No sarcasm. No play on words. No complaints.
60 hour work weeks is the phrase which best describes my May. I didn’t plan it this way (don’t think anyone ever does), but the projects all hit at the same time and I wanted rock it, kill it, crush it, pwn it, work it, make it, do it (this is where you sing “make us harder, better, faster…).
Seriously though, while many of you work much longer days and nights, I’m not used to running to the metro to catch the last train to Virginia…at least not because I was working all day in the office.
With the exception of a few essentials (eating, showering, Pandora, reading the express paper), everything non work related suffered during these last couple weeks. I neglected this blog, hadn’t spoken to family and friends, and let the DVR, email inbox and Google reader get out of control. BRACE YOURSELF: I even took a temporary leave of absence from twitter.
Even though I my general routine was upset a bit, I wasn’t miserable. Those late night metro rides gave me quiet time to ponder all sorts of things: “Why am I working so hard?” “Should I be working so hard?” “Is this what the next few years of my life has to offer?” “Is it worth it?” “If I’m gonna work this hard, maybe I should be doing it for myself..” When others were leaving and uttering those phrases we all hate to hear (“Are you still here?” “Go home” “I hope you’re not staying too late again!”), I just smiled and kept cranking because they were great projects and I wanted to crush them.
It wasn’t until after the end of the second week and a road trip to get this little guy that I arrived at the major conclusion of the month. I was hanging out with my best friend and he asked “so, you think you’ll stay there for a while?” I thought about it for a second and said “I don’t know.”
Probably not the answer you were anticipating, but it’s that lack of certainty that will probably keep me there for years to come. As long as the projects remain interesting and I continue to meet co-workers with amazing experiences and life stories, I’ll continue to say gimme more!
