Results: Ready (?) for work -- Did you ever....

I lay my clothes out the evening before to help streamline getting ready for the morning and not have to get up earlier. Last night, I took out what I thought was a pair of gray pants to go with my dark red blouse and sweater. It wasn't till I got outside to go to my car that I realized the pants were lavender! It isn't that bad but not what I expected (thankfully, since I had no time to go back and change). Have you gotten outside and realized you were wearing a different color than you planned?

One day, I was on my way to work, looked down and realized I had on one navy and one black stocking, and another time I had on mismatched shoes! Has this happened to you?

If you have experienced #1 and/or #2, what did you do?

A few times, I found myself without an umbrella, either because I forgot or the forecast was wrong. And a few times this year, the jacket I wore was too heavy since our summer was warmer than usual. Have you ever been on your way to work (or your appt.) and realized you were not equipped for the weather?

If so, what did you do?

A couple of times, I got to the bus and realized I didn't have my bus/ferry pass (the last time, I was changing purses and it fell on the floor at home). My bus drivers were understanding, but the woman at the ferry dock gave me a hard time and didn't want to let me through, though she sees me every day and knew I wasn't trying to get out of paying my fare. If something like this has happened to you, what did you (or would you) do?

Were you ever on your way to work or your appointment and discovered you had forgotten to bring something else that was important?

If you were on your way to someplace you needed to be and found a small rip or stain on your clothing (or it got ripped or stained on the way there), what did you do?

I have insomnia and am a nightowl. So I have trouble getting to sleep at night and it's very hard for me to get up on weekdays, even though I thankfully don't have to get up super-early (by 7:10). I generally hear my alarm clock and seldom oversleep, though I have a few times. Have you ever overslept, or running very late for another reason, on a work morning (or a morning where you needed to be somewhere)?

If you overslept or were running late, what did you do?

I've pretty much worked full-time since I was 16. I eventually got my GED and, going to college at night for several years, eventually earned a Bachelors in Marketing. I expected I would now develop a career in marketing research or advertising, but this never happened. All I have ever been hired for have been administrative assistant positions, and I have never made anywhere near the salary that someone with my intelligence and ability should be making. After job hopping most of my working life (longest job being 3-1/2 years) plus a few layoffs, I gave up on having a career and decided, when I got my current admin job in '06, that this is where I would probably stay till I'm able to retire (which I hope to finally do in two years). Though there is light at the end of the tunnel, I'm SO burned out and it feels like a long prison sentence. I envy people who were able to retire early; I never had that option. Can you give me any constructive advice to help me cope with my situation (put in comments below; please be nice)?

A couple of weeks ago, I did stumble upon a fascinating TV program that helped put my situation in perspective. The name of the show is "Deadliest Journeys" and it's on the Pivot network. Each episode deals with workers in an African or Asian country and how they literally take their lives in their hands just to earn enough to make a minimal wage to feed their families. It shows them performing dangerous tasks such as transporting bamboo over a churning river (they have to make a raft out of the bamboo) or trying to drive a rickety truck over an unpaved "road" that is basically quicksand-like mud (they keep getting stuck and what should be a two-hour trip can take two days). I've always known that most parts of the world are impoverished compared to the U.S. or Canada - but seeing what these poor folks have to go through just to survive was eye-opening and did make me feel my situation would be considered enviable by many. Prior to this survey, had you heard of the program "Deadliest Journeys"?

Have you seen "Deadliest Journeys", or if not, will you check it out?