My two jobs

My job at the high school:

Today I was notorious. I was summoned publicly — via intercom — to the principal’s secretary’s office; but as it turned out, I wasn’t the culprit she was after.

I’m becoming too efficient for this job.

I complete most of my tasks by Third Period, and then I try to kill off two more hours. This morning I spent a good deal of time looking for spare change so that I could buy a sandwich. (The students were selling Chick-fil-A sandwiches in the cafeteria.) I did find enough change. My sandwich was soggy but delicious.

My tutoring job:

I’m clocked in right now.

There’s no one here for me to tutor. I’m killing time, blogging this.

How these jobs look to other people:

When my girlfriend’s mom interrogated me on Valentine’s Day, she said, “I hope you’re aware of certain things about your life that you need to fix.”

“I am,” I said.

“What do you think those things are?”

“Well,” I said, “I was hoping you’d tell me what you think those things are.”

“Well,” she said, “I was hoping you’d tell me, so I could be sure of your awareness.”

Then I was quiet, because of course there are many things I’m aware I need to fix, but I didn’t know which things she had in mind for me to fix. And so she told me them. What she had in mind was my employment. I needed more of it.

Probably, some of you are thinking, “Hurray for Karin’s mom.”