Permission To Say Cock?

Today has been a good news, bad news kind of day. Luckily it has weighed more towards the good, but I hit one hell of a road block this afternoon. It went a little something like this.

Good  news: One of the nine jobs I applied for this morning resulted in a callback before I even made it to work.
Bad  news: They didn't want to put me forward for the job I applied for, but rather a different lower paid job.

Good news: The lower paid job seemed like a sure thing. I had the experience, and I was being offered an interview.
Bad news: Checking with my current agency, I had only accrued half a days holiday.

Good news: I only work part-time; so in my mind half a day is a day.
Bad news: The agency couldn't give me a straight answer on how many hours half a day translated into, and my placement wasn't much more help. To boot, the boss is out of the office until the day after the latest possible interview date.

Basically, I was screwed. Screwed for playing it straight, when I could just as easily have phoned in sick that day; safe in the knowledge that the odds of it biting me the ass were out there with being struck by a meteorite on the same day that I won the lottery.. A lottery that I don't even play!

Playing it straight has nothing to do with my concerns about being caught though. It's about the principle. People were amazed when I explained to them today that I was both previously a bookie, and an honest one at that. The agency I currently work for was surprised when I phoned them last Friday, as I thought I had been overpaid considerably (turned out it was a tax rebate). Just as much as I'm sure my playing it straight in this situation would surprise the people who know how desperately I want to get my ass out of that hellhole!

Playing it straight IS always the right thing to do though. Honesty IS the best policy. Integrity IS everything.

Sure, playing it straight isn't always easy, but who ever said that doing the right thing was easy?  I'll still find my way out, and I'm not giving up. It's just that no matter how much you want something, it's not worth giving up what you believe in to get it.. At least that's what I believe.