Night shift

[Rob_Royale]

So who are our night owls or third shifters?
My job switches nights to days every four months, and I've just switched back to days. I work 12-hour shifts in a technical field, at the end of the week. Three or four days on, alternating. On my nights off, I have all damn night to write and it's wonderful. I get lots done. The downside is I don't see my wife at all from Wed-Sat. On the day shift I see her every night and it's terrific, but writing time suffers. We have a hobby farm and there are always things that need doing.

How about you?

 

[Candy_Kane54]

I'm retired so I can be on here at any time. So beware ...

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I'm also retired but still have my working life schedule, thanks to some dogs with well ingrained habits. They typically wake me to be fed between 3 and 4 in the morning since this is what they were accustomed to when I worked. We're usually in bed by 8, and if nothing kinky occurs, we're asleep by 9.

I get most of my serious writing done in the mornings, East coast time.

 

[onehitwanda]

8-5 except when the world is on fire, as it has been for the last month due to our CEO poking his nose where it is neither needed nor wanted.

Sigh.

I've forgotten what a full night's sleep is.

 

[MrPixel]

I retired 10 years ago and my circadian rhythms are still a wreck. I had programmers/system support hours working from home (before it was cool), so my typical workday was noon to midnight with intermittent breaks. Too often that midnight became 2 a.m. when the development staff sent me an update that barfed. I count my blessings that I never fell into the Jolt Cola and M&Ms trap my peers did to keep those kind of hours. Haven't talked to anybody in a decade, and I'll hazard a guess they're not faring so well.

I'm not working all that hard to fix it, tho'. This past week I was working on a story and it was flowing. Come 4 a.m. my wife stumbles into the office and asks me if I'm ever going to come to bed. Oops.

 

[Altissimus]

9-5...kinda... and then regularly up until 3am. I mean, so regularly, it's not even funny. I went to bed 'early' the last couple of nights at 1am. Sleep isn't all that interesting.

 

[dasgoodshit]

9-5...kinda... and then regularly up until 3am. I mean, so regularly, it's not even funny. I went to bed 'early' the last couple of nights at 1am. Sleep isn't all that interesting.

That's me. I was up until 5am a few nights in the last week, waking up at 8:50 to get logged in by 9. I really need to pound out a dozen stories or so in some vacation time I have coming up, and hopefully some of the uninvited characters in my mind will allow me to get a good night's sleep, for a change.

 

[AchtungNight]

My schedule is similar to Rob Royal’s, only no hobby farm, only one cat, & 2 introvert roommates, no wife or regular girlfriend at this time. I’ve had the latter relationships in the past, would like to again someday, but it is not the case right now. My schedule will surely change if such relationships come back into my life.

It gives me good vibes to see retired people here. I hope if I make it to a similar position, I can keep up this hobby too.

 

[Comshaw]

I empathize with anyone who has a family and works a night shift. I'm now retired so none of that affects me. But when I was working I was fortunate to work days, 7 to 3:30 Monday to Friday throughout my entire career. That is unusual for the business I was in, equipment maintenance and repair. Most times companies want their maintenance crew on a late shift to have the things repaired and back in service by the next day if possible.

My son is a police officer and he works shift work. He just got off a graveyard shift (11:00 PM to 9:00 AM with Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday off). Before that it was a swing shift, 2:00 PM to 12:00 AM with Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off. He's now on days, 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM with Friday Saturday and Sunday off. It's the first day shift he's had since April 1st. 2022. Needless to say he hasn't seen much of his wife and son for the last year and a half.

He works for a small town and while on graveyard is the only law enforcement officer on duty in the east end of our county. So the policy is he stays in the police station unless he is called out, which for a town of 3,500 residents happens rarely. consequently, he has a lot of time on his hands. If it were me in his place, I can see where that would be useful for getting some writing done.

Comshaw

 

[MillieDynamite]

Back in the day, I did some fugitive recovery. Yes, I'm sort of small for that kind of work, but I did it. I'm a master with the collapsible baton, so that helps. Anyway, we worked 24 on and 24 off, two crews of four. Two people per car. Usually, staking out a favorite haunt, a girlfriend's place, the wife, or their moms. It was long hours, and we'd trade off who watched and who rested. We sat in cars, one vehicle in an area near the target, the other in another area on the other side. We'd try to disappear, but in daylight, it isn't so easy.

I would log on to my home computer through my laptop and write when I wasn't the one watching. I'd often go without sleep and write instead. I was never happier than we I was doing investigations rather than recovery. However, I got a lot of writing done on those stakeouts.

 

[Throwaway256897q6r72]

I just switched schedule from a 6 am to 4 pm to a 4 am to 2 pm shift, Tuesday through Friday. I do most of my writing when I'm at work, as I run a big lumber cutting machine. When the machine is actually cutting, I have a few minutes to write, which is nice. Unfortunately, if somebody else goes on vacation, I have to cover for them, and I don't get any writing in.

 

[XerXesXu]

That's me. I was up until 5am a few nights in the last week, waking up at 8:50 to get logged in by 9. I really need to pound out a dozen stories or so in some vacation time I have coming up, and hopefully some of the uninvited characters in my mind will allow me to get a good night's sleep, for a change.

The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

[MediocreAuthor]

Night Shift

Good book. I like Steven King, and I love short stories. A great time killer. I've read it a dozen times.

 

[Rob_Royale]

Good book. I like Steven King, and I love short stories. A great time killer. I've read it a dozen times.

Isn't it though? His novella collections are my favorites.

 

[MediocreAuthor]

Isn't it though? His novella collections are my favorites.

Technically my favorite is Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.

But Night Shift is probably my second favorite

 

[AchtungNight]

Funny we got some law enforcement related people here. I got into the night shift working security. Aspired to law enforcement, graduated with honors from a private academy, but never made it onto a force. Collapsible and riot batons were my favored weapons too back in the day (hence fantasy me’s weapons in Inside Out). If I was still in shape for security or investigation… I got bored with security and am instead a factory worker today.

Shawshank Redemption is my favorite King tale too. Runner up is Needful Things. I’m glad that book alerted me to people like Keeton & Gaunt.

 

[RejectReality]

Spent 10 years working graveyard shift. It's been over 20 years ago, but I still hang blankets over all the windows to this day to keep out the hateful stare of the accursed burning orb.

If I had my druthers, I'd be right back on it. Just not an option at this point. Frikkin' normies get on my nerves. Give me the weirdo in a bath robe and bunny slippers looking for pork n' beans at 2 a.m. over daywalkers any day.

 

[Jade84]

7p-7a here, 14 yrs. I never know what day it is. But I wouldn't work any other shift, at least not in the hospital.

 

[Stimtheone]

Well, I'm european, so I might be night shifter. But I also function much more organically on a night shift. I can keep a sleep schedule of 8 am to 4 PM with no problem for weeks, but as soon as I get back to sleeping like a normal person I keep getting tempted to push on.

 

[Rob_Royale]

I switched back to nights last week. Two weeks of feeling like crap and then I'll be fine.

 

[onehitwanda]

8-5 except when the world is on fire, as it has been for the last month due to our CEO poking his nose where it is neither needed nor wanted.

Sigh.

I've forgotten what a full night's sleep is.

Hi Past Me, this is Future Me, it doesn't get better. Love and kisses.

 

[StillStunned]

Hi Past Me, this is Future Me, it doesn't get better. Love and kisses.

It must be nice to have such a good relationship with your Past Me.

My own Past Me is lazy and shiftless, leaving Present Me to sort out the mess he left behind. Well, everything that I can't dump on Future Me, that is.

 

[onehitwanda]

It must be nice to have such a good relationship with your Past Me.

My own Past Me is lazy and shiftless, leaving Present Me to sort out the mess he left behind. Well, everything that I can't dump on Future Me, that is.

Oh, no, past me is a lazy whore, but hey, at least I can tell her that to her face!

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Oh, no, past me is a lazy whore, but hey, at least I can tell her that to her face!

Do you happen to rent your DeLorean? Asking for a friend.

 

[onehitwanda]

Do you happen to rent your DeLorean? Asking for a friend.

no Delorean needed. Just work somewhere where the daily amount of fuckbaggery crosses the Martinet line and after a few weeks of accretion you've got your very own wormhole.