The economy is even effecting school administration: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080818/ap_on_re_us/schools_hard_times Some districts are visiting the idea of shutting down school on a Monday in the week, enforcing a four-day school week instead of the traditional five. The kids have to stay a little bit longer of course since it's cut down to four days only. It reminds me of the growing trend of companies embracing the four-day work weeks in the work force. Not familiar with the alternative work-schedule? http://www.punny.org/money/the-980-work-week-salvation-from-high-gas-prices-or-screwball-hippie-idea/ I am completely all for it for economical and personal reasons. If I had a child(ren), I would use that additional day to encourage family bonding. So many of today's youth lack that quality time and guidance from their family and that extra day could be beneficial. If my company offered a 9/80 program, I'd be elated. I already work on average 9-10 hour workdays, and extending even every other work week to enjoy a three-day weekend would boost my work morale and save me 60-miles of gas and 2.5 hours of traffic misery per week. You'd find me grinning at my cubicle more often, rather than having a stare-down with my monitor. A colleague from a different department had the audacity to pass by my cube and say, "Lighten up". Why, I oughta show you, Lighten up.. *grr* But then I received an email today that turned my frown upside down. It was a reminder to why I should be thankful of having a job to come to everyday(regardless of whether it's five or four days). To save you from the obvious trivialities, here's an excerpt:
"I want to express my gratitude and appreciation with you personally. Your ability to balance a professional and welcoming confident domineer is inspiring. I feel very fortunate to have worked along side this industry's best and brightest people." My first impression is that I am pleased with his writing technique. For those of you who know me, I have always been a word-whore, and it's rare to find other people who choose to use words that go beyond their everyday conversational 'What's Up' and 'Hey' and 'Yo'. In another lifetime, I may have been an English teacher. But the bigger overall takeaway, is though I may run into the frequent chaotic workday where I feel under appreciated, devalued, and taken for granted, there is that occasional moment where someone says or does something that can give you a little positive boost of energy to hang in there. And it's nice to know, among an overabundance of jackasses in the world, there are still truly sincere people. (If I sound jaded at all, forgive me. Just a symptom of work.) But hooray, good people do exist! Yet why do they always leave? I don't think people necessarily need to pat each other on the back all the time, but I do find it important to foster good relationships with others. It goes back to the simplicity of treating others with the same respect you would want them to treat you. I digress, but yes, if anyone has the powers to be to declare more three-day weekends, more power to you.
"I want to express my gratitude and appreciation with you personally. Your ability to balance a professional and welcoming confident domineer is inspiring. I feel very fortunate to have worked along side this industry's best and brightest people." My first impression is that I am pleased with his writing technique. For those of you who know me, I have always been a word-whore, and it's rare to find other people who choose to use words that go beyond their everyday conversational 'What's Up' and 'Hey' and 'Yo'. In another lifetime, I may have been an English teacher. But the bigger overall takeaway, is though I may run into the frequent chaotic workday where I feel under appreciated, devalued, and taken for granted, there is that occasional moment where someone says or does something that can give you a little positive boost of energy to hang in there. And it's nice to know, among an overabundance of jackasses in the world, there are still truly sincere people. (If I sound jaded at all, forgive me. Just a symptom of work.) But hooray, good people do exist! Yet why do they always leave? I don't think people necessarily need to pat each other on the back all the time, but I do find it important to foster good relationships with others. It goes back to the simplicity of treating others with the same respect you would want them to treat you. I digress, but yes, if anyone has the powers to be to declare more three-day weekends, more power to you.