“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
-Book of Proverbs 19:21
My opening statement — or “incipit,” for you fans of Latin loanwords (and other obscure calques) — is an oft-overlooked observation from Proverbs: Specifically, a verse that amounts-to the ancient equivalent of, “You can plan a pretty picnic (or perchance, some scintillating blog posts), but sometimes it rains (or happenstance, your schedule gets hijacked).”
I had planned-to post my post-holiday shopping article before the end of 2019. But as this decade closes, I’ve resorted to commenting upon my situation tonight, in a sort-of-stop-gap metapost.
(To the extent-which I’m speaking in a self-aware manner that lampshades the difficulty of planning an editorial calendar for a mere blog, only to toss-it-out when mundane troubles crowd-out my time for blogging, and thereby make my schedule obsolete.)
Today was alright, except-for getting sent-home an hour-and-a-half early, from work “because it was too slow here.” In other words: Business sales weren’t up-to the expected forecast. But then, why send -me- home early, when others are higher-paid but generating approximately the same revenue of goose eggs, nada, zilch?
(Although I try-to tread carefully when discussing work-related matters, I might have more to declare about this outrageous situation. Keep visiting, from-time-to-time, because I’m sure other rank-and-file workers are interested-in how my problem plays-out.)
Trying-to make the most of a sub-optimal situation, I endeavored to focus-on finishing at-least one among the article ideas that I’ve been mentally gestating. But, of course, fatigue and brain-fog from work interfere — yet again! — thereby forcing me to post something far-less-ambitious, if I am-to maintain my goal of posting twice monthly. (My prior post in December was on the 13th, which happened-to-be a Friday.)
What would be easier to eluctate-at-length about, than what’s immediately imminent?
Taking-advantage-of the availability bias, I seized-upon the fact that the transition from 2019 to 2020 will mark not-only the start of a new year, but also the beginning of a new decade! So, how -am- I celebrating the changing of decades?
By writing about my obscure utilization of time, and -not- watching any New Year’s festivities! (My most-recent viewing — that I remember — was one-of the “Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve” telecasts, hosted-by a television personality who died in 2012 and, accordingly, is too-old for some readers to recognize.)
Basically, I’ve a full-basket for my “bucket list,” comprised-of:
1) Planning my spare-time around my work-schedule.
-Even-though many consider shelf-stocking and related retail to be a throw-away job, it’s the best I’ve been able to get a whopping -ten- years after graduating with a damned graduate degree!
2) Marshaling resources to fight that baseless “reckless driving” charge.
-The arresting officer in that case additionally filed a request-for-medical-evaluation with the DMV: Apparently, with the goal of intimidating me; psyching me out; or throwing me-off my game. Any-way-which you might-want-to phrase it: He failed!
-In a recorded conversation, law enforcement more-or-less conceded that without hard evidence, the arresting officer opted-to-cite expressly because his superior, the Police Lieutenant, pushed-for prosecution against -someone,- anyone, just-so-that he can write “closed” next-to the case. (But when I’m found not-guilty, Lt.-Lite will need-to air his case-file on “Unsolved Mysteries,” complete-with a hologram of the deceased host, Robert Stack!)
3) Finding some-way to progress-from my dead-end retail job, into some-sort-of-kind-of-quasi-professional position that will utilize my renowned critical-thinking and expert communication skills!
-Technically, I already -do- wield my professional skills on this blog. However, I’ve yet-to be paid for doing-so, rather-than-as a mere self-indulgent hobby or dilettante’s vanity.
Well, it’s getting late — and while some are grasping-at the zeitgeist by watching some bally-hooed ball-drop, I’m salivating-over sleep! (I’ve been-up since 3:00 a.m., and it’s 10:30 p.m. right-now.)
Yes, I really wouldn’t allow myself to go-to-bed until I had, in-fact, posted twice in the month of December. And if such-strong dedication doesn’t impress-upon-you my work ethic; then, I would conclude you’re quite-adversely-biased against Yours Truly. (So-phrased, for the sake-of hitting those long-tail search results!!!)
An Official Blog of Joseph Ohler, Jr. 