Being off work v. being out of work

I'm starting to recover from a nasty sore throat, but still I was off work today and let me tell you it is damn pleasant not being at work during the hours of 9-5 M-F. Now unless someone thinks I'm going into a Barbara "let them eat cake" Bush style rhapsody over how much better the poor have it now that they've been allowed to gather on the floor of the Astrodome, let me be clear that it's only nice being off work because I know that I still have a paycheck coming in every two weeks. Being out of work would be a bit more stressful.

It may also help that the past few days have been among the best the District has to offer: low humidity and deep sunshine under near cloudless skies. The District is wonderful in the fall (and in the week in late April that passes for our spring), which is soon upon us.

Today I found myself scrounging through change jars and wrapping coins of all sorts to deposit in the bank. It seems the bills were a little high this month and left us looking for milk money. So far I've turned in $12.50, so I'm that much closer to making the mortgage. I still have a jar full of pennies upstairs that will probably net at least ten bucks. No more rail drinks for me!

Anyway, about this work thing. Back in the bad old days, a working day would last between 10 and 12 hours, with a half day on Saturday. For those of you with only one job who still put those hours in, unless you own the business you are an idiot. See, we had this thing called the labor movement that reduced the working day to 8 hours and the work week to 5 days. Something called the "weekend" was born, giving Loverboy a reason to sing.

Obviously, there's more to do. Organized labor has lost ground in the past thirty years and these days many people do work 10 to 12 or more hours a day, except they do that at multiple jobs and without benefits. Many of the people in New Orleans are like that: working jobs that barely pay you enough to live, and New Orleans is by no means an exception to that rule. Katrina and the aftermath made clear power relations that are normally kept hidden, and Barbara Bush's statement should speak volumes to anyone with ears.