Double duty

I had a day circled on my calendar. The day I'd go from (job + seasonal part time job) to (job + once a week paper route)

My full-time job is overnight stocker at a grocery store. It's the same one that my wife and daughter have worked at for several months.

My part-time job is "costumed sign waver". That job is exactly what it says on the tin.  And with the nature of the business, that job ends on-or-about April 17.

But... There's car repairs. And bills I'm getting caught up on... Slowly.

And *another* offer to be a sign waver. (Didn't see that coming)

I'm not in a position where I can, like one republic says, be not counting dollars now I'm counting stars...
I might take that offer.

I'm not sure which bothers me most
• I have a bachelor's degree in computer science and I'm stocking shelves and waving signs
• ‎I'm working 60-70 hours a week, which leaves little time with wife, children, or grandbaby
• ‎I'm working 60-70 hours a week, wife is working 50-55 hours a week, and I'm not swimming in money a la McDuck's Money Bin

O lamb of God, I come

In honor of the great servant of God, Billy Graham.

MM#112
Just As I Am
Traditional

1) Just as I am, without one plea
But that thy blood was shed for me
And that thou bidd’st me come to thee
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

2) Just as I am and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

3) Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

4) Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need, in thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

5) Just as I am, thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

6) Just a I am; thy love unknown
Has broken every barrier down;
Now to be thine, yea, thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Hi and bye

This song seemed to get a lot of play in the fall of 2000, even to the point where I heard someone playing it on the piano at a church getaway...


Reminds me of being away from my girl and only seeing her now and again...


MM#111
Richard Marx
Wherever You Go


Oceans apart day after day
And I slowly go insane
I hear your voice on the line
But it doesn't stop the pain

If I see you next to never
How can we say forever

Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you

I took for granted, all the times
That I thought would last somehow
I hear the laughter, I taste the tears
But I can't get near you now


Oh, can't you see it baby
You've got me going crazy


Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you

I wonder how we can survive
This romance
But in the end if I'm with you
I'll take the chance

Oh, can't you see it baby
You've got me going crazy


Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you
Waiting for you



Happy #29, Mrs G.

Since commuting to State Street

MM#110

Work Song

Corbin & Hammer

 

Well it's Monday seven o'clock in the morning
Drink my coffee hurry up got to got to got to get to work on time
Hear the whistle whoop whoop whoop whoop
And the train goin' down the track see you later hurry back
Out of my way hey got to get to work on time
Got to get to work on time
I got to hustle oh my muscles gettin' big
Ain't it hot hot sweatin' like a pig
Got to hurry scurry got to get to work on time
I got to go pack a lunch workin' overtime
After taxes taxes barely make a dime
Punch a clock can't talk got to get to work on time
Got to get to work on time

Friday I'll pick up my baby we'll go out on the town yeah
Sunday drive in the country no one else around
Well it's Monday seven o'clock...
 

Hear the foreman get it movin' get the lead out
Monday mornin' head hurts wish he wouldn't shout
But yes sir yes boss got to get to work on time
Hear the whistle whoop whoop...
I got to hustle...
Got to get to work on time got to get to work on time

Working my butt off.

Apologies for having went silent on the blogs.  But anywhere where I actually string together more than 20 words (besides the car driving home)...yeah, that's not happening.

At the start of January, I had a temp job that had become part-time.  That job ended early in January.  I picked up a temp job as a "costumed sign waver" - the job I thought would be extra cash turned out to be my only job.

So, the day after I first started waving a sign dressed up as an American landmark, I'm driving down to Ivy's job when I get this message.

2017-01-15 16:37 Wanna work 10p-6a

What?!?!

I'd worked 14 months as overnight stocker/janitorial at Wal-Mart already.  And I was very glad to get out of there, away from overnight, and back to something local and days.

However...an opening at the store my wife and daughter work at...
The magic word might have been "permanent"

Having an end date on your assignment sucks.  Trust me.

So...by now, the end of January, I'm working 70 hours a week.

WORKING.

None of this sit-on-my-butt stuff chatting with fellow contractors like I did supporting wargames in 05, 06, 08.

None of this taking calls from shoppers like the week I put in  60 hours call-center-from-home.

A 40 hour job of stocking and facing
And (right now) a 30 hour job of dancing with a sign for a tax shop.  (Yeah, that one).

I'm burning calories like crazy!

The one job is seasonal, and when tax day comes and goes, so will that job.

But, for now, I'm hustling making the money.



I don't know how my Dad did it.

Happy New Year

MM#100*

Ten Thousand Reasons
Matt Redman
(slightly edited)

The sun comes up
It's a new year dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes

Bless the Lord O my soul
    O my soul
    Worship His holy name
    Sing like never before
    O my soul
    oh
    I'll worship Your holy name

Two thousand years of wrong

MM#108 It Came Upon A Midnight Clear     It came upon the midnight clear,     That glorious song of old,     From angels bending near the earth,     To touch their harps of gold:     "Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,     From heaven's all-gracious King."     The world in solemn stillness lay,     To hear the angels sing.     Yet with the woes of sin and strife     The world has suffered long;     Beneath the angel-strain have rolled     Two thousand years of wrong;     And man, at war with man, hears not     The love-song which they bring;     O hush the noise, ye men of strife,     And hear the angels sing.     For lo!, the days are hastening on,     By prophet bards foretold,     When with the ever-circling years     Comes round the age of gold     When peace shall over all the earth     Its ancient splendors fling,     And the whole world give back the song     Which now the angels sing.

MM#109 Belleau Wood Garth Brooks Oh, the snowflakes fell in silence Over Belleau Wood that night For a Christmas truce had been declared By both sides of the fight As we lay there in our trenches The silence broke in two By a German soldier singing A song that we all knew Though I did not know the language The song was "Silent Night" Then I heard my buddy whisper "All is calm and all is bright" Then the fear and doubt surrounded me Because I'd die if I was wrong But I stood up in my trench And I began to sing along   Then across the frozen battlefield   Another's voice joined in   Until one by one each man became   A singer of the hymn Then I thought that I was dreaming For right there in my sight Stood the German soldier 'Neath the falling flakes of white And he raised his hand and smiled at me As if he seemed to say Here's hoping we both live to see us Find a better way Then the devil's clock struck midnight And the skies lit up again And the battlefield where heaven stood Was blown to hell again But for just one fleeting moment The answer seemed so clear Heaven's not beyond the clouds It's just beyond the fear No, heaven's not beyond the clouds It's for us, to find it, here

---

Sometimes, there's a single phrase in a song that catches me - and not necessarily something obvious.  From "Life has killed the dream" from "I dreamed a dream", MM #45; to "We became stepdads and soccer moms" in "Life Happened", MM#85.  And perhaps the most notable in our family's history was "Who brings my chaos back into order",  "This Is Amazing Grace", MM#96.

Both of these songs have a line that I haven't forgotten. 

"Beneath the angel-strain have rolled / two thousand years of wrong"
Living in A.D. 2017, over two thousand years since the Word of God became flesh...are things better...are we kinder to each other...has the command to love God and love our neighbor been better obeyed?  In some ways...a little.  But there's still so much distrust, so much fear of the other, so much scapegoating. 

"Then the devil's clock struck midnight"
It's horrible how so often we can discard our shared humanity - in some cases our shared heritage or our shared faith.  War is hell, even at times setting brother against brother.