A Short Ride on the Merry Go Round

Folks that have been reading will know I left a really stressful  job about five months ago for a new one that keeps to normal hours, encourages days off, lunch breaks, walking meetings, and other good for your body and soul practices.  Well this week I have let my old ways creep in the door, but just a bit. I momentarily am on the crazy Merry Go Round. My position is a newly created, built by splitting a coworkers job in two, and then expanding both positions scope and authority. July marks the first "launch" of the new expansion, under my oversight. I'm also moving a formerly paper process into an online format, and tension is a bit high by some veterans not quite on board with the change. Needless to say, I want it to go well, and timing is crucial.  I've wracked up 22 hours in the last two days between the office and home with another couple hours tonight.  Tomorrow and Thursday will be long as well.  The difference though, is these are all considered working hours towards my 40 hour work week.  Once I feel confident that the work is flowing as planned, I'll take compensatory time and have an extra day or two off, taking back any hours I work above 40 this week.This time, the carousel will stop long enough to get off.

Six months ago this was the norm, and not only was compensatory time unheard of, I was losing vacation time because I was at my top of the allowable vacation balance. It was really nonsensical that I did that for so long.  Had I been firmer and safeguarded my time early when things showed imbalance, I might not have set a precedent that slowly became the norm of meeting unrealistic timelines, and work volume. This is a hectic week, but I feel good about the work, and will happily enjoy an extra day with my kid as we move into the last weeks of summer. 

Speaking of vacation, we still though haven't booked our little weekend get away.  We were supposed to do a weekend hotel and then go to the horse racing tracks this past Sunday. Plans changed when  DD#2 was invited to spend the day on the river boating with her friends family.  DH and I spent a relaxing day at the lake with very few other people.  I happily sat on the pontoon in the shade and pecked away on my keyboard.  We were early meeting up with the other family to collect the kid that evening so sat and had drinks and a Heggie's pizza overlooking the river in a dive bar. I think we were the only non bikers, and DH was pretty envious.  He would be a Harley man if finances were different when we were younger.  Now, he just admires them, but who knows if one might show up some day in my driveway. It was a good weekend with simple pleasures. I want more of them. This is why I will never fall into those old ways again.