Kirstie's job log: 30

Into the void

How is it that when the alarm goes off at 8.00 in the morning to wake me up for work, I struggle to get out of bed for at least another 10 minutes; yet now I don’t have anything to get up for I’m usually up and about before the alarm even has a chance to go off?

I had my last day of work at the end of last week, followed by a well deserved visit to several local pubs. Despite what everyone in the office was expecting of me, I actually knuckled down and got some work done that day; I was quite impressed with myself! I did however manage to extend my lunch break by half an hour; and at the end of the day filled my bosses drawers and filing cabinets with foam peanuts. Not very original I know, but it was all I had time to do!

 

During my last week, with only a few days to go until I would have nothing planned for weeks on end, myself and a friend made a hasty decision to go on holiday for a few days down to Devon. Instead of planning it in advance and going in a couple of weeks, we decided that the best thing to do would be to leave that weekend. So on Saturday, in between spending the majority of the day curled up in bed vowing never to drink again, I managed to get a few clothes into a bag ready to leave bright and early Sunday morning.

Bargain break

It turns out that going on holiday when you’re trying to keep an eye on how much you’re spending is really not a good idea. It all went well for the first day; we didn’t need to buy much more than snacks for the journey, petrol and magazines (though as I was doing the driving, the magazines didn’t come in much use). However, the following morning the budget went completely out of the window as soon as we found the beach, complete with Devonshire ice-cream, fish and chips, souvenir shops, go-karts and an arcade.

In the end, it turned out to be a really good holiday. We managed to relax with a glass of wine pretty much every night; we ate out often and got a lot of shopping done. We even managed to spend time visiting some tourist attractions! I managed to get over my worries about my budget surprisingly easily; however, now I’m home again I’ve been avoiding checking my balance. I should have received my last payment from work by now, and I know that whatever is in the bank now has to last me for the next six weeks!

The other downside to having gone on holiday is that I plan to be moving out of the house this weekend; and haven’t had a chance to pack much of my belongings at all. This means that I will now be relying on the kindness of my housemates to help me unassemble, clean, and pack all my belongings in less than a day, instead of over the space of the past week. I also have to hope that there are family members just waiting at the other end to help me unpack, reassemble and find space for everything once again!

Once I’ve moved back home, I’m going to try and find something productive to do with the time I am awake; apart from shopping, drinking or sunbathing. Having got up early every morning of my holiday without meaning or wanting to, I also plan to make a concerted effort to stay in bed for at least half an hour longer than usual everyday for the next week. After all I can’t go back to university and be getting up earlier than midday when there are no classes!

Read Kirstie's previous job logs

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