Long-Distance Letdown

I just got off the phone after a really depressing conversation with Cory. See, if I were a normal person, with a normal job, I'd be in Missouri right now. My future brother-in-law (Cory's brother Casey) is getting married this weekend. Unfortunately, it's May "Sweeps" and that means I can't take any time off.

So, Cory was hanging out with his family and friends after the rehersal dinner, and wanted to call me before I went to bed (he woke me up last night, when I was too depressed to stay up and watch Conan). It was really sweet of him to call, but it just made me really sad.

I've sacrificed a lot to work in television. When I started working in TV, I took a 57% salary cut from my previous job. I still (six years later), make about 20% less than I did before switching careers. I gave up a schedule which gave me the entire summer off and I never had to work on a holiday. I've sacrificed my privacy (I used to be able to have a drink at a baseball game and not have fifteen people ask me if I'm on the clock).

But more than anything, I've sacrificed my relationships. I know that Cory and I would be a lot happier if it weren't for my job. (For one thing, we'd actually get days off together without having to use vacation time.) I'm so exhausted on my days off that I don't ever call my old friends to catch up with them. I have no friends outside of work because I spend nearly all of my hours at work, and I really have no friends at work because my schedule differs from nearly everyone else's (nobody else at the station works both nights and weekends.) And I have to miss things like Casey and Nicole's wedding.

So, I've made all of these sacrifices. And what do I get in return?

I'm still waiting for the answer to that one. When I find out, I'll let you know.