I belong in the mountains. Tents don't charge rent. Gas is the price of the bag of granola bars and Gatorade in your pack, and lasts a lot more than 18 miles per gallon, even if you don't need it to. There's no pollution. Traffic's generally manageable. And people actually say hi if you pass them.But as it is, I'm stuck in the valley. And while I dream of living on that perfect, high trail that most every hiker has experienced to one degree or another, the trail I follow down here can be a bigger adventure than anything the Uintahs can offer.
So, at the encouragement of some friends, I'm writing this blog to document that trail. I don't mean to push the metaphor too far, so I'll leave it at that. I blanked when the flashing cursor asked me to title my blog. All I could think about was where I'd rather be. And at 4 in the morning on a Friday, I really don't want to be where I am!
I work graveyard shift. I'm not sure when or how it got its pleasant name, but believe me, it's fitting enough. The body's not meant to be up at night. It's just not designed that way. It's funny--after ten months of working at night, you think my body would be somehow accustomed to it. While it may be a little acclimated, there's no such thing as being accustomed to being awake at 3:30. As it is, tonight's my night off. And I would love to drop off to sleep right now, but I'm forcing myself to wait until 5. I have to maintain my schedule or else I fall asleep on the job which is way too easy to do as is. My suggestion to anyone wanting to work graveyards is this: grab a spatula and head to Wendy's. Most of those close somewhere around midnight.
One downside to graves, at least in my particular job, is it can get a little lonely. While I like my alone time as much as any other guy, you can start to feel pretty dang cut off from the outside world--especially when you work as a security guard in a cave that stores microfilm. Hopefully this blog does a little to help fill that gaping social void in my life. Whatever the case, I'd like to articulate some of my experiences for later reference, and so the few of my friends stubborn enough not to be swayed by my lack of social grace can read them too.
So please drop me a line. My e-mail's stuback@gmail.com. If you've taken time out of your life to read, thanks so much. I'd love to hear from you. Hope you have clear skies and good trail ahead!
Stu
"Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential"
-Winston Churchill
