Respite

After spending the last 2 months "on the bench"...as we consultant types like to call the downtime inbetween assignments (for consultants near a coast of some sort, they call it "on the beach"); it looks like I'll be heading back to work soon.

As much as I complain about the difficulties of a consultant lifestyle: things like knowing that on any given Monday you can get a call telling you to be in LA or New York, or Senatobia Mississippi that evening, missing out on getting together with your friends on a random Wednesday night, trying to cram all of your quality time with a significant other during the weekend. There are some positives of the lifestyle...and trust me, it's a lifestyle, not just a job.

I've been very lucky to see a lot of this country and having someone else pay for it. I've gone to a lot of places that I wouldn't have chosen to see on my own, but one of the best things has been "the bench". Getting paid to hang out at home, take short vacations (w/o spending vacation days), and catching up on all those things you don't have time for normally (doctor's visits, dentist visits, house maintenance, writing the great american novel, etc.)

Without this downtime I'm certain I would have had a meltdown by now. There aren't too many other professions that give you paid time off that isn't a sabbatical. Honestly, it's about the only thing that keeps me here.

Of course this also means I have little to no excuse for not writing more articles during the past two months, but I've been busy...sleeping in until 9 or 10. :-D

Once I'm back on the road (possibly Houston), I'll have much more to chat about. Until then...

TTFN

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