Being bored at work = zero fun sir

Back in the days before I actually had bills and responsibilities, I used to envy people when they complained about their boring jobs. I can be a really hard worker if I want to be, but I also spend a lot of my time trying to get out of work. So years ago, the thought of doing nothing and getting paid for it seemed like a dream come true. Then came the day that I actually had to experience getting paid for doing nothing.

Domino's was my first introduction to paid boredom. As crazy as some busy days were, I would have picked that insanity over the insanity of boredom any day. On those horribly long, slow opens, the only thing I wanted to do was go home and read a book or hang out with my family. Instead, I would be stuck at work, either pretending to be busy or trying to make conversation with the opening manager. I don't think anyone could pay me enough to make me enjoy that kind of boredom.

Then I started working at jobs that involved developing skills that would lead to an editing career. My first job at the Humanities Publication Center usually (until recently) has barely enough for me to do—and even then, I have to work on my projects as slowly as possible to stretch out the time. My second job at Publications & Graphics doesn't even try to keep me busy—I am paid to be here, not to work. Right now, I am quite valuable at the HPC and I am scrambling to finish up a couple major projects before graduation; time flies while I am working there. But the first 4 hours of my day are zero fun sir. It doesn't help that people are always cutting through my office, which makes me feel like I should at least pretend to be busy. I can't even pull up YouTube and watch a movie or something. Telling everyone constantly that I don't have enough to do doesn't seem make sense to anyone—I am, after all, just an intern—it's supposed to take me 4 hours to edit 300 words, after all.

Right now it is 9:23. I am stuck here until 12:58. The only thing I have on my agenda for my last week here is to make copies of permission forms. I am down to 3 folders, and it'll probably take me 10 minutes to do each one. Unless by some miracle someone actually trusts me enough to do something substantial, I have a feeling I am going to be spending a lot of time on my blog for the next week. That and looking for a new job.

Yes, responsibility can be stressful and frustrating at times, but at least then I feel like I'm doing something with my life. Sometimes I just get tired of trying to impress people. We students are more capable than most people give us credit for.