Monday, May 07, 2007
How many times can I use the title "Bad Blogger" before it's not funny anymore?
The daily grind makes the days go by too fast. Up at five, home at five-thirty, pass out by nine - it's pretty freakin' monotonous (but leaps and bounds better than being unemployed). I'm lucky I get to work with fun people who don't take themselves or the job too seriously. Not that we're tossing files willy-nilly and hiding appointments from patients (although some of the more prickly patients seem to think this is how we run things), but it's nice to be able to joke around in between providing people with fantastic customer service. Or during. Some people appreciate a little levity. Others want to melt your face off with lazers out their eyeballs. Que sera sera.
Another thing I really like about this job: the commute. One would think that a half-hour on the subway and a half-hour on the commuter rail twice a day would be a pain in the ass. One would be correct, but only some of the time. Taking the bus every day on Long Island really desensitized me against the horrors (mostly smells) of public transportation. What I like is that I get to read. I'm going through books so fast I'm re-reading books I already own in between trips to the store. I should probably start going to the library again. I just picked up the new Michael Chabon and I'm really looking forward to starting it.
Pitfalls of the job - lots of places to eat nearby. Starbucks, Boloco, a galleria, several hospitals with good cafeterias, all within walking distance. I try to be good and eat out only once a week, but I'm in love with the Summer Burrito at Boloco. We're getting married next spring. To avoid Starbucks I'm considering buying a stovetop capuccino maker. It's sixty dollars at Bed Bath and Beyond. I'm sure that it will pay for itself in no time, but I have a hard time parting with that much money for an item that performs one very specific task (any Good Eats viewers out there? You know what I'm talking about). Still, maybe the fact that I dreamed about it tells me I should suck it up and buy the damned thing.
Which brings me to pitfall the second: I have money now - more money than I've had in a long time. So far it's mainly been clothes, which I need. I could get away with jeans and a t-shirt at Marders, but not in a doctors' office. But yesterday I was looking for mugs in Pier 1 (When did their mugs get so god-awful ugly? They're all exactly the same - oversized and misshapen, just in different colors.) and I saw a tea set on sale for sixteen dollars. An adorable set with a black and white floral pattern. And I bought it. You know, if I'm going to pay sixteen dollars for a tea set that I'll most likely never use, I might as well buy the capuccino maker for sixty that will get used every day.
Another thing I really like about this job: the commute. One would think that a half-hour on the subway and a half-hour on the commuter rail twice a day would be a pain in the ass. One would be correct, but only some of the time. Taking the bus every day on Long Island really desensitized me against the horrors (mostly smells) of public transportation. What I like is that I get to read. I'm going through books so fast I'm re-reading books I already own in between trips to the store. I should probably start going to the library again. I just picked up the new Michael Chabon and I'm really looking forward to starting it.
Pitfalls of the job - lots of places to eat nearby. Starbucks, Boloco, a galleria, several hospitals with good cafeterias, all within walking distance. I try to be good and eat out only once a week, but I'm in love with the Summer Burrito at Boloco. We're getting married next spring. To avoid Starbucks I'm considering buying a stovetop capuccino maker. It's sixty dollars at Bed Bath and Beyond. I'm sure that it will pay for itself in no time, but I have a hard time parting with that much money for an item that performs one very specific task (any Good Eats viewers out there? You know what I'm talking about). Still, maybe the fact that I dreamed about it tells me I should suck it up and buy the damned thing.
Which brings me to pitfall the second: I have money now - more money than I've had in a long time. So far it's mainly been clothes, which I need. I could get away with jeans and a t-shirt at Marders, but not in a doctors' office. But yesterday I was looking for mugs in Pier 1 (When did their mugs get so god-awful ugly? They're all exactly the same - oversized and misshapen, just in different colors.) and I saw a tea set on sale for sixteen dollars. An adorable set with a black and white floral pattern. And I bought it. You know, if I'm going to pay sixteen dollars for a tea set that I'll most likely never use, I might as well buy the capuccino maker for sixty that will get used every day.
Labels: Shopping, Workin' for a livin'
