Crazy-Busy

Why have just one job when you can have three?

Back in late July I decided to get a part time job to bring in some more money. Together Ron and I made a list of places to go and apply for an evening or weekend job. I ended up being hired on the spot at the first place I went! It's a hotel, an "independently owned and operated" but part of a chain (the initials of the chain are BW; I'll just leave it at that). I inquired about a Night Clerk position and the woman said, "Night Auditor? Did you know we have an opening?" So I filled out the application and interviewed with the General Manager and he hired me on the spot.

I only work two nights a week - Friday and Saturday nights, but the hours are 11:00 pm to 7:00 am. That way since it's the weekend, I can go home and sleep for a few hours. The other Night Auditor trained me for a few nights and I only worked 11 to 2 or 3, which is all the time the actual audit takes. It's just filling out several forms, noting how much money we took in for rooms, the restaurant, and the bar and it what forms - cash, check, credit cards (which ones), etc. Once I learned which numbers go where, it's pretty easy, unless someone on the day shift has messed things up. Once I'm done with the audit, I read, write, get on the Internet (I take my netbook computer and there's a wireless signal available), or talk with the Security Guard. He's either in the lobby or out on the grounds doing his rounds. When he's not in the lobby we both have walkie-talkies to communicate and after 11:00 the lobby doors are locked, whether he's there or not, so it's all perfectly safe.

I'm getting great material for my writing from working here. The staff alone are such bizarre characters that no one would believe it. Most of the bizarre ones have been fired and the recent hires are normal. Of course one of the recently-fired guys was re-hired (over the years he's been working there, he's been fired 4 times and re-hired 5 times; fifth time's a charm, right?)

About 2 weeks after I started that job, my hours at my regular job, at the construction company, were cut from 40 to 30, so that put me back at square one as far as extra money goes! It wasn't the economy; business is pretty good, but my boss, the Office Manager, likes to be in control and would rather do everything herself (and complain about all the work she has to do) instead of letting me do more. She also said that I was "too good" at what I do, and "too fast", so I would end up sitting at my desk not "looking busy" and the Big Boss didn't like that.

So in my next therapy session (I go about once a month) I talked about that with Dr. M and she talked about all the work she has to do and I said, "You should hire me" half kidding and half serious. We talked about it and she agreed that I would be the perfect person to help her fill out insurance claim forms and schedule appointments. She said she'd never hired anyone to help her, but she knew I'm detail-oriented and I know to keep everything confidential and all that.

So Monday through Friday I work my "regular" job from 8-2 (straight through, no lunch break), then I go home for a quick bite to eat and work for Dr. M from 3-5. On Fridays I take a nap before I go to my hotel job from 11-7, but on the other evenings I'm home. And I have most of Saturday and all of Sunday at home.

The schedule sounds horrendous, but it really isn't that bad. All three jobs are pretty easy and very low-stress, compared to the vet job. And I'm definitely getting good material for my writing from the hotel job.

I also have a part-time editing gig. One of Ron's sisters is writing her memoirs and I'm helping her with that; I'm editing what she writes and I'm going to arrange for it to be printed. That's also interesting work.

So if you don't hear from me very often, or you hear me say it's crazy-busy here, now you know what I mean.