How appropriate! It is New Years Eve, 5:43 pm, and what am I doing? I am working. In fact, my shift does not end until 'next year'. That's right, I am working on New Years Eve, and it is a graveyard shift.
So.......
This is who I am. I am Alana, twenty-six years old, a workaholic, and looking to fill my change jar.
I hold two full-time jobs (yes, it is possible). By day, I am a faithful unionized government employee, working for a post-secondary institution. The pay is more than decent, my colleagues are either middle-class or pretending to be upper class, and on most days, their conversations are entertaining enough that I do not mind being there. By night, I am just a number at a large telecommunications company. On most nights, I DO mind being there. The employees are younger, a lot younger, and one can only handle the "Who-is-the-hottest-celebrity" conversation for so long.
I am unhappy at both jobs, but I am usually quite happy to see the pay cheques, and very happy to spend the cheques. This is not good for my 'change jar' situation, but I am working on it.
I have been happily engaged for six years. It is usually awkward to introduce him. He can be referred to as "husband", "fiance", "common-law spouse", or when I am angry - "roommate" or "friend". I can shift from one term another, depending on the situation or my mood. For example, at a job interview, I refer to him as my "husband" in order to suggest that I have a proper marriage - hence will be a proper employee; on the other hand, for tax purposes, he is my "common-law spouse". So that there is no confusion, I will refer to him as my fiance, for that is the term closest to the truth.
The great thing about having someone, aside from the conventional reasons, is that they can be a perfect source of extra income! My fiance also has two full-time jobs. By day, he is a skilled labourer, and by night, he is the pizza-delivery man for a Greek restaurant.
We were not always workaholics......we were normal once. Then, one day, I thought of my parents and a few other people.
I thought of how my parents were immigrants in a new country with a few dollars, and how through hard work and only hard work they turned a few dollars into millions. I thought of Rob, the sixty-seven-year-old man who slept in his car and sometimes crashed on our couch. I thought of how he grew up in this country, speaks perfect English, had no cultural obstacles to overcome, yet with all these simple advantages, he was not able to hold a job for longer than two months. Then, I thought of my goal of retiring young to persue my passion of traveling, and how it would be such a shame if I did not take every opportunity to see it through. So, my fiance and I both took second jobs, and here we are!
I do not have get rich quick schemes, but I figure that if my parents have retired after 15 years of working in this country, then I (someone with fewer obstacles to overcome) can do it in 10 years.
So, here I am, a twenty-six-year-old-somewhat enlightened-workaholic, determined to fill my change jar and retire by my thirty-sixth birthday.
The truth is, if I could do it, anyone can. Watch me fill my jar!
Happy New Year!
