Last night I did my first night shift, 6.30 pm to 6.30 am. I got to bed at 7.30 am and have only just surfaced.
I last worked 'proper' nights (rather than just stupidly late or early day shifts) when I was about 21. It seemed easier then. No doubt I will get used to it.
But for now ... bloody hell.
(The new job, for anyone that is interested, is back with my old employees - a large tourism operation - and I am a Security Supervisor. It's a lot less money than the last job, but also a lot less stress, and I think it could be quite good fun. I'll let you know.)
At least working nights allowed you to watch MotoGP.
ReplyDeleteAnd Simoncelli wasn't just going to let himself get barged out of the way by a new world champion.
For that you have to have a television, I believe :) The office I work from has monitors galore and can be persuaded to play a DVD, but live telly is not on the menu. So I missed that, but thanks for reminding me of what I didn't see!
ReplyDeleteRichard,
ReplyDeleteIs the aim to keep the tourists in or the locals out?
N
It's part policing the site - routine patrols, fire watch, making sure things don't disappear - and partly a kind of out-of-hours guest services role. A guest phoned me at 4.30 this morning asking where the nearest petrol station was.
ReplyDeleteI have rather enjoyed it so far. Four 12-hr days done, and now three days off. Not bad.
I last worked nights over 5 years ago, as part of a 7 week shift rota.
ReplyDeleteI never got used to them, couldn't sleep properly during the day, dog tired most of the time and it used to ruin the following weekend as I had to get back into days.
I don't miss them for the world.
The sleep thing may be the killer - I slept for 6 hours yesterday after my night shift, and then 11 today, just to catch up. Thing is, one of the things that decided me on packing the old job in was the fact that I wasn't sleeping well. I've slept like a fucking log since starting nights! I normally do my reading in bed, and I haven't read a word since I started nights: head, pillow, oblivion.
ReplyDeleteIt's something to do with your personality as well, I think. I worked nights for the last time in my first paid job as a hospital porter, and I loved it. There is something about being around while everyone is sleeping, just going about doing your business while the world snores. I rather enjoy that.