Emersed in the New Mire

With each passing day in the new job, I get a sense of my mortality. The large company workplace is a mindless place in some ways. There's certainly anonymity as you slog away on things that will likely never go anywhere. Nifty new product ideas, researching capabilities that will be forgotten mostly, though occasionally hauled out when someone says "Hey - we did that years ago" in resonse to elements of an early idea that finally show up in a product somewhere.

I've got the desk and the co-worker thing going on, but it's a pretty miserable existance. There seems to be deadwood about and a sense of some foreboding. Layoffs are expected somewhere, and frankly I wouldn't be upset if it caught me too. I've had a few nice paychecks and would get a little severance package, and I could go back to hunting for other opportunities. Perhaps I'll do that anyway.

The toughest part of the thing is that working full time takes so much of your time. Reminds me of the industrial revolution period when people just basically worked and slept. There was a bit of time in there where some miserable food was stuffed into yur engine to keep it working, but work, sleep and die was the norm. Sure I get to come home now and then, and there are weekends now, but a 25 hour week would be a much better idea.

If I can ever get a firm of somekind going, I think I'll shoot for the 25 hour work week. Come in at 11:00, work for an hour, have a bite, do some more work till 5 and then head home. A real opportunity for a work/play balance.

Oh well - such is monday. Ah for an inspiring project without sad, dysfunctional folk around me.