Graveyard Shift

    So, it has been official for a couple of weeks now, as of August 1st I will be starting my year long rotation on the graveyard shift.  Everyone keeps asking me if I am looking forward to it, and I have to say that I don't really care either way.  I like the graveyard shift, but it does come with some drawbacks.

1.)  My sleep schedule will take a little getting used to.  It was much easier to do back when I was single, not to mention younger, and had no children.  I did it for four years in California and loved it.
2.)  I will have to sleep in the basement, the bed is not that comfortable, but I can black out the windows and make it dark which makes it so much easier to sleep during the day.
3.)  The kids will need to be quiet while I'm sleeping, because nobody wants to wake up the hibernating bear, he is very grouchy.  However my kids were very good at respecting my sleep schedule during my last rotation on the night shift.
4.)  I will miss the camaraderie I have with the day crew, especially all of the Department Managers I have worked with for so many years.  However there are several people on the night shift who I have missed working with since my last rotation and it will be good to work with them again.
5.)  12 hours of running from one end of the store to the other all while trying to push out truck loads of freight to the sales floor.

     Along with the drawbacks there are pluses to working graveyard.

1.)  Considerably fewer people in the store.  Most nights are relatively drama free and pretty quiet.
2.)  Not having to enter schedules every week!
3.)  4 days on, 4 days off!  I work 4 days, then have 4 days off, it's like a mini vacation every rotation.
4.)  Cooler in the summer.
5.)  Weight loss!  When I started this job 12 1/2 years ago it was on the night shift, unloading trucks and stocking shelves.  In the six months I did that job I lost 50 pounds.  My last rotation on nights as a manager I lost 40 pounds.  I tell people all the time, if they want a good weight loss program work graveyards.

     Overall it will be good to have a change of pace from my daily routine.  The best part of this rotation, as opposed to my last, is the schedule.  The last rotation was a 3 week rotating schedule with 2 of the weeks being split days off, it sucked big time.  I'm not really looking forward to working four 12 hour days in a row, but I'm going to love the 4 days off.  It should be fun.