I'm taking what they're giving 'cause I'm working for a livin...
You know, I hate my job as much as the next person, but on days like these, I'm glad that I'm sitting on an adjustable chair with wheels positioned just so under the aircon. I couldn't take working outdoors on a day like today.
Believe me, I've been there, though. I recall a long weekend as burning as today, where I worked overtime making endless boxes of greasy fries in a creaky chip truck. I had blackheads all that summer, and could never get the smell of the fryers from my clothing, no matter how many times I washed 'em. It was a bitch of a job because of the heat, and the lineup was around the block that one particular weekend. I had been there 2 months, and it was the Tuesday after that weekend when I got fired. I was told that it was because I didn't cook the fries long enough for the regulars' liking, but the guy who owned the truck also worked at GM and had just gotten laid off. I wasn't disappointed, though. I was pissed that he told me on the Tuesday, than at the beginning of the long weekend. Now, I know that you don't go to hell for something as minor as that, but I'd sure think it was fitting if, at sometime in the afterlife, he spend a day or two feeling as toasty. Bastard.
I worked for GM myself for a time. I spent a couple of days a week running vehicles from one city to another. Back and forth, forth and back. It wasn't a bad gig. I knew it was the only time that I'd personally be driving brand new Luminas or Cutlass Supremes. The only rules of the gig was don't hit anything and don't smoke in the car. I could abide by that. But I did test the stereos, and got caught up in a competition about who could make it from one site to the next the fastest. I don't know why I quit. Maybe it was the infrequency of the job. I probably needed something more permanent, more like on a full-time basis.
I also worked in a video store at around the time Bat 21 came out Link, sold corn, had a stint in the fast food industry, and in a nursery. I worked in a factory packing apples, and in another counting and sorting nuts and bolts boxing pairs to equal a thousand. I wrote papers and articles for money in college, and worked in one of the last Woolco department stores in Ontario. I co-wrote a play as part of my summer job, and appraised and catologued an art collection for another work-study position. I also wrote for a newspaper, and held weekly wine tastings for my job in a wine store. I got hired at three other jobs that stated they were something when it turned out that they really were not. One of them I showed up for my first day, and walked back out after 10 minutes. One of them, I took a look at the building at the address I had been given, and didn't even bother to go in as it was so run-down. The last one the employee that greeted me at the door had such bad body odor that I literally refused to go up the elevator with him. I made a feeble excuse and ran for the door.
I've been hired and fired, and throughout it all, I've realized that while I'm no further ahead in life financially speaking, I'm definitely rich in experience and memories. I don't know why I've just written a whole article about the jobs I've had... maybe just to remind me that it's not all bad and that nothing's permanent unless I want it to be.