A Day in the Life

Friday: Secretary (Day) / Off (Night) Yay!

I work with very interesting people. Dr. F is always fun to talk to. For Christmas, he gave me a day calendar of "Forgotten English." It gives the etymology and a little paragraph about the history or usage of the word. Very cool. What's even cooler is that Dr. F is Jewish. :) He's great. We get into some of the most interesting conversations. He's a psychiatrist and has a private practice. Crazy-smart, and completely inappropriate. He's hilarious.
Today we were talking about horror movies. I told him that I don't watch scary movies because I live alone in the woods. I say that jokingly, really; I've never had an interest in horror flicks. (Although there is one exception.*) As we were walking down the office hallway, he turned to me and said quietly, "Don't you have a gun?" The question shocked me. I don't know--I've never even considered the possibility...it's never entered my brain. I answered accordingly, and he said he would have a gun if he didn't have children in the house. (Besides, he has some health issues, and the medications he has to take make him shake terribly; a gun should not necessarily be his weapon of choice.) Then, somehow our conversation shifted to whether or not I would shoot someone who is threatening to kill my mother. I have never thought of killing anyone (seriously) in my whole life. He told me that it was a form of denial. The denial stems from the fact that I push it out of my brain and don't think about the reality of the world--according to Dr. F. I'm okay with his analysis, but I still don't think owning a gun would stop something from happening to me. I don't think I could shoot someone if it came down to it. I really don't. They could be threatening to kill my mother or something, I can't even fathom a scenario for this scene, but when it came down to pulling the trigger and killing another human--I just think I would freeze. I don't think that makes me a horrible person, but I do feel like I should have that angry passion to say that I would KILL someone if they were harming someone I loved. I don't know if that's possible. What does that mean? I kinda think Dr. F was disappointed to learn this about me. I do value his opinion, but ultimately, that can't change what I would do if someone was threatening to kill my mother. What an odd thought--it actually, almost makes me sick to think about it. This is when ignorance...er...denial is bliss.

Saturday: Off (Day) / Restaurant (Night)

*I think the Final Destination flicks are hysterical! Not only are the sequels completely ironic in their existence, but the ways they find to kill people is absurd. Those, I can watch. I did watch Scream, and it did scare me, but I'm okay now...it was touch and go for a while. I also watched The Village (I think), but that was stupid, so it didn't really scare me. One of the creepiest/scary movies I've seen is Donnie Darko, but I would totally watch it again because I got really confused about the ending...

The Icing

Thursday: Secretary by Day / Server by Night

All these tales, all these gripes, all these bitch-sessions of endless run-ons create the icing for my cake of American glory. Why do I work three jobs, you ask? Because I'm completely broke. Why am I completely broke, you ask? Well, I'm going to get down "brass tacks" (as ma would say): debt.
That, my friends, is the American Dream. To consume and flounder...at least that's how it feels right now.
I once had a decent paying job--sallary, benefits, the works. Unfortunately short-lived, that position sits on the tip of my tongue, the top of my mind because these "economic hardships" (as they say) have really affected me, my lifestyle, my way of life...everything.
I put myself through college--absolutely NO regrets.
Once I graduated, I decided to give myself a graduation present and went off to gallavant in Ireland for three weeks--again, absolutely NO regrets.
I don't have regrets for any of the decisions I've made--regret is a waste of time. What's happening now, however, is that I'm paying for them in the form of late fees, overdraft fees, overnight fees, kangaroo fees, or whateverthefucktheywanttomakeup fees. I'm also still paying for the furniture I charged to my other credit card. I'm also still paying a lot of shit off. My point is, I have no children, I live alone, and yet I'm still working three jobs to stay "afloat." Bull shit. I took what was available at the time, but that's just not enough right now.
Rent's due on Sunday. Right now, I'm sitting $20 bucks shy, and I work at the restaurant Saturday night, so I'm POSITIVE rent will be paid. My other bills, however, they have suffered. I HAVE to pay for things like my phone bill, my rent, and my car insurance, but they aren't the ones to call when you're late--it's the credit card people. It's really depressing actually. I'm young. I'm dealing with this at a very young age. My mom went through it too, but she had kids. I'm happy I've not chosen to procreate and bring an innocent child into the depths of my debt.
Things will get better. They always will. They always have. I just have a hard time seeing through these hard times...the rose-colored glasses I once wore so well are now faded and jaded with the rest of the country.

Friday: Early secretary day!! (Off at 2!!) Then I think I will take a nap. Ahh, what a thought. (I even dream about dreaming! How pathetic!)

No News

Well, since I started the blog (Saturday), nothing has really happened.
Saturday night, I worked at the restaurant. Surprisingly, I don't have any absurd stories to share, but I will, don't you worry...I will!
Sunday, I graded papers for the majority of the day, then I went over to have dinner with the family. It was a lot of fun, as usual, and I do have some pictures to share, but I have yet to download them...
Monday (yesterday) I woke up feeling funny...stomach funny...not good funny. I went into work. I was there for maybe 15 minutes before I decided that work was not the safest place to be. My boss told me to leave without touching anything. Yesterday was full of barfing and sleeping. Today, I'm at home also, but I'm feeling better. I feel a little weird, but I'm at least feeling hungry.

Hopefully the rest of the week will bring some inspiring stories for me to share!

My Hats

From an administrative position at a local college, to teaching part time and waiting tables when I can, I definitely keep myself busy. I'm exhausted, but I have stories to tell, gripes to vent, and messages to pass along to the public.

Background:
I have a Bachelor's in English, and directly out of college, I got a job as an editor for an educational publisher within 40 minutes from my home. That job (though wonderful as it was) was short-lived. Within three years, I was forced to move on...

I waited tables for a year, looking for another editing position, but there was no luck in my area. I even considered the BIG move to NYC, to possibly get my editing career off the ground. Why didn't I go? Bottom line: I'm too much of a family girl. My sisters were having children, and I found myself wanting to be immersed in the culture of baby. More so, I wanted to be revered as an aunt who they knew and loved, not a stranger who disappeared when they were infants.

Then, I just started looking for anything--times were getting tougher.

Up to Date:
I got a job working as an Administrative Assistant--yup, you got it--a secretary. I work in the Education Department of a local Community College, which got my foot in the door, into a room filled with myriad possibilities. I really like my job. I love the people in my department; they are supportive, compassionate, and nurturing. Working with teachers of teachers is great. My department shares an office with the Human Services Department, and they too are a great bunch. They are amazing. It's also wonderful to be surrounded with people who have the same views on education as I do. (When I first started college, I was studying to be an elementary school teacher. After three years in the program, I decided that working in public schools was not for me--that's when I switched to English, in hopes of one day teaching at the college level.)

In my mind, I didn't think I'd teach at a college level until I was retired with a doctorate. Little did I know what was in store for me. The secretary thing is only part time. I am only allowed to work 29 hours a week--partial benefits (dental). I made sure to introduce myself to the English Department Chair, and made her aware of my desire to teach. I didn't think it would happen so soon.

After being with the college for approximately four months, the English Department contacted me, within days of the new semester, short-staffed, in need of a part-time instructor. I jumped on it. That was in August of 2008. My first semester was rough, but I think I made an impact on those students who stuck it out. I teach a remedial course for those students who received low marks on the placement test. My course prepares them for what they will expect in college. The curriculum is rigorous and daunting, but it's effective, as far as I can tell. I just started my second semester. So far so good.

Because these positions are only part time, I live alone, and I have debts to pay, I kept my job at the restaurant.

Therefore, I wear many hats, and consequently, I carry many bags.

This blog will contain tales from all aspects of my life. I hope I can find the time to keep up with it...

Happy Reading!

~Darby


Occupations
Secretary: Mon.-Fri. (Day) brown purse
Instructor: Wed. (Night) school bag, laptop bag, folder bag
Server: Mon., Thurs., Sat. (Night) blue knapsack
Aunt: Sun. (Day/Night) camera bag, canvas bag,
Blogger: In between no bag required