I've been working a crazy-mad amount of hours. In addition to my 40 hours per week at ODFW, I'm also working somewhere around 35 hours per week for the motel. It's wearing me out a little, but I keep reminding myself that I will be done with this in just two weeks. After that, I'll do one more week at just the motel before I go home.
I enjoy both my jobs. The ODFW job is fun because I've learned so much about fish, fishermen, and the whole culture. I'm getting a little tired of counting dead fish all the time, but the busiest time of my work here seems to be done. The weather is starting to turn, and not as many boats are going out regularly. People who have stayed all summer are going home soon.
At the motel, I stay busy doing many tasks that are an instant reward in themselves. Folding laundry, cleaning up the storerooms, and checking guests in gives a strange satisfaction. I love it when the owner appreciates extra little things I've done, like tidying up our kitchen area.
My jobs this summer are causing me to think about future plans. I do want to go to graduate school and earn my advanced degree, be it PhD or masters, but I also want to remain wholly grounded. I'd love to marry a wonderful person and buy a fix-it-upper, or purchase our own business. Or perhaps I'd just grow a garden in our backyard. But I am realizing that I need a balance of activities in my life, and I achieve that balance by doing a variety of tasks that are both mentally challenging and physically gratifying.