May 22, 2003 - 6:02 p.m.

ay-yi-yi.

i made a comment to simon over the weekend that four friends of mine are all experiencing some sort of long-distance-relationship unhappiness. you see, we field quite a few questions here about long-distance relationships, having survived 4 1/2 years of the crap ourselves. because we are now married, we get asked "how did you do it???" on a regular basis. well, kids, there is no secret. we tell the truth.

if you are contemplating a long-distance relationship, we will not necessarily advise you to stay together because it's great or it's worth it. in fact, we will probably tell you that breaking up can make it easier to figure things out - hell, we did it twice.

i am starting to wonder if people are actually listening and if i need to get a lawyer. i got an email yesterday from one friend of mine who had heard a story about another friend, commenting that their long-distance woes were pretty similar. She said:

What's this effect you have on your friends, Erin?

uh-oh.

yeah, it can work, but sometimes taking a break is good, too. it forces you to examine what's really going on, and to realize what you miss and what you can live without, something that may have taken much longer to discover had one person not moved away. Everyone has issues, and it's a lot easier to examine them when they aren't being masked by other things.

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i am fed up with my work situation. i have had so many phone calls back and forth about upcoming and current jobs. trying to work everything out is driving me crazy.

i got a phone call yesterday, telling me that i've been accepted to work at the banking call centre every monday through thursday (friday will be my day for photography and other folio-related projects). the catch (because there always is one): i have to set up a bank account with this particular bank by friday, AND i have to show up on monday morning to sign some paperwork that's being couriered out to me tomorrow, or my first paycheck will be delayed. who works like that???

the problem: i am in the middle of a string of several-day temp jobs, so everything had to be rescheduled. i had to postpone an interview so i can set up the bank account, and i have to ask for an early lunch on monday (when i start a completely different temp job) so i can sign the papers. you have no idea how many phone calls it took to even sort that out, and everyone wants me to make decisions immediately.

one of the main reasons i want to get out of temping is because i hate not being able to take personal time off if need be. i feel like a five-year-old who has to ask for permission for everything. what if i need to go to the doctor? or if i have a job interview (which has been a source of conflict twice in two weeks already)? what if i need to be able to accept personal calls or take a slightly earlier or later lunch than 12 o'clock on the dot? it's just such a hassle. plus, the temp agency keeps telling me how much i will hate working at this particular call centre. well, genius, i wasn't planning to love it, but i don't really have a choice when you don't have anything better to offer me! harumph.

on a lighter note, i'll start having fridays off in july. if anyone wants to ditch a day of work and go on a picture-taking field trip with me, you're more than welcome. i can answer your burning photography questions and, if so desired, give free pointers.