Hump Day - by Christopher

After writing such a long, laborious and descriptive narrative analogy two posts ago I have run out of analogy juice. So instead I'll simply direct your attention to the picture above:

That was Wednesday. My first Turkish hump day.

I was like this man. I was attempting to balance myself in a way that was completely unnatural and uncomfortable to me. In my case, I struggled to balance my duties as an IT intern and as an ICT teacher.

The IT intern is needed all over the campus in every building at every computer where a fellow faculty member can't log in. The ICT teacher is needed in one specific classroom, in one specific building, at several specific times throughout the day. IT intern gets stopped on his way to anywhere by anyone who needs their printer firmware upgraded, a longer ethernet cable, an update on when scanners are arriving (I don't know), or their class files from last year transferred to their new computer. So ICT teacher barely makes it (running) across the campus to his class on time as eighteen amped-up 5th graders hit the door at the same moment he does.

Lunch break gets cut in half when IT intern gets called away by IT director to go set-up new counselor on third floor of building next door. ICT teacher calls teaching partner on the way and reschedules their planning meeting for later. IT intern gets stopped on the way there by another teacher who only needs five minutes, please, just five minutes, figure out my internet, please. IT intern arrives to new counselor late, finishes setting-up late, and so ICT teacher barely gets to class on time as fifteen amped-up 4th graders hit the door at the same moment he does.

Twice today I almost grabbed someone's shirt and shouted in their face, "I don't know what I'm doing! I've never done any of this stuff before! I shouldn't be allowed to tell children anything about computers! Or anything about anything!! I'm bluffing my way through EVERYTHING!!!"

But now that I'm at home in my 70's Turkish chair listening to Herbert Von Karajan on my headphones and typing this I realize that I've been bluffing my way through every job I've ever had in some way or another.

What makes this job different and great is that everything I do involves fixing computers or teaching computers. And I love computers. Always have. No matter how stressed I was today, I never really felt like I was working. Certainly not the feeling of drudgery I normally associate with working. When I got home from work I stripped down to my underwear, fired up my laptop and went to work reasearching and designing a lesson plan to teach podcasting to my 5th graders.

So yes, Burke. The first thing I took off when I got home from work was my pants.

And I may be onto something here. Not like 'I'm reasonably sure I could tolerate this career for thirty-five years,' more like 'I'm reasonably sure I would enjoy something about this career each day.'

I've arrived to work thirty minutes early every day this week and I kind of liked it.

Most of you who know me have now turned off your computer, outraged that I would lie to you so blatantly. For you few who remain, I assure you I'm reporting nothing but the straight poop. This work doesn't feel like work. And I know, I can already hear you from all the way around the planet: talk to us in three weeks, Chris. Let's see how fast your mouth is running in three MONTHS of this. Tell us all how much you like it then.

I hear you. Don't go overboard, look before you leap and a third cliche. Gotcha. I'll update you on this topic as the journey unfolds.


PS - We ate Turkish Schlotzkey's last night and it was AWESOME. No, I did not try the dirt w/ cream on it.