Amusing the Muse

Back to Monday again! Hardly noticed the weekend ending! Heck, I hardly noticed it even began!

I don’t know if this is just me, but the weekend is always too short. It is never enough.

I mean come on, you work for five whole long dreary days! What's two days? Even before you know, your little insignificant two-day weekend is gone! Poof! Just like that! It is almost like it never was there.

Some countries have 4 day weeks and 3 day weekends. They are sensible. But do you know what I think would be even better? 3.5 days each, of the weekend and the week. Monday to Wednesday, and I wouldn’t mind coming in for half-a-day on Thursday. That’s alright, we all must make sacrifices, and we can all come in for the first half of Thursday, with a smile.

A fixed artificial, absolutely-lacking-in-cheer smile, perhaps, but a smile nevertheless.

I’d seriously like to know what possible objections there could be to having 3.5 day weeks and weekends. I tell you, the economy would improve for sure. It will probably go soaring through the roof, poking more holes into the Ozone layer than CFCs have been able to.

Not convinced?

What does an average Australian (American, Briton, Indian [these days]) do on weekends? If the traffic on Friday evenings in Melbourne is any indication at all, they are all out there, enjoying themselves. The pubs have people lining up outside to get in, the cinemas run full houses, the restaurants are packed to the full, with people spilling out on to the streets, in an attempt to find culture while dining on fine cuisine.

Saturdays it is the turn of the shopping malls, the beaches, and the mountains, not to forget the pubs, cinemas and restaurants again. Sundays may begin a bit late, but they soon catch up with the crowds.

I tell you, people are out there, opening their wallets, swiping their credit cards like there is no tomorrow. And if all that cash flow doesn’t do anything to the economy, I don’t know what will. And considering that every other thing that I buy, right from my Pocket PC to the shopping trolley I roll up to the market is made in China, one part of every dollar I spend here will eventually find its way to China.

Not to mention to the oil producing countries and Brazil and India and Bangladesh and Belgium and Switzerland and....I think we should just have increased weekends. I think it is good for global economy.