when the fed ex guy pities you.... that's when it's confirmed: you work like a dog. or a japanese beaver. or a poor grad student. (you pick which one you like best.)

however: my job is almost entirely unsupervised, is at times creative, and is remotely fascinating. i can steal soy sauce and i have first dibs on all of the expired vitamins one could dream of (they're still perfectly fine for 6 months, don't worry.)

once in a while, i learn something really cool that i internalize, that i tuck away into that big file folder in my brain called "tools for saving western civilization". even more frequently, i help someone feel better. someone in pain. someone who's felt lost and ignored and overlooked. and that feels really, really good...

...even though i would much, much rather be outside right now!