Something about Pizza

When I was in that two-jobs situation a couple weeks ago, I had this certain craving for pizza when I came home Monday night, the first night. I think it might have been a growing desire from the atmosphere in the evening job. But I gave in on Monday night and for the first time in several years actually ordered myself some pizza. (Don't worry, I didn't eat it all in one day.)

I was thinking then that it had to have something to do with the work atmosphere. Working late hours, staring at a computer, perhaps, I thought, reminded me of my high school days of working on the newspaper. When we had layout nights (These were old-school days. We had a light board on which we laid regular newspaper-page sized pieces of tagboard with the article/photo layout sketched on them in pencil. Layout nights came toward the end when the articles were copy-edited (by me), some writers finished writing theirs, and the section editors cut and glued the articles and photos in place.) Sometimes it took a few nights, depending on how far behind we were, in order to reach our deadlines. Ideally, it was only supposed to take one night. In any case, we stayed late hours sometimes and always ordered pizza.

The data entry evening job I had a couple weeks ago wasn't as stimulating as working on the newspaper, but it was working late, as I already described.

Well, then last night I had this craving again to order pizza. I didn't this time. Neither my body nor my wallet can budget that. I contented myself with tuna and chips. But where was the craving coming from? I hadn't worked late, and I definitely wasn't doing stimulating work. But I had worked all day--slapping sticker on envelopes. Actually something I've done too much of in the past week--data entry, slapping stickers and stuffing envelopes. It's mind numbing. Seriously. And that made me think that yes, pizza ordering is also associated with brainless work--something to add comfort to long hours of nothingness. It probably doesn't help either that there's a pizza place walking distance from here--like on the same block walking distance.

And there I have one more reason that I really need to find more stimulating employment. I can't be craving pizza all the time.