Time Off

I got a call from work today, and they left a message asking me to call them back. I did, wondering if they might be asking me if I wanted to work tonight. No, actually instead they asked me if I wanted to not work for the next few weeks. And by "asked me," I mean "told me," and by "wanted to" I mean "am going to."

My company both guarantees and requires a minimum 25 hours a week from part-timers , but they also make allowances for a certain number of Limited Part Time Employees ("such as college students who prefer to only work weekends," as the employee agreement used to say). That's what I am; in my case that bargain applies to neither one of us. I work less than the required 25 hours, and they guarantee me nothing. Thus, if they don't want to (or are unable to) give me any hours, they don't have to. And right now, and for who knows how long, they're cutting back so much that they have nothing for me.

My feelings towards this are mixed. Mostly I know it will be okay, but all sorts of considerations flutter through my mind. I need money to pay rent. But I do have savings, and that'll be alright as long as this doesn't go on too long. It will probably be really good for me to have more time to get my school projects done. But it will be so weird to not go to work. It's been seven years since I've been in school without a job, and it's also been that long since I've had weekends off. Plus, I'll miss my coworkers and that aspect of my life. This is a weird step in the gradual adjustment from school life to work life.

I've seen this happen once before, back before I was a student. I guess I'm lucky that it hasn't happened to me before. Sometimes layoffs happen instead. I don't know that they haven't laid anyone off this time, but I'll gladly have a few weekends off if it means that Scott and Trevor get to stay.

I find myself making all sorts of plans for my newly free weekends... Homework! Library time! Thesis party! Crafty party! Visiting Mom! Visiting Dad! Hanging out with Nadia (who's probably in the same boat as me)! Visiting Katie together! Sleeping! ...it looks like I could fill a lot of time off.