This is really starting to drive me nuts. People I know don’t seem to get that I work nights. They know I work at an observatory and yet they act surprised to find out that I don’t get home until after sunrise. One guy stopped by the house at 11 am, and asked in a stupid voice, “Oh, did I wake you?” I would have just ignored the door, but he kept knocking and ringing the doorbell. The UPS guy has clued in to just leave the package at the front door and knock –lightly-. And yet, the people I hang out with call up at 10 in the morning wanting to know what I’m up to.
It’s bad enough that the bank, post office, doctor’s offices, etc all close up at 5. I can accept that. I’m not asking the world to bend to my will. I just want a little consideration! I’m so sick of people reacting to me being in my pajamas at 2 in the afternoon like I’m some lazy bum.
I think the season is just making it worse for me right now. The nights are long and I still am trying to do some of the holiday thing (get presents shipped out, get food for the holidays, etc).
I think I feel better now after venting. We’ll see how tomorrow goes (I just want 8 hours of sleep for Christmas!).
Get a sign made that says “Up all night watching for killer asteroids and comets. Wake me only in case of emergency or I might miss the one heading for you your house.”
If you have it put on a stake you can rip it out of the ground and beat the offenders with it if they happen to miss it or ignore it.
I feel your pain, HeidiKay. I’m a night owl - always have been. Some people seem to think I’m “lazy” because I’ll sleep 'til noon or 1:00pm on weekends, and I don’t come in to work until 11:30am or so. It never seems to occur to them that it could be because I didn’t go to bed until 4:00am the night before. For me, going to bed “early” on a night before work means any time before 1:30am, and it almost never happens.
Thankfully, very few people ever come to my door. I have a “no preaching” sign on my door, which probably helps. When I’m sleeping I shut off my phone’s ringer and my cell phone and let the voice mail (which I have on my cell and my home phones) take the calls. The fact that I own a phone does not instill within me a sense of obligation to answer it.
earplugs.
turn off the ringer - phone AND doorbell.
>Get a sign made that says “Up all night watching for killer asteroids and comets. Wake me only in case of emergency or I might miss the one heading for you your house.”
Wow! what a cool Job!
My wife and I were in Santa Barbara vacationing. One evening,
we spotted the Halle-Bop Comet! My wife called the Observatory
and they invited us up for a viewing. At the Observatory,it was
very Dark and many of the astonomers were wearing Dark
Clothes. We were invited to look through several Telescopes
fixed on the Comet. Some of these Astronomers were dressed
in Sniper-Style Guinny outfits adding to the suspense.
I told my wife one of the guys had the Elephant Man Disease and
thats why he was all covered-up.
