I Ain't Afraid of No Daleks

Well, I was actually up around 2am, but couldn't find the right Virgin radio station, so I missed hearing David Tennant as Buttons. I was up anyway, it turns out, as I made the mistake of not taking sensible shoes to the newspaper's job fair yesterday, and was walking about in my dress shoes on the hard sidewalks--my feet woke me before my alarm did...ouch! 9 months ago, I had one in a line of several injuries--lost the feeling in part of my right foot for a few months, now I almost wish I had it back again--almost. But I was sorry to have missed Mr. Tennant--have only seen him in two things, and never heard him do a radio bit. Ah well, nothing for it now, ey?

It's cold and grey and dreary here--no snow, sadly, tho' I'm told it might flurry a bit (oh, whoopie ) later.

I'm told there's to be a Christmas party at the office today, late in the afternoon, pizza and cookies...probably will have us go in 10 minute shifts, to keep the phones going.
But at least it's casual dress (as opposed to the usual dress semi-casual Mon-Thursday), so I can wear jeans and a polo shirt (I'd wear a sweatshirt, but the office gets really hot and stuffy, but late afternoon--makes for a cold walk to and from work, though), so I don't have to fuss about finding matching shoes and dolling up myself and all..can just go as I am when I'm usually out....makes for a more relaxing morning, that.

So I've finished my usual breakfast (juice, scrambled egg, fried potatoes and cold honey-nut toasted oats cereal) and am going to finish the washing up so I can get ready for work. It's been nice having an extra 15 minutes or so, in the morning though, I must say.

JOKE OF THE DAY:
This state policeman sees a little old lady speeding past him down the highway. He pulls out and drives after her, flashing his lights and siren. The little old lady ignores him and just keeps driving. He pulls up alongside her, and is amazed to see that she is not only speeding--she's knitting while she's driving! He indicates to her to roll down her window, which she does...still speeding along and knitting at the same time. She smiles at the policeman. He yells at her, "PULL OVER!" She shakes her head and says, "No. It's a scarf!"

What did the little fish say, when he hit the wall? "DAM!"

I'm on my third workday of the week ('tho I've been working 7 days, the last few weeks the official start of each pay period begins Sunday), and already I've put in 30 hours, in what would normally be a 39 hour work week, still have three more days to go...and I've had to get up earlier than usual, and do stuff before work, due to my later work hours....I am exhausted!

But, just found out today, that the office has changed its mind and decided against being open Christmas eve, so I will actually get two days off (unpaid, unfortunately) in a row!

Acutally, those two days will likely be very boring, as I have nowhere to go and nothing much to do (except listen to Christmas music, eat munchies, play and cuddle with the cats and watch Doctor Who reruns for the fiftieth-zillionth time (again, NOT complaining)...but boring is nice--as long as it stays uneventful (in the negative way). I'm refusing to worry or obsess with my heat/light shut off, and my job cutback, until AFTER Christmas. Then I'll lie awake at night scared outta' my wits, ha-ha.

Another day of screamers, adolecent grown men, snarky-angry poodle type women and phones being slammed in my ear. One guy, a redneck from deep in the heart of Texas, tried to convince me he was really Japanese and spoke no English! (Picture George W Bush trying to pretend he's really a native of Toyko and you have an idea)...at least I got a laugh out of it. And, I was talking with a lady in Washington state, and somehow we got round--can't remember how--to discussing British television--turns out her favourite show of all time is also Doctor Who! Yeah!!! She loves Tom Baker, hated Eccleston (strangely, lots of Americans didn't take to him--I was a little off him at first, myself, but he definately grew on me, by the second viewing I decided he wss definately worth giving a try). She likes Mr. Tennant a great deal, but admitted to being a die-hard Baker fan. Small world, ey? Never know who you are going to talk to, on this job.

I went to the local newspaper, the Glens Falls Post-Star, to apply for a part=time customer service rep job---got approached by the head editor, out of the blue, about freelancing news stories (selling stories to the paper on an independant basis)...and was told if they liked me, and I proved reliable, I might be offered full-time statis in a year or two, as a full blown reporter! I covered several stories for the Castleton State newspaper, but am seriously out of practice--will have to really study (kept my textbooks) newswriting, Associated Press lingo and editing techniques--and bone up on my grammar and spelling and usage, as well. And...lost my writing portfolio, last March, now I have to start from scratch..and try to contact the college to see if they can dig up any old issues containing some of my feature articles! Whew--all this for very little monetary compensation! But, it's not about compensation, it's about love. I love writing--nearly as much as I love horses and Dr. Who, ha-ha. It's what I spent 5 years of serious study and over 30,000 dollars in funding to do--write...something...anything. I won't say it's what I do best, but I'm okay at it, and can hold my own in the professional world--if I work very, very hard at it, and keep my nose to the grindstone....which is what I did in school, and when I write seriously (not so much my blogs, nor seldom my stories and plays--that's just for self-expression, and sheer fun, sometimes) I do indeed work very hard at it, it doesn't just happen...good writing, even if it's just average writing like mine, has to be carefully crafted, like any form of creation, whether one is writing about a school board (bored is a better word, ha-ha) meeting or an interview with a British Elvis impersonator (my very first interview). I may not always take my blog or creative writing terribly seriously, but I take my profession writing in dead earnest--so, this offer--even if it never happens...means so very much to me, you've no idea. It makes me feel that I'm still worth something in this life--I'm not just a drudge, life's cannon-fodder.