I hate the fact that it is Monday-freakin’-Morning again, and consequently, I must haul my fat ass out of bed at 7.30am, put on office clothes, and appear cheerful and dedicated at the bloody office (aka *the coal pit).

Why do Mondays suck so badly? Why does most of the civilised world hate them? Apparently for some, it is less about Mondays, and more about the excess imbibing they indulged in on the weekend. The sleeping in on Saturdays and Sundays upsets the body clock used to getting up earlier during the week, resulting in a sluggish start on a Monday.

Apparently, one popular solution to Mondayitis is NOT to sleep in on the weekend. Wtf?? Take away the only joy in my life?

One article I read said:
“Weekend sleep-ins were actually found to temporarily reset the body clock, throwing the sleep system out of whack and setting the body up for the Monday blues.” (Sorry, lost the link to that)

And…
“Don’t sleep in on the weekends. As tempting as it seems to catch up with lost sleep, it does come at a price.”

The hell I won’t. Sleep is beautiful. Sleep is wonderful. My bed is warm and cosy and there aren’t any fighting, sullen teenagers in there. Because if there were? That WOULD be totally weird on so many levels.

With me, I don’t think it’s so much about the sleeping bit – I don’t actually sleep in at ALL on Saturdays due to soccer playing teens, and Sunday, I make a concerted effort to be up around 9-9.30. So ok, this second one doesn’t always work so well, but I try.

Thing is, I like my family and my home. I like being home. I have projects I want to do, skills I want to learn, and just no bloody time in which to do any of these.

I want to learn photography – and be more familiar with Photoshop. I want to have a veggie garden and feel I am making some small inroad into being sustainable and achieving something myself. I want time to make my damn Wordpress theme and graphics. I want time to be me.

The MOTH works a 12 hour rotating shift. He often has 3 or 4 days a week home. Mid week. Alone to do whatever he wants uninterrupted (that sounds bad…), of course, it invariably is not the housework.

For God’s sake, I’d like time to keep the house clean without losing my weekend to do it – and I ain’t housekeeper of the year, trust me.

Do I like my workmates? Not so much – probably in very small doses. The work I do? It’s alright. It’s constant all week, and I pretty much enjoy most of it. It’s putting up with these people who ordinarily I’d probably have nothing to do with that drives me a little batty. I enjoy my weekends. Why would I want to come back here to the Pom who thinks, no – he KNOWS, he’s always right, the CFO, who think as a male it is his -given right to talk over the top of a woman, to be rude and click his fingers at me if he requires my attention (needless to say, he’s had a few rude awakenings ;). The same hypocrite that will screw $10 out of our business to benefit himself, but haul over the coals any of us mere mortals for a few ring binder folders costing maybe $2 more than another supplier.

I have to work with them, but I damn well don’t have to like them or be friends with them – hence my poor attendance at Christmas functions.

What is wrong with the system when I have to spend 8-9 hours a day with these people whom I could take or leave, and far less with my family?

There has to be more to life than this. A better work/life balance. Something more than the rat race. Unfortunately though, I am trapped. Like most of Australia, bound by a mortgage, a need for a replacement car sometime this year, the cost of several projects to complete around the house, kids to educate, even a dog to feed.

I really don’t know what the solution is - but I do know I envy those with the guts, balls, whatever, to break away from the rat race to pursue something better - because I have to believe there IS something..

Any suggestion?