Working On My Own Terms

I slept in this morning, then spent an hour and a half writing in my journal and finishing Where Have All the Flowers Gone? The most recent-set story of the Dear America series takes us to working-class Boston in tumultuous 1968. Molly Flahery is worried when her beloved brother Patrick volunteers for Army duty and winds up in one of the worst war zones in Vietnam. The confusion stateside, with hippies in Harvard Square and teachers getting upset over her probing questions about the war, is both intriguing and frustrating to Molly, who believes in knowing both sides of a situation. When she volunteers in a Veteran's Hospital, she gets a full-on view of what Vietnam vets went through during that time period and learns a clear lesson in injustice and compassion.

Very interesting, especially if you have any interest at all in the late 60s and everything that went on then. Molly is one of the more fully-realized characters of the series; evidently, her brother had a companion book about his battles in Vietnam as well. I also like that her father is a long-time fireman and her description of her dangerous work. I completely relate there. My stepfather is a commercial fisherman, and I'm also used to him doing dangerous work at odd hours and worrying about him and his men. One of my best guy friends in high school was a volunteer firefighter for many years.

It's rather appropriate that Brunch With the Beatles highlighted Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band today. This was one of the first CDs I ever bought; I still have it, in fact. I know many of these songs well, including favorites like "With A Little Help From My Friends" and "A Day In the Life." "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" were intended for the album, but ultimately released as singles.

I finally made Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes around 11:30. Tried calling Mom, but I didn't get her. After the show ended and I cleaned up the breakfast mess, I switched to doing computer work for the rest of the afternoon.

I went over several lists, including what I want to try to do for the next few months and my reading and DVD-watching lists. I also took a look at the list of "goals" I made back in the fall when I was at home due to that fractured ankle. I need to make some real, concrete goals. My only real goals right now are to buy a laptop and get the heck out a corporate environment that I'm hopelessly ill-suited to and desperately unhappy in.

I really wish I knew what'll get me out of the Acme faster. I'm not sure if I still would be better off starting a writing/clerical/curating at-home business of some kind, or if I should just look for a job in a smaller, less busy and traditional office, or maybe a little of both. The very notion of traditional "job hunting" terrifies me and has been of little help when I have done it. I'm too shy for networking and schmoozing and pushing myself here, there, and everywhere. I wish there was a simpler way for people to find a job.

I'm going to continue working on the goal list and the worksheets in The 9-to-5 Cure and Personal Finance For Dummies through tomorrow and Tuesday. After Tuesday, I'll return all three finance books I took out of the library and will put no more thought to anything job-related until after Lauren leaves on the 19th. I'd really like to enjoy my vacation and take some genuine time-out from my troubles.

I had a quick fried-egg lunch before dashing off to work. Work was ok, with more grouchy managers than customers for once in the beginning of the month. In fact, my customers were in surprisingly good moods for this time of the month and year, maybe because the weather held off. It was sunny this morning, but clouds began gathering as I prepared for work. It rained as I was riding down the Black Horse Pike for all of two minutes. One of my co-workers said she heard the rain was supposed to be hitting here by around 7:30. I got out at 7, and at press time, I haven't seen a rain drop yet. I think the worst of it is supposed to come early in the morning.