I like to lift weights or run to burn off stress after work, and I live about 30 minutes away. Between exercising and showering I spent about another hour every night at work. When I got off work at 11:00 pm, I usually didn’t actually get home until around 12:30 am. I also had to leave for work at 2:00 pm. On days I went to Jiu-Jitsu I had to leave at 11:00 am.  This meant that I was busy during the part of the day when everyone gets things done.

   My wife tells me she’s worried that she’ll never see me on this new schedule. On paper at least, I should see her much more. I used to leave in the middle of the afternoon and not get home until she was ready for bed. The afternoon schedule never gave us enough time to do anything on the days I worked, so my days off were just filled with errands. Normal people can go shopping on their way home from work, have dinner with their family, or do some work around the house from 5 pm to 10 pm. The only thing open when I got off work was Wal Mart and people look at you funny if you bring your wife and infant shopping at 3:00 am.

   My old schedule also meant that I was very lonely on GS. I have a decent amount of friends, but almost all of them were asleep when I got home. The forums just aren’t as much fun when there are 30 minutes between posts.

  With my new schedule, I plan to sleep form 9:00 am to about 4:00 pm.  This means that even on work nights I can have dinner with my family and probably go do some things. It’s been a long time since I could shop, go out to eat, or see a movie on a workday. Now I can realistically expect to get something accomplished at home on the days I work, and my days off will be just that.

   My wife is a little worried that I won’t be home with her and the baby in the middle of the night, but I think she’ll get over it. A lot of people think just because it’s dark that it’s dangerous. Most people killed in auto accidents are killed during rush hour, almost all home burglaries actually occur in the daytime, and most violent crimes involving a stranger don’t take place in homes.  Besides, I have several friends I work with who live within walking distance from our home who have said my wife can call anytime she needs anything during the night. In return, their wives can call me for anything while they are still working the 3:00 pm to 11:00 pm shift.

   Hopefully it will all work out and I’ll be seeing more of you on the forums