No. Overall, fuck no. I mean, the money's nice. But what else is nice about it. Nothin', honey. Nothing at all. And the more my coworkers talk about it, the more my supervisor offers it, the less I want it. It is the holiday season, after all, and we don't tend to get overtime offered much the rest of the year. OUR TIME TO MAKE SOME MUNNAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!! ... ugh. Just pay us enough so no one feels the need to work themselves to the bone.

Somewhat surprisingly, most people haven't wanted to work much overtime. A couple hours extra here and there is fine. Twelve hour shifts for twelve days straight is psychotic.

As old as I am becoming, this is my first normal joe job, decent pay, 40 hours per week, with benefits and time off. Before this, part time, no benefits, random design and illustration gigs... I'm already making more than double anything I've ever made before now. Yeah, I could still use the extra income. Like 99.9% of people, I've got your basic college loans and credit card debts to pay off someday, in addition to your general month-to-month expenses. But kill myself during the holiday season to take off some financial pressure? Maybe... if I were single and addicted to Red Bulls and zero sleep.

This being a government job—I'll stop hedging, I work at a USPS national distribution center—there is the major benefit that I can have my students loans forgiven, after I work for them for 10 years, and make 120 payments. Or is that and/or? Not sure of that yet. Could I make 120 separate payments over 120 days and have the rest forgiven...? Somehow I think the 10 years is the main requirement.

Mun. Nay. Ugh.

Somewhere I read that the original equation for minimum wage was that a single income on minimum wage could provide for a family. A house. Kids. Now? In most places it doesn't even cover rent for a basic studio apartment. And having a college degree no longer gets you much further on its own.

My youngest coworker is 19. My oldest is almost 70. They both started within the last two years, like me. As much as I am not fond of the working environment, as much as I am indifferent to the actual work, in hindsight it would have been very pragmatic to have started working for the post office right out of high school. One odd thing is that it sounds like there are a lot of people who just keep working for the post office long after they could have retired and found something more personally rewarding. The person at the plant who's been working there the longest has done since the mid-1970s. Basically since the facility was built. He's probably in his early 70s. I really hope he has some life outside the post office.

It's an acceptable job. The money and benefits and security of it? Hard to beat.

It is almost, but not quite, the sort of day (well, night) job that allows me to have space to work on my creative endeavors in my free time. It isn't a take-home kinda job. Every day is new, every day is basically the same. But it can absolutely be exhausting. Working that overtime is zombifying. Now if I could work ten hours day for four days and have three days off? I'd do that.

Yeah. I might work a few more overtimes before the year is over. Not, for the love of Gonzo, every night. Not gonna work that sixth day, or seventh day and have to work twelve days in a row. Turns out I like being home and spending a little time with my wife. I am taking Christmas OFF! I am taking New Years OFF! Let's keep our sanity intact this holiday season. Fucking money.

P.S. Tax the hell out of billionaires. Tax them right out of existence. Please and thank you.