Good News, Bad News

It seems I have been really extra super busy! And the updates here reflect this.

Which reminds me of the good news. There will be more updates. I get days off again! I was working twelve hour shifts 6 days a week. This works out to 72 hours a week. Now if you consider that there are only 168 hours in a week, I was spending 42.85% of my time at work. At least. A 12 hour shift is really longer than that. You have to count the time spent getting ready for work (which I have worked out to 20 minutes in the morning), time spent driving to work, and then the 10 - 15 minutes reserve time so you are never late. And after the shift I have been getting out anywhere from 15 - 30 minutes late.

Add in this reserve time and I was easily up to 44.64% of my time spent at work, on the clock.

Well all that is over for now. I always knew it would not last. The bean counters looked at operating expense and wondered why myself and others were getting so much time on the clock. I was easily at 35 hours a week overtime.

So the shoe dropped, overtime is discouraged, and I get three days off as a result.

The BAD NEWS is that I got used to the overtime income. I was pulling in some serious jack. Over a year, I was set to make anywhere from $52,000 - $58,000. Now for Miami this is a decent living, but you are not exactly rich or anything. If you want to live outside Crack City you need at least a grand a month for rent, plus electricity and water and all that other shit. So the money is spent rather quick.

But I was doing OK. Sure I was always at work, but work is not that hard. When work is not really that hard I do not mind it. I have an office job WITHOUT having an office job. There is no filing and schedule keeping and all that other shit - but I have a desk and a chair. At my job there are only two or three slots per shift that are sitting - the rest are all standing. So I have that going for me.

But my job is special. I have to keep track of EVERYTHING going on. I have a radio, and I handle all the radio traffic. If something is going on - I know about it first then direct the response team. There is a lot to keep track of.

I suppose it could be stressful - but to me it is not. I can deal with it.

But still - having more time is going to hurt. My income is going to go way down. WAY down. I was making more in OT than I was straight time. Now that I am back down to just straight time, checks are going to suck.

So there it is. The good and bad. I have time to have a life - but no money to afford that life.

Honestly, I would rather be at work. On the clock. Where I have something to do, and I am paid to do it.