No Wonder I Quit

Okay, once again there's some light even though I'm nowhere near the end of the tunnel. I've got Friday off. Oh yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about. The only problem is . . . I really am tired. See, I was supposed to work in Santa Monica. At least that's where I started. But it was decided that I'd be permanently stationed in the South Bay. That's fine. The traffic to the South Bay is more cooperative anyway. Since we're opening a new store, everyone has to pitch in. That means we're spending the entire day on our feet (walking, climbing, stooping, carrying boxes, etc.). My goodness! Aren't I too old for this kind of work? Obviously I'm not since I'm scheduled for three straight days of this. My quads are on fire. My arms and shoulders (i.e., my surf muscles) feel nothing even though much of my time is spent reaching and carrying stuff. I'm looking forward to the session. I'm just worried that my legs will be so spent that I won't be able to stand once I pop-up. That doesn't matter though. I'm still going.

I've never listed the reasons why I quit teaching to take this job. But here are two of them. First, I was more than a little bitter about having to have a master's degree in order to make $2000 per month. What is up with that? The other reason deals with money. I started this semester on August 29. Guess when the first pay day was? Today!!! I started this new job on September 27. Guess when the first pay day was? Today! So let's see, a master's degree was required for a $2000 a month job that only paid me once a month. Oh what the hell, let's really talk about what was wrong with that job. I was a damn good teacher. When other teachers evaluated me, I always got the highest marks. When the students evaluated me, I was always above the department average. So what did I get for that? Nothing. No raise. No nothing. And hey, why are full-time, tenured professors taking vacations in the middle of the semester? Why? I would never think of doing that. In what world is that the right thing to do? When the school couldn't find anyone to teach night classes in a less than wonderful part of L.A., I did it . . . twice. I was always available when they needed me. Yet when I applied for a full-time position, I couldn't even get an interview. Hmmmm, stay at the school or go into something else? It was not a hard decision. The only thing I don't like about working full-time is that I can't surf. I've figured out how to spend quality time with my little man before and after work. My husband supported my choice to take this new job and seems to be much more helpful around the house now that I'm not there to do everything. I want to surf. I need to make some serious money. At this point, need trumps want.