Friday, April 23, 2010

WA #315: The Thief Of Time



"Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it, you can never get it back."

-Harvey MacKay

Weekend Assignment #315: It seems that we're all too busy these days to get around to everything we'd like to do, even if we had the money and means to do them. Is there a particular activity that takes up far too much of your time, and thus prevents you from getting around to other things?

Extra Credit: What is the #1 activity you wish you had more time for?

-Karen

I almost didn't do this week's assignment, because it doesn't really apply to me personally. I am okay with how I time manage things, and for the most part I manage to do all I would like to do, but there is an exception... time with Alan.

If you go back a few years, everything was flowing relatively smoothly, then came the forced furloughs by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The money we have lost has created a time loss as well. First of all, Alan doesn't get a day off without pay as other state workers do... that would create more time for us...because of his job, he still works the same amount of time, the state simply pays him less. Sigh. That creates the need for him to accept all the overtime he can find, and because of the of the original pay differential, it doesn't even make up for what we have lost. The fact is, we spend a lot less time together because of the forced furlough situations.

We make up for it the best we can, but it has been a long time since we could just get up and go on photo jaunts like we used to. We haven't been over to San Francisco since late December. There was a time, just a few years ago, when we went there every week and walked along the Marina Green, or biked in Golden Gate Park, or just window shopped in Union Square. We love San Francisco, it's beautiful, and there is always something to see or photograph. Hopefully, we will be getting over there soon, now that summer is soon approaching. I hope so. I miss it so. We also enjoy going to comedy clubs in different parts of the Bay Area, because lets face it, who doesn't enjoy laughing? Anyway, you see, it's not my time that's being stolen, it's Alan's, but then again, when you are married, what affects one, affects the other. That's just marriage.

:)

Extra Credit: As I said, we love to laugh. I wish we had more time to go to the comedy clubs. We have a good friend who is a performer and he gets us tickets, it's just difficult to find the time.

-Carly

PS... We had a wonderful turnout last week, I want to personally thank everybody who made our first week on the new blog a success! I hope you will continue to join us. It's easy, just click on the link above to be redirected to the Weekend Assignment blog!

4 comments:

Karen Funk Blocher said...

I didn't expect the first response this week to be so poignant. Thanks. I hope the situation improves soon, so Alan no longer has to work more hours for less money.

natalie said...

good job Carly!
interesting post!
there are so many things that none of us seem to get to do anymore (sigh)
hugggggggggggggggggggs
natalie
Lurkynat

Sandrine said...

This is so sad, Carly. I hope Alan can find some more time to be with you and, well,live his life. It reminds me how lucky I am that both my husband and I have fairly flexible working hours. I really hope things get better soon and that you can start cruising the comedy bars together again.

Stephen Watkins said...

Time with the ones you love is the most valuable time of all. It's sad to see that hit because of problems outside our control.