When we moved aboard Bettie in August, we knew that we'd be in Kemah, Texas, for about a year and a half - working on the boat and building up that cruising kitty. Since Vlad has mad skills, he hasn't had too much of a problem getting work. Me, on the other hand? Not so much.
So far I've had two jobs since moving to the Galveston Bay Area, and please don't laugh too hard when you hear what they were. The first was with a private investigator who then went out of business. The second was as a certified carousel operator at an amusement park. I was also trained on the tilt-a-whirl and the Ferris wheel, but who's counting, right?
A prescient friend of mine in college used to tease me with the phrase, "I'm an English major. Would you like fries with that?" And, in a way, I'll admit he was right. The carousel isn't the most lucrative of endeavors. However, I've been trying to think about the situation in a more positive light and in one that throws out that idea of the set path: college, job that doesn't involved french fries, retirement, going gently into that good night. For whatever career you choose - be it carny or office assistant to a now defunct PI - it's not the amount of money that you make or the prestige that you acquire, but the stories you get to tell. (But don't ask me about the one with the little girl on the tilt-a-whirl who said her belly button hurt. It did not end well!)
Since I find my situation so hilarious, I was wondering if anyone else out there has had a bizarre job experience that they wouldn't mind sharing. And do you know if they're hiring?
I drove a cab in a town of about 60,000 in Iowa. I drove nights on the weekends while earning my master's degree in English (Yes, even at the master's level, the degree is useless). My first fare was two guys who broke out in a fistfight with a third passenger, and then took off running.
ReplyDeleteWow, a carnival! fun. Do you get discounts on the funnel cake and popcorn? I delivered pizza some time ago.
ReplyDeleteDani
Josh, that's awesome. I've always thought being a cabby would be fun, though I don't know about the brawling. As a carousel operator, I'm pretty sure people wanted to punch me when I dashed their dreams of riding in the teacup.
ReplyDeleteAnd Dani, you better believe I got discount funnel cakes!
It wasn't so bad, though the sitting for 12 hours a day, screwing up my sleep schedule all weekend, eating nothing but junk, and smoking nonstop really took a toll on my body, and I only drove for about 1.5 years.
ReplyDeleteMy job list is long and convoluted... Among them: Pyrotechnician, Touring Stage Manager, Prop builder, French teacher, Special Ed. Assistant, Art Store clerk, oh and artist. You do what you have to do, right? (Trust me, it's worth it!)
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