What a Week...

You can tell when I've had a rough week: the posting gets sporadic and of pretty thin value. Sorry, but I'm still in that place. Back is much, much better, but the job is sucking worse every day.

Last weekend I filled a volunteer shift at the airport USO for the first time since I started the new job (mid-January). I had thought it would be invigorating, but found the contrast between my happiness and self-image when I was there regularly and my current outlook due to my awful job quite disturbing and depressing; I was a different person then; I never knew one could burn out on a new job in just eight weeks...

On the bright spot, I got to spend a wonderful time with Andi at dinner yesterday. She's a great lady--put up with my whining about work and treated me to dinner at one of the finer hotel restaurants in the city. [We had planned to eat elsewhere, but best laid plans... However, the food and the manner/location in which it was served ranks at or above the best I've ever enjoyed. Being the kind soul I am, I won't torture you with a detailed description. *GRIN*]

Andi and I discussed the MilBlog Conference, SpouseBUZZ, and the milblog community in general. Topics included the sad lives of uber-trolls and the welcome realization that we don't have any big milbloggers who pull prima donna antics. We also talked about the amazing opportunities and people we've gotten to know through milblogs and our related activities that we would never have otherwise.

Other conversation included the fact the "it's a paycheck.. it's a paycheck..." mantra will keep you in a horrible/soul-sucking job for only so long before you start to lose your mind/health. But being the dear and wise lady she is, she left me with an excellent substitute mantra: "You have found your niche [milblogs, military support positions/non-profits, etc.], you're just not being paid for it... yet."

"You have found your niche, you're just not being paid for it... yet."

"You have found your niche, you're just not being paid for it... yet."

"You have found your niche, you're just not being paid for it... yet."

If that mantra doesn't work, I'll be counting on you guys to pick up the pieces when I get to the Conference, okay? ;)

Or maybe I'll just read this post again...