WORD COUNT: 23,500
So. As you know, I work in the game industry, and even though my job is one of the best in that industry (see the blogs of some other game developers and/or their spouses for examples of horrible, Soviet-style soul crushing overtime and no respect for the workers…) it still involves a lot of long hours from time to time. I guess any job that can be viewed as “fun” has that possible downside — there are just too many wannabes standing in line behind you. You don’t like the hours, take a hike, pal.
But it was a good reminder for me last night not to confuse long hours with hard work. Face it, I press buttons for a living. By contrast, the guy at the pizza shop where I got my dinner last night was busting his tail. I mean, he was moving. Back and forth, shoveling the pizzas into and out of the oven, almost tripping over his co-workers in a kitchen that must have been a zillion degrees. This is July in Baltimore, and that means high 90s and near 100 percent humidity, so it can be a tad schteamy. I can only imagine how hot it must have been in that kitchen.
Hard worker, too, the guy my next door neighbor has building some monstrous brick structure in his backyard. Once again, July in Baltimore. I’m in the air conditioning, fiddling with buttons on a computer, drawing pictures for a living. This guy is schlepping bricks in unbelievable heat. Which do you think is truly working hard?
There are tons of jobs like that out there, and worse. The folks who work them must be made of some sturdy stuff. Here’s to them.
Me? I’ve got a novel I’m trying to push out of my brain onto the page (23,500 words for those counting).
Back to pushing buttons.
