, I will have beat an unbeatable deadline, but that's what I do, consistently. When everybody else wails and gnashes teeth while screaming about MORE TIME, I go and DO THE JOB. That makes me look good, and I enjoy not having to worry about it any more. Deadlines have never frightened me. They provide incentive.

Yeah, I am a self-confident ass. I'm proud of that.