part-time

A song by Flight of the Conchords called Part-Time Model keeps running through my head. It goes like this:

Looking 'round the room

I can tell that you

Are the most beautiful girl

In the room

And when you're on the street

Depending on the street

I bet that you are definitely

In the top three

Good looking girls on the street

You're so beautiful

You could be a part-time model

But you'd probably still have
to keep your normal job

I keep thinking of this because my hours at work have been reduced to 20 hours a week. Or so. Projects have just dried up, ended or been reduced in scope. This schedule may go for one month, maybe longer. No one knows what will happen. Everyone at work and most people I tell say, "Oh no! Sorry! Are you going to be okay?" I say, "I'll be more than okay, I'll be living a dream come true..." There are three of us so far who are supposed to reduce our hours. The deal is that we are supposed to reduce our time, but should come in anyway if some more work comes in. We need to be flexible. It sounded like we would know the week before or so if we needed to come in, instead of be out.

This morning at 8:00, right about when I was thinking in my sleep that I may get up and start to work on the many plans and commitments that I had made for this most glorious unpaid day off, the phone rang and it was my boss. I needed to come in. I fear that part-time may end up being unpaid on-call shifts. Like I should just go ahead, get up, and put my work clothes on in the mornings. Maybe sit by the back door with my bag, and just read a magazine for 9 hours, in case something comes up. Maybe next week I will actually be able to reduce my hours.

Here were/are my initial plans for this epic opportunity to rest, catch up, complete, mend, wash and prepare:

1. Alter one skirt and one swimsuit top, sew on two buttons
2. Clean out my belongings, really, really thoroughly
3. Windsurf at the sailing club
4. Visit parents and nephews
5. Disassemble old box spring for recycling
6. Weed garden
7. Back-up computer
8. Be nicer and more helpful to friends and family
9. Read my entire giant sailing text book
10. Sand and oil all the rest of the wood trim on The Boat

The Boat, I should explain, only belongs to me in spirit. But I like to do a little work on it and sail it. It actually belongs to a man named Mike that I have been dating for nearly 6 months. He's a dream. He is tall, kind, obscenely generous, hilarious, smart, bearded and many people's favorite person. And he recently acquired a boat. How can you top that?