Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Am I There Yet?

I was doing the math as I rode home from work today. One hundred and eighty days (not counting summer school and in-service days), for the last ten years multiplied by the two miles (give or take) that I pedal there, and then back. One thousand eight hundred days times four miles - I've ridden my bicycle about seven thousand two hundred miles. I could have been in New York City and back by now. And well on my way to Key West, if I straightened this little commute out a little.
But that's just mileage. How about wear and tear? I just took an on-line quiz to help me feel better about my career choice. The results of this exhaustive battery of ten multiple choice questions told me "You are a shooting star! You are poised for career advancement. You have mastered the essential skills of your job and more, and you may find yourself at an enviable level of accomplishment and career satisfaction." I wouldn't have been quite so enthusiastic if I were describing it myself, but who could argue with such a comprehensive inquisition? The advice they gave me, "But you still don't have that "I have arrived" feeling, right? Sometimes the good can be the enemy of the great. At this stage in your career, complacency is a big threat to your contentment, but there are ways to overcome it." Wow. Do these guys know me or what?
Okay - not so much. I wouldn't expect an eight minute tap of the keyboard to give me insight into the way I choose to make my pizza money. Who among us got to be what they wanted to be when they grew up? Put your hand down, Paris Hilton. Really. I'm not working for Mad Magazine, nor am I working for Rick Baker's makeup crew. That's okay, since the computer didn't mention either of these as viable paths for me to follow. The blinking line at the bottom of the screen: "Back to school for you, teacher boy."
Next time I think I'll play Tetris instead.

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