9 to 5

For the past week and a half I've been working as the assistant director at a day camp. We do craft projects and dance and swim and occasionally we even do things that are related to what I actually (normally) do for a living. I enjoy this job. It's my second summer doing it. It only lasts two weeks and in those two weeks I can make as much money as I do in a month at my normal job. Besides the perk of a good salary, the kids are (generally) well-behaved and fun to work with.
Here's the problem: I am NOT cut out for a 9-5 job. That's what this is. True, we get an hour break for lunch in the middle of the day but other than that I have to be chipper and enthusiastic and responsible all day long. My academic life has spoiled me. For eight years now I've had a flexible student schedule. While I sometimes have to be places at certain times for classes or meetings, and while I've had a variety of part-time jobs that have required me to work certain hours, I've never consistently done a 9 to 5 job. Generally, I pretty much set my own schedule (other than the 10 or so hours where I have to be in a specific class or meeting). No two days in the week are exactly the same and it turns out I really, really like it like that. This 9 to 5 all-day-in-the-same-space-with-the-same-people stuff is not my favorite way to operate, and it amazes me to think how many people do this day in and day out.

Given, not all of those people are working with children. Teachers have the most difficult job in the world. Seriously. At least in an office job you have some time to sit at your computer and browse the internet for a few minutes here and there throughout your day. Teachers (good teachers, anyway) don't get a break all day long. God bless the people who can do this for nine months at a time. I'm sure I would get used to it and I could do it, but man. It's tiring.

Speaking of being exhausted, I haven't done any comp exam prep for five or six days now. Which is great, considering I'll be taking my exams two months from now. Ugh.

Over the weekend I ate a pound of hamburger. It was ridiculous. It was my contribution to the giant hamburger challenge: Nine of us were trying to eat 15 pounds of hamburger (two six pound burgers and a three pound burger). There are pictures of the monster burgers on Facebook. The burger was actually good, but I'm laying off the red meat for a while, I think.

Friends are coming to visit this weekend and then I start training for my tutoring job next week. At this point every summer I always start to realize that the school year actually tends to be more relaxing than summer break. Funny how that happens, huh?