Weird time, the days after Christmas. Most people, I reckon, are taking the rest of the week off this week, if they haven't taken the whole week off. Guess that's the special conundrum people who have employment faced this year. Since Christmas fell on a Wednesday, right in the middle of the week, people who needed to or wanted to work at least part of the week had the option of picking which half. The guess here is that since they could probably chain the Part-Time Off they've built up over the year, they'll take the back part of this week and the first part of next week, where next Wednesday is New Year's Day, off so that they'll be back full-time at work on Thursday, January 2. At least that's what the two remaining temps are doing.
Actually I guess it doesn't really matter. My immediate supervisor is taking today and tomorrow off. One person I need to consult with for the task I'm doing now took Tuesday off, and she might take the rest of next week off as far as I know. The building today (and really since the beginning of the week) has been a skeleton, a quiet ghost house. There are people who, like me, only took Wednesday off. (They're probably temps like me, who can't afford to take off any other day besides the ones mandated by the law.) Some started their vacation today, some started over the weekend, some may come in Monday and others won't till the following Monday. Regardless, this is the time of year where companies all around the country and world are at least than peak manpower. And I guess that's the way it should be.
I for one like it. For one thing traffic was a breeze today. It was fairly light Monday and Tuesday, but even compared to the beginning of the week today's commute was almost delightful. I had to wipe snow off my parents' minivan, so I got out of the driveway late, and I still made it to work on time ... almost.
Then I'm at work and I have my area to myself. It's pretty empty now: What was once a hallway of eight people is currently down to three, I'm separated from the other two, and those two are gone for a week. So I'm all by lonesome, and I have to admit it feels glorious. All I did was pop my headphones on and listen to Premier League Soccer on my satellite radio or KFAN while typing in numbers -- actually more like moving my fingers in a choreographed way for each consent form; dude, I was cruising! -- without interruption or anything that would distract me. Well, I did make small-talk with a few people, but that ensured that I wasn't a soulless creep. Otherwise I was off on my own world, not worried about anybody looking over my shoulder or even giving me a facile reason to jolt my short-attention span brain into action.
This could go on for another week. But my boss will be back Monday, and then the other two temps will be back on the 2nd, and this place (at least my area and responsibilities) will get busier again. It's not as if I don't have things to do now, but the people who are in charge of me act as if it's still the holiday season, and they're going to take things easy, at least till the beginning of next week, if not next Thursday. If that's the case, I have to enjoy tomorrow just working at my own pace, stopping whenever I want to sip coffee or look at the Internet real quick or just space out, and feel as if I'm not beholden to anyone. Because right now I'm in my own place, and it is glorious.
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