The clock on the wall directly in front of me shows that it is 8:47. It's been 8:47 for nearly six months in this office, dating back to when Daylight Savings time began. The clock's battery is probably dead. I suppose there's a chance that the clock is broken. Either way, that clock is useless. Interestingly enough, many of the people I work with are similarly useless.
Since the majority of my coworkers are oblivious to details, whether minute or glaring, I doubt that any of them noticed that clock on the wall nor the reality that the clock does not tell time, much less the correct time. I noticed that clock, but then again, I’ve always been attentive to details, dating back to when I was a child. Of course, when time pieces cease to function, I tend to notice.
Normally, my work week is four days long. Dating back to October 2023, I work six days a week, seven on occasion. I like the overtime, as well as the mostly empty office on Fridays and Saturdays. It's easy money, in that nearly all my overtime is dedicated to writing, so in some capacity, it's not really work for me. I'm being paid to do something that I would do for free, but because the overtime is on the table and it’s there for the proverbial taking, I'm usually more than willing to pull up a chair, take a seat, and line my pockets.
I dislike the majority of my coworkers, which leads me to avoid them whenever I can. I work better alone anyway, so by avoiding many of the people in the office, I am not missing out on anything and I maintain my sanity. It's a win-win situation for me, as far as I'm concerned.
I work between 60 and 70 hours per week, which also dates back to October 2023. I wake up every morning at 3:45am, rejuvenated and ready to start the day. I get to the office closer to 4:45am, Monday through Saturday. I get settled into my cubicle, turn on the computer, and immediately start working. I don't mess around. At that hour, the office is quiet and peaceful, which pales in comparison to its typically loud and chaotic state. At 7am, people start trickling in and whatever serenity surrounded me hours earlier is effectively shattered. I have to rely heavily on my wired ear buds to assist me in drowning out the noise in my immediate vicinity because having to listen to all my coworkers' useless drivel does absolutely nothing for me. I am of the mindset, as flawed as it may be, that the longer I listen to my coworkers drone on about nothing, I stand to lose IQ points.
Do not get me wrong. I truly enjoy my job. It’s never been the actual work itself. For the last few years, it’s been the people that have made the workplace almost a veritable hell. Because this is how I support myself financially, I can’t readily complain about these circumstances while in the office and actually working. I go in early, do what I’m supposed to, and leave at the end of the day.
If I’m going to complain and vent, I’m relegated to doing it away from the workplace. Instead, I hold it all in and when I am able, I unleash what it is that I’m feeling and I let loose in this forum.
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