The two subjects of today's blog post are:
1. Dogs
2. Hourly work
1. Dogs
Since this past Sunday, I have been the long-term dog sitter of a 7 year-old black pug named Rocky. Ben is out of town until tomorrow night, and I have to say that having a small creature waddle behind me every time I walk somewhere in the house is bizarre. Growing up, my family had a yellow lab named Peyton whose daytime necessities sometimes fell under my responsibility, and I have found myself walking alongside a Rottweiler from time to time, but I was very surprised to find out that pugs are not at all like labs or Rottweilers. First of all, pugs are small. It's really hard to make eye contact with a pug, even for a person as short as me. A walk around the block is considered long for Rocky, and I find myself walking in circles while I wait for him to cross a single square of sidewalk. Second, pugs make weird noises. While I've already grown used to the constant growl/gurgle that Rocky makes when he's excited (i.e. always), I have to say I prefer either silence or a good loud bark to get my attention. I woke up in the process of falling asleep last night because I couldn't hear Rocky snoring and freaked out because I thought he stopped breathing. To summarize my experience so far, Rocky is a very silly dog who has opened my mind to just how different dog breeds can be. As soon as I find my camera, I will (maybe) upload pictures of my new roommate.
2. New Job
Finally, I got a job as an EMT, mostly transferring patients from one place to another. Aside from the new-job uncertainties such as "Where is the nuclear medicine department of this hospital that's under construction?" and "What if a patient spits on me?," I am loving it. First of all, I get paid by the hour. While obviously more money would make life a little more comfortable than less money, I am relieved to be relieved of a salaried job. One thing I learned about research and long-term projects in the past couple of years is that the faster you complete assigned tasks, the more work that is assigned to you. I don't think I will get tired of getting paid for overtime in the near future, and it's nice to just sit around and drink a cup of coffee during free time, when it exists. Other perks of my current job include proximity to my house, time off for family vacations, the ability to wear (tasteful colors of) nail polish, and really nice coworkers.
