Relationships

OK, now my brain has just blown a fuse. I've been talking this girl who is fantastic in many, many facets. But not only is she just going into her frosh year of college & I'm two years out, but she also dropped this bombshell on me: her uncle is Cardinal McCarrick.

I'm not saying that's a bad thing, I was just floored when she told me about this. I mean, wow. Oh BTW, yes, I am a Catholic.

 

Problem is, it's not the people seeking eight-hour days who get the big-paper jobs (at least from a writing perspective -- better-staffed desks can often provide reasonable hours). It's the people who will live the job with no complaints and travel and have no life -- that's what papers want. Which sucks, because it's the only way you can make enough money to support a family ... which you then never see.

I'm about to get married for the first time at 38, and I'm a baseball beat guy. The relationship thing has been sucky at times but workable. The crisis coming for me is kids -- out of six beat writers at our place, most are married but I think only one has kids.

It's one thing to take off on a two-week road trip and miss your wife, but to leave with a baby at home? Not only to miss that time in the kid's life, but to stick your wife with handling a baby and the house and everything? That might be what will ultimately drive me out of the business. The more I have to come home to, the harder it is to be gone.

 

wow. my boss has a problem doing the schedule more than two days in advance. sched comes out saturday: i get sun and mon off. i take off for a destination 250 miles away from work sun morn. i get a call sun night: "uh, i had to make a few changes to the schedule. the PTer i bend over backwards for can't work monday, so i'm going to need you to come in."

right out of fucking office space, i tell you.

 

Murder is justifiable in this case. No jury in the world would convict you.

 

i guess there is some hope. i met mrs. petty when i was 17, we started dating the day after i turned 19 and we moved in together a few months later when both of our parents moved from the area. she then worked fulltime and helped put me through college.

while my hours still are shitty, she hasn't had to work the past four years because i've hit a point in my career where i make pretty decent money, so she takes a lead role in raising the heartbreakers. now, all these years later, i'm going to get the fuck out of journalism, get a 9-5er, and move back to the region where we were raised.

i'm not the least bit concerned anymore that we can or can't make a stupid work schedule work, instead, i wonder if she'll get tired of putting up with my dumb ass on an every day basis.