rescheduling

Today is Sunday. It is past two o'clock and i'm marvelling at how the sun shines through my dirt-streaked windows at this time of day and how the clouds are still just visible, covering the sky with a whitish film. For the majority of Sundays since October 2005 -- when I first began my editor duties at the Daily Nexus -- I have been smooshed into the editor-in-chief's office with my clipboard, yellow pad, and pen, discussing news and half dreading a week's worth of story assigning, editing, and late nights. Today i'm eating carrots, listening to music, and I have a vague idea of what i'm going to do for the rest of the day.

Perhaps i'll start to feel more nostalgic about the end of my editing duties come Thursday, when I have spent a whole week making dinner, going to Wednesday karaoke night, finishing my assignments, and going to bed at a reasonable hour. Maybe my freedom will become more apparent tomorrow, around midday, when I haven't received a call from a single reporter, assistant, or photographer. Or later in the week when I hear a siren on campus and don't feel the familiar flutter of "I hope that's not a story." It's been a good year, it's been intellectually stimulating, i've spent countless hours laughing, problem-solving, arguing with some co-workers who have become very good friends, i've learned more than I ever needed to know about the inner workings of UCSB and how to re-word sentences. I've left a legacy of organization, competence, and a couple memorable stories. But I think four years of meager pay and four quarters of Sundays and five o'clock on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays was enough.

Well it's certainly strange this relative absence of stress, now that i've completed the hardest part of the quarter juggling a full-time job, an internship, and three classes, and purchased a one-way plane ticket to my immediate future. And i'm looking forward to it staying that way, through finals, through the packing and the plane ride and the first month or two of finding a place, adjusting, and building a life. But I will make sure to treasure my two o'clocks and five o'clocks, hesitantly at first, then more confidently up until I take them for granted. I have earned this time.