Strikes, Daylight Savings, and 5-1

Thanks to AP

Some of you may be clamoring for the conclusion of last week's list: Ten Things I've Learned about Work Thus Far. Well, I'll get to that in a minute. After all, a good cliffhanger wouldn't be very good if it was resolved immediately. You have to keep the tension and suspense up in the beginning to keep people hooked until the end.

Which brings me to strikes. Today members of the Writer's Guild of America went on strike (struck?). If you are unawares, writers of film and television belong to their own union, and apparently a good amount of them are upset over royalties and DVD sales, or something to that effect. Without these writers our beloved television shows will soon peter out, leaving us with a glut of reality television and reruns. New movies may be stalled, but there is a good chance there is a backlog of scripts out there. But, there are some more things to consider:

1. How much good stuff is there on TV anyway? Aren't there too many reality shows already? Will the content be that much worse now that union writers are on strike?

2. Aren't there tons of people out there who would jump at the chance to write for TV or films without union benefits? I know I would.

3. And finally, is the plight of the Hollywood writer that monumental that they have to go on strike?

Yes, sometimes it is a good thing for people to go on strike, if pay is so low and conditions are so bad that the working man and woman fear for their lives. Strikes seem to be reserved only for truckers, auto-plant workers, and public servants: jobs that are essential for a functioning society - so essential in some cases that they should not be able to strike. A real Catch-22. But Hollywood writers? You may think I am callous or a hypocrite. Who am I to throw scorn at the face of the hard-working peon, the lowly scribe who toils away to create art only to have corporate suits skewer their vision and turn it into dreck?

Well, perhaps I should not criticize the writers for wanting what they are due. We all know that strikes don't always end well. It only makes both sides angry and confused and turns debate and level-headed negotiation into petty name calling purple monkey dishwasher. But now that I think about it, I fully support the writers. Give them what they want! Stop paying vapid celebrity actors millions of dollars! Please, please don't let Lost get postponed any more!

Sorry, I spent way too much time on that. Quickly though, I have a question about Daylight Savings. This past weekend we "fell back" and gained an hour. It's all a sham, people! Farmers don't control this country anymore! Now when I wake up it is bright outside. That is good for us early-risers because it makes getting out of bed less unbearable. But then it gets dark out at 5. I thought the point of the new Daylight Savings was to have us be awake during the daylight hours to conserve electricity. No? Can anyone explain the reason? The history? Why we don't just stick with the summer hours?

And finally, the moment you have all been waiting for. The conclusion to the list. I'll try and keep it short.

5. Coffee...urg...good!: Like Frankenstein's monster, most of us are stiff, lumbering beasts with limited brain function when we slip out of bed. We also look terrible. But even after the shower we might only evolve from reanimated corpse to a simple zombie. Thankfully, there is coffee. I used to work at my school's coffee shop and I never drank the stuff. A little ironic. But now I need it. Crave it! Maybe because caffeine is an addictive substance, but probably because it keeps me awake. Coffee is necessary for work.

4. You gain a greater appreciation for windows: No, not the computer operating system but good, old-fashioned glass. Remember when you were in elementary school (or every school level, really) and it was a bright, sunny day outside but you had to listen about the Battle of Ticonderoga? How you gazed longingly at the daffodils and rolling pastures, itching to bolt through the door so you can frolic blissfully? Well, the same feeling applies at work. If you are not near a window you are probably more productive, or more likely to lose all color in your skin and start making chain-mail out of paperclips. Windows are a reminder that there is an outside world. And it's close. So close. But so far away.

3. Work: It's not that bad: Sure, sure, everyday you trudge to your workplace and do mindless chores for at least seven hours, but you get paid! You're doing things! You interact with people...maybe. There are some people without jobs. You realize that you are better off than thousands of people around the world and maybe in your own town. Do you want to be on the streets? I thought not. So be thankful for what you have.

2. Work: It's still kind of bad: I spent four years at college for this? I thought I was a bright, creative, energetic individual with lofty ambitions and an altruistic spirit. I was going to change the world! I was going to do good and make a difference! Even if you didn't go to college or didn't want to save the world, you probably hoped that your work would mean something to you. That it would be fulfilling. That you would accomplish something important. That the job benifitted you and maybe, just maybe, it also benefitted something greater than yourself. Instead you feel like a drone. You feel like you are just working to make money, to appease your capitalist overlords, to keep the system running. Of course, if you are like me, you only just started and can go up, up, up...

Which brings me to the number one thing I've learned about working thus far...

1. I haven't learned too much. It's only been around three months. There is still potential to grow in the company I am at now, or to find a job I really enjoy. And yet, knowing all I do about the unemployed, paying bills, failing Social Security, and growing up, I still complain and gripe. Why? Because I'm still photocopying? Because I'm an entry-level employee? Well, yes. But there is still a lot more for me to learn. There is still more for me to experience. I have years ahead of me and I will have other jobs. Bigger jobs. Better jobs.

Or at least I hope.

This was pretty long, I apologize. But what are your thoughts on going on strike? The current state of Hollywood? Daylight Savings Time? What have you learned about work thus far? Let me know.