I’m not entirely sure when the ‘officially’ kicks in, but I am now employed. I haven’t started yet, but it is only a matter of waiting out the holidays. Which means that I have six whole days of cold sweats before I can once again restart my participation in the great American workforce.

It isn’t this job specifically that makes me nervous. It’s a job, one that I can do, and I’m not terribly worried about my performance. What will begin to keep me up at night is the fact that in less than a week I will be driving across town (variously, since the work site changes constantly) five days a week only to fight through traffic to come home at night to have just enough time to make dinner, accomplish two tasks, read a chapter, maybe ball my girlfriend, and go to sleep. Repeat, five of seven days per week.

Does this pattern get to anyone else? I’ve worked jobs like this before, but I’ve also spend enough time not working 9-to-5ers that I’m not accustomed to it. People like to sneer at me when I start to talk like this, and say things like “Welcome to the real world.” And they’re right, of course.

But I’m still terrified.