16 Tons

You load sixteen tons, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt.
Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go,
I owe my soul to the company store.
–Tennessee Ernie Ford, 16 Tons

The last week of each month is really busy for me at work. The first week of each month is even busier. I'm prepared for that. I know what has to be done, and I do it. But this week is shaping up to be all work and no play, which makes Jack a dull boy Elizabeth a little bit cross. Don't get me wrong. I really like the job I have. It is suited to me and I'm good at it {for the most part}. I have nice coworkers. I even have my own office now {which is so super awesome, I can't even tell you!}. But I don't like that it takes up so much of my day. So far this week, I've put in two nine-hour days and an almost eight-and-a-half hour day. And I'm not even half-way through my first-of-the-month stuff. Tonight we had take-out for dinner for the second night in a row. At 8:00 pm. I have seven loads of laundry that need folding and eight that need washing, the dishwasher hasn't been run since Monday, the weeds are up to my knees in the yard and the floors haven't been swept in I'm not telling how long. And all I really want to do is work on my Pinwheel Sampler quilt. I have two hours until I'm too sleepy to think straight. Do you think I can fit it all in?

I have a strict policy. Work stays at work. My time is mine. So, why am I whining about it in my personal bit of cyber space {which is another policy of mine — keep the whining on the internet to a minimum; 80% of people don't care about your problems and the other 20% are glad you have them}? Because anybody who says that housewives don't work is an idiot and anybody who thinks that a working mother doesn't really have two jobs is an even bigger idiot. After putting in a full day at work, coming home to a second shift of hungry, grumpy children who tease each other over their take-out dinners and fight you about helping with the chores is super not fun. So, I just needed someplace to put this so I can move on with the 87 chores I need to finish in the next 120 minutes. I'm feeling better already and ready to tackle Mt. Washmore. Everyone go back to whatever you were doing. There's nothing to see here. Move along. Or, enter my giveaway. Or take my poll {which I reset after eight of you had already voted on the first day because I forgot to include fish, which is a very important pet group, and because I forgot to allow for multiple choices, in case you have more than one pet} if you haven't already {or your vote got deleted because you voted sometime before last Thursday morning}. Or watch this video, you know, just for fun.